Latest / Black Girls Consult TOO! / Episode 109: Building Trust and Revenue in Consulting with Client Journey Mapping

Transcript

Episode 109: Building Trust and Revenue in Consulting with Client Journey Mapping · Black Girls Consult TOO!

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: They say, the odds are stacked against us as women, especially women of color, trying to thrive in the consulting world.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: But rather than wait for a seat at the table that may never come, what if we build our own tables?
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: What if we channel our talents into guiding each other towards the success we deserve?
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consulting Podcast.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: I'm your host Dr.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Angelina Davis.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: I walk the path from healthcare consultant to a mentor for women like you, ambitious, unstoppable and ready to make waves in the consulting world, this podcast is your go-to spot for all things entrepreneurial consulting.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: For us as women, especially women of color, think of it as your weekly coffee date with a friend who's here to dish out real talk on building a solid business, elevating your thought leadership and mastering that all important mindset.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: And let's not forget, we're doing all of this while balancing day jobs, family life and running teams.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Yes, we can do it all.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: So if you're ready to dive into how you can grow a thriving consultancy or get strategies and insights that actually fit your busy lifestyle, then you're in the right place.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: Grab your coffee, tea or, hey, even a glass of wine, I won't judge and let's get started.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Hello, hello, hello.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consulting Podcast.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and today we're going to talk a little bit about things that we may overlook when it comes to trying to land clients and market our business, and some of these things that we tend to not pay close attention to are very, very important, because they can be the difference between us being able to land clients consistently and struggling to find someone to work with.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: So we have to begin to pay attention to some of these things, because they are happening, even if we don't recognize that.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: So that's going to be our conversation today.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: It's going to be all about client journeys and client journey mapping.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: So if you're wondering what that is that, I want you to stay tuned.
• 2:09
  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, 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.
• 2:33
  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 land your first clients, and nothing more.
• 2:48
  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.
• 2:57
  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.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Visit wwwexcelatconsultingcom for more information.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: So I have been having a little bit of car trouble lately, and it's not a surprise.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: I have had my car for a while now.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: I think it's been almost about seven or eight years or so, so it is definitely time to start thinking about finding a new vehicle, although I'm hoping to keep it for as long as possible, I want to ride it so the wheels fall off at this point.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: But I want to think now, ahead of time, before I actually find myself in a position where I need to desperately find a car, because I have been down that road before and I don't want to go back down.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: It was very, very challenging.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: One of the things that I'm doing right now is to look at cars I see on the road and think about what I want to get next, and I'm not necessarily sure that I want to get another SUV, which is what I have currently, because my kids are older now I don't have to transport all of them at once like I used to in the past, and so my knees are just different.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: I'm thinking about going back to something that was a little bit smaller, something that looked like what I drove maybe, I don't know 10, 15 years ago.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: With that being said, I have a lot of options out there.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Right, I think about this whole idea of another car, although, once again, I'm not looking to do that anytime soon.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: But while I'm thinking about all of the possibilities that are out there, I'm looking at what I see on the road.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Many times I'm driving, I fall in love with different cars, whether it is a Tesla that seems very I don't know new age and innovative, or if I'm thinking about something that may be a little bit classier to drive, or something that may look like an everyday car that I can get comfortable in and really fill with me on these, I'm constantly in this mode of looking for and thinking about what vehicle I may purchase next, so my journey to finding a new car has already started, although I haven't step foot on a car lot, I haven't thought about applying for a loan, but I am in the mindset of looking for something different, and if you have ever been down in a road before, then you know what it feels like to start doing some of these things.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Start looking at magazines and peeping out what type of car catches your eye, or maybe you're even looking at the inside interior when you're riding with a friend, but your mind is already in the works, thinking about what may come next and what you want to look for.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: So you've made a lot of decisions by the time you even think about stepping onto a car lot.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, in order for you to even think about the car lot that you want to go to, you've already formulated some opinions, and it's part of this process that we need to pay attention to, even in our business as consultants, because a lot of the decision making is occurring before someone is actually looking for help and seeking out a specific service.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: They're thinking about what may fit their needs and what type of help or support they may most need in this moment, who they want to work with, who do they resonate with, what ideas tend to seem more exciting, what philosophy do they follow and do they feel most in alignment with?
