Three years ago, I was sitting on my couch, venting to my husband about a conversation that had thrown me off balance. A close friend who had worked with me for years made a comment that stopped me cold.

"Danielle, you don’t teach people to sell."

 I could not believe what I was hearing. I had spent my entire career in sales, training teams, coaching business owners, helping people get better at selling. If I wasn't teaching people to sell, then what the hell had I been doing for thirty years?

 Before I could respond, she clarified.

"You don’t just teach sales. You teach people how to think."

 At first, I didn't know how to take it. It felt like my life's work had just been reduced to a footnote. But as I sat with it, I realized she was right. My approach had never been about slick techniques or hard closes. It had always been about guiding people to shift how they thought about selling, their business, and their clients.

And that realization led to a moment of clarity that changed everything.

The Best Ideas Often Come From a Single Conversation

That night, I found myself ranting about how much I hated traditional sales training. The scripts, the rebuttals, the manipulation tactics, it all felt wrong. I said, "Always Be Closing is toxic. The ABCs of selling should be authenticity, belief, and confidence."

Then, without thinking, I kept going. "D is for development, E is for empathy, F is for fun…"

I looked at my husband. He looked at me. I grabbed a notebook and wrote down every letter of the alphabet in the margin. Together, we filled in words for each one in minutes.

That fifteen-minute conversation became the framework for my book.

Momentum is Everything. Overthinking Kills It.

After that breakthrough moment, I wrote the first eight chapters in less than a week. I was in a flow state, and the words came easily.

Then, I made a huge mistake.

I went back and reread everything. I overanalyzed every sentence. I picked apart ideas, criticized the structure, and convinced myself that parts of it did not make sense. The momentum was gone. And instead of finishing, I let doubt creep in.

One week of progress turned into three years of hesitation.

Pivoting in Business is Inevitable, But It Can’t Derail Your Big Goals

Over those three years, I pivoted my business three times. Every time, I wondered if the book still fit. Maybe it was not relevant anymore. Maybe I had changed too much.

But every time I came back to it, I realized something.

The message of this book never stopped being true.

No matter what I was doing in my business, the core principles of selling with integrity, guiding instead of pushing, and building trust stayed the same.

Sometimes, You Just Have to Decide to Finish It

At the start of this year, I made a decision.

 The book was coming out in the first quarter, no matter what.

 I stopped waiting. I stopped tweaking. I sat down, finished writing, and did not look back. In less than a week, I built an entire brand around it. I created the website, the messaging, the pre-launch plan, everything that had been sitting unfinished for three years was done in a matter of days.

If You Are Publishing, Launch Kindle and Paperback on the Same Day

There was one misstep in my launch. I did not realize that KDP reviews Kindle pre-orders and paperbacks separately. My Kindle version went live earlier than expected, while the paperback was still under review.

In hindsight, I should have planned for both versions to release on the same day.

How These Lessons Relate to Your Approach to Selling

Your Best Sales Conversations Won’t Be Scripted

The best ideas, and the best sales moments, do not come from forcing the perfect pitch. They happen in natural, unscripted conversations where both people are fully present. Selling should not feel rehearsed. It should feel like guiding someone to their own best decision.

If you are constantly second-guessing what to say, shift your focus. Instead of thinking about what you need to prove, get curious about what your prospect needs to discover.

Over-Explaining and Over-Justifying Push Buyers Away

Sellers do this all the time. They have a great sales conversation, then they start second-guessing. They talk past the yes, fill in silences with unnecessary details, and try to prove their value before the buyer even asks.

If a prospect is engaged, nodding, and showing interest, you do not need to pile on more proof. Let them process. Let them decide.

Your Clients' Core Needs Do Not Change Overnight

Sellers often fall into the trap of constantly tweaking their offers, assuming the market has shifted. But most of the time, the real issue is not the offer, it is the messaging and process around it. If something keeps calling you back, there is a reason.

Instead of scrapping everything, ask yourself: Does this still solve a real problem for my clients? If the answer is yes, the problem is not the offer. It is the way you are presenting it.

Sellers Hesitate at the Close More Than Buyers Do

I see this all the time. A seller has a great conversation. The buyer is ready. And instead of closing, the seller keeps talking, adding more details, offering more options, over-explaining.

If you believe in what you are selling, stop hesitating. Your confidence in the close will set the tone for your buyer.

The Small Details Matter in Every Sales Process

Whether it is timing a book launch or structuring a sales process, small details affect the buyer’s experience. The smoother the process, the easier it is for them to say yes.

If you have never walked through your sales process from the buyer’s perspective, now is the time. Where would you hesitate? Where would you need reassurance? Fix those areas before you start selling.

The Book I Almost Didn’t Finish… But Did

Connecting to Close almost never saw the light of day because I got stuck in my head.

But now it is out in the world, and I could not be prouder of what it stands for.

If there is something you have been putting off, launching an offer, raising your prices, refining your sales process, let this be your sign to stop waiting.

Your next step is not to tweak or perfect. It is to decide.

And if selling has ever felt harder than it should, Connecting to Close is here to help. The book is officially live in Kindle and paperback, and I cannot wait for you to read it.

Grab you copy (now on both Kindle AND Paperback!) HERE.

Make it a great day!

Danielle 🤘🏼

Recommended Reading:

📖 The Confidence Loop: How to Build Sales Confidence Without Faking It
→ Selling is easier when you trust yourself. Learn how to build real, unshakable confidence that helps you sell without overthinking.

📖 Buying is an Emotional Decision: How to Lean on Empathy in Sales
→ If you’re focused on logic and features, you’re missing the key to selling. Discover why emotions drive buying decisions - and how to sell with empathy.

📖 The Art of Guiding, Not Convincing: How to Lead Clients to a Yes
→ The best sales conversations don’t feel like selling. Here’s how to guide your prospects to the right decision without pressure.