Referrals & Hidden Revenue Growth Playbook with Michelle Page

[00:00:00] You can't just say I want to grow. You've got to look at, okay, where am I today? Where do I want to go to find that and say, okay, what's my path to success? That's where I come into play.

[00:00:10] And then also sprinkle a little bit of passion, right?

[00:00:12] You're going to need to sprinkle a little bit of passion.

[00:00:14] It's a numbers game, right? You hear all the time, specifically in sales.

[00:00:18] Only if you're delivering quality.

[00:00:21] How do you actually achieve those referrals and the people that you've helped over the years?

[00:00:26] Referrals are not magic. They have to be intentional.

[00:00:29] Yes, you do have to ask for them. But first and foremost, you have to deserve them.

[00:00:34] Obviously, you had 20 years of experience. You came across so many companies. Like, what's the pattern?

[00:00:38] People have forgotten that people buy from people.

[00:00:45] Guys, welcome back to Content Is Profit. Happy, what's today?

[00:00:49] Wednesday.

[00:00:50] Wednesday.

[00:00:50] Happy Wednesday.

[00:00:51] Happy Wednesday. I'm glad Katie's back. I have my days, but thank God.

[00:00:56] Some more time.

[00:00:57] I thought you said I miss my wife. I love her so much.

[00:01:00] Not at all. No, I'm kidding. I do love her.

[00:01:01] So I had a meeting this morning with Luca teachers and we're talking about it.

[00:01:06] And I told them, this is the moment where you learn to appreciate your significant other so much more.

[00:01:13] Interesting.

[00:01:14] So very exciting that she's back.

[00:01:17] I'm a clip. I already have two clips.

[00:01:20] This one for when I feel like doing something nice and showing it to Katie.

[00:01:24] Blackmail me.

[00:01:24] And the five seconds before when I feel like I need to blackmail you, I can show that to Katie too.

[00:01:29] She knows exactly what I'm thinking.

[00:01:31] I've said both comments to her.

[00:01:33] She left a lot of her eyes.

[00:01:34] I'll let you guess which one is which.

[00:01:37] But enough of that.

[00:01:38] We have a special guest in the studio today.

[00:01:40] I'm very proud of this person and we'll chat a little bit why, but she has a stellar reputation and clients are raving fans.

[00:01:50] I've seen this firsthand since 2009.

[00:01:53] 58% of client base has come from direct referrals and 63% of clients extend or repeat engagement.

[00:02:00] So that's very nice.

[00:02:02] Everybody listen, please, please, because you should be learning some stuff today.

[00:02:05] We'll be taking notes.

[00:02:06] We'll be, yes.

[00:02:07] We'll be definitely taking some notes.

[00:02:08] She's a seasoned business developer leader with over 20 years of experience in revenue growth and sales strategy.

[00:02:15] Ka-ching, ka-ching.

[00:02:16] And then she offers her expertise as revenue growth and business development leader, assisting organizations and achieving their sales objectives.

[00:02:24] And just recently we've been working on a project together, which I'll let her kind of like show it us.

[00:02:29] I like the little shimmy there.

[00:02:31] Shimmy, shimmy.

[00:02:31] Yeah.

[00:02:32] Yeah.

[00:02:32] Please welcome, guys, the one and only Michelle Payne.

[00:02:36] Let's go.

[00:02:38] I'm so excited to be here with you guys.

[00:02:40] Let's do your clap.

[00:02:41] Let's go.

[00:02:41] We're excited to have you on.

[00:02:43] Thank you.

[00:02:43] Some people say you go also by the name of Michelle.

[00:02:47] Michelle.

[00:02:48] That's one of the many names.

[00:02:50] One of the many names.

[00:02:51] Yeah.

[00:02:52] We're excited.

[00:02:53] We're very happy to have you.

[00:02:54] Thank you.

[00:02:54] My brother's been working closer with you, so I feel like, you know, he has more of that internal knowledge.

[00:02:59] We're besties.

[00:03:00] Absolutely.

[00:03:02] I'm super curious about all that, you know, referrals part, which I'm sure we're going to dive into, but I'm going to let my brother kick it off here.

[00:03:09] Well, first of all, you know, Michelle, we met when probably like a year ago or so.

[00:03:14] It's been a little over a year.

[00:03:15] A little over a year.

[00:03:16] You came here in the studio with your then co-host.

[00:03:19] And, you know, I think a few months ago you came in and you're like, Luis, I'm ready to dive into the podcasting world full on gas.

[00:03:28] She's like, I'm ready to spread my wings.

[00:03:29] Thanks.

[00:03:30] And on the content side, I've seen you develop immensely.

[00:03:34] We're going to obviously put your Go Go Grow show right below in the notes.

[00:03:37] So please, guys, go check it out.

[00:03:39] No, please.

[00:03:39] It's in order.

[00:03:40] Go check it out.

[00:03:42] You're demanding.

[00:03:43] I like that.

[00:03:44] Authority.

[00:03:45] I've learned.

[00:03:46] I've learned.

[00:03:47] I have to do it with him all the time.

[00:03:48] So, but apart from that, obviously, you know, people will see your content.

[00:03:53] They'll see that you're incredible.

[00:03:55] We want to dive in here, especially on the referral side.

