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Smart Gets Paid Podcast Transcript
Season 1
Episode 14
Intro (00:02):
You're listening to the Smart Gets Paid Podcast with me, Leah Neaderthal. I help women land higher paying clients in their B2B consulting and coaching businesses, but I've never been a sales person. My background is in corporate marketing. And when I started my first consulting business, I learned pretty quickly that it's about a thousand times harder to sell your own stuff than it is to sell someone else's. So I taught myself how to do it, and I created a sales approach that feels comfortable, makes you feel confident, and it works consistently. And now I teach women how to land higher paying clients in their B2B consulting and coaching businesses. So whether your client contracts are $2,000 or $200,000, if you want to work with more of the clients you love, do more of the work you love, and get paid more than you ever imagined. Then you're in the right place. Let's do it together. Welcome to Smart Gets Paid.
Leah (00:55):
Hey, Leah here and I wanted to come back with a bonus episode. So throughout this season on the podcast, you've heard me talking to my students and my clients in our one-on-one coaching calls. But in this episode, I'm going to turn the mic on myself and you're going to hear me get coached through one of my big blocks and yes, even coaches have coaches. So this podcast, the one you're listening to right now, it was a long time coming. I actually first announced it in November, 2019 in a post on LinkedIn. And I didn't actually launch it until March, 2021. That's a year and four months later. And in between November, 2019 and March, 2021, of course, the pandemic happened, social unrest, and election. And I don't want to discount all the ways that these things, God, like turned my life and everybody's life upside down, but I can't just blame it on the pandemic because there were some other months in there.
And yet it took me till now to actually do it. So why? My team members, who I love, love to call me on my shit. And that's one reason why I love them. And a few months ago, my program specialist Mandy said to me, well, you know, Leah, you get shit done and you do things really fast when it's something you're excited about. And you know, I don't think you actually want to do this. And the thing is she was only half right. I do get things done fast when it's something I'm excited about, but it wasn't that I didn't want to do this podcast. It's that I was afraid. I was afraid of showing up and talking into a microphone, into the void. I was afraid of sounding like an idiot or not saying anything worth listening to. I feel super comfortable writing and I write a lot on LinkedIn and in my emails, but audio that just felt like something totally different.
And I was afraid. It wouldn't be perfect. I've mentioned in a previous episode that I'm a recovering perfectionist and that's really, really hard to get past. Perfectionism, because I have 40 years of experience as a perfectionist. And it rears its ugly head when I least expect it. But I knew that this was something I needed to overcome. So I asked for help. I actually turned to a former client and friend of mine, Jessica Zweig. Jess runs a personal branding agency in Chicago called SimplyBe. And I had seen her process when I coached her and your team on business development. And so I knew that she was good, but now I needed her to help me be good. So what you're going to hear is a conversation where I'm getting coached by Jess. By the time we had gotten to this conversation, we had had a few other calls where we'd also been talking about the podcast and at the point where you're going to start to listen in, we'd already been talking about the logistics of the podcast, tactics, how to create content, marketing assets, even doing a photoshoot. We talked about a lot of the nitty-gritty and I was nodding, saying yes, taking notes and all the while there's this question, that's sort of nagging at me. So right at the beginning, what you're going to hear first is that after all this listening and nodding, while there's this burning question inside, you're going to hear me sort of blurt it out. And what follows is the tough love that I needed to hear. And I wanted to share it with you to enjoy.
Message from Leah (03:54):
Hey, before we dive in, I want to invite you to something special as a listener of this podcast. Throughout this season, you've heard me mention the Pack Your Pipeline Program, my program, to help you stand out as an expert and bring your ideal clients to you using LinkedIn. And you've actually listened in on a few calls with some Pack Your Pipeline students. The next live class of Pack Your Pipeline, what we call the Pack Your Pipeline Accelerator is starting on June 14th. You get to work with me and an amazing group of women who are serious about growing their consulting, coaching, and service based businesses. And we're going to put the pack, your pipeline system in place in your business in 21 days. We're going to make your profile amazing and sound compelling. They're going to learn how to position yourself as an expert in just a few words, you'll learn how to get on their radar and get seen by the clients you want to work with. And you're going to learn how to help those people who see you take the next step to work with you all without sending a single pitch message. So if you're tired of clicking around on LinkedIn without a strategy and you want to follow a proven system that works and works quickly, join me in the Pack Your Pipeline Accelerator, starting on June 14th. Just go to smartgetspaid.com/linkedin-accel, short for accelerator to learn more and see some results from recent students. That's the smart gets paid.com/linkedin-A C C E L. All right. See you there.
Leah (05:16):
Can I tell you where I'm struggling a little bit?
Jess:
Yeah, of course.
Leah:
So one area is the thing that was really tripping me up, you know, coming from our last conversation to now is what do I talk about on these solos? That's where I was having a lot of stage fright. I was having a lot of issues like telling these stories. So one of the ways that I was like, if the solos are slowing this down fuck the solos. Solos come out in season two. Right? So season one is just like listening in episodes and I'm going to really dial up the intro. Right? Like telling stories about myself, telling stories about other people, lessons, you know, from the world. Right. So it's basically what you heard, but imagine more story at the beginning. All right. Yeah. So that was a very good decision for me to make so it just allowed me to move forward.
Then, but where I'm struggling is I have these like listening and episodes. I had the whole slate of them. I have what the theme is. Is it about this or that or whatever. And now I'm sort of like trying to work backwards into a story. And I'm really like tripping myself up, like trying to figure out a story either for myself or somebody else. Right? Like what's a story that leads to a conversation. People are listening in on about how, you know, when you are selling into a company you're selling into a system and you can't just, you know, you have to, there's like lessons there. Right. But like I pull out, does that make sense? So like, this is what I did. I was like, what are all the things in my life? And I made a list of places where I could draw stories from, because I was really having a hard time. So I guess one question is like, what do I do with that? You know, all stories don't have to be all about me. Right. They can be about other people and stuff,
Jess (07:03):
But can I, can I stop you?
