Grow Your Local Business Podcast Summary

Episode: Hoping to Get Local Clients vs. Expecting To Get Fully Booked
Host: Leslie Presnall
Release Date: May 27, 2025

Introduction

In this insightful episode of Grow Your Local Business, host Leslie Presnall delves deep into the contrasting mindsets of hoping versus expecting in the context of attracting local clients. Drawing from personal experiences and the successes of her students within the LocalPreneur Academy, Leslie provides actionable strategies to shift from a passive to a proactive approach in local marketing.

Personal Reflections and Setting the Stage

Leslie begins by sharing her personal experiences from May, reflecting on last year's challenges and her determination to transform a historically low-revenue month into a period of significant growth.

• Quote:
  “I knew that May was my lowest month last year, and I wanted to challenge myself to have a really great May this year.”
  (Timestamp: 04:30)

She emphasizes the importance of belief and commitment in achieving desired outcomes, setting the foundation for the episode's main theme.

The Core Mindset: Hoping vs. Expecting

Leslie introduces the central theme of the episode: the fundamental difference between hoping for clients and expecting to be fully booked. She encourages listeners to introspect on how these mindsets affect their energy, actions, and results.

• Key Insights:

  • Hoping:
    • Passive approach
    • Low commitment and effort
    • Relies on luck or external factors
    • Leads to inconsistent marketing and sporadic actions
  • Expecting:
    • Proactive and committed
    • Consistent effort and strategic actions
    • Belief in achieving specific results
    • Cultivates a steady stream of clients

• Quote:
  “You show up in a totally different energy. You think totally different thoughts, you feel totally different emotions, you take totally different actions and you create totally different results just from hoping versus expecting.”
  (Timestamp: 15:40)

Understanding the Brain's Role: The Motivational Triad

Leslie explores the psychological aspects that influence whether business owners hope or expect results. She introduces the concept of the motivational triad, explaining how the brain seeks pleasure, avoids pain, and conserves energy.

• Key Points:

  • Hoping Mindset:
    • Leads to conserving energy
    • Avoids taking necessary risks and actions
    • Resulting in stagnation and limited growth
  • Expecting Mindset:
    • Encourages energy expenditure towards goals
    • Embraces challenges and learns from setbacks
    • Drives consistent and strategic efforts

• Quote:
  “Our brain doesn't want to expend the energy and give the effort if it doesn't think it will get the results.”
  (Timestamp: 09:20)

Leslie emphasizes the need to override these natural brain tendencies to achieve business success.

Three Key Differences: Hoping vs. Expecting

Leslie outlines three primary ways the two mindsets manifest in local business practices:

1. Consistency in Marketing

   • Hoping:

     • Inconsistent posting on social media
     • Sporadic emails
     • Irregular networking
     • Often abandoning efforts prematurely

   • Expecting:

     • Adherence to a structured local marketing plan
     • Regular and strategic content creation
     • Persistent networking and client outreach

   • Quote:
     “What would consistency look like in your marketing if you expected to be fully booked?”
     (Timestamp: 22:10)

2. Focus on Revenue-Generating Activities

   • Hoping:

     • Engaging in passive tasks like branding, website design, and content creation without direct client engagement
     • Feeling productive without tangible client outcomes

   • Expecting:

     • Prioritizing activities that directly attract and convert clients
     • Active participation in events, direct marketing, and sales efforts

   • Quote:
     “When you expect results and not in a fake, delusional way, but in a grounded, committed way, you start to act differently as a business owner.”
     (Timestamp: 28:45)

3. Approach to Selling and Making Offers

   • Hoping:

     • Reluctance to make direct offers
     • Overemphasis on providing value without clear calls to action
     • Fear of being perceived as salesy

   • Expecting:

     • Confidently presenting offers as solutions
     • Regularly inviting clients to engage and purchase
     • Balancing value with clear, compelling offers

   • Quote:
     “Have you ever really been annoyed by someone sharing something that you needed and wanted? I can't think of a single time in my entire life that I've been annoyed hearing someone talk about a product or a service that I wanted or needed.”
     (Timestamp: 35:30)

Leslie challenges business owners to embrace a more assertive selling approach, aligned with their belief in their offerings.

Actionable Steps to Transition from Hoping to Expecting

Leslie provides concrete steps for listeners to adopt an expecting mindset:

1. Set Clear Intentions:
   Define what being fully booked looks like for your business and commit to it.

2. Develop a Consistent Marketing Plan:
   Implement daily and weekly marketing activities that align with your goals.

3. Prioritize Revenue-Generating Activities:
   Focus energy on actions that directly attract and convert clients.

4. Embrace Sales with Confidence:
   Present your services and products confidently, understanding their value to your audience.

5. Monitor and Adjust:
   Continuously assess the effectiveness of your strategies and make necessary adjustments.

• Quote:
  “I want you to write them down, put them in your calendar, whatever you need to do to commit to them. And I want you to go do them from a place of belief, from certainty, from commitment.”
  (Timestamp: 38:10)

Leslie underscores the importance of intentionality and disciplined execution in achieving business growth.

Conclusion and Encouragement

Leslie wraps up the episode by reinforcing the transformative power of shifting one's mindset from hoping to expecting. She shares her own success story of quintupled revenue in May as a testament to this approach and invites listeners to join the LocalPreneur Academy for further support and strategic guidance.

• Final Quote:
  “Go show up like someone who expects results because that version of you is the one who gets them.”
  (Timestamp: 45:50)

Takeaways

• Mindset Matters: Shifting from hoping to expecting can significantly impact business outcomes.
• Consistency is Key: Regular and strategic marketing efforts lead to sustained client acquisition.
• Active Engagement: Prioritize actions that directly generate revenue and build client relationships.
• Confident Selling: Embrace your value proposition and communicate it effectively to your audience.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly evaluate and refine your strategies to stay aligned with your business goals.

Join the LocalPreneur Academy

For those seeking structured support in transforming their local business, Leslie invites you to join the LocalPreneur Academy. This program offers comprehensive strategies, personalized guidance, and a community of like-minded local business owners committed to achieving a steady stream of clients.

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and actionable insights from Leslie Presnall's episode on transforming your approach to local client acquisition. By adopting an expecting mindset, business owners can unlock new levels of growth and achieve a fully booked schedule.