Expand Your Fempire Podcast #99 Transcript

Live Coaching / Consulting Session for Women in Business

Welcome to Expand your Fempire with Caterina Rando, the podcast for women in business on a mission. Sharing ideas to support you to grow and thrive. Now here’s your host, Caterina Rando.

[00:00:00] Caterina Rando: Welcome back everybody to another episode of the Expand Your Fempire Podcast. I am blissing to be with you because we are doing something different today. Today, you are gonna have the privilege of listening to me coach my fabulous friend Gail Scott, reels/Instagram expert, podcast host, style/image extraordinaire, and an amazing woman who I want you to get to know better. Gail is blissing in her business. She is doing some new things. And we’re gonna coach her, or I’m gonna coach her, you’re gonna listen, and we’re gonna see what excitement we can create for her in her business.

[00:01:12] Hi Gail, blissing to have you here.

[00:01:14] Gail Scott: Hello, my friend. I’m so excited to be here, cuz anytime I get some of your advice that is time well spent.

[00:01:22] Caterina Rando: Thank you. Now tell me what is going on in your business that we wanna shine the spotlight on today?

[00:01:31] Gail Scott: Well, it’s funny that you said shine. The name my consulting business is Shine On Image Consulting, and this is a new extension of what I’ve been doing for a very long time. And it’s also a desire by me to be able to monetize things that I’ve been doing for free. And I’m sure a lot of women can relate to that.

[00:01:51] I’ve been in the beauty business for a long time. But it really gave my customers clients more than what they even asked for, or that, you know, they were expecting from me. And I’ve always just been that girl.

[00:02:04] And so when the pandemic started and I had to shift to social media, I went out there and paid to get the help I needed. And then I realized I was going and giving what I had paid for and what I had learned myself and what I had developed to a lot of people for free.

[00:02:19] And people kept telling me “no, you need to be coaching, consulting. You need to be doing the things.” I’m like “no, no, no.” But then I realized that they had a point, because the more people I talked to, I realized I had some marketable skills in that arena. I had a critical eye for color, for graphics, for positioning on the page, all those kind of things.

[00:02:40] And so in the last several months, I have launched that as an extension of my business. And then of course we have the podcast going, but let’s talk about Shine On today, cuz that’s really where I wanna focus.

[00:02:53] Caterina Rando: One of the guiding principles by which I encourage all of us to run our business is generosity. I do not believe that you hold it all back. At the same time, when you share everything you’ve got you do it one too many.

[00:03:10] And Gail, that’s what I want you to do, I want you to do more speaking, I want you to do more teaching. And then when we work with people one on one, with your coaching, with your consulting, that’s when it’s personalized to them. It’s customized for their situation, and absolutely you wanna be charging for it. And how is it going at charging people for your consulting?

[00:03:36] Gail Scott: It’s going well, the feedback has been that they got way more than they paid for. Some of my first several have all, I believe, most have extended our time together or added on other services. Because I work from a services menu, where I have a kind of a program if they want kind of help with everything, we do that. And it’s a certain amount of time, but then sometimes they come back and say “well, I need more intensive help with just my personal image.

[00:04:04] Caterina Rando: Great. Okay, good. So one of the things I wanna make sure you and everybody embraces as also another guiding principle is we’re looking for long term and lifelong clients, not just one session or two sessions or three sessions clients.

[00:04:24] One of the things that is so wonderful about image services, about serving people from a style perspective, is that there can be the Getting Started package, there can be the Image Upgrade package, and then there can be the Master Your Image package, I’ll call it. Which is maybe even a year long program.

[00:04:47] Now I share that with you, Gail, because I know that you are good at sales. What I wanna see you selling more of is I wanna see you selling more mentoring packages, not just let me teach you some stuff. Okay?

[00:05:03] Because the goal is not just to teach stuff. The goal is to support our clients in mastering stuff. Well, I know I would love to see it from you, I would love to see a group program. After people have done some individual work with you, but then now we have to move them towards mastery. How do we do that? By them doing it over and over and over.

