why good strategies don’t work

Stephen asked me: “Are you OK?” He’d heard me giving a piece of my mind to the time-wasting sales person I’d just hung up on. Classic example of “doing what everyone else does” without understanding why—and in this case, doing it is to the point of costing themselves sales. Get this— I was ready to hire this accountant. I wanted to support a newer business, his credentials were strong, he had experience in the very specific area I was looking for, and I liked his energy on TikTok. But in less than five minutes, he turned an almost sure-thing prospect into someone who’ll never buy from him. Even sadder, he’ll probably never even know about it. Because of course his salesperson isn’t going to tell him that he’s using the wrong strategy for his business! The strategy itself is a good one, and common especially in the coaching industry: Have a mini-funnel leading to a sales person handling your calls so you can focus on just your craft—coaching, or in this case, accounting. His mistakes though: Not understanding his audience. There’s something to be said for doing an ideal client avatar exercise or two. But that’s just the start. Once you know your ideal client, your business should be tailored TO them. In his case, his business caters to successful entrepreneurs with thriving businesses—busy people who understand the value of hiring well, but hate having their time wasted. Yet he hired a sales person who has no accounting knowledge and is unable to speak to the expertise a potential client would want to confirm. The wrong strategy/unnecessary barriers. If I’m hiring an accountant, I want to talk to THEM. It’s not like a group coaching program where aside from some access to the coach, I’m also investing for the team and training material. There, it makes sense to talk to a sales person instead. Being “hard to reach” is a good principle to follow…when it’s applicable. From a marketing point of view, it’ll boost your authority when done right. That’s why it’s especially applicable to coaches — but only after they’ve actually earned that kind of authority first. When you’re newer in business though (as he is, having recently left a respectable firm to strike out on his own), that’s a mistake. Nobody cares enough to try that hard to reach you yet! False marketing. Above all else, this is an instant “no” from me. And I saw it displayed loudly in two ways: First—His call scheduling emails claimed I’d be talking to an accountant. I assumed that meant him but in case he did have other accountants on his team, I was fine with that too. But that wasn’t the case. And let me tell you…it’s not a great way to start a call. Having to admit to a potential client that your marketing material is lying. Second—None of that “fake it until you make it” B.S. Be honest and own how “big” or “small” you are. It can actually work to your advantage! I wanted to hire this guy because his business is newer. But the moment his sales person said, “I’ll let my marketing team know…” I stopped taking them seriously. This guy has one TikTok channel with less than 100 followers, and no other marketing content anywhere . I’ll never get those five minutes of my life back. But hey… At least we can thank accountant-who-shall-remain-unnamed for being the inspiration for today’s email. 😛 Luisa Zhou PS - When you’re ready for my help building a true business…that works for YOU? Versus being a broken, cobbled-together version of what “everyone” says you “should do,” here’s what I have for you… If you’re starting a business to replace your 9-to-5: [The 4-Step Formula I Used to Build My Coaching Business and Replace My Salary BEFORE I Left my 9-5]( If you’re ready to go from 1-on-1 work to no longer trading time for money: [How to successfully create & sell your own online course for true financial freedom]( And, if you’re at 6-figures ready to scale to multiple 6- or 7-: [How to Go from Hustling Coach/Course Creator to 7-Figure Business Owner]( If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click here to [unsubscribe]( Zhou Ventures, Inc. 54 State Street, Ste 804 #5511 Albany, NY 12207