177 - Setting Up Your Business for a Strong Q4 Finish
Welcome to Q4! While many believe that the last few months of the year is a time to relax and wait for the new year, I want to challenge you to make it your most successful quarter yet!
In this episode, we'll break down the steps to supercharging your end-of-year business success—from becoming more compelling in your marketing, enhancing your curb appeal, and getting more exposure.
Why wait for a new year’s resolution when now's the best time for a business evolution? Join the conversation as we get ready to wrap up the year with a bang and set the stage for a better and stronger 2024!
👉 Create a profitable business that looks good and sets you up to be respected through the Fast Track Business Building Boutique Program
👉 Check out my FREE Canva Workshop and learn how to create stunning graphics for your coaching business!
👉 Watch the episode on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts!
👉 Book a free Coaching Business Assessment with me
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Transcript
Preview: Years ago, I decided I was not going to buy into the idea that people would not buy your services in the fourth quarter. I decided that the fourth quarter was going to be my best quarter of every year. I decided that I was going to approach business and say to people like, look, you want to take the fourth quarter to set yourself up for success for the upcoming year. And that applies to every single niche. So what are your beliefs? Could the fourth quarter be your best quarter of this year?
Intro: Hello, I'm Debbie Shadid, the host of the Life Coach Business Building podcast. If you are ready to have more clients in your life coach business, then you're in the right spot. Each week I'm gonna teach you super simple strategies to grow your business without feeling overwhelmed and without spending money on paid ads. If that sounds interesting. Stick around and let's get started.
Welcome to today's podcast. We are in the second week in October, which means we are into the fourth quarter already. And I want to ask you, what is the plan? What is happening for you? Have you actually even created a plan? I hosted a workshop just this last week about setting your plan for the fourth quarter. Let me pause for a moment and just ask you, are you signed up somewhere in my world where you're getting emails so that you can be notified of the workshops that I do?
I did a fourth quarter workshop. I provided a workbook that went with it. I taught people how to do planning, the same planning in eight steps that they can do every single quarter forever. Simple planning. Two weeks ago, I also did a workshop where we talked all about elevating your online business brand. So my dear friend, you are missing out if you are not on my email list.
Let's talk about the fourth quarter. What are your thoughts about the fourth quarter? What is your belief about the fourth quarter? Most of you guys think, uh, you know, it's the holidays. There's Thanksgiving. Then there's Christmas and maybe whatever else is going on for you. You have this idea that people are not going to be buying coaching until the first of the year.
And I want to challenge you and tell you that what if the fourth quarter could be your best quarter? Years ago, I decided I was not going to buy into the idea that people would not buy your services in the fourth quarter. I decided that the fourth quarter was going to be my best quarter of every year. I decided that I was going to approach business and say to people like, look, you want to take the fourth quarter to set yourself up for success for the upcoming year.
And that applies to every single niche. So what are your beliefs? Could the fourth quarter be your best quarter of this year? I want to tell you it is very possible because it happens for me every single year.
All right, let's talk about what you can do in the fourth quarter to improve your results for this quarter and to also set you up for success in the new year. The first thing is to be more compelling. What would it take for you to be more compelling and to attract people in a stronger way, right? You want to be more magnetic. I want to ask you, why are you here with me? What was there about me? Where did you connect with me? And why me? You're listening to this podcast, so you were compelled for some reason. What was it? Who else are you compelled by? And what is it about them that seems intriguing? What is there about me that has created know, like, and trust for you that you're willing to listen to me in this podcast? Or if you've been to my workshop, you're willing to come and give me 90 minutes of your time at a workshop.
That's how long the fourth quarter planning session was, 90 minutes. So what do you need to do to be more compelling? Is it messaging? Is it you being more visible on video? Are you doing any video? Let me just tell you that video or audio, that is a way that people can really see you, really see your passion.
I hear it all the time. People tell me about my podcast. Oh my goodness. I can feel how desperately you want us to be successful, how passionate you are about what you do. That's because they're listening to me. So have you done anything video wise, audio wise, so people can really connect with you and be more compelled with you?
Let's talk about your photos. When we talk about your brand presence, something that will attract your ideal client. The obvious things are to be talking about your branding and your marketing message. But today I want to talk about photos. What do your photos look like, you guys? you can be doing a photo shoot with your iPhone. I just had a client who just did that with her iPhone. Now I gave her directions on how to take the pictures and how to edit the pictures. If you have a teenager in your house who has an iPhone, guess what? They can take your pictures and you can edit them right in your phone.
So I want you to get some pictures taken. If yours are not fresh up to date or if they're overdone, if you have made yourself look too remarkable on those pictures, I want you to get some pictures that look like you. You guys are not surprised by the way I look when you come to a workshop because my pictures look just like me.
Now, maybe not every single day of the week do I look picture perfect, but that's what I want you to shoot for is get pictures that really represent you so that when you do go live on Instagram, or when they do come to meet you on a consultation, they're not surprised by like, wow, look who I'm talking to. So that's one way you can be more compelling.
And then, of course, just working on your overall curb appeal. What is your curb appeal? What they see about you, what does it say about you? How can you get noticed more often? And one way you can get noticed more often is by being more consistent. You guys, maybe it's going, you know, seven days a week on Instagram or whatever platform it is if you haven't been.
