Six months ago, if you would’ve told me that my “business” (and yes, I would’ve used air quotes) would be cookin’ like it is today, I would have laughed in your beautiful face.
I was a part-time digital park ranger – college faculty member – military wife + toddler mom with a dream (and not a CLUE what I was in for). Truly.
There’s no WAY I could’ve known that six months after starting from entrepreneurial scratch, I’d be blessed with 1,341 email subscribers, 130 clients, and over $38k in revenue. (No products or online courses at this point – just straight one-on-one communication stylin’.)
But now I’m living it. And I have three things to say:
1. This is totally a God thing. No doubt in my mind.
2. THANK YOU for riding this crazy train with me!
3. Keep reading if you want to know the secret sauce.
In this video, you’ll learn:
- What I really mean by “dream clients”
- Why they’re so important for YOUR business
- The skill you absolutely MUST master if you want to attract them
- A ridiculously sweet Steve Martin quote you’ll want to tweet…ASAP
Click here to watch:
This Week’s Tweet Shop
Click one, click ’em all!
- “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin
- Have YOU ever believed in something with every cell of your nerdy body?
- Authenticity is the new black.
Sharing is Caring
If you like this video, please SHARE it with your friends, your fans, and your mama.
We really are just getting started. There is SO much more to say and explore on this topic. In the comments below, tell me:
- What else do you want to know about attracting your dream clients?
- What behind-the-scenes scoop would you love to know (that I haven’t shared yet)?
- How can I help YOU become a more brilliant communicator?
Can’t wait to hear what you’ve got!
Til next time – be. SO. good.
P.S. If you’d like to read more about the feature vs. benefit idea (and a whole lot of other smart advice on starting your own business), check out Chris Guillebeau’s The $100 Startup. Quick, engaging read. (And shower epiphanies are pretty much guaranteed.)
This is so clear Nikki and today I am off to write copy so I appreciate the reminder – smart and authentic! Yes…
My question is: how much of your success do you put down to your personality and your skill with words? You are beautiful, enthusiastic and very compelling – and the energy of that comes over with every communication you make. In other words, many people put their offers out in groups and they do not have the response you have had – they just don’t shine as bright…
I have noticed that all the wonderful women (and men) that are successful (in this business – not manufacturing/politics etc) – have compelling personalities and THAT is what we are drawn to. Plus of course they/you are super smart and channel your uniqueness in a way which warms our hearts, sparks our minds and makes us feel safe to trust you.
xxxClaire
Wow, Claire – what a nice thing to say! Thank you!
This is a great question. I *absolutely* attribute my success to my personality and my skill with words. And I genuinely believe that sharing the HOW of that is something I was created to do. (My years of teaching communication + the 1st six months of my business have been wild confirmation of that!)
No matter WHAT your personality’s like, when you learn how to communicate your true, authentic value in a smart, thoughtful way, the right people will take notice. (The wrong people will too, which certainly keeps things interesting…)
I wouldn’t be sharing this as the “secret” if I didn’t think people were capable of learning it.
THAT SAID – crickets happen. To errrrbody (myself included!). If you put an offer out there and don’t get a response, ask:
Was it clear?
Was it genuine?
Was it the right audience?
Was it the right time?
If we’re reeeally honest with ourselves, there’s probably a tweak or 10 we could’ve made to have more impact. Communication is a social science, and the variables are limitless. We’re people, not robots. The key is to be as smart + authentic as possible and TRUST that the right people will see what you put out there.
WHEW! Could talk about this forever. Probably will :)
Thanks again for this great Q and comment!
Great comment Claire (I agree!) & great answer Nikki, learned some more so thank you! :-)
p.s. I’d love to know how you make your blog-videos, webcam, extra mic, texts? d.s.
Hi Tove! Glad this one’s helpful for you :)
While we’re traveling, I’m making these videos with my Macbook: Recording in Photo Booth using the built-in mic + camera, then editing in iMovie. SUPER simple.
My “faux-pro” video attempts (like the one down in my footer!) were more complicated, but I detailed the FULL scoop and shopping list for y’all here: https://nikkielledgebrown.com/how-to-make-a-pro-looking-video/
Hope this helps!
OOPS – forgot to add: I make the custom YouTube thumbnails by taking a screenshot of the video and adding a text box in PowerPoint.
Pretty much all of the graphics you see were first created in PowerPoint :)
Thanks Nikki!! Always helpful!
Thank you Nikki for this thoughtful and generous reply. I am off to be smart and authentic…
xClaire
And thank you again for the thoughtful follow-up Qs, Claire! That’s what these comment conversations are all about.