[00:03:59] Right.

[00:03:59] Obviously, you know, when it comes to selling a product or, you know, dealing with customers on this, a lot of people want to ask the monetization aspect.

[00:04:07] And that back end or like that relationship with your customer is so important.

[00:04:11] But most people just focus on like the first sale.

[00:04:14] Right.

[00:04:14] Everything they see online is like that first sale and not developing.

[00:04:17] So how do you actually achieve those referrals and that incredible rapport that you build with your customers and the people that you've helped over the years?

[00:04:26] That's a great question.

[00:04:27] And referrals are not magic.

[00:04:30] They have to be intentional.

[00:04:32] And yes, you do have to ask for them.

[00:04:35] But first and foremost, you have to deserve them.

[00:04:39] And you have to give someone a reason to say, you know what?

[00:04:43] You have delivered value to me.

[00:04:45] I understand you.

[00:04:46] I understand your product or service.

[00:04:48] And I understand why I should share that value with someone else and why that's meaningful.

[00:04:54] So if you're not working with your client, your network colleague, anyone that you're looking to partner with and want to be referral partners, then you don't have the right to ask for a referral.

[00:05:11] So when I develop those relationships with a client, I really want to understand what it is they need, how I can deliver that for them, help them grow.

[00:05:23] And in the course of conversation.

[00:05:25] Who else do you know that can benefit from what I do?

[00:05:30] So I have a question here.

[00:05:34] You said you need to deserve it, right?

[00:05:36] How do you know at which point you deserve it, right?

[00:05:40] Because I feel like some people might want to look for it.

[00:05:42] So maybe they have a product that takes a while to deliver results, you know?

[00:05:47] And my initial thought would be that people think they deserve it when they deliver results, right?

[00:05:54] Again, my initial thought, it might not be that.

[00:05:57] But when is a good point for them, you know, to again say, I think I have earned the right to ask for a referral.

[00:06:07] So is it, you know, great customer service again on a product that maybe takes a while to get results?

[00:06:14] Or is it when you get the results, right?

[00:06:17] I don't know if there's any other scenarios in there.

[00:06:21] It's that's a great question.

[00:06:22] And think about what situation it is.

[00:06:26] Now, if you're selling an item, a widget, a transactional deal, obviously at the point of that transaction, you're going to ask for that referral.

[00:06:39] Hey, who else do you know that needs a red chair?

[00:06:42] Who can you imagine that doesn't have a place to sit and they like the color red?

[00:06:46] Yeah.

[00:06:46] So if you are giving a customized software solution, it is just ingrained throughout that entire process.

[00:06:58] I mean, you're asking questions about their business, their pains, how we can bring them solutions.

[00:07:04] So it is proving your value each and every day, just the way you interact, the way you ask the right questions, the way you understand their business.

[00:07:13] And it should be part of the process of saying, wow, this is what I'm seeing in the industry that people are dealing with.

[00:07:22] I'm guessing you've probably talked to some of your peers.

[00:07:25] What are they saying?

[00:07:26] Who is that?

[00:07:28] Because that's somebody I should probably talk to as well.

[00:07:31] No, no.

[00:07:32] I mean, think about if Fonzie, if somebody was building a house, would they wait until they were done and moved into the house before the builder could say, do you have a referral for me?

[00:07:46] I mean, I would, I don't know, probably throughout the process.

[00:07:51] I haven't built a house.

[00:07:53] I don't know.

[00:07:54] You know, I'm putting myself in the shoes.

[00:07:56] Like me as a customer, I would want to refer, you know, especially if I'm referring to other people that, you know, they trust me and all that.

[00:08:04] Like after I seen the value of the end product.

[00:08:09] Yeah.

[00:08:10] That being said, if the value of the process is very high, you know, I think my, my conclusion is going to be the end product is going to be good because this relationship is so well, you know, they take care of us.

[00:08:26] So good.

[00:08:27] They ask all these questions, these details.

[00:08:29] Like my assumption is going to be the end product is going to be incredible.

[00:08:33] So probably I would be more apt to do that referral throughout the process before the house is done.

[00:08:39] But I'll let you know when I buy a house and, you know, build it from scratch.

[00:08:42] I have a great realtor, a great mortgage lender.

[00:08:45] There we go.

[00:08:46] We just went through this process.

[00:08:46] Yep.

[00:08:47] Yep.

[00:08:47] There we go.

[00:08:48] I remember now, like we, I remember this analogy, right?

[00:08:52] Like, uh, you know, we look at my five-year-old, he loves this like little pieces of gum that, you know, he earns with reading, right?

[00:08:59] But to chew for a little bit.

[00:09:00] So, you know, he, he'll ask for this gum and then let's say I give him a couple, right?

[00:09:05] Uh, he just gets a couple.

[00:09:07] But for the sake of the example, we're going to do more gum.

[00:09:10] So I ended up giving him five pieces of gum, right?

[00:09:13] And then maybe I'll take one back.

[00:09:15] Um, he might not be mad at me because I took that one.

[00:09:18] But if, if I gave him one and then I took away that one, he might get like really mad.

[00:09:23] So the way I picture it with the asks, right?