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: All of these things are in their heads, and so what I want to stress in this episode is how all of these various touch points are part of the client journey, their journey to becoming a client of yours.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Going from lead to client is going to be something that occurs over an extended period of time, and it's something that occurs whether or not they decide to go with your business or not.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: It's occurring whether or not you decide to market or not.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: They are having these conversations in their heads.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: They're having these conversations with people that they trust, and they're beginning to determine what they need to do in order to reach their goals, and so it only makes sense that, if we are trying to land more clients and to grow our businesses, we need to be in the conversation, we need to be in the loop, we need to have our name tossed in the hat.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: That is what really, in all honesty, marketing helps us do.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: By becoming more visible and marketing our services, we're actually creating a space where our potential client can begin thinking about what it would be like to work with us.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of reasons why we have to start paying close attention to this client journey.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: One of the first things is that we have to better understand how to personalize our approach, and that comes from understanding who our client is and the journey that they're actually taking.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Going back to the whole story and conversation about finding a car that I'm currently going through right now, at least early in that process I want you to think about what that journey will look like.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: I mentioned being able to spot out cars as I'm driving down the interstate, or maybe looking at some of the details when I'm in the car with a friend.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Maybe I'm asking them where they bought their last vehicle.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Maybe I'm looking on TV or flipping through a magazine just trying to see what options are available, maybe what's new on the market.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: It's been a number of years since I've gone on this road, so I need to know what is new and what's available and then begin to think about some of the new trends that are popping up and whether or not some of the brands that I have been interested in the past can meet the need of innovation and design and safety in the future.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: All of these, these steps along my journey represent various touch points that a car dealer would have with me in deciding whether or not I want to move forward with purchasing a vehicle specifically from their business or off their lot.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: And this is very true with us as well.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: When we better understand who our client is and know why they are on this search why are they looking for help?
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: What is it that they need?
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: What challenges are they facing it's going to make it easier for us to show up in the spaces that they're already in.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: So, whether or not that is searching for more information on Google, or if it's joining some type of group online, whether it's a Facebook group or LinkedIn group, they are likely looking for more information, more help, trying to surround themselves with people who are more knowledgeable in that area or in that subject matter.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: And so our question becomes how can we show up there?
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: How can we begin to personalize our approach so that we better understand their need and we can speak to their need in that moment?
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: A lot of that comes from this deep understanding of what our clients are facing and then being able to tailor some of our early strategies to being able to address that and address it in a way that's very personalized.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: We want our potential client to feel as if they are just on a natural journey.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: We don't want to show up automatically selling.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, if someone wants to come up to me right now, in this moment, and offer me more information about a car, I would easily say, oh, I'm not thinking about that right now.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Is this not in my plan or in my budget over the next year or two?
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: And it may not be, but in the back of my mind I've already started to search, and if someone was having a conversation about options that are out there, or why a particular vehicle is the next big thing on the market or is going to provide a level of comfort and get me from one place to the next swiftly and safely, then I'm going to tune into that conversation because it's something that I am interested in.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: I'm just not ready to make a buying decision, and this is what we also have to understand, so that we can show up early on when someone is in this journey process, in this decision making process, to help them navigate it.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Now, the second thing is that when we understand that our clients are going through this journey and we understand what they're looking for, we know their pain points then we want to begin to use our resources to highlight many of the solutions that we provide, or the solution we provide by allowing that to be a key part of your marketing effort.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: This is going to resonate with the clients that you desire to work with, because if they're in search to solve a particular problem and you're speaking very openly and generally about the solution that you provide, you're placing this solution for them to become more aware that solution exists.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: You're placing the information into the marketplace, into their ecosystem, so that whenever they're going along their journey, the various touchpoints that they're going to look for information, they're going to find the information from you.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: You want to show up in spaces where they are already looking for answers.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: When we're thinking about how we share information in the consulting world, a lot of it can be showing up at a conference where information is being gathered in a more confined setting, where they're speaking to others who are in their field, they're networking and there's a lot of industry sharing of knowledge back and forth by being present in those spaces and contributing to the conversation in those spaces, whether that's in a table, when you're sharing in the middle of a break, or if that's you actually speaking on stage and sharing more information and your thought leadership on a subject, then this is going to be an opportunity to make contact and make that connection that is going to really be helpful and land that business down the line.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: You are highlighting your solution and you're helping them solve this problem so that they have an idea that you are the go to expert that they need.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: They're going to go back to what you may have said, the strategic advice you may have given, how you've been able to directly address their pain points, and they have built a level of trust with you because they have come to know you and recognize your expertise and your understanding and therefore they're going to search you out in your business and your offerings because they know that you have some knowledge as to what they are going through.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: That all comes back to that personalized approach.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: Also, another part of this process is being able to enhance the client engagement.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: You want to find a way to spark that conversation and get the conversation going.
