Welcome to the Books, Brands, and Business podcast with your host, Chris O’Byrne, from JETLAUNCH.net.
My guest today is Jula Pereira. Jula is a sales coach for women and the author of Six Weeks to Sales Confidence: A Guide for Women.
Chris: Hi, Jula. Welcome to the podcast.
Jula: Hi.
Chris: Why don’t we just jump right in. Tell me about your latest published book, who it’s for, anything you want to share about that.
Jula: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much for having me on your show, Chris. My book is called Six Weeks to Sales Confidence: A Guide for Women. I am a sales coach. And the book is for women entrepreneurs who are struggling with their sales calls and they want to get more confident so that they can make more money and have more impact.
Chris: Nice. How did you get into sales?
Jula: Well, I started my social media marketing business about four years ago. And then I entered into a $10,000 coaching program and learned high-ticket sales back in 2017. I worked for several Facebook ads agencies doing sales. So, I’ve sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of business for them. And I decided to focus on coaching and specifically with women. Because I struggled a lot with confidence when I was young and also building my own business. And I really wanted to teach other women how to do that and inspire them to.
Chris: How has that been going?
Jula: It’s wonderful. I have so many people in my new free Facebook groups and I love building community. I’m launching a membership site called the Sales Confidence Community in November and I’m just really excited. And yesterday, I actually quit my job. I was doing sales part-time and now I’m 100% an entrepreneur.
Chris: Oh, that is awesome. I love to hear that.
Jula: Thank you. Yeah, I’m excited.
Chris: So, when you were writing the book, what was that process like? How did you go about writing it? Was there anything you’d do differently, things like that?
Jula: Yeah. So, I started my process back in November of last year. When I decided to write the book, I was doing sales for various agencies and I had this idea for the book. And I just, first of all, I sought out a lot of different published authors to get their opinions on how to get started. I joined some Facebook groups. I actually did a one-hour coaching session with somebody and she helped me with my outline. So, my outline took me two months to really nail. And that is actually my recommendation for anybody getting started to spend a lot of time outlining and structuring your book because then the writing is so much easier.
Jula: Then I listened to a podcast by Dan Lok and he suggested to write every day for 30 minutes and have a word count goal in mind. So, I think my word count goal was about a thousand words. And I just started, Monday through Friday, the same time every morning for 30 minutes and I was really disciplined and dedicated to that. Because I had such a good outline, I just followed the structure of the outline. So, I’m a quick writer. And I found from a referral a book editor and she went through the first edits of the book. Then I went through, I changed a lot of stuff in it based on her edits and she did a final proofing of the book as well.
Chris: Yeah, that editing process is so vital and I still see authors who think they don’t need it.
Jula: I know. I know, it’s easy to think that. And it’s so nice to have a fresh set of eyes on your book. Because you’re so into your own writing and you’re so immersed in it that it’s really hard to step back and see what people really want and need from what you’re saying. So, if you have an editor, it’s really helpful. She gave me some really good ideas and I noticed that there were definitely things I could have improved upon. And she helped me get more clear, which I was really grateful for.
Jula: And you also asked me, is there anything that I would do differently? I would have written my book sooner. So, I had a dream of becoming a published author when I was 13. And I was always afraid of putting myself out there. So now, I’m almost 40 years old and I finally have published my book and I’m so happy about it. But I wish I had done it in my early 30s or even earlier. Because I feel like I had a lot to say back then. But I really am glad that I’m at this point in my life with my business and the way that I published my book that I can’t have any regrets really.
Chris: Right. Yeah. 10 years from now, you’ll be a completely different person. What you write will be completely different. What you would have written 10 years prior, who knows? And when you were 13, you probably didn’t think you’d be writing about sales confidence.
Jula: No, I definitely did not think about that. No. I was so shy, I didn’t even know I would like sales.
Chris: Oh yeah, that’s tough for a shy person to get into. I used to do quite a bit of sales myself, starting in the chemical industry. I was a chemical engineer but doing technical sales to paper mills. And yeah, you have to throw yourself in there to really get, I mean, to move forward.
Jula: Yeah.
Chris: As long as we’re talking directly about the book and the content and stuff, what’s different about your book? There are a billion sales books out there, and I know yours focuses on women, but what’s different? What’s your secret sauce to your book?
Jula: Yeah, so, I teach all about authentic selling. And I teach people, specifically women, how to develop relationships when they’re promoting their business and changing lives and affecting other people. So, what’s different about my book is that it’s more of a guide and a workbook than just a book that you read. It’s very interactive.
