Latest / She Speaks to Scale / 25. The Speaking Mistake I Made (And How to Make Sure You Don't Do The Same)
Transcript
- Sarah Collins: Hello and welcome to She Speaks the Scale with me, Sarah Collins. the podcast that empowers women in business to own their voice, be heard and create impact, one communication insight at a time. a former senior television producer for ITV and ITN. It's my mission to bring the communication skills we need to thrive in today's world of business to the generation of women who simply weren't taught them. Whether it's scaling your authority and stepping into thought leadership, scaling your impact on camera on stage and beyond, or scaling your revenue through speaking opportunities, this podcast will help you use your voice to be heard so you're trusted and remembered when it matters most. Before we begin, if a speaking opportunity came your way tomorrow, would you pass on it, say yes through the nerves or confidently agree? Understanding your speaker identity is the first step to being able to scale and I have a quiz to help you do just It takes two minutes to complete and we'll tell you where you are now and your potential next steps on your speaking journey. I'll drop the link in the show notes. I want to start by saying this week I hit a thousand streams of my podcast. So a huge thank you if you're listening for the first time or you're a regular to She Speaks to Scale. This podcast has brought so much joy to my business. I love hearing which episodes you're enjoying, the takeaways you've had. So do keep getting in contact because it's great data for me and helps me to know what content to keep putting out. So if you're a woman in business who's looking to elevate her speaker, Skills, you're in the right space, and honestly, please do let me know if there's anything you'd like me to cover. in honor of this episode, I wanted to just talk about some of the things that I'm working on at the moment because there's quite a broad spread, and I think it's really important to share that. So I'm working with a contact on a wider leadership program Where I'm going to be going in and delivering communication skills workshops for their leadership team. I'm having conversations with colleges about going in and delivering communication skills workshops for students. I'm also an associate media trainer, so that means I'm booked on behalf of agencies to go in and deliver media training for their organizations that they're working with. And I've also had a range of one-to-one clients for spotlight calls and longer-term support, and that's really ranged from helping them to speak on podcasts, speaking on panels, giving talks, and one client. Is even in the process of launching her own video series. So a real range, but lots of exciting things going on. now I've had a huge revelation over recent months and weeks that I've kept behind closed doors, but I think it's time to air it. Mainly because I want you to learn from my mistake and not do the same. Now It feels incredibly vulnerable sharing this It's still something I'm working on, and I want to be transparent about that. I by no means am an absolute perfect speaker, and I think it's good to let you know that. I still get nervous when I speak. In fact, most speakers do. I'm still refining the way I do things. I tweak my messaging. I've recently evolved my practice from a communication coach and media trainer to a speaking coach and media mentor. So I've had to work on shifting my identity into that also. But what I wanted to talk to you about today stems from what someone said to me in the middle of July. And it stayed with me throughout the summer, but now I'm actually doing something about it. And I want to share this journey with you because honestly, this is a subject I know other ambitious speakers will resonate with. And honesty is really important to me, and I know it is to you too. So I had a one-to-one with a brilliant business coach, Joanna Lott, and following that, this is how she described me in a post about the clients she'd worked with that day. She said, Another had built excellent marketing in a short time, but wasn't 100% on her offer. We built her signature offer and new league magnet from scratch, and we both had all the feels about its new lifetime value. And I've realized I'm actually really great at marketing. I'm not trained in marketing, I've never had a marketing background, but social media I do do, tick. I do it in my own way. I've learned how to do that. And actually, that's something I work with my clients with, how to show up on socials in a way that's communicating in the right style for them. I email my email list every week, tick. The podcasts, I release weekly episodes that genuinely provide value to any women in business looking to elevate their speaking skills, tick. PR and being recommended by third parties, tick. I've been interviewed on BBC Radio, featured in Startups magazine, quoted in Forbes this year, and as this podcast is being recorded, I'm awaiting a release of a 12-page spread in an entrepreneurial magazine. More of that later. But it was being 100% clear on what I have to offer that really sparked something in me. I've been so determined to provide value for others that in most instances I actually fail to state how people can work with me, mainly because I've not been clear on that myself until now. And I'm sharing this because I don't want you to make the same mistake. When I worked at ITN, we had a whole sales team to build relationships and bring in clients. So my experience of actually selling pre-business is limited or pretty much non-existent. So it's another skill I've had to learn, and I'm clearly still learning. So when I look back at why this has happened, it's a combination of a few things that I think led me to this point. So our conditioning, the fear of being seen as pushy or salsy. I covered this more in my bragging episode, How to Self-Promote Without Feeling Like You're Bragging, episode 15. So go and take a listen to that if this is you. But also imposter syndrome, having always worked for large organizations, I questioned whether people would want to invest in working with just me. And then giving too much away for free, I became consumed with providing free value social media podcasts, my newsletter. And not having a clear offer. So my services have never been clearly defined like they are now. And I feel so much better about them as a result. It means that clients aren't coming to me and asking, Do you do this? Which is what I'm getting a lot of. Actually, now they can look on my website and they can see that this is exactly how they can work with me. And all of these points have led me to forgetting to tell people how they can work with me. They love my podcast, they're engaging with my post, but they had no idea. And when you don't talk about your services directly, It can cost you in the long run. So my content wasn't directing anyone towards any particular offer. I was giving my expertise away freely and undervaluing what paid engagement with me could really do for someone. And I've seen the results, I know what it does. And then missed opportunities because the people who were ready to invest perhaps didn't know how to and maybe went elsewhere. So that is a big lesson that I have learned. Now, I'm a member of the Female Entrepreneur Association, and the founder Carrie Green, you may know her, always says selling is serving. She learned this the hard way because she started her business and gave everything away for free until she physically ran out of money. Things didn't change until she shifted her beliefs around money and even went as far as recording her own financial abundance visualization. