Not getting clients from Social Media?

Taste. Yo, yo, yo, yo Words I can taste yo, yo, yo I can taste. Yo, yo, yo, yo Words I can taste yo, yo, yo I can taste yo, yo, yo I can taste. Hello, I'm Katie McManus, business strategist and leadership coach. Happy Monday. This is my new Monday ritual is I sit down, get in touch with what is happening for my clients, for myself, for the world of entrepreneurs, and I just dive into something helpful that will hopefully set the week off on the right tone. So today I want to talk about having expectation. Something's vibrating. I don't know what is that? Anyway, I'll find it later. Anyway, I want to set expectations for how social media works when you first get on there to build your business and to get clients. Because let me tell you about what I hear all the time is someone starts, oh my gosh, that's gonna drive me nuts. What is vibrating? Who is texting me? Where'd my phone go anyway? I have no idea. I've lost it in this mess. I'm not even gonna show you the mess. The mess is awful. Hi, LinkedIn user from Italy. How are you? Where in Italy are you from? I love Italy. It's one of my favorite countries. And what's your name? Because it's hiding your name and your picture from us. Anyway, okay, so back to the topic. So new business owners, you're on social media, you're posting consistently. You feel like you're exerting so much energy and time and brilliance and you're not getting anything back from it and you're, you're starting to get a little resentful, like it's starting to get icky. So, like, I need to just reset the expectation here. You are not going to get a client every time you post to social media. It is not going to happen. That is not how this works. Okay, maybe you will in a couple of years when you've built your audience, when you have a defined niche, when people look at your picture and see your name, we're like, heck, yes, I know who this person is and I know how they're helpful to me and I need their next thing. Maybe then you're going to make a sale every single time you post to social media. But you're not going to do it now. Okay, you're just starting out. I don't want you to have this expectation that that's how this works. So oftentimes the mindset when we get started in our businesses is that it's going to operate like a product pre existing business okay, so, like, imagine you're coming from being a car salesperson, right? You worked in for a car dealership that's been around for, like, 35 years. Every month you were given a quota. This is how many cars you had to sell. This is your goal. And pretty much every month, like, you were able to hit that goal, right? Because the goals that you were given were pretty realistic based on how the company has done in the past. Now, your new business is not. Does not have that track record yet, okay? People don't know about it. You don't have something like. That's really a commodity like cars. You're selling a service, and you have to train your world to know that you sell that service. Okay? You cannot set expectations for each post that you put on social media to deliver a client to you each time, okay? Not how that works. Okay? Now it's not. The example I like to use in the metaphor is that social media is not a gumball machine, okay? So. I know, I know. Like, I don't think they're even around anymore. I think people have realized how disgusting they are. But when you're a kid and you went to the grocery store with your parents and you know they're checking out, you're, like, bored and, like, you're putting your hands in your pockets and you're, like, trying to get them to buy you a candy bar, and they're saying no, because you've already, like, gotten them to throw. Throw so many things in the cart during your trip to the supermarket. And then you spot a gumball machine. You're like, mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom. Can I have a quarter? Can I have a nickel? I want to go get a gumball. And then she, you know, finally is like, just get out of my hair. Here's your quarter or your nickel. Go get a gumball. Maybe it'll shut you up, right? We all remember that as kids. So we go to the gumball machine and we put it. Our little change in the machine, and we crank it, and then we watch as the gumball and we hope it's. We always hope it's like the red one, right? Because that's like the best flavor. They're all the same flavor, but to us, that's the best. So we hope it's the red one. And then we hear it ping, ping, ping, ping. And like, wait, I'm making really bad sounds for this. That is not how a gumball machine sounds if you've never experienced one. I've just made it sound like a pigeon. But Anyway, you put a quarter in, you get a gumball out, okay? We, when we start on social media, we expect it to be the same, okay? We put a post out there and we expect to get client in. That's not how it works. I want you to imagine instead you are standing next or sitting on the ground next to this gumball machine, and you have a bucket full of quarters. A bucket, like hundreds and hundreds of quarters. And you are popping those quarters in, cranking it, cranking it, nothing. Popping another quarter in, cranking it, cranking it, nothing. Popping another quarter and cranking it, cranking it. See a ball like maybe coming and then it doesn't go. Fine. If someone, someone DM'd you about your service, they're interested, but not yet, it's fine. And then you take another quarter and you put it in, you crank it, crank it, crank it. Now you're, you're like 60 quarters in, okay? You've been posting every day for two months, right? And you know, you're tired, you're. But you're like, really, you're committed, you're being there and you've decided to make it fun. All of a sudden, three gumballs come through. Three gumballs just magically like come down the chute and you see the little flap, like, you know, kind of twitch at you, and you look in, there are three gumballs, three clients have signed up. That's more of what this is like, Laura. Now I'm disappointed that gumballs don't sound like pigeons. I know I would take up it up with the gumball machine companies if I were you. If anyone can do something about this, Laura, I think you could. Okay? Anyway, and then you just have to keep feeding quarters into the machine. And occasionally two more will come out, Five more will come out, one will come out. And as you consistently do this, more and more, more and more will come out. Now, your business will probably get a predictable sales cycle around year two, year three. Okay? But