Coaches on a Mission

 Let’s talk about the #1 thing standing between you and all the clients you want. 

It’s your list. 

Sometimes the answer to finding more clients is to build your list.  

And that’s the truth for my guest today. 

Michelle Cox who has a very clear vision about where she wants to take her business.  

That vision looks like: 

—8-10 private clients

—1-2 VIP Days each month

—1 small group and maybe a membership down the road. 

This vision is totally possible for Michelle and for you. But only if you make list building your top priority. Why? Because 1-3% of your list will end up becoming customers. 

So, if you can’t find customers, it’s probably a sign that list building has fallen to the wayside. 

Today, Michelle and I crafted a simple plan of (boring) habits she can repeat, every week, in order to become more visible and build her list. 

None of it is complicated or fancy, but it is essential because if Michelle wants to work with 16 clients, she needs a list of 1600 subscribers. 

So, as you listen along, think about your client-getting goal. Do your list building efforts match that number?  

TIMESTAMPS:

00:05:00 - Michelle shares the longer term vision for her business

00:08:00 - The difference between outcomes and offers

00:09:00 - Dallas asks Michelle what she believes is standing between her and that vision

00:11:00 - One of the biggest mistakes that Dallas sees coaches making

00:15:00 - Together, Dallas + Michelle put together a repeatable plan to support her list building habits

00:29:00 - Dallas speaks to why and how Michelle could focus on podcast guesting

00:36:00 - They create a process for moving subscribers into a discovery call

00:42:00 - The one thing standing between Michelle and all of the clients she wants

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE:

WEBSITE: https://www.bookcoachingworks.com

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/michellemeltoncox_bookcoach/

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

FREE QUIZ: https://dallastravers.com/quiz

 This episode is really special to me because I’m saying goodbye to The Hive’s beloved Client Success Manager - Kyley Cienfuegos.  

Kyley and I have worked together for about a decade and it just felt super important to me to bring her on the show to honor her. 

We also wanted to take you behind-the-scenes so you can understand why she’s making a move after all these years. Plus we’re going to break down what it really takes to run an online program rooted in the value of BELONGING.  

Kyley and I also dish on some little known facts about each other and of course… we both cried, but just a bit.  

So with that, please help me say farewell to Kyley Cienfuegos…

TIMESTAMPS:

00:03:00 - How Kyley first met Dallas

00:07:00 - When Kyley shifted from intern to Customer Success Manager

00:10:00 - Why Kyley is leaving the Hive

00:12:00 - Dallas asks Kyley what has worked so well between them over the years

00:19:00 - Kyley shares a little known fact about Dallas

00:21:00 - Dallas shares a little known fact about Kyley

00:24:00 - Together they talk about the journey the hive has been on over the last few years

00:37:00 - Dallas asks Kyley to share a few things she does day to day that hive members might not know about

00:45:00 - Dallas and Kyley say “farewell”

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

FREE QUIZ: https://dallastravers.com/quiz

 We’re off this week, but I wanted to drop in quickly to let you know that we’ve opened up enrollment for client surge in case you missed enrollment before the holidays and now you’re kicking yourself a bit. 

Client surge starts on January 13th and in case you’re deep in FOMO-ville, I want you to have one more chance to enroll.  

Go to joinclientsurge.com now to do that.  

So, let me share a couple of  other resources to help you decide:  

1. You can test drive Module 1 of client surge at https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive. If you really want to understand how the program will unfold and what the strategy behind client surge looks like, Module 1 is the best place to find that out. 

2. If you’d rather get a higher level overview of the philosophy behind client surge, you can check out an intro workshop called Clients From Scratch.  Go to https://joinclientsurge.com/masterclass to watch that workshop. 

Class begins on January 13 but enrollment closes for real on January 3rd.  

I hope to see you inside Client Surge and happy new year to you.

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

ENROLL IN CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/ 

TEST DRIVE MODULE 1 OF CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive 

Today’s episode is a special one because we’re going to tackle the most common question I get asked...which is, “how can I find more paying clients?”  

But I’m not going to answer that question for you. Instead, I’ve invited four coaches, just like you, to do it. 

