Authentic Selling

At a very young age, Maria Bayer realized that there was a stigma attached to people in sales - and not a good one. Most people she knew in sales would try to sell their family and friends. But she came from a family of salespeople, and none of them had bad reputations - in fact, they were quite successful - without selling to family or friends. So how did they do it?

Maria's father was an insurance salesman, and while he had never tried to sell her family, he had every one of them insured. Through the years Maria observed the key attribute of an authentic salesperson: doing what was right for the customer. Through that, Maria learned that she could do what she was born to do and on her terms, by being herself. In a word, by being authentic.

Maria received her undergraduate degree in Finance with a minor in Real Estate Finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After graduation, Maria spent 5 years working for a CFO in a Chicago-based company before going into sales. Through sheer determination she found a job in sales in a software company and found that she could successfully sell on her terms, Over nearly 15 years Maria sold more than $25M worth of software and services, traveled extensively, and learned a wealth about buying and selling.

Although successful in software, Maria realized that she wanted to do more to help others learn that selling did not have to be a four letter word. Today, Maria shatters the stereotype of selling and transforms the process into a way of connecting with customers in an authentic way, building trusted relationships and providing unique experiences. Maria helps business professionals attract their ideal clients and create multiple sources of income through a loyal client base and rich referral system. Maria offers seminars, workshops, one-on-one and group coaching and consulting sessions.