Let's talk about getting more exposure for your business in the fourth quarter. I had a client for years who talked about exposure. That's the way she described marketing. And she had been doing business for so long that she had a clear picture of what happened when she had lots of exposure.
When you have lots of exposure through, let's say four or five ways that you're marketing your business, you create a lot of interest and then you begin to build up a connection where people are contacting you. They're having consultations with you. When she would have periods where she had less exposure, so she wasn't as consistent. There was this dramatic result of less consultations.
It's so obvious you guys, but what is the level of exposure you have? How much are you putting yourself out there? Where are you putting yourself out there? How consistent are you? So I want to challenge you in the fourth quarter to really spend this time to figure out how you can create a sustainable way to have consistent exposure. What are the easiest things you can do?
Do not set a goal for yourself that is unattainable. If you can promise yourself and you can execute and implement three days of social media each week forever, then do three days. Then when you have the desire to do more than three days, then do more that week. What can you do as far as email marketing? Can you promise yourself that you do an email every single week? That is what is going to create the best results for you in the fourth quarter.
Let's talk a little bit about your goal. Now when we think about a goal, you think about this big giant goal you're going to make. And I'm going to challenge you on that. I want to say, maybe your goal isn't even a revenue goal, and I know you're thinking, well, what would a goal be? But what if the goal was to get all of your business foundations in place? What if it was to get your email list set up to learn the technology that you needed to do to do regular email marketing? What if it was to get the email opt in set up? What if it was to get your graphics taken care of so that you can use this consistent looking brand on your social media. What if it was to, you know, get everything linked up and connected and the pieces of software talking to each other that you need.
So you could actually be building your website and launching your website. That alone, you guys is a project that takes weeks. If you are starting from scratch, that could be a great fourth quarter project, because that would involve you doing your branding, writing your copy, deciding what platform you're going to be on, securing your domain name, setting up your calendar, getting your homepage content, getting your contact page, setting up your opt in, doing your work with me page. Do you see how many steps there are in building a website?
So what business foundations do you need to put in place that will set you up for faster success in the new year that you can do this fourth quarter. What you want to do is you want to take one of those things that you want to do and write a list, just like I gave you a list about the website. Make a list of every single micro task that needs to be done and then schedule that out over the next few weeks.
Now, I also want to talk to you about your revenue goal. For many of you guys listening, you are at a place in your business where you haven't had tremendous success yet. You haven't made hundreds of thousands of dollars yet. Some of you have not had a paying client. Some of you are in the 30 to 50,000 range and you're wanting to get to the next place, whatever that is. What if your goal was something like, I'm going to get my first paying client this quarter, or I'm going to earn 1,000 this quarter, or I'm going to make sure I have 5,000 a month each month of this quarter.
So, what if you gave yourself a goal that was really pretty attainable, and then you went for that? You decided that you were going to accomplish that. Why not create a goal that's actually believable and achievable for you? How amazing would it be to end the year that way?
All right. One last thing I want to discuss with you is what it is that has been holding you back. I'd love for you to spend the fourth quarter of this year really working through whatever mindset issues you have. Where are the gaps in your belief? Maybe it's that you don't feel confident because your business is not set up. You know, maybe you need to get your website. Maybe you need to get on social media. You need to get your pictures. You need to know how to communicate about what it is you do, but figure out where the mindset gaps are. Maybe you don't know how to sell. Maybe you don't feel good about your price. Get those things solved.
One of the beautiful parts about the business building boutique is that we offer mindset coaching support. Our mindset coach Thais Glenn is incredible. So I teach you what to do. I show you what to do. I tell you what to do, but oftentimes it's still hard to get traction and you know why? Because there's something in your head that is keeping you from taking the action.
Sometimes it's imposter syndrome. Sometimes it's fear of failing. Sometimes it's worrying about being rejected. Sometimes it's, you don't want to ask for money. I don't know what it is, guys, but let me tell you, the combination of the mindset work with the business building work, that is the perfect combination to get your business built. So, spend this last quarter of the year getting those mindset gaps taken care of, so that you are ready to have an incredible 2024.
All right, you guys have your marching orders. Now you know what to do. You want to create a more compelling brand. You want to be more consistent in your marketing. Find some places to be out there consistently. Decide on a number of days that you can really do it. Set yourself up for success by not over committing yourself to what you can't do. Then I want you to work on getting those business Building foundations set in place so that you're ready for 2024. Then I want you to do the mindset work. Pick a goal. That feels achievable. Pick a goal that you can end this year and feel so proud about. Decide to set yourself up for success. How's that sound?
All right. One last thing, you guys. I want to work with you. I want you to join me inside of the business building boutique. We've got two options, the VIP option where I'm going to hold your hand and we get the fast track. Both of these are incredible opportunities where Thais and I are both supporting you. We are giving you the exact step by steps and we are holding your hand along the way to make sure that you get your business built so that you have a foundation laid that really creates confidence in you. So you feel more comfortable talking to more people, making more offers and really getting your business built.
All right. Have an incredible week, you guys. I appreciate you so much more than you know. Love and adore you. We'll talk to you very soon. Bye bye.
Outro: Okay, ladies, that is it for today. Before we go, I want to invite you to head over to debbieshadid.com. I have this incredible Canva training, specifically designed for life coaches where I'm gonna teach you how to use Canva to create beautiful graphics to market your life coaching. All right. Have an amazing week. I'll talk to you very soon. Bye bye.