[00:09:26] Like the more value we give, the more, you know, maybe updates and more like, Hey, here's the process or here are the things.

[00:09:31] Those are like the little pieces of candy that we might be giving.

[00:09:34] And then with that ask be like, Hey, do you, do you know anybody that could, that this could be useful for?

[00:09:40] That's the nest.

[00:09:41] That's where we take the candy away.

[00:09:42] So the more we give, the more also room that we have to, to get those asks.

[00:09:47] And I like that analogy a lot because we use it for, for our podcast, right?

[00:09:52] Like we, we have incredible guests just like you here today.

[00:09:55] Right.

[00:09:55] And at the end of the process, which by the way, if you haven't checked out the last episode, go check it out.

[00:10:00] Cause we do that process.

[00:10:02] Uh, one of the questions is like, well, first, like what else can we do for you?

[00:10:06] Always.

[00:10:06] So, uh, that's, that's, has been really good.

[00:10:09] And then we also asked for, Hey, do you know anybody that could be a good fit for the show?

[00:10:12] And in our specific case, a good fit for the show is not only a good fit for content, but also a good fit for an opportunity down the road.

[00:10:20] It could be referrals.

[00:10:21] It could be clients.

[00:10:22] It could be speaking engagements, events, like all these things that could lead to more business.

[00:10:28] So in our case, like the podcast and the assets and the experience and all those are the little pieces of candy, uh, to then go do those asks.

[00:10:37] And it tends to be really good and we get really good response.

[00:10:40] So I think like on that side, it's very exciting to experiment.

[00:10:45] And if you haven't done it, you listening, go try it out.

[00:10:48] Yeah.

[00:10:49] On the sales side.

[00:10:50] Right.

[00:10:50] I think like if you put the sales word ahead in front of it, a lot of people might get intimidated just because it's like a sales process.

[00:10:58] Do you find that?

[00:10:59] Cause I remember when we first started, like just the sheer fact of going cold on somebody and be like, Hey, we offer this service.

[00:11:06] Like it was very intimidating.

[00:11:07] Yeah.

[00:11:08] Uh, so do you find like in the companies that you help, uh, obviously you had 20 years of experience.

[00:11:14] You came across so many companies, like what's the pattern, right?

[00:11:17] Are people like intimidated doing that?

[00:11:19] Is that something that maybe they just forget because the process is pointing them somewhere else?

[00:11:24] People have forgotten.

[00:11:25] And I'm saying this is a huge generality.

[00:11:28] People have forgotten that people buy from people.

[00:11:32] They don't say, Hey, somebody's knocking on my door.

[00:11:35] I'm going to answer it and see what they want to sell me.

[00:11:38] Um, they, they need to realize that every single transaction, every single introduction,

[00:11:46] every single sale begins with a relationship.

[00:11:50] And if you don't treat me as a person and you know, hit those Maslov's seven basic needs,

[00:11:58] then I have, I'm going to have no motivation or interest.

[00:12:01] And even speaking with you, let alone developing a business relationship or helping you in a way that doesn't help myself.

[00:12:10] Yeah.

[00:12:11] So when I, um, I made a big shift in my business over the last couple of years and it pushed me to do a tremendous amount of networking.

[00:12:23] Um, this was, uh, right around two and a half years ago.

[00:12:27] And that push made me proactively, um, kind of get out of my comfort zone and join a lot of different networking meetings online.

[00:12:38] And, you know, I started moving out into, um, in person as well.

[00:12:44] And I would schedule not only those great big, uh, virtual 60 person on a zoom call meetings, but I would go out of my way and schedule one-on-one calls.

[00:12:55] I would have five or six meetings a day, three or four days a week.

[00:13:00] So now you're talking 20 to 30 calls a week.

[00:13:03] Yeah.

[00:13:04] And you would be surprised how many people would say, well, what is it you wanted to talk about?

[00:13:09] Why were you interested in talking to me?

[00:13:13] I'm like, well, I just wanted to understand you and your business better and see how I can support you and your network.

[00:13:20] Yeah.

[00:13:21] Why?

[00:13:22] Yeah.

[00:13:23] Well, you're human.

[00:13:24] I'm human.

[00:13:25] Yeah.

[00:13:25] We both have businesses.

[00:13:28] And I always start off by saying, how can I help you?

[00:13:32] And then they talk and they talk and they talk and they talk.

[00:13:35] Yeah.

[00:13:37] And that would lead to a solution, right?

[00:13:39] That it could be you, a connection, possibly, right?

[00:13:42] Possible.

[00:13:43] But at the end, I kind of wait and like, okay, well, thanks for reaching out.

[00:13:46] And I'm like, okay, well, to wrap up, is there anyone in particular I can introduce you to?

[00:13:52] Is there anything particular I can do for you?

[00:13:54] Well, no, I can't think of anything.

[00:13:56] I'm waiting for them to say, was there anything I can do for you?

[00:14:00] Yeah.

[00:14:00] Yeah.

[00:14:01] And if I, if they don't say it, I'll say, well, the one way that you could help if you so choose is this is the kind of person I would like to meet that I could add value to.

[00:14:11] Yeah.

[00:14:11] And people just don't think those ways.

[00:14:14] Yeah.

[00:14:14] Yeah.

