JLD: Boom, shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here with an audio master class on how to hit six figures with a list of 600. To drop these value bombs I brought Holly Maccue on the mic. She is a sales and messaging coach who helps entrepreneurs nail their niche and master their message so they can get paid what they deserve while doing what they love. In Fire Nation, today, we’re going to be talking about what you should focus on first, the biggest mistakes that hold entrepreneurs back, how to make your first sale, and how to sell premium programs as a startup along with a lot of awesome other stuff as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors.

Holly, say what’s up to Fire Nation, and share something interesting about yourself that most people don’t know.

Holly Maccue: Hey, John. Hey, Fire Nation. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited for this. So, I’m really curious to know what your response it going to be to this, John, given we have met in person. But the one thing that a lot of people don’t know about me is I actually have a blue belt in Taekwondo.

JLD: Wow! I actually wish that I had known that before because sometimes I can go a little overboard on my teasing. And I’m kind of picturing the time right by the pool where I was kind of making fun of you a little bit. Like you could have kicked my butt.

Holly Maccue: Yeah. Just watch out.

JLD: Well, luckily, we are now half a world away from each other. So, even a blue belt, I’m feeling a little safe. But that is something I did not know about you. But, yes, Fire Nation, Holly was part of an incredible mastermind Kate and I threw about six months ago. It was awesome. To welcome her and some other amazing entrepreneurs to the lovely island of Puerto Rico and specifically Palmas Del Mar. I got to learn a lot about what she has going on. That’s why I’m fired up, Fire Nation, for you to hear from Holly today.

Because we’re going to talk about how to hit six figures with a list of 600. I’m going to tell you right now Holly is somebody who does more with what she has than almost anybody I know. And I love that about her. So, Holly, let’s kind of break this down a little bit. You’ve had an unconventional start in entrepreneurship. So, break it down for Fire Nation. How did you first begin your biz?

Holly Maccue: Sure. So, the reality is I didn’t actually set out to start my own business in the beginning. It just became the only way I could actually do what I wanted. So, my business background is as a marketing and brand strategist. I worked almost a decade for leading Fortune 500 companies and the fast moving consumer goods industry which basically just means multi-million billion dollar global brands such as Gillette, Pantene shampoo, Hugo Boss perfume, and one of your favorites, John, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.

JLD: Oh, my God. I might have some tonight, by the way.

Holly Maccue: So, that was kind of my world. I was in my most recent role there. I was leading a $200 million brand portfolio where I was basically just tasked with how do I grow this brand in that market. How do I execute amazing media campaigns? How do I get to know my consumers? So, that was the world I knew. On paper, I was, you know, successful. I got the absolute dream role that I could possibly have wanted. I had a view of the mountains in Switzerland at one point out the office window. Then, I will never forget this awful moment when I was having dinner with friends over pizza and wine.

I had this mind-numbing thought that I guess I’ll just be happy when I’m retired. I know. I’m in my mid-twenties. That’s quite a long time away.

JLD: That’s 40 years away. That’s like twice as long as you’ve yet been alive.

Holly Maccue: Exactly. Exactly. So, that was kind of like something for me to finally draw attention to. And the reality was I’d been really burnt out for quite a period of time. I’d got caught up in those comparison traps and trying to prove myself in a fast-moving corporate space, and I was a massive perfectionist which did not help. So, I kind of went through that somewhat obligatory quarter life crisis that we all seem to experience these days.

JLD: Did it. Been there.

Holly Maccue: That really ignited my first kind of foray into personal development. I’d never been exposed to anything to do with personal development up until that moment when I realized I need a way to calm the flip down. So, my first thing was I’m going to go to a meditation course. Then, I became an LP practitioner. Then, I certified as a coach. Then, it just kind of – my obsession grew as I implemented all the things I was learning that were having literally live changing impact on me.