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not very woo, although I have listened to it occasionally, but I do believe in the power of setting your mind up for success, and I'm completely, wholeheartedly believe in that change and shift that Carrie had to make, and I've been making that too. So there are three questions I asked myself when it came to thinking about what I truly want to offer and what would make me feel comfortable doing that. And I want to share them with you today, just in case you're in the same situation. So, what are people coming to you for? For me, that was plenty of 60 minute sessions for imminent speaking gigs, podcast talks, panels. These one-off sessions then have led to repeat business. And I was resistant for a while, but I see the benefit in them now. It's a lower cost way of working with somebody that potentially could then lead to more. And what parts of working with others light you up the most? For me, that is incorporating my training, so my media insights, but with elements of coaching too. And I make sure this is incorporated in everything I do. And I think that's one of the ways that I stand out amongst others in my field. And what solution to their problem can you provide that fits in with your life and how and when you want to work? So I've already taken steps to have selected days that I take calls and days I put forward for training and associate work. And that's working for me right now. So any offers had to fit around that. In my upcoming group program, I decided I could conduct training on a Monday And then provide space later on in the week to actually get the work done, which I know is really important. So going back to actually how you speak about your offers and how you sell, I started doing a little bit of research into incorporating selling as you speak, thinking that I would come across some really groundbreaking original ideas that I'd never heard of. And probably the imposter syndrome was kicking in, but in reality, I was really surprised to realize I actually do. already do many of the techniques suggested. had just assumed that there was some other way of doing it rather than knowing that my way was good enough. And some of those techniques are using storytelling, you're providing evidence that what you do works, you're using clear and concise language, we don't want anyone to feel confused. You're introducing your product or service as the solution. You're using social proof and you're focusing on the benefits, not just the features. And I was reading these techniques, and then I thought, huh, maybe I'm not so bad at sales after all. Many of these are effective communication techniques that I would use anyhow, and what I recommend that my clients use as well. So here's what I've done to change my thinking and to go forward with this. And in a few weeks, I'm already reaping the benefits. So I got clear on my offers. the shift I felt since getting clear on this has been immense, and it's really made me feel much more confident and comfortable going out there and telling others about it. so if you'll allow me for just a moment, I'm going to tell you how you can work with me. So, She Speaks to Scale is my signature program. And this is an eight-week speaking and visibility program for female founders. It's a program to elevate your speaking skills so that you can speak confidently on social media, podcasts, panels, and stages. And across eight weeks, you have the tools, the confidence, and the pitch to step into your next level speaker identity. I've been working on this. It begins Monday, the 12th of October, live training on a Monday and implementation on a Thursday. And then I've got my one to one she speaks intensive. This is tailored one-to-one coaching, media mentoring, and done for you. So this is three months of one-to-one support to help you step into your authoritative voice. You'll have full access to the video training in the signature programme, plus fortnightly one-to-one coaching and mentoring sessions. I'll help you find the right speaking opportunities for you, and I'll even pitch you for them and help you practice the delivery so that thought leadership is yours for the taking. So that's a real tailored way of working with me if you want that more intensive one-to-one work. and then I'm also offering a 60-minute spotlight call. This is one call, one specific problem, one solution. If you have a podcast panel or talk coming up imminently, whether it's a fear you're looking to overcome, A knowledge gap or clarity on what to say, you can book a 60-minute call with me and I will support you towards your speaking goals. There you go, I've done it. I've said it out loud. That wasn't so bad, was it? something else I've been doing. Since I've got clarity on this, is start treating every piece of content as a doorway to your offers. Now I'm still working on this, but soon every podcast, every email will state in some way how to work with me, and my social posts will also be showing that every now and again, also. See, selling is serving. So like Harry, I've been shifting my mindset and can already feel the benefits of these shifts. So if anything from this episode has resonated with you and you feel like things need to change, there's one thing that I would encourage you to do. I want you to audit your last month of content. How many times did you actually mention how someone could work with you? And if the answer is zero or once, you know what needs to change. And remember, we're in this together. So if this episode resonated with you or you're looking to elevate your speaking skills and one of the services I offer was of interest, then do reach out. My next She Speaks to Scale group programme will begin on Monday the twelfth of October and I would absolutely love to see you in there. Thank you for listening to this episode of She Speaks to Scale. If you liked the episode or you think it will be useful for someone else, please follow and leave a review. Don't forget there's a link to my speaker identity quiz in the show notes. It takes just two minutes to find out where you are now on your speaking journey and what your next move should be. Remember to speak with intention, not hesitation and let your voice be heard.