60 | Storytelling Secrets to Attract Coaching Clients

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Hello and welcome to Women in

the Coaching Arena podcast.

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I'm so glad you are here.

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I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor

and ICF accredited coach

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

and I help coaches to

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build brilliant businesses.

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I know that when you prepare to enter

the arena, there is fear, self doubt,

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comparison, anxiety, uncertainty.

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You can tend to armor up and

protect yourself from vulnerability.

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In this podcast, I'll be sharing

honest, not hype, practical and

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emotional tools to support you to make

the difference that you are here for.

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Dare greatly.

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You belong in this arena.

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Hello, welcome to the 60th episode

of women in the coaching arena.

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I am so glad you are here.

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I've been reflecting on what

would be a useful topic.

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And I realized I have never covered

storytelling in attracting clients and

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how you can utilize that in your business.

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So excited to dive deep into this today.

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I actually often say that I'm not

very good at storytelling, but I think

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I am good at it if I'm talking out

loud, like when this podcast it's so

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easy to remember examples and to drop

them in and to go off on a tangent

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remembering things, but I actually

find it quite hard to do in writing.

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So if that is you, don't worry,

it's still possible to utilize

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storytelling, to attract coaching

clients into your business.

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I first realized the power of this when

I reflect on my best performing LinkedIn

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posts and every single one of them.

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Is about women making money, which

is something I kind of go off

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on a tangent about occasionally.

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And it was interesting when you look at

your best performing posts over the years.

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The fact that I took the low paying job.

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Once I had children to

try and balance it all.

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And how now I'm so passionate about

helping women make money on their

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terms around their own commitments.

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part of my story has definitely

helped people to resonate with me

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And sign up for my coaching program.

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Stories have the ability to influence

people's thoughts, feelings, and decisions

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in a way that logical information can't.

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We are created to connect

with real stories.

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In terms of the psychology

behind storytelling.

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mirror neurons mean that when we hear

a story that same neurological regions

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are activated as if we are experiencing.

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ourselves.

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So when I perhaps share my story of

having to overcome that challenge and

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step into creating a business on my terms.

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It helps people remember that.

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Journey of quitting their job and starting

their business for the first time.

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Stories bypass The analytical,

rational part of the brain and

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directly tap into instincts emotions.

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And decision-making.

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And it's good to remember

that we buy on emotion.

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So if you can help your

ideal client feels something.

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They are far more likely to buy from you.

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When we can visualize

things, it also really help.

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So stories will help people to remember.

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Enough to be able to relay that

information and to really hook into

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what you shared in terms of a story.

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If you're creating posts, it's

really great to think about how

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you can relay that in real life.

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A real commonly told story

is the hero's journey.

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And this resonates so universally with us.

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The reason why it resonates is because we

have all dealt with struggle and growth.

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So the hero's journey talks

about that fundamental human

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experience of facing challenges.

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And undergoing transformation and

emerging victorious that we can

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all relate to on a personal level.

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I'm sure we've all been through

experiences in our life when

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it's just felt utterly terrible.

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And we feel like we're never going to

get to the other side, but somehow we do.

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So that's theme Taps into our core desire

for meaning and self-actualization.

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The emotional roller coaster is

another reason why the hero's journey

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resonates because despite us always

feeling like we are the only one

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who is up and down, everybody is.

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And the hero story takes your ideal

client on that emotional journey

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of the hero, which is the journey

from an ordinary place of going

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to work and coming back again.

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Then usually like the adventure and the

trials and sacrifices along the way.

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Usually at some point hitting

some sorts of rock bottom and

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triumphing over adversity.

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And hearing that reminds us that we are

not alone, and this is normal, despite us

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often feeling like we are the only ones

feeling that roller coaster of emotions.

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The hero's journey helps us on a

subconscious level, understand their

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motivations, their flaws, their

thinking patterns, their transformation.

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It helps us also to remember that

we can achieve the impossible.

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If we persevere and are courageous

and it reminds us that we can

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reach our biggest goals and dreams.

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The hero's journey is essentially

a metaphor for the cycle of life.

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Being birthed into the world, encountering

problems, seeking advice and allies.

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Going through.

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Good times, bad times.

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I'm finally achieving mastery.

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So this aligns with the

patterns of our own growth.

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And how we understand the

world from such an early age.

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That hero's journey, which is a great

one for your about page on your website

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is important because it reveals truths

about us as humans, the growth process

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and desire to live a life of meaning.