Leah:
Yes. Please.
Jess:
I'm going to respond to all of this. I mean, I'm going to give you feedback.
Leah:
Please.
Jess:
You are totally overthinking it.
Leah:
Okay.
Jess:
You are totally getting yourself caught in the “Leah, I'm so smart and academic and smart and I have to figure this out and it has to be so strategic and meticulously perfect.” It doesn't. Like throw that out. I completely agree with, and honor and respect the choice to scrap solos. Season two, if they ever come in fine. Your show is an interview format. That's awesome. The intros, which can be anywhere for the record from 2 minutes to 12 minutes long, depending on whatever feels organic to you that day that you record it. Okay. Some of my interviews, my intros are 12 minutes long. Some of them are four minutes long. This is the opportunity that I want for you to just show who you are. Like the intro, isn't the cut, the nut of the content anyway. You're going to share the lesson and that interview, right? You want people to glean the biggest insights from that. And so when you hop on the mic each and every time to record your intro, I want you to say hi to your audience. I want you to like check in and be like, how are you guys doing? It's January, 2021. Are we all feeling a little lighter? Since 2020 is over? I know I am. You know, here in Brooklyn with my wife and my boy and my little boy threw up all over me this morning. And I, and I realize it doesn't matter what year it is. It's hard to be a mom, 2020 or 2021. Anyway, I'm so grateful that you're tuning in today because today's guest is a treasured client of mine. She's X, Y, and Z. And today we're going to talk about A, B, and C and I'm so excited for you to learn one, two and three. Let's get into the conversation.
Leah:
Oh my God, that's it. That's crazy.
Jess (09:01):
But like, that's what, that's what I, that's what I want for you, for your audience to see in you. I want you to be the person that you like, you're just this like cool fucking chick who has a killer business. Who serves her clients. Who's going to teach me things, but she's a cool chick. And I can relate to her. She's going to show me how relatable she is. That's it? That should actually be your biggest objective because your interviews themselves are very prescriptive, right? It's like, let's talk about the business problem and the solution and how we solved it. And you get coaching. And it's a really cool looking site under the hood of your work. Great. I need to know how to convert leads to clients. That's why I'm listening to my show. But you also want people to listen to your show because they fall in love with you, the host. So you can like, you can listen to what I just said and make it your own.
Leah (09:57):
No, I, so this is always so hard for me.
Jess:
Why is it so hard for you?
Leah:
Because I don't know. Cause I feel like without, sort of, a script or a guideline or a framework or something, I'm going to sound like an idiot, you know? And this totally, you know, what this really hits on is like, I'm not cool and I've never felt cool. And so to show up and just think that when people think that I am cool, it blows my mind. You know? So really what we're hitting on is like, are you enough just being you? Right. That's some deep stuff right there, but that's what it's about.
Jess (10:39):
I love that you shared that with me and I completely honor that. And this is an opportunity for you to grow, your feeling into a new edge that you've never had to do before. You've been able to hide behind, you know, your beautiful copy, which is authentic. I'm not saying it's not, but now it's time for you to be a little bit more raw. And you can even say like, Hey guys, welcome to the first episode of lead to clients. This is Leah. And I'm, I'm feeling a little awkward behind a microphone for the first time because people get all microphones are cool and I've never considered myself cool. I'd consider myself smart. That's why my business is called Smart Gets Paid. In case you haven't gone to my websites, market fades.com. Check it out. After you listen to today's podcast. With my exciting guests, who's my client who I led to sales.
Like, you can make it funny and like you and just riff. And if you have a good production company, which it sounds like you do, you're paying them, they'll edit you. So you sound awesome. I can't tell you how many times I send in a file and I'm like, that was barf. I don't even care. Like I don't have time to go redo it. And they edit me and I sound amazing. Like, that's their job, you know? So just remember those first few takes. You're just talking into your computer into a file that no one is really going to hear ultimately, but you. And like take the pressure off yourself.
But like just bring people into the day, bring people into the moment. Like, you know, you're going to be releasing all of this in January, February. It's going to be cold in New York. Like people are going to be hunkering back into maybe a second wave. Like what podcasts are you listening to? That like, gives you inspiration and hope that you hope the same thing for your podcast. That this gives people some light in a dark season.
Leah:
It's so funny because I listen to podcasts that are like, I listened to Radiolab and this American Life and like highly produced, you know, that like, it's all about stories and, you know, storytelling and you know what I'm saying? And so I feel like I need to listen to more just podcasts like yours, where people just come on and talk because I need to get more comfortable with that. Okay. I'm doing this.
Jess:
Was this helpful?
Leah:
Yes. Really, really helpful. Thank you. Yeah.
Jess:
You're welcome.
Leah:
Including the tough love.
Jess:
That's what I'm here for.
Leah (13:03):
So I wanted to share this with you because I want you to see that even someone like me, who's super visible on the internet and on LinkedIn and marketing myself. Even I struggle with this stuff, but I also want you to see that it's possible to work at these blocks and overcome them. And the evidence is right here in this podcast. All right. So this is really it, the real last episode in this first season of the podcast, I really mean it this time and thanks to you and all the support you've given this podcast over the past few weeks, I'm in for a second season. If you want us to let you know when season two is coming, just go to smartgetspaid.com/future and sign up for the newsletter. So thanks for being with me on this journey in season one of the Smart Gets Paid Podcasts, I'll see you in season two.
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EP 15: Season 2 Trailer