Episode 211 | Close Deals with Confidence Without Being Pushy with Liz Wendling

In this conversation, Liz Wendling shares how to stop sounding like a walking brochure and start communicating with real human emotion. 

We dig into why "checking in" on a lead is a waste of time, the importance of shifting from a sales pitch to a collaborative dialogue, and how to stop apologizing for your price. You will learn how to refine your language to reflect your true value, how to lead a sales process without being pushy, and why your tone of voice is often more important than the words you choose. Liz provides the tools to transform your approach so you can close deals with confidence and integrity. 

About Liz Wendling:

Liz Wendling is a nationally recognized speaker, sales consultant, and author of The Heart of Authentic Selling and Sell Without Selling Your Soul. Liz is driven by the mantra, It's not WHAT you sell, it's HOW you sell that matters. Liz understands the sales challenges professionals face when selling in today's competitive environment. She shows them how to make a profound difference in their sales approach, language, and process. Whether for her one-on-one consulting, group coaching, multiple-day training, or workshops, Liz will customize her Sales Clinic Programs around the specific needs, challenges, and objectives a business faces. Liz has coached thousands of professionals to build solid business skills, develop a success mindset, exceed sales expectations, and prosper in any economy.

Connect with Liz Wendling:

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Website

Want to be more successful, make more sales and grow your business? If so, you'll love this podcast. In this show, I (Kay Miller, aka "Muffler Mama,") interview superstar women from all industries. Their experience and advice will give you specific tools you can use to enjoy Uncopyable success. I earned the nickname “Muffler Mama" when sold more automotive mufflers than anyone in the world, and I've been a successful entrepreneur for over 30 years. During that time, I (along with my husband, Steve) have generated 8 figures in revenue for our business.  Besides hosting this podcast, I'm an author, speaker, coach, consultant and most importantly....Kelly's mom.

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Transcript

 
Today I have the pleasure of talking with Liz Wendling, a nationally recognized sales consult consultant and author who helps people sell with confidence and integrity. Liz believes selling isn't about pressure or scripts, but how you show up and the words that you choose. If you wanna sell in a way that feels natural and gets results, you are gonna love this conversation.

Liz, welcome to the podcast. 

Hey, happy to be here. Happy New year. 

Happy New Year. This will be up for a few weeks, but today is January 6th. Uh oh, January 6th. Oh, and um, early in the new year. I mentioned that I went to the gym yesterday. Yay. I am back on the wagon and it was packed. So Liz, I was introduced to you, to you by, uh, Jackie Joy, a mutual friend.

Jackie's awesome and I really appreciate the connection. So yeah, me too. Uh, we're gonna talk about sales. We're gonna talk about your book. You have two books, but the one I recently read is Sell Without Selling Your Soul, how Smart Women Connect, communicate, and Close, close With Confidence. We were just talking about, uh, something that you observed, and why don't we just dive into that about being pushy and the fear of being too aggressive and how does that affect our sales?

Well, I'm sure you've heard that. Statement. I don't wanna be pushy, or I don't wanna be one of those salesy people, or I don't wanna be one of those aggressive salespeople. And I always say, good. Nobody wants that either. But it's become a really convenient label that we put on sales. And what I think it's more of an excuse when you say, I don't wanna be one of those people, so I'm not just, I'm not gonna sell at all.

Well, that's great. Then you're not gonna have a business. So it's not a really good excuse. It's like not going to the gym, right? It's too crowded. I don't want to go, well, guess what? Then you're not getting fit. So I see a lot of people using the, I don't wanna be salesy, I don't wanna be pushy or aggressive.

Like I said, nobody cares. Nobody wants that. But people use it to avoid stepping into selling in a way that actually is. Requires that confidence, clarity, and conviction that is needed to help a prospect move into making a decision. They're coming to you to help them make a decision. You are not forcing anything on anyone.

And there are a lot of aggressive salespeople out there. We know what it feels like. We've all had a conversation with those people. Um, you don't have to be that, but you do have to choose what you wanna be. If you say, I don't wanna be this, then you better your next sentence. Better be, I wanna be this.

Instead. If you don't wanna be salesy, then you have to say, I wanna be direct, I wanna be strong. I wanna show up as authentic. So when people complain about being pushy, it's usually something else is under the surface, and they really need to address that and say, why am I resisting the only thing that keeps me in business?

And that's sales. So I'll stop being pushy or I will be pushy, but I will be confident. 

One thing that I hear a lot, and I talk about it too, is if you look at sales as helping, then it's a totally different conversation. You're not pushing and you're not, uh, being aggressive, you're helping. But as you've pointed out, I mean, you have to then what are you doing?

You're helping. Yeah. But that's still not selling, so 

That's right. Yay. Thank you for saying that. 

