81 - How to Shorten Your Sale Cycle w/ Rafat Fields

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome back to She Sells Radio with your host, Elyse Archer! A question on many people’s minds is this: how do we shorten the sale cycle? The closing process can be daunting, but there are steps to get better. Today’s guest is an expert at this. Rafat Fields 7-figure corporate sales producer, branding expert, NASM certified personal trainer, and USA Olympic Weightlifter. She empowers corporate leaders to convert the potential of their teams into powerful results by building a personal brand that breaks through the noise of competition.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rafat grew up in the sales industry--down the first job she had out of college. Medical Device is her industry, and she’s dived deep into it her entire career. She’s classically trained and executed her process. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A lot of sales training is designed for men by men and is very linear. This works in theory but can feel limiting to women in particular. Rafat’s first role was almost militaristic in her company’s training programs. Coming out of college into that environment immersed her in that limiting structure. While it was a good starting point, she realized she wasn’t tapping into her full potential due to a lack of soft skills. When she was able to tap into her intuitive selling skills she saw transformative growth. For example, when Rafat notices a customer may be uncomfortable, she can bring that up in leadership discussions. When they allow that customer to go to the problem behind the problem and avoid offering the canned sales pitch, success comes in. Sometimes the language you use in one circumstance won’t translate to another. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shortening the sales cycle and closing faster is the dream. Sometimes, though, it’s a burn and simmer relationship. For Rafat, it’s all about listening. Not just to what the customer is saying, but about their “inner ear.” Consider what questions you’re