[00:14:15] So, so who taught you that?

[00:14:17] Like, do you remember like initially was it, cause we've noticed, right.

[00:14:22] Uh, and I think with the different personalities that we've had on the show that, you know, more people are more proactive when it comes to like human relationships.

[00:14:30] Right.

[00:14:31] So if like maybe they grew up with a certain type of background that makes it easy for them to relate to other people.

[00:14:38] Right.

[00:14:38] Like, you know, I remember in our case, when we first started the show, the reason we do conversations is because we love it so much.

[00:14:44] Right.

[00:14:44] We're like, we love meeting new people.

[00:14:45] We learn, we love learning new things.

[00:14:48] But as we started to help others, right.

[00:14:50] That something that for us maybe was maybe a second nature as in like, well, having a conversation about this topic for others, that was not the case.

[00:14:58] It was like, they, they felt like very intimidated by it or, or they're like, I'd rather do something else or, um, I don't know what to say.

[00:15:06] And then for us, like in our minds, like initially it was like, well, but it's so simple.

[00:15:10] You ask these questions that you're curious about, but for them, it, that meant that they needed to like level up their skills at some point.

[00:15:17] Right.

[00:15:17] So something that came natural to us initially, which by the way, there's a lot of other things that don't come natural.

[00:15:22] So we have to learn, but that specific example, that's what it is.

[00:15:25] So I feel like with you, that part of relationships was something that was natural.

[00:15:30] And, and, uh, it just happened that your career path went that way.

[00:15:34] Maybe I'm wrong.

[00:15:35] You would be shocked to know that.

[00:15:39] I am just now admitting that I'm not an introvert.

[00:15:45] I've always considered myself an introvert.

[00:15:47] Just like Fonzie.

[00:15:49] Well, actually, I think I got, I got both, you know, but when he's in the room, I like to observe.

[00:15:59] Yeah.

[00:16:00] Cause he likes to talk a lot.

[00:16:01] So I'm like, you do the talking, you go do your thing.

[00:16:04] Well, thank you for this space.

[00:16:06] Yeah.

[00:16:06] Yeah.

[00:16:06] It's all good.

[00:16:07] Yeah.

[00:16:07] I like having my space.

[00:16:08] Yes.

[00:16:09] But yeah, I, I would always, um, and there, there's been many things over the last five,

[00:16:16] six, seven years that have kind of shifted in my life, shifted my priorities, shifted my focus.

[00:16:23] And, um, it's bringing me out of the shell.

[00:16:26] A lot of that spend this podcast actually has been.

[00:16:31] Um, but as far as, you know, what made me be that, um, people focused and that, you know,

[00:16:41] how can I help you?

[00:16:42] I think a lot of it for, uh, for, for me was just a generational thing.

[00:16:47] Um, a family thing, um, an educational thing.

[00:16:51] I went to, um, private high school, grade school, college.

[00:16:56] And I mean, it's just the way people treated each other.

[00:16:59] Um, for some of us, uh, it's a cultural thing.

[00:17:02] Um, just very warm and social.

[00:17:05] So in the digital age now, I think people lose that.

[00:17:08] It's very short to the point, you know, text rather than I'm an email girl.

[00:17:15] I'm an email girl and I talk too much.

[00:17:18] It makes me a natural podcast person.

[00:17:20] Yes, absolutely.

[00:17:21] Yeah.

[00:17:21] But if you break it down, so, you know, content is profit.

[00:17:26] So if you're going to develop those relationships, ask for those referrals,

[00:17:31] keep those repeat customers coming back to you and back to you and back to you

[00:17:35] and generate revenue and profit, you've got to have good content.

[00:17:40] And that relationship is the content you deliver.

[00:17:44] Yeah.

[00:17:44] Yeah.

[00:17:45] So whether it's, um, a podcast with tips, tricks, um, the latest, um, algorithm for,

[00:17:54] for how to monetize something or product ties and, and, um, get your voice out there,

[00:18:01] or if it's delivering a professional service or whatever the case may be, um, people buy

[00:18:07] from people and you are your product.

[00:18:09] You are your brand.

[00:18:10] So you are your contract content and you've got to create your profit based on your relationships.

[00:18:16] Yeah.

[00:18:17] I think it's interesting.

[00:18:18] I mean, obviously I'm not going to go into the AI cause that's a whole different topic,

[00:18:23] but I feel like there's a constant optimization of relationships, outreach, all that stuff.

[00:18:30] I personally think we're going into people will want more human connection just because

[00:18:36] they won't know whether they're talking to a machine or somebody else, you know, honestly,

[00:18:40] when I get messages and I can tell you didn't craft this or, you know, I'm just part of another

[00:18:46] number, another big list that, you know, you're hitting it's personally for me is a turnoff.

[00:18:52] Uh, so I do enjoy more of that personable, right?

[00:18:56] Now the other side of the equation is it's a numbers game, right?

[00:19:01] You hear all the time, specifically in sales.

[00:19:03] So you need to have a lot of conversations and all these things.

[00:19:06] So there we go.

[00:19:07] I'm curious.

[00:19:08] What is your, your point of view on that?

[00:19:11] Um, it's a numbers game only if you're delivering quality.