So, when I moved from London to Sydney a few years later, I was like I want to do more of this because it’s so amazing. I’m going to try and get a job in HR or Learning and Development. It’s going to be amazing. I have these qualifications; I’m so passionate and enthusiastic. Bear in mind, I just moved to the other side of the world with zero networks. No one knew my name. I’m going to all these recruitment agents saying, hey, this is what I can do. They’re like, yeah, that’s not going to happen because you CB says marketing. No one gave a crap that I wanted to work in HR.

It was really soul destroying. I was just banging my head against a brick wall time and time and time again. Then, I recognized that honestly the only way that I could explore this new passion for coaching and personal development and see how I could support other people in similar quarter life crises was to start my own business. So, I took a very unconventional step of actually negotiating a part-time senior marketing role in a Fortune 500 company that gave me one precious day to just dip my toes in the water of what could be if I took this further.

Over time, I was then able to grow my business. I negotiated two days a week on that with three days in my corporate role. Then, I went on maternity leave to have my daughter. Today, I’m three days a week in my business around her. So, it was a very out of the box way to do it. It’s probably not the same story a lot of other people have. But since that moment, I’ve had so many people ask me how did you do that. So, that was what started everything else. Today, I am so grateful and so blessed that I didn’t just, you know, accept that, okay, yeah, I just get a 9 to 5.

Just put these dreams in a drawer. We’ll come back to it later. But I really followed that burning fire in my belly, and I found a way to make it happen. Because today, I have all the flexibility I could possibly want around my daughter while doing the work that I love.

JLD: I love that you were able to wedge just initially that one day. You were able to just go all in on that one day in your dreams and then make it two days. Then, of course, you became a mother. So, you’re three days a week of focusing on your daughter but still two to three days a week focusing on your business. That’s just been so powerful for you and such a success story. Let’s be honest, Fire Nation, I mean, so many of us have had a quarter life crisis. I mean, when you’re 25 years old, you look at yourself.

You’re like, man, college was amazing. University was incredible. But when you’re in there you’re like I’m going to have my dream job by the time I’m 25. Like I’m going to be rich. I’m going to have my dream job. Guess what. We all get to 25, and we’re all still poor. We all hate our jobs. That’s why we have a quarter life crisis. That’s just a reality. So, I love the fact that you were able to wedge that first little glimpse, dip those toes in, and then build from there.

Holly, I want to break it down. Like you’ve done something amazing. You have hit the six-figure milestone despite the fact you have never – and Fire Nation, I mean never – been full-time. You don’t have a big list. You’re not using paid ads. What the heck did you do that were the difference makers?

Holly Maccue: Yeah. I think if there’s one philosophy that has guided me through all of this is that we have to rewrite the rules for our own success. Because no one was ever going to give me that part-role. No one is ever going to say, hey, this is what we can do for you. We have to have the courage to ask for what we want and make things happen on our own terms even if that means going outside the lines. I think with hitting these financial milestones, I think the biggest thing that trips up, especially new entrepreneurs, is over complicating what they’re doing.

Actually, my approach was really simple because it had to be. I didn’t have time for fancy tactics. I didn’t have time to do all the things. So, the number one thing that I focused on at the start was honestly just building relationships with people that were either my ideal audience or connected to my ideal audience. The power and value of creating meaningful connections just cannot be overestimated in business. It’s ultimately the cornerstone to everything. I just – I work with so many entrepreneurs now in my work.

So many people that are focusing on things like tweaking their website to death or polishing their logo until kingdom come or getting another qualification before they feel ready to actually put themselves out there and start attracting clients. Obviously, those things have a part to play. But the reality is I was able to land not one but two $80,000 contracts when I was starting out, when I didn’t even have a website in place. Let’s not forget I had zero networks.

So, the things that made the biggest difference to me personally and these are some of the strategies I teach to my clients is firstly what I call the who knows who knows who strategy. That’s who knows who knows who. So, literally had to start where I was at which was my husband’s networks because he’s Australian. That’s why I moved back. I was like who does he know that could know somebody that could help me. Sometimes it was like the sixth person in that chain of conversations where an opportunity opened up.