Congratulations!!
Great video. The thing I’d love to know is how to you communicate your benefit when you aren’t really allowed to communicate the benefits of what you do? To explain: I’m a nutritionist, and legally I’m not allowed to say that nutrition will do much of anything. I can’t say it’ll cure anything, or solve a health issue or anything like that. People who aren’t qualified nutritionists can say that, but I can’t (and I totally don’t have a problem with that: in fact I love all the different types of health people/nutritionists/food coaches because the more people realise that food can improve their lives, the better). But it means I personally get a bit stuck in terms of how to describe the benefits when I’m not allowed to – so then I have to use vague terms which sound all wishy washy, and that’s not me at all! I’d love your thoughts on that for future posts!
Many thanks, and I hope you celebrate your half-anniversary in style!!
You can say that you can help people make sense of all the information out there – the benefit being that they spend less time googling and more time eating right.
Ohh, thank you Tammy – that’s just brilliant. I’ve got a little bit of that on my site, and it is totally what I am great at – making sense of it all, and making it personal, so that’s simply fab!!!!
thank you,
Thanks, Claire!
What are some of the vague, wishy-washy terms? Share ’em here and let’s make ’em juicy!
Thanks Nikki! Terms like: nourish yourself, improve your health, increase your energy and wellbeing. They are all great aims, but pretty much all nutritionists use those terms because they can’t say anything too specific. Any juicy suggestions would be amazing!
thankyou
Here’s an example. Instead of “Increase your energy,” you could say:
Put in a full day’s work and look forward to your evening workout.
Chase after your kiddos + still have energy left for your husband after bedtime ;)
Feel like starting each day with a cartwheel…
Finally have the energy to make the most of every hour in your day.
Make sense? Think about what it really looks like for your ideal audience and paint the picture.
Nikki,
I am loving your videos…you have the greatest conversational style. I would like to know what mental prep and steps you take to create your seemingly “simple” and fresh videos.
Thank you,
Melanie
Thank you so much, Melanie!
I LOVE helping people get more comfortable and conversational with public speaking. Trust me – it is going to be a HUGE part of my business :)
My biggest piece of advice is to prepare. Outline what you want to say, and practice saying it out loud multiple times before your presentation. When the words are second nature, you can focus on having fun with the delivery!
Seriously love this stuff. If you’ve got specific Qs, always feel free to share ’em here or on my Facebook page. I’m keeping track!
Hi Nikki,
So loving your videos!
Yes, yes, yes, yes to being so good they can’t ignore you!
Energy into being our true selves shinin’ bright….mmmmm…I’m definitely opting in on that:)
You got it, Susan! Thank you…as always :)
Keep shining!
Nikki, happy half business birthday! I’d like to know how you keep scoring so many guest interviews on other people’s blogs?
Thanks, lil mama!
TRUTH: They’ve asked, and I’ve said yes! I haven’t ventured out into guest posting yet (although I have a couple of dream blogs on my list…). Honestly I just haven’t made the time, since cranking out my own weekly content is almost more than I can do sometimes!
LESSON: It’s about building relationships. As you know – many of the profiles + interviews I’ve done (so far) have been with my dream clients! I’ve gotten to know, like and trust them over the past few months. At this stage of my business, if they think my story or tips will add value to their readers (and the timing works out!), I’m totally down.
If you’ve got some folks in mind that you’d love to work with (or blogs you’d love to be on) – start showing them some love + support via social media! Won’t take long for them to see your spark ;)
HI Nikki, gosh I feel like this clarity stuff is going to be a life long process but you’re right, unless we’re clear about the value that we’re providing, our prospects won’t know either. I’m wondering if with some, if they struggle with finding themselves and can’t communicate their message until they do that? Just a thought!
Not “just a thought,” Teri – it’s a VERY important point.
If you don’t know WHAT you want to offer, you probably don’t know WHO you want to attract. Clarity on that is huge. (Otherwise, what are you talking about!?)
BUT, as Marie says, “Clarity comes from engagement, not thought.”
The key is to just go for it. Pick something that feels right, be smart about it, and see how it goes!
Love this video Nikki! : ) Your genuine warmth shines through it. Have a great weekend too!
My third Claire comment of the day?! Y’all are on FIYAH.
Thank you so much for taking time to write this, Claire *Bradbury* :)
I appreciate you!
Love your story, Nikki! I’ve been following you since way, way back in the beginning. :) I’m about to launch my own biz this week and I hope to have an awesome 6 month update like yours! Thanks for the inspiration!
Goooo, Karen! Let us know how the launch goes :)