Many entrepreneurs frequently find themselves falling into the traps of sustaining a business and ensuring they stay afloat despite challenging circumstances. It’s not uncommon to find yourself waiting, searching, and chasing after those evasive buyers, the ones who will propel your business to greater heights and help you make your mark in the industry.
Have you sent countless emails, thinking that sending out as many as you can will boost your chances of finding the right buyers? Are you always ready with your enticing offers, eager to pounce on just about anybody showing interest in what you have to say?
In this episode of Influence by Design, we speak with Christine Campbell Rapin to gather insights, tips, and tricks on identifying the right buyers, sending accurate messages across, and converting curious individuals into paying clients. You’ll learn about the buyers’ three lanes of traffic and the value of getting into the fast lane, where you’ll find more “unicorns.”
Christine shares some of her personal experiences as a rookie in the world of business and a seasoned coach intent on helping struggling entrepreneurs. She is eager to share her knowledge and expertise, so you learn how to develop critical thinking skills, formulate sound strategies, and find the best solutions to your various business dilemmas.
Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran entrepreneur, you’ll find this episode useful in your quest for attracting the right buyers, sparking curiosity, and converting mere interest into lasting business relationships.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER:
- How Christine started her first business and achieved success (01:20)
- Two things that can predict your income over the next 90 days (10:18)
- The three lanes of buyer traffic (13:06)
- How to spark curiosity to create action (16:18)
- The difference between the unlikable expert and the must-hire expert (19:36)
- Identifying buying signals (23:31)
- Why it’s more beneficial to “teach a man to fish” rather than to “hand him a fish” (26:30)
- The three non-negotiable business foundations (30:05)
- What to track for greater success with your sales and offers (35:14)
- Why you shouldn’t be discouraged by “the first pancake” (38:08)
- The danger of being in the “room of enlightenment” (41:39)
QUOTES:
- “It’s really simple. Two things and only two things grow your business. You have to get in front of more people, more ways, more often, who are potential buyers. Not just more people, but buyers. And you have to make offers. That’s it. Those are the two things you need to do.” – Christine Campbell-Rapin
- “The key in visibility is about being able to identify potential buyers.” Christine Campbell Rapin
- “You must have constant, fresh people to engage with. Every business needs this, if they’re going to stay the course and be sustainable.” Christine Campbell Rapin
- “There are always buyers for Ferraris, but if you’re trying to sell a Ferrari in a schoolyard, you will always think no one’s interested in your offer. You’ve got to go to the right places to find the right people.” – Samantha Riley
RESOURCES
25 Ways To Attract an Audience of Buyers
WHERE TO FIND CHRISTINE CAMPBELL RAPIN
- Website: https://christinecampbellrapin.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/christinecampbell1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Christine.Campbell.Rapin
- Youtube: https://www.YouTube.com/@christinecampbellrapin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chasingdreamsandmakingapositiveimpact
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ABOUT CHRISTINE CAMPBELL RAPIN
Christine Campbell Rapin is a business mentor, consultant and owner of CLEAR Acceleration Inc. She has a no-nonsense approach to helping business owners achieve consistent client growth by improving client conversion rates. Creative service-based business owners and consultants seek her out to create consistently profitable businesses by implementing effective marketing and business strategies and scale successfully.
TRANSCRIPTION
(This transcription is AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.)
Christine Campbell Rapin 00:00
Most opportunities, whether it’s your programs or services, or the entire industry and piece of business you create doesn’t come when you expect it, it doesn’t come in the package, you expect it. And that’s why having thinking partners is helpful, because they’re gonna say, tap, tap, tap, there, that’s gonna be what you’re looking for.
Samantha Riley 00:17
And so you mentioned the two things that will predict your income over the next 90 days. Let’s dive deeper into those.
Christine Campbell Rapin 00:26
It’s the two most important metrics that will blast any excuses you have about what you’re doing in your business and get you out of the busy work.
Samantha Riley 00:35
Welcome to the Influence By Design Podcast. I’m Samantha Riley, authority positioning strategist for coaches and experts. If you’re ready to build a business that gives you more than just a caffeine addiction, and you dream of making more money, having more time, and having the freedom to be living your best life, then you’re in the right place, it’s time to level up.
Christine, welcome to the show today, it’s great to have you. I’m really looking forward to the conversation we’re going to have, which is the most important conversation for any business, essentially, do you have a business? Or do you have a hobby? So tell me how did you wind up in this space? How did you begin? Or how did you end up mentoring?
