Carol Schofield Testimonial

Hey everybody, it's Cheryl Plouffe here and I am with one of my clients, Carol Schofield. And the reason that we wanted to get together and do this video today is because Carol has seen some amazing results in the Video Breakthrough coaching program that I conduct and that she's been part of. And so we wanted to give you some examples, really tangible examples of how this can really help to benefit you. I think it's always beneficial to bring people on who have actually had results. I mean, that's really the thing that I do, and I'm so passionate about helping business owners to really grow their visibility and their credibility online. So I brought Carol on today to talk about that. So Carol, thank you so much for being here. Um, you have had some really great results. Tell me a little bit about your experience in the program and describe what that was like for you.

Okay, when I first started the program, I was scared silly actually of actually having to get up in front of a camera and speak to someone. You know, does my hair look okay? My face isn't right. This is just not going to work for me. But you were very helpful and supportive and encouraged us to do this. So I found out it wasn't that bad. And as we walked through each step, each step we took prepared us for the next step.

Yeah, so did you like the order in which we did things?

I think it was a great order, and I think that doing that Facebook Live was probably the hardest thing I did, but it was the most fun, I think, out of all of the things, even though it was completely terrifying. Actually, it wasn't that bad, it just—

No, it's okay. Listen, if it was terrifying, and, you know, that's okay, you can say so, you know what I mean? I really want to help people to go from A to Z. So tell me a little bit more about like where you were, what was A for you? You know, where did we start from and then where did we end up at the end of the program? What were you feeling and thinking at the start of the program in terms of, you know, putting yourself out there with video?

I think I realized I need to put myself out there with a video. Social media is where it's at. If you want to reach people, you really need to be out there talking to them. Seriously, after I signed up, I thought I'd made a huge mistake. This is before I started.

No, that's okay. Listen, this is truth-telling here. And listen, these are the experiences that people have, and it's truth, and I am totally, I think you should just be absolutely truthful. If you were terrified, say so. If you doubted it, say so, that's fine.

Okay, I really did. I really, at the time, I thought, oh my God, what have I done? I can't do this. This is going to be too much. I don't like the computer. I don't like being on camera. I don't even like getting my picture taken. It was an ordeal just to get my headshots done last year for my website. So when I first started, it wasn't bad. We had our Zoom meeting and we got to know each other a little bit more. And you kind of talked us through a number of the steps of, you know, we don't have to be perfect. Just be me. And once I realized I could be me, be on camera and do this, all the other steps kind of fell into place.

That's great. Well, I think I'm so proud of you because you really have come a long way from the beginning of the program to where you are now. Tell me a little bit more about this Facebook Live experience because to me that's really a very momentous moment for you and it's also the place where you've been getting some great results. So tell me about that experience of doing Facebook Live.

Well, my first Facebook Live, I kept delaying it and delaying it, and you kept giving me that little nudge, that little nudge, and I had to get it done. So I thought I would pick a time when nobody would even see me online and do it. I had questions prepared to ask, like to ask myself or to say somebody asked me, and I was going to pretend. Then all of a sudden, there's people online and they're talking to me. And it made it better. Like, once I told him, you know, it's my first time, I told him I was scared. I had a lot of support even from my friends that were online. So it actually turned out when it was all done, I was all amped up and I so much wanted to do another one, but this little voice said, okay, you've done one, take it easy, breathe, and we'll try another one. It was really wonderful that a lady that I've been talking to and known for probably a year. I've been seeing her here and there. She actually saw my Facebook Live. She thought that I was very brave and bold to get up and do that, and it encouraged her to contact me, and she ended up becoming a client after seeing me on Facebook Live. And then she referred me to someone else who's watched my Facebook Live, and we've met as well. We're not totally in our relationship yet, but we're well into it. So the Facebook Live was actually, it was a lot of fun. Once you get going, you just sort of, things start to flow, and I think part of it, I don't even remember what I was saying. I remember it starting, I remember doing some stuff, and then I remember it ending. Much like the speech I gave the other night at my Toastmasters club. I was in the zone. So it was a lot of fun, actually.

Well, and I wanna talk more about Toastmasters in a second, but I watched your Facebook Live. What I find fascinating about this whole thing is that you're only at the, you're just starting. And you're already getting clients, you're already getting results with just a couple to a few, you know what I mean? Like, you haven't been doing Facebook Live for a year or anything. It's really, you know, you're just kind of getting in that, and already it's having results. That's the thing that I find fascinating, and I love your authenticity and your realness about how you presented yourself in the Facebook Live, and that you said, listen, this is my first one. And like I said in the program, I believe most people are good. Most people have goodwill, they want to see you succeed. Right? And that was obviously the case of what happened. So I'm so proud of you for putting yourself out there and for getting results. That's really ultimately the whole idea. Now, from a public speaking standpoint, because really what we're doing when we do video is public speaking on camera, but you also are involved in Toastmasters. Has this helped you in terms of public speaking in general?