Jula: So after every single chapter, I have an activity for people to complete and to journal about and contemplate. And the way it’s structured at Six Weeks to Sales Confidence, but every single week, it’s divided up into five segments. So, the reason I do that is that I don’t want people to do the exercises on a Saturday or a Sunday. I want them to take a break. So it’s really Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. There are five different exercises, five days, and then it’s divided up into six weeks. So, it’s really a way to self-reflect and to put it into practice. And I teach sales differently than the Grant Cardones and other salespeople out there because it’s no-pressure sales. It’s about really being present with who you’re serving and seeing sales as service. So that’s really something that I find is unique to the space. Because you hear a lot of people using these fast-action bonuses and techniques to manipulate people or get them to act now because there is this false sense of urgency. But I don’t teach anything like that in the book.
Chris: So people aren’t going to find advice from Jordan Belfort in your work.
Jula: Is he the one who did the Little Red Book Of Sales?
Chris: No, no, that’s Jeff Gitomer.
Jula: Oh, okay. Oh, is this the Wolf of, yeah. Yeah. Nothing like that. It’s very different in my philosophy on sales. I think a lot of women really connect with my philosophy because they’ve had bad experiences of interacting with sleazy salespeople. And they don’t want to be that way when they’re coming across their prospects. So, I think that people will find that they connect with that philosophy in a different way and they can actually sell in a different way.
Chris: Right. Yeah, there’s so many different methods out there and everybody looks up to Grant Cardone as this sales expert. I mean, he gets results and he’s good at what he does but it really rubs a lot of people the wrong way. And it’s just over the top. Do you have another… There’s a few good sales books out there and experts who write about sales. Are there any of those that stand out to you as influential or you would highly recommend?
Jula: That’s a great question. I follow a lot of podcasts that talk about sales but aren’t primarily about sales, especially women podcasters. So, I love following Marie Forleo, Brooke Castillo, Rachel Hollis. And they do talk about that but not directly. To be quite honest with you, there aren’t really that many people that I follow in sales because I don’t really find them to jive with my value system and speak my language. But I started doing some training with Susan McBay. She’s a really great sales coach and I think she’s launching a podcast soon but she hasn’t written a book. And then my current coach is Ryan Dowdy and she’s really awesome too. Those are two women that I would recommend people check out. But she hasn’t written a book either. So, I am kind of one of these pioneers that is talking about this type of stuff. And hopefully, there are going to be more women that are speaking out against all of the sleazy sales tactics that are going on in the quote-unquote bro marketer world.
Chris: Hey, yes, definitely. And yeah, they mean, the sales… How do I put this? There are so… Sales has become such a testosterone-driven field and there’s so much push. And then there’s the movies and everything, just to be aggressive, which I think definitely needs to change. Not just for women but for men as well. I think men, because I’ve been looking at your book and the table of contents and I’m going to be buying it because I’m into sales. I love sales. I’m actually in a sales coaching program right now with someone.
Jula: Oh, awesome.
Chris: Yeah, have you heard of Josh Forti?
Jula: Yes, I know Josh. Yeah, he’s great.
Chris: Yeah. I’m in his Selling With Confidence course. We just started. And his approach is a lot less aggressive. It’s a lot more relational. So, did you do a book launch when you released your book?
Jula: I did something special where I offered my book for free for five days. So, it was kind of a launch but not really. And so I offered it in exchange for testimonials from people. So, about 116 people downloaded my book for free. And then I funneled them into a group, which I called Six Weeks to Sales Confidence. So, the structure of that is that I do Facebook live trainings in that free group twice a week. And I go through each of the book chapters and do a 5 to 10-minute training on that specific chapter. And then people interact with each other. So, that’s open to men and women in that Facebook group.
Chris: Okay, great. So people can get kind of an idea. And so yeah, a lot of people don’t do launches. Some people think they should. But personally, I find that kind of a quiet release but steady promotional making people aware, letting them know that it’s out there, tends to work. In some ways, it works better. Because you don’t have this big push and all this excitement and then have it drop off. Amazon actually prefers consistent smaller amounts of sales. So, that’s it. And I like the method you did it, especially to get reviews, to start getting some social proof and getting people more aware of it.