Christine Campbell Rapin 01:20
You know, I grew up in the world of business. And I mean that candidly, my dad was in business, I watched my dad grow a business where the handshake was everything. And I went straight in from school into the world of business, I have degrees in it. And so I saw all my life in business. And I knew at some point, I would create something. But being a business mentor was not whatever I imagined, when I started my first business, I did it as a side hustle, it was meant to provide supplementary income so that I could retire earlier, I was the goal. And I committed one hour a day to grow my business. That was the commitment I made to my partner who was at that time, my soon to be husband, and who had kids in sports. And we were busy. I had a full time job, I traveled 40% of the time, and I traveled all over Western Canada, where I’m from. And so I didn’t have a lot of time. But I said I have to start, I have to start something. And I committed one hour a day and my business was consistently growing in that one hour a day. So it’s not a time thing. It’s knowing what to focus on. And eventually a lot of my peers who were in the same boat running side hustles kept saying, Why are you successful, and I am not there. And I meant this not a tall glibly, but I said, I treat my business like a business, that I knew what to do to treat my business as a business. And I didn’t realize initially that that was just a t shirt catchphrase to them. They didn’t really embody it, they didn’t understand it. And eventually, it led to invitations for coffee, glasses of wine, walks on the water, a beer every now and then. And people like to help me this because I need you to break it down. And I was like, I will tell you everything I know about business. They’re really simple. Two things and only two things grow your business. You have to get in front of more people more ways more often who are potential buyers, not just more people, but buyers. And you have to make offers. And that’s it. Those are the two things you need to do. And the people were like hot that I never heard it that simple before. I said, Well, it’s true. Sit with it, and watch the world of business and come back if you don’t see exactly that. And so they would, you know, come back, usually in a couple of months. And saying, I actually really see what you see I actually even watching you do it. Except for I can’t apply it to my own self. I’m not disciplined enough for I don’t really have that competence that I know what to do. So can I spend more time with you. And then usually the penny would drop, they said, but I get it, you’re planning a wedding, you have teenage kids in sports, you’re moving house building house, traveling a lot, I should probably respect your time I’d like to pay you or what you meant for me. And at the time, I will tell you I was very, very uncomfortable with it. Because I was like I was watching the world of business coaches, and not respecting or liking what I was seeing. I did not want to be in that camp. So what did I do? I went to a mentor, someone who was very respected in the coaching space and said, I’ve got the weirdest thing happening. People are asking me to mentor them in business and pay me for it. Not just the glass of wine or the cup of coffee, significant amounts of money and he’s like, Well, you you create significant amounts of money for people in the world of business. The world actually does need you to do this. So when somebody comes to you and whether it’s you know, they want to solve $100,000 problem make the first six figures or whether they want to get to the mid six figures, the million or the eight figures. You’ve actually built businesses at all levels like that. So you actually have the credibility most of the market methods. You should consider that this is your way to sell serve others. Because too many people are doing the Hokey Pokey? Well, I know you’ll be on any dance floor, any space. Or they’ll notice, you got to help these people stop doing the dance. And that was his comment that really lingered with me, where I started to toe into the mentorship space. My first goal was to be a great entrepreneur, it is always to be a walking, great entrepreneur. And I want to guide others for all the knives experiences and fun things I’ve done in my business to help you kickstart your journey. This is I want more of us to succeed, I think small business is the solution we’re looking for. And I mean, small businesses, you know, less than 50 to 100 employees, and the solopreneur. But boy, have we been marketed to with some really bad advice. And that’s why so many people are struggling, I think,
Samantha Riley 05:49
yeah, I agree with all of that. And it’s funny, I didn’t realize until you were saying that story that our journey has, it’s almost a mirror, because I remember at the time, I’ve had multiple multiple businesses too. And remember going to my mentor, I was a little bit more clueless than you because I went to my mentor said all these people asked me to help them with business, I don’t know what to do with it. And he looked at me when he was I wasn’t quite as smart as you. I actually needed him to say, you know that there’s actually a business there, which was, which was quite funny. What was your first business? Then
Christine Campbell Rapin 06:25