You're right. You can help at the, you know, food, shelter, the, the right food, food bank. So, uh, 

a lot of times also I hear, I'm not selling, I'm serving, I'm not selling, I'm educating well is great, but what happens when you actually do have to step into the selling part of your helping conversation?

So serving and selling part. Intertwined. It's like the infinity symbol. You can't tell the difference when you're serving in the conversation or when you're selling. All it is is a beautiful aligned conversation to help someone get what they need. And if it's not from you, then you send them on their way.

That's all it is. It's a conversation and people make it, uh, so much more difficult than it needs to be, or, or more inauthentic than it needs to be, than stepping into a conversation with somebody and seeing if you are the reason that they're talking and you can move to a decision or not. 

I think that's very critical because sometimes we do, we get stuck chasing and chasing and chasing and they're just not the right prospect for us.

We Right, of course, are, are, we use the term moose as our ideal prospect and you know, you might think that they're your moose and that you're a perfect fit, but then you, you find out they aren't and instead of beating your head against the wall, like you said, help them make a decision. Correct. Even if the decision isn't working with you.

Yeah. It's not help you, it might be later down the road or it could be a hardcore No, but that's okay. I would rather a no than to be dragged along behind a moving car thinking that I have to save this car. It's not gonna happen. It's, it's, it makes it very heavy. It makes selling heavy and it doesn't have to be, there's a way to do it that is light and enjoyable.

If you wanna stay in business, you know, not everybody wants to. So if you don't wanna sell, then you're, you're putting yourself outta business little by little every day when you don't step into those conversations with that confidence and a, a real deep knowing and a trust in yourself that you could move somebody to make a decision whether it's a yes or a no.

Right. And a lot of women listening, mostly women and you, we talk about that, um, are business owners and they started a business not to be a salesperson. They started a business because they have a special knowledge or talent or passion. And then they say, oh, no, no, I don't wanna sell. Like you said, if you don't sell or if somebody doesn't sell and you as the owner must sell, you don't have a business.

Yes. So let's get into a few of the, the. The actual, uh, specifics that I really liked about your book. Um, and let's talk about really when you reach out to someone initially or as a follow up about emails and the language that you use, the language and how you, uh, keep from boring them with a bunch of fluff and talking about the weather.

So, so what do you recommend for emails? 

Well, when it comes to the way people are reading emails today and going through their inbox or on LinkedIn and they're going scrolling through their inbox there or anywhere that they're getting messages, the last thing you wanna do is add unnecessary fluff and junk and all that stuff in the beginning.

That doesn't position you to stand out. All it does is affirm that you're just like everyone else. When you start out with, I hope you're doing well, or I hope you had a great weekend or happy holidays to you. I'm not saying you can't wish somebody that, but don't start an email like that because everyone else is doing that.

At the end of an email, I teach people to put it at the end. You could say, PS, I hope you had a great weekend. Or, by the way, I hope all is well with you and you're having a great holiday. Something at the end versus leading with it. Because so many people are afraid of coming across in a specific way and soften it up and add the fluff in the beginning because they think that's what's going to get someone's attention, when in fact it's not.

It's getting to the point, but not in an abusive way. It's saying, the reason for my email, or I'm reconnecting with you because you popped into my head and here's the reason why we're, I'm reaching out to you or, or connecting with you instead of. Hi, I hope all is well, or I hope you had a good weekend. No, you don't.

If you dunno me and you start an email like that, I know you, I'm not sitting here thinking, oh, this total stranger hopes I had a great weekend. No, you're doing what millions of other people are doing and you're leading with fluff and it doesn't get anyone's attention. And I tell people, if you can't get someone's attention, you will never get your business.

If you take nothing away today, if you can't get someone's attention and you get deleted, you're never gonna get their business. So it's changing your language and writing an email that is written to someone. Not feeling like it's written at someone. There's a big difference when you open an email and, and it feels like somebody sat down and thought about me when they wrote it.

You don't know me, but it still feels like you did a little research on me and that it was written to me, not at me. Like a lot of emails that sound very generic, and it could be a copy and paste 

with ai, I've heard this and I, I've noticed it. I hope this email finds you well, finds 

you, oh, 

please, a, a machine, a computer 

program that's curse words to me.

That is like starting out an email with five F words. It might as well be that because it, that's what it does to people. It makes people roll their eyes and go, seriously. So AI is even still teaching this, right? So here's an opportunity to shift your language, say something different. Don't be generic, don't be typical so that you can get someone's attention.

I like that. And I sometimes fall into that trap and you know, it's hard. You feel like you should do the social lubricant or whatever. Yeah, yeah. But you know, to start out saying, you're receiving this email because I learned this about you, and I think that, you know, we have something interesting to talk about or whatever.

But yes, there is a way to start with you. And that's a great point. There's a great point. There's also, uh, a word that is very overused in emails, and I want you to talk about what that word is. 

Would that be the L word or the I word? 

It's the I word. I don't know what the L word is. So let's start with the I word.

