Black Girls Consult TOO!
The Black Girls Consult Too! podcast provides a business resource for women in consulting, especially women of color, to successfully navigate a hyper-masculine, highly competitive industry. It demystifies how to start and grow a thriving consulting business by simplifying the process and helping to avoid common pitfalls that can derail even the best ideas. Each episode is crafted to dive deep into consulting practice, business strategy, mindset, and more. For more information, visit www.excelatconsulting.com/podcast.
Black Girls Consult TOO!
Episode 113: Mastering Conversations to Win Consulting Clients
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Do you find it challenging to design messages and social media strategies that resonate with C-suite executives, the critical decision-makers in any business? Are you tired of initial contacts that lack depth and fail to engage your potential B2B and corporate clients effectively?
In this episode, we're diving deep into the art of sparking the right conversations to break through the noise and not only reach but also engage top-level executives. Learn the secret to transforming your initial encounters into opportunities for meaningful dialogue. By the end of this episode, you'll have the insights and tools needed to make each interaction with your clients not just a meeting but a game-changing conversation.
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So you decided to go all in and showing up and being more visible online. You're talking about topics that are relevant in your industry. You are posting consistently on LinkedIn and other platforms, but you're not drawing the right attention, at least you're not getting the attention of the people that you know will make key decisions. Why is it so hard to attract the right people? Well, if this has been playing over and over again in your head, then this episode is for you, because today we're going to talk about how you can spark the right conversations that will land you the business you need. Let's get started, they say. The odds are stacked against us as women, especially women of color, trying to thrive in the consulting world. But rather than wait for a seat at the table that may never come, what if we build our own tables? What if we channeled our talents into guiding each other towards the success we deserve? Welcome to the Black Girls Consulting Podcast. I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I've walked the path from healthcare consultant to a mentor for women like you, ambitious, unstoppable and ready to make waves in the consulting world. This podcast is your go-to spot for all things entrepreneurial consulting for us as women, especially women of color. Think of it as your weekly coffee date with a friend who's here to dish out real talk on building a solid business, elevating your thought leadership and mastering that all important mindset. And let's not forget, we're doing all of this while balancing day jobs, family life and running teams. Yes, we can do it all. So if you're ready to dive into how you can grow a thriving consultancy or get strategies and insights that actually fit your busy lifestyle, then you're in the right place. Grab your coffee, tea or, hey, even a glass of wine, I won't judge and let's get started.
Speaker 1:Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to the Black Girls Console 2 podcast. I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and today we're going to be talking about showing up online. I know this is something that we talk about often because now it feels like it's part of most marketing strategies to include some aspect of digital marketing. I mean, we can't help but to go that route, especially with artificial intelligence on the rise and people being able to just produce content so swiftly. But now we're in a space where we need to think about the quality of content that we're putting out there and how well we're able to reach our audience. And so, for us, as consultants, we're focused on reaching those key decision makers in the business to business space most often although I know some of us work in business consumer but we're trying to reach those key decision makers that are going to be able to determine whether or not we are able to land our next and future contracts. So it's important that we reach them and not just reach them. It's important that we're able to start a conversation right, a conversation that is ongoing, that develops into something that is much more meaningful in terms of building a collaboration and relationship building and establishing a solid foundation for us to build on. And if we're thinking about our businesses in the long term, we need to be able to do this over and over again with a lot of different clients. So this is why digital marketing and content marketing is so important. It allows us to focus our message on one.
Speaker 1:To many, however, if you are in the early stages of starting your consulting business, or maybe you have a firm and a small team, or maybe you are a solo consultant, in doing everything yourself, wearing a lot of different hats, trying to fit in this whole aspect of content creation or writing to establish your thought leadership, all of these things. It takes time, a lot of time that we often don't have, because we're trying to serve clients, and if you're trying to market consistently, trying to serve clients to the best of your ability, it's difficult to fit in the whole aspect of creating content that will resonate with your target audience. It takes thought, it takes creativity, it takes keeping up with algorithms. Let's be real, right, I don't know if you all are feeling this, but I am so over some of the algorithms out there, and even if you decide to go the paid route, it still requires you to create ads that are going to convert, that are going to resonate. So, with that being said, many of us turn to things such as templates or maybe even social media managers to help us out. We're looking for a way to simplify the task or outsource a lot of the activities that we need to do on a day-to-day basis. That may not require us to devote our full attention to that process, but I don't know if you have noticed this or not.