my first business actually, my first independent business actually was in the network marketing space. And it’s a funny story. A lot of people don’t understand that industry. But it was the catalyst for me, it was the catalyst of back into the world of business, it was actually the place of authenticity, and bringing all of yourself into the world of business. And it was in the health and wellness space, which is a passion for me, I used to work in the beauty industry many years ago. But the person who introduced me to it, here’s the power of your network with somebody I hadn’t spoken to in 10 years. Yes, who lived in the UK when I lived in the UK, and worked in the beauty business. And I thought to myself, I’m so fascinated that you remember my name, that I’m totally game for coffee. Yeah. And when she presented this idea, like, I didn’t get out of bed on Wednesday to start a business. I didn’t. And truthfully, by the time it was Friday, I was all full of the excuses of starting it until I looked in the mirror and thought you’re making this a false excuse. And to my mind, it was about money. Which was crazy, because I paid more for pizza the night before for the family, then I you know, paid to start my business, not have money. And it was a it was a I have to do something thing. There’s my own excuses. And in that moment, I said, That’s not who I want to be. So I sent a WhatsApp and said, Amen. I don’t know what this means. But I have to start somewhere. And this seems like a good place to start. Because the opportunities right in front of me. And when you say you know, you went to your mentor and didn’t see the opportunity. Most opportunities, whether it’s your programs or services, or the entire industry and piece of business you create doesn’t come when you expect it, it doesn’t come in the package, you expect it. And that’s why having thinking partners is helpful, because they’re gonna say, tap, tap, tap, there, it’s gonna be what you’re looking for. And at the time of like, I remember I swung into the kitchen after I’d sent the WhatsApp and said to my then fiance, by by the way, I’ve started a business and he’s like, You did what? He’s like, we’re gonna do it. We’re about to be married. You should probably have that conversation with me about this. And I was like, honestly, it didn’t occur to me today. And I he just said, Okay, well, why are you doing it? I said, Well, I’d like to help us retire earlier. He’s like, Okay, well, I’m on board with that. But what does it mean for us? Because time was not a luxury, one hour a day. So I will you and the kids want to watch Friends for the 100th time later, you can watch two episodes, and I’ll go grow my business. That’s what,
Samantha Riley 08:53
love it. Love it. Love it. And isn’t it interesting, one of my favorite sayings of all time, and my clients will be if they’re listening to this will already know what I’m about to say. You can’t read the label from inside the jar. And this is why it’s so so important to have people to bounce ideas off or go to because they they’re not in the weeds or they’re not in the mud like we are. And it just having that fresh set of eyes, or someone that really knows what they’re doing to be able to say, oh, no, I can see, you know, what’s happening here or, you know, have you noticed this or have a look over here is just so, so important. I think that owning a business doesn’t happen. You know, in on our own, it’s we talk about parents, you know, it takes a village to raise a child. I also feel that it takes a village to raise a business and a business is like a child. It’s growing. It goes through the you know, the baby phase and the adolescent phase and the you know, the adult phase and you know, they’re getting older, he’s at the end so it is exactly
09:58
yeah Yeah,
Samantha Riley 10:00
yeah, exactly. So you mentioned the two things that will predict your income over the next 90 days, I want to go back to that. Let’s dive deeper into those. So can you just repeat those two things again, for people that may have missed sort of how important they are?
Christine Campbell Rapin 10:18
It is it’s the two most important metrics that will blast through any excuses you have about what you’re doing in your business and get you out of the busy work. First one is that your business will be built on strangers. So you need to get in front of more people more ways more often all of the time. But your goal in that visibility piece is not visibility, for visibility sake, I think that’s where that highlight reel of the last five years got us all into trouble, because we thought I just need to post on social media. And it will work. And it may be it did it 2015. But it doesn’t in our current climate, people don’t make their decision there, they might reinforce their beliefs, but they don’t decide there. So the key Invisibility is about being able to identify potential buyers. And buyers are different than general audience members. So that’s the first, it can talk about what is a buyer in a second, but that’s the first piece, you must have constant fresh people to engage with every business needs this like are going to stay the course and be sustainable in their engine for clients. The second piece of the puzzle is nothing happens if you do not make an offer. And an offer is not I just posted, here’s my stuff come by my services, please, let’s stop that that is not what an offer is. That’s awareness. An offer is a conversation between someone who has an established problem that they’re aware of that they’ve already tried to solve on their own. And the priority to solving it is high, which means they’re a two day client, not a thumb day client. And at that point, you as the business or the business owner, if you’re a solopreneur must lead an offer, which is a specific commitment and a path to solving the problem. And ask, are you ready to move forward? Your you must lead this and I think we got really lazy about thinking I made offers. And I know I did this in my first business, I thought I made offers and nine out of 10 clients would say to me, I never got an offer, I didn’t know you are making me one lot of our offers are not really offers. But without them. There’s no exchange of value. And your business only creates revenue when there’s an exchange of value. So I say the fastest way for me to realize when my business is performing or stagnant is track and I do every month, how many offers did I make this month? And how many new people am I bringing into my ecosystem? Who have the potential to be buyers? And am I able to set assess what their priority is to solve that. And I always think, I think an analogy. So maybe if I can, buyers are in three lanes of traffic. There’s a slow lane, which is someday I’ll have that problem someday I kind of get some awareness about what you’re talking to me about. But it’s really not on my radar to solve this. Because it’s not a today problem. I will tell you, most of the people that I encounter in the world of business are stuck in that way. They’re in convincing mode, they’re in educating mode. And guess what, nobody’s hiring you. They’re
Samantha Riley 13:30
or get out of it convincing mode. I like that.
