← How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Ep 149 | Increase your Etsy Conversions with Storytelling – with Jude Charles
01:11:07
If you’re looking for ways to help your Etsy products standout from all the noise, this one is for you! In today’s episode, Jude Charles is sharing his incredibly thoughtful insight and suggestions on how storytelling can create a tipping point...
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- [00:01]
Lizzie Smiley
Hey, my name is Lizzie Smiley and I absolutely love helping people connect with their calling and all the tools they need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate the life they dream about. If you want to launch, grow, pivot or scale your Etsy shop, or you've always wanted to develop the mindset and skills to run your own business, then I'm your girl. I've had that entrepreneurial spirit going strong since my very first lemonade stand. And now I'm a work at home mama with multiple online companies and a full time Etsy shop. All while being present with my kids for the everyday chaos and most important milestones. On this podcast, we'll talk about all things business, mindset, Etsy, creativity, dazzling our customers, and so much more. There's plenty of room at this table for you, so scooch on in and let's go. I'm holding nothing back. Welcome to how to sell your stuff on Etsy. I'm so glad you're here.
- [00:58]
Unknown Host
Hey you guys. Boy, am I excited that you just hit play on this episode. Episode. It will not disappoint you. We should have to charge for this. Myself included. I can't believe how much I just learned talking to Jude. Let me introduce you to him in just a second. But as we just a little bit of housekeeping. My mind is still spinning from talking to. I can't. I literally can't get my brain on straight. What? He's so awesome. So first of all, please make sure that you submit your questions for the FAQ episode coming up. I'll have that linked in the show notes for you to be able to easily pop into the quick survey. Put in your questions and I would love to answer them for you. Anything about any part of Etsy, any kind of e commerce, whatever. You know, if you want to talk about entrepreneur, ask about entrepreneurship as a mom and balancing schedules, anything. It's all fair game. Ask me anything and submit those. And then we are a few weeks in now on the weekly trend spotting and product opportunities service that I don't even know what to call it yet. I'm. Oh, it's over. Amateur hour over here. I don't know what to call it yet. All I know is that these things are jam packed with like a whole bestseller overview with like a list of the trends that are going crazy and a video showing you where we're seeing that and how to apply it. And it's like it's firing me up every week in my own like product Creation and then also five product opportunities, a couple of digital product opportunities, a couple of print on demand, how to position it, what you could sell, why it's in demand, how I found it. So it's literally like less than in there. And I wanted to read you a little comment I got. So we're just a few weeks in and Rose's cookie shop on Instagram says I'm really enjoying the weekly trend generator. Definitely gets my wheels turning. So it's so fun being so early days and people are already just spinning and buzzing about it. I'm gonna, I just, I'm feeling a little, feeling a little frisky. So if you put in the code keep 20, I'll have this available for a week. So it'll be. This code will be valid from today, Thursday, October 3rd through, let's do through the 17th through Thursday, October 17th, put in, keep 20 when you check out. Usually it's $37 a month, but you're going to get it for $20 off. So you're going to get in for 17amonth and you're going to get, when you get in there, not only are you going to get an email from me every Monday, but you're going to get access to the membership area where you can see all the videos and you're going to get all of September's videos and October's videos. So you're going to get like massive but like so much trend information and product opportunities and it's just, I just want gift that to you. So crazy deal right there. Grab that if you've been thinking about it. And for 17, you'll get like eight weeks worth of trends, minimum. Okay, now that I've just given you a word salad about that, let me tell you about Jude Charles. You're going to hear our story of how we connected here in a minute when I bring him on. But I'm going to read you his bio. For over 18 years, Jude Charles has been producing documentaries for entrepreneurs. He has produced stories for Google, Steve Harvey and dozens of visionary CEOs. Jude is the author of Dramatic Demonstration. This book is a roadmap that teaches you how to dig deep to find compelling stories that no one else knows and then leverage those stories to grow your business. Jude's mission is to lead and empower entrepreneurs to have relentless, unwavering courage. Okay, have you heard the phrase that facts sell and stories sell? It's a little bit of a canned thing, but it's so true. And we all know a picture is worth a thousand Words, Stories are everything. But a lot of times when it comes to our e commerce businesses, we don't necessarily know how to use stories practically to position our product. So that's why we're having Jude on today, and he is going to open up your mind. This man is deep. There are so many layers of truths and lessons to be heard here today. So let's learn about storytelling. Get your favorite drink. Come up to the fireside. This is one of my favorite conversations ever on the podcast. Please help me welcome Jude to the podcast. Hey, Jude. Welcome to the podcast, Lizzie.
- [04:52]
Jude Charles
Thank you for having me. It's. It's a episode I've definitely been looking forward to.
- [04:56]
Unknown Host
You're too kind. The pleasure is all mine. We have to tell the little background of how we even. I don't. I honestly still don't understand how you know me. But I heard you on. Was it Alison J. Princess podcast.
- [05:07]
Jude Charles
Yep.
- [05:08]
Unknown Host
Which. And she's been on this podcast, too. That was another. The two of you are blowing my mind. That was over a year ago, though. That was an incredible episode. I should link that. I'll make that. I'll make a note of that. But then I joined your email list because you're very compelling and you're very calm, which is what I need in my life. And your emails are incredible. Like, I actually read your emails typically, which is. We don't usually do that. So that's our. That's our little. That's our little connection story. And then you somehow paid attention and reached out to me. I'll let you talk about that part.
- [05:35]
Jude Charles
Yeah, I did. The reason I reached out to you is because you're on my email list, and anyone who gets on my email list normally has to apply to be on the list. And I remember actually when you first applied, I made an asterisk next to your name because I read every application that comes in and I just paid attention. I paid attention to what you were doing because you mentioned you had a podcast, but I also was just paying attention to, okay, what kind of podcast and what is she doing and how is she doing it? And, yeah, it just. The time was right for me to reach out to you and say, hey, let's. Let's actually have a conversation now.
- [06:07]
Unknown Host
I don't know how you have the time for that, but I am in utter awe. My jaws on the floor. I can't believe that that's. That is next. That is next level. And that explains a lot about how you've gotten as far as you have. You're a really different guest for us. We really stay in Etsy. But what you teach is so perfect for Etsy sellers. Like, we're so lucky to have you. So would you just tell us your story? Like, how did you tell us where you came from and who you are and how you became a master storyteller?
- [06:35]
Jude Charles
At 17 years old, I was sitting in a TV production classroom, and my teacher at the time, Mrs. Donnelly, she taught me everything she knew about video production. And then at the end of the school year, towards the end of that junior year of high school, she looked at me. She was like, jude, you're really, really talented at video production. You should start a business now. Lizzie. I'm the youngest of 10 children. My father worked as a construction worker. My mom worked at a chair factory. None of my siblings were entrepreneurs. So I had no idea what Mrs. Donnelly meant when she said, you should start a business. But the following day, I'll never forget May 5, 2006. The following day, Mrs. Donnelly came into the classroom with a yellow envelope. And I was like, what is this? And she's like, look inside. And so when I looked inside. Lizzie. May 5, 2006. Mrs. Donnelly handed me my very first set of business cards. That is how I got started in video production 18 years ago. And it is the work that I continue to do today, helping entrepreneurs tell their story through a documentary or a documentary series. But it's bringing their life, their stories to life visually.