I got in front of the right person. But really all that was about, you know, sharing my vision, showing that I was passionate and enthusiastic, creating that connection, talking about the win/win opportunities with them. Then, asking this one simple game changing question at the end of all of these little coffee meet ups which was who else does it make sense for me to connect with. That always led to the next introduction. I cannot tell you how valuable a warm introduction is. It’s solid gold.

It’s amazing how many people will give you their time because someone else they know has suggested they connect with you. So, that was massive. The second piece was accessing other people’s audiences. I didn’t have an audience. I didn’t have a list; I didn’t have a network. So, I went to the people that had my audience that did something different to me. So, a couple of examples, I did speaking events for a business networking groups. I got in front of my ideal target market.

My very first speaking gig actually brough in $15,000 of work simply because I resonated with my message to the right people. This is why I talk about let’s not overcomplicate things. Who do you help and how do you help them? Then, identify how can you reach them in the simplest way possible. Another thing that was amazing for me early on and a lot of people shy away from doing this right at the beginning. But I started my own virtual summits. I interviewed eight other people.

That actually not only gave amazing content which I didn’t have at the time, my own little tiny list, but it actually exposed my business and brand to 40,000 people cumulatively because of all the other experts promoting that online event as well. So, those two strategies really kind of helped me just get off the starting block. Then, also, because I only had this one day, I decided to focus on more kind of higher ticket one on one type of work so that I actually didn’t need so many clients to hit those initial financial milestones.

JLD: Fire Nation, there’s so many value bombs within what Holly just shared. I mean, I want to go over a few things that I was writing down because, man, powerful stuff. No one rewrites the rules for our own success. Like why are you not rewriting your own rules, Fire Nation? You have the pen in your hand. Rewrite those rules. Then, let’s get into the things that she really took action on. She built relationships. Fire Nation, everything is secondary. Perfecting your logo is not getting you to six figures.

I promise you it’s not but building relationships will. That who knows who knows who, I mean, she moved to a country she didn’t know anybody. She had to bug her husband to get her one connection. Then, she wedged her way again. She made it happen. I love how you did that, Holly. Who else does it make sense for me to connect with? Always end with that. A warm intro is priceless. When I get off – again, with Entrepreneurs on Fire, when I started, I didn’t know anybody.

Whenever I would get done interviewing somebody I would be like so, Holl, do you know anybody that it would make sense for me to interview on Entrepreneurs on Fire? Because if you know them, I think they’d be a great fit because you just rocked the mic. If Holly said yes, what would I do? I’d say awesome. Thank you. Do you want to just connect me on a quick email? Just write a couple of sentences about how you think they’d be a great fit. I’ll take it from there. I’ll do all the rest.

So, I made it easy for them, but I made it a warm intro for me because guess what, Holly was now connecting me via email. That was a warm intro. That access other people’s audience, I mean, she said it so well. It’s so important. It’s a great to grow your audience. So, Holly, all day long, and I mean all day long, people are talking about what we need to do to hit these big financial milestones. It can just be so overwhelming to everybody. You know I love this word, FOCUS, follow one course until success. Not ten courses. One course. What should we focus on first?

Holly Maccue: It’s a great question. I think it’s a question that people don’t ask themselves enough. They’re just kind of throwing themselves into everything and anything and seeing what sticks and getting quite despondent in the process. So, I’m a big fan of doing what Stephen Covey says which is start with the end in mind. So, what are you ultimately trying to achieve? What are you trying to sell? Then, work backwards. The number one starting point for everyone without exception needs to be nailing your niche because a confused mind always says no.

I cannot tell you how many entrepreneurs who are passionate and enthusiastic, hardworking, talented, amazingly capable who trip up over this first step because they kind of skim over it to their own detriment. They kind of have that mentality of I’ll just see who I attract. I’ll just see who I can help. I don’t want to, you know, limit the number of people that I could work with. So, I’m not going to niche down. All that does is make you too broad, too vague, too generic; and no one really grasps whether or not you can actually help them.

