Latest / Black Girls Consult TOO! / Episode 85: The Consulting Secret to Always Having the Perfect Response

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Episode 85: The Consulting Secret to Always Having the Perfect Response · Black Girls Consult TOO!

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I used to believe that you had to be almost at the point of retirement before you even thought about going into consulting.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: I mean, after all, these were people that seemed to know everything.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: They knew everything and they knew everybody.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: So the thought of being able to enter into the industry a lot earlier as an entrepreneurial consultant did not seem feasible but a long shot.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: But I think one of the reasons why it was the case is because so many of these individuals that I had seen for so long had a message that they had mapped out over years.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: It wasn't like they really knew everything as a matter of fact they didn't but there was a particular method that many of them used that I can say was very helpful.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: So in this episode, if you're wondering how you can do the same, then you need to tune in.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Alright, let's get started.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: There's a misconception that we don't exist, that somehow our ability to excel at the highest level of our industry is limited, that overcoming barriers as a woman of color would be insurmountable.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: But what would happen if we decided to venture out on our own, despite everything we're up against?
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you Welcome to the Black Girls Consult 2 Podcast.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, a healthcare consultant, consulting coach, high performance fanatic wife and proud girl mom.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: I help transform female professionals into thriving solo consultants and, just like you, I'm wearing all the hats and doing all the things.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: So this podcast is to empower the busy female professionals to move past fear to start and grow a successful consulting business.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Despite the obstacles you may encounter, we'll dive deep into consulting practice, business strategy, mindset and more.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: So grab your cup of coffee or tea, if that's your thing, and let's get started.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Hello, hello, hello.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consult 2 Podcast.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I want to have a real discussion today because I think we need like a come together, come to Jesus moment with one another, mainly because we are allowing our minds and our mindset to kind of get in the way when it comes to landing the clients that we want to land, navigating the types of contracts that we want to secure, just showing up as boldly as we know how we're letting other things get in our way.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: And you know, when I think about why we do this, it's often because we see others as somehow having a greater advantage, or maybe like they have a skill set that we don't have, or they have, some other type of talent or hidden superpower that we can't seem to muster up, when much of that is not true, there is, you know, actually, nothing worse than for you to be in a situation where you have no idea what you want to say or do when you're supposed to be the expert.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: I've been there.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: I don't know if you've been there, but I have been there before you get put on the spot, or maybe someone is even trying to somewhat push back on an argument that you're making, and in that moment all eyes are on you.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: You want to shrink and kind of crumble and melt us in the ground, but instead of doing that, we have to show up more boldly and be able to really hold our spot, hold our position.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: That is going to be the easiest way for us to secure the confidence that we need in order to continue to land the business that we want, as well as to grow and evolve over time.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: But that's much easier said than done, mainly because in those moments it's not because you don't know the answer or you don't really know what to say.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: If you just had a moment to think about it, I know that you can come up with the perfect comeback.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: But sometimes it's just because you get caught in your head, you're caught off guard and you're thinking too hard about the situation.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: It's just difficult to really gather all of your thoughts fast enough and because of that, and because we don't want to be seen as making some type of mistake that we feel like we can't recover from, we take the approach of just being silent.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: And that silence can carry a lot of weight.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: It can cause someone to question whether or not we truly are an expert or knowledgeable in our space.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: It can cause us to question whether or not we're qualified and kind of eat away at our confidence and break that confidence down.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: It can also put us in a position where we feel the weight of another individual trying to judge us.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Maybe we're in a situation where we're the minority which is not an unusual situation to be in as a woman and consultant, especially a woman of color and you start to think that you're carrying the whole burden of all of the women in your industry, or all of the black women or people of color, just on your back as you make this next argument, because you feel as if people are waiting for you to fail.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Those can be really uncomfortable feelings, and why we question ourselves is because we watch others and we think to ourselves you know, I never see them do that.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: You know, we always think I never see them make this same mistake.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: They always seem to have a comeback.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: They always seem to be able to say something.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: I actually worked with someone long ago.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: I thought that he was super great at really speaking off the cuff and coming up with answers and I, upon first meeting him, was extremely impressed by his ability to do that so swiftly.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: But over time I started to realize a few things.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: One of the things that I realized for this particular situation is that often what he was saying was not correct, but he said it with such confidence that no one questioned that fact.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: No one called anything that he said into question because he said it with authority, and a lot of times that's what's also happening in these situations that we're in.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: One of our biggest fears is that we will be somehow found out, whether you're naming that as imposter syndrome or something else.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: It's a fear that we are not the expert that we say that we are, and we watch others seemingly navigate these conversations without skipping a beat.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: But I wonder have you ever really taken the time to think about why this is the case?
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Why is it that they seem to know it all?
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Why is it that, in the particular situation I was discussing, why is it that he could come back so swiftly with his next comeback and gain so much authority, even though he may have been saying something that was incorrect?
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: Why could that happen?