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: This is how you begin to get into the details as to what you offer specifically and how you can help them reach their goal.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: In order to do that, it's a matter of being able to foster a more meaningful connection, getting someone from online to offline, getting someone from a broad group meeting and a speaker presentation to a small conversation in between.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: A talk, being able to network but then also following up after that networking event and a coffee chat or a smaller conversation, a smaller touch point.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: Those are always to spark that conversation that's necessary in order for them to find out in more detail how you can help.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: This is all necessary in order for you to take the sales conversation to another level.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: You have to have this enhanced engagement, this conversation that starts, that allows the client to want to go further.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Once again, this is all part of the journey.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: As they begin to move closer to trying to find the right solution for them, they're going to have more questions.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: Naturally, the question becomes how do you provide the insight that they need so that they can make a decision that is going to be the best for them?
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: In order to do that, they have to ask very personalized questions.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: They have to go into more depth, and that can't happen in a very large group or a setting where they are unable to get that personalized engagement.
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: All of those things are part of the journey that they are making.
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: Now I know you're wondering.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Okay, I get that we're supposed to have these conversations.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: I know we're supposed to show up in this way so that we can take someone through the client journey, from being aware of their problem or aware of their discomfort to actually becoming very familiar with your solution.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: The question is how do we do this?
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: How do we actually implement this type of process?
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: This is where I want you to take the opportunity to sit down, grab yourself a piece of paper and literally map this out.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Now I want you to think about a number of things.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: First, who is your client?
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: Who is the ideal client that you want to serve?
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: Describe them.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Where are they showing up online?
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: Where are they going to meetings?
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: What types of groups are they part of?
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: You need this kind of information so you can figure out how to embed yourself into their world.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: So, understanding who this person is going to be the first step that we take.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: Now let's take a look at the results.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: I want you to create a map of where they would be going, step by step, in order to get to their solution.
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: So are they searching on Google?
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: What would they be looking for if they're doing a search?
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: Are they searching for what their problem actually is?
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: Do they make an additional search for who may be able to help them with the problem?
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: Are they searching for a specific solution?
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: Are they thinking about an alternative solution?
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: I want you to consider how they are figuring out how to solve the problem on their own, because that's naturally what someone is going to do.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: As I mentioned before, if I'm buying a car, I'm going to think about where I need to go in order to purchase the vehicle.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: I'm going to think about how I need to find information about the pricing of the vehicle online.
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: I want to have an idea of what that is before I walk in the door.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: I want to know what accessories would be on the vehicle that I'm thinking about purchasing, or what I would like the color to be.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: Those are all things that I'm going to be searching for.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: So where would I go to search for it?
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: I'm going to go online, possibly to Google initially.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: I'm possibly going to go to the company website.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: I'm going to play around with some of the models.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: These are all ways that businesses and companies in that instance have mapped out their client journey and determined how to build and offer some element that helps you navigate that process.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: And often many of these different tools that you're playing with tie back to the company, so you want to do something that's similar.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: How can you create a quiz or a template or some other type of tool that they can use as a resource or something to help them make their decision?