[00:19:21] So if you are, if you have a thousand at bats and you have a blindfold on, how many are you

[00:19:28] going to hit?

[00:19:30] All of them.

[00:19:33] I'm not going to hit any cause I'm going to be like, but if you, um, go to a batting cage

[00:19:43] every day for three hours for three months and you, um, have a coach and you concentrate

[00:19:53] and you set yourself a goal, then how many are you going to hit a lot more?

[00:20:00] A lot.

[00:20:00] Yeah.

[00:20:01] So it takes focus.

[00:20:02] It takes understanding what you're doing.

[00:20:04] It takes training.

[00:20:04] It takes coaching and a purpose.

[00:20:08] So it's not a numbers game.

[00:20:10] You need to know what you're doing.

[00:20:11] Yeah.

[00:20:12] So if you go out into the middle of a lake and you go out on a rubber raft and you have,

[00:20:23] um, a, a pole with a string on it, you go out there for an hour and say, well, I didn't

[00:20:30] catch any fish.

[00:20:33] Fishing is dead.

[00:20:37] Okay.

[00:20:38] Well, I, I didn't have the right equipment.

[00:20:39] I never learned how to fish.

[00:20:42] I went to, um, the polluted ocean or polluted pond.

[00:20:47] You know, you're not setting yourself up for success.

[00:20:49] So it's not a numbers game.

[00:20:51] And when people say that sales is a numbers game and that cold calling is dead and that

[00:20:55] the outreach is automated.

[00:20:57] Okay.

[00:20:57] Well, you're setting yourself up for failure.

[00:21:00] Yeah.

[00:21:00] I, I love that because I will, first of all, Fancy went this weekend to Orlando to a place

[00:21:05] that there was no fish or the fish were trained enough that were being fished.

[00:21:08] They were trained.

[00:21:10] It was my, the first time I feel like fishing has been a scam.

[00:21:16] I mean, luckily the, the bait wasn't too expensive, but there's a fishing pond over

[00:21:24] there and you got, you cast it.

[00:21:26] Did it have goldfish in little bowls?

[00:21:28] No, it was like a big pond, but you cast this thing and like, but immediately you're

[00:21:34] like, Oh, they're biting.

[00:21:35] This is good.

[00:21:35] We're going to get some, some fish in here.

[00:21:37] And then you pull out the, the, the line and literally they would eat everything except

[00:21:43] for the part of the worm that was on the hook.

[00:21:46] And you're like, all right, let me try again.

[00:21:47] And then finally, after like an hour, my friend that was there with me, he, he caught something.

[00:21:52] It was like a fish two inches.

[00:21:55] This is like too big.

[00:21:56] I'm like, there's no way this, this fish know what they're doing.

[00:21:59] Which is funny because at some point when we're like in this sales journey or content

[00:22:04] journey, right?

[00:22:04] Like some groups and relationships feel that way.

[00:22:07] Right.

[00:22:08] Like they, they know the tactics, they know the tricks and they'll walk around it.

[00:22:12] You know, a good example of this is like you, you give a lead magnet, you have your product

[00:22:16] out there and people are downloading them, but, but maybe with that wrong email or like they

[00:22:19] just put a phone number that you need for to, you know, maybe text them and give them more

[00:22:24] resources, but maybe they put a fake number, right?

[00:22:27] Like those are those fish, you know, biting the bait and not really grabbing the hook.

[00:22:33] Yeah.

[00:22:33] So I think a very big shortcut.

[00:22:36] And I love the fact that you say like sales is not a numbers game because like for a long

[00:22:39] time, that was a belief that we had.

[00:22:41] Remember initially when we first started selling social media services door to door,

[00:22:45] right?

[00:22:45] I remember one day that I go out to my job and Foss is like, this is the day I make all

[00:22:49] the calls, right?

[00:22:50] And we sell stuff and he had his headset on thing.

[00:22:53] And then we, you know, I come back a few hours later and he's still like pacing in the room

[00:22:56] and it was like very intimidating, right?

[00:22:57] It was the first time.

[00:22:58] And I don't know how many calls you did, but we closed nothing on that.

[00:23:01] You know, we're so new in this game, but you know, even if we can go past like situations

[00:23:07] like that, because they're so intimidated.

[00:23:08] And on top of that, we might not have the best resources.

[00:23:12] You know what got at least us on talk and we unstuck and we seen other people too is

[00:23:17] the conversations with the, with the right people.

[00:23:20] The first time that we did the 45 life challenge, which was, we're trying to publish a piece

[00:23:25] of content a day for 45 days straight on Facebook live.

[00:23:29] We did a very small call to action where it's like, Hey, we just need five people to have

[00:23:33] a conversation with about this topic.

[00:23:35] And, uh, we'll give you, you know, what we'll, we'll share the, you know, what we learned so far.

[00:23:41] 20 people decided to book a call on that very first thing.

[00:23:44] And those 20 people gave us the information that we needed to execute the service that we

[00:23:50] still do today, which is crazy out of that conversation, out of relationships.

[00:23:54] And these were all people that we met in person at an event that were following what we were

[00:23:59] doing.

[00:24:00] So it led to a massive opportunity down the road that has helped us kind of grow, grow the

[00:24:06] business.