- [07:47]
Unknown Host
Please tell me she knows where you've. Where you've gone.
- [07:53]
Jude Charles
Absolutely. I still keep in contact with Mrs. Donnelly. She's in her last year of teaching, and I wanted to find. Because I still have the business cards on my desk, and I wanted to show it to you.
- [08:06]
Unknown Host
Oh, this is a good reason for y'all.
- [08:07]
Jude Charles
I had it framed.
- [08:08]
Unknown Host
Jump over to YouTube right now if you're listening, guys. Oh, my gosh.
- [08:12]
Jude Charles
And so, yeah, I still talk to her to this day. She's in her last year of teaching, and we'll be retiring this year as we record this. But, yeah, she knows. She knows. And I always credit her, no matter what she says that she. It wasn't just giving me the business cards. It was something in me. She was like, you still had to do the work. This was just something that helped push me to do the work that I'm doing today.
- [08:34]
Unknown Host
I think that's a profound thing for a teacher to do, though. Like what? Talk. Talk about. I mean, every single one of us, we need. We want someone to believe in us and to see something on that level. We all want to be seen so badly, and I think majority of us don't necessarily experience that. How profound. Okay, this is going to sound a little strange maybe, Jude, but I don't. As someone who does not have an eye, as you've observed from my videos, I don't understand videography, and I don't. I don't connect the dots between videography and storytelling. Can you help me with that? Like, help me understand why that makes you such a good storyteller?
- [09:14]
Jude Charles
Yeah. So when you are holding a camera, let's just say even something as simple as your iPhone, right, you're holding your iPhone and you are looking to document whatever's happening around you. There are sequences, there are things happening in different orders. Well, storytelling is very much the same way. When you tell a story, very simple terms, a story is about a very specific moment in time. So you're going to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Video is very much the same way. You're going to have a beginning where you might show a building that you're getting ready to walk into. Then you might have the middle, right, where you show yourself in the building and things that are going on, and then you show the end where you're probably heading back home for the rest of the day. Right? Video is very much the same way. If you are an Etsy owner and you are creating products on Etsy, and you're taking me behind the scenes of the products that you're actually creating. But let's say you run into a roadblock where you're creating this product, and then your machine breaks down and you're not even sure why the machine is not working anymore. That entire moment of this machine breaking down is a journey. And the only thing that changes when you now put video with it is the medium, the journey, the actual documenting of this journey. You could document a journey through video, you could document a journey through writing, but you could also document a journey through audio, which is how podcasts have blown up, right? Because we get to hear the stories of people and where they come from and how they built the businesses that they've built. Video is very much that same thing, is just a visual format that we can see and experience. And the reason that I happen to love video, I happen to create it, is because it's an emotional journey that really allows that person to be in the room with you, even if they're thousands of miles away. You are transformed and transitioned into their life. And that's why I happen to love video.
- [11:07]
Unknown Host
Okay? But if my machine broke down, I'm having a panic attack and I don't want anyone to know. So you've kind of opened up my brain a little bit. You're talking about sharing a story that I would intuitively hide.
- [11:19]
Jude Charles
Yeah, but why?
- [11:21]
Unknown Host
I guess I don't want my customers to think, oh, I might not get my order in time. I'm going to get an influx of DMs. I want them to think I'm professional, things are running smoothly. Like, that's. I mean, so fear, right? Or not wanting to add to my plate.
- [11:35]
Jude Charles
But when you think about it, none of us are perfect. Including the businesses that we run are. They're not perfect. And I agree there's some downside, right? There's some downside to, oh, this person is going to think, oh, this, this organization, this business doesn't have their stuff together. But on the other side of that, they know what it takes to get that order out the door, right? They know they have this deeper connection with you now because they understand you're going to do whatever it takes to get their order out the door. As an Etsy owner, you're looking at, how do I stand out? There might be someone else that sell the same thing that you sell, but one of the ways that I love to tell people that you need to stand out is through connection. That is, the only way you're going to be able to stand out is through connection. And when you start to record behind the scenes and you start to share your story, the one thing no one else can duplicate is how you got to where you are today. The one thing no one else can duplicate is you. Because even though someone else might be selling what you're selling, they're not you. And so that, to me, is like, there's a larger upside to being able to document the journey that you're on. And it may not be something bad happening necessarily. It may not be the machine is breaking down. It may just be how much fun you're having in doing and creating the products that you're creating. But at the end of the day, they get to connect with you. They get to see the face behind the brand. They get to understand why you're so passionate about what you're doing. That, to me, is so much more important than trying to hide and look perfect. It's not just fear. I think society has taught us to be perfect, right? And it's not. That's the furthest thing from what actually needs to happen. In 2010, I woke up one morning to the sounds of chains hitting the floor. And it always been a nightmare for me, for me to hear these chains hitting the floor. Lizzie, when I got up out of bed, I went to the front window. What was happening was my car was being repossessed for the second time in eight months. Oh, my gosh. I was so heartbroken. I went back in my room. I sat on the edge of my bed in a soup of anxiety, my hand, my head in my hands, and I'm thinking, what do I do now? It's five years in business. I've been trying to run this business, struggling to make $20,000 a year, and here it is. My car is getting repossessed for the second time in eight months. In that moment, I get a phone call from a client I had been working with. Her name is Keisha Dior. She was selling colored lipstick. And Keisha calls me in excitement. She's like, jude, Jude, you won't believe it. You won't believe it. I'm like, what happened, Keisha? She's like, I just got off the phone with my accountant, and he said, we made a million dollars. Well, Lizzie, in her first year of running this cosmetic business, selling lipstick online, she had made a million dollars. I had been in business for five years, struggling to make $20,000 a year, and I had a decision to make in that moment. I could go down one road, which is, hey, here's proof. I don't know what I'm doing. Here's a client who's made a million dollars in a year. Or I could look at it in a different way and go down a different road and say, this is proof that I have brought value to a client. Maybe I just need to go back and learn marketing and sales and learn how to actually build this business the right way. Now, of course, I'm sitting here with you today, and I learned how to do marketing and sales, and that's why I've been able to continue to run this business 13 years after that moment. But why do I share that story with you, Lizzie? It's because that is a story that I share with others to show them who I am. Part of my purpose is to lead and empower entrepreneurs to have relentless courage. That is a moment that I had courage to continue, even though really I had every reason to quit. But it's also an embarrassing moment where I'm talking about my car getting repossessed for the second time in eight months. I'm talking about struggling to make money. But what it does is it opens the door where you get to know who I am on a deeper level. Beyond, oh, that's the guy that talks about storytelling or that's the guy that does documentaries for entrepreneurs. You know, you get to know who Drew Charles is beyond the thing that he does. And so why I'm adamant about, like, I get it, there's fear and there's like, I don't want people to think bad things. There's also. They're going to think great things because they're going to be champions of you and they're going to be like, oh, that's why, that's why I order from Lizzie. That's why I, no matter what happens, you know what, the order might be a week, two weeks late, but I know she's going to do whatever it takes to make sure my order gets out the door. To me, there's a larger upside than hiding behind trying to look perfect.