Chris: Now, in your case, I’m assuming that the book has been actually very helpful for you in your sales business, your coaching, or whatever application that it has in your business. Has it been, well, how has it worked for you? How has it been as far as generating leads? And what else have you done with the book to generate leads for your business?
Jula: Yeah, so I’m really just in the beginning stages of promoting the book. And I’m going to be waiting until I get more reviews before doing more promotions. But the way I’m using the book is in my Facebook groups, in my call-to-actions, and also in the call-to-actions in my email campaigns. So, I will do a PS where I’ll say, “Hey, have you checked out my book yet? You can join my free Facebook group.” And it’s not much of a financial commitment. It’s only $9.99 to download the ebook. So, that’s really something that people can easily take advantage of. And they can get to learn more about me, my business, and how I teach. So, it’s a really great tool for warming up somebody who’s never heard of you before or your brand. And I think that it’s really cool to be able to show credibility, also to have something to give to people and offer people that is at a reasonable price point and have a call to action. And I want to consistently use that on an ongoing basis in my group and promote it in other ways as well.
Jula: I was listening to a podcast from Rachel Hollis and she came out with her book Girl, Stop Apologizing. And she did hold podcast episodes about chapters in her book. She always talked about her book. And she sold millions and millions of copies because she was actively talking about it all the time. It wasn’t just you launch it, like you’re saying, and then it dies off. I think that if you’re incorporating it into your marketing strategy, it can really, really create a lot of business. I will check in with you in a year and tell you how many people have really come from that directly. But in my community, people get a free copy of my book too. And so that’s one of the bonuses and the appeals of joining my membership site too.
Chris: Smart. I think, yeah, I think that’s a great process to go through. And like you said, with what Rachel does, just keep mentioning it, keep bringing it to people’s attention, just because they do want to know. They want to know what’s available and what’s available from you. I mean, your book has only been on Amazon for what, about three weeks now?
Jula: I believe so, yes. Not very long.
Chris: Have you thought about doing a free plus shipping funnel?
Jula: Yes. Eventually, I do want to do a book funnel. And so, I honestly don’t have the money right now to do Facebook ads but my background is in Facebook advertising. So, the book funnel that I am thinking of doing is sending the book for free through an ebook download. Then the Thank You page would be going into my free group, which is the Six Weeks to Sales Confidence group. And so, I would be growing my audience that way too.
Chris: Yeah, that’s a smart way to do it. After this podcast, we should talk a little bit about the Amazon ads because that’s something that we have been doing as well. And I’d love to learn more about your process, your approach. In fact, we could even mention right now because most authors aren’t even aware that Amazon ads exist. Do you have any tips for people about using them? Suggestions or anything like that?
Jula: Oh, I thought you were saying ads in general. I’m not familiar or an expert in Amazon ads. I know about Facebook advertising. So, the book funnel would be more about Facebook ads but I definitely have known and seen authors grow from Amazon advertising. And I have some referrals and resources of people who do that. But I definitely don’t have the bandwidth of financially to do advertising right now but it’s definitely something I want to do in the future.
Chris: Yeah, it can be very helpful. And especially the free plus shipping. The Facebook ads is, I think, right now the best approach to drive traffic there. Now, let’s talk a little bit about your personal brand. What ways have you seen the book improving that, building your authority, positioning you as an expert? I mean, in your case, it’s pretty clear you’re a sales coach. This book is about sales. It really establishes. Do you have any, I guess, even any stories or any examples of how it’s helped you with your personal brand?
Jula: I think for me, it’s about becoming more confident myself. So, I teach sales confidence for women but publishing my book has made me more confident. I’ve done several podcast interviews including this one. And so, it makes me feel like I can call myself a sales expert. One thing I do teach my clients and students is how to claim that authority for yourself and really own and honor what you’ve done so far in your career path to get to this point right now. And how do you convey that with clarity to people so that they’re excited to buy from you and they trust you? Because we know the saying that you want to know, like, and trust somebody before you purchase from them. So, a book easily elevates you to that position.
Jula: And it’s kind of funny because anybody can really publish a book. It’s so easy to upload your PDF into Amazon and voila, you’re an author. But you have to also have the discipline to see the project through. So many people I know have started their books and never finished them. And so, there is something about actually taking ownership of that process and putting yourself out there and really completing the project. Then promoting it and making sure that people know that this is something that you can be proud of and this is something that makes you very credible.
