
With Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon and Jenna Kutcher
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Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
You can immediately cut through all of the noise and get to the point of the sale so much faster. What I love about speaking is that it is both the number one lead generator and sales tool on the planet and it is the mechanism by which we teach. We are still in an information economy, right?
Jenna Kutcher
I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a $300 camera from Craigslist and a DRE. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks. All from my house in small town Minnesota with my family here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into.
Guest Speaker
Reality and I'm here to help you do the same.
Jenna Kutcher
This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical no fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guest for.
Guest Speaker
Actionable insights to help you grow your.
Jenna Kutcher
Dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered.
Guest Speaker
This is the Goal Digger podcast. What if I told you that one of your most valuable business assets. It's not your Instagram following or even your sales strategy. It's your voice. Think about it. Your voice carries the power to inspire, to connect, to tell stories, and most importantly, to convert. Now imagine stepping onto a stage and delivering a message straight from your heart. Not only moving people emotionally, but moving them to take action and turn that inspiration into real results. Well, today's guest, let me tell you, she is a master at doing just that. Dr. Darnell has built a multi million dollar business using the power of speaking. And not just as a way to share her message, but as a strategic tool to grow, scale and transform her business. Her journey from corporate burnout to self made millionaire is proof that when you can learn how to harness your story and your voice, you unlock limitless potential. She believes that speaking isn't just about being motivational, it's about positioning yourself as a premium brand, attracting dream clients and creating systems that allow you to monetize every stage you step on. So if you've ever thought I have something valuable to say, but I don't know how to turn that into real business growth or you've shied away from the Thought that you could actually be someone who speaks. Well, this episode is for you, Dr. Darnell, is breaking down exactly how you can use speaking to elevate your authority, increase your income, and scale your business beyond what you even thought was possible. This is a true masterclass of an episode. Trust me when I say you're going to want to grab a notebook and take notes. Dr. Darnell. Welcome to the Gold Digger podcast. Dr. Darnell. So many entrepreneurs here speaking, and they immediately think, that is not for me. I am not a speaker. But you believe that everyone has a message worth sharing and that speaking is a skill that can be learned. So what would you say to somebody who's listening right now, who doubts that they have what it takes to step on a stage and own it?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
So the first thing I would say is that you have been speaking since you were two. Of course you're a speaker. Right. We don't realize that the innateness of being able to communicate naturally makes us a person who can take a stage and tell a story. And we've all experienced things in our life that if we were able to unpack the lessons for someone else, it would be the catalyst to their next level. And so what I would say to anybody right here, right now, who knows that there are people out there that they are called, called to serve. I'm talking about you believe that thing in your belly. You know, you are called to other people. The best way to reach them is by opening your mouth, sharing your story, giving them permission to lean into your story to get those success clues, and then taking them on a journey to what it would be like to go beyond the story into doing some deeper work with you.
Guest Speaker
Okay. You just hit on so many amazing things.
Jenna Kutcher
First.
Guest Speaker
I'm imagining you as this little child with, like, the utmost confidence. Was that you?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
I think I have always been confident. Like, some of my childhood, I don't remember, but I can always remember. And I think it's my name. We talked about that a little bit before we started recording. Like, when your mama gives you a name like Darnell, right? Darn yell means the secret place where dreamers go to dream. It's kind of destiny, right? Like, it's who you have to be in the world if you are being who you should be in the world. And so, because my name was different, I always knew that I was different. And I had a lot of people in my life who really honed that difference and supported the difference to give me the courage and the confidence to stand up boldly in my difference and to not try to morph into becoming someone else.
Guest Speaker
I love that so much. One of the things you said that I think is a really powerful place to start is that a lot of people disqualify themselves from even considering speaking because they don't think they're far enough.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Right.
