3 Mistakes Holding You Back From Selling More & Going Next Level

Summary

Podcast Summary: Episode – "3 Mistakes Holding You Back From Selling More & Going Next Level"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Book More Photography Clients Podcast | Photography Business, Marketing, Leads, Business Plan
• Host: Brooke Jefferson – Oklahoma Family Photographer, Photography Business Coach
• Release Date: October 31, 2024

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Introduction

In this enlightening episode, Brooke Jefferson delves into the common pitfalls that photographers and service-based business owners encounter when striving to increase sales and scale their ventures. Drawing from her decade-long experience, Brooke identifies and elaborates on three critical mistakes that can hinder business growth. Her goal is to equip listeners with actionable insights to overcome these obstacles and elevate their businesses to new heights.

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Mistake 1: Self-Doubt and Unbelief

Timestamp: [01:13] – [04:15]

Brooke begins by addressing the pervasive issue of self-doubt that many entrepreneurs face. She emphasizes that doubting one’s abilities can significantly impede sales and business growth. According to Brooke, self-doubt manifests in various forms, such as questioning pricing strategies or feeling inadequate compared to competitors.

Key Points:

• Impact of Self-Doubt: Doubting oneself leads to inconsistent efforts and hesitation in making decisive business moves.
• Spiritual Perspective: Brooke ties self-doubt to spiritual beliefs, suggesting that unbelief is a barrier set by negative forces to prevent individuals from achieving their potential.
• Overcoming Doubt: She recommends immersing oneself in God’s word for encouragement and seeking mentorship from mindset coaches to transform negative thought patterns.

Notable Quote:

"Unbelief is the number one thing that is holding every one of us back from our promise."
(02:30)

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Mistake 2: Giving Up Too Early

Timestamp: [04:16] – [06:45]

The second mistake Brooke highlights is the tendency to abandon strategies prematurely. In today’s fast-paced world, the desire for instant results often leads entrepreneurs to discontinue efforts when immediate success isn’t evident. Brooke stresses the importance of patience and perseverance, comparing business growth to relationships that require time to flourish.

Key Points:

• Instant Gratification Culture: The modern expectation for quick results can discourage long-term commitment to business strategies.
• Value of Patience: Brooke underscores that meaningful and sustainable business growth takes time and consistent effort.
• Spiritual Guidance: She encourages seeking divine direction and surrounding oneself with supportive, like-minded businesswomen to stay motivated during challenging phases.

Notable Quote:

"Good things take time. Think about friendships, your marriage, pregnancy. Those things don't happen in an instant. They require time."
(04:30)

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Mistake 3: Ineffective Messaging

Timestamp: [06:46] – [09:50]

The third and final mistake revolves around poor messaging strategies. Brooke points out that generic and bland messaging fails to capture the attention of ideal clients. She advocates for crafting specific and compelling messages that clearly communicate how one’s services address clients' pain points and fulfill their needs.

Key Points:

• Vanilla Messaging: Generic statements like "I help families capture memories" lack the specificity needed to attract targeted clients.
• Crafting Specific Messages: Brooke provides examples across different industries, demonstrating how specificity can make messaging more impactful.
  • Photography Example: Instead of saying, "I help families capture memories," use "I help new parents capture their baby's first year through stress-free in-home photo sessions."
  • Website Design Example: Replace "I build custom websites" with "I create custom personality-driven, SEO-optimized websites in four weeks for service-based businesses."
• Communicating Value: Effective messaging should highlight how you solve specific problems and meet the desires of your target audience.

Notable Quote:

"Your messaging is vanilla. It's not landing, it's not catching your ideal clients. It is not specific enough and you are not communicating to your ideal client that you can solve their problem and their pain points."
(07:30)

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Recap and Actionable Takeaways

At the conclusion of the episode, Brooke recaps the three mistakes:

1. Self-Doubt: Overcome unbelief through spiritual engagement and mindset coaching.
2. Giving Up Too Soon: Cultivate patience and perseverance, trusting the process and seeking support.
3. Ineffective Messaging: Develop specific, client-focused messaging that clearly communicates your value proposition.