We first aired this episode back in 2020 but I wanted to bring it back because enrollment for client surge is now open.  Class begins on January 13th, but we are enrolling now so you can enjoy the end of the year knowing you have a proven plan in place to find clients come January. 

So, what IS Client surge… it’s a step by step system I designed to help you sign 7 paying clients in 30 days by leveraging your natural strengths instead of relying on some salesy or inauthentic marketing funnel. 

To help you decide if you want to join us for the January cohort, I invite you to check out Module One for free.  

You can do that at https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive. 

Module one will introduce you to the Client Surge strategy, the process, the metrics we’ll track so by the time you’ve reviewed the full module, I am confident that you’ll know for sure if Client Surge is a Yes or a No for you. 

So, again, please visit https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive to test drive the first module and do it NOW because enrollment for client surge ends on december 16th.

Now, for today’s guests:

Toya Gavin, Laser Malena Webber, Leigh Cambre, and Benno Nelson all came into the Hive asking me the question you’ve probably been asking yourself.. 

How do I find paying clients?

And within a matter of months, all four learned exactly how to nail their marketing message to attract perfect-match leads, and then, host authentic, non-salesy discovery sessions to turn those leads into happy paying clients. 

They’re going to spill the tea about how Client Surge helped them answer this question, so I hope you enjoy the episode.

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

ENROLL IN CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/ 

TEST DRIVE MODULE 1 OF CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive 

CONNECT WITH OUR PANELISTS ON INSTAGRAM:

Toya Gavin: @iamtoyagavin

Leigh Cambre: @leighcambre

Laser Malena Webber: @laserislaser

Benno Nelson: @yesequalsyes

Let’s talk about what the heck to do at the end of a sales call when a potential client says.. “Maybe, let me think about it.”

A couple of days ago we talked about the importance of really centering the client which means presenting a clear invitation at the end of every single sales call. 

The intention is to give the client the dignity of their own process and, truthfully, some people need time. Whether they need to talk to a partner,  move money around, or they need to just think things through.  

So in this episode, I will introduce you to an extremely powerful tool to help you gracefully serve those folks who truly just need to take a beat before they decide AND to help you do so in a way where you don’t feel like some sort of weird stalker. 

Sounds great, huh? Let’s dive in!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:03:00 - REAL numbers from the last Client Surge Cohort

00:05:00 - What to do when a client says they need to think about it before they hire you

00:07:30 - Three tips to create accountability in your sales calls (so you don’t feel like a stalker)

00:09:00 - What is an invite letter and when to send it

00:12:00 - Dallas summarizes the episode and shares takeaways

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

ENROLL IN CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/ 

TEST DRIVE MODULE 1 OF CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive 

We are here today with another mini lesson in honor of Client Surge enrollment doors being open. You can grab your spot now for our January cohort at https://joinclientsurge.com/.

Today I want to jump on my soapbox again because it's just so important and a total game changer. 

If you are a values-driven coach and you find that you don't quite feel like yourself when you're selling, I’m here to tell you the secret to more clients without feeling awkward, nervous or pushy is… pretty simple… 

Center The Client Not Yourself.

Focus on how you can truly serve them without worrying about…

…Do they like me? …Can they afford me? …Are they ready? …What are they thinking? …Am I being too pushy? …Should I change my prices? 

Any of that sound familiar? 

All of that is self-centered. 

You're a coach because you love helping people and you want the confidence and the freedom and all of those wonderful things that come when you have a successful coaching business.

That can't happen if you don't get this selling piece down. 

And the way you get the selling piece down is to advocate for the client in the same way that you would if they were already paying you as your coach. 

Ready to learn how? Okay, let’s get to it. 

TIMESTAMPS:

00:01:30 - What is client centered selling?

00:03:00 - A story about a previous “Surger” who learned the importance of client center selling

00:05:00 - How you may be actually make it harder for potential clients to say yes

00:06:00 - The difference between client and self centered selling

00:08:00 - The difference between overcoming objections and addressing concerns

00:09:00 - How “scarcity tactics” are a self centered sales call approach

00:14:00 - Why you should be KIND and not POLITE

00:17:00 - Advocating for your client’s success and how that can change everything about your sales calls and their outcomes

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

ENROLL IN CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/ 

TEST DRIVE MODULE 1 OF CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive 

We've got a fun week ahead of us because I’ll drop a few bonus mini lessons this week in honor of open enrollment for Client Surge. If you're a values driven coach and you want a clear path to more clients (without complicated strategies or sketchy sales tactics) Client Surge is probably the solution that you've been seeking. 