Christine Campbell Rapin 13:35
So your middle lane is somebody who’s like, I’m a human, I have patterns, I make the same pattern over and over and over again. But if they’re in the moment where they’re white knuckling the problem and you disrupt the pattern, somehow and say, sounds like you’re in the same pattern. Do you know that’s not the only way you spark the most important thing in movement, which is curiosity. Curiosity is the precursor to every client offer being accepted. There is no curiosity, it won’t happen. So your goal is to spark curiosity. And then to lead them to movement, which is combined my stuff. We have to date for a while we have to build trusts, we have to do some things. The average person needs five to 12 touches before they’ll say yes, because at any given time, only 3% of people are buyers. So but you’re recognizing a pattern that they have the possibility to be a buyer because if you can plant the seed of curiosity, you can start to establish a next step. But that’s where your bread and butter will be made. And your goal is built to spot the pattern interrupt the pattern and spark curiosity got so a whole skill you need to master. The final piece of the puzzle in the fast lane is the unicorns. I love unicorns unicorns are people who are already problems. Were already seeking a solution have set money aside and already know they’ve given themselves a deadline to get help. And you are likely on the list of considerations. So what happens is if you’re at dove, in do lead an offer, chances are they’ll say yes, on the spot or very quickly. And that’s why they feel like a unicorn, the better you are in your marketing, the better you are in your audience building, the better you are at being clear what you stand for. And the value that you create, you’ll find more unicorns. And that’s where growth becomes tons of fun. And it’s an engine.
Samantha Riley 15:21
Yeah, because long, right? This is fun, for me is fun. Absolutely. Yeah. I want to go back to something you said right at the beginning, when you just started talking, then and you said that a lot of people don’t make offers because they’re lazy. I think that that applies to some people. But what I see is actually a lot of people that don’t make offers, because they’re afraid of being spammy. And where this idea is coming from is because we are now getting so bombarded with spammy offers over DMS, you know, through social media, through spammy emails that go from I’ve never heard this person to they’re giving me an offer in two sentences of this email. People don’t want to be that person. So it’s like, rather than, you know, I don’t think they’re being lazy. I think they don’t want to be that person. So how do people move from Spark or not wanting to be that person and wanting to make offers and sparking curiosity in the right way?
Christine Campbell Rapin 16:28
Who thinks it’s to recognize when to have the sales conversation first and foremost, because you’re right, if you actually think I don’t want to be spammy, trust me, you will never be that person. So just let that go. That’s not you as a fundamental because the people were spamming never feel that way and burn, so you’re not in the camp to start with. The second thing that’s really important, is to recognize when you’re in a sales conversation. And the goal you got to remember is, until I’ve established that they see the problem, that they’re open to looking at a solution that I can position or say or show an example I call it like leaving footprints in the sand. Where’s that? I might have an alternate Are you open until you’ve established all of that, which is they said, not in two seconds from Hello. You’re not in a sales conversation. So don’t lead it as a sales conversation. Lead it is simply a conversation and getting to know you, can we find common ground? Do I understand you because you will have more success with the yeses? When the people have said, Tell me what it’s like to work with you? And I said, I when I’m working with clients, I build a lot of that one who is the buyer is the first piece. But then how do we spark curiosity? And who do you want to make the offer to? Because you’re moving people, and Google calls this zero moment of truth. People will research you before they ever want to have a buying or sales conversation. You need to provide them the tools, experiences and ways to do that safely from a distance. So that when you are able to say, Would you like to know what I might be able to suggest recommend or offer to you? And they say yes, then you’re never spamming, because you were given permission to make the next step there. And I never make an offer. And I would recommend this never make an offer if you haven’t been given permission to do so. You will stand out so much in the marketplace. Because you’re not spamming. You’re establishing a fit. And you you really want to help them get the result. The How do you know that if you’ve never dated them, and I don’t mean romantically, I just mean, you get to know each other over time. And that can happen quickly. But it is about the fastest path to cash is conversation, not a DM not an unsolicited offer. And so I think the one mistake, and again, people were teaching this as a strategy. Your answer is to not have to have any conversations to DM and blow people’s inboxes up and I’m like, stop, stop, stop. And generally, if somebody does it to me, I immediately remove the connection and block them. You don’t know me at all? Why would I want to do business with you?
Samantha Riley 19:14
So how do you balance going into the friend zone and getting to a point to make offers. This is also a very gray area for a lot of people because if you don’t set this up, well, you do go into the friend zone. And it is next to impossible to get that permission to make the sale.
