Books to Millions: Nikki Ballou on Podcast Guesting, High-Ticket Sales, and Courageous Leadership

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Books to Millions: Nikki Ballou on Podcast Guesting, High-Ticket Sales, and Courageous Leadership"

Podcast: The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Nikki Ballou (Author, Coach, Podcaster)
Date: January 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this high-energy conversation, host Mitch Carson interviews Nikki Ballou—multi-book author, high-ticket sales expert, and media personality—about his journey to authority, the business of books, the power of genuine connections, high-stakes leadership, and how guest appearances on podcasts can unlock six-figure revenues. Nikki shares hard-won wisdom on courage in business, drawing both from his personal history as an Iranian immigrant and his success building a global brand.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Books for Authority

• Nikki’s Writing Journey & Book Impact

  • Nikki has authored 11 books, including bestsellers and business guides. He attributes much of his authority and income to publishing, stating:

    “I used these two books and they've conservatively generated $4 million for me.” (04:01)

  • His first book, Finish Line Thinking: How to Think and Win Like a Champion, was inspired by mentorship and Olympic athletes.
  • Writing makes you stand out in your field and opens doors to high-value speaking and coaching opportunities.

• Reading as a Foundation

  • Nikki is a voracious reader, having tracked nearly 1,900 books in the past 18–19 years (01:25–02:25).
  • Consistency with reading and writing has been key to his thought leadership.

2. Connections & High-Ticket Sales

• Building Relationships

  • Nikki stresses that genuine connection—not self-interest—is the basis of high-value business:

    “You gotta love people, man.” (07:04)

  • He references the “suck hole chart” by Justin Sterling: the more you focus outward (toward others, society, humanity), the more meaningful and successful your life becomes (07:08–08:56).

• Sales through Service and Boldness

  • High-ticket offers (exceeding $40k) result from deep relationships and “pouring into” clients at live events (05:53–06:39).
  • Nikki notes the critical shift: don’t approach sales with hesitation or fear of rejection. Instead, stand boldly for the value you offer.

3. Courageous Leadership: Lessons from Iran & Personal History

• Origins & Bravery

  • Nikki, an Iranian-born Christian, emotionally recounts the courage of young Iranians protesting for freedom, connecting their willingness to face danger with the everyday fears entrepreneurs have in business (08:56–11:57).

    “If they're willing to stand in front of bullets for their rights, I'm willing to stand in front of a prospect and ask them to do business with me...You won the human lottery, okay?...Stop telling me about your wimpiness.” (11:47–13:27)

  • He leverages global events to put day-to-day business fears into perspective, calling out excuses with uncompromising candor.

• On Tough Love & Accountability

  • Nikki advocates for directness in coaching clients and sales conversations, rejecting “niceness” in favor of truth and impact:

    “Nice is an old English word that means a simpleton. You want to be a simpleton?...No, sir. I'm a bold stand for my fellow man.” (14:20–14:40)

4. Monetizing Podcast Guesting

• Typical Mistake: “Hopium”

  • Most people guest on podcasts hoping for audience conversions—Nikki calls this “hopium,” and sees it as misguided (21:40–22:08).

    “Unless you have enough of a following and a brand to be on a significant size podcast...that is a flawed strategy.” (22:11–22:29)

  • He stresses that getting on major shows is rare unless you've already achieved notable fame or pay for placement, which rarely pays off (22:37–23:52).

• The Real Strategy: Host Relationships

  • The greatest value is in building relationships with the podcast host (26:03–26:11).

    “The host has problems you can solve...by the end of that time, if you are a skilled guest, you will have developed enough rapport...that the door is open to a business relationship.” (26:11–26:56)

  • Nikki structures his appearances to:
    1. Inspire the Audience
    2. Deliver Massive Value to the Host
    3. Nurture a Relationship with the Host for Business Opportunities (28:01–29:49)
  • He’s been on 900+ podcasts since May 2022, with 8 out of 10 appearances directly leading to tangible new opportunities (30:08–30:34).