- [16:16]
Unknown Host
You've convinced me. You've convinced me. And I do think a lot of makers have transitioned into, you know, everything is content and finding just all the moments of something unusual happening, something to share, I think. So there's, there's other aspects of Etsy and this, this might be something you'll want to chew on a bit, but there's different things that we can sell, right? We can sell physical handmade goods and that's, those are the easiest for most of us to imagine creating story around. And like our little listing video, you know, it's really easy. Or like our about video or if we go on social, it's. It feels easier to document. But a lot of people also sell print on demand items which are things where they've designed them but someone else is making them and shipping them. So there's none of that beautiful behind the scenes. And then the other one that's really big is digital products where there's literally we're just kind of creating in Canva and then the documents being delivered to the. I know, you know, this, giving this like the benefit of the listener, but like, then the document is just delivered by Etsy straight to the customer when they buy. And I think, you know, typically I think in those two, they're less likely to go on to social media, but they still have a story to tell within their shop. And I think, I know for me, my brain gets a little fuzzy on how do I create story around this. Like, it doesn't feel as romantic and I don't know if you have any practical thoughts about that.
- [17:36]
Jude Charles
I do. I think the easiest way to create Stories around digital products that you have that aren't as tangible is that you need to make meaning of the item. So what does that mean? Let's take something as simple as the newsletter you mentioned. I write a newsletter called the Dramatic Leverage Newsletter. And in that newsletter I am sharing a lot more than storytelling. It's really, for me, it's a way to talk about leadership and to talk about mindset. There's an email that I sent out before called the Hidden Costs behind My One Month Break. Every year I take two months off June and December. And I started doing that back in 2013 primarily because I'm an introvert. I need the time off. But after I burnt out in 2020, so after burnout, I I switched it to June and December. I used to do November, December. Now I switched it to June and December. What that means is I get to work five months and take one month off. Now, in the email, I think I wrote something about another idea that I don't drive, I don't own a car, I only take Uber. And part of that is because I want my time back. I get to get work done in the car. And so I broke down in this email the whole idea behind that. And then I think I went on to talk about what I do during my one month break. Well, I got an email from someone that was on the email list and she said to me, I think she said something to the effect of my daughter's in her twenties, she has Asperger's. I just forwarded this email to her because she can't drive and she kind of beats herself up about it. And I said this to her to hopefully give her hope to realize there might be beauty in the idea that she doesn't get to drive. Now, I write this newsletter from a business perspective. I don't write it from the perspective of trying to help someone with Asperger's, but man, does that feel good to know, like, this didn't just hit home for an entrepreneur. It hit home for a mother who wants to instill hope in her daughter. That is a story where I can make this newsletter tangible to say, hey, this isn't just about business. There's so much deeper concepts that I share. But you wouldn't be able to understand that if I just said, lizzie, this is more than just about business. This is a newsletter that I share. Right? That's just a statement. This is a newsletter that I write that goes deep. That's just a statement. But the fact that I just told you the story About a mother who wants to instill hope into her daughter, that she forwards this email. That's a story. That's a very specific moment in time. I got an email response from someone telling me, I forwarded this to my daughter. Right. With digital products, there are these moments that happen. Like I actually think about one of your products. I think you have a product called list to sell. Correct. Listings Sell.
- [20:15]
Unknown Host
Listings that sell. Yes. Yeah, it's a course.
- [20:17]
Jude Charles
How do we go deeper with that? Like, what is a story about listings to sell, which is just a digital product that tells me what this is really about, not just the transformation that people get. Because there's one specific comment I want to hone in on. But how would you tell the story of that? Of listings to sell? Listings that sell.
- [20:37]
Unknown Host
When I'm casting the vision of listings that sell, I make the content. So, like, for example, my Instagram, it's me sharing a lot of tips and ideas and casting vision and tearing down mental blocks for people that like, for. That's the first part of it. When I'm creating content for it, I don't, I. So I don't go and like create reels showing about the course I'm talking about where this can take you. Well, that's. You just said the transformation. So I don't think I'm getting here. I don't think I'm getting it right. Jude, do you want to probe me with another question?
- [21:07]
Jude Charles
Well, what I'm looking, what I'm looking for is like, what is. There is a story. There's a comment, there's a. There's a. There's a testimony you have on that page that says something to the effect of this person. Before they took listings, listings that sell, they were only selling three to five sales. They were only getting three to five sales a year, but now they get about a sale a day. Right. What I think about in that moment when I'm, when I'm hearing that is what does life look like after now? This person might have been only been selling 300 a year. Now she's selling possibly 3,000 to 30,000 a year. How has her life changed? What was she feeling like before now that she's gotten this after result, how has her life changed? And here's what I mean by that. It is a hypothetical story. This could be a mother of three who primarily spends most of her time taking care of the home, but has wanted to build something for herself. She wanted her children to see her as much more than just a mother who stays at home and takes care of home. She wants them to see a mother who's going after her dreams, who's doing something that's creative and brings her to life, brings something that she's doing that brings her to life every single day that she's passionate about. And you gave her that opportunity to do that. Where she, where her child came home one day and maybe the child's in elementary school and she said, mom, I was bragging about you today to one of my friends and telling them how much I love seeing you happier now. And it's made it all worth it that she took listings that sell. She took that course because it made it tangible that this wasn't just about selling a couple more items on Etsy. This was about how her daughter looks at her. That's the reason I went down that rabbit hole, is because although it's a digital product, it's just a course, right? Quote, unquote, just a course. There are these moments in time that make this course real and emotional. And those are the stories that we need to find. We need to be actively listening when someone says, hey, this is what happened. Wait, tell me more about that. How has that changed your life? Like, I talk about this, this lady that sent it to her daughter, I could follow up and say, hey, what did your daughter think? Right? Like the digital products, although they're just products, you can bring them to life by making meaning of. It's not just the fact that it's the product. What is the emotion behind that product, whether it's physical or digital, what is the emotion behind it that really brings it to life?
- [23:38]
Unknown Host
You're on an entirely different wavelength. Surf, like the way that you. So this is all piecing together for me now. I'm like, this gentleman goes. And I mean, I probably never have a guest go as far into research as you have and the follow up. I'm just thinking, what if we as Etsy sellers had got a really great review from somebody and they just said, oh, I loved your. I loved your, like Santa Claus printable, like letter from Santa print, you know, where he left it. And we could actually just DM them on Etsy and be like, I saw your note, like, thank you so much. What did your kids think? And we could ask one more question and we could get a paragraph of literally bananas. Like, it's not just this was a great printable. It's like my kids were so excited at me. That made it so much more magical. And our holiday was just, it was on a whole different level of Special. Like with just one more question that you ask. Dude. That we don't. We're not thinking to ask. I'm. I'm almost speechless. It's.
- [24:40]
Jude Charles
And let's take that deeper because I talked earlier about. Let's go deeper because earlier I talked about how we're all looking to stand out. What other Etsy owner do you know that is going a step further to say. Well, tell me more about that. The reason I want to go deeper with that because you started our conversation by saying, so many people want to be seen.
- [24:58]
Unknown Host
Yeah.
- [24:59]
Jude Charles
There's two of the most important desires that human beings have is to be seen and to be heard. And you reaching out to say to someone, oh, I saw your comment. Tell me more about that. You first. A lot. You first told them, I see you. Now you're telling them, I want to hear more from you. And then you get. They're opening up the woodworks. Like, you're even. We started this by you asking, like, I don't even know how it got on your radar. Like, that's what you said to me. He was like, how did I. How did I even get on your radar? Like, I don't even think I play in the same world as you. And it's like, no, I see you. I'm paying attention. Part of the reason that I make people apply to be on my newsletter is because I believe one of my core values is depth versus with. It's not about how many people I have on my email list or how many people are reading it, as much as, do I have a meaningful relationship with each one, do I know each one. If I notice someone's on my newsletter and they haven't opened the emails, they get taken off. And that's something I'm very open about. In the very beginning, I got a.
