Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

Sustainably scaling your business isn’t a solo act. It takes a team to pull it off.

Now you’ve probably had some help in the marketing and sales aspect of your business. Or maybe you’ve hired help for the technological or administrative side of things. But are you still holding out on hiring a team to help you work directly with clients to deliver your offer? That’s the last place we as entrepreneurs tend to hire to help us, but it’s necessary if you want a sustainable business.

Building a team for a sustainable business ultimately boils down to one thing. And in today’s installment of our customer experience series, I’ve invited my Director of Operations (and right-hand woman) Amber Kinney onto the show to help me cover it.

Amber and I have worked together for over a decade. And she’s the owner and CEO of her own marketing agency where she works with lots of entrepreneurs behind the scenes. So she knows the dos and don’ts of working with (and within) a business team.

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about all the layers that go into hiring people to join your business and how to do it in a way that works for you, your team members, and your clients. We’ll teach you about transfer of trust and why it works so well to set your business up for success.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:49 - Why can scaling your team be one of the biggest challenges you face? Here’s the most likely place where you might stumble when hiring help.

12:24 - There’s a necessary shift you need to make to get to the point where clients comfortably deal with your team members.

16:40 - How can you start transferring your clients’ trust from working with you exclusively to working with your team directly?

20:08 - Amber reveals how to approach bringing on someone new onto your team who you don’t have a previous track record with.

23:26 - What if you have no plans or desires to hire anyone (at least right now)? You’ll still want to do this to set yourself up for success.

28:14 - I reveal a red flag that’s a sign of more than just bad hiring practices to your clients.

• The CEO Collective

• Amber Kinney’s agency, The AK Collective

• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok

• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

According to American Express, people will pay 86% more if you give them an impeccable customer experience. That’s why providing a great experience after the purchase is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself, your brand, and your business from your competitors.

So how can you improve the customer experience of your company? It’s all in the delivery of whatever you offer, whether you’re selling a product (physical or digital) or a service. Today on the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about seven ways to upgrade the delivery process of your offer that’ll have your clients or customers loving you and your business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:41 - Clear containers for your offers helps you as well as your clients or customers. How?

8:28 - With so much small business competition, how can you develop relationships with your clients so that they remain loyal to yours?

11:45 - Have a clear vision for your customer experience and create a success path to help buyers get there.

13:20 - Do you follow up after the purchase? I discuss how to create checkpoints and proactively reach out.

17:44 - You’ll need to proactively coach your clients or customers on this as well.

21:05 - What can you use to improve your customer experience on an ongoing basis?

24:57 - The last way to upgrade your customer experience is easier said than done, but it must be done for a sustainable business.

29:22 - To wrap the show, I quickly recap the seven ways to upgrade your customer or client experience.

• The CEO Collective

• 90-Day CEO Operating System

• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok

• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Most people aren’t talking about customer experience when they think they are. They’re talking about putting out fires, troubleshooting things, solving problems as they arise--all customer service-oriented stuff.

While having good customer service is important, it’s not a thing that’s necessarily going to help your business grow or generate excitement about it from your clients. That’s where having an impeccable customer experience comes in!

But how do you design one for your business? There are three elements (or stages) to this: the first sets the tone for your relationship with each client, the next creates your path to success, and the last one wraps everything up and sets you (and your client) up for continued success.

In this next episode of Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn all about those three elements. I take you through every stage one-by-one and include all of the systems, pieces, considerations, and questions you should implement or think about for each to create an excellent experience for your clients.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:11 - I talk about the five systems you need for the first element: client onboarding.

10:50 - How can your clients get the best results? This is all about setting expectations.

12:54 - What’s the third area to shore up in your client onboarding process? (And what is the key to making it work)?

16:32 - The final piece of onboarding is incredibly powerful to make sure that everything starts off on the right foot.

19:37 - Your path to success lies in this next element of your customer experience plan. Here are a couple of areas to think about as you map it out.

28:19 - Too often, entrepreneurs wait to do this. So you’ll need to be proactive in this next step on your success path.

30:39 - How can you keep your clients committed to the process of going through your entire program? I reveal the final piece to your success path.

33:56 - I discuss four steps to think about as you complete the implementation of your customer experience plan for each client.

• The 3 Essential Systems to Sustainably Scale Your Business (LINK TBA)

• The CEO Collective

• 90-Day CEO Operating System

• The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok

• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Are you confusing customer service with customer experience?

Right now, you might be wondering, “Huh? What’s the difference?” Customer service is reactive; it’s all about handling problems as they arise. But an incredible customer experience is a thoughtfully designed journey through your business that can elevate it and gain you clients for life.

So how do you go about designing this experience so that your clients will not only want to stick around but recommend your business to others? Today kicks off a new series of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast where we discuss something that hasn’t really been delved into on the show before.

In this episode, you’ll learn about why creating an excellent customer experience helps you stand out from the crowd. You’ll hear about the coaching experience I heard about that triggered this topic, discover exactly how powerfully a great customer experience design can affect your business, and reveal what your revenue goals aren’t telling you.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:08 - Why am I digging into customer experience? I talk about the recent sales call that inspired this series.