Christine Campbell Rapin 19:36
There’s two sides of that coin. There’s the unlikable expert. And I’m the must hire expert. I think a lot of time we have to think about the identity difference between those two. Because people especially if they’re an emerging entrepreneur, want to get into the education space. I want to be a service I want to be a resource. And I said I’m not saying don’t do that. but you don’t get paid to do that, because there’s so much free knowledge out there. And that’s how you stay in the friendzone. And just because someone’s engaged with you does not make them a buyer, you’ve got to really, you know, develop your ability to figure out what is a buying signal. And be sure that you, if appropriate, say, are you interested in my services, there’s no judgement to the yes or no to that. But you do have to close the door. Because what I find in business, especially my business has to do most of my clients do not engage in my social media, before they become a client. They don’t want to publicly say that they need help. Just know that I’m great at what I do, or the people liking and engaging in my content, but they’re not buyers for me. And I am able to recognize that because there’s no buying signals there. What often comes out of their mouth is one day, I will work with you. And you’re a suddenly client and I have tried to serve you Sunday client, I’ll just own that I have tried to serve them. It’s not successful, because it didn’t matter how inexpensive the service was. That was just a convenient social way to say, no, yeah. And so you want to be aware, when you’re just thinking about your business? Do you show up as the likeable expert? Or do you show up as the must hire expert? Your expertise is the same in both categories? But what’s the invitation to movement that you’re making? Is it stay in the friendzone? Or is it is would you like help implementing this? And it’s 100%, okay to say to somebody, you know, you’ve been engaging in my content, is it valuable to you? Yes. Would you like help implementing it in your business? And ask them that simple question. And again, you do not judge their yes or no, but you then have closure to say they’re a buyer or not, we’re her. And if you do want to be being clear with that, because there’s nothing more soul destroying, then thinking you have all this business that will land next week, or next month. And I said, I don’t choose when they say yes, but I control my activity to keep the engine running. And I need to invite and be aware and talk about my capacity. But I said, I will give you all the knowledge that you need. Just come spend time and make a system, I will not hold any of it back. Because truthfully, if you can take it and run with it, I will applaud you all the way to your business dreams, truthfully. But so often people say, I hear it, I see it, I’m struggling. And I said, Would you like to consider what it’s like to work with me? Somebody will say, I’m planning for that next year. Tell me what the numbers are talking about what it means now. But then I know we’re in some kind of preliminary conversation. But I won’t make an offer. And I said, Are you is this a priority to do now? Do you have the funds to do it now? What are the consequences of not doing it now? Would you like me to make an offer? Or come back to me when you’re ready for one of them. But you have to leave that. And I think part of it starts with your energy of what is your intentional movement and recognizing that buyers aren’t necessarily the people who are engaging. But that doesn’t mean you don’t show up. Because all the people that need you are finding confidence in an invitation that you make. For them to take a step closer.
Samantha Riley 23:31
I’d love to go back and unpack that a little user mentioned that a lot of your customers or buyers don’t engage with your social media content, because they how do you get that buying signal? Where does it come from? How do you curate that?
Christine Campbell Rapin 23:48
Yeah, well, my business grows on two primary things that I do in my business. They’re the stateful. They’re the lanes I chose. One of them is speaking what we’re doing right now. And the other one is networking. So one thing I’m very active in my strategies of big rocks, the big things I do in my business is always have a place of movement that people can go to. So they could start with a free lead magnet, whether they got it from face to face, whether he got it from a networking, it doesn’t matter. But I will have a place that safe that they can step in, they might then be in my email list. Well, my email list and people in my ecosystem if they’re in my Facebook group, or on my podcast, or in my email, get invited to events that I run both ones that I run my own expertise events, which is specifically about finding audiences of buyers, or I invite them to other networking events I might be part of to come network with me or to come be increased I think they need to be aware of and they also then start to get credibility. Well, as I’m going to the next step, every step they take, I’m starting to see their activity, and I might recognize them in more than one space. And at some point I should be where I’m paying attention and they will either come to me saying I’d like to have a cup conversation with you have one to one or something you’d like to know more about your services. Or I might say to them, you and I are in a pattern together, would you like to have a one to one like to know what we’re doing because they feel we can help each other. And I always come from help first versus self first. But I’m, I have a very intentional in some ways you could call it a funnel, but it’s not creepy and weird. And you’re not on a sales page being bombarded. Because I don’t spam. But I am watching your level of engagement. And when that happens, I can see your priority level going up to fix this. And so I then lead, would you like to take the next step together, where if they don’t read it themselves, I will tell you that 50 50% of the time I am in one or the other account, it’s very equal, depending on their own history, their own introvert versus extrovert their own difference, but my job is to keep showing up with an invitation to keep moving. And to not judge when they’re moving forward. And when they’re moving backwards, that I am sure my business will be here in a year. And this pattern will repeat step and when you need to, or, and often, you know, people that I’ve that I’ve known for quite a long time or have been in in the world for quite a long time. You know, that’s when they become unicorns. Sometimes it’s very odd. And like you’ve been in my role forever. They’re like, yeah, you’ve been in my head for so long, I think I should get you out.