We need to connect the dots and make it super simple and super easy to get that no brainer yes. It starts with knowing who are you trying to attract. Who are your people? The second one is I just see so often a couple of different Facebook online communities that are public groups. People join them and they straight away go, hey, here’s my stuff. We’re like, sorry, who are you. It’s like create connections first. Create a connection before anything else. Okay.

So, stop trying to sell your stuff even if it’s your freebies because no one is going to be interested until they first know who you are and feel like you get them. You understand their situation. So, really double downing on those connections, making them meaningful, just showing up and interacting and sparking conversations before you start talking about you is the most important thing. In reality, it’s not actually about you. It’s about the people you can help which brings me back to my first point on nailing your niche.

The third thing is, you know, if we’re really going to have a hope of selling something to someone in terms of inviting them into our paid offers, we have to show that we know our stuff. We have to demonstrate our value first. So, make sure that you have something that people can engage with that really demonstrates that irresistible taster, that little appetizer or canopy of what the full blown buffet could look like if they were to work with you in paid capacities. What we’re talking about here is, of course, freebies and up turns.

Something where people can connect to you, your message, and also get that sense of planting the seed of possibility that, wow, he or she has the solution I have been searching for. So, if you can look at those key things to start with before you worry about really anything else, then you are going to get the traction and momentum. As soon as you get those first few clients, you’re going to build your experience, your confidence, your testimonials, your word of mouth. You’re going to test and land what works and what people want. From there, you can build and grow.

JLD: Fire Nation, so many things here again. Number one start with the end in mind. In the Army, we used to call this backwards planning. You have to start with that end in mind. Then, we’re going to go through a couple things here and circle back to the first one. Number one nail your niche. Nail your niche. So important. So critical. Then, what? Create connections. Create connections first. How do you do that? You be a person of value. You don’t just be a person of blathering your offer. Become a person of value.

Then, what is that irresistible appetizer that will get people wanting more? What is that little teaser that’s going to be like, wow? If Holly is giving me this for free, man, what is she going to give me when I actually invest in myself with her offer, with her products, with her services? You have many, many zones of fire, Holly. But your biggest one – I know this because I’ve chatted with you. I’ve seen you in person. We’ve had these kinds of conversations – is helping clients nail their niche. Dive deeper on this specific topic.

Holly Maccue: Sure. So, let me first ask you, John, if you were looking to up your A game on the peloton, would you rather work with a personal trainer from a local gym who works with moms, dads, teenagers, kids – anyone and everyone. Or would you rather work with a personal trainer who works specifically with cyclists. Someone who could give you specialized, expert knowledge on your technique, on your hydration, on your nutrition to really hit your optimum goals? Which would you rather work with?

JLD: I would choose Leanne Hainsby who is actually from London. She’s a professional peloton instructor. She sounds a lot like you.

Holly Maccue: Well, she must be nice then.

JLD: Oh, she’s adorable.

Holly Maccue: Right. So, this is thing. When we have the opportunity to work with someone that feels exclusively for us that has that expertise that we’re craving that speaks our language, it’s suddenly a no brainer yes. It’s a no brainer decision to work with that person over someone who’s probably equally capable but hasn’t really zoned in and isn’t resonating with relevance in the same way. So, I could talk literally until the cows come home about nailing your niche because it’s so fundamentally important.

But what people miss is it makes everything else so much easier. This is how we get focused. Because when we haven’t gotten super clear on who we’re trying to attract, and the ideal target, the avatar or whatever you want to call it, it’s really hard to know what to do. Right. WE don’t know what to say. We don’t know what to share. We don’t know what to sell. We don’t know where we should be in terms of an online or offline presence. Then, suddenly when we have this specific focus, all of that just falls into place.