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: It doesn't happen by chance.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: Most often, it doesn't happen by chance.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: These are not people that are speaking this depth of knowledge off the top of their heads.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: There is a system and a pattern, and I am going to share with you a model for how you begin to communicate all the information that you need to highlight and showcase your expertise.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Whether you're doing that in the form of a speaking engagement or a one-on-one meeting or any other type of negotiation circumstance, or simply using it for creating content, there is a way for you to approach how you developed your core foundational messaging that keeps you from being in that situation where you feel so uneasy and unsupported.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: That's what we're going to break down today.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: A thriving consulting business is built on a solid business foundation and a consulting code that leads you toward your ideal business and your ideal lifestyle.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: And the great thing about this code is that it works for any type of consulting practice, whether you help clients with professional development, business management, grant writing, it or something entirely different.
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: This consulting code is not rocket science and is not beyond your reach, and when you crack the code, it can jumpstart the growth of your solo consulting practice and is what you need to know to get started and lend your first clients, and nothing more.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: This is a step-by-step process I wish I had so many years ago, and that's why I wanted to share this with you and how you can do this too.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: So if you're interested in starting your consulting business and creating a desirable offer to generate leads for your offer and to make sales, then the consulting code is your solution.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Visit wwwexcelatconsultingcom for more information.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: So you can ever spend a lot of time just listening to what people say and paying attention, not just in the moment, but really focusing in on what they've been saying.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Over time, you start to realize that a lot of what they're saying has been on repeat.
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: After a while, some of the case studies that they talk about sound a little bit familiar.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: The stats that they throw out in the middle of the meeting.
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, they'll sound familiar too, and let's see how.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: About some of their opinions?
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Or the way that they have broken down some aspect of your industry and where things are going to go, kind of giving their forecast of the future.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: All of those things begin to sound very familiar when you really pay attention.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: But very few of us actually are listening to that extent.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: And just to prove to you that I'm not making this up, I want to give you an exercise that I normally give clients.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: I want you to think about your favorite coach or consultant or expert in your field and I want you to look at some of the things that they have put out over time in some shape or fashion, whether that is a presentation, a YouTube video, some aspect of content on social media or LinkedIn, instagram, facebook, wherever.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: I want you to go back.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: As far as you can See, part of the problem is that we live in this society where we are solely focused on what's happening in our immediate time frame.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: We're not thinking back years in terms of what people have been saying previously.
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: We're solely focused on what we've heard last week, oftentimes not even last week, yesterday, even just an hour ago.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: We're not going back in time, but if you actually pay attention to what has been said over an extended period of time, what you'll often find is that a lot of this messaging is the same, is on repeat and it's being communicated from various angles.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: So it's not that, in the instance of someone who has truly made a name for themselves in their industry and are respected and have actually contributed to the space, those individuals are not coming up with new information all the time, and there is a reason for that.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: This is not a bad thing.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: This is not.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: Oh well, they're saying the same old thing and that's why it doesn't matter.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: No, they're saying it over and over and over again for a reason, and part of that reason is that it's going to help them communicate their message more effectively, build a movement around their message, as well as build the credibility and the level of influence and authority that they need in order to be more of a thought leader in their space.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: So go back and look through their content, see what they were talking about three years ago, four years ago, five years ago, more.
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: I bet you that you're going to find that much of what you heard in something that is very recent is very similar, eerily similar, to what they've said before.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: So that's part of what you want to begin to build, and the expert messaging model is structured where there are really four components that began to highlight your expertise.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: And when you craft this out, not only do you get clarity around your message and what you stand for and what your business is all about and the services that you provide and how you help, and your mission and your purpose.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Not only do you get clarity around all of those things, but you also create a way for you to communicate key aspects of your business and business model in a way that begins to sell itself.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: So here are the four components.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: So one of the first things we start off with is your personal code.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: What are you focused on, with your purpose, with your mission?
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: What are you all about?
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: I think that's where we always have to start, especially when we're thinking about any type of business that is fueled and driven from our purpose.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: If there's a purpose or a mission to what we're doing and the type of work that we have begun to put out and create and the mission that we've been getting to shape and mold, then we have to start out there.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: There has to be some level of realization and clarity around what we actually hold to be true and valuable.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: What's our identity, what's our purpose, what are our values?
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: Those things matter.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: That's really at the heart of it all, because from that point is where everything else begins to evolve.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: And then, when you think about your personal code and kind of who you are, you want to expand beyond that, from who you are to what you think and believe.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: And that is looking at your philosophy.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: What are the principles you live by?
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: What's your point of view when it comes to key aspects?
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: What are the frameworks that you've been able to distill information into or down to so that you're able to communicate knowledge and expertise more effectively?
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: What are those things that truly are behind your recommendations and your advice and your suggestions?
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: What are those guiding principles and thoughts?
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: And then, beyond that, you have to have proof.
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: And what I'm talking about?
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: Proof?