- [26:01]
Unknown Host
Lot of email, like, ones from you. And it freaked me out. I was freaking out. I'm here.
- [26:07]
Jude Charles
I just can't because I want people to know, like, we have a connection. We have a relationship. And so, yes, I took the time before this podcast to look at what you sell, to look at what you talk about. I've paid attention for the last year since you've been on newsletter. Because this conversation changes when I pay attention. And in business, the foundational thing that I believe business is. So we talk about relationships in business and how you need to form a relationship, pay attention. And the way that you pay attention is by asking more questions, actively listening when someone says, oh, this was great. And then you take it a step Further and say, wait, tell me more. Because I saw you just said this was great. Or I just heard you say this was great. Tell me more. Right? What happened? Like you said, you asked the question, what happened? What did your kids think when they saw the Santa Claus sticker? Right? And imagine the stories that comes out of that, the imagination for this child. Even though it's a sticker, it's just something as simple as a sticker. But it brings so much joy to that child's life. And the parent gets to say, I did that. I bought this for them. And it brought so much joy. But again, that's how we go deeper. That's how we find the stories to be able to tell is just ask more questions.
- [27:29]
Unknown Host
That's really nice because we needed a simple, practical thing here because your brain is immense and I'm just trying to bring it down to some of the practical too. It's just awesome. So what's so cool about that is a you ask the question, you're crossing off the customer service box. So you're looking like a rock star making this person be like, wow, there's a real person behind this. You're gathering a bigger testimonial that can help you cast vision and sell more products, but you're also deepening a relationship. Because one of the main laws of entrepreneurship is it's easy to sell to someone who's already bought from you than to sell to a brand new customer. Am I getting this? Am I starting to learn a lot?
- [28:06]
Jude Charles
Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. It's much easier to sell to someone who's purchased from you. Especially when there's a conversation that's going right. Like, part of why I love to not only read the responses I get from newsletters, but then respond to them is because it starts a conversation. Whereas the newsletter can feel like, oh, there's just this mass email that's going out. It's like, oh, no, now I have access to this person. Before we sat down and started recording, like, even you and our conversation, you're just like, wait, I have access to you now. And I'm so nervous. And it's just like, there's nothing to be nervous about. We've already been talking, we're already friends, like, there's nothing to be nervous about. But that creates a friendship, that creates value. We always hear this idea of value, give value, give value. And to be honest with you, Lizzy, I've never really understood what that meant in the beginning when I first started hearing that. But then over time, I realized the Value is the story, the value is you. And there's this three dimensional way of giving value. There's the value that the person gets, there's the value that you bring, and then there's the value that you already bring to others that inspires them. It's like a wheel that continues to go around and around, right? They're ingrained into your world because you're providing value in such a deep way. And so yeah, it's when you have these deeper conversations, it's a deeper relationship that allows this becomes more than transactional. It is now a relationship that you get to have with this person, possibly for a lifetime, possibly even if you decide to go do something else, they still want to follow you because it's not about the thing that you do, it's about who you are.
- [29:59]
Lizzie Smiley
Are you ready to start building your social media presence to help market your Etsy products? But not quite sure where to start? I am so excited to tell you guys about the social media membership that I'm a part of called Julie's Biz Boutique. My friend Julie Oxendine started out selling wreaths on Etsy and has built a monster of a social media presence of over 1 million followers who buy her products, her tutorials and her courses. She is the queen of Etsy social media coaches and I cannot recommend her more highly. She's also so relatable and genuinely interested in helping you grow, which is just my kind of gal. Her monthly membership will keep you up to date on how to best leverage all of the platforms with their ever changing algorithms and connect you with a wonderful community of like minded makers. As a member you will also get immediate access to Julie's library of over 100 training videos on everything from Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Etsy and even more.
- [30:54]
Unknown Host
I could keep going on.
- [30:56]
Lizzie Smiley
It's the best bang for your buck that you can get to learn so much about social media and find the inspiration and help you need to start growing your following. Fun little secret too. I gotta plug this in. Julie's membership only opens to the public for new members a couple times a year. But since she loves us so much, we get special treatment and you can join us right now. So just go to howtosellyourstuff.com Julie to learn more and get enrolled today. Once again, that is howtosellyourstuff.com Julie and I can't wait to hang out with you there.
- [31:29]
Unknown Host
What was that? Is it the Dale Carnegie book Winning Friends and Influence People?
- [31:33]
Jude Charles
Yeah, yeah, that's Dale Carnegie, I believe.
- [31:35]
Unknown Host
Yeah, very good, very true. Yeah. Okay, so on Etsy, we get, for our listings we get 10 photos that we can use to position our product. And we always talk about. I love what you were talking about, connection, because we always talk about how the first photo needs to create an emotional connection because someone's going through the search, that's how they find you. You happen to show up in a sea of competitors and you need them to see yours and say, that's it, emotional connection. That's the one by that picture. We also get the second thing is a 15 second silent listing video. And I would love as your just your whole perspective on this, if you have any tips for us on how we can be positioning in those very key places, you know, again, in a sea of competition to create that connection.
- [32:24]
Jude Charles
So when you are looking to visually stand out, I have this thing called the dramatic demonstration of proof. There are five dramatic demonstrations. There's behind the scenes, which we talked a little bit about. There's live illustration. That means you're using this item in a live way. So for example, when I speak, I talk about burnout because I burned out in 2020. And then I talk about the idea of having to rebuild myself back up again. And so in doing that, I play with, while I'm speaking live on stage, I play with a Jenga set and I'm removing Jenga pieces because on the pieces there's words like start working on your core values or start doing certain things. And then there's the things to stop doing. So stop thinking you need a brand new website. Stop thinking that you need to listen to just another podcast. Right? Like, so there's these start and stops. And the whole point of that is that when I take away the pieces and Jenga, normally when you play, you put it back on top. Well, I talk about taking it away and never putting it back on top. And what you notice is that the structure still holds. Structure, still disstanding. So you don't need all the things that you thought you needed. That's live illustration. There's social proof, which we talked a little bit about. That's the testimonials. There's unique mechanism. So unique mechanism is your unique process or way of doing something. There could be a lot of different things for that. And then there's transformation, the before and after. But I like to think of life after. I've shared a few examples. One example that I love to share is a fitness instructor who she coaches women who are over 40. And there's this day that she got a text message from one of her clients. And in the text message is of an empty airplane. And then the text says, this is the first time in my life. Mind you, she's over 40. This is the first time in my life I'm getting on an airplane and I don't have to ask for a seatbelt extension. When you're looking at the visual, you mentioned that it's 15 seconds of just silence. Visuals still communicate something when you see it. So whether that's a live illustration of. Let's take the Santa Claus sticker that you mentioned earlier, if this is the Santa Claus sticker and it's in different environments, they can see beyond just. Okay, I'm going to show you what this printable looks like. Let me see it in different environments. Let me see. Maybe ideas that I wasn't even thinking about how I could use this. Right. That's a live illustration. Social proof might be the user generated content that you might get back from clients when they're showing you what this product looks like when they're using it. Right. Unique mechanism. Now there's a few different ways you can do unique mechanism. And that just may be the unique way you go about seeing something and how you create it. Maybe there's a unique process you take in creating these stickers. Like there's. I forget her name now, but there's a woman on Instagram who creates these amazing jackets out of sports jackets right out of sports teams. And she starts, she shows you the one thing, but then she shows you how she's actually putting it together. And then the final product and it's like, whoa. Like I didn't even think that's what it was going to be in the end. Right. But there's a unique way that she sees it. And so I think when you're looking, people are looking at your product, looking at your item, whether it's digital or physical, and they're thinking to themselves, why should I buy from you? You've created this, but why you? Why this? Why you? And one of the ways that you could stand out. Again, we talked about connection, but another way that you could stand out is through visually just showing them. This is not like anything you've seen. This is different. And because it's different, this is why you should buy it.