[00:05:24] But what a group program does –okay my friend, super tip alert, super tip alert– is a group program gives them ongoing support, ongoing guidance, a structure that keeps them focused, that builds momentum, that creates accountability. And then guess what else they’re gonna get from you every week? Encouragement, and they’re gonna get the community of being together with like-minded like-hearted women.

[00:05:51] What do you think about that?

[00:05:53] Gail Scott: I am finding that some people need to work with me for longer periods and they want to circle back. They put into action the things I’ve taught them and given them. And I do very much go with a teaching approach, but it is very highly customized to them. So sometimes they’re putting into practice what I’ve taught them, and then maybe six weeks later they wanna circle back.

[00:06:14] Or I see some things that they’re doing, because I kind of know what my clients are doing because a lot of it’s on social media, so that’s a really cool thing. I’m able to circle back and tell them other things I’m seeing and they’ll schedule more time with me.

[00:06:26] So I do like that, maybe like a club or a membership where I could update them regularly and they could check in with me regularly. So I like the sound of that.

[00:06:37] I will tell you, and I think this is gonna be a surprise to you, I really struggled with pricing, because I’m that girl, I’m an enneagram 8, and the most devastating thing to me would be if anyone ever felt like it wasn’t worth the price. That would be the worst thing they could say to me.

[00:06:52] I know people say “well, you sell it a few times and increase your price”. I hear a lot of coaching gurus “increase your price, increase your price.” And I’m like “well, I didn’t increase my value or my content yet. Why am I increasing my price?” So that’s an area that I struggle with, cuz I really… I’ve never been the person that just wanted to get the money. I want my clients to be really, really happy and connected to me.

[00:07:15] Caterina Rando: That’s beautiful Gail. And you know, that’s what I want too. I want your clients to get massive value. I want them to want to keep coming back. I want them to feel like they got more than you promised. I want them to feel like they got more than their investment. Absolutely.

[00:07:33] At the same time, there’s nothing wrong with increasing your prices as you get busier or your calendar gets more full or your schedule gets more full.

[00:07:45] Here’s the other thing to know, the more you teach, the better you get. The more you focus on being an expert in your area, the better you get and the more the marketplace sees the great results you’re getting for your clients.

[00:08:02] You wanna charge a fee that you feel a little bit uncomfortable about. It’s gotta be not super exorbitant, but it’s a little bit uncomfortable, because you wanna grow into it. You wanna get more and more. The more you say it, the more comfortable you’re gonna get saying it.

[00:08:18] Okay, here’s my favorite thing about pricing. You wanna hear my friend? Okay. There’s the price. Then there’s the early bird price. But there’s something before that called the pre-publication price.

[00:08:31] So for example, right now I’m selling my Thrive with Women’s Retreats Certified Leader Program that we’re starting in a few months. Before I even launch it in the marketplace, I’m talking to all my clients about it that I think would be a good match. And I’m telling them when they join before the end of the month, they’re gonna get an extra discount. So that is something that creates urgency.

[00:08:56] Because discounts, bonuses, and better yet both, create urgency. And so we wanna look at this type of, I’ll call it tiered pricing, where you can have the people you personally invite, they get the best price.

[00:09:12] Because guess what? Especially when you launch your new group program, all you’re gonna want is some new people in the door. Once they get in the door, then you have the early bird price and you have the regular price, which of course is higher. What do you think about that?

[00:09:26] Gail Scott: I did have an early bird price for my makeup workshop intensive, and that did encourage some people to go ahead and get in, and also a limited seating because I did want that to be personal. Plus we all know in sales limited is a word that makes people move.

[00:09:42] But it really was limited. I wasn’t just making that up, I’m not that girl, I just can’t say things that aren’t true. But I only wanted to work with a small handful because it’s gonna be very personalized. And I’ve noticed you have the people that sign up the minute you put it out there, then you have the people that sign up right before a deadline, and then you have the people the last minute that you say today is really the last day. So I’d love some help on getting people in between those deadlines.