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And it's all woven into that Emotionally

gripping narrative that you find in

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movies, in soap operas, and that's

why these things are successful.

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And when you share your story, you

build rapport with your ideal client

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and remembering it takes know,

like, and trust to buy from you.

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So usually a story helps them know

you like you and trust you in order to

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eventually be able to become your client.

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So let's think about the types of

stories that you can tell as a coach.

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So we've talked about that first one,

the hero's journey that's ideal for

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your website, for your social media.

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If you have undergone the journey

of your ideal client and we find

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is most of us do the work because

we have been on that journey.

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So if that is you, then the

hero's journey is perfect for your

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website and for your social media.

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Another great type of story you can

tell is your client success story.

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I talk about this a lot, how

we can paint the picture of the

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transformation our ideal client went on.

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Really giving that detail instead of just

saying it was great and they listened

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well, we really want to hear what went on

in their life and what tangible difference

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your coaching made in their life.

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And as much as you can make

it emotionally compelling.

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Then people will be able to see themselves

in your other clients success stories.

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An inspirational story is another

one telling the story of a client

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or even a public figure who overcame

extraordinary odds or obstacles through

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the power of coaching and perseverance.

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I love doing this when I record this

podcast and I often just pull in stories

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without even meaning to, to help, to

inspire and motivate you to take action.

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To remind you that this

is possible for you.

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For example, I had an onboarding call with

someone today and she talked about the

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fact that it's a tough market right now.

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It seems to be really busy

and that type of thing.

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And I shared with her that I

never ever think about the market.

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Like does that mean?

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No one's buying?

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No very rarely does it

mean no one's buying.

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So if they're buying from someone,

how about you are going to be the best

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out there so they're buying from you,

even if it is tough economical times.

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People are still buying.

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There are still people out there.

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You only need a few.

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It's not like you need millions

of people to fill your practice.

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So what I love to do is inspire

people to look for success stories.

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Look for the people that are succeeding in

your industry, know that it is possible.

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And if it's possible for them,

it is possible for you too.

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A final story I'll touch on

is the educational story.

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So you can use a narrative to

illustrate maybe a key methodology

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you use, a type of paradigm shift

that you facilitate with your clients.

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How you can simplify those complex

ideas through story of what.

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Happened when you asked

that particular question.

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And it really then might resonate

with your ideal client and them

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think, yeah, that was a good one.

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So they align with what they need

to believe to buy your program.

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So, for example, if

you are a career coach.

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They need to know that they

can have a job that they enjoy.

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They need to believe that it is

possible for people like them to

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have a career that they enjoy.

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So everything you're doing in your

marketing is to change those beliefs to

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help them to see that this is possible.

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And therefore, if they buy

your service, they are highly

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likely to achieve that success.

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So Let's talk about how to

craft these compelling stories.

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The key story elements are a relatable

character, often you or your other

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clients that you might be showcasing.

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Usually there is some sort of conflict

and challenge that they have been through.

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Next up is the journey or

transformation, the types of

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things that you did that helped.

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And finally, we want to end with a

resolution, like, How did that help

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you to gain your success right now?

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So it's interesting, isn't it,

without even realizing what

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I'm doing a lot of the time.

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That is what share in my story, that

the relatable character is someone whose

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parents said they needed to get good jobs.

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So they went and got a good job.

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The conflict or challenge is that

you have children, you realize you

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can't do the hours you used to do.

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You can't travel the way you used to do.

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And then the journey transformation

of having no confidence and absolute

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rock bottom that I could run a

business or find work that Works

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around me and my family and my values.

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And finally with the resolution of my

goodness, this is actually happened.

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And this is possible with the power of a

lot of coaching over the last few years.

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To help you to really set the scene.

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I would suggest painting vivid details.

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I went on a storytelling course once,

and I was absolutely rubbish at this at

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the time And it's the details such as

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I remember someone really taking

ages to paint this story of the

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different shades in the trees.

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And I remember thinking.

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God, they need to hurry up.

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But I actually now looking back,

that's the thing I remember.

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I can literally picture the tree

that she painted in this storytelling

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course that I was on in my workplace.

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So it's funny how we can hook into

these visual elements and that

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helps us to remember the person,

the story, the point of the story.

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You're wanting to build

tension and emotion.

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Highlight those perspective shifts that

you had and showcase a inspirational

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hopeful resolution, because that

is ultimately what we all want.

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Metaphors and analogies

also work really well.