Jula: So, I really encourage people to publish books in order to generate leads for their business and amplify their brands. Because you are looked upon differently and also you look upon yourself differently. I think that confidence is something that you can really create in your own life and how you come across to people. And I think it really influences the perception of people. I think also, you have to have a good marketing strategy for the book. Because if you have published a book but you don’t talk about it, then it’s really not going to be to your benefit to promote your brand.
Chris: Which is why so many authors throw their books on Amazon, do nothing, and then wonder why they’re not selling books.
Jula: Right, right, exactly. I mean, I had 116 downloads of my free book. And I’ve had, I think, one or two paid downloads of the actual book itself. I’m realizing, yeah, I have to keep talking about this. As soon as I get good reviews from those people who offered to review it for free, I’m going to promote the heck out of it. Because you have to consistently put yourself out there and it’s not going to be a moneymaker. It’s really about what the book can be as a vehicle for you and your business.
Chris: Right. Yeah, anybody who thinks they’re going to make a ton of money off their book, yeah. Unless you’re a fiction author writing about a popular subject and doing a series, it’s not going to happen.
Jula: Right, exactly.
Chris: Do you have plans to write another book or are you just holding off? And since this one just came out, are you doing all your focus on that right now?
Jula: I would love to write another book and have it be more semi-autobiographical along with giving advice to people. I probably wouldn’t do it specifically just to women necessarily but it will attract a lot of women readers. Because I’m a woman talking about my experiences. And it would kind of relate to my overall brand, which is about confidence, being authentic, and kind of claiming ownership of your life.
Chris: So, at this point, have you been able to create any partnerships or joint ventures as a result of your book?
Jula: Not just yet because it’s so new but I can see people getting interested in me. Because I have published the book and I have something to talk about. So, I have done podcast interviews like I mentioned. But as far as creating partnerships or joint ventures, that hasn’t happened just yet. Although, I do offer my services for white labeling, especially to other digital marketing agencies who have a lot of high-ticket coaches as their clients. I offer sales training to their clients. And so, that could be potential joint partnerships for the future.
Chris: Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, the joint ventures and the white labeling and there are so many strategies that people just aren’t even aware of, they don’t even think of that they can do just by leveraging their book. I think a lot of potential authors don’t realize how valuable it is for people to hear their story. So, for you, just to be able to tell your story of how you got where you were and what you’ve learned about sales, and just the process that you’ve gone through to become an entrepreneur, to become a sales coach. Tons of people are going to be fascinated. And then stories, of course, they’re so easy to consume. We eat stories like candy. We just relate to them so well and especially for somebody like you who is in business for herself and is trying to make those connections, those relationships with people, just being, having your story out there would be huge.
Chris: I like this one, this is kind of fun. If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would it be and why?
Jula: Oh my gosh. I think I’d have to pick Marie Forleo. I’m reading her book right now, which is called Everything Is Figureoutable. I so admire her and her philosophy and how open and vulnerable she is and sharing her experiences. And she’s impacted the lives of thousands and thousands, probably even millions of women at this point in time. So, I would love to write a book with her. I think that the reason that I like her so much is that she’s so honest and so real and she really cares about people. You can feel that in the way she presents herself on MarieTV, in her interviews with how she interacts with the public. And I think that would be really cool.
Chris: Yeah. People don’t realize how… They look at somebody like Marie, who is amazing. And they think, “Ah, well, if I do the things that she has done and I make the right connections, then I can be as popular as she is.” But they don’t realize that that’s not where it comes from. It comes from inside. It comes from who you are and who you’ve grown into, how you present yourself, not on purpose, but how you present yourself because of just who you are innately. And that personal growth, that changing who you are, you’re not going to become this amazing star, for example, without having that behind you, without having that inside of you.
Jula: Yeah, and I think that to add upon that is being able to process your past and your story in a way that’s palatable to not only other people but yourself. So, I’ve had kind of like a really interesting past which will be really good to talk about in a book, another book. And the lessons that I’ve learned from that, I’ve really had to overcome a lot of shame and a lot of regret. Things that didn’t work out for me, things that I wish I had done differently. But now, those are the lessons that I bring to my clients and students. And I’m very honest and I share that with them and I’m willing to be open and vulnerable. Just like people like Marie Forleo because I know that it affects people. It transforms lives. They can relate to me as a person. And I’m not just this seven-figure guru out there that seems like they have a perfect life. But they just don’t want to reveal those things about themselves.