[00:24:06] So I love the fact that, that you're, you're sharing that this story because you know, it's,

[00:24:11] it's about the resources is about your tools is about the right medium.

[00:24:16] Yeah.

[00:24:16] Right.

[00:24:16] Uh, speaking of that, I want to, I want to give you, um, a little adjacent information.

[00:24:24] So if you're putting lead magnets out there or any type of content and you're getting fake

[00:24:31] phone numbers, um, phantom emails or anything like that, you're targeting the wrong audience.

[00:24:39] If it's a good audience for you, they're going to want your content and want to be able

[00:24:46] to be reached for future information.

[00:24:50] Yeah.

[00:24:50] If, if they're giving you, um, just a one-off to grab your information, they're not a prospect.

[00:24:56] Yeah.

[00:24:56] Yeah.

[00:24:57] My brother has that problem since college.

[00:24:59] He'll go to bars.

[00:25:00] All the girls will give him phantom, phantom emails.

[00:25:04] You know, he was that weird one that would ask for emails at the bar.

[00:25:07] That is a lie.

[00:25:08] But he's so cute.

[00:25:10] Thank you.

[00:25:10] That is true.

[00:25:11] That's a lie.

[00:25:12] That's true.

[00:25:13] Okay.

[00:25:13] I've been dating Katie since 2011 and, uh, man, you know, first, first, I got, I got

[00:25:20] her.

[00:25:21] She's the best.

[00:25:22] What kind of bait were you using?

[00:25:24] Myself.

[00:25:26] The Hispanic bait.

[00:25:27] The Hispanic, the accent.

[00:25:28] Yeah.

[00:25:29] Yeah.

[00:25:29] Um, you know, for her, like poutine, the Canadians love poutine.

[00:25:33] So I just put up like a poutine out there.

[00:25:35] Do you know what poutine is?

[00:25:36] That sounds like a...

[00:25:37] French fries and gravy?

[00:25:39] She loves that.

[00:25:39] Yeah.

[00:25:40] We don't, we don't eat it often, but every time we see poutine somewhere, she's like,

[00:25:43] I want a little bit of cheese on top.

[00:25:45] Dude, I thought about, uh, the Russian president, Putin.

[00:25:49] I was like, wow.

[00:25:50] Did you know?

[00:25:50] Uh, she was, uh, she was into that.

[00:25:53] She was into that.

[00:25:54] Nope.

[00:25:55] Definitely.

[00:25:55] You were right, Michelle.

[00:25:57] My mother's husband is French Canadian.

[00:25:59] And the first time I experienced that was interesting.

[00:26:02] Yeah.

[00:26:03] I mean, it's delicious.

[00:26:04] It's, you know, she orders her thing.

[00:26:06] She eats just a little bit.

[00:26:07] And then I finished the plate.

[00:26:09] I'm like, oh, but she put that bait on me.

[00:26:11] That's the, that's what it was.

[00:26:13] The reverse bait.

[00:26:14] The reverse bait.

[00:26:14] That's what it's called.

[00:26:15] Yeah.

[00:26:15] So, uh, you know, Michelle, as you know, we get to the end of the, the second part of

[00:26:21] the episode, right?

[00:26:22] So, you know, today through Revenue Chasers, your new platform, which is revenuechasers.com.

[00:26:27] Go check it out.

[00:26:27] So good.

[00:26:28] Um, you are providing startups and scaling organizations with tailored strategies, right?

[00:26:33] Yes.

[00:26:34] And tools, which is what we were just talking about to drive business growth.

[00:26:38] What are a lot of people that listen, they might be, you know, solopreneurs or entrepreneurs

[00:26:42] are doing their thing.

[00:26:44] It might be on the side, but we also have some awesome B2B people that listen.

[00:26:49] Right.

[00:26:50] How, like, what are some of the most common problems?

[00:26:52] Maybe the top two like issues and friction points that you see in these organizations

[00:26:56] that you help them unlock and move things forward.

[00:27:00] The common issues I find is either it's a lack of passion, a lack of knowledge or a lack

[00:27:10] of resources.

[00:27:11] So oftentimes people will start a business because, Hey, this should make me a lot of money.

[00:27:17] And it's just not something that moves them and drives them and keeps them, them invested.

[00:27:24] So if they are encumbered by having to do everything that they don't love, and maybe they've fallen

[00:27:32] out of love with the reason they went into business, I can help them make sense of all of that.

[00:27:38] So they fall in love with their business again, or help them make their business into something

[00:27:43] they do love.

[00:27:44] Okay.

[00:27:46] Um, more likely it's going to be a lack of knowledge or lack of resources.

[00:27:50] So the resources, training, tools, coaching that I provide, um, are based on, uh, a lot

[00:28:00] of the fundamentals because many of my clients are solopreneurs, startups and scale-ups.

[00:28:08] So they're, they're right at that point where they have some barriers to growth and they want

[00:28:14] to get to that next level, whether it's from, uh, 1 million to five or five to 10 or, or 10

[00:28:21] to 20, whatever that may be.

[00:28:22] Maybe they're 50 and they want to go to a hundred million.

[00:28:25] Yeah.

[00:28:26] Um, but they can't get over that, that hump.

[00:28:30] That's where I come in.