• Methodology: Treat Every Appearance Like a TED Talk

  • Prepare stories and content in advance.
  • Focus on making the host “want you back”—the show’s audience and network are where opportunities emerge (28:56–29:01).
  • Example: In real-time, Mitch invites Nikki to speak at an Asian podcast summit as a result of this very conversation (31:29–31:34).

5. Positioning, Media, and the Authority Ecosystem

• Books and Media as “Plumage”
  • Mitch and Nikki agree: books and media presence are the peacock feathers attracting high-level opportunities (32:26–33:55).

    “Books attract seminar promoters...how can you claim to be an expert without validating it through the feathers of books?” (32:26–33:55)

  • This media authority translates across cultures and markets.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Courage to Sell
  Nikki Ballou, on business confidence:

  “If they're willing to stand in front of bullets for their rights, I'm willing to stand in front of a prospect...Stop telling me about your wimpiness...I don't want to hear from myself. I'm not going to be a pussy anymore.” (11:47–13:27)

• On Relationship-First Guesting
  Nikki Ballou:

  “The value for someone who is not a big name to go on a podcast is not the audience, but the host.” (26:03)
  “My objective on every show I go on is threefold: inspire the audience, make the host want me back, and build a relationship with the host.” (28:01–29:49)

• On Books and Impact
  Nikki Ballou:

  “I used these two books and they've conservatively generated $4 million for me.” (04:01)

• On Tough Love in Coaching
  Nikki Ballou:

  “You suck at sales...You refuse to get better at it...That's how you need to talk to people, brother...Don't be nice.” (14:00–14:12)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:41–04:49: Nikki’s author story, the business impact of books
• 05:04–08:56: The Transformational Leadership Council and connecting principles
• 07:04–08:56: Three elements of connection and the “suck hole” model
• 08:56–14:39: Courageous leadership, Iran protests, and parallels to entrepreneurship
• 14:39–16:46: Nikki’s immigration story and cultural roots
• 20:36–30:34: The mechanics and mindset of profitable podcast guesting
• 30:34–31:31: Example of live opportunity from podcast networking
• 32:26–34:28: Authority, positioning, and global recognition through books
• 34:43–34:55: Nikki’s offer for a consultation and contact details

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Closing & How to Connect

• Find Nikki: He’s the only "Nikki Ballou" on any major social network.
• Books: Available on Amazon.
• Podcasts: Search for "Nikki Ballou" on any podcast platform.
• Business Consult: ecircleacademy.com/appointment

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Tone & Style

The conversation is lively, candid, sometimes provocative, and filled with calls to action. Both speakers use direct language, humor, and strong analogies to drive points home, with Nikki known for holding nothing back in his opinions on business, courage, and personal responsibility.

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Transcript

[Mitch Carson]

Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast where game changers, visionaries and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Nikki Ballou is an amazing authority. He's our guest today. Hailing from Canada, I believe you're in what city, Nikki?

[Nikki Ballou]

Toronto.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Toronto. All right, well, the east coast. We're about 12 hours apart. Exactly, exactly. I'm looking forward to this. We've had a little bit of pre call discussion. You're a multi book author, New York Times best selling authority. Let's do a little show and tell on your books because I respect an author number one. But a multi book author, that's a different level one which is very few people write a book and even smaller fraction of those people write a second book, much less. You fanned all your books before we started recording. Tell us about those books, the New York Times best selling books.

[Nikki Ballou]

Well, I appreciate you asking. I've been a reader since I was a kid. You know, I started reading at five years old and I was hooked. And I'm 58 now and I estimate that I've read over 5,000 books in my lifetime. Wow. I've been tracking the number of books I've been reading since the mid-2000s and close to about 18, 19 years. And I'm during that time frame, I'm closing in on, on, on 1900 books during that time frame. Last year alone, I read 149 books. The least number of books I've read in a year in the last 19 years has been 39. That's the first year I met my sweetheart Teresa, and I was so smitten with her that I just wasn't paying a lot of attention to books.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, okay.

[Nikki Ballou]

Then the last seven years in a row I've read between 100 and 149 books.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So I just love books.