Speaker 1:A lot of times, when we go those routes of outsourcing or using various templates and whatnot, they may not be the most effective strategy to use, they may not work, and it's not the fault of the creator most times. And listen, I've been there. I have invested in copywriting services that have been fabulous, they have been great but didn't meet the need when it came to the B2B market, and I have also spent time and money and resources to find the perfect templates to use for content strategy or maybe some other element of content creation and writing, and even in those instances they have not been very useful. I find myself often just writing everything from scratch, and one of the reasons is because many of these tools are not designed for the higher level stakeholder that you are trying to reach, so most of the messages are meant for the general public. That's how they make their money.
Speaker 1:They're serving most businesses out there and as consultants, we serve a very unique set of individuals. We tend to serve people who are more analytical. Oftentimes they may even be more introverted a lot of extroverted as well but they typically are individuals that may not have a lot of free time on their hand. Some may not even be on social media, even if they're in other forums where they're listening to a podcast or maybe reading your blog. Even in those instances, they're looking for key information to help them navigate a challenge. They're looking for specifics that are going to impact their business, and their businesses oftentimes are complex or advanced, and if you're at a higher level, where you're serving in the corporate space and enterprise level, they're going to be massive entities. So the conversation is different and often a simple template that's created for the average consumer is not going to be as helpful for you. The average consumer is not going to be as helpful for you. However, there are ways that we can still have this conversation and attract the people that we need to attract. It's just that we have to take maybe some of these tools that we currently have and modify them so that they fit our need.
Speaker 1:I always like to say that most of the work that we do in consulting is going to require some adaptation. Need I always like to say that most of the work that we do in consulting is going to require some adaptation? I was super excited to buy a product very recently that was a template set and one of the reasons I was excited to buy it because it was made by a marketer who I truly admire. I think it's just brilliant and she's just a genius at what she does. But when I began to comb through a lot of the examples and the templates that were provided, I just realized that most of what was being presented wasn't going to work for my business. It was not going to work to attract the clients that I wanted to attract at a higher level, and part of that is because it was just sparking the wrong conversation.
Speaker 1:And one of the things that I do believe is important to acknowledge is that experts tend to need a different message, and when you're working with your clients, many of them are experts in their own field. They're looking at their business and the problems around them in a very different way. So this is going to limit the traditional conversations that we're normally used to having. It's going to limit their reach, it's going to limit how well they resonate, and this means that we have to have a new strategy and a new approach in order for us to break through a very noisy market. We have to be able to communicate in a way that's going to allow our ideal client to hear the words that we're saying and the messages that we're sharing and know that it's a conversation for them, and to also just be interested in it. Enough for them to take part in that conversation and begin to engage, because it's that engagement that leads to the future sale. So the whole point and purpose for us to market in this way is to create brand awareness, to create a certain level of demand for our services and to reach those that typically we would not have access to.
Speaker 1:So showing up online, creating content, sharing our thought leadership, is our way of, in essence, pushing past the gatekeepers. We're moving the gatekeepers out of the way and we're taking the message straight to the people who need to hear it. And while this is something that any consultant needs to do, it is especially vital for us, as women and women of color, to focus on utilizing this method, mainly because we're the ones that typically are not invited into those rooms. So I want you to think about this process as creating your own dinner party. You are setting up a fabulous dinner party in a luxury hotel and you have invited the best of the best there to gather with you, and you are starting a conversation around your event and you're making it so everybody who attends leaves and raves about, raves about the party that you put on or the gathering that you put on. That's what we're doing when we're starting these conversations online, so we need to think about how we do this differently.
Speaker 1:So I want to share with you a framework that I often teach clients and I know I don't talk about frameworks within my programs as often as I probably should on the podcast. I'm going to try and do that a little bit more. But this framework is one that focuses on how you can spark the right conversations that will allow your ideal client to tune in. It's all about meeting them where they are discussing topics that would resonate and are relevant to the work that they do, and allows you to leave a memorable impact on them from that interaction. So this is called the 4D framework. We're going to dive into it. I'm going to explain to you exactly how this works and hopefully you'll be able to take this lesson and use it when you're trying to spark new conversations, whether they're on or offline.