[00:28:32] Yeah.

[00:28:32] And so we'll look at the fundamentals.

[00:28:34] Many of them don't know who exactly they should be selling to.

[00:28:40] How they should be selling.

[00:28:42] Maybe they have operational challenges.

[00:28:43] They may say, well, we need more sales.

[00:28:47] So we'll do a deep dive assessment.

[00:28:50] No, you don't need more sales.

[00:28:51] Your problem is over here.

[00:28:52] You're leaking all your revenue.

[00:28:55] Um, and then the last one is a lack of resources.

[00:28:58] So maybe they don't have bandwidth and I will help them find, um, whether it's technology,

[00:29:05] um, human resources, um, uh, human capital.

[00:29:09] Yeah.

[00:29:10] Sometimes they'll call it, um, uh, or any type of, um, supplemental, um, growth opportunities

[00:29:21] that is going to help them get where they need to be.

[00:29:23] Cool.

[00:29:23] So if I were to do a self-assessment, right.

[00:29:26] Of my business, when you say looking at the fundamentals and then, you know, maybe spotting

[00:29:31] what is the problem or let's say the best point of leverage, right.

[00:29:35] For me to have an initial growth.

[00:29:41] What would that self-assessment like?

[00:29:43] How would that self-assessment look like?

[00:29:44] What would be the, the questions I will guide myself through to find that point of leverage

[00:29:50] that I could, you know, take action right now?

[00:29:52] You know, it's interesting.

[00:29:54] You ask that because right after this recording, I'm recording, uh, a module for a training session,

[00:30:04] which is strategic planning.

[00:30:06] Ooh, look at that.

[00:30:08] And it's all about determining what your goals are and how to reach them.

[00:30:13] So that is the first step you want to grow.

[00:30:16] Okay.

[00:30:16] Define that.

[00:30:17] How do you want to grow?

[00:30:18] Do you want to go revenue?

[00:30:20] Do you want to grow your product line?

[00:30:22] Do you want to grow your number of customers?

[00:30:24] Do you want to grow your number of locations?

[00:30:26] Yeah.

[00:30:27] My brother, he's height.

[00:30:28] He's, uh, he's height.

[00:30:29] Well, I've got some nice boots.

[00:30:32] I decided that I want to grow my belly.

[00:30:34] So, oh, I've got some experience there.

[00:30:37] And now.

[00:30:39] All right.

[00:30:39] So let's go back to define the growth.

[00:30:42] Yeah.

[00:30:43] So you have to define specifically how do you want to grow?

[00:30:47] Why do you want to grow?

[00:30:48] What are those specific parameters?

[00:30:50] Smart goals.

[00:30:52] Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound.

[00:30:55] Yeah.

[00:30:56] And then you have to break it down to say, okay, well, where am I in my current state?

[00:31:02] And look at all the different areas of your business.

[00:31:04] So your financials, um, look at your data.

[00:31:08] Hopefully you have good data.

[00:31:10] If you don't, we need to get good data.

[00:31:13] Yeah.

[00:31:13] Um, every company has data.

[00:31:16] And if you, um, don't have a good data plan, whether it's your CRM, whether it's your, um, your financials, whatever the case may be.

[00:31:24] Um, that's usually the first starting point because you can't make data driven decisions without data.

[00:31:30] Yeah.

[00:31:31] Um, you want to look at the competitive market, uh, the industry and other competitors.

[00:31:36] You want to look at your customer's market.

[00:31:38] You want to look at the, um, uh, geopolitical financial markets, you know, all of that to say, okay, what's impacting my business today?

[00:31:47] What's going to impact it in the future.

[00:31:49] Um, so you, you can't just say, I want to grow.

[00:31:53] You've got to look at, okay, where am I today?

[00:31:55] Where do I want to go to find that and say, okay, what's my path to success?

[00:31:59] That's where I come into play.

[00:32:01] And then also sprinkle a little bit of passion, right?

[00:32:03] Because if you're not passionate about what you're doing, all that's going to be really hard to start executing.

[00:32:09] You're going to need to sprinkle a little bit of passion.

[00:32:11] The whole bucket.

[00:32:12] The whole bucket.

[00:32:15] Yeah.

[00:32:15] Yeah.

[00:32:16] I'm a very passionate person.

[00:32:17] I love working with passionate people because that means that we're all in it.

[00:32:22] Yeah.

[00:32:22] Yeah.

[00:32:23] If, if, if somebody that wants to work with me is just going through the motions, I lose interest pretty quick.

[00:32:29] And I'm at the point in my career that I want to work with people who want to work with me.

[00:32:37] Yeah.

[00:32:38] And one of the big changes that I've gone through and the kind of the refocus is, um, we, we mentioned the number of repeat clients.

[00:32:45] I, I have, uh, I have, uh, the percentage when I started sales chasers, which has evolved into revenue chasers back in 2009.

[00:32:53] I still have clients from 2010, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, still coming back to me.

[00:32:59] Oh, cool.

[00:33:00] And the thing is, instead of working one-to-one with those clients, I want to reach out and work one-to-many, which is why I'm building content and taking all the content I've developed over the last 20 years.

[00:33:14] Yeah.

[00:33:15] And making it into products so that I can help the many.