[Nikki Ballou]

I think they're great, they're awesome, they're fun. And growing up, I always wanted to be an author. I just never ended up pursuing it. I mean, I just, I don't know, someone, someone talked me out of going after that dream full bore. That was a mistake. But then in 2013, my good buddy Raymond Aaron said, look, you can write a book. You don't need a traditional publisher. He showed me how to do it. And that's when I wrote my first book. It's 30 pages long. It's called Finish Line Thinking how to Think and Win Like a Champion. And it was a pure business book. Basically brought the. Basically brought the ideas of gold medal athletes to the average person because I worked with two Olympic champions and my girlfriend is a three time Guinness World Record holder in running 12 plus hours on a treadmill. It's pretty crazy.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, my gosh. So she's fit, is she?

[Nikki Ballou]

She's crazy fit. So this book helped me get a lot of coaching clients because I had a coaching program. And then one of my clients suggested that I redo it, and so I did and I made it 42 pages. So these are the two copies of finish Line Thinking how to Think and Win Like a Champion. And basically I used these two books and they've conservatively generated $4 million for me. After I wrote these books, I wrote a fitness book with Olympic champion Mark McCoy and then I wrote a couple other books. Very quickly I wrote the Power of Connecting how to generate profitable relationships through serving your network.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And I see the. See the COVID because. Yeah, it was a little low. Okay. All right.

[Nikki Ballou]

And I also wrote the Thought Leaders Journey Fable of Life, which is this book.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Can you. Yeah, show the COVID because it's a little low. There we go.

[Nikki Ballou]

I wrote a children's book during that time as well. So we're up to four books there. And then I wrote a couple of political books. And then I wrote this book, how to create a Million dollar a year income with Perry Wong. And then I wrote this book, get booked and get Paid how to generate six figures plus a year through podcast.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Let's. Let's dig into that a little bit because that's relevant to our group of listeners. And you know, like you said, you just recently did a keynote at a very prestigious group called tlc.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yep.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Tell us who TLC is.

[Nikki Ballou]

So the Listeners Transformational Leadership Council, they are the group of people that were featured in the movie the secret back in 2006 and include some of the world's greatest transformational leaders, mostly from the old guard, the folks who'd been around doing this since the 80s, 90s and 2000s. A lot of the newer people, they're not part of TLC and they're doing their own thing in their own way. But TLC includes some absolute legendary figures in the transformational leader space.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yes, I. Many of whom I know or have shared the stage with. And you mentioned Raymond Aaron, my very first time speaking in Dubai, where I met Vishen Raymond Was also speaking there.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Back then. And phenomenal cell speaker from St. Yeah, he's very good. Very good. One of top 10, I would say that I have seen.

[Nikki Ballou]

Easy, easy for me. I'd probably say the best that I've ever seen south from stage, the way that he does it. There have been others I've seen who've been good, but Raymond has gotten the most results consistently over the longest period of time. I will say this, speaking to a cold audience, there's nobody better than Raymond in my experience. But speaking to an audience that I've gotten to spend two, three days with, I'm the best I've ever seen. And the reason is because over that time, I kind of pour into them and love on them and they kind of fall in love with me and my lady. And we work it so powerfully that all the people in that room, by the end of the three, four days, they just. They just want to. They want more of us. So when we offer something to them, our close ratio is 65 to 100%.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

That's awesome. Awesome. Yeah.

[Nikki Ballou]

And this is for super high ticket, like 40k plus items.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And what do you. So that's the power of connection. I mean, what you've really summarized is connection. I think you wrote a book on connecting, didn't you?

[Nikki Ballou]

I did, I did. The power of connecting. Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So what do you. If you were to mention three necessary elements for connecting, well, what would they be?

[Nikki Ballou]

You gotta love people, man.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Okay?