So many people are afraid to drill down because, as I said before, they’re afraid to miss people out that they believe they could help. But when we do take the courage – and I do think it takes courage – to decisively say this is what I do, and this is who I help. Then, we’re making it easy for other people to find us and connect to us. We’re making it easy for people to say, oh, my gosh. How do I work with you? We’re making it easy for people to refer others to us because it’s just so clear how we can help them.

Here's the other thing. People will pay more for people who have that specialist knowledge and expertise. So, I work with a lot of new coaches because one of my roles in my business is I’m a mentor and trainer to a number of – thousands of students in the life coaching academy here in Australia. I see lots of them qualify and then put themselves out there and say I just want to help people achieve their goals. Or I want to help people get unstuck. I’m like that’s wonderful. That’s fabulous. What does that mean?

So, we really do need to drill down and get crystal clear on what’s the context of their goals in relationships, goals in their exercise, goals in their career, goals in their health? So, we need to put ourselves in that person’s shoes. We need to understand how do they describe their current struggle in that situation, in that focus area. How do they describe what they want more than anything else that currently feels elusive? This is the other part of nailing your niche that many people just completely miss.

They use their own industry jargon, their own words, and phrases, instead of really tuning into how does my ideal client describe this in their own words. Because then, we are able to tap into that and reflect it back. It feels like we are inside their heads. There is nothing more powerful for someone than to truly feel heard and understood. So, as I said, I could talk about this for a very long time. But that is just the crux of it. We’re actually going to make it easy.

You’re going to liberate yourself from the struggle of what on earth do I do and when. Personally, I’ve actually evolved my niche three times since I started in my business. So, today, I’m a sales and messaging coach for service-based entrepreneurs. The interesting thing is this is the most specific thing I’ve ever been. I am now inundated right now with more opportunities than I have ever been in my business. A lot of people also get concerned of I don’t want to just work with one group of people forever. Here’s the thing, you don’t have to.

So, as a sales and messaging coach, I actually have clients who are business consultants for chiropractors. I have a client who’s a health coach for yo-yo dieters. I have a client who’s an Instagram specialist for female entrepreneurs. And the list goes on. The industries that I get to work with is so varied and multiple. Actually, it’s just broadening out the number of opportunities that you have to go really deep with your ideal audience. That’s the real exciting thing about it.

JLD: Fire Nation, if you can believe it, we are only halfway home. With all the value bombs that have been dropped, it is crazy to think about we’re going to still be talking about how to make your first sale when you have literally zero audience and nobody even knows your name, how to hit six figures sooner by selling high tickets, and so much more when we get back from thanking our sponsors.

So, Holly, we’re back. Man, we have some great stuff coming up. I teased before the break how Fire Nation can make their first sale even if they have zero audience and nobody knows their name. Break that down for us.

Holly Maccue: Yeah. There’s a number of things here that important to bear in mind. A lot of people make the mistake of comparing themselves to industry leaders, even when they’re really at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey. They’re like how do I possibly compete with that? No one knows me from Adam. I don’t have an audience and etcetera. Look at all these people who are already doing everything that I want to do. The reality is that most people actually want to work with others who are really only a few steps ahead of them.

You only need to be a few steps ahead of the people you’re trying to help who, as I describe it, are still stuck in the trenches with the current struggle or problem they are facing. It's so much more relatable. I don’t want to work with someone who is lightyears ahead of me that seems to sit in this ivory tower and doesn’t get what it’s like for me because they probably can’t even remember anymore. I used to joke like I only want to work with mentors that have struggled too.

I want to know they know exactly what it’s like to be in my shoes. So, actually, it can be a real advantage to just be a few steps ahead. That’s super inspiring and motivating and intriguing to people. So, don’t forget that. Another important thing is just remember that there are enough clients for everyone. Because my people, even if you do the same exact thing as me, are probably not your people. Right. There are other sales coaches out there who are bolder, brasher, and more brazen, louder, extroverted than I am. I attract a lot of introverts because I am naturally introverted.