- [35:56]
Unknown Host
Oh my gosh, so much food for thought. I'm all like, print on demand. Yeah. I think there's. Especially for physical products and digital, it's a little bit easier because digital you just show Them how they're using it. You just, you're in Canva doing a video showing them how they use the printable or whatever the digital item is physical is easy. You just show it in three dimensional reality. Print on demand. I, I typically just suggest maybe like a slideshow, you know, to be able to show maybe it on different colors or in different applications or you could even use it. You know what would be really. This just came to me right now. Outfits. I was, I was shopping last night for some, some fall clothes online and, and I love when they suggest like the whole outfit. I know they're just upselling me, but I don't care, Jude. I just love because I'm not the eye. So you could even show it in different, you know, like if you're making a T shirt. Well, here's how it looks like on the beach over a swimsuit. Here's what it looks like half, you know, with a. Is it still a thing to French tuck? Don't ask me into your jeans. And so different outfits could be really cute.
- [36:56]
Jude Charles
Yeah but I mean even yourself and how you're using, how you're buying online, you're saying like I don't, I don't know how to put these things together. You need the ideas, right? You need the ideas. And that is why we're talking about showing this visually. Because oftentimes we don't know what to like we kind of have an idea, but we really don't. No. And so yeah, that's why it's. I think it's critical in this day and age to not only show it, show different ways to use it, but then to tell me something I can relate to. Like you're going to tell me the features that it has, but then tell me something I can relate to. And oftentimes the thing that I can relate to is the story, the story of how other people are using this. Like I have a really cool. So I sell a book called the Dramatic Demonstration Book. It's, it's my life's work, what I've been doing the last 18 years. But something I did different that I believe about with books is when you buy a book and it's a book that's trying to teach you something, you should have a notebook that comes with it. Right. So every physical copy of the Dramatic Demonstration Book, when you buy it, it comes with a notebook. Well, I happen to be talking to a customer once, just following up with them, seeing, you know, what they thought of the book and have they been able to apply Anything that they learned from the book. And Lizzie, something that surprised me, I never would have imagined this guy. He has two daughters, I think one is 18 months, the other is four. And he said to me, you know, I'm a little ashamed to say this, but I'm actually not using your notebook for the book. I'm not using it for the dramatic demonstration book. He was like, I don't know why I had the idea, but I started journaling in the book, in this notebook to my four year old daughter. And I want to give her this notebook when she turns 18. Just notes that I've been writing to her for the past, you know, 14 years. And I'm look and I'm listening to him and I'm like, again, I thought this was just, oh, I just thought this was a product. I just thought, oh, this is a good idea. Let me make sure they have a notebook. It's something different in the way I can stand out. It sparked in his mind, let me write. And he could have bought any. He could have bought his own notebook, right? Like he could have done this on his own. But for some reason, when he received that package, what came up in his mind? This is such a great notebook that I can give my daughter when she turns 18 so that she has these stories and these ideas and these values that I want to instill in her. She has it in physical form. Right? The point that I want to make and I want to drive home, if you've been listening to this, is that everything that we do, there's something so much deeper. You might look at it on the surface. It's like, oh, I just, I'm just selling some stickers or I'm just putting out some products. No, there's something that you're doing and you can only do it the way that you do it. You do it differently. There's something that you're doing that's making this person look at this in a different way. And what I'm saying is lean into that. Oftentimes we can discount what we really have. The story I told you about Mrs. Donnelly in the very beginning, for five years, maybe even 10 years, I never really shared that story because I was just like, oh, so what? A teacher gave me business cards. Like, big deal. I was discounting the value that I have. And I want to make sure as people listen to this, they don't discount the value that they brought. Ring. It's not just stickers. It's not just printables. It's not just a pattern that you created. There's something so much deeper, and that's what you want to be able to communicate, Communicate that value. And so be able to communicate that value, Communicate it through storytelling.
- [40:36]
Unknown Host
Dude, we're all losing it. Desperate to see that journal now.
- [40:42]
Jude Charles
Holy cow.
- [40:44]
Unknown Host
You know what I'd love to hear from you about is you have a tool called the story bank journal concept. And when I read about it on your website, I was just like, wow, this could really help us start to capture what we need. Can you tell us about that and how we might use it? Practically?
- [40:59]
Jude Charles
Yeah. So in my own business, I've been looking at how do I get better at storytelling, how do I tell stories, how do I communicate the value that I bring to others? And part of that was literally just starting years ago. Every day, I would take a few minutes at the end of the day and write down the stories that had happened for that day. So what happened that day and what ended up happening is that I created this story bank journal, which gives you prompts on asking you questions on, like, stories that you might not be thinking about. And so in the Story bank journal, it's the way I started it. At least it was. I just wrote down a headline, so a title for the story. And then I wrote down. I just jotted down some notes on what actually happened and then possible lessons from that story. So I mentioned earlier stories about a very specific moment in time. And then the lesson that you learned in that moment in time? Well, we talked about, like, finding stories through just asking more questions from your clients. When I get those responses from clients and customers, I put that in my Story bank journal. And that is, to me, the way that you. Because some people would think, oh, I don't. I don't have any stories to share, or. Or I have so many stories, I don't know how to make sense of it. Right. Have one place. The reason I call it a story bank is because in the same way that you deposit money into your bank, that's the only way that you're able to withdraw it. The only way you'll be able to withdraw the stories to be able to find the stories to share is if you deposit them, you take the time to deposit them in one location. And I happen to call it the Story bank journal. That's what I created to be able to allow you to do that. There's so many opportunities as to where you can find stories. It's not just in asking your customers, but it can be in the random moments that happen throughout the Day, something I love to do. Like, just about every three months, three to six months, is I'll just sit one day and I'll look through all the photos and videos in my phone that I've captured over the last month. And those are stories that I might have forgotten right when I'm watching a TV show. I've been watching your honor on Netflix lately, and there's a story that Adam tells in the show about his mother and how she used to take random pictures of people and share it with them, but then the people would get upset because there were random candid pictures that they weren't expecting she was taking. But then she would sit with them. And the lesson that she taught Adam was just be still, be present. Be there with people, even if they get upset with you. I wrote that down in my story Bank Journal because I'm like, oh, that's. That's such a powerful lesson. Like, I didn't see that coming. I love to read books. It's another place where I. I'll see a good story. I'll take that. And I'm like, oh, okay. This might be something I can use somewhere else. Right? The Story Bank Journal is one place for you to begin to practice this idea of storytelling. We are all storytellers. We tell stories every single day. This is just an opportunity to be more intentional while you're. While you're building your business. You are connecting with people. This is an opportunity to be very intentional about the stories that you tell and how you go about telling those stories.