[Nikki Ballou]

It can't just be about you and me, myself and I, and what's in it for me. There's a fellow named Justin Sterling who created a program called the Sterling Men's Weekend. And he passed away last year in March, which is sad, but Justin has this diagram called the suck hole diagram. The suck hole chart. And basically it's shaped like an inverted kind of funnel. And the bottom of it is a suckle. It's like a toilet bowl, honestly. And the. The higher up the suckle you are, the more your concerns are with a larger number of people. So the suck hole is where people go right down through the drain. But right above that is just individual concerns, and above that is relationship concerns. And then it's family or team, and then it's organization and then it's society, and then it's humanity. So the more you focus on what's in it for me and what I want, the more your life's actually going to suck. You know what I mean? So you really got to be all about making a difference with your Life doesn't mean you get, don't get to participate in the, in the successes that God has to offer to the world. You absolutely do and you should have an eye on that. But it can't be your primary focus. Your primary focus has to be about making a difference for people. And you know, I told you before we got started recording that I'm originally from Iran, I'm a Christian. And Iran's very much in the news right now. And the brave men and women of Iran are stepping into the streets demonstrating for their freedoms. And these are young men and women putting their bodies between bullets.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Jeez.

[Nikki Ballou]

And they are marching into the fire. There was a young girl, you know, the Crown Prince of, of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran, Muhammad.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Sure, sure.

[Nikki Ballou]

He was just interviewed on CBS News and I highly encourage you to go watch that interview. And they asked him, they said these people are willing to die for their, for their country and for their freedom, for their cause. And they asked him, well, what do you think of that and what are.

You willing to do?

He said, I'm willing to die for them and for my country too. And he said, 19 years old, Iraq invaded Iran and I offered to go back to Iran as a pilot to fight for my country as a patriot against the invading Iraqis because he was a trained fighter pilot, US F16 fighter jets. Right. It's a genuine badass. Right. And they, they said, you know, would you be willing to die? He says, yes. What's my life compared to the lives of millions? And he spoke about this young girl. It was this young girl, beautiful young girl. I don't know if you've seen young Persian women, but they are some of the most stunning.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, gorgeous. I had a Persian girlfriend once upon a time planet.

[Nikki Ballou]

Man, they're so good looking, like it's sometimes hard to concentrate. That's how good looking they are.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I, I've met a few and it's.

[Nikki Ballou]

Just, it's just you're like so. And he said this beautiful young woman was shot in the face by the regime forces. And I think she's 21, 22 years old. She's in the hospital and her jaw is broken and the doctor is trying to treat her and set her. And then she's going right back in the street with a broken shot at jaw. And the doctor's going, what are you doing? Why are you going out there? She said, I need to go back out into the street and fight for my king because he's going to come back and save us all.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Wow.

[Nikki Ballou]

And, dude, I'm listening to this and I'm going, okay. J.K. rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book, said that the bravery of the Iranian people is absolutely astounding. And she said they are a light in what lately has seemed like a dark, dark world. And I listen to her and I go, you're right. Their bravery is absolutely astounding. And I think to myself, as a businessman and, like, I work with a lot of clients, and many of these people, they're a little afraid of going out there and asking for business or putting marketing themselves out there and doing marketing and sales, and sometimes even I'm a little afraid. And after I've observed the courage of these young men and women.

Ready to die.

So they have their rights and they can be free if they're willing to.

Stand in front of bullets for their rights. I'm willing to stand in front of a prospect and ask them to do business with me. And I don't give a good goddamn if that prospect approves of me or how I'm doing it. You know what I'm saying? And more of us need to look at these brave people that are in business and go, what the fuck am I doing? Saying, I don't want to sell, I.

Don'T want to get in front of people.

I don't want to ask. I'd rather do this. Excuse me, but fuck you.

Fuck you, you pusillanimous, wimpy, pussified piece of crap. Stop. Stand in front of that customer and.

Be willing to face opprobrium or.

Or disapproval.

And if they're the right person, ask.

Them if they would like your help and then make an offer and ask for the money.

And if you're feeling nervous, go on Instagram and watch 10 minutes of videos of little kids getting shot for their rights, and maybe that'll shame you or inspire you. Hopefully inspire you, not shame you into getting out and being in front of those clients and going after your dreams because you won the human lottery, okay? You won the human lottery. You are living in a safe, free place where you can pursue your dreams and nothing standing in your way.

So stop it.

