Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Andrews.
Julia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I never set out to be an entrepreneur nor did I have secret aspirations to lead a company. But in my experience, your vision picks you, not the other way around. I was 17 years old when I first had to work to help my newly single mother buy groceries for all six of us. My parents divorced and we moved from Mexico to San Diego. We took the leap of leaving the comfort of our home to have a better life… not in the sense of material things, but to escape the reality that went on behind closed doors. To put it bluntly, I was a victim of incest since I was eight. I had been psychologically abused to the point of being afraid to show who I was on the inside, which had a major impact on how I related to people for the majority of my adult life and I had also been verbally abused, leaving me feeling like I had bruises that never healed. But I was an expert at pretending I lived a normal life.
Being faced with no choices combined with the desperation of survival lead me to do things I probably couldn’t have mustered the confidence to do without my past circumstances. One of them was signing up for a sales job when I hardly spoke English. I would knock on doors and walked in with a script in hand to sell kitchen knives. I experienced no shame nor was I afraid to sound stupid with my broken English. All I knew was that I needed to sell to buy food. This laser-focused determination got me to become good at my job and after a year of selling, I no longer needed a script to make it through my presentation. One afternoon, I walked out of a house with a purchase order and a job offer to work at Merrill Lynch.
From that moment forward, the life of my family changed. My sales positions increased over time and so did my pay. In the following two decades, I went on to work as a top-tier performer in corporate financial services, asset protection, insurance, and direct sales where I eventually made over $215 million in sales.
I don’t believe sales is just about bottom lines and closings—it’s also about opening up a conversation, connecting on a more human level and giving. This approach is what inspired me to create Connect 2 Close™, a sales method that draws on natural human connection, authenticity, and an abundance mindset. I am now a sales coach, a conversion specialist and a sales-team strategist to help and support women not be afraid of selling and achieve the financial success they envision for their business. As I see it, sales were my second language and English was my third.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Obstacles and challenges are part of the process. There is no such thing as success without failure. One of the things that have helped me move forward despite feeling scared, uncertain or stuck is knowing that failure, as well as obstacles, are guiding points in your journey. You will know if you are on the right path based on your experiences and failure will help you understand where you need to go. Another part of this is your mindset. What you believe about yourself you become. You must nurture and fortify your mind to be positive and uplifting as it will keep you moving in the direction on your vision.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a sales strategist and coach and I am very proud to distinguish myself as someone who teaches female entrepreneurs the Art of Feminine Selling™. I primarily focus on healing inner traumas that keep women from feeling comfortable making an offer. This could be related to the fear of rejection, a negative money story and or self-worth. I had to overcome all of these fears before I could be successful given my very painful childhood of abuse, which helps me understand how women especially struggle with being seen.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
In the sales industry, women come up against training that has been primarily made for men by men. There are very few options for women to learn how to sell using their our own natural strengths and tendencies such as: empathy & vulnerability. These, however, are generally viewed as weaknesses, and therefore, we as women have to adopt other ways of being to be able to compete in a very male-driven environment.
Pricing:
- $1797 The Art of Feminine Selling™ 8-Week Live Course
- $5k Sales Immersion Experience
- $15k Private Mentorship
- $25K+ Consulting – Resident Sales Facilitator
Contact Info:
- Address: 11835 Carmel Mountain Rd
Suite 1304-319
San Diego, CA 92128 - Website: www.juliaandrews.com
- Phone: 619-573-7562
- Email: julia@juliaandrews.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliaandrews.comm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connect2close/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaandrewsco/
Image Credit:
Nikki Incandela & Nikki Incandela Photography
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