you have to, you have to have faith that this is gonna work through that first and second year. If you don't have faith, if you don't consistently keep feeding quarters into the machine, you're never gonna get to the point where you can set a quota for yourself and consistently hit it like the car dealership. Okay? Now, when we don't come to our businesses and to our social media accounts with this, this mindset, when we expect it to be the typical gunball machine where it's one post out in and then a client out, what happens is you End up feeling super resentful. Right? You start. It just builds in you. And let me tell you, if you were at a party and you had someone who was there and present and having fun and being themselves and like just had faith that the right people would like become friends with them at this party and then standing next to them, you had this person who's just fuming and resentful and they're getting angrier, angrier that no one's talking to them and they're just exuding this negative energy. Who are you going to want to go and hang out with? I'm betting it's not the resentful person. I'm betting it's the person who's there and consistently having fun and being themselves. Right? So when we set ourselves up for this gumball, one in, one out mentality, we set ourselves up also to become that gross resentful person who no one wants to be around, hang out with or buy from. Okay? So you're doing yourself a favor when you're just sitting there with your bucket of quarters, your bucket of posts and being consistent and staying true to who you are. Okay? And I get it. I absolutely get it. It is really frustrating to put that much work into something and not see immediate results. Okay? We are dope amine addicts. Okay? We like that, that rush of dopamine that happens when we get a quick win. Okay? So I want you to reset what your expectations are for those quick wins. Okay? Quick wins could be a lot of people commenting on your stuff. Quick wins could be people DMing you about your, your content. It could be how many people connect with you. All that stuff is super helpful because it helps broaden your reach. Okay. And it helps more prospective clients to eventually find you. But it can get exhausting to put all this effort out and have nothing to show for it. So here, here are three simple ways that you can actually jumpstart your way to clients while you're building this social media consistency. Okay? Because you need clients. If you don't have paying clients in your business, you do not have a business. You have a hobby. Right? Heard me say that before. Now, number one, this can be nerve wracking, but it works, is you reach out to your existing network and you ask them for referrals. Legit. It sounds terrifying. You probably want to vomit in your mouth a little bit as you hear me say that. You reach out and you tell people, hey, this is my business. This is a service I'm running. Do you know one to three people who could use this and if so, would you mind introducing them to me? I'd offer them, you know, a call to see if it's a fit and give them more information. Simple as that. And then you give them instructions as to how to do that easily. Number two is host a webinar, host a pop up training, attract your ideal clients to you. So here, here's the thing about social media is kind of like a pool party, okay? So stick with me. This is kind of a weird metaphor, but stick with me. So there are three types of people who go to a pool party, right? Okay, there's the Katie McManuses. Hello. Who we show up with our bathing suit on underneath our clothes. We get to the party, we grab a drink, we say hi to everyone, give hugs and kisses all around, and then we immediately jump into the deep end of the pool, okay? In your business, the Katie McManus is the one that sees your post three times, is convinced they want to buy from you, DMs, you books on your calendar. Like you'd have to really fuck up that sales call to keep the Katie McManus from buying from you once she's decided to buy from you, okay? You'd have to really undercut your own credibility. Okay? They are ready to go. That is, that is actually when you're, when you're posting and expecting a client every single time you're waiting for us. We are few and far between, okay? Not everyone buys like us, okay? There's the second type of person who comes to the pool party, okay? And this is the person who will come. They'll have snacks, they'll have drinks, they'll talk to everyone. They'll be really pleasant. They're going to show up, they're going to really add to the energy of your party, but they're never getting in that pool. They didn't even bring their bathing suit. What they might do is sit on the edge and dangle their feet in the water while they talk to other people in the pool, okay? But they are not, they are not getting in that pool and they are not buying from you, but they will be full supporters. These are your super fans that live on social media. They're the ones that are going to show up in your comment section, they're going to like your posts, they're going to show up at any webinar or pop up training that you have to support you, to learn a little bit from you, but they are never going to buy from you, okay? You're not selling to them. Who you are selling to right now, as you're building up that consistency on social media, is the third type of person, okay? So this person, they show up to the pool party, they have their bathing suit in their bag. When they get there, they'll eventually change, but first they want to have a snack and they want to have a beverage and they want to like, catch up with a few people. And then eventually, when the Katie McManus is in the pool or hollering to them, hey, Louise, get in the pool right now. Come swimming. They'll be like, okay, okay. So they'll go and change into their bathing suits. And they're not jumping in the deep end, not interested in that. What they're going to do is they're going to get in on the steps, okay? So they're going to ease their way in, okay? Because they want to acclimatize their bodies to the temperature of the water before they get fully in that pool, okay? They don't want the shock to the system. So they're going to ease their way in and they may make it to the deep end, but they're probably going to, you know, just kind of wade in the shallows, okay? This is the type of buyer who is never going to jump on a sales call with you from seeing a post on social media. They will, however, join your webinar. They will sign up for your pop up