8:03 - Customer experience matters and can be such a competitive advantage. Here’s why!

11:58 - Everybody loves coming up with revenue goals. But you’re missing out on a lot of important information in the process.

17:11 - How does plugging the holes in your customer experience affect your profit?

20:09 - What’s coming up next in this series? I give a short preview.

• The CEO Collective

• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok

• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Have things been slowing down in your business? What if you could start each year knowing that you have the majority of the revenue you need locked in?

Many entrepreneurs have noticed a recent slowdown in their businesses due to consumer anxiety surrounding the economy. The natural reaction to that is to market to attract new people and bring them into your business to boost revenue. But are you neglecting an easier way?

As a podcast producer for service-based businesses, Stacey Harris has noticed the downturn trend and gotten ahead of the curve. She and I have had a conversation about this recently during a retreat. But instead of putting all the attention on the front end, she’s helping others get set up for continued success (regardless of what happens with the economy), focusing on gaining clients for life.

And now, we’re bringing our conversation to you. In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about how you can focus on bringing in more revenue by paying attention to the people who’ve already paid you. We’ll tell you about the small things you can do and shifts you can make to take advantage of this small business gamechanger.

7:52 - Some businesses like cable and cell phone companies keep making this mistake.

10:16 - What’s the difference between a repeating customer and a lifetime client?

16:04 - I give examples of how consumer-facing businesses can provide extra value to existing clients in times of economic uncertainty.

22:01 - We run a people-over-profit business here at The CEO Collective, which helps us stand out. Here’s an example of how.

26:12 - How can you make things even a tiny bit easier for your clients? Stacey talks about how she’s doing it for podcasters.

28:56 - One of the biggest shifts in my business recently came from an unexpected source.

31:38 - What’s the real linchpin to gaining clients for life? And how have I used it to evolve my business since the beginning?

40:01 - You can bring all of your expertise to the table to make money in multiple ways. Stacey discusses a recent example of how she did it.

43:04 - Stacey reveals the hardest part about communicating in client relationships.

49:07 - What else happens for your business when you retain clients? It makes business growth so much easier.

Mentioned in How to Gain Clients for Life with Stacey Harris

• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Retreat
• Customer Experience podcast series: episode 1, 2, 3, and 4
• Stacey Harris on Instagram and TikTok
• Uncommonly More
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Imagine spending a half hour (or longer) on a sales call with someone. And as you wrap it up, you’re hoping they’ll say yes to your product, program, or service.

But instead, they tell you they’re not ready. Or they can’t afford it. Or the timing is off, and can they get back to you?

This is one of the most frustrating things about sales and the reason why so many entrepreneurs dread getting on a call with a new potential client. If this is something that you’re experiencing right now, then you need a strategy that allows you to turn more potential clients into actual clients.

Creating a well-crafted pre-client education process will do the trick. Not only does it improve your overall conversion rate, but it also makes sales so much easier!

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn how to implement this pre-sale education process for potential clients in your business. I’ll talk about why old-school sales strategies don’t work anymore, what modern sales strategies do differently, and take you step-by-step through the pre-client education process.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

2:24 - How have sales changed since the 1990s? I explain why there’s a disconnect with old-school strategies from 25-30 years ago.

7:53 - I reveal how modern sales strategies differ from old-school sales strategies and the importance of pre-sales education.

12:23 - What’s the first step of the pre-sales education process? You need this regardless of what you sell.

18:55 - Here are two options you can add in step two if a potential buyer needs to have a conversation with you.

24:10 - How do you use pre-sales emails to sell your product, program, or service? I discuss a great example I share with clients inside The CEO Collective.

30:26 - You can add this to your pre-client education content in case potential clients aren’t already familiar with you.

32:29 - I talk about a couple of other things you might consider including in your pre-sales content.

37:13 - How are sales calls different for me since I began implementing this process in my business?

39:09 - Give people a window of time to make a decision. What does your enrollment period look like?

43:01 - Some people will want to wait for the next round to buy from you, or you might have all spots filled. I share what you can do for those situations.

45:50 - What formats do you want to use to send pre-sales education content to your potential clients?

• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Retreat
• The CEO Planner
• 90 Day CEO Operating System
• Marketing Strategy Intensive
• Podcast Ally

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

We’ve just seen a golden age for people wanting to start their own small business. The 10 to 15 year period from the 2008 recession to COVID-19 was a bull market that saw improved and more affordable technology available for small business owners. As a result, small businesses exploded into existence, particularly for women entrepreneurs.

But the economy is cyclical, and there comes a time when the bull market slows down. In the last few years, we’ve seen that lots of businesses had to adapt or get shut down during the pandemic lockdowns. We’re watching inflation cause expenses to skyrocket. And your customers and clients are feeling the impact.

The economy is uncertain right now, and perhaps your sales are slowing down as a result. People might be telling you that they need a little more time to budget for your signature offer, or they’re less willing to commit to a long-term program and higher dollar amounts. So your sales process will have to change.