Samantha Riley 26:27
I think I should stick in
Christine Campbell Rapin 26:30
saying Help me figure this out. Because I know the questions you’re asking, but I’m struggling to answer them. So that’s when my job is not to find your answer for you. But to help you think through what are you processing, what options are out there is my skill set, pulling the pieces together, and marketing and the sales and the operations, it’s the through line. And what you don’t get when you’re trying to find your own solution on your own is you’re getting entertained by the likeable experts that are in the field. But when you want to have applied it, you’re looking for somebody who can help you implement it. And implementation has to be something they see you’re talking about. And you’re making that next step, a direct offer, not a sale conversation prematurely. But I think that that’s really critical to that piece to see it effective. And so I know those are my lanes, and I always have a way to step in and say, and people what they say to me, what I hear a lot is I know you’re really active. Keep asking me, you’re not ready yet. And that’s why I know there’s some level of interest. And I say, I just have to keep broadening the more people more ways more often if I want to see stability and my client growth, because I don’t control and they say yes, there pops. Sure. You know, this time of year, people like I better have a plan for 2024. Or here, I’d rather commit to the plan. Now knowing I start in January, sometimes that happens in our hemisphere course in the summer, when they say I need to start in September, you are responsible for your decisions, my job is to make sure you have a safe space to step in. And content that’s valuable. That helps you think. And then when you identify a gap, I have another way for us to say you want help bridging the gap where you need to talk it out. Here’s ways you could do that. Or, yeah,
Samantha Riley 28:21
I think it’s really important not to put ourselves in the position of babysitter, that we’re in the position of helping people to, you know, what’s that say something about helping a man to fish I can’t even think about I’m hopeless with my quotes. I kind of know where I’m going. But I can’t think of the exact quote. But essentially, it’s not just handing them the fish, it’s helping them to learn to fish for themselves. And that that’s our job as mentors. And I think that that’s really, really important. And
Christine Campbell Rapin 28:49
that’s why I always ask the question I have learned throughout most of my career, I can’t drag you uphill. I’ve tried, it’s never worked. Well, we have
Samantha Riley 28:58
tried. We’ve tried. So that’s what I asked you
Christine Campbell Rapin 29:02
Why is it a non negotiable? Because I want you to tell me so I can hold that vision when you wobble? And I say to people, you know, if not now then when, but the decisions are yours. And Michael, like when I think about what I want for my clients, I want them to have the competence to make decisions because their business will constantly evolve. I want them to know how to think critically, and how to ask questions and stay with them till they can figure out sounds good, is it true? And then move with it. And that’s the framework that I work with. And so I said, you know, I’m not here to drag you. I can breathe the oxygen onto your fire, for sure through my network and through my skills. But I want to know is your engine lit first and I won’t make you an offer if it’s not a definitive yes. And then I’ll just say we’re not there yet. But I look forward to the day we are
Samantha Riley 29:54
Now you just mentioned before business foundations. Boo Boo I need to talk about the non negotiable business foundations. What are they?
Christine Campbell Rapin 30:05
So every business needs three things, they need more than three, but three or three are where you start. And then anytime you’re wobbling and client growth stalls, you have to go back to them. The first foundation is, do you have absolute clarity on your buyer? And it’s not who you think it is it who actually is connecting to it, and that sometimes there’s a really big disconnect there. What’s and especially the longer you’ve been in business, because you start to sound like an enlightened person and your buyers in the dark and you get disconnected just happens through time. But you’ve got to be able to get clear on who is the buyer? How can you recognize them? And what do they want their head first foundation every business needs. Without that you are hopelessly having an expensive hobby. Second thing is to understand the point of marketing. Marketing is not optional. Marketing is essential. But a lot of people misunderstand what marketing is. Marketing in its simplicity is about moving somebody from curiosity to pay client, the goal is movement. And you have to be intentional about crafting, what is the movement? Where am I going? What’s the next step? How do I keep this in cycle. And you could choose any marketing tactics you like I said, I like speaking and networking. You could choose websites, SEO, you could do ads, I think all of those are accelerators. But if you don’t have your message, right, first, you will spend a lot of money and a lot of time not getting results. No the buyer to get the messaging, right, and then decide how you will move them intentionally, from curiosity to pay clients, the more you can condense that horse, the faster the cycle of new growth. Most clients take, on average 90 days in a service based business, you can shorten that by making sure you have steps that are intentional. And that, you know, if you do events, it’s not once a year, because then they can only take one step, it’s easy step in places. The third piece is you need to be categorically clear on what you stand for. And the value, you can help someone else create not what your value is, but what value you can help guide somebody to create, because the only reason they will put their credit card or bank draft in your hand is because of the result that you can help them get predictably. So you have to know what you stand for shift to call the right buyer, who says I see you as credible, I like you, I trust you and I feel safe with you. But you will only see you know good sales results and referrals and echoes, if you deliver the value as they prioritize it. And too often we get caught into our value. And then we it shows up like this. You’re describing your program, its value. That’s just the nuts and bolts, don’t tell me it’s going to be work, even though we all know effort is required. Just tell me the result will be worth it. And I’m in. And I don’t want you to skip over the how, but just recognize the how isn’t the value. It’s just the delivery mechanic. Those two things on that third pillar. And every time they said things feel out of whack, or we’re losing certainty, or we feel we’re stalling, we have to go back and look at those three things. Because those three things build the triangle that that the house gets built on. Outside of that, of course, it is about influence. And that’s influencing yourself influencing your peers influencing potential buyers, potentially staff, depending on how you structure your business, you have to influence but you have to know where you’re going and what you stand for. And then of course, if you’re in a business, we need to look at the numbers. I’m going to say, numbers are scary for lots of people just focus on to how many people you’re meeting that could be buyers. And how many offers are you making? Because that’s a really good pulse check for are you creating a healthy business and a pipeline that will sustain your bells, which don’t come once in a blue moon?