Jula: So, I think it’s really important to deal with your past, do the work that you need to and share your story, whether it’s in writing, whether it’s in video podcasts, and really be open about it because that’s how all of us are going to learn and grow as people.
Chris: Do you talk about that, about being vulnerable in your sales training?
Jula: Yes, I do. I talk about being vulnerable where, not necessarily in the sales call itself, but in your social media content. I just posted something today which said, “I left my job and it’s scary. It’s exciting. It’s all of these emotions.” And I said yesterday, “I cried a little bit.” I wasn’t embarrassed to share that with my audience. I’m going to get feedback from people. One time, actually this only happened last week, I wrote an email which was very revealing and vulnerable. This guy wrote back and he wrote, “Who cares?” I just had to laugh at that because not everybody’s going to resonate with you. And I just wrote him back and said, “Hey, I’m going to take you off my email list. Best of luck.” So, when you put yourself out there, you risk rejection.
Jula: But that’s actually something that I do talk about in my book and in my teaching that you make yourself open and vulnerable when you ask for the sale, when you ask somebody to like your post or to comment or anything that you do in your business. So I think that the more you put yourself out there, the more you are susceptible to criticism by people like that guy who wrote me back. But you’re also more susceptible to people who write me amazing emails. I had five emails in my inbox this morning of people cheerleading me on for quitting my job. So, there’s kind of that give and take but the more you put yourself out there, the better. That’s what I believe in. Being authentic, being real. That’s how you sell. And you do it in a way that’s not sleazy.
Chris: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you get to this point where you really enjoy those highs, like the really positive comments. The highs are high and you’re able to accept it and to really fully enjoy it. But then you’re also able to look at the negative comments.
Jula: Yeah.
Chris: And realize no, this isn’t the lowest of the lows. This is just somebody expressing where they’re at at this point. And when you get comments like that, for me, it just tells me that that person is at a different level of growth than where they can be down the road.
Jula: Right.
Chris: They just haven’t learned yet.
Jula: Yeah.
Chris: So, getting even more vulnerable then, what would you like to be remembered for in this life?
Jula: I would like to be remembered for being a connector. I think that’s really my number one gift that I offer people. I develop communities all around me. And that’s why the name of my membership site is Sales Confidence Community. Because I think it’s really important for women to get together and share their stories. It’s important for men too but I’ve specifically focused on women and my niche. And I’ve opened up my other website, not website but my Facebook group to men too, which is the Six Weeks to Sales Confidence group. Because I think that the things that I talk about are universal and can support men, women, whatever gender you identify with. You don’t have to be a woman to benefit from my book. It’s called Six Weeks to Sales Confidence: A Guide for Women but all the principles are applicable. So if I can create community, if I can bring people together, if I can teach them how to be more authentic, that’s what I would want to be remembered for.
Chris: Absolutely. And I just downloaded your book while we were talking. Because I looked at the table of contents and I looked at the information. And I mean, it really is applicable to anyone who is open to learning. So, and it didn’t cost me a thing because I have Kindle Unlimited.
Jula: Oh, sweet, that’s awesome.
Chris: Yeah. It made it super easy. So, where would you like to send people to learn more about you? In the show notes, we’re going to have plenty of all the links that you want to send in and information as well. But where would you like people to go to learn more about you or what you do?
Jula: Yeah, absolutely. So, there is my website, which is julapereira.com. And you’re going to put the spelling of my last name, it’s a little bit tricky. But they can figure it out. Also, they can find me in my free Facebook groups, Sales Confidence For Women and Six Weeks to Sales Confidence. Definitely, when I accept your request, introduce yourselves in those groups and say hi to everybody there and what you do, how you feel about sales. And it’s all about community and getting to know you.
Chris: Awesome. So, don’t go to her Facebook group unless you’re ready to be part of a powerful community.
Jula: Right, exactly.
Chris: I love it. Thank you so much, Jula. This has been a great conversation. I’ve really appreciated it.
Jula: Thank you so much for having me. It was wonderful talking to you.
Thanks for coming along for the ride. If you want to be part of a tight-knit community of people learning how to make money with their books, join my FB group at jetlaunch.link/group. That’s the best place to ask me questions and get fast answers.
For all show notes, links, and transcriptions, just head over to jetlaunch.net/podcast.
More about Jula Pereira
Sales Confidence for Women Facebook group
Six Weeks to Sales Confidence Facebook group
Six Weeks to Sales Confidence: A Guide for Women by Jula Pereira