Speaker 1:If you're listening to this podcast and you're interested in starting your consulting business, but you don't know what steps you need to take to fast track your journey so that you can land more clients, make more money and maybe leave your nine to five, then you'll want to download the Consulting Mastery Blueprint, which is a free and I mean completely free five-day email course designed to show you how. All you have to do is click the link in the description register and get started. Okay, so the 4D framework is a framework designed to help you start the right conversations. I like to think of it as sparking conversations with your tribe, so you are getting the clients that you want to work with, who are most suited and ideal for your offer to tune in. This means that you need to be able to reach those that are at a high level in the decision making process.
Speaker 1:This is not about winning over your peers. This is not about winning over your peers. It's about talking to those people that are going to make the decision the decision makers. You want to create a conversation that's going to draw them in. That's the whole purpose of using the 4D framework and often what happens when we are using other methods to create content or maybe even start conversations at a meeting. Maybe you're sitting at a table during a convention and you're talking to an individual that's next to you a person that's next to you that may be the director or the head or the lead executive that has been charged with being at that meeting, and you want to make contact in that moment so that you can carry that conversation on at a later date.
Speaker 1:It's important that you talk about the right things. It's, of course, nice to use conversation openers, such as talking about the weather or maybe your travels. That's a wonderful way to introduce yourself and kind of get the conversation started, but you need something to hold them there. You need something meatier that's gonna allow them to really engage with you at a higher level, and so the 4D framework is focused on doing just that, and I want you to think about this as a framework where you can pull pieces of the puzzle together as you need them, meaning that you don't have to do all of these things at once, but you can take various elements, and they're four parts so we're going to talk about. You can take each part and use it separately, you can use them together, you can combine them at different points to carry the conversation from one level to the next. There are a lot of ways that you can utilize this framework, and we'll work at a deeper level. We go into how you can do that, but the framework itself is going to help you start conversations, carry those conversations on for a longer period of time and also allow those conversations to easily transition into you being able to make sales easily.
Speaker 1:The four elements of the 4D framework are demo, data, distinction and dollars, and these are the things that you want to focus on when you are trying to spark a conversation that's going to resonate highly with the people that you want to work with in the B2B corporate enterprise space Demo, data, distinction, dollars. Now, when we're talking about demo, I know I've talked about this in a previous episode before, but I always go back to when the vacuum cleaner salesman showed up at my front door and he was able to demo how you use this vacuum and the way that that vacuum cleaned my carpet that day. To this day, it has not cleaned it the same way. I'm still trying to figure out what they did in order to really master that demo, but that demo led me to buy a super expensive vacuum without knowing this man from the man on the moon when he showed up on my doorstep. The demo itself is something that we're used to seeing. They're demonstrating how a product is used.
Speaker 1:The only problem is that we are selling our expertise, we're selling knowledge, we're selling insight. How in the world do you demo that? This is when you put on your consulting hat and you begin to share insight in your conversation that allows them to vividly see how you and your services and your business can be an asset to them. And this has to be done in a very authentic and transparent way. You're not giving advice or doing a direct consult. This is not a consultation call type of setup. It, honestly, is just you being very open and willing to serve them in that moment.
Speaker 1:So, as they are talking about different needs or different problems that they're facing in their business or in their lives, you begin to address those in a way that you would if you were working with a client. You're allowing them to see and feel the impact of having your help. This is something that helps you showcase what you do best. It's just like that vacuum that had my carpet looking amazing. You're doing the same thing. You are helping them to see vividly in their mind how things will improve if they work with you. They should leave that conversation feeling better than when they first started.
Speaker 1:That's the aspect of demo that we want to provide is all about making them see the big and bright future with you on board, and in order to do that, you need to, in that moment. Help them solve a problem, no matter how big or how small, and be very open and free in doing that. Whenever we begin to gatekeep and hold back, it doesn't help us, because the small insight that you're going to share in that short moment, however long that conversation may be, even if you talk for an hour, is still only a minute fraction of what you can offer. So think about that as a discovery session. Think of it as a way for you to just highlight what you can bring. That's the whole aspect of demo. So in demo, you're in this conversation solving problems, helping them see and feel the impact that you could make on their life or their business.
Speaker 1:Now the second part of this framework is data. This is where you're bringing out numbers and success stories that align with their goal. It's really like saying look at these awesome results that we can achieve together. You're sharing information that helps them to better understand the services that you offer and the results that can be generated. This is how that conversation can grow. It may be you mentioning the success that you've had with a client in the past and how that success has led to a greater return on investment from your time together. It's not you pitching your service, you're simply in that conversation sharing how your help, your services, allow this client to achieve their goal and to be very successful in that endeavor.