Final Thoughts: Brooke emphasizes the importance of addressing these foundational mistakes to unlock greater sales and business growth. By fostering belief in oneself, committing to long-term strategies, and refining messaging, entrepreneurs can position themselves as leaders in their respective fields.

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Additional Insights

• Mentorship Recommendations: Brooke recommends coaches Heather Shriver Burns and Ali Spitzbergen for their expertise in mindset transformation and neuroscience-based approaches to overcoming personal and professional obstacles.
• Spiritual Integration: Throughout the episode, Brooke intertwines her business coaching with spiritual principles, advocating for a holistic approach to business growth that aligns with personal beliefs and values.

Encouraging Quote:

"Don't give up before things get good. There's a reason that consistency really does pay off."
(08:45)

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Conclusion

This episode serves as a valuable resource for photographers and service-based business owners aiming to enhance their sales and scale their enterprises. Brooke Jefferson’s candid discussion of self-doubt, perseverance, and strategic messaging provides listeners with practical tools and motivational insights to overcome common challenges and achieve sustained business success.

Connect with Brooke Jefferson:

• Instagram: @brookejanaephoto
• Email: [e-mail]
• Website: www.brookejefferson.com

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Transcript

[A]

We don't want to wait two to three days for a package to get delivered, right? But good things take time. Think about friendships, your marriage, pregnancy. Those things don't happen in an instant. They require time.

[B]

Welcome to the God in Growth Show. I'm your host, Brooke Jefferson. I'm a wife, mom to two, photographer and business coach.

[A]

If you love Jesus, us and know.

[B]

You are called to build a profitable and impactful business, you're in the right place. There is no perfection here, just real and raw conversations about navigating life and growing your business by putting God first.

[A]

I've been in the business world for.

[B]

Over a decade and I've learned that true success comes from putting God at.

[A]

The center of it all.

[B]

The verse I live by is Matthew 6:33 but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the.

[A]

These things will be added to you.

[B]

If you're ready for your next level, pull up a seat and let's dive in.

[A]