Stop telling me about your wimpiness, your pussiness. I don't want to fucking hear it anymore. I don't want to hear from myself. So I'm telling you this. I don't want to hear from myself. I. I'm not going to be a pussy anymore. I had a call with a man today, was giving me bullshit excuses, and I went right into his excuses, told him there were excuses, and I told him he was full of crap. And, you know, at the end of the day, I said, look, I can't make you do nothing. You don't want to do this, don't do it.

But nothing's going to change for you because you don't have the guts to.

Do what needs to be done, which is face the fact that you don't.

Have as much sales as you want.

Because you suck at sales.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

You suck.

[Nikki Ballou]

You refuse to get better at it. You refuse to get the help you need.

And that's how you need to talk to people, brother. That's how you need to talk to people. Not. Well, you know, it's okay.

No problem. You can do whatever you want to. Do that. If they need you, tell them they need you. Don't be. Don't be nice.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Shock them into shape.

[Nikki Ballou]

You know what nice is? Nice is an old English word that means a simpleton. You want to be a simpleton out there in the world, you call yourself a thought leader, a thinker. You want to be a simpleton in how you go about putting yourself out there in the world.

No, sir.

I'm a bold stand for my fellow man. And if that means some of them are not going to like me, good, good.

Good. I revel in it, because I know there's way more they're going to be attracted to my bold love and clarity.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, Nikki, you've got a couple podcasts. One is a business podcast, and one is about you. Extended an invitation, and thank you for that in advance, to talk on your. Your men's podcast. Is this a little bit of a taste as to what type of energy is going on in that podcast?

[Nikki Ballou]

You know, sometimes. Sometimes I'm quieter. Okay. Because I asked the questions, you know, sure, sure. Not doing most of the talking on my podcasts. I'm doing most of the listening, so. But you lead them.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

You lead your. Your guests.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yeah, but when I'm coming on a Show today in January, 2026, after my compatriots are being slaughtered in the streets because they're asking for their freedom, this is the energy I'm bringing.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

No, I get it. How old were you when you left Iran?

[Nikki Ballou]

I was 13.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Okay, so you were young. Okay, because. Yeah, because that. That makes sense because you don't have an accent. And that, I think 13, 14 is.

[Nikki Ballou]

Well, the 13 accent. I learned how to speak English when I was a. When I was. When I was five.

Okay.

Typically, we went to an American school In Iran, we didn't.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, there you go. There you go. That's why.

[Nikki Ballou]

School. We went to the American community school.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

All right. Well, that's why you don't have the accent, because typically, after age 14, it's. It's almost impossible to shake an accent if you don't raise with it. But that explains why you have no accent. Oh, there you go. And have you been back since?

[Nikki Ballou]

Once in 22,000.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

How was that?

[Nikki Ballou]

It was bittersweet. It was wonderful. And it was heartbreaking at the same time.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I bet. With some of these experiences that are. Or what's your. What people are experiencing right now in that environment.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Have you written a book about this?

[Nikki Ballou]

No.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Do you think that would be helpful?

[Nikki Ballou]

Okay, I'll do it.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I mean, therapeutic. I'm just wondering. Even therapy. More about awareness because you have a obvious passion about it, because they are your countrymen. This is where your birth country. I mean, I know you're a resident of Canada now, but you'll never get Iran out of your blood, because that's where you come from. And you obviously have a strong heart for those people. Describing that woman that got shot in the face. Horrible. It reminds me of what happened in Minneapolis recently. This woman, mother of three, who got bullied by ice. So things. Things happen.

[Nikki Ballou]

I saw the video, man.

I.

She.

She drove with that cop. I mean, I can appreciate that. Guy should not have shot at her, okay? Like, I'm telling you, he should have tried to shoot for the tires. I 100 don't think he needed to.

Shoot this woman in a car.

But, you know, I saw the video.

From five angles, man.

And she drew sides.

They.

She drove at him, and the cops told her, get out of your car. Listen, man, I don't know what universe you live in, but when a cop tells me, get out of your car, my first response is, let me not drive away. I'm like, all right, let me get.

Out of the car.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Hands up.

[Nikki Ballou]

These people want hands up. All good. Those dudes have guns, and when you don't obey them, they get itchy. You know what I'm saying? They get itchy. So nobody is happy this lady got shot. But, lady, Fuck, lady. What the hell were you thinking?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Right?