- [44:12]
Unknown Host
I am your perfect client. I need that so desperately because I know the power of storytelling and I know. I know I have a gift of communication. Okay, funny story. When I first started this podcast, I probably had, I don't know, like, maybe 30 to 40 episodes under my belt. And I'd had, like, I had kind of my little bank of stories, my Etsy stories from my sign shop days. And apparently I told them too much because I had. And she was being so sweet. But I'm telling you, it, like, wrecked my confidence for a little bit. And she's just like, okay, grandpa, you keep repeating. And I'm just like, oh, I know. But I'll tell you what, I'm such a. I'm constantly going. I'm constantly thinking, I'm constantly. I'm the energizer Bunny. And at the end of the day, I sit there and I. Or not at the end of the day, I actually think that's a brilliant idea. I sit down to make a reel or A mini course or a lead magnet. And I'm like, I don't have any stories that I haven't told, and I can't think of them. So that's literally perfect. So are there prompts? How does it work, dude? Are there prompts in there or is it just open? I know creatives usually like open space.
- [45:24]
Jude Charles
So there's.
- [45:25]
Unknown Host
Lizzie likes.
- [45:26]
Jude Charles
There's two. There's two different options. There's prompts, but there's. Yes. There's also open space where you can just randomly share. Just randomly write down a story. Like, maybe something really cool happened that day and you're thinking, oh, I really need to jot this down. So there's that, but then there's prompts on, like. Like what? I think one of the prompts is, tell me about your first car. First car you ever drove. Right. Because again, it sparks ideas in your mind. The whole idea behind the prompts is that it sparks other ideas in your mind. It just gets you going. Sometimes all you need is to just get started. There's a story that I have, I know in my story being called Uber driver by day, musician by night. And it's really just a short story of how this Uber driver, I was going to the airport one morning and she was taking me, and she literally had this whole setup of playing her music. First she played she's an R and B singer, and first she played India Re. No. When I first got in the car, she said to me, hey, do you mind if I play music? And I was like, yeah, sure. And she was like, you're good with R and B. And I was like, yeah. She was like, okay, I'm gonna play India Re. And she let it play. And then she was like, just to let you know, my song is coming up next. And I was like, oh, well, that's a nice setup. As a marketer, as a person that's thinking about sequences, I'm like, that's a nice setup, but it was just a random story. I added it to my story Bank Journal. And so, yeah, there's prompts that will ask you certain questions that will ask you. Like, I think another one is your favorite day at school. I think is was another one. And it's just a random. Maybe you're going to think about elementary school, maybe you're going to think about high school. Like, just thinking about something that randomly happened. That's. That's the point of the story, bank journalist, to just bring random ideas to your mind. Because, like you said, you get to sit down and you're thinking, oh, I need to create a landing page, or I need to create this. This email. And you have no idea what you're going to write. But because you've taken down the time to write it, now all you have to do is go back and look through it. All you have to do is go back and say, hey, oh, this might be a good story that I could tell, right? Like, I'm looking at my story, Bank Journal now. And the last story I wrote, actually, I know this came from an Instagram video I saw. It was a baker's, this guy that owns a bakery. And it was his first big account. He told the story of his first big account. And the first big account was making 26 cheesecakes. But what I thought was fascinating about this is this guy, I believed, I forget where he lived, but he lived in an apartment building. I wanted to say New York, but he lives in an apartment building and he doesn't have a big commercial oven. So he recruits everybody that lives in his building. And he's like, hey, will you allow me to lose. Use your oven to make these 26 cheesecakes. And so he's running down the hallway and up and down to make all these cheesecakes just to fulfill his first order. And I'm like, oh, that's such a powerful story of doing whatever it takes, right? Like, you have this dream and then you finally get your big break. How do you. How are you going to make it happen? He figured out a way to make it happen. I have no idea where I'm going to use that story, how I'm going to use that story. But I just knew it was a story that really stuck out to me. Random moment that happened to me. Last week or two weeks ago, I went to meet with a friend and I remember him, we sat down to have lunch. He was like, how are you doing? I was like, you know, I'm actually pretty good. I was like, you know, I have my good days, I have my bad days. I'm just trying not to get lost in the bad days. And Lizzie, his next question to me, really, it's so simple. But I was just like, wow. He said to me, isn't that a blessing? Literally, he said it. I didn't say a word. He didn't say a word. And it hit me like I knew exactly what he meant. Isn't that a blessing? That I could even think to myself, don't get lost in the bad days. That I'm even self aware in that way to Say I have good days, I have bad days, but I'm not going to get lost in the bad day. Because some people don't get that opportunity, they don't have that privilege. Right? Random moment, very small. But these are the stories that we can use to be able to convey ideas and convey lessons to others. Because it's not just about saying statements. It's not just about talking about how great you are when you're trying to sell something. What are the ideas, the lessons? What is the bigger mission and purpose behind what you're doing? There is one. There's this idea of starting with why? Why are you doing what you're doing? Right? Even if it's selfish, even if you're just saying, I'm doing this so that my daughter can look at her mom and be proud. Gives me a reason to care. Give me a reason to care about this. Give me a deeper reason to say, I want to take my hard earned money and share it with you. And knowing that you're doing good in the world too. Right? That's the point of the story. Bank Journal is to just be able to have. There is no excuses to, like you said, you know that storytelling is important. There's no excuses to not being able to sit down and tell stories. It's just having one location for all these stories to live.
- [50:35]
Unknown Host
I think it's a brilliant solution to a problem we didn't even realize we had. And I think one of the biggest lessons I've learned from you here today, Jude, is that we overcomplicate this. I'm looking for like, where's that big life changing, earth shattering story? And it's just like, no, it can be so much more simple than that.
- [50:59]
Jude Charles
Yeah, yeah, it can be simple. It just takes. It requires the time to do it. I'm looking through the physical journal that I started years ago. Oh, this is a really cool one. I've actually used this in the newsletter, but I wrote this down actually. So in the physical journal I have the date and this was written down, I guess Christmas eve. It was December 24, 2019, and the title was A mother at the dollar tree store with her two sons. Oh, I didn't use this. There was a different story I used about a mother in a store, but it says one in a baby cartoon, one in a baby car seat or carriage. The other is about five or six years old. While in line at the checkout, the mother is teaching the son about money, how to calculate taxes. Taxes are 7% and we're buying four items. So what's the tax? She says to the son. How much do we have to pay for taxes? She shows him by having him multiply seven times four. Anyway, this is a longer story, but the point is I think so. He ends up figuring out the amount. But I wrote at the end, this young man is going to be very wealthy when he grows up. His mother may not have much, but what she has given her son is incredibly priceless. So I wrote the story down differently. I actually did use it in the newsletter. I wrote it down a little bit differently, but I thought to myself I didn't. But the point is again, it's just a random moment in the store, right? And I think the way that I use it in the newsletter is to connect you to because it reminded me of my own mother and the lessons that my parents have taught me that are priceless. It has nothing to do with running a business and all these other things. It's just about counting money and being responsible with money. Right? We are all storytellers. We have random moments happening to us. We have random moments that we're inspired by if we're watching a TV show or reading a book. Use the stories. Use the stories to be able to connect with your audience, to connect with your customers so that they understand who you are and what you bring that's different. So that you can stand out.