Okay. Well, the I word is, is just that it is I, it's all about how many times you use the word I. I would love to do this. I like to walk you through this. I'd love to schedule an appointment. I wanna show you how great we are. I'd love to connect. I'd love to do this. I want to do this. I wanna send you this.

I wanna invite you. It's I, I, I, I, I. And if people will just check their emails and how many messages you sent in the last quarter of 2025, and count how many times you talked about yourself. You made it about yourself. And I know people aren't doing this consciously. They're not saying, I wanna make this all about me, but that's exactly what's happening.

You look self-serving. Unknowingly showing up, self-serving when all you do is talk about what you want, what you are looking to do, what you think is a good idea, and how much you want them to see how great you are. It's not how it works and it will not work moving forward. That stuff needs to be nipped in the bud right now.

And every time you say I, you send a signal that it's all about you and not about them. 

Well, and that is something I've gotten pretty good about in the habit of looking at my emails and of course always shocked at how many times I say I and say, how can I reword this? So that it's about you and, and your, again, like you said, we our company.

Yeah. We do this. It's, it's all about us. So to say, uh, to look at those emails and 

Right 

count the i's now what about the L word? I don't even know what you mean by that. 

Oh, okay. That, that's a big one. All right. But one more little thing on the I word is. A lot of times people think if they just take it out and say, wanna see if this is a good fit for you?

Or so don't think you're fooling yourself. Just taking the eye out. It's, it still conveys the same message. 

The 

sentiment 

is there, huh? 

Yes. But you brought up something important. You said, I, I check myself, I stop myself. I look to see how I could rewrite it, and that's all it takes is a few extra seconds to say, I want this person to open this email and feel like I rid, I've written it to them, not at them.

How can I rework it and change it in such a way where it doesn't feel so self-serving? So it'll require a little time. It's gonna, but if you want someone to, to read your email, few extra seconds and do it the right way and make it matter. 

It's very, yeah, it is very quick. Um, I feel like I have gotten in the habit of it and you just said something kind of like, I've written this or this was written, you know, or it's just some way to just Yes.

So you don't look at the, if you look at your email, of course. Mm-hmm. And you know, it's like the red cars or whatever. If you just look at the eyes sometimes you're horrified. 

Yes, yes. 

The eyes have it way way the up. They 

definitely do. 

So what's that L word? 

Okay, so the L word is love. And everyone on this call will know this because I, every email is littered with this.

I read hundreds of emails a week. When I'm working with a new client or a new customer, they send me a lot of their messages before we start working. I need to know a baseline of what they're saying and why people are avoiding them. And this is the word that comes up. So often where someone will, and again, I know people are not doing this on purpose, they're not showing up self-serving.

They don't want to, they're not saying, I wanna be a self-serving jerk, but this is what they sound like when they say, I'd love to schedule time with me. I'd love to get on your calendar. I'd love to show you this product. I'd love to see if we're a good fit. I'd love to set up a quick time to chat. Now, that is not an invitation.

If you hear that in a way, it's I what I wanna do to you. I wanna see if this is a fit for you. So you haven't invited me to a conversation. You commanded me to what you wanna do. So you told me what you want. You have invited me to see if I want the same thing. And that is so huge for people when they look at their emails now again and see how many times you said, I'd love to set up a time to talk to you.

I'd love to do this. I'd love to do that. Right there, more self-serving language. And then people don't realize that's why no one's getting back to me. That's why nobody's setting up a time on my calendar because I'm telling them what I want versus an invitation about what I want. And it's, and again, it's just shifting it just a little to invite me into the conversation.

Are you open to setting up a quick chat? Do you feel about getting together? What are your thoughts on, tell me what to do. Invite me and watch what happens to your inbox. People will stop deleting you when you stop making it about yourself. So look at your eye language of what you wanna do. I, I, I, I, I all the way to, I would love and the love word.

It's not. I mean, keep love where it belongs. It. Love your children, love the planet, love your babies, but to love your husband or wife, but leave it outta emails. It doesn't belong there. 

You're right. I think back, Mr. Doozy, we've been around for a long time and, um, both of us I think are kind of in the same, uh, age group.

And I think back, we didn't say the word love in business all the time 30 years ago, but now Right. Worked its way into, you know, I love ice cream. Yeah. And yeah, that is a big trap and I fall into it too. Again, I, that's why I look at every email before I send it. Um, yeah. And. You know, love, like you said, I would love to meet you.

Um, hopefully you would love something more than that, but 

yes, 

good 

point. And the other way people use love is they say, I love your hair. I love your blouse. I love your shoes. Again, you are actually not even giving a compliment to the person who deserves it. Your hair is beautiful, your scarf looks great on you.