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: I'm not talking about just social proof, just being able to say that you have a testimonial or two, but I'm really talking about what's the proof that you've been there, what's the proof that you've been in the trenches, that you have this lived experience, that you have the accomplishments and the education and the knowledge that is real, because in this age, when we're living in between our real lives and this online space, there are many people that don't technically have this legitimate proof, but they've learned how to spin the narrative For you.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: You have to be able to stand on more than that.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: You're in an area, in a field, in an industry that's going to expect you to know more, that's going to expect you to be able to show that you have a certain level of knowledge and experience before they're going to ever trust you with something that's so major, such as their business or maybe even some aspects of their personal life.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: So personal call philosophy proof.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: But then really, at the crux of it all, and what makes the work that we do so special, is the fact that we can distill all of those things down into a prescription, and that's really the solution and the insight and the outcomes and the forecast that we can provide.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: What can we tell people right now that will transform who they are today into someone they're going to be tomorrow?
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: That was going to transform their business into the point of which they may be struggling today, but then thriving and prospering tomorrow.
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: That all comes from our prescription.
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: What we are saying is a solution, those things that we have crafted and put together.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: And what I love about this model if you can picture this is that this model is not a linear process.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: It's not like you create your personal code and then you have a set philosophy, and then you have your proof established and then you're going to give a prescription.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: No, that's not how it works.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: The great part about being an expert is that it's a continual process.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: There's a reason why we talk about having a consulting practice, because when you think about a practice, that's something that has to continue to evolve.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: With time, you continue to learn more, you continue to shift in, edit and iterate and change, modify, adapt over time.
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: So this is more of a cycle that you're going through as you evolve.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: This model evolves with you.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: It changes within our industry.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: A good example is when we think about our philosophy when it comes to some aspects of work.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: Is that philosophy the same today, in the age of chat, gpt and AI, as it was five or ten years ago?
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: No, if it is, then that's problematic.
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: That person would more than likely not be a leader in their field today, because today we have the reality of a lot of other tools that are available to us that we don't want to run from but actually incorporate into the work that we do.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: That, then, is going to reshape the way that we see ourselves in the work and the way that we can visualize and envision the outcome.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: All of those things change, and that's what's so great about this model is that the model adapts with you, and when you map these things out for yourself, you become clear about who you are, what you stand for, what your mission is, how you approach problems, how you think about issues, the things that you prioritize, what you find to be valuable for your lived experience, how you're able to adapt and change and shift your strategies based upon what you have already seen work or even not work.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: You can give solutions that not just are textbook answers but are going to be answers that people can use when those textbook answers are not coming through.
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: That is what builds our practice.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: That's what builds the foundation of the messaging that we want to begin to create, and once that's created, it makes everything a lot easier.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: It does, and then you don't have to have those fears and that nervous energy running through you when you're in those moments and you feel like you're being put on the spot and you're trying to race through your brain as fast as you can, almost like your brain is going through these little foul folders trying to find the right answer and the time is ticking super slow as everybody is staring at you.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: You don't have to have those moments.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: You don't have to have those moments because you're going to be better equipped.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: You're going to have a solid foundation and guide for you to follow.
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: I like to call it my cheat sheet.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: You know, like old school, you have a cheat sheet for studying for a test.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: I know I did studying for a test, especially if it was something that you had to memorize, like if I had to memorize facts for social studies or maybe even biology.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: That was another subject where I feel like you always had to memorize something.
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: But the cheat sheet would come in handy because it was like your quick reference when you needed to learn or find some information, like really quickly on the spot.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: That's what this becomes for you.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: It becomes almost like the cheat sheet for your business.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: And I'm telling you, this model can completely Transform how you do business, because you will be amazed at how confident you will become when you're super clear about what you are saying, what you offer and the type of Transformation that you can provide.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: When you have all those things nailed down Everything else from your marketing to yourselves to any aspect of your business in terms of visibility through Podcasts or talking on stages or writing articles or however, whatever you're gonna do all of those things become Easier.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: And it all starts with just mastering your message, not any message, not thinking about copywriting, not thinking about just social media posts.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: I'm talking about your foundational, expert messaging.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: This, I'm telling you, is key.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: There's really the secret that a lot of people have been using for a very long time.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: This is just a framework that helps you do it a little bit more concisely.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: All right, guys, I hope that you enjoyed this episode.
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: It's my hope that you found this helpful and that you're beginning to think about how you can begin to craft this Messaging for yourself.
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: Actually have a Workshop that will be coming up very soon that will walk you through the elements of how to craft this messaging, how to develop the level of clarity in your business that you need, and then also how you're able to utilize that in various aspects of your business, everything from content creation to sales, to marketing, to Talks, lectures, books, you name it how you can utilize this framework, and on a much greater scale, so that you are able to amplify your message.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: So be able to look out for that.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: It's coming very, very soon and, hey, we're gonna talk about more and more of just great topics around consulting in the upcoming week, so make sure you're tuning back in.
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't done so already, and be sure to share it with a friend.
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: All right, guys, I can't wait to talk to you very soon.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: Take care, have a good one.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to the black girls console 2 podcast.
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple podcast, subscribe and share it with a friend.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting and you can help us do that.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: Also, I'd love to hear from you.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: So let's connect at dr Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn, and don't forget to visit excel at consulting comm for more Information to support your consulting journey.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: Until next time, take care.