- [53:12]
Unknown Host
Are you a print on demand or digital product Etsy seller who's tight on time or still learning all of the Etsy secrets? I totally remember the days of having no idea what product to create next before I learned how to make those informed decisions so I can really identify with where you're at. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be to just create listing after listing and see little to no results. You wonder what you're doing wrong and just you just want someone to tell you what to create that's actually going to sell. Where are those opportunities? So let me give you a leg up with my weekly trends and opportunities report. You just join my membership and every Monday I'm going to send you an email with a list of exactly what is trending right now with a video tutorial showing you how I found those trends and how to apply them in your shop. We're taking guesswork and time extensive time off of your table. I'm also going to send you five print on demand and digital product opportunities that are growing in demand right now, helping new shops make sales and still have very low saturation in the market marketplace. So your tight schedule Your newbie status doesn't have to hold you back anymore. I'm going to help you earn while you learn. You can grab my free demo to start and see an example of what the weekly trends and opportunities email looks like right from the show notes. See what you're going to get and I will see you on the inside soon. You've already answered this in a thousand different ways and the very wise and perceptible perceptive we'll have art. We'll already know the answer. But for those of us who need it spelled out a little more, help us connect the dots between how storytelling will help increase our Etsy conversions.
- [54:50]
Jude Charles
One of the best things that anyone can say to me is I I remember this story that you told about X. You have an opportunity to live in someone's mind rent free. And when you're living in someone's mind rent free, there's such a deeper connection that makes them want to actually purchase. Like they have convinced themselves not you trying to convince them they have convinced themselves I have to buy from you. Not oh, I was thinking about it. Not maybe oh, that's on my list. No, I have to. There's a desire that happens when you share a story and you leave them with a lesson that they will remember forever. You may not remember all the information I shared today, but you will never forget Mrs. Donnelly, in giving me the business cards. You will never forget the day that my car got repossessed and I decided I'm going to try one more time. You will never forget the hypothetical story that I shared about a mother's daughter coming home and saying that I bragged about you mom to my friends because I was so happy to see you happy. When you take the time to share stories, it increases the conversion because it creates a desire, a deep desire for someone to purchase from you. There's a study that was done called Significant Objects and what happened was these two journalists purchased trinkets, like random trinkets online off of ebay. And they purchased them for like a quarter, some 50 cents, no more than a dollar. And they decided to resell these items on ebay. The only thing they added. And you can look up this study, I believe the website is significantobjects.com, but you can look this up. The only thing that they added was a story. And so they might have. I forget the exact number, but I think they purchased everything for about maybe $20. Let's just say when they resold all of the items, they had made an 8,000% profit on all of the items I believe they sold. Let me. Let me actually look it up at Wildwork, because I want to give this specific number because this is important. And this is the point. Like, you ask, like, what. How does this even help us increase conversions? The per. The objects purchased were for a dollar and 25 cents apiece on average. And all of the items sold for nearly $8,000 in total. Total significantobjects.com and you want, if you're looking to increase your conversions, you're looking at, okay, I know I sell this thing, and I know it's. It might even be a bestseller. It might even be something that people are really enjoying. But if you can do 20% more in sales, wouldn't that be worth it? Wouldn't it be worth it to sit down and say, okay, I'm going to attach a story to this and see, see what people think. That is the way that you increase conversions. Because again, you make meaning of. You make a deeper meaning of this product than just a product. The Story Bank Journal is not just a tool that you use to make more money. The Story Bank Journal allows you to begin to create and document the legacy that you want to leave behind for your kids in the same way that our grandparents used to tell us stories over and over. Like the one person said to you, okay, grandpa. Right. Because it's the same stories over and over being told. Well, here's your moment to sit down. Let's just say you're not going to use this for business. Like the one customer I mentioned who ended up using his notebook for a journal that he shares with his daughter. The Story Bank Journal is your opportunity to take that time to say, these are the stories. These are the moments in life that happened to me, and this is why they matter. This is why we are who we are. And I want you to remember this. That is how you increase conversions. You make it deeper. You create a deeper desire. You make this something that is more than just an item. You make it come alive. You make it something that's real. Yeah. And that's, to me, I've seen it happen in my own business. And I don't just talk about these things. I implement them in my own business. And I see it happen over and over where people, they shift in their seat when they hear the story. I'll tell you one last story as we wrap this up. I'll tell you one last story that I use when I do a consulting session with my clients. And I. This is the opening story that I Start with. And I'll warn you that it's an emotional story, but it's a story that I start with. In 2014, I went to Spokane, Washington. Spokane, Washington, is the furthest northwest point of America. Washington State, at least, is the furthest northwest point of America. And I live in Florida, which is the furthest southeast point of America. Right. And I had this crazy idea, Lizzie, crazy idea. I'm 25 years old, I'm coming. I'm coming back home from a three day conference and I said to myself, you know what, you know, you go to conferences and it's like you get in so much information and then you get back home and that notebook just gets tucked away of all the notes that you had from the conference. And I was like, yeah, I don't want to do that this time. So I had the crazy idea that I would take a Greyhound bus back home from the furthest northwest point of America to the furthest southeast point of America. Yeah, it was one of the dumbest ideas I've had in a long time. I was miserable by day two. Miserable. Let's just say there's a lot of weird people on the Greyhound bus.
- [60:14]
Unknown Host
Yeah, that was a choice, Jude. That was a choice.
- [60:18]
Jude Charles
And so I get to Chicago, Illinois, and this whole time I have my phone off because again, I'm trying to digest the information I just got from this conference. But I turn back on my phone and one of the very first text messages I get is from my sister. And it says, call me back. It's urgent. Now, this is 2014, July, 2014. And in March, my father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. And earlier that year, my mom had attempted suicide. She was suffering from depression. So when I get this text message from my sister, I know it's either mom or Dad. I brace myself, and when I called my sister back, she says they found our dad in the house, unresponsive. Now, I know what that means. They won't tell me because I'm on the road, but I know that means he's passed away and I need to get home. So I get off the Greyhound bus and I take the first flight back home. From Chicago, Illinois, I fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and my brother comes to pick me up. He comes with his niece, my. He comes with his daughter, my niece, Ayana. I hug my brother. I don't say a word. I hug my niece. I don't say a word. Word. But I sit in the backseat with my niece, ayana. Because I'm 25 years old, I'm the youngest of 10 children. And my father will never get to see me get married or have children. And I feel lost in this moment. And while I'm sitting there, we're driving back to my father's house. My niece Ayana, who's only nine years old, she looks at me and she says, uncle, why did grandpa have to die? And I just stared at her because I don't know how to respond to a nine year old. She said it again. Why did grandpa have to die? That question rang in my ear as we're making funeral arrangements. We're, you know, working together as a family to figure out what to do next. And I'll never forget. August 9, 2014. Jude Charles, the youngest of 10 children, is axed to give my father's eulogy. And in that moment, I realized why grandpa had to die. Grandpa had to die because not only is leadership a part of my life is the ability to lead through difficult moments. It is what I mean by having relentless courage to lead and empower others to have relentless courage. Now, Lizzie, I start with that story in consulting sessions because I say to my clients, the questions I'm going to ask you in this session are going to be deep. It's almost going to feel like you're being too vulnerable and it's going to feel scary. But I want you to trust, in the same way that I've led my family through a difficult moment, I want you to trust that I'm going to be able to lead you through this difficult moment. Because this is not about storytelling, this is not about video. This is about leading you through this moment, this process that we have in this moment. Story. I could have walked in that meeting and I could have said, hey, I'm going to ask you a lot of deep questions and it's going to feel uncomfortable. But trust me, just trust the process. Right? We've heard that a thousand times. Just trust the process. By letting you into my world, by giving you a front row seat into my world, and something very difficult I've had to experience and deal with, it brings the guards down. I've been vulnerable with you, now you can be vulnerable with me. That is the power of storytelling. That is what happens when you take the time to incorporate stories. And it doesn't have to be a dramatic, emotional story like the one I just told, where it's your deepest, darkest moment. It can be a funny story. But when you're transferring emotion, when you're transfer, when you're communicating to someone else in a deeper way that is what increases conversions. It's not just an idea. It's a study that's been done before, which is why I shared significant objects, but we see it repeated over and over. It's also why Apple will take the time every year to do a show of their iPhone. Even though we all know what the iPhone is, they will still take the time to tell stories of how this iPhone is transforming lives. It's because there's something deeper that's happening. And that is why you should take the time to work on the stories. The stories will help increase your conversions in your Etsy store.