training. Because your webinar and your pop up trainings are that low pressure. Let me get used to the temperature of the water environments for them, okay? They're going to show up and they're going to be one of the crowd. They're not going to be the sole person that you're going to try to sell to. They're going to get in there, they're going to kind of see how you operate, see if you're funny or not, see if they jive with you, see if what you're teaching is actually helpful to them and they're going to ease their way in. And eventually, after they've gone to a webinar or two or three or four or five of yours. Seriously, I've had people go to like 12 of my pop up trainings and then become my client. It takes a while for some. Then they will finally book a sales call with you or buy your thing, okay? You, as a business owner, it is your responsibility to create those spaces for them. If you're not creating those spaces for them, you're actually telling them that they're not welcome in your business, okay? You're creating a not inclusive environment for people who buy like that, okay? That's on you. But if it's on you and it's your fault, that is the best thing in the world because it means that you can also fix it. Okay? So first and foremost, you're asking for referrals. Secondly, you're hosting a webinar or a pop up training. By the way, I train on how to do both of these things with my one on one clients and in byob, okay? It is a pivotal part of the program is asking people to introduce you to others. Now, my style of referrals is I ask for interviews just to make sure that they know the right people. Now, finally, part of your strategy while you're building up your credibility on social media is you want to get speaking. You want to speak on stages, you want to speak on podcasts, you want to really broaden your reach for who who hears you, okay? And then you invite them to either DM you with questions, to connect with you on social media, to download your PDF on the seven ways they can achieve X, Y and Z. There are a bunch of different ways that you can bring people into your fold and then invite them to become a client once they're in that circle of trust. Okay? Do not put all the pressure on doing this via social media, okay? It's not going to happen in your first however many months you're doing this, okay? It's going to take time to build up, okay? Now lastly, unless you're doing stuff massively wrong, which you might be, that's it's always a possibility. A lot of people show up consistently on social media and they post stuff that's not helpful for their clients to ever understand that they should buy this thing from them. Unless you're doing it massively wrong, which if you are or you suspect you are, I invite you to DM me or book a call with me, I'm happy to do a quick audit of your social media and tell you where you're missing the mark on that call. Also, if you're curious about any of my programs that train you on all of this, we can talk about that. So just DM me or go ahead and book a strategy call on my website. But unless you're doing stuff massively wrong, if you're doing a strategy that you've gotten advice that is tried and true and you're just not getting results from it yet, what I don't want you to do is follow the hot new gurus every five minutes. And change up your strategy. No, don't do that. Don't change up a strategy just because it hasn't given you the results you want yet, okay? Give. Give any social media strategy at least a few months, okay, before you start changing the game completely. Completely. The key here is you have to stay consistent, okay? If you're not consistent, then you're not showing up in people's worlds. They're not going to even remember that you exist. And how can they give you their money if they're not even aware that you exist? Okay? That just doesn't work that way. So stay consistent. If you're following good advice, if you're pretty sure that what you're doing just isn't working. And let me give you a metric here. So if you're posting consistently on social media and you're consistently Getting less than 10 likes and less than 5 or 6 comments and you're not getting clients from it, then you need to DM me. And we're going to do an audit of your social media. And if you could be served by one of my programs, I'll tell you about it and heist too. Stephen Doyle, welcome. Always lovely to see you pop in. Stephen. I can't remember if you're just have an Irish name or if you're actually based in Ireland. Could you tell me? I always forget. But I want you to just remember this one thing if you walk away from this, live with anything, is that consistency is all that matters. Consistency, okay? You have to show up and be visible for your business every single damn day. Because if your clients don't remember that you exist, there's no way that they can give you their money with that. I have to go and get some things done for my business. Mondays are typically my admin sales calls, like getting up to date with my team. And as I'm describing this, I'm thinking of all these things that I forgot to put put it on my to do list. So I'm gonna go write that down before I forget. Anyway, thank you. Oh, you just Irish. Okay, well, not just Irish. I mean that's special too. But I'm imagining you're based in the US or UK. Okay, thanks Stephen. Anyway, LinkedIn user from Italy, Laura. Stephen. Thank you all for joining. For those of you who are lurking and not commenting, I see you. Not really. That would be creepy. And hi Andrew, I see you. And don't worry, you're not alone. This is hard for everyone. Okay? Building a business is one of the hardest things you will ever do. In your life, okay? There's a reason why the failure rate is really high. But I just want to remind you that. That you are strong and smart and capable. And with the right guidance. Because remember, you've never done this before. With the right guidance, you can make a success of this. Okay? And if you're feeling like you don't have all the puzzle pieces because your school never gave it to you, I guarantee you that I want you to send me a DM and we're going to get on a call, okay? No pressure. Call where I can point you to some resources, whether it's mine or elsewhere. Elisa, have a great day. Thank you. No, thank you. Great to see you. And we'll just hop on a call, no pressure, and get you off on the right foot because this is really hard and I don't want it to be this hard for you. Okay? With that. Happy Monday. Hope you have an amazing week and I will talk to you all soon. Bye.