Yes, it has. Actually, one of the meetings that we had, I believe it was actually one of the— it said right in it if you wanted practice or not comfortable, Join a Toastmasters group, it would be good for you. So I joined it about a month ago and I actually just did my first speech last week and I got a ribbon and I won the table topics that day. I was so excited. I remember sending you a little note that, yeah, I did it, I did it. After doing a Facebook Live, getting up in front of a little room full of people doesn't seem that daunting anymore. So I think I've got my butterflies flying in formation now.

So, yes.

I love that.

Butterflies flying in formation. And then, and I, that's what I love to hear because I believe that a program like this, it's helping you to transform and going from a place where you were scared of doing video, you kind of doubted whether you should even be doing it when you first signed on, and then here you are now, getting women's Toastmasters, getting clients from Facebook Live, and imagine, this is just the beginning, that if you continue this trend, if you continue to do this, it's just going to continue to excel for you. What was, you know, what would be advice that you would give to other people who, listen, a lot of people have these types of thoughts in their minds. Well, I don't know if I want to invest in myself. And I think sometimes people feel that, you know, they're not sure if they're going to do the work or they're not sure if it's going to deliver. What would you say to people who are kind of like on the fence?, and they don't know if they should invest in themselves in a program like this?

I think this is a really good investment for me personally. Actually, I think it would be a good investment for anyone. It's encouraged me to get out there and stretch myself. I like to push myself. Sometimes I feel like I'm— if I'm not pushing myself ahead, if you're not going forward, you're going backwards. I need— I'm at a point where I'm growing my business, so to grow my business, I really need to do this. So I would suggest anybody who's growing their business, this is a great way to do it, and you have been wonderful with us, very supportive. You're there for us. We've had access to you constantly, so we can always text you or email you, and I know I've sent you a few. That's okay. And I joined during— actually started this during RSP season and doing financial planning, and RSP season gets to be a very busy time. So how I managed to do parts of these during RSP season, you can pretty much do— anybody can do it.

Good point. If you can do it during your busiest season, then you can do it. Well, you know, and I'll leave it at one more question and then we'll wrap it up. In terms of the time commitment, sometimes people are hesitant because like, oh, it's going to take too much time. How did you find that it worked, you know, in your schedule? You mentioned about the busy RSP season, you were able to still manage it. I mean, from my perspective, I know that we had had some communication about, you know, you might not have been able to be on a live call, but then you'd go back and you'd listen to the recorded session at your convenience. Was that something that was beneficial for you?

The recorded sessions were wonderful. It gave me a chance— there were a few times where I couldn't make the call, so I could go back, see what I missed. And I also go back to the modules that you did because of the videos there.

Yeah.

And I'm having some issues still with the Camtasia. It's a learning process. It takes me, you know, 10 minutes to shoot. To get a 2-minute video takes me an hour right now, but I'm getting better at it. As for a time commitment during the day, that hour or a little over an hour each week was a great hour of us getting together and learning from each other. And it made my week, actually. It was one of my highlights. And I did a lot of stuff in the evenings. Like, I can come into my office and do my videos on the weekends when there's nobody here. It's quiet. I'm a little slow on my, doing my editing. Just because it's not my strong suit yet. So it takes me a little bit longer, but I'm learning, so.

Yeah, absolutely. And it's like anything I've said, you know, in the program, it's a skill set, and, you know, I do my best to show you guys editing for non-editors, and only doing the core necessary, you know, things to make the video happen. But granted, yeah, it is a learning process, and you get faster at it as you get used to the mechanics of it. So having said that, yeah, absolutely, it will get faster as you continue to do them, but the nice thing with Facebook Live is there is no editing. So you can have that option, and I think that that's one of the things that I like to provide in the program is that you have the option to do recorded video where you do edit, or you could do Facebook Live, literally just lift up your phone and do it right now. So I appreciate you, Carol, so much. I'm so proud of you for everything you've accomplished in the program. I hope that we get to work together again in some capacity because You're just a doll, and I love you, and thank you so much, because your bright face every week was always something nice to look at, and it's just, you know, it makes, it warms my heart to work with people like you who are committed to doing the work, and I think that you should be commended, and you should celebrate that, because you did the work, and you got the results. So, thank you so much for being a part of the VIP Video Breakthrough Formula coaching program. It was my pleasure to take you through that, and I appreciate all of your insights today. Thank you.

Oh, thanks, Cheryl. It was wonderful.