[Nikki Ballou]

What the hell were you thinking? Like, seriously, you're a mother of children, and you're not obeying the police? Is that what you want to teach your sons?

Right?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And.

[Nikki Ballou]

And it cost you your damn life. You. You drove at a cop. Now, I'm telling you, I am not in favor of him shooting her in the face? Not at all. But you drove at a cop when they told you to stop and get out of your car. Hello?

Hello?

Like, come on, dude, you think in Thailand, brother, if the Thai police told you stop and you started driving away, what do you think they do?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Oh, they be over. And there are no rights here. There's no lawsuit that would none of that country.

[Nikki Ballou]

In what other country would a police officer tell you to stop and you drove kind of toward one of them rather than listen to them? Would this not go this way? Oh, I can't think of one.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

They beat the out of you. They'd beat the out of you or.

[Nikki Ballou]

Kill you or kill you or this dude shot her. And when I saw him do it.

I go, dude, why'd you do that?

Why'd you do that, man?

That's a girl.

You're a man, man. You know what I, I even get? She clipped you, but she was not, that was not a killing blow, you know, but also I read that he'd been hit by another guy who dragged him 90ft and he'd had like, stitches and rips in his body, so maybe it was deja vu all over again. And he was going, again. I'm not putting up with this again. So, you know, I, I two sides to that story. I am so horrified that it came to this. But also that woman and the people that encouraged her to think this was a good idea.

Shame on you. Shame on all of you.

Shame on your wife who said, drive away, baby, Drive away. What the would you do that for? What are you, stupid dudes with guns? You have a megaphone. They have guns. No, Put your megaphone away and do not antagonize the man with a lawful right to shoot you.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, you don't bring a knife to a gunfight. It just doesn't work. Just doesn't work. Well, let's talk. Let's shift gears for a second. I want to let our listeners learn about the six figures from podcast guesting. That in itself is huge. It worked for me. I'm gonna buy your book. That's the one I'm gonna buy and read and consume. Because it worked for me. I did it for two reasons. One, it gave me ideas for when I started my own podcast, and I'm about 160 episodes into that now. And I, I approached it as a different platform guesting there. I have a deep television background as a show host, but podcasting is different. Time frames are not as strict. Television is very structured. This is a lot more Free wielding. What have you experienced as a host? What makes a good guest and how can they turn that into money? I mean, I know that they're going to have to buy the book to get all the tips, but tip your hat a little bit, if you wouldn't mind.

[Nikki Ballou]

All right. So most people go on shows and their number one vision of them on a show is, I'm going to. I'm going to have a great conversation, get some more people to like me. I'm going to get some more people to become my followers when I have more visibility and hopefully some of them will buy my book or get on my calendar or whatever it is. Hopium, you familiar with Hopium?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yep, I get it, yeah.

[Nikki Ballou]

So unless you have enough of a following and a brand to be on a significant size podcast with a. With a strong following, that is a flawed strategy.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Opium. I like that word. That's good. I'm gonna borrow that. Nikki.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yeah, I. It's not original. Someone else, sure.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

But it's good to me.

[Nikki Ballou]

Mark Von Muser is his name. He's actually my co author for the book. Hope you. But it's good. Hope you. So for the average person listening to this show, that's strategy is not going to get changed. Okay.

You're not a big enough name.

I'm just going to be straight with you. Not a big enough name for those big podcasts to be interested in having you on. You can spend tens of thousands of dollars by going on onto PR agencies and most of them, if they're lucky, they'll get you on one show like that because you know they caught a break. You're just not a big enough person that most of those big shows are going to be interested in bringing you on board. They want people of their stature and higher.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

That's how Entrepreneur on Fire is an example. John the Dude, John Lee Dumas, he charges four grand to be a guest on his show.

[Nikki Ballou]

Well, I've been on his show twice.