They’re my people. It all comes down to who do you gel with. You know. Whose personality do you feel you click with? Whose story do you resonate with? That’s going to be different for people. So, don’t feel that if someone else is already doing something similar to you that it’s all been done before, and you can’t therefore make your first sales. The second thing that I always tell people which so many people miss is – it comes back to that first strategy of who knows who knows who. But tell your existing networks what you’re doing.

So, a lot of people are staring a business and no one who knows them actually knows that they’re doing that. So, the very people who already know, like, and trust you, who already have that deep and meaningful relationship with you who want to support you can’t actually do anything to open potential doors. So, the very first thing we need to do is actually announce what we’re doing.

You know, share the excitement and the enthusiasm and the passion that you have towards finally making this official and ask others to support you whether that’s sending people they know your way. Whether it’s liking your page. Whether it’s clicking on the link to your option. Whether it’s tagging someone they know that could really do with the service that you support others with. So, make it super clear what you’re doing, how you help people, and what you’re asking of the people that already knows I can trust you.

That will kickstart so many opportunities. I’ve had so many clients who have just done that. They’ve literally just put a Facebook live on their page, and they’ve told the world that they already know what they’re doing. So many opportunities have flown their way. So, those are kind of two things that I would say to that that is super important from the very starting point.

JLD: A lot of things there, Fire Nation. One thing to focus on, you only have to be one chapter ahead of the people that you’re an expert to or the people that you can mentor or the people that you can share your knowledge with. Back in 2012, I chose my mentor. Why? Because she was literally one step chapter ahead of me. She was literally like just one year ahead in the business. She wasn’t like 10- or 15-years in. She had just been where I was which was launching my podcast just one year prior.

So, I chose her to be my mentor because I knew that it was fresh; I knew that all of her topics were relevant. It makes sense. So, you can just be one chapter ahead. Then, just have that mindset of abundance. Like there is enough in this world for everybody. Have that mindset. Now, Holly, a lot of people feel like they can’t stand out because it’s “all been done before”. Bust this myth for us.

Holly Maccue: Yeah. This is a really awesome one to tap into. So, I said just yesterday actually on a call with my mastermind group. Stop trying to be ultra-original and just be real. Because people see through everything else. What they want is authenticity. What they want is relatability. What they want is to know that they are not alone with the thing that are finding really challenging. So, we want to really start showing up and focusing on who we are, what our story is, but most importantly we want to be listening to what our audience wants.

Like where are the gaps? Where are they struggling? What would be helpful? The thing that has always gotten me out of my own way – you know, I just had to put my big girl pants on just put myself on Facebook live for the first time which you might as well have asked me to go out my front door naked. Because the last time I did that, you know, the thing that got me out of my way and still does get me out of my way is to remember this one truth. It’s not about you. It’s about the people you know you can help.

If you have something that you know could seriously benefit and impact others, that could have a positive impact on their lives, then you are doing the world a disservice not to put yourself out there and share that. Every time that I get blocked or every time that I find myself being held back in new uncertain areas; I remember some of my clients. I remember clients like a woman who was a stay at home mom and a newly qualified coach. She had big dreams of sharing her story in supporting others.

She now has a not for profit charity where she supports women and children all over Australia who have suffered from domestic abuse and violence. She has a whole team behind her. She’s a keynote speaker; she’s published her best-selling book. She’s been in international media. I think of clients like her. If I hadn’t gotten out of my own way, then she couldn’t have gotten out of her own way. So on and so forth. Then, think of that ripple effect that then happens as a result. All the different people’s lives that are now positively impacted by that.

So, that is one really important thing. It's not about you; it’s about the people you can help. So, remember that no one else can replicate your exact unique set of gifts, experience, knowledge, personality, and story. This is what I call packaging up your brilliance. It’s that brilliance that the world needs. So, one of my favorite things to say is quit hiding your brilliance because the world needs what you have. And it’s so true. So, I think those are the key things. Focus on who you want to help and listen to them. Engage with them and show that you get it. It’s the most powerful thing anyone can ever hear is I get it. You’re not alone.