Your eye color is glorious. You, it's them, not you. And again, I know people until they, until I point this out, they go, oh my God, I've been saying that forever. Oh my gosh. No wonder why they don't realize how it lands. It's not the word love that bothers people. It's the way it lands. It's not, it doesn't create an opening it, it actually can close the door when you say, I would love to do this.

Well, yeah, that's what you want. Now what about me? Of course you'll love to set up a time to talk. You want my business? Yeah. And you just proved it. You just proved to me that all you want is to get my business and that's not gonna work today. Moving forward into 2026 and beyond. 

Good, good way to put it.

Yes. What, what would they love to do, 

right? 

Yeah. Said so, um, I, I want to get one of the things I loved and loved. Uh, oh, no, I said that, but I did. That's okay. I'm passionate you it, I'm passionate about something that you wrote in the book, um, and you just talked about it. Think being afraid to be pushy and not aggressive.

Uh, so let's talk a bit about what, how do you define confident selling versus aggressive? And I would like to get into some of those closing lines, lines that you can share with our listeners. You know what, you know, we hear a lot of times, um, about helping and all of these things, um, but we don't hear it.

Like you said it, it's almost like people think it contradicts with closing and it does not. It all leads to close does not. So let's talk about confident, aggressive, and closing. 

And, and, uh, when people are aggressive, then when they complain about, I don't wanna be aggressive or I don't like aggressive salespeople, I, I think we can all say nobody does, but it's not usually about someone not paying attention or it, it's, it's someone who isn't reading the room.

When somebody's being aggressive, they're not really in tune with the other person. They're just, they're doing that. I'm coming at you not with you type situation. So they're not reading the room, they're not respecting the boundaries. They're not picking up some subtle cues that someone is not enjoying this conversation 

and they're 

not 

loving 

it.

They're not loving it. And the other, the, let's swing the pendulum all the way to the other side is the passive salesperson. So nobody likes passive and no one likes aggressive. No one likes a wishy-washy salesperson. Well, that could work. Yeah, that might be good for you. Or, oh, I'm not sure. Or why don't you just get back to me when you're ready.

Nobody wants that either. But I see people. Try to avoid being aggress. They don't wanna be aggressive so much that they swing the pendulum so far to the other side that they show up as passive, wishy-washy, and weak. And I dunno about you, but I don't want someone there either. I'd rather an aggressive salesperson that I could tone down versus someone who's so passive that I have to say, all right, well, you're not telling me what to do.

You're not giving me what I need, so there's no way I am buying from you. So it's not passive and it isn't aggressive. It has to be precise. And the best professionals aren't aggressive or passive. They're precise because they're asking. Questions, but they're also asking uncomfortable questions. They're asking those questions that get behind the reason why the conversation is happening.

They're confident in going there and scratching the itch, poking the bear, but not in an aggressive way, in a way that gets someone to say, wow, this person knows what she's doing. Sky really is talking to me like he's done this before. I like the confidence that he has. And they also know when to shut up, when to stop talking, when to let the other person open up so that they can get more information to help the conversation.

So it's, it really will never be about being passive and tone yourself down or being aggressive and go at it. It is that precise middle of the road way to sell that aligns with who you are. And you gotta figure that out. And when I'm working with people, we figure out where that line is, where that precision is.

Some people, I, I've had clients, I, I work with a lot of attorneys and one had asked me, he said, I curse in my consultations every time he's a defense attorney. And he said, I curse you. Please don't make me stop cursing. And I said, I'll never make you stop doing that, but we have to figure out. Is you're cursing, making someone uncomfortable.

Is it, is it in and positioned in the right place where it matters? Or you just dropping F-bombs 'cause you like them? And he said, okay, I could work with you with that. He felt I had a push up against that because I wasn't gonna tell him not to curse. Mm-hmm. But I wasn't gonna give him the go ahead to make other people uncomfortable.

I said, not everybody's comfortable with that. So it's really knowing how to balance that. But it requires paying attention and picking up on the cues when people are ready to be closed or ready to make a decision or maybe not make a decision today. Those I could never tell someone. Here's one closing question to say, or here's one thing you can do to close business, although the internet will tell you that for a hundred dollars you can buy, buy my program that will teach you how ways to close a hundred percent of the time.

It's, it's just. BS and 

it's, 

every person is different. Every sales conversation is different, and every way that you talk to someone has that different flavor to it. And if you are really in the conversation with someone, you know exactly what to do next. The next logical place to go just happens. You don't have to think, do I close now?

Is this where I use my script? No, it's, it's logical. It just moves and it flows if you allow it to go there. So when I'm working with people and we do role plays, we will get to that point where I'm throwing them curve balls and I'm throwing up roadblocks, or I'm in a, a spot where I'm ready to be closed and I wanna know, I want them to know, Ooh, I just felt that like, oh yeah, this feels like a natural place to ask this.

There's no scripting in the, in your head or a checklist that says, wait, I have seven more questions to ask before I close. So it isn't about doing it on with, with timing or on a script. It's about knowing intuitively when that happens. And the more you do it, oh my gosh, the better you get at it because it just flows.

