Category Archives: Networking
The most perfect pitch email I’ve ever received: a breakdown of what she did right
Bracing myself, I open my email. And there they are: rows and rows and rows of unread messages, with subject lines like,
TRACK
NEW MUSIC!
MADE IN CHELSEA – MUSIC?
BAND FROM THE SOUTH
NEW MUSIC FOR TV
It was 2013 and I’d spent a few years doing the sexiest-seeming job I’d ever had: choosing music for big TV shows and movies.
I say “sexiest-seeming” because it was honestly a lot of me sitting around in my underwear on my bedroom floor, surrounded by scraps of paper, feeling stressed out, and making suggestions to directors who then, half the time, went with one of their own choices anyway.
But TELLING people “I choose music for big TV shows and movies” definitely elicited the kind of impressed response that made it feel worth it.
A downside of the job was my email inbox. By 2013, bands were already learning that one of the only ways to make money as a musician was through getting your music “synched,” as they call it. As someone who loves new music, you’d think I wouldn’t have been so bummed out by getting sent so much of it. The problem?
The same problem that EVERYONE being pitched — whether it’s for a music supervisor or a big deal podcast host or a journalist or publication editor — has:
How to get your friends and family to sell for you (without being a slimy creep)
When I first started this business, I thought the best way to sell my services would be to throw money at the marketing. Facebook ads! Celebrity endorsements! Giant billboards! Except, there was a pretty big obstacle…
…I HAD JUST STARTED MY BUSINESS SO I HAD NO MONEY.
What was left instead?
Word of mouth. Here, there was another problem:
Most of the people I’d done sessions with so far had been pro bono. And they’d been happy to do those sessions for free, because those people had no money to spend on coaching. Which meant most of the people they hung out with also had no money to spend on coaching.
You might have this same issue. But you know who does have some money they might spend on your thing? SOMEONE you know. Which sounds easy…. but:
How do you tell people you know about what you’re doing, without sounding like you’re trying to screw them out of their well-earned money as an act of charity?
Two parts to this answer:
1. Remember that the…
How to stand out when everyone else is selling, too
(AKA “What is it about crying in the bath that’s so exquisitely painful?”)
I sat at my desk, finger hovering over my mouse and feeling sick.
In the words of my friend Holly G, I used to sell my services like I was trying to sell drugs in a back alley. Back in my first year of business, I’d whisper what was on offer once, then never mention it again. In case you’re wondering, I did not have a steady stream of customers.
But, after some tough love from my sales coach (Kendrick Shope), here I was, about to send an email to my list, where I was openly — in my mind, aggressively — asking for the sale. I was terrified. I had started with a story, because I always start things with a story. But then I had very clearly spelled out why the person reading should hire me. I felt so pushy.
Frowning at the screen, I was totally convinced that, within minutes, all 200 people on my mailing list would unsubscribe. Perhaps some of them might appear outside my house with picket signs and tomatoes to throw. I took a deep breath and…
A sales page (and conversation) tip that’ll make ideal clients DESPERATE to work with you
A lot of us feel GROSS about writing sales pages or having sales conversations. Like we’re trying to force our stuff on people.
And when we’re then told to include your ideal clients pain points? Forget it! So pushy!
Except…. what if talking about their pain points actually helped them?
What if including pain points gave your dream clients the thing they crave most in the entire world — EVEN IF THEY NEVER BUY FROM YOU?
When done right, this is possible. And in this video, I show you how!
How to deal with disappointing friends; how to start speaking on stage; how to find your first clients: a Yes Yes Questions #6 Review!
This week I answer:
– How do I stop attracting people into my life that treat me like garbage?
– I’m building my first business. There’s so much to do and I don’t know where to start! What do you suggest I focus on first??
– You’ve spoken highly of your assistant and everything she does for you. When is it time to invest in a Virtual Assistant?
– I have something to share and I want to start speaking. How do I start?
– Did you have to do anything to develop and share your authenticity? I filter myself based on what I worry people will think.
– How do I start selling workshops to corporates?
– I’ve changed my business and what I do for people — how do I find new clients?
– How do I network when I live somewhere remote?
– Which of my inspiring stories should I be telling when I speak?
ALSO: i give you a free diagram to help you figure out who your clients should be when you’re starting a business or service. Click to read more!
How to Keep an Audience Interested when you Talk or Write – by changing their brains!
Everybody’s banging on about why storytelling is important and that you should be using it. But do you know why? Here’s my favourite fact about storytelling: It actually changes…
All of the best bits from my best videos! A Yes Yes Videos Review
PLEASE TRY NOT TO PASS OUT IN SHOCK:
Next week will see the return of a Cult Classic: The Yes Yes Marsha idiotic jokes, wigs and costume videos! And it’s going to be a gooooood one. I don’t want to throw in too many spoilers, but….
How to promote yourself without feeling gross; How to stop drowning in your to-do list
If I might briefly be not very British or Canadian, I got to give some REALLY good advice last week. Some of my favourite questions to answer, in my monthly live Advice column, Yes Yes Questions.
Q1: What is the art of writing posts to promote yourself on social media without feeling like a self-obsessed narcissist and annoying everyone you know?
i LOVE this question. Because so many people…
If you feel like everyone else is doing their lives just a little bit better than you are, you may need this
It’s mid-April. Over a quarter of the year in. What goals did you have? Anywhere close? So much time has passed and you haven’t done nearly enough towards them, have you?
Did you even get around to making any goals?
I didn’t. I printed out my YearCompass, over several days in January and Feb I got about…
Need to convince someone of something? Here’s how to READ THEIR MIND (by Chris from TellPeople)
Ever felt like you’re explaining something that – to you – seems so obvious, but the person you need to convince just isn’t getting it?
Recently, I was asked to run a workshop on buyer empathy (aka how to understand what your potential client wants), so I turned to get some help from my (very, very smart)(he’s been a lawyer representing Wall Street companies and indigenous rights) friend Chris from TellPeople.
Then, I asked him to share some of his smarts with you! Here’s what he has to say about how to READ MINDS (or at least, have a good guess at what’s inside them):
Make sense of your audience
When you’re trying to convince someone of something – whether it’s a potential client to hire you, or a family member to please stop doing that annoying thing they keep doing – do you ever wonder what’s going through their mind while they read your writing or listen to you talk?
What about when you’re talking to a group of people – how do you keep track of what all those people are thinking?
The truth is: you can’t know what anyone else is thinking about what you’re saying.
But – while you can’t read peoples’ minds, there is one thing you know for sure about every person you talk to. Actually, it’s the only thing you know for sure.
Can you guess?
Other…