Secondly, think about which parts of your story are the most relevant to share that could normalize other people’s fears and concerns. Thirdly, just recognize that you have something that you know can benefit other people. So, make it about them. Then, that will help you to get out of your own way.

JLD: Fire Nation, you have an obligation to share your brilliance with the world. Look at it that way because it’s true. Holly, talk to us about selling high ticket offers. Like give us an example of what a high-ticket offer is. Then, how can we build the confidence to promote an offer like that as a startup?

Holly Maccue: Sure. So, I mean, high ticket generally speaking is any – I think my very first coaching package was like $3,000. Then, I was also able, as I also mentioned, to land a couple of $80,000 contracts. So, what goes behind all of that really is firstly recognizing what you’re actually selling. Because a lot of people think about, oh, you know, I’m trying to sell coaching, or I’m trying to sell consulting or healing or graphic design. That’s not actually what people are buying. Okay.

People are not buying e. g. health and fitness. Someone is buying the promise of getting rid of their man boobs so they can ask out that hot girl on a date. They’re buying the solution to their biggest burning problem. If we can always ensure that what we’re selling comes back to that, then suddenly it’s an easy sell. Right. So, focus on what is the solution that you’re selling, and how are you going about that. So, when it comes to, for example, higher ticket contracts, I did a lot of things in my early stages with organizations.

It’s really about first and foremost listening to them. I cannot emphasize that enough because then you can reflect back. Okay. You said this is what you’re looking to achieve. These are the key objectives. This is the solution that’s going to help you to achieve those. Rather than then just kind of throwing things out then hoping other people can connect the dots as to how exactly you can help them. We want to just make it super easy by again using their exact language.

The only reason that anything would ever be a hard sell is if you’re not doing one of these three things. You’re not talking to an ideal client number one. Number two you don’t actually have a genuine solution to their biggest burning problem. Or number three you’re not effectively communicating the benefits to them that brings it all back to the desired outcomes that they say they want. So, whenever you’re in doubt about how to sell anything whether it’s low ticket or high ticket, ask your audience.

Because this is what is always going to eliminate the guesswork around what are people going to buy from me. So, that’s just the most important thing I think with high ticket is to recognize it’s about solutions. It’s not your method because it’s actually really hard to just sell coaching. I see too many people thinking I’ve got a three session package, and I’ve got a six session package. Great. Why would anyone buy the six-session package if the three session package is a lower price?

Ultimately, if there is no benefit that’s clear and you’re not taking them on that journey to really mentally rehearse what they could have at the end of that experience of working with you, then it’s always going to come down to price. Most likely it’s just going to that I’ll think about it basket. Whereas if you can speak that language like I shared with that first example with the man boobs and someone is like, oh, my God. That’s what’s been keeping me awake at night. Then it’s going to be like literally shut up and take my money. How do I – where do I start working with you? Where do I sign up?

So, that is the key. It is absolutely the key. It makes it not feel like a sell at all because you’re just serving someone with the very thing they’re actively seeking and making it easy for them to reach it.

JLD: I mean, Fire Nation, if you’re in fitness and you do a search after this episode, nobody has conquered and dominated the niche of getting rid of man boobs. Like you better grab that niche because that’s a real problem. Guess who people who have man boobs want to go to. Somebody that specializes in getting rid of man boobs. They don’t want a six pack; they don’t want big biceps. They want to get rid of their man boobs. Again, this is just one example. Now, Holly, you know this so well because you’ve done it. When you have built an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you and then ask them what they’re biggest struggle is, they tell you.

Then, you can just create the solution. They tell you the solution that they want, and you offer it to them. Guess what? You’re the person they know they can trust. You’re the person who asked what their struggle is. You hand them the solution; they’re going with you. Now, that’s like a pretty obvious opportunity now that we’ve broken it down for everybody. But what would you say is the most overlooked opportunity that can help Fire Nation grow their audience and make more sells?