[00:10:08] Caterina Rando: Okay, so let me make a distinction. What you’re talking about right now is getting people to come to your workshop, which of course yes early bird is great. What I’m talking about is at the workshop, you’re gonna offer the next thing. Guiding principle alert: at the thing you always offer the next thing. Right? And so I wanna know what you’re gonna offer at your workshop as the next thing. Let me ask that question and then we can talk about it in a moment.

[00:10:34] Gail Scott: Well, I like your idea of a club or a membership. And I think I could have two different ones. I could have one that dealt with social media and I could have one that just dealt with image and appearance. Because every season there’s something new. There’s always new trends. There’s always new products. And who doesn’t want a seasonal update? So I think a membership where we met at least quarterly, maybe monthly, that that could be very helpful to these ladies to come in and update their look. So, I guess I need to start working on that.

[00:11:04] Caterina Rando: Okay, good. Because the thing is my friend, you’re gonna have all these ladies at your makeup class. They’re gonna get massive value. And then what are you gonna do? Say thank you very much? No, you wanna offer the next thing. Cause remember our goal is not just to educate, it’s to support them in moving towards mastery.

[00:11:21] And so what does that take? It takes experience. It takes time with you, ongoing support, ongoing guidance. And by the way, those are some of the things you wanna talk about to invite them to join your membership. And let me just repeat those, cuz you’re gonna talk about this in your offer. I’m gonna do a practice offer for you right now. Can I do that?

[00:11:40] Gail Scott: Sure.

[00:11:40] Caterina Rando: Okay, here it is. You say “hey, my friends you’ve been with me, have you gotten some value today?” They’re gonna say “yes, of course I got so much.” “Great. Today you’ve learned some things and I want you to go home and I want you to practice these things. But you know what? You’re probably gonna have some questions and you’re gonna want some ongoing support. And after you do this, you might realize there’s some more things you wanna upgrade. And so you’re gonna need some ongoing guidance.

[00:12:05] And this is why I wanna invite you to join my Shine Out Loud” –or whatever you wanna call it my friend– “membership or group program, because what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna meet twice a month and we’re gonna focus on this, this, and this. And every time you come, you’re gonna get ongoing support, ongoing guidance, focus, accountability, encouragement, and the best part: you’re gonna be with other amazing women, just like you, who are also looking to upgrade their image.”

[00:12:35] Gail what I wanna say to you is we wanna emphasize these different things because sometimes people think it’s just about the education and that’s what I call the myth of the seminar. Hey, you learned some stuff, but when we have the ladies with us at our workshops, we’ve gotta educate them that they want ongoing support. And that’s where you’re gonna introduce your membership. Or you might call it a Upgrade Your Style or Shine Out Loud program for three months.

[00:13:02] Gail Scott: I like this idea because the essence of what I do is changing. And people cannot master all that I’m gonna teach them in one sitting.

[00:13:11] Caterina Rando: Right, right.

[00:13:11] Gail Scott: It’s impossible, and especially if they don’t sit down with their notes the next morning and dive right in. So they’re gonna come back with questions.

[00:13:18] Also, just the nature of what I do when I’m teaching one person and I’m helping one person, it helps everybody else in the group, cuz no doubt they’ve had similar questions, or they didn’t even know it was a question. That’s what happens in my business a lot. They didn’t even know it was an issue. They didn’t even realize what was wrong until they see it done correctly. So I think there could be a lot of merit to that. I think y’all your listeners need to book me while I’m still cheaper.

[00:13:46] Caterina Rando: Exactly. Well, you know, here’s the thing, Gail. I’m gonna call them group programs. Because the thing about a membership is it kind of doesn’t have a end date. You know it’s like $25 a month or whatever it is.

[00:14:01] And what I want to encourage everybody to do is start with a small time commitment. Okay? Because the bigger the time commitment and the bigger the dollar amount, the harder whatever it is is to sell.

[00:14:15] With a lower time commitment and a lower dollar amount, that’s an easier yes. So rather than saying, join my membership, which might give the idea of between now and infinity, what if you said “join my four week, six week Upgrade Your Style program.” And then of course Gail, at the end of those six weeks, you’re gonna invite them into your longer mentorship program.