So you can check out the program at https://joinclientsurge.com/. 

What is Client Surge? It's a proven process designed to help you sign 7 paying clients in about thirty days which I think is probably the perfect way to kick off the New Year.

Client surge really does deliver the most honest, authentic, reliable system to find perfect match clients. Even if you're a brand new coach.

And today's mini lesson is all about the 3 paths to perfect match clients.

If you’re tuned in right now, you're probably ready for an easier path to find clients and I just want you to know that you are likely closer than you think.

Now it's just about leveraging 3 strengths that you already possess: your values, your coaching skills and your willingness.

It's December and you could be totally checking out for the year and yet you are HERE. 

Which tells me that you care about building a sustainable business that you're proud of and I want to help you make that happen.

So, if you’re ready for a simpler path to find paying clients -  you will love this episode. 

Enjoy! 

TIMESTAMPS:

00:01:30 - Dallas Shares helpful resources about Client Surge and how you can learn more

00:03:00 - How to leverage three skills you probably already have to bring in more clients

00:05:00 - How Dani went from hating sales calls and struggling to find clients to confident on sales calls with waitlist in her business. 

00:07:00 - An introduction to the 3 Paths to Perfect Match Clients

00:10:00 - A deeper dive into referrals and why they matter AND work

00:15:00 - 7 steps to put your own referral marketing funnel in place

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

ENROLL IN CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/ 

TEST DRIVE MODULE 1 OF CLIENT SURGE: https://joinclientsurge.com/testdrive 

Today we’re going to simplify the course creation process. 

My guest is Julie Artz who finds herself in a bit of a funky place in her business…

Julie is a book coach who serves social and environmental justice-minded story geeks who understand that books change lives with a combination of craft knowledge, industry smarts, strategic planning, and tough love.

Julie is extremely busy with a waitlist for private clients. Yet, she is very committed to creating price accessibility so those folks who may not have the ability to pay her private client rates can still get their books written and out in the world. 

At the same time, Julie really doesn’t have time to build out a course.  So, what’s a book coach to do? 

Well, the two of us put our heads together to design what I’m going to call a B- version of a course. 

One that delivers a lot of value without requiring a lot of set up. 

We looked at the specific things that make Julie’s private coaching work really well and simply asked ourselves, “how can we recreate the best possible version of this inside a group?” 

And guess what, in less than 45 minutes, Julie and I designed a pretty rock solid group program that she’s going to be able to get off the ground in a matter of weeks. 

Which is just so exciting. So, if you are somewhere in the in-between… not quite ready to build a full blown course but unable to bring on any more private clients… you’re going to get so much from this episode. 

Let’s get down to it.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:02:00 - Julie shares her hope to expand her offers so that what she does is more accessible without compromising the experience for herself or her clients

00:05:30 - Together they talk through the ideas Julie currently has to accomplish this goal

00:08:00 - Dallas shares another idea she has for Julie for the future

00:11:00 - Julie shares that she has resistance to a membership because she’s concerned about finding a way to deeply engage with her members without becoming overwhelmed

00:13:00 - Dallas tells a story about a belief she used to have around private coaching

00:15:30 - Together, they write a list of characteristics + circumstances that make private coaching so juicy, so they can then find a way to replicate that inside a membership

00:24:00 - Dallas proposes the idea of support / critique groups inside the membership

00:29:00 - Julie + Dallas brainstorm around an idea to share and celebrate achievements each week

00:32:00 - Julie shares her signature system and how to incorporate that into the membership

00:38:00 - They work through a way to include audits/reviews into her membership

00:41:00 - Dallas proposes the idea of hiring another book coach to come in and help with the quarterly audits

00:45:00 - Dallas breaks down each piece of the program they outlined and how it’s incredibly high value but still low lift

00:47:30 - Julie talks through her next few action steps to make this program happen 

00:52:00 - Dallas clearly summarizes Julie’s actions steps and what you can take away from their conversation

CONNECT WITH JULIE:

WEBSITE: https://julieartz.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/julieartz/

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

FREE QUIZ: https://dallastravers.com/quiz 

Last week, I worked with Erin Young to uncover an authentic way to convey her marketing message without creating confusion or compromising authentic connection. 