Samantha Riley 34:03
Just knowing the numbers that’s really interesting that you’ve used those two as the only numbers you need. Because when I hear that, I feel like one of the massive numbers that’s missing is your actual conversion. Because I’ve seen a lot of people make a lot of offers that still have a really average conversion rate.
Christine Campbell Rapin 34:29
For sure. A conversion is an absolutely critical number. But I’m thinking if you’re trying to start the engine, don’t forget to start with you have to do those precursors. For sure. There’s no point making 100 offers to the wrong people because you will not have a good conversion. And that’s where the fine tuning is key. Because you need to be evaluating. Are they buyers do they have the economics is the offer the right one and you will tell? Only though once you’ve made debt. If you don’t make it, you have no true certainty of what the response was. But I want you to course be growing your conversion. And if you nurture people really well, your conversion rate is usually quite high because you don’t make offers to the wrong people.
Samantha Riley 35:14
Yeah, 100% Because your conversion rate will go up by making the offers to the right people. And I remember the day that someone said, this was like a huge epiphany for me was, there is always buyers for Ferraris. But if you’re trying to sell a Ferrari in a school yard, you will always think that there’s no buyers. And that was just a really, that helped me to really understand, you’ve got to go to the right places to get to find the right people. And you have to get in the right room, you could think that your conversion rate was really low if you were trying to sell that Ferrari in the school yard. But if you’re in the right place, then you know, your conversion rate could go up. So it’s about understanding what those metrics are. Because there’s always a story behind them too, right? Yeah,
Christine Campbell Rapin 36:03
and how big is the sample size? You know, if you make one offer, and you only had one person and you think, Well, my business is broken? Now I need to go back to the drawing board. Trust me, I see lots who will do that. I said, we don’t know that the offer is not working yet. You haven’t had enough confidence in the room, the sample size is too small. And I think every business under the planet always goes you’re not meeting as many people as you think we have a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy. And I said count them track them. On my I do this to this day that discipline is still there. I have it on my blog, I It’s one of the free giveaways. I just run on my blog all the time. So here’s the daily tracker track, honestly, how many new people you met, how many follow ups you’re having? And when you’re meeting people? are you determining where you think this is an opinion, where you think they are in the buying process so that you prioritize your time accordingly. And that you provide them the right information based on where they are in the journey. And when you’re making the offer. Of course, if someone doesn’t immediately say yes, we all know this. And in sales one on one, a no isn’t to know until it’s 100%. And no, we make a lot of assumptions that there now is the knot. But the second piece of it is use this as an opportunity to learn. It’s like what’s missing in the offer that would make it Yes. Mm hmm. And if you’re capable of delivering it, then maybe you do right then and there and get the ass. But you have to use the exchange of conversation to get the feedback. And I think that’s where we’ve got business. So complicated. We’re running behind that real drive of technology and complicated funnels. And you know, just there’s noise factor. And I said, one person can make one offer to the right person and find a unicorn belief that it happens happens a lot in my business. And it comes from the fact that I know very clearly what I’m looking for. I know very clearly who I can help. I know when I have capacity, and I’m listening actively. Sometimes I’m not. And I totally miss the opportunity. Sometimes they come back and sometimes I have looked back in hindsight went, Oh, I wasn’t paying attention. Everybody else. And I take that as a valuable lesson and go 100%
Samantha Riley 38:08
Because it helps you to get clarity, right? It helps you to understand, didn’t quite articulate that well, or, you know, I call that the first pancake, you were talking about people that make one offer and you know, it doesn’t quite kind of go quite right. And they give up. Well you don’t do that with the pancake right? The first pancakes always the one that doesn’t go quite right, it always looks a little bit odd way. You get rid of the first pancake, you’ve got to get your first pancake out the way out, you know, and as you make that offer, it will get better you will get clearer you will understand you who to make that to so you write don’t completely burn the ships right at the beginning, you do need to go and sort of go over and refine it and distill that process and that message as you go. And
Christine Campbell Rapin 38:55
if somebody’s asked you for an offer and you Bumble it, it’s okay to go back and say there was a moment to reflect, regroup and say they recognize value. The value was still on the table. I will tell you my first client offer was a disaster. Because I wasn’t expecting it. She turned out to be a unicorn. I showed up to talk about one thing, and she was asking me questions about my business, which I thought was just polite to chat if it was not urgent. And she said I actually don’t want to do what we’re here for. What’s it like to work with you? And I again thought that was polite chit chat. And she’s like, No, I’m gonna know my credit card. I’d like to start working with you could we start this week? And I misjudged the number I went out half the value I would normally have done that I wrapped in my mind to do Yeah, she said yes. And I was like, what I lost her now and think I’m gonna, just bumbled the whole thing. But I got there messy in the end. And the second time she’s been a client off and on now for years that might that that value has gone up. up, the money has gone up, my confidence went up at all of it was lived experience. She’s like, I don’t think it was as bad as you’d think it was. And I’m like I was hot math, pontic payment. I was not prepared to do that. Like, none of that was prep. I didn’t expect myself to be in a sales call. But she said, Tell me what it’s like to work with you think I knew what you’re doing? I’m like, What did I say? Like? What my response? Yeah, huh? What do you want? And they just so we’re clear. I was like, Why do you want to hire me? What do you think I can help you achieve? I always ask that. What is it? Well, time to get it?