That's a great point. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it makes better improvement. Improvement and, and as you know, you're saying, I think sales is part art and part science. Yeah. If you're really tuned into that person, like you said, maybe your cursing attorney might pick up on clues if that's okay with this person or not.

Um mm-hmm. But I like your point about, you know, helping them make these decisions and being, you know, certain or being an authority. We read so much about, um, buyers are finding out. So much information online before they even get to you. Mm-hmm. Well, that's what online cannot do. They can't guide you. You said ask those questions behind the questions.

Yes. Um, and then you become, you do become helping. You're not just giving them, here's the information I have. Let me find out about you. But you're leading and you say sales is leadership in a way, right? 

Yes, it is. And someone could bone up on how to get divorced or how do I redo my kitchen? And, and you come armed and dangerous.

But when you have a contractor sitting in your house who says it, it sounds like you've done your research. And I, I appreciate that you have all these pictures here and we're ready for this conversation, but there's a couple of things we need to get to before we get to that. I, and, and I'm using that example because that's what a, a contractor did in my own home when I was redoing my kitchens and bathrooms when I was so excited.

I think I was. Overly excited. 'cause I finally was, this was the day I was doing it, and I had a, a few contractors come and I was, I was checking out how they sold to me. And this one gentleman was so cool with me. He goes, I could tell you're so excited. He, and he said, even in your email last night when I confirmed with you, and he said, before we get to that, I wanna look at all your pictures and I'm gonna answer all your questions, but I kind of wanna set the tone for what we're gonna do today.

And I so appreciated that he now was, he was saying, I'm not in control, but I'm in charge. I've got this, I do this all day, every day with people and I wanna keep us on track. So let's do it this way. No different than a a, a divorce attorney sitting down with a brand new client saying, Mary, I appreciate you coming in today to talk about the state of your marriage, but let's go over some of the ways that I, I like to, uh.

Have a conversation with you about the steps to take and what's going on. Why don't we start here? And that really shows someone you, I got your back, I've got this. Versus, oh, what can I help you with today? What brings you in today? What brings me in as I'm getting a divorce? Don't ask me that stupid question.

Or, so what are you looking to do in your home today? I want something that says, I got your back. So that is another thing people could start looking at. How do you position yourself as I'm here to lead us, not sell to you, not force you into something or make you uncomfortable. I'm here to lead you because this is what I do all day, every day.

And this is the first time you're doing your kitchen. You may not know. This may be your first divorce or bankruptcy or DUI, whatever it is. 

Boy, that is just awesome. I love that example, those specific examples, especially your personal example, and it brings to mind the fact that we should all, you know, study our own.

Conversations with salespeople, our own interactions and experiences, because yeah, there's that fine line. We don't want somebody who's aggressive and pushy. We also don't want somebody to just say, well, what do you wanna do? Well, I don't know. That's why you're here. Right? So 

one of the other things I do is I do law firm secret shopping.

So I actually will be hired by a law firm to pre get on a Zoom call. I change my name on, on the screen, and I take on the, the mindset, the emotion, and the persona of somebody who either just got charged with a, you know, a drug situation or a DUI or divorce or bankruptcy, and I take that on. I'm assessing how that attorney is talking to me, communicating with me, setting the tone, asking for the business, handling my objections, and then I report back to the managing partner.

And that is where they really get to see, holy wow, we've got some problems. This person did this to you, said that to you, didn't ask you about that. And then I know where the starting point is. So, uh. So if I don't secret chop someone, I usually do a mock consultation or I do some kind of mock sales call with people so I can get a true sense of where they're missing the mark, where they're, where are they doing a bang out job, and where are they falling short?

And that allows me to understand and give people a coaching they need, not what I think they need. It's truly what they need because they mirrored it to me. They showed me how they show up every day. So this is how I know what actually happens in almost every initial consultation or conversation in a sales conversation that people have and where they're doing great and where they miss the mark.

So this is how I've built my business, is knowing what happens in those rooms and what's not being given to the person who really needs it in those moments, depending on what they're buying. 

Well, sounds like you are definitely very wise and experienced and have a lot of insights. I love the way that you're doing those, uh, you know, listening into, or what did you say?

Secret shopping? Secret shopping. Secret shopping. That is, that's a great idea and brave of those customers clients to have you do that. It's probably scary, but it, the rewards I am sure are beyond worth it. That's a, that's a really great service that you offer. And speaking of, let's talk about how people can get ahold of you, uh, what you offer besides your fabulous books.

I mentioned Sell Without Selling Your Soul, how Smart Women Connect, communicate, and Close with confidence. And I do think women, we have some special situations, challenges, maybe, uh, maybe sometimes not, uh, as forthright as we should be. So, uh, just talk about how can people reach you, follow you, um, possibly work with you.