And, we referenced the work of Marisa Corcoran quite a bit during our conversation.  In particular Marisa’s super smart approach to storytelling in your copy. 

She calls it The Story Strip Down and it’s a method I rely on quite a bit. 

So, this week, I figured we should re-air one of our early episodes back when this show was still called The Six Figure Coach Podcast because The Story Strip Down is just so darn good.  

In fact,  Marisa Corcoran who just might be the most clever person I know.  Not only is she a talented copywriter and teacher, she also models what it looks like to run a values driven business. 

In this episode, Marisa coaches me through her Story Strip Down process to help me be less of a stiff professor in my copy and more… well… me. 

If you want to discover what to say and how to say it so you can  magnetically attract your dream clients, you need Marisa Corcoran in your corner...

Grab a pen and a fresh pad of paper because Marisa is about to teach us how to tell better stories to attract clients, make money and even create a massive online movement.

CONNECT WITH MARISA:

WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecopychat

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mtoni/

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

FREE QUIZ: https://dallastravers.com/quiz 

Today’s episode will help you leverage two important marketing skills. 

Narrating + Story telling.

That’s what my guest, Erin Young discovered when we dove into her Signature System to uncover the simplest and most compelling way to convey her message in her marketing.

Now I know that narrating and story telling sound like they’re the same thing, but they’re different in this context. 

Narrating occurs when you explain exactly what you’re doing while it’s happening. 

Storytelling helps your audience understand your work more deeply because they’re able to see themselves in the stories you tell. 

If you ever feel like nobody quite understands what exactly you do. Or maybe you lean too hard into being a professor instead of storytelling… 

Perhaps you just want to be able to layer more creativity and connection into your marketing…

either way… you’re going to love the conversation I had with Erin.  

Erin Young helps natural health practitioners share their craft authentically, moving beyond the grind with purpose, stability, calm and connection. But Erin’s niche is evolving and her Signature System felt confusing. 

But when we let go of the idea that her target audience needs to fit a certain occupation, Erin discovered that Sometimes the best way to define our ideal client is defining the moment of time they are in.

I’ll confess that I came into the conversation feeling a little nervous because inside The Hive Erin and I have struggled a bit to pin down her signature system. 

But everything clicked in this episode and I cannot wait for you to hear the breakthroughs we both had. 

I also want to shout out my friend Marisa Corcoran who inspired a tool Erin and I played around with. It’s called the Story Strip Down and Marisa actually taught it on this very show. It’s episode 25 and we’ve linked to it in the show notes. 

Okay.I’m ready to do this. Let’s dive in.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:05:00 - Erin shares that she would like to share more about who she is and what she offers to people who don’t really *know* her yet

00:07:00 - How would people who truly know Erin describe her and what she’s all about?

00:08:30 - What tangible outcomes have the people who’ve worked Erin received?

00:011:15 - Dallas digs into climbing the awareness ladder and what that looks like for Erin’s audience

00:11:00 - Dallas shares a niching story about another member of the Hive

00:15:00 - Erin and Dallas dig into Erin’s process (aka Progress Pathway)

00:25:00 - Two of the most valuable skills for coaches in their marketing

00:29:30 - Dallas and Erin talk about next steps in her progress pathway and messaging

00:31:00 - Dallas shares a valuable resource for better storytelling

00:33:00 - Together, they dig into one of Erin’s progress pillars and how that can be use in Erin’s messaging

00:39:00 - Dallas walks through the step-by-step process for outlining content around the progress pathway. (1. Name the pillar, 2. concrete milestone or result, 3. how: tools/skill/resources, 4. story stripdown, 5. Naming the benefit) 

00:45:00 - Erin summarizes here “homework” and takeaways from the call

CONNECT WITH ERING:

WEBSITE: https://www.erinyoung.net/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/erinyoung.coaching/

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor

FREE QUIZ: https://dallastravers.com/quiz