Speaker 1:And because they're hearing this conversation, that's when, if you want to reach that same goal, your ears are going to perk up. It's kind of like when you're sitting down and you're talking to someone about maybe getting in shape for the summer and someone who looks amazing is talking about how they work with a coach and this coach had them in tip-top shape in 90 days. Right, you're going to kind of tune in. Even if you're sitting in a restaurant and you don't know that person, you're hearing that conversation in the background and your ears are going to perk up. Why? Because you're looking at the individual that looks amazing and they're talking about how someone else has helped them achieve that goal. So the first question you're going to have is who is that person? And some of us, myself included, may ask like, hey, you look amazing, is there a trainer that you work with? That's how that conversation continues to grow and to evolve, and so we need to think about how we can do the same thing.
Speaker 1:How can you pull from data that is relevant in your industry. That may be data associated with trends that are ongoing in your space right now. How can you talk about those numbers? How can you talk about the successes of previous clients or, if you don't have clients as of yet, the success you have had from certain methods? How can you share that so that the person you are having this conversation with can see that working with you and doing and following the same process that you have used, or the same insight that you're able to provide, will get them to a similar outcome? This is how data can be extremely powerful, because with data, you're able to tell stories and, especially with data storytelling, it can be something that is extremely powerful to move someone to the point of conversion, because they're no longer just relying on your word, but they are also looking at hard and fast numbers, and we always talk about, in the B2B space, a lot of the decision-making being more logical, more associated with data and facts, and so this is that element of the conversation that allows these stakeholders, this level of client that you want to work with. This is what they're going to focus in on. They know that they need to have a definite and clear return on investment and because you can speak to the data early on in just a general conversation. They're going to be interested in learning and wanting to know more. So this is the second element data Data is all about the numbers really highlighting numbers, success stories and painting the picture of what it's going to look like to achieve their goal.
Speaker 1:Okay, number three is something that I feel like we all want in various aspects of our life, and that is distinction. Think about it. When you were in school, didn't you want to make honor roll? I'm talking about elementary, for sure, if not also high school and beyond. You wanted to be on that list of kids who did well in school. You wanted your parents to be proud. You wanted the little you know, the certificate that had all the colors on it, that the principal signed and had the star. You want all that on your refrigerator so that you could feel proud of your accomplishment. We do that also as adults. We want to be recognized, whether it's awards, honors and other recognition, and your ideal client wants that too, especially if you're working in the B2B space.
Speaker 1:There are so many distinctions that are highly coveted by many organizations, and when you are able to help them achieve that goal, achieve those distinctions. It is huge. It is huge as a matter of fact. I have not only witnessed, but experienced and benefited from utilizing this strategy and tactic myself, and seen it numerous times. When you're able to help them achieve some top tier accreditation if you're working in healthcare consulting, like I do it would be meeting certain standards or achieving recognition in terms of quality of care or maybe some other unenrolled status. That is something that can draw a lot of business into that organization, and so they are willing to make an investment to be on that list year after year after year, to make an investment to be on that list year after year after year, and so if you could show them how your strategy, how your methods, how your insight, how your work can help them achieve that goal, oh my gosh, that can open the floodgates of business. So focusing on this element of distinction in your industry can be huge.
Speaker 1:The key, though, is doing your homework to determine what matters to them most, so you can't just pick what you think can be huge. The key, though, is doing your homework to determine what matters to them most, so you can't just pick what you think would be best. You need to align this conversation with what they most value in their industry or that you've seen them achieve in the past and that may compliment their current achievement or help them renew so that they're able to maintain it in years to come. But when you are able to identify that, that's a wonderful touch point and way to spark conversation. And last but not least, is dollars. Now, with dollars, this is all about the money and connecting the dots back to their budget. You need to show them how investing your services this is all about the money and connecting the dots back to their budget. You need to show them how investing in your services is not just smart but also great for their budget, their wallet, in the long run.