They could go to my name website, liz wedling.com. They can find me on LinkedIn. I post all the time YouTube channel with some real concrete examples. Some things where you could listen and go, oh boy, I think I may need help with that. Or what she's saying, no longer works. I need help. Or I need help writing new messages.

I'm prospecting every day. Nobody's getting back to me. So I have a sales clinic and a sales messaging clinic. So almost. It's more about messaging. If people want prospecting or a real full sales process, they join the clinic and they get prescriptions and ways that are unique to their business. And it's all about working.

I do a lot of one-on-one or small group training, and it's, it's taking a look at what used to work, what no longer does, and how to fix it and put in what does now, but it has to fit you as well. So it fits the world and it fits you, and then you are off and on your way to making it happen. 

Well, that's just great.

And I love your enthusiasm about this. You obviously love, I have to say, love what you do. Um, it draws you up and you are, you're helping people, but you're helping them, you know, make the sales. Yes. And so I will put all those links in the show notes and I'm gonna go check those out as well. Um, before we ha started our interview, which wasn't really an interview conversation mm-hmm.

I asked you, uh, to provide some specifics and boy did you deliver. You've got so many Oh no, 

I'm glad. Ahead. 

Um, I really appreciate it. I, I know we were gonna close with a point that you already made, um, just about the eyes in your emails. That's something you said you'd recommend and it's easy to do.

Right. Just go back through some of your emails. 

Yep. Is start there. Would you respond to your own emails? If you got an email that says, can I get 15 minutes of your time, but you gave me no value or no reason to give you 15 precious minutes, then rewrite it. You can't ask people for their time if you are not showing them that there's a value in that.

And every time you say, I wanna do this, or I would love to do that, rewrite it and start paying attention to. How your responses change when people respond to you, fa a little faster and more often. That is really cool when that happens. And my favorite thing in my business, when people will say, Liz, this person hasn't gotten back to me in three months.

I've sent seven, eight emails and I know they're a good client. And then together we work on an email that brings it back to life a little bit and they get a response and they're like, holy day. And that just makes me light up because when you shift your language, you can get a different response. But if you keep sending the same email, I'm just following up.

I just wanna see if you wanna work with me. I'm just touching base that isn't enough to get somebody moving. But when you ship the whole theme and the message, that's when people turn around and respond back. Even if it's a no, leave me alone, but you got a response. 

Exactly. And that is really job one. One of the hardest things about sales is to get that initial connection correct.

So Liz, this has been a fantastic 30 minutes. Uh, I know listeners are gonna just love this and jump all over your advice. Please, uh, look at the show notes so you can find the ways to connect with Liz and find her YouTube channel, books, everything else. Uh, so I just wanna end this up by saying thank you Jackie, for referring Liz to me, for connecting us, and thank you Liz, for being on the podcast.

Okay. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Wow. That was great. That was a great first interview for the year. Yay. I'm telling you, you know what I mean? Right. About the mindset things you can, mindset's so important. And yet I'm just not finding, I mean, what you offered was, is killer. Killer. Thank, thank you. 

And, uh, 

you know, specifics. I love that. And I probably do say love too much, but I You'll agree.

Now I would toll watch now. What's that? 

You'll watch it now. You'll know when it comes out and you just need to shift it. You'll, I know, 

right? I guess somebody else. Well, I had a, I, this gal was really great about power language and, but she's really, you know, don't say, um, and ah, and I be okay. I've got so, uh.

You know, self-conscious about anything I was gonna say. Uh, but she was wonderful. But she said, oh, you know, it's, it's power language, but it's also not being perfect since that interview. Like you said, be authentic. Yeah. I've watched videos and tv, whatever, uh, shows, whatever, um, of people who are super successful and they might say, well, um, I don't know.

Yeah. So it's not a, it's not a hard fast rule, but 

yeah. And it shows you're human when you go, oh, what was that again? Or I forgot, or, I was just thinking about this the other day. That's what, what makes a connection? It's not having the precise language that's so perfect that you, you're so polished that it's inauthentic.

Right. You could be your AI clone. Right. I'm like, I'm really wrestling with AI right now 'cause I use it so much 

Uhhuh. 

But the content, and I have to tell you real quick, something funny, go something kind of funny, but I wrote a comment to somebody on LinkedIn. And it was something about your favorite moment or something of the year, and she responded.

So I got a notification and I went back and read my comment and it wasn't my comment. It was like the glory of the pristine morning on the mountain. So there's a button that says, have AI rewrite, and I'd accidentally touched it. 

Oh my god. Kate, thank you for sharing that because we need to be aware of that.

I had 

no idea. We totally do. And I was, I put a post, nobody saw it, but I was really bitching about just that here, LinkedIn is penalizing people for using ai and then they have a button that you can accidentally push and suddenly I'm talking about the Pristine. You know? I don't know. It was just not language I would use at all.