[00:14:41] And here’s what I wanna say about you, cuz we’ve talked today about the style part of it. You know, there’s the fit, the color, the makeup, the appearance. What I want you to know is that women buy clarity, so that’s your teaching them stuff, right? They also buy confidence, which you my friend have in droves.

[00:15:04] I haven’t heard you call yourself a confidence coach. I’m not saying that you have to be a confidence coach, part of what I would like to see you teaching is confidence, or helping women boost their confidence. Because it’s not just about appearance, it’s about behavior, it’s about communication, which you’re so good at.

[00:15:25] And the third thing that women buy: community, connection. Clarity, confidence, community. These are three things that women buy.

[00:15:36] Now it’s not the only three things women buy, and sometimes women don’t show up saying “I wanna buy some community.” But when they come and they’re with you, they get community, and that keeps them coming back. And part of what they’re gonna get from you is the encouragement in the community and that will also keep them coming back. What are your thoughts based on what I’ve shared with you?

[00:16:02] Gail Scott: Oh, I absolutely agree about community, and I think when you are teaching someone something and they find others have the same struggle that that bonds them together, and it makes everyone more comfortable. And as you move that entire group along, they’re gonna feed off each other and feed off you to grow that confidence. So I totally get that and totally agree.

[00:16:21] Teaching confidence. I definitely have some things to say about that. And I love to help people grow in their confidence, and that’s part of what I do. Because people sometimes don’t realize how much their image is holding them back, how much there’s a disconnect between the way they’re showing up, even down to their posture, and what they’re trying to sell or market or do. And when there’s a disconnect you lose potential clients, because they’re gonna say, “something’s not adding up here.”

[00:16:48] And I know I’m an enneagram 8, I shop with that very critical eye. So if anything, in your quote unquote “funnel” or your lead generation situation, if there’s a place there that there’s a drop, or there’s a place I have to stop and ask if you really know what you’re talking about, or if this is the same person, or what does she really do, then you’re likely to lose me.

[00:17:10] So I really have a desire to help women with that. Now that we’re working in this type of environment with social media, they’ve gotta make those smooth transitions. And that’s part of their confidence is knowing that everything’s gonna be gelled together. Not sure what else we call that. But that’s what I’m trying to do here with women.

[00:17:29] Caterina Rando: What we call that, Gail, is congruency. What you’re saying is that their physical appearance matches what their brand is, matches the words that come out of their mouth, that their message, their appearance, their branding, that it’s all congruent and that builds trust.

[00:17:49] Gail Scott: Definitely the branding. Everything I do is not working on people’s face, I just want everybody to understand that. Because it comes down to a full suite of how you put yourself out there. And I’ll see women who are marketing to midlife women, and they’ll put out graphics with tiny little font.

[00:18:05] And I’m like “I’m a midlife woman. I have on my readers and I can’t read this. What in the world would make you put this out there for midlife women?” It’s not only not gonna get me, it’s insulting. So I have an eye for even little things like that, that people don’t even think of. So I love that idea of helping them with that. And I love that word, that congruency, thanks for that word.

[00:18:27] Caterina Rando: You’re welcome. And that’s important to have trust in the marketplace, which is what we need for people to be a yes to work with us. Okay Gail, tell me what you’re gonna do based on our time together today.

[00:18:41] Gail Scott: The first thing is probably gonna look towards the group situations, because I know that anyone who is in this type of industry that’s where you need to move to. I hadn’t really given that a long term thought about the image part.

[00:18:55] I had really been more of a “here’s the menu, eat, and I’ll see you next time you’re hungry,” rather than “let’s just feed you all along and get you on a good diet program.” I know you’re banging your head up against the desk, aren’t you? But you know me, I just, I’m not here to take advantage, I just really wanna be really integral about everything I do here, and want my clients to be super happy, which you’ve given me a lot of thought about, you know, that continued support. That does make people happy.