Today kicks off a new series all about how the sales process is changing. In this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn about what to do if your sales strategy is no longer producing the results you want right now. I’ll teach you how to prevent your business from slowing down so much that it threatens to shut down.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

9:11 - There’s been a big change in B2B vs. consumer-facing sales strategies over the last few years. What is it?

13:29 - Adding in a personal touch somewhere to your sales process will improve your overall results. I reveal how I do it.

17:14 - Here’s another high-touch tactic I do that you can add to your marketing.

19:45 - People want to know who they’re giving money to, so are you making your company’s values explicitly clear?

27:40 - How can you make your business relevant to clients and customers right now? It’s all about meeting them where they are.

34:48 - One last thing to think about that will help you so much as a small business owner.

Mentioned in Why Your Old Sales Strategy Might Not Be Working

• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Retreat
• Loom
• “The Vulnerable Side of Visibility with Erica Courdae” podcast episode
• Marketing Strategy Intensive
• Uncommonly More
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Do you struggle internally with selling because you feel like you’re pushing people to buy things they don’t need? You want to improve your sales skills and feel like you’re advocating your offers out of service, not desperation.

You need sales confidence. And my guest today, Leslie Lyons, is a sales and leadership coach with a no BS approach who’s all about helping women embrace sales confidence. She just has a way of talking about sales and encouraging people to make more sales that’s so refreshing to hear.

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about how to get more confident at selling. You’ll also discover how to re-examine your relationship with sales and money so that you can truly step into your purpose and be of service to people you’re here to help through your business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

8:22 - Leslie describes the kind of household she grew up in and reveals why having money is key for women in relationships.

12:34 - How are women in the Western world conditioned when it comes to money? And how does white feminism tie into it?

17:52 - How did Leslie find out she was good at sales? She reveals her very first sales job and the foundational piece to having sales confidence.

26:54 - Leslie discusses how to build up sales confidence so you don’t feel so hesitant, uncomfortable, or awkward when advocating for your offer.

30:33 - Other than stereotypes about selling, here are a couple of other reasons why women hesitate to do it (and what we make them mean about ourselves as individuals).

34:30 - What lesson can Kanye teach you as an entrepreneur in sales situations?

38:27 - I learned an important sales lesson as a kid. And it demonstrates why Leslie focuses on sales confidence instead of sales strategy.

41:40 - Here’s something else that can keep you attached to your business and make it personal.

Mentioned in How to Embrace Sales Confidence In Your Business with Leslie Lyons

• Leslie D. Lyons
• Leslie’s podcast: Pleasurable Profits: Sales & Leadership for Non-Traditional CEOs
• Leslie on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Can you afford to take 30 days away from your business? What would happen if you can’t but took the time anyway?

Sometimes, things come up. Personal or family illness, the impending birth of a new baby, or just needing a break can spark the need for taking some extended time off.

But for a lot of small business owners, taking that time would essentially shut the business down. You’d stop marketing, working with clients, and making sales... unless you have systems in place that keep your business running when you slow down.

This past April, I had to step away from my business because of a flare-up of my chronic illness that caused me extreme pain and kept me up at night. But if you listened to the show in April, you’d never know that because I had systems in place that could help me weather that situation.

So in this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn the systems I use to make sure that my business runs smoothly even if I have to step back for a bit. By growing through some of the systems I use in my 5-part framework, I’ll teach you how you can keep on serving your clients and generating revenue while you’re away.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

5:09 - I talk about the biggest changes I’ve made for more flexibility in the “delight” stage of my framework.

9:18 - What do these changes look like functionally inside of The CEO Collective?

18:20 - How do I make sure sales keep coming in even if I have to step away from my business?

25:08 - If you think you need to be active in the nurture marketing stage all the time, systems are your friend here. I reveal how.

31:29 - Where do I spend the majority of my time, and why should you do the same?

39:33 - It took me a long time to follow this final piece of advice.

Mentioned in The Systems That Keep Your Business Running When You Slow Down

• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Retreat
• 90-Day CEO Operating System
• The CEO Planner
• Marketing Strategy Intensive
• Fired Up & Focused Challenge
• Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge
• More Business Growth Tools
• Help Scout
• Uncommonly More
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Summer is just around the corner! It’s the time of year to relax with a cold drink by the pool and just slow things down. Sounds great, but how do you make sure things don’t slow down too much in your business?

In this episode, I talk about how you can avoid losing momentum during the slower summer months and ramp up your business for the fall.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:21 - Summer is the perfect time to work on the bigger picture for your business. Here’s the first way to help you get the most out of this slower period.

6:45 - What’s the one thing that’ll help you grow your business sustainably? This allows you to leverage your time and energy by working smarter, not harder.

19:19 - Want to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year? Look at these three core parts of your marketing strategy and your overall marketing system.

28:33 - How your business shows up in the world matters. It’s the first impression people get, so consider upgrading this aspect over the summer.

32:36 - This time of year is when I’ll often plan for and create new offers, including my very first program in the summer of 2011.

Show Links

• The CEO Retreat
• Google Workspace/Google Apps for Work
• Last Pass
• Help Scout
• Asana
• Calendly
• Dubsado
• Racheal on Instagram
• Leave a review on iTunes

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!