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Those are wonderfully magnets.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: These are all ways that you can begin to build these pieces of the puzzle so that you are moving with them throughout their client journey and finding those points where you can start a deeper conversation.
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: So you're thinking about what they're searching for and you also want to list out how they would search for that solution.
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: So I want you to go back through all of the items that you listed in terms of what they're searching for and then think about how you can give them some help or support.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: I want you to brainstorm how you can provide more information to them.
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: That's going to make you someone that is very helpful in the process and someone that they're going to begin to trust and go back to, because you have provided answers to their problems as they begin to walk through this journey.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: Once you have found and identified ways that you can begin to have this touch point and get them to possibly take you up on help from a particular what we like to call a lead magnet or resource template document.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: Then you are able to get them on your email list or get their contact information to have a deeper conversation, maybe schedule a meeting or have them with a call, and that leads to that enhanced conversation that we were previously discussing.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: So this is how you begin to map out this journey from start to finish.
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: You want this journey to lead back to you and your business.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: This makes you the most viable candidate for them to work with in the end, especially if your solution speaks directly to their need and answers and addresses their problems in a very efficient and effective way.
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: Client journey mapping is something that is extremely important in our business, especially if we want to be very intentional with how we are landing clients and how we are growing our business in the long term, and I want you to know that this journey, once again, is happening, no matter if you are paying attention to it or not.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: So what we are actually doing is taking advantage of the fact that we know how our potential client may be navigating this process and we're thinking ahead of time about how we can support them in finding the solution.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: That's what all of this is all about, and the more effective we get at being able to help them navigate this journey, the easier it will be to make the sell in the end.
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: So I want you to really think about the importance of client journey mapping when it comes to marketing and sales, and that, when you are trying to build a consulting business that generates predictable revenue, you want to tie this to your efforts in helping them navigate a journey from going from Aware to solution aware to Ready to hand over their credit card and make this big investment.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: All of these things are very important, and you can't just show up in pitch and sell your service without Understanding that there is a journey that they are navigating, and one of the reasons why you put ourselves at a disadvantage Sometimes is because we allow others to navigate this journey more effectively.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: If someone else has been there from start to finish, they are going to trust them and go with them when it comes to picking a trusted advisor and someone to support them at a higher level.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: That should be us.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: We want that to be the business that we're able to attract and that we're able to land.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: So by being more intentional, by thinking about this process more intentionally, we can actually open ourselves up to the ability to do this at a greater level and to generate more sales in the process.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: So, just to recap, we want to understand our client deeply, that's being able to personalize our approach to their needs, to their pain points, to the things that they need to accomplish.
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: We also want to highlight our solution in the midst of us Sharing information and communicating how to solve the problem.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: We want to also Share what our business, what our services can offer, so that we create a level of understanding of value and Generation of demand that will then lead to higher sales.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: And Also, we want to find ways to enhance the client engagement, spark those conversations that are going to lead to a deeper relationship that will lead us into a sale.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: And, last but not least, we want to begin to streamline this process so that we are thinking very intentional as to how we can show up along this journey, at each step of the way, and Truly be the support that they need to make the right decision.
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: Remember, it's not about selling our services.
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: It's about showing the right client that we are able to help them and that we can do this better than anyone else.
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: So I hope this helps you think about the client journey a different way.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: I hope that you are thinking now about how your client is navigating, solving their problem, and how you can show up and be the person that helps to guide them, and they will look to you as their go-to expert and the one that they want to invest in when they get ready to purchase.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: I hope this helps.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this episode.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: As always, reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: I always like to continue the conversation there and if you enjoyed this episode, Don't forget to leave your five star rating and review on Spotify and Apple podcast.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: It helps us grow the podcast and expand this platform and until next time, take care.
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to the black girls console to podcast.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple podcast, subscribe and share it with a friend.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women and consulting, and you can help us do just that also.
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at dr Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn, and don't forget to visit excel at consultingcom For more information to support your consulting journey.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep breaking glass silly, all right, take care.