Speaker 1:When you're focusing on dollars, this is having a conversation about how you can either improve their quality of services or some other element that's going to lead to greater client acquisition or more business that then turns into a financial return, or it can be some aspect of cost savings or cost avoidance. But by you sharing the work that you do and how that ties into the goal that they have of making more money or saving money, it can be extremely helpful. Typically, dollars is going to be a key area of focus that most people like to lean into. The problem is that they have these conversations solely focused on the particular service that they're trying to pitch, whereas when you're sparking these conversations, the conversation around the budget and the money has to center around the work at large, meaning you're not selling your service in that moment, you're not pitching your services in that moment. What you're doing is sharing elements of what you do and how that is tied to some element that will allow them to see the outcome of a cost savings or a cost avoidance or increase in revenue. When you're able to do this, I guarantee they are going to want to know more, and this is your opportunity to be able to lead that into another conversation.
Speaker 1:The whole point is that you want to get them thinking about what you do, some of the elements of what you offer and how that can be beneficial to their bottom line, and then you're going to allow them to begin to play around with these ideas and in future conversations you want to begin to connect those dots and when you think about it, all of these elements work together. Like I said before, it's not a matter of having one conversation and you're thinking to yourself okay, I'm going to talk about demo data and distinction, I'm going to weave it all in in this one five minute conversation at the table. No, okay, I'm going to talk about demo data and distinction, I'm going to weave it all in in this one five-minute conversation at the table. No, no, no, no, no. That's not how it works.
Speaker 1:What you're trying to do is spark a conversation using one of these elements of the framework and then following that up with additional conversations that will allow you to do more things. So, for instance, if you start out by sharing information with regards to data in your industry and you're beginning to share how you've been able to have some successes in those areas with yourself or with clients, and that leads that individual to say, hey, well, let me get your number, let's exchange contact information and maybe we can talk about this over a coffee chat or follow up at a later date. Well, in that follow up, then your conversation can expand beyond just sharing that data with them to maybe discussing how you would actually implement a certain level of change and walk them through that process, so they can vividly see what you do and get an idea of what it would be like to work with you. So, once again, you are trying to prolong these conversations. You want them to evolve over time.
Speaker 1:Most clients are not going to make a buying decision in the B2B space after one meeting, so this is our way of making sure that, every time that we are entering into a conversation with our potential client, that we're talking about something that is highly relevant to them, something that is going to resonate with them, something that they can utilize in their day-to-day work, and they're going to keep coming back for more because they want to learn more. You're allowing them to evolve in their practice, to evolve, and they are going to have greater interest in you and your services. So if you use this 4D framework to spark conversations, I guarantee you the conversations you have will be more fruitful. And, just to recap, there are four things that you're going to focus on, and that's talking about demo, which is showcasing how your business can be the game changer for them, allowing them to feel see what you do.
Speaker 1:Data, which is talking about your numbers, success stories, helping them see what you can achieve together. Distinction, which is allowing them to rise, to be a star in their industry. You want them to feel seen and acknowledged, and then dollars connecting the dots back to the bottom line. These are the type of conversations that most B2B executives and decision makers are going to resonate with. This is why, often, many of the conversations that we spark through our content, and many of the conversations that we spark through our content especially don't resonate as well if we're using standard strategies that are typically focused solely at the consumer level. So we're elevating our conversation so that we can elevate the clients that we attract. So I want you to try this, see how it works for you and, if you want to learn more about this at a deeper level, this is the type of work that I do with clients on a one-on-one basis. And then also, we talked about this a little bit in the consulting code, which is my course, and definitely in client catalyst blueprint, and now you have access to it to use it to spark your next conversation, and I want you to try it. Let me know what you think, let me know how it goes and what conversations you're able to generate and to kind of get started when you're using one of these elements of the framework.
Speaker 1:All right, guys, as always, I have had a pleasure chatting with you today. It's always great to get behind this mic and have this conversation with you and, as always, if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to share with a friend. It helps so so much for you to spread the word and then also leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or your rating on Spotify. It is something that will be super helpful in the podcast growing. As always, I want you to reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram. I love getting those conversations in my DM.
Speaker 1:I like to chat about the episodes and what you've been experiencing and learning. If you have done that before, you know that I will have a conversation back and forth with you, because I really do appreciate you tuning in and listening. I feel like this is our tribe. I just want to see, you want to meet. You have to figure out a way to kind of set something up one day so that we can actually engage together and get to know one another on a deeper level. But I'm going to say bye until next time.
Speaker 1:All right guys, take care, have a good one. Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Console 2 podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe and share it with a friend. We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting, and you can help us do just that. Also, I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn, and don't forget to visit excelatconsultingcom for more information to support your consulting journey. Until next time, keep breaking glass ceiling, all right, take care.