[00:19:22] Caterina Rando: Right. And the thing is Gail, I wanna be very clear. I mean, how many times have we taken a class or a consulting hour or something, and then we got some value but it didn’t create massive change. There’s a difference between learning and creating massive change. To create massive change, we need that ongoing support, that ongoing guidance, the structure, the repeated connection, the encouragement, the community. And that’s what’s gonna help your clients create massive change. So please don’t see it like you’re taking advantage because it’s actually the opposite. They’re gonna get better results when they’re having ongoing support.

[00:20:04] Gail Scott: And I can see that. Especially in what I do, people need to often see it again, or hear it again, or they need to try it and then let me critique their new point, their new landing spot. “Okay, I did it. And this is where I’m now. Okay, how we take this from good to great.” So I definitely see the value in this.

[00:20:21] I just… you know, Caterina, this might be something good for you to speak into as our final moments close here, is I see so many people out there just going for the money grab, and you see that they’re not qualified for what they’re doing. And they’re just always just grabbing that money, grabbing that money. And when I decided to step into this space, I was just so attuned to that and didn’t wanna be that girl.

[00:20:44] So, what would you say to me about that and other women who are feeling this way? Because we see so many con people. I just worked with a girl this week. She had had professional portraits made and they were terrible. She had paid a lot of money. She had also paid someone for a LinkedIn banner page in which her picture, her hand was amputated. I don’t mean it faded it off. I mean amputated, like remember when you were a child and you went into stores and you would bump into the mannequin and his hand fell off? And she paid someone for that. And I try to be gentle in my critiques because I know people have paid for that, but those are the kind of things I’m seeing out there that I’m fixing for other people, and it’s kind of heartbreaking. So I just wanna make sure I don’t get mixed in with that crowd.

[00:21:34] Caterina Rando: Gail, you’re not at any risk of getting mixed in with that crowd because you have a commitment to integrity, to being of service. And, you know, I have heard so many stories of people making big investments and not getting ROI. I don’t think you’re at risk of that.

[00:21:53] And let me tell you, over the years, there’s been a couple of times when somebody has said ” oh, I wasn’t happy with X, Y, Z.” And what do I do? I make it right, okay? Now fortunately, 99.9% of the people are blissing and reporting more value than they anticipated.

[00:22:10] But there’s always gonna be mamas that are not a hundred percent happy, and our job is to do what we can do to provide the value that they were looking for.

[00:22:21] Part of it, too, is to be discerning about who we take on as clients, because not everyone is our ideal client, and there are many people that I have said “you are not the right match for me right now” in a gracious and gentle way, send them to the free resources, and perhaps direct them to another person who is better suited to serve them.

[00:22:44] And again, when we’re not operating only for the dollars, when we’re operating to be genuinely of service, we will only work with those people that we know we can serve. And that’s where I know you are coming from. And that’s why I trust, Gail, that you will be super successful at doing your thing. I am blissing to watch you soar and shine and be of service. Yay!

[00:23:10] Gail Scott: I’m enjoying it. And I always love your input. You’re so wise, and you’ve been in this game for a very, very long time, so all your words are gold. And I appreciate you, but I also appreciate your support, your just warm, genuine support of other women. It means a lot.

[00:23:25] Caterina Rando: My friend. Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m blissing to have had this time with you. Thank you for your kind words, and go get busy, cuz I’m watching to see if you do what you said you were gonna do. Bing, Bing, Bing.

[00:23:37] Gail Scott: It’s gonna happen.

[00:23:38] Caterina Rando: Here’s what I want to remind you of. You have massive value to bring. You have dreams. You have goals. Action is the antidote to whatever ails you between where you are and where you want to be. Take our discussion today, consider which of these things we’ve discussed will support you in getting more in action. Join me for our next workshop. Please go to caterinarando.com/events to see what we have coming in.

[00:24:11] I’m here to support you to sell more, speak more, serve more, and most importantly, to uplift more lives with your amazing self and your amazing business. Bing bing bing! Love to you. Can’t wait to be with you again. Connect with me, reach out any time because I got way more value for you and I’d love to connect with you and watch you thrive.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Expand Your Fempire with Caterina Rando.