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Many people talk about my front

door, back door methodology when

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I talk about selling coaching.

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the amount of coaches that say, yeah,

I know it's back door rather than front

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or so that analogy has really, really

helped me to help more coaches understand

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that we can get so stuck in the back

door of the confidence, the mindset,

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all the things that people really need

to have the success that they want.

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But we need to keep remembering the

front door, which is the thing that

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they ultimately just want right now.

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And that is the hardest thing to

do as coaches when we spend so

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much of our lives in the back door.

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That is the coaching session.

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When they're in your program.

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But the front door is before they

understand that any of that is at

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all important in their journey.

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So you can do that too

in your storytelling.

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Let's turn to incorporating

stories into your marketing.

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I say first up your easy win is

your about page on your website,

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showcase your hero's journey.

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People want to know who you are.

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They don't want to know

just your qualifications.

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They want to know you as a person.

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Another way you can showcase storytelling

on your website is through those

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clients' stories, Your case studies,

your testimonials, your results.

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Email marketing is another place

where you can bring in stories.

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My wonderful friend, Faye Wallace always

incorporate stories into email marketing

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And it helps you to want to read the end.

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Cause everyone wants to

know the end of a story.

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Social media is another place where

you can share your day in the life.

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You're behind the scenes, glimpses these

work really well in launches as well.

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One of my clients, Jess at the moment is

mid a launch and she is doing an amazing

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job with painting that behind the scenes

of her portal And what she's preparing for

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the clients who have joined her program.

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Sales conversations is another way you

can bring in storytelling by sharing those

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stories, that address your ideal client's

objections of like, does this work for me?

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I know another client of mine, Levanah.

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Hello.

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If you're listening.

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Said to me, has anyone you work

with come from my industry?

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I worry that because

you used to work in HR.

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That everyone in your program is from HR.

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And I was able to say, no, I've

got two other people from your

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industry in my program right now.

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So that really helped her join

the program, knowing that I

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could help people like her.

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So in conclusion stories, create emotional

resonance that build that know like, and

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trust that people need to buy from you.

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Have a think about how you can consciously

collect those stories from your ideal

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clients and your own life experience.

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And if we're thinking about the topics

that we covered today, firstly, we

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talked about the psychological behind

the scenes reasons for storytelling.

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We unpacked the hero's journey

and why that is such a successful

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story in your marketing.

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We talked about the types of stories for

you to tell, including client success

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stories, personal journey, inspirational

story, and educational story.

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We talked about how to create

compelling stories, those key

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elements in a story, and how to

set that scene with vivid details.

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We covered how you can incorporate

stories into your marketing on your

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website, email marketing, social

media, and in sales conversations.

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Tell a story this week, please do

tag me in or share the link to your

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post with me afterwards, I would

absolutely love to see your stories

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and support you on social media.

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I'm on LinkedIn as Joanna Lott.

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That's Joanna with an a lot with two T's.

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And Instagram as joannalottcoaching

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so please do go out there, share

your hero's story and tag me in

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or share it with me afterwards.

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I would love to see that this

podcast episode has helped you.

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And if you want the accountability

to do this, these are the sorts

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of things we cover in our weekly

calls in the business of coaching.

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You have breakout rooms in order to

come up with your story, for example.

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And then, at the end of the session,

I would be asking you to share

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in our slack channel, what you're

intending to do differently as

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a result of this week session.

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So if you're ever wondering what

it feels like to be part of the

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business of coaching and why

it's such a successful container.

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It's not about the content and the

fact you've already nailed your

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niche, where you've done your offer.

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You already know about marketing.

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It's the fact that every single week you

become an absolute expert in your field.

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You get inspired to take different action

than you would normally take, because

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that is what it takes right now to have

that commitment, to be the best, to

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learn every single week and get better

and better at your craft of marketing

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and selling your amazing coaching.

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So, if you are interested in help to

make this happen, You will find the

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details of my program in the show notes.

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I would love to work with you to

help you to personalise everything

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we do into your business.

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And like I say, at the end of

every episode, trust yourself.

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Believe in yourself and be the wise

Gardner who keeps on watering the seeds.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

Thank you so much for listening to this

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episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

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I have a mess of free resources on

my website joannalottcoaching.com.

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That's Joanna with an A

and Lott with two T's.

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joannalottcoaching.com.

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And I'll also put links in the show notes.

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Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

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Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

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personally thank you for that.

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Remember to trust yourself, believe

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

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who keeps on watering the seed.

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Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.