Guest Speaker
They think once they achieve the big thing, okay, then maybe they could tell their story. And I think you and I would argue that, like, you are positioned best to help somebody that is in the place you once were. Right. My friend Rory Vaden always says, like, you are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were. And I actually think that we get more from people that really can relate to where we are than the people who it's so far gone, they don't even remember what it's like. And so what would you say to somebody who maybe has that mindset belief of like, well, I've got to wait until. To start?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Well, first, I define a leader as someone we're following. And if you've been there, done that, and gotten a T shirt for something, like you just said a minute ago, there is someone else who's trying on that T shirt right now. And maybe they're trying on the T shirt begrudgingly, like, they don't want to put it on. It's what's happened to them, and they have no way of knowing how to navigate it. You can help them because you've been there, you've done that, you've learned some things. You've gotten some bumps and some bruises. You can turn their mistakes into opportunities to gain momentum. So I think it. I think we do others a disservice when we don't take the time to really review our journey and look at the success clues that we've been able to create. Right. I remember years ago, I had. I used to attend a church, and the pastor said, sometimes you just got to take a look over your shoulder and see where you've come from. And so what I would say to you, if you're listening right now, and this is a belief that you hold, first, there is a lie in belief, right? So you're probably believing something that isn't true. And secondly, look back over your life, look at what you've accomplished. I have my clients create an accomplishments and compliment journal. And so they're literally writing down when people say, oh, my gosh, you look amazing. And they're writing down when they tick something off their list. Because we all have those days when we're like, I suck. I Do nothing. Right. We all do bad self talk at some point in time in our lives. And when you have it documented, you have a place to go to be like, no, because I did this. It could just be, I made my bed today. Listen, that's an accomplishment for somebody, right? Like taking those time and looking for those little nuggets of, I accomplished this. What used to be impossible is now. Something I do easily is what gives you an anecdote, a list, a documented process that you can share with someone else to help them wherever they are on their journey at that moment, to turn their current gap into their next gateway.
Guest Speaker
Okay, I'm dying to know what was, like, the first stage you spoke on or the first experience for you where you're like, oh, this is a thing? Like, this is actually a thing. What was that like for you?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah, it was in high school.
Guest Speaker
Okay.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
And now I used to get in trouble for speaking. The report cards all say, darnell talks too much.
Guest Speaker
She's too chatty.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah. She could learn how to better temper her excitement for communication. Like the really nice ways of saying, little girl gets more and sit down. Right. So I was in high school, and I was doing a project for my art history class, and I was designated by our entire class to speak in front of the whole school in an assembly. And so I did this assembly, and as a result of the assembly, I got a standing ovation. I was funny. I gave good educational content. I gave actionable tips that they could take. Like, I did all of the things before, I knew that this was a thing, right? And I got a standing ovation. And let me tell you, as a 16 year old, getting a standing ovation from 16 year olds, you know, you're onto something. So I knew I was onto something. And so I was like, I want to use words to change people's lives, and I want to get paid to speak. And so initially, I thought that meant I had to go to law school, because all of the people I saw who got paid to speak and pay good money, they were attorneys. And so that was on the track to law school. And then at the last minute, I changed my mind. I went through corporate America before I woke up one day and said, you know, there's got to be more to life than sitting behind someone else's desk. And even then, when I quit my good job to start my own business, I fumbled massively, filed bankruptcy, went back to work. I had to figure it all out. But the thread that ran through everything, when I finally got my life and my business together was my ability to speak. And so I started to take the stage and to share powerful words to help people to change their life.
Guest Speaker
Wow. Okay. I mean, it's so funny because there's that crazy stat of like people's greatest fear is like being in front of a room and speaking. I mean, it's like a huge majority. That's nuts. I loved it too. Like, I like Calm 101, baby. I was like, let me tell you about whatever it was. Like I. And I'd always still get that like, little nervous feeling at the beginning. But then I'm like, okay, I got this. And it's so interesting because you think about like our lives are centered around speakers, right? You know, school, your teacher is the speaker. If you go to church or you have a faith, there's likely someone standing in front of you teaching and speaking. We are constantly surrounded by people who are facing that fear and who are stepping into that power. And so it's interesting because I love what you started off by saying. Like, you've been talking since year two. Of course you can be a speaker.
