219: Your Next Best Client Could Be Just A Connection Away

Melissa [: 00:00:00

Hey, hey, hey, I hope you guys enjoy these what I'm calling podcast shorts for my burnout to all out community. This is just a little peek behind the curtain of the coaching that goes on inside of my programs. We're bringing to you some of the best nuggets and coaching I'm giving, within hot seats of all of our different programs, whether it's our LinkedIn Method Academy, our Mini Mastermind, Business Basics, all the way up to our higher level Mastermind. If you're hearing some of these questions, and you're like, man, I wish I could get my burning question answered by Melissa. Hey, guess what? You could be featured on my podcast. If you've got a question that you want answered and you submit it to my team and we pick it, we will bring you here to the podcast for our podcast shorts and, do a hot seat with you. Where can you submit your questions? Send them to team burnout to all out.co. We'll make sure we drop that in the show notes for our podcast shorts.

Melissa [: 00:01:02

And I hope that you guys find as much value in the shorts as our clients do inside the program. Need some effective tactical advice that actually helps you get results and makes a real difference in your life and business? You've come to the right place. If you're finding yourself here today, it means you're getting ready to gain serious traction in your business, rapidly multiply your income and impact, and you're ready to make it happen while living all out. Guys, I'm Melissa Henault, your trustworthy corporate dropout turned 6 figure business burnout turned happy and healthy CEO of a multimillion dollar online business, and you're listening to the Burnout to All Out podcast. On this show, we're serving up innovative growth strategies, simple implementation methods to put them into practice, and action stimulating inspiration tailored specifically for the modern entrepreneur. Let's dive in. Let's go to miss Beverly. Hey.

Beverly [: 00:03:27

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So question kinda continuing down where you were going with Tisha. So my background is before I became a resume writer and career coach, I owned a staffing and recruiting business for over 25 years. So I have a lot of local connections on LinkedIn as well as just kind of industry related, and I'm pretty connected to a bunch of resume writers as well. And I am needing to start growing my connections more into my ideal client. So my ideal client is a mid and senior level manager or just a professional that it will be looking for a new job.

Beverly [: 00:04:13

So in addition to writing resumes, I've kinda scaled my business. First of all, I have a writer write for me. So that gives me time to focus on this piece, which I really love, plus the coaching, and I typically will sell packages with my business. And the coaching, unless they purchase 1 on 1 coaching with me, my coaching is pretty much already done. And so it's really kind of a neat little scalable thing. So that's why I was so attracted to what you're doing here. I just need to get more people into my funnel. And I'm wondering too I was kinda looking through, and I felt really called out about not working the checklist, I'll just say.

Beverly [: 00:04:57

But I I was looking through when you go on LinkedIn and you just look on, like, who it's recommending for you to connect with, I feel like probably there's a whole lot of local people I still should go back and reach out to that have the job titles that I'm looking for. But beyond that I mean, first of all, is that a good suggestion? And then second, beyond that, how can I grow beyond local?

Melissa [: 00:05:22

Yeah. So local is a really great, like, kind of point of connection with people. Right? Mhmm. To just introduce yourself and say, I see that we're both local in the area, and I would love to add you to my network. And so I think that's a great place to start. Right? Another place for all of you guys to get started on LinkedIn is previous clients. If you can go to your previous clients' profiles and you can look at their networks, and you can request to connect with them. And I would use your previous client's name in the request to connect.

Melissa [: 00:05:58

Hey. I see that you're connected to so and so, was a previous client of mine, and I'm looking to grow my network. Right? Time you can create a common ground, a common connection with people, the more likely they're gonna accept the request to connect. Right? And back to the previous client as well, a great place to start is reaching back out to your previous clients and asking for referrals.

Beverly [: 00:06:25

Mhmm.

Melissa [: 00:06:25

Reach out to them on LinkedIn. And, I mean, there's no better platform, especially since you're in the resume writing career coaching space. Yeah.

Beverly [: 00:06:33

Right.

Melissa [: 00:06:33

Right? Is reaching out to your past clients and say, hey. You know, if you enjoyed working with me, and maybe you have a referral bonus. Maybe you have something you're offering them. Right? I know with our program, anybody you guys refer into our academy, you get a $200 referral bonus. Right? So any kind of incentive for clients who really enjoyed it and would think that their network could enjoy working with you. So you can put that out there as well. And then thirdly would be power partnerships, and this is for all of you guys, is thinking about who could I not direct to consumer, direct to customer, but who could I befriend on LinkedIn? Who could I grow my network with? Who have the keys to the kingdom of my ideal client? Right? Who have access to and are connected to these groups that I could get in front of. Right? So I know that you're mid to senior level management, and so I don't know if working with certain HR departments or who would be the gatekeepers or even, like, I know you're a career coach, so I don't know what type of overlap and competitiveness there is between, like, a career coach and some of the executive coaching that's done out there or, like, kind of higher level, like, professional masterminds.

Melissa [: 00:08:10

Like Mhmm. I mean, I'm in, like, entrepreneurial masterminds, but I know my husband has been in a number of different, like they're not called masterminds in small business and corporate. They're called something else, but it's like he's been in these cohorts that his company has paid for that are, like, these group coaching programs that are fairly high ticket that the company pays for that have other executives in it. You know what I'm talking?