- [64:28]
Unknown Host
Having you do a documentary sounds like the most profound therapy session in the world.
- [64:38]
Jude Charles
It is. You know, it's funny you say that, because clients actually, that's exactly what they say. They say this feels like therapy. It is. It is. It is. It is. And it's healing. It's healing.
- [64:48]
Unknown Host
Yes.
- [64:49]
Jude Charles
Knowing that you can. We are all meant. We are all here for a purpose. And it's not always to buy something, but it is to leave this world a better place in whatever way that you bring that. And I happen to be skilled in being able to tell stories and bring those stories to life through video. You happen to be skilled in helping others bring their Etsy shop to life and to be. To be profitable in their businesses. There's still so many stories in that, though. And again, if you hear nothing else, it is take the time to share these stories because these stories are in you. They're just waiting to be told.
- [65:25]
Unknown Host
Thank you for being our teacher today. I feel like for once I get to sit here and learn a lot. I. I have so many more questions, but it's. It's so. It's so fun. I feel. I feel invigorated.
- [65:37]
Jude Charles
That is awesome. Okay, I have one more question for you. Oh, go ahead, Go ahead, go ahead.
- [65:40]
Unknown Host
No, no, no, go ahead. You're that calm, collected. I'm like the. They have to. They have to slow me down on their two times speed today. They're gonna have. They're gonna have it normal. You're a good influence on me, although I feel like a firework about to explode. So. Yeah. If you had a thought, please share it.
- [65:58]
Jude Charles
No, no, I'm good. I'm good. Go ahead.
- [66:00]
Unknown Host
I wanted to ask you what your favorite business book is.
- [66:02]
Jude Charles
Oh, that's a good question. I don't know if I have one. So there's. I'm looking at two books that I've kind of been rereading lately, and they're very on Opposite ends. There's one called King Icahn which is about Carl Icahn, billionaire out of New York. He was known as a raider. He would buy, he would, he would do these takeovers. I like to read books about businesses that I have I know nothing about because I learned business strategies out of those books that I can implement in my own business. So that's one. But another one that's really good is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Godara. That's U to a T. Yeah, that's another good one. That honestly are kind of my favorites that I. This is my third time rereading King Icon and then second time rereading Unreasonable Hospitality. I read a lot of books a year but I love to reread certain, certain ones and those are at the top of my list. Another one that I think I need to remind myself of often is the one thing.
- [66:59]
Unknown Host
Yes.
- [67:00]
Jude Charles
Which I believe is by Gary Keller. I believe it's another one of my top. Like if I had top five, those would be on the top three list. Yeah, those are like.
- [67:08]
Unknown Host
Did you ever read the. When you mentioned King Icon, which I haven't read. Did you ever read the Life is Good story, the brand of the Life is Good? No, Jude, I just gave you some mind candy. You want to talk about their Life is Good vision of that brand. Oh my gosh. Okay, so if you choose to read it, I would love just a 2 second email from you telling me what you thought of it if you choose to. But that's an awesome.
- [67:33]
Jude Charles
You said the Life is Good.
- [67:34]
Unknown Host
Life is Good. So you know that T shirt brand. I'm familiar like book, mind blowing business book because I you know like them. I a very campy, a little bit hippie, very casual. Like it's so, so it got. Which is opposite of you. But you're still, you're going to love the story. You're going to love the story.
- [67:53]
Jude Charles
It's so good. Okay, well yeah, I'm ordering it now. Yeah, I'll definitely let you know send it to you. Oh, you can do that too. Okay, you can do that too.
- [68:02]
Unknown Host
Well, I'll see if you're like a PO box or something offline. But okay, so guys, I'm going to link those books obviously I'm going to link the story Bank Journal because we need that. I am ordering that today. I need that so badly. So you got at least one sale there, Jude. But see, you know, go ahead and apply for his email list. It's one of the most, the best email lists you'll Ever be on. It's just so uplifting and encouraging and I like I said every. He gets me with every headline. I don't know how the man does it, but it's worth it. So you can apply. I remember when I applied so actually you're going to have to disarm us a little bit here, Jude because I remember when I applied I'm like he's not going to. I'm not good enough. He's not going to accept because I know, I know my listeners are going to be like he's not going to let me on that list. So I don't maybe diffuse that if I.
- [68:46]
Jude Charles
Here's the secret. Yeah, here's the secret. As long as you. So there's some people that try to apply and they don't actually give any information as long as you give me some information as far as. Because like one of the questions I ask is tell me about yourself. And some people would give a one liner as long as you tell me about yourself. Because I really again, the whole point for me is to make a deep connection. I really want to know who you are. The rest of it is kind of pointless. It's really about is this person somebody I want to have a conversation with. And nine times out of 10, as long as you put information there, real information obviously as long as you put information there, you will get accepted. So yeah, just tell me about.
- [69:26]
Unknown Host
It's worth it you guys because you're gonna even. Just seeing how he does things is. Is. Is incredible. Where can people find you and connect on the interwebs?
- [69:34]
Jude Charles
My website just drewcharles co I am on social media. I notice in this last year I haven't spent as much time on Instagram. That's the primary place but I haven't spent as much time there. The newsletter is the deepest place to connect with me. I read and respond to every. Every single person that responds to me. So Juchar co is the website and Lizzie will link all of the rest of the links to get everything else.
- [70:00]
Unknown Host
Everything is there. Again, sir, thank you for the honor of your time for being our teacher and for being so wonderful and you all. I cherish you with my whole heart. Thank you so much for being here and spending this time with us together today. I hope. I can't wait to get the DMS on this one.
- [70:17]
Jude Charles
This is going to be so fun.
- [70:19]
Unknown Host
But take care of yourselves until next week. Go make something awesome. Bye guys.
- [70:26]
Lizzie Smiley
And that's a wrap on this episode of how to Sell youl Stuff. On Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to howtosellyourstuff.com where you'll find podcast, show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you, awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next time.