Before he did that and God bless him, because he's doing that now. But you know, I wouldn't pay him for a grand to go on a show. I'm like, John, forget it. But the truth of the matter is, for most people today, going on John Lee Dumas's show, unless you willing to do Pay to play is just. It's not going to happen. Right? It's just, it's not going to happen. And pay to play, you're never going to make your money back. I'm just being straight with you. You're just not sure, sure, sure.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Or Lewis Howes, who's got a big show. Or what's the other Robin? I forgot? Robbins, the lady Robinson.

[Nikki Ballou]

Robinson.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yeah.

So.

So what to do if you can't get on those shows? Well, my strategy that I figured out is it doesn't matter the size of the show. And I'll tell you the story behind how this happened was lockdowns Canada, our live events business went, had to come up with something else. Went to my coach, Mark. Mark, freaking out here. What can I do? Give me a minute, let me think. Literally a minute later, he said, why don't you start going being a guest on other people's shows, but not for likes and followers, but for relationships. You know, leads, clients, sales. I go, great. How do we do it? He said, I have no freaking idea, but we'll figure it out together. Great coaching. Right? So I used pod match platform. You and I met through, and I went on 100 shows in 30 days. So I was all in. Right. I got nothing in terms of relationship lead, sales, and clients, but I learned a ton. Mark's a military man. So we did after action debriefs after Every episode. Show 101. It all clicked. Got my first relationship, first lead for.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Sale, first client after show 101. Wow.

[Nikki Ballou]

And since then, I've been over on over 900 podcasts as a guest. 900 podcasts as a guest. Today. This is my fifth show today. Fifth show. Okay, so I am as a guest or, or.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Or combination guest and host.

[Nikki Ballou]

Four guest, one host.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Wow.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So, you lazy man.

[Nikki Ballou]

So. And on top of that, I had two sales calls. So. Yeah. And here's what I figured out. The value for someone who is not a big name to go on a podcast is not the audience, but the host.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I like that. I like that. And I agree. And I agree, fellow seeker.

[Nikki Ballou]

The host is a fellow business person. The host has problems that you can solve potentially. And the host is going to spend 20 minutes, half an hour, an hour, two hours, three hours in intimate proximity to you. And by the end of that time, if you are a skilled guest, you will have developed enough rapport and know like and trust that the door is open to a business relationship. Okay. What I did after the hundred shows.

Is I learned how to structure my.

Guest appearance in a very particular way.

Now, I've broken a few of those.

Rules in this conversation with you because I look at us a little differently than I look on the average show that I go on. But I've kept most of Them. And it's all about you understanding that this needs to be treated like a TED Talk. You don't just go on a TED Talk stage and vomit for 18 minutes. You know, you're gonna say. You know when you're gonna say it. And you need stories. And my objective on every show I go on is three. Three fold. First, I want to inspire the audience. Now, look, dude, straight up, I am the world's greatest podcast guest. There's nobody better at this. Thank you. Than me on the planet. I've been on over 900 shows since May 2022. Not one human on the planet has put in the reps that I have. There's nobody better. I rock. I inspire audiences. I come in, my energy's magnetic. I tell fantastic stories, and people leave.

Going, damn, that dude was good.

And that's my goal. I want to make them feel that way.

Two.

Mitch, you are spending time, energy, money, money to put this show on. You're taking a big risk. What if I'm a dud? So in my mind, I intend for.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

You.

[Nikki Ballou]

To leave this episode to go. This is the best damn guest I ever had. I. I want him back. That's my second intention.

I want you to have feedback from.

Your audience and your peers.

Yo, who's that dude you had on.

Your show from Iran and Canada, man?

He was on fire. Get more guests.

I can.

I want your brand to be elevated.

Because I brought it on the show. So you follow me on the first.

Two intentions so far. I'm very deliberate in making sure that.

Happens every time I go on a show. Okay, but three, and this is very important. Okay, three, what I do when I go on a show is I have my eye on developing a relationship and a friendship with you, the host, because by doing so, there's an opportunity for you and I to do business. There's an opportunity for you and I to do collaborative things together. There's an opportunity for you to come on my podcast and me platforming you as well. There's an opportunity for me to make introductions for you and you to make introductions for me. You follow me, Mitch? This is the gold that every person.