Beverly [: 00:08:35

Yes. I do. I think that's a great idea.

Melissa [: 00:08:37

Those are the people I would become friends with.

Beverly [: 00:08:39

Yeah.

Melissa [: 00:08:39

Right? Yeah. Yeah. I think And maybe you even pitch to do a free webinar with those types of groups and have your opt in, your freebie, your thing at the end to, like, get everybody's email addresses so they can follow-up with you.

Beverly [: 00:08:53

Okay. Keys to the kingdom. Speaking of that, that leads me to my second question. So I've been live streaming every week since mid July, and I do just a, like, a little brief training. And, actually, what's kinda funny is the last 3 to 4 weeks I've all been on LinkedIn, And, I mean, that's what I'm training on. And so I'm planning to start bringing in a guest, and I kinda had me a running list. So my question for you because I do think, like, what you're talking about is someone that is similar, but maybe a little different. So, like, I've got some recruiters and some HR people on that list and as well as people maybe related in my industry as well.

Beverly [: 00:09:38

But what I wanna know is, do you have any tips or best practices for when you invite guests? How do you plan what you're gonna ask them? Just anything you can offer me in the way of structuring that.

Melissa [: 00:09:52

I always think about what would bring value to my audience. Right? So if like, with my podcast, I actually prepare all of my questions before they come, but I'm just that personality. Mhmm. Like, I said this on one of the calls earlier today. Like, I was the kid in pharmacy school who was done studying by 8 PM the night before and went to bed early, whereas my best friend who was in the dorm next to me pulled all nighters every time. And I just cannot handle that kind of anxiety. I don't operate that way. So, like, I have a podcast interview tomorrow with my executive assistant, and the whole purpose is a lot of people just wanna peek behind the curtain of, like, who supports me and protects my energy.

Melissa [: 00:10:32

So tomorrow morning, the first thing I'm gonna do is really scribe down, like, the questions I'm gonna ask her that my audience would wanna know the answers to. Right? So if you're gonna bring a guest on, think about what is the their subject matter expertise, how is it gonna bring value? Because, I mean, you can talk about the sky being blue and what they did for vacation, and it can be a talk show coffee chat, but that's not bringing value to your audience. And most people have very finite period of time. So, also, my podcast, I like jump right in. There's not a whole lot of, like, pleasantries and wasting time because time is money and people's attention is is an asset. Right? So I like just jumping right in with the questions. So thinking about what value is this guest gonna bring my audience and how am I gonna be seen as, like, the go to person by bringing these experts on to my interviews.

Beverly [: 00:11:32

Sounds good. Anything else? I mean, like, when you reach out to people to join you, is there anything that you ask them? Like, I mean, are there questions you want me to ask you or anything? Yeah. Absolutely.

Melissa [: 00:11:49

As a matter of fact, I mean, I've gotten to a point where I ask, like it's a little bit different because it's a podcast, but I ask for people's, like, speaker it's called a one sheeter, like a speaker one sheeter that gives me, like, key topics. So that's the other thing you can ask for in advance, and this is how and why I prepare, is anyone who comes onto my podcast has to submit a speaker sheet that talks about, like, their key 3 to 4 topics that they know like the back of their hand that they can speak to that would bring value to my audience. Okay. And they have their website and everything on that sheet, so I go and research all of that the day before so that I'm ready to ask those questions.

Beverly [: 00:12:26

Sure. Okay. Yeah. I've been on a few podcasts too, and it seems like they have sent me something similar. And I've had a couple of them actually send me the questions that they're gonna ask Mhmm. Which is kinda cool because then you have an idea of how to prepare and you're not stumbling all over yourselves too. So I thought about that. And then I had someone else tell me, she asked them to write what questions they wanna be asked.

Beverly [: 00:12:51

And I was like, yep. That could take some work off me.

Melissa [: 00:12:55

Yeah. That too. I did that for my business coach because I selfishly, I know how massive his audience is, and I wanted to control the questions because I wanted to make sure his audience heard certain things that I knew. Ah. And I know how busy he is, So I sent him. I was like, if you haven't prepared yet, which I know Chris, he's just off the cuff when it comes to this stuff. I was like, here's some key questions you can ask me. And he asked me every single one.

Melissa [: 00:13:19

Just boom, boom, boom, boom. So that's a way to get your desired content out. Yeah. Okay. Very good. Thanks guys so much for listening in on today's podcast episode. And I can't wait for you to see my upcoming guest in the next episode. You are going to love this keynote speaker.

Melissa [: 00:13:38

Hey, here's the deal. If you like this, please subscribe and leave a review. And you want the latest online business growth strategies and exclusive LinkedIn pro tips sent straight to your phone? Text the word update to 704-318-2285. That is text the word update to 704318228 5. Can't wait to see you guys. Come find me over on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, wherever you like to hang. Cannot wait to hear how you are enjoying and applying what you're learning. You guys reach out to me over on social because I love hearing what's resonating with you.

Melissa [: 00:14:24

When you reach out to me and you send me those personal DMs, they really do impact the content I continue to bring forward to you. So again, come find me melissa_henault over on Instagram. Melissahenault over on LinkedIn and Facebook. Can't wait to see you guys over there.