[00:33:19] Yeah.

[00:33:20] Yeah.

[00:33:21] So if somebody has that passion and wants to work with me, I can do it in the format they want, the budget they want, the pace they want.

[00:33:32] Yeah.

[00:33:32] So awesome.

[00:33:33] And we're going to leave all the links right below.

[00:33:35] You got to just scroll with your little thumb or your favorite finger.

[00:33:37] Click on it.

[00:33:38] Yeah.

[00:33:39] Fancy.

[00:33:40] I'm just going to say, I hope you scroll, you scroll with your thumb.

[00:33:43] If you, if you find yourself scrolling with your index.

[00:33:46] Your pinky?

[00:33:47] With your pinky?

[00:33:48] I don't know.

[00:33:48] If you scroll with your pinky, let me know.

[00:33:50] You don't want to sprain your finger.

[00:33:51] I'm not trying to be too mean, but you know, it might be a little old in there.

[00:33:54] Just kind of like with your index.

[00:33:56] Well, if you ask Luca, dude, I don't know.

[00:33:57] He likes to scroll with his tongue for some reason.

[00:33:59] I don't know.

[00:34:00] It's weird.

[00:34:01] I think it's from his father.

[00:34:02] That's a new generation.

[00:34:03] Yeah.

[00:34:03] He must have picked it up from somewhere.

[00:34:05] Just saying.

[00:34:06] He knows.

[00:34:07] I don't like dirty phone screens.

[00:34:09] So, you know, he does the opposite.

[00:34:11] But anyways, Fancy or Michelle, any last thoughts that you want to share with everybody here

[00:34:15] on the show?

[00:34:16] The only thing that I want to leave with is y'all are incredible.

[00:34:22] Thank you.

[00:34:24] You are.

[00:34:25] When I started my relationship with you and my initial co-host, Dasha Tishlik, we came

[00:34:32] here to get some production help.

[00:34:37] We knew nothing about podcasting.

[00:34:38] We thought, oh, well, we can do it ourselves.

[00:34:41] But, you know, when we want guests, we'll have them do it in here.

[00:34:45] You are wizards.

[00:34:47] You are the greatest guides, Sherpas, if we shall say, through the podcasting world.

[00:34:57] I love that I am now a retained client for you because it has helped me.

[00:35:03] It has helped me grow in my understanding.

[00:35:06] I always coach my clients.

[00:35:08] Don't just outsource something.

[00:35:10] If you don't have a working knowledge that you can at least speak the language when somebody

[00:35:16] else is helping you make a decision, you can't make that decision.

[00:35:20] No.

[00:35:21] You've got to understand the basis of language.

[00:35:23] And you've taught me that.

[00:35:24] And you're still teaching me that.

[00:35:26] I listen to your podcast five, what did I say?

[00:35:30] Five, 27, 537 on my way over here.

[00:35:33] I think 537.

[00:35:33] 500 freaking episodes.

[00:35:36] So I want to thank you guys for being the resources that you are, the giving souls that

[00:35:42] you are.

[00:35:42] Thank you.

[00:35:43] And for helping me propel my business forward.

[00:35:46] Thank you, Michelle.

[00:35:46] And helping me go, go, grow.

[00:35:49] Let's go.

[00:35:50] Thank you, Michelle.

[00:35:51] I really appreciate it.

[00:35:52] And like you've pushed us in ways that are incredible also internally for us to continue

[00:35:57] to grow and be better as a business.

[00:35:59] And I appreciate you coming in and I'm sure everybody here listening will get some golden

[00:36:05] boulders as we call them here on the show.

[00:36:07] And just like golden nuggets, just way bigger.

[00:36:11] I need to trademark that one.

[00:36:13] I'm going to steal it before you trademark it.

[00:36:15] That needs to be a show.

[00:36:17] We need the retail with like all our phrases.

[00:36:19] But yeah, Michelle, we love you.

[00:36:21] We're honored that you come here to the studio and, you know, choose us to help you with this.

[00:36:25] And, you know, it's just a matter of time that, you know, you make this incredible impact.

[00:36:30] You're already doing it.

[00:36:31] So I'm excited.

[00:36:32] I appreciate that.

[00:36:32] And tonight we have an awesome networking event.

[00:36:35] So I'm going to see you in action.

[00:36:36] I'm going to be taking notes and be like, but yeah, Fancy, any last thoughts?

[00:36:41] No, I just want to invite you listening right now to go through the self-assessment, right?

[00:36:45] That Michelle shared.

[00:36:46] And listen again to the episode, take some notes.

[00:36:49] And of course, reach out to Michelle, you know, if you have any more questions or you need

[00:36:54] some guidance on your strategy to go, go, grow.

[00:36:58] That's right, guys.

[00:36:59] With that said, thank you so much for tuning into the Contents Profit Podcast.

[00:37:03] Go ahead and follow the show in your favorite podcasting platform and on social media at

[00:37:07] Miss Bros. Go.

[00:37:08] That is right.

[00:37:09] If Michelle here helps you take one step closer towards your goal, please don't forget

[00:37:13] to share this episode.

[00:37:14] And of course, don't forget to leave a five-star review.

[00:37:16] See ya.

[00:37:17] Bye, guys.