Missed because they go on pod Match and they go, Mitch's audience is going to get back to me.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

This doesn't happen.

[Nikki Ballou]

It just doesn't happen.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

No. And I. I'm good.

[Nikki Ballou]

But Mitch. But Mitch. Mitch liking me, Mitch thinking I'm a good guy, and Mitch hearing something and.

What I said to say, man, maybe I need that, or, man, maybe my clients need that. Or man, maybe I can collaborate with this guy and we can make money together. That possibility is somewhere in the neighborhood of 80%.

8 out of every 10 shows I.

Go on, I build a strong enough relationship with the person that something else becomes possible.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, I'm going to produce as an example, let me just jump in here. I'm going to produce a podcast summit coming up in April and I'm going to already give you an invite to come in as one of the speakers at as. As a podcast host for Asia. It's an Asian focused market because over here there aren't as many. The density of podcast hosts doesn't come close to what it is in the States. I'm just calling North America. You're Canadian, but you get my point. North America. I'm just calling in North America. North American, English speaking. So that, that is already result saying, okay, you've got a nice spin and you've got a couple podcasts. I'm going to have you as a guest. So there's the, the hard invite. It'll be coming in the next couple months, so we'll be doing that. It'll all be recorded. But this is all podcasters throughout Asia with some non Asians included. Just add a little color.

[Nikki Ballou]

Well, beautiful.

Well, there you go. So that already happened.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

There it is. There it is.

[Nikki Ballou]

When I teach people how to structure their podcast guest appearance and they do it the way I teach them, dude, they become podcast ninjas. So I've been guest on four shows today. One of them was great, but the guy is like he's an employee for someone else doing his podcast, so he's not me. And anyway, bye bye. But I set up two follow up discovery calls as a result of those podcast appearances I did today and this show, you've already invited me to be a speaker at a summit.

So you have.

The four shows have moved my energy, my message, my brand, my business, my sales numbers forward.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, because you also have written books. So you've shown me. And I liken this to the peacock because male peacocks show their feathers to attract the females. It's what we do. And books attract seminar promoters. I've produced over 2,000 events in my life from around the world, in 19 different countries. I've spoken on stages in 63. But what puts speakers on my platforms? Media, media, media, Author, author, author. And then proof of being an exceptional speaker with numbers that are verified. But it is. I started with media, media, media and book, book, book. Because how can you claim to be an expert without validating it through the feather feathers, plural of books. So true. I'm sure. I'm speaking your language. I don't know how to say it in farsy, but you can formulator. But that's, it's, it's universal, isn't it? It's universal. I don't know, maybe you speak French as well because you're in Toronto. Well, you're. Okay, all right. Well, I speak Spanish, but it's. It's the same worldwide. It's the same in the Middle east speaking Arabic. It's the same in Pakistan. Why I was the keynote speaker and sold 800 grand from the stage one day in Tokyo is because I'm a published author and I'm also a media personality. I had the plumage that the other speakers didn't. It's all about positioning.

[Nikki Ballou]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And so you're, you're there. Well, where can people get a hold of you? Nikki?

[Nikki Ballou]

I'm the only Nikki Ballou on planet Earth. So you type my name on any social media platform. N, I, C, K, Y, B, I.

L, L, O, U, you'll find me.

I also have written 11 books.

And if you're a seeker or a.

Thought leader, you ought to read books. Go to Amazon and buy a couple of my books. I also have two podcasts and I've been a guest on 900 podcasts. Go on your favorite podcast platform, type in my name. Check me out on shows including this.

One, but besides this one as well. And then finally, man, if you want to have a conversation about how you can take your business to another level, how you can get this fear, this lack of self belief out of you.

And be brave and courageous like those.

Lines of Iran in your life and in your business. Then you want to get on my calendar@e circleacademy.com forward/appointment. That's right.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

Well, Nikki, thank you so much. You've been an amazing authority for sure. I will have you back on the summit and who knows, maybe we'll. And I look forward to being a guest on your mail podcast where I can share my testosterone to a male audience. All right, buddy, thank you so much for your time.

[Mitch Carson]

Thanks for tuning in to the amazing Ocean Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.