If I had to guess, I would bet that you have big goals. Goals that if you were really honest with yourself, scare the heck out of you. You didn't start a business to have an expensive hobby. You started your business to impact people, change your finances and live life differently than how you grew up. You've successfully started a business or two or three. Let's not even talk about those network marketing days. Your business is making money but you want to take your sales to the next level. You just don't know how. The next two episodes will be a two part series on what keeps you from selling more and going to the next level and then what offers you can add to your service based business to increase your profit and your impact. Today I want to share three key mistakes that are preventing you from making more sales and scaling your business. Whether you want to book more clients, increase your revenue without needing more clients, or add a source of passive income, you must overcome these three things first. Number one, the first reason that you aren't making sales or hitting your revenue goal is because you doubt yourself. You go through the motions of creating an offer or working your business day in and day out, but the truth is you constantly question yourself, why isn't anyone buying from me? Is my pricing too low or too high? Am I cut out for this? It works for her, but it just maybe it just doesn't work for me. You know that saying new level, new devil? It's a saying because with every level you try and accomplish, a new set of doubts is waiting for you guys. The promise never changes If God called you to something, he doesn't just change his mind and think, maybe she's not cut out for this after all. But there is a real enemy who does not want you to uplevel your mindset or your sales or your health or your joy. He doesn't want you to succeed in anything. Unbelief is the number one thing that is holding every one of us back from our promise. It is crucial that you overcome your mindset. Some tools and mentors to really help you do this, aside from just myself and my podcast is number one, getting in God's word, reading your Bible. There are stories and promises and you'll get to see trials and triumphs throughout God's Word. That is so encouraging to know that there's nothing new, right? There's nothing new going on. It's the same lies, it's the same obstacles, and it's the same mindset challenges. So make sure that you're taking time to read your Bible, even if it's one chapter a day. Then I also want to point you to two coaches that I've either had in the past or I currently am working with that have absolutely transformed who I am in my mindset. And that is Heather Shriver, Burns and Ali Spitzbergen. Guys, go find them, go follow them. I will link them in the show notes. They are incredible. Heather. That is exactly what her whole business is. Her whole business is neuroscience. It is changing your brain, changing your thought cycles. Going back and looking at how your past and your traumas have are like they really shape who you are today. So go hang out, go find them, get in their world, and they will really help you overcome your mindset. Number two, the second mistake that I see is that you don't give yourself enough time for something to take off. We live in an instantaneous society where everyone wants something right now. We don't want to wait 30 minutes at a restaurant for our food. We don't want to wait two to three days for a package to get delivered. We don't want to walk inside the grocery store anymore. We want it delivered to us in the parking lot, right? But good things take time. Think about friendships, your marriage, pregnancy. Those things don't happen in an instant. They require time. Your business is no different. The people out there selling you an overnight strategy or making $1 million in six weeks just isn't a reality for 99% of us. We should be so thankful that that is not the case. God refines us through the journey. He is shaping our character every step of the way. You can't give up on a marketing strategy because it didn't take off two weeks later. You can't throw your business in the trash because you're two years in and you haven't crossed the six figure mark yet. Ask God. What are you supposed to be learning? Pray over your direction. Pray over clarity for your business. Surround yourself with God fearing businesswomen who will speak truth to you and help you go to the next level. Don't give up before things get good. And the third mistake that I see and this is all business strategy right here. The reason you aren't making more sales or hitting your revenue goal is because your messaging is vanilla. It's not landing, it's not catching your ideal clients. It is not specific enough and you are not communicating to your ideal client that you can solve their problem and their pain points. I want to give you a couple of examples for a few different industries to help really bring this home. So for a photographer, the generic bland way of saying this is I help families capture memories that will last them a lifetime versus I help new parents capture their baby's first year through stress free in home photo sessions. Do you see the difference between bland versus very specific? Right. Like now, now we really know what this photographer does. Website designers I build custom websites for business owners. Okay. Versus I create custom personality driven SEO optimized websites in four weeks for service based businesses. So much different. Okay. It's so different for a business coach. I help people grow their businesses. Awesome. But I would rather you say something like I teach dance studio owners how to double their sales and create a studio that runs without them physically present. Wow. And the last example for a personal trainer. I help moms lose weight after pregnancy. Okay. That's actually probably the most specific so far, but here's how you can really drive it home. I help postpartum women lose their pregnancy weight in 12 weeks or less with an easy to follow nutrition plan and 30 minute workouts three times a week. Right. You already know what you're getting. So do you see what I mean? There are thousands of people doing what you do, so it's crucial that you get super specific with your messaging. Always communicate how you solve their problem and their pain points and how you can fulfill a desire for them. We will dive deeper into messaging in future episodes. All right, let's recap the three mistakes that are keeping you from making more sales or going the next level in your business. Number one is your doubt. You have to overcome your unbelief Number two, quitting too early. Don't give up before it gets good. There's a reason that consistency really does pay off. And number three, your messaging. Stop being vanilla and choose a flavor. Get specific. Be somebody. Make waves out there. I hope you found so much value in today's episode. I will see you guys on the next one.

[B]

Hey friend, thank you so much for listening to today's episode. Hey, if this podcast is something that you find valuable, will you take just a moment to hit Follow on the God and Growth show podcast and give me a five star rating and review?

[A]

If you truly love this podcast, these.

[B]

Are the two ways that number one, you will get every new episode straight to your phone just by following the show. And two your rating and review will show others that you find this podcast valuable and tell Apple Podcasts to push.

[A]

It out to more people.

[B]

Thank you so much for being here. Come connect with me over on Instagram at brookejefferson.