Holly Maccue: I really do think it comes back to telling your existing networks what you’re doing. So, that is absolutely overlooked. So, the exact details of how I tell my clients to go about is to create a level of intrigue around it. So, I tell them show up on your personal page, do a Facebook live ideally, and just put as the headline exciting announcement. So, that we have as many people as possible actually click and watch it. Because people cannot stand [inaudible] [00:37:56] Right. We have to know.

What is this big announcement? Well, you know, I’ve been waiting so long to share this. So, something that’s just going to create that sense of, wow, what are they up to now. Then, keep it super short like three to five minutes max where you’re literally just saying this is why I’m doing what I’m going to be doing. This is why I’m so excited. This is who I am seeking to help. This is how in the simplest possible way.

That means that someone else could repeat it just like that and have it on the tip of their tongue for whenever they’re having a conversation with someone that they recognize is your ideal client. Then, tell them very simply one way that they can support you. So, have that clear call to action. Don’t give them 10 different things. Say go to my page and like it. Or say tag someone that you know that needs this. So, that honestly is the most overlooked opportunity that I have seen time and time again. When we have no audience, we don’t really have that starting point. It’s go to your existing lowest hanging fruit opportunities which are always the people that you have an existing relationship with.

JLD: Holly, I’ve been counting. You’ve dropped 74 value bombs over the last 40 minutes. It’s very impressive. So, of that, what’s the one key take away that you just really want to make sure that Fire Nation gets from everything that we’ve talked about? I know you have a great call to action for us. So, share that as well. Of course, let us know all the ways that we can connect with you so that we can keep consuming your amazing content.

Holly Maccue: Gosh. One out of 74. I honestly – the guiding principle that servers me so well is actually a quote by Oprah. It kind of sums up what I’ve been sharing today. That is we get in life what we have courage to ask for. I just wholeheartedly believe in that. So, don’t wait until you think you’re “ready” to sell. Don’t wait until you think you’re ready to do a speaking gig. Don’t wait to charge the high ticket if you believe you have a solution that meaningfully serves other people. Start asking questions that help you better understand who you’re trying to reach.

Ask for help and support along the way. Ask for a different approach that could get you everything you ever wanted like I did in my case with my corporate role and my business. I had the best of both worlds because I dared to ask. So, that is probably the parting piece of wisdom I would like to leave with everyone. For you all to consider, you know, if I felt courageous enough, what is the one thing I would do differently starting tomorrow in my business. So, that, I hope, inspires you.

Then, I am very much a Facebook girl, John. So, you can find me at facebook.com/hollymaccuecoaching. I would love to connect with as many of your audience as possible. I also do have some awesome freebies. So, if you’re sitting there right now thinking I want to attract more ideal clients but I don’t have a big list, then I have the most amazing thing for you which is a free cheat sheet where I share 20 fuss free ways to find clients. You don’t need any advertising; you don’t need a big audience.

These are the exact same organic strategies that helped me hit those financial milestones with a really small list. In that cheat sheet, I’ll also walk you through my monetize your magic method which is just five essential steps that every business no matter what stage you’re at need in place to be that no brainer yes to your ideal clients. So, you can get that plus a couple of other extra goodies at hollymaccue.com/fire. I’m just going to spell my last name, which is M for mother, A-C-C-U-E. So, that’s hollymaccue.com/fire.

JLD: Fire Nation, you better be getting your bootie over to that website to grab those freebies because it is pure value. It is going to be pure fire. This is the type of content you need to be consuming, the strategies you need to be learning to take your business to the next level. I mean, I’ve seen Holly. I’ve met Holly. She’s someone who has used these strategies to hit these milestones. It’s incredibly impressive. That’s hollymaccue.com/fire. M-A-C-C-U-E.com/fire.

You know this, Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. You have been hanging out with HM and JLD today. So, keep up that heat and head over to eofire.com. Type Holly in our search bar. Show notes page will pop up with everything that we’ve been talking about today, links to Holly’s Facebook page, to her goodies, all that jazz, and so much more. Holly, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you. We will catch you on the flipside.