Wow. That is an awesome tip of the day. Feel 

free to share with, feel free to share 

that one. Oh my gosh, 

that's scary. And if I hadn't gone back, you know, since she responded, she's like, oh, that was really great. Then I had to, I, I posted, I said, I hope that, you know, I know that's ai and I didn't mean to, 'cause it's obviously AI and so 

Yeah.

And it is becoming more and more obvious when people use the M Dash. Have you noticed a whole lot more m dashes? 

Oh, I do. See, I do. Um, every podcast I turn into a newsletter. 

Yeah. 

And so I've tried, I'm training and training and training these models. 

Yeah. 

No M Dash, no M Dash. Then they're like, here. Okay.

Oh, thanks. I took them all out. No, you didn't. Yep. I know. And I know, you know, I'm a writer. The rule of three. You go do you do Father, son, and Holy Ghost, whatever. There's a million. But the way AI does it over and over in these choppy, you know? Yes. And then, you know what I thought? And this really hit me. I mean, I'm just so sick of those AI patterns.

I know. So people are onto that and that's why that write a message to me, not at me, is so important. I want someone to comment on something I've written that doesn't feel like AI took over. And it's, and it's one, it's a bot talking to a bot that's, that doesn't do it for me. 

Right. Well, and that, that's what's so frustrating.

True too. With that comment. My comment was, you know, was a bot. A bot, yeah. And you know, I'm sure hers, she's a copywriter, so she's not, um, using AI for that. She uses AI for a lot of other things. But anyway, ah, I'm so mad. And like I said, I'm just mad at LinkedIn and how they're part of the problem. 

Yes, I know it.

I know it. So we just have to work a little more effectively and efficiently and just fine tune some things. I don't think people need a massive rewrite. Some do, but just enough to tweak it so that it rises to the top and it gets read. 'cause that's why we're doing the work, is for people to read our messages message, not just to be deleted.

Right. And you know, it, and our whole brand, of course, is uncapable. And so this is becoming a huge opportunity for people who wanna write content. Just like when, when you talked about, um, you know, getting meetings. I actually have a program get in the door and because if you don't get in the door, nothing else matters.

And we use a lot of offline direct mail. Even if you have the right prospect. Yeah. You could just really, you know, kill 'em with these things that are different. So now AI is creating an opportunity and you know, I don't know. It's good. I know 

it's good and bad. Right. And we have to play with it in the best way.

So 

when, when will this be done and when can I share it? I'm assuming you'll just send that to me when it's 

done. Yeah, I will. It's gonna be a few weeks out. I can't remember. I'll follow up and tell you about when or my assistant she is, took a little time off, so I'll let you know. But I'm gonna do the bonus round real quick.

You'll be done hopefully in about an hour, in within the hour. But, um, yes, and I'd love, in fact, I'm getting a lot of people, uh, applying to the podcast. I mostly take referrals only, so refer who you think would be great. Okay. Um, and I'm also looking for people to help me grow the show to really more partner, um, you know, to share it maybe even more than once.

And, and, you know, I need to do that more. So. I mean, the show is great. Um, it's just nothing ever grows as fast as you want, but I know have not promoted it enough. So that's my. One of my things for 2026, so, sounds good. Um, let's go. Do you want me to run through the questions real quick? I could tell you 

Yes.

Yes. 

Um, what did you wanna be when you grew up? What is something that you haven't done but you wanna do, something you like about yourself? Something you would change and your favorite vacation spot? 

Okay. Do 

I 

all of them? Or, or one of them? 

Oh, one. All five. 

Oh, all five? All right. Let's do a lightning round.

Okay. 

So, you ready? What the first one's, what did you wanna be when you grew up? 

Okay. 

And something that you, you already heard it. You, I don't need to say it, but it's okay. This is so casual, but people love it. 

Okay. Go for it. 

I'm back with Liz Wendling, a national. Let's start over. I'm back with Liz Wendling, and Liz is a nationally recognized sales consultant and author who helps people sell with confidence and integrity and basically get things done, close those deals.

Even if you don't wanna be a pushy or aggressive salesperson, you need to close deals. Please, I encourage you to listen to our full conversation. It's just killer, lots of specifics, which is exactly what I love. So Liz, you are kindly participating in our bonus round. I call it the fun fact episode. Um, so you ready to go?

Yes. 

The first question I have for you, it's, what did you wanna be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a nutritionist. And I was fascinated by food. I adored food. And, but I realized I had a weird relationship with food. And I wanted to understand what a carbohydrate, what a protein, what a fat was. And I never actually went in that direction of nutrition.

But I did, uh, do a lot of exercise science, excuse me. And I became a personal trainer, which then allowed me to get into the nutrition aspect. So, in a way, I did it. And, and I'm still that way about food now. I, I'm always looking for better ways to eat and feel better. 'cause I know for me, when I eat good, I'm on fire.