Samantha Riley 40:40
Yeah, great question. Because then you’re finding out the lens through which people are, they’re having that conversation with you very soon,
Christine Campbell Rapin 40:49
They’ll make the assumption because then you’re like, oh, that’s where I need to deliver the first when you start working together?
Samantha Riley 40:55
Yeah, gold right there. Now, right at the beginning of the conversation, we were talking about buyers. And one of the things that you mentioned was emails. And I know you’ve written an e book on different ways to attract an audience of buyers. Can you tell us a little bit about sort of what’s in the book, and I think we know who it’s for. But I’d love for you to share a little bit.
Christine Campbell Rapin 41:16
I’d love to, because I think one of the things I really realized is that a lot of people talk about visibility, but really the real fine tuning is not just visibility, but finding the buyers. And then what happens for most businesses is that we’re in the wrong room. And we mentioned that earlier. And then the next question that comes from everyone’s lips is, well, where are the right rooms? 100%. Because I always say to people, the problem is you’re in the room of enlightenment, you might be with peers who are enlightened, you might be in spaces where you’ve taken similar training or have similar services, and it feels really comfortable. Let me give you a quick Coles notes. Answer, don’t thank me later, that is not your buyer Road, get comfortable, but you don’t buy from each other, you’ve already got the transformation, you will seeking your buyers in the dark. And so what I brought in this ebook, is that 25 different ways there’s more than 25. These the ones I most commonly see in the world I encounter, which is in the world of service based businesses 25 different ways that you can get into new rooms. My hint is, well, first, I would grab it. Once you’ve grabbed it. Please be clear, I’m not suggesting at all that you take 25 ways to do this, I want you to review this and go, What Lane do I want to choose pick one, but no more than three and saying that’s the lane I’m going to master, I’m going to find rooms in this vehicle. And I’m going to get known in that space so that I can start to build credibility to the general audience so that the buyer starts to move between me and I start to be able to engage with the buyer. And if you are not in the right room where someone can economically afford your services get out. That’s not the priority you’re attracting either, because you should not be trading your services for free. Because you want a testimonial, please stop doing that I started praising the industry. So I’ve given you strategies, it says Pick your lane. Here’s the ones that I will tell you right now are working. They all work for somebody and somebody I know. But I want you to say well, it worked for me because I chose to master it. And then how do you know what signals to look for? That identifies a buyer that you want to have that when you’re out whether it’s networking or meeting people or any way that you choose to do it, so that you can keep that top of mind. Because you want to be critically assessing that. And learning to cultivate that muscle. This muscle is something that will be the thing that helps you run the triathlete game that entrepreneurship really is three things you need to do. But start by saying what could I do to attract an audience of buyers and I tell people pick your lane. The second key part of that is get your messaging right. Because the only time I would add accelerators are once you know you’ve got a converting offer. And you know how to find that buyer. And from that, honestly, it’s so much fun. It’s like play because then the question is is capacity and capacity is a solvable problem.
Samantha Riley 44:22
100% I love this so much. Where can people go to get a copy of this book?
Christine Campbell Rapin 44:28
So you can find me at christinecampbellrapin.com That’s my name. If you’re watching us on video you can see my name spelt that if not, it is Campbell like the soup and Rapin it’s R A P I N. So christinecampbellrapin.com right on the homepage, grab it. Start finding your lane and please go find those buyers they need to.
Samantha Riley 44:50
Totally they are there’s people out there with problems we were chatting before we hit record. People are running out of runway right now. They are out there. They’re looking for solutions and solutions that you have. So definitely get a copy of that ebook and find your lane. It’s something that I’m all about as well.
Christine, thanks so much for joining me today. It’s been an absolute pleasure to chat with you.
Christine Campbell Rapin 45:15
It’s been fun. Thank you.
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Influence By Design podcast. If you want more head over to influencebydesignpodcast.com for the show notes and links to today’s gifts and sponsors. And if you’re looking to connect with other experts who are growing and scaling their business to join us in the coaches, thought leaders, and changemakers community on Facebook, the links are waiting for you over at influencebydesignpodcast.com
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