Finding Your Sales Strength with Estie Rand
What do you do when your perfect corporate work environment turns into a drama-filled nightmare? What do you do when your business idol tells you that no one will take your dreams seriously? How do you follow your dreams when you’re trying to provide for your family?
Those are the questions Estie Rand faced before she left her corporate job to become a small business consultant.
Today on Zimmerman Podcast, Estie is sharing her story of creating an industry through opposition, how to slow down the speed-dating, insta-marketing process, and where your ideal clients are “partying”. This is a MUST LISTEN episode! It’s like a free marketing masterclass and I can’t wait for you to learn from Estie! So let’s dive in.
The social media party
After Estie’s perfect work environment went sour, she became a multinational consultant and coach for small business owners and entrepreneurs, despite being told by her business idol that she would never make it in the coaching industry.
Fortunately, Estie had a strong support network of family and friends that helped her pursue what she believed she was meant to do: help others with the unique skillset and knowledge she had accumulated throughout her years in the corporate world.
Estie started small, but word spread fast. Personal referrals grew her reach to a multinational level. Her experience from the corporate world along with her understanding of business and marketing has given her a unique role for micro business owners (businesses that range from 1-30 employees and who make less than a seven figure profit).
I found Estie’s perspective that social media platforms are parties fascinating. Throughout the episode, Estie teaches how to show up for each different platform in a way that suits your personal business model, and also how to be present in a way that makes sense for the social media platform.
She describes Facebook as the reunion, LinkedIn as the networking event, and Instagram as the coffee shop. For each of those “parties,” it’s important to know how to show up, what to wear, what to talk about and the purpose of the party. Linkedin was the perfect “party” for Estie’s business-to-business model. For me, however, working primarily creatives, I find my education clients are spending time on Instagram. With my wedding industry professionals, Pinterest is the party I want to attend because that’s where brides are hanging out. Additionally, she gives some great tips for the type of online presence different businesses should have. You will want to take notes when you listen to this episode.
The courtship of sales and defining success
Estie had incredible insight on marketing and sales. So many entrepreneurs today want instant clients, but don’t really understand the courtship and process of building a relationship first. There is no such thing as an “insta-client.” Estie explains that sales are always rooted in networking and caring for your current and potential clients, because people buy from people.
My own students are often surprised that I meet with my clients in person for these very reasons, but growing up with a dad who worked in sales, I’ve always known this is important to do. It has been a key component to the success of my business by keeping the human relationship at the center of my sales process.
In the same way you have to take the time and effort with clients, putting in the work little by little, you cannot skip from A to Z, you have to do all the work in between. You have to ask yourself what you’re willing to do to have what you want; there are no shortcuts.
We also talked about building a team. I asked Estie for her thoughts on hiring and her insight into one of my most frequently asked questions, “How do I find ‘a Kellie?’ (Kellie is the woman behind the woman on the Zimmerman team)”. You will want to make sure you listen to this episode to hear her strategies for hiring the right person!
We also chatted about “success” and how it is defined. For many people its defined by happiness, but according to Estie, “happiness is just a byproduct of a life well lived,” and I couldn't agree more. She gave great insights into how to live aligned with our own values, and being honest with ourselves about what our values, goals, and priorities are so we can make decisions that help us to live the life we actually want.
A hobby or a business
Time for a does of tough love. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again until it sticks: if your business is not making money, then it’s a hobby, not a business. It’s okay to want a hobby, but if you want a business, you need to be willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears that go into building a sustainable, profitable business.
One of the biggest mistakes Estie sees is new entrepreneurs copying what they see others doing. They take one external aspect of another business and mimic that without really understanding the strategy or the behind-the-scenes work that it took to get the end result they desire. If you’re not willing to dig deep and figure out and implement the foundational pieces that come with running a profitable business, you’ll never get the results you see in the businesses you admire.
I could have talked with Estie all day; she is such a wealth of knowledge! Make sure you listen to the full episode to hear how she helps business owners determine their net profit goal, when she thinks is the best time to move from a home office to a work space, the dynamic of living in a family where she and her husband have swapped traditional gender roles, and my favorite, fun question, what she’d buy if she had Oprah’s money.
I’m grateful to Estie for visiting the Zimmerman Podcast! My challenge to you today is to implement one thing you learned from Estie this week. I can’t wait to hear how your business grows.
And don’t forget to catch Thursday’s bonus Under the Cover episode where we talk about the day I found out I’d be writing my memoir, and The Call that Changed Everything.