Like I'm unstoppable when I'm eating well, 

right? And it is like exercise we talked about for me. Same thing. I'm eating well, I'm feeling fantastic. Somehow you fall off the wagon, uh, and you really notice a difference, and then you have to get back on it. I, I totally believe that what you eat and how you move.

Yes, it affects everything. So the second question is, what's something that you want to do but you haven't done yet 

To go on an African safari. 

That sounds awesome. I'm, I have a friend in the, in my neighborhood that we walk and she's 83 and I love having friends of all ages. And she just went on one and she's such an animal lover.

It was, mm-hmm. Amazing. 

It'll happen. I am 

just put that on both our bucket lists. 

Yes. Yeah, absolutely. 

Um, what is something that you particularly like about yourself? 

I like that I love animals and I'm using the L word there. I, I love mostly dogs, so I do fostering and it has become such a joy. I feel selfish about it because I get such a joy from it because I help animals who need a place to live temporarily, find their perfect home.

And I've also volunteer at a spay and neutering clinic and. I wash instruments, I clean, I organize, and then I do, my favorite thing in the world is laundry. I, I absolutely adore doing laundry, folding laundry, having it fluff in the dryer. I know it sounds crazy, but I got my ideal volunteer job, and that is something that lights me up and I feel like I can give back.

I'm blessed in my life and it's my way of kind of paying it forward and doing something nice in the world. 

Well, that is very interesting timing because we are dogless, we've been dogless for quite a few years and I was looking at get, getting a dog, adopting a dog from the shelter and just can't pull the trigger.

And they do desperately need foster homes. And I've thought about that. I know that if I bring one home, my husband's never gonna get, be able to say goodbye. That's the only thing. It's 

hard, hard, it's hard. I, I still cry at some of the dogs I had that are no longer. In my home. But yeah, that's, that's what you take on, 

right?

That's part of fostering. Yeah. 

And again, it's a gift to them. It's not about you in that case, it's about giving 'em what they need. So I I, you know what, maybe that's a message, message from God. Yeah. Incoming there. 

It's okay. 

So is there something about yourself that you'd like to change? 

This will maybe sound weird, is, is to lighten up the, my discipline, I get up at the same time.

I do the same thing every morning. I go to the gym. I know every, I am very structured. And in the last probably two years, I've loosened the grip a little bit. And I still think there's a little ways to go with that. Someone will say, oh, do you wanna meet at six? Oh no, because I have to do this at six o'clock.

And, and instead of saying, you know what, let me, let me move some things around. So I've. I've been practicing doing that and allowing myself to not be so scheduled. 

Well, first of all, I know there are people listening that are gonna hate you for being too disciplined, but I understand it's a problem. And if it's a extreme, and of course, obviously you're Type A, very successful.

And so it's, it's hard to sometimes dial that in of, you know, that's, I can't be so intense. It's 

worked, it's worked for me my whole life. Or at least I, I say that it's worked for me. Maybe being a little loose will work better for me. So I'm gonna test it out. 

We'll see. Let's, we should talk next year, January 1st, 2027.

Oh my gosh. 

I know. 

Crazy. I don't wanna talk about that. So, um, well that's good. Thanks for sharing and, and Uhhuh, um, it is probably. More, maybe more common than you think? Maybe not, I don't think for me, but a lot for my superstar women that I have on the show. 

We're out. We're out there. There's other people just like me out there.

Yes, 

there 

has 

to be. Right, 

right. So you want to go on an African safari, but so far, what's your favorite vacation spot? 

The one I took in 2019 with my sister, and thank God we did it when we did, because then the world shut down. Right. But her and I took a two Wink Mediterranean cruise and. We still have, we still cackle about some of the things we did and the people we met and the fun we had.

We still share photos about it and we'll get popups on Facebook and I still can feel the joy that we had on that trip, many, that many years later, seven years later, I could still feel the joy that we had and we laugh about it and reminisce about it. 

Mm, that's wonderful. And, and it's not, and you didn't even talk about the place, you talked about the feelings and the bonding and the laughing and of course I know that also the place you were, the.

Things you ate and everything were all so fabulous. Oh, 

yeah. 

Isn't that interesting that that's not what you remember the most? 

Right. It was the feeling. Yeah. The food was good. We had to eat. Food was excellent, but it was, it was the joy of pulling into a new port, opening up our balcony in the morning and the boat was ducked and we're in Venice, and, and the next day it was somewhere else and it was, there was just such joy around that.

And I'm glad we did it when we did. 

Yes. Perfect. That was quite, quite the gift to do that. Yeah. Before the world shut down. Well, Liz, again, it's been a pleasure talking with you. I enjoyed our full conversation and episode about sales. Uh, you listening. Again, I encourage you to listen to that full episode.

And Liz, I just wanna say thank you again for being on the podcast. 

Thank you. Kay.