Jenna Kutcher
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Guest Speaker
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Jenna Kutcher
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Guest Speaker
So I want to know what your thoughts are or like, can you break down why speaking is one of the most untapped strategies that entrepreneurs could be embracing?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah. So here's what I love about speaking. So when I first started my business the second time, the first few years, we call those the lost years. But once I came back into the business full time in 2011, I knew speaking was going to be my primary lead generator.
Guest Speaker
Yeah.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Because I know that when I open my mouth, I command attention and people want to hear what I have to say. Yes. And so I like speaking because it cuts out all the noise and it diminishes the need to dance on TikTok.
Guest Speaker
Yes.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
To even write amazing copy. Like, it really just allows you, if you've got something powerful to say, something that is jarring and disruptive, something that will make people say, hmm. Something that will make people emotional, even make them upset, but also at the same time, help them to realize that you're telling them the truth. You can immediately cut through all of the noise and get to the point of the sale so much faster. What I love about speaking is that it is both the number one lead generator and sales tool on the planet. And it is the mechanism by which we teach. We are still in an information economy right now. We're shifting. We're in a relationship economy and a trust economy at the same time. But people are looking to build relationships and to build trust so that can get information in order to shift the problems that they currently experience in their life. And when you have the power to orate, when you understand how to string words together, that elicits emotion. Any sale is 93% emotion and 7% logical. And when you understand how to connect and cut into the symptoms and scenarios that your most ideal clients find themselves in and pull on that thread by telling them a powerful story. You will have them at hello and they will literally, like the Pied Piper, they will follow you to the back of the room, to the side of the room, to the bathroom even to figure out how they can learn more about what it is that you've shared with them. That's what I love about speaking. And there isn't a one size fits all way to speak. Your style, your energy is enough. And it is going to resonate with the people that you are called to and they are going to feel like you are the best thing since pockets when you openly express the expertise that you've gained over time.
Guest Speaker
Oh my gosh. Okay. That right there is like a mic drop moment. Obviously we can tell why you are amazing at your job. I couldn't agree more. And it's so interesting, Darnell, because when I became a mom, I just stopped speaking for the most part. It just didn't align anymore with me being on the road when I had kids. But there have been these instances over the last six years where I have done a few different speaking things and there is nothing like being in that energy. And it's like in this world that is so clickbaity or you're trying to get your expertise in your point across in a five second looping reel. There is something so powerful about being in the energy of other people and being in community with them and also being able to express in a long form way how you learned the hard fought lessons you have learned and how you can help. And I feel like we've lost that art in this world that is just pulling for attention. I love how you said it just cuts through the noise because I think ultimately that's what people want to do. I think that's the deeper desire of our hearts, especially for entrepreneurs. But we can't in the way that the systems are built right now. And so what do you think that people need to know if they've never even considered speaking to be a piece of their business or a part of their story? Like, what do they need to know that can help shift that thought?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah. So first and foremost, you are proverbially leaving money on the table if you're not using and leveraging the power of speaking. There's over 4,000 events and this is just live events that happen every single day in the United States.
Guest Speaker
And oh my gosh.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah, every single day there's 4,000 events. And that's just in the U.S. yeah. Right. And. And it's primarily in, like, specific cities. It's like Washington D.C. chicago, Minneapolis.
Guest Speaker
I feel like Vegas.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
You know what I mean? Like, it's not even. Every single state is having multiple events every single day, but there's tons of opportunities. Opportunities to speak. I would say that first. The second thing that I would say is you have to learn how to tell a powerful story. And I'm going to give you a quick framework that is going to help to make your life so easy when it comes to telling a story. So a powerful story has three distinct moments. Moment number one is what I call your Robert Frost moment. We all know the poem, right? Two roads diverged in a wood, and I. I took the road less traveled by. And that has made all the difference. So you're literally standing at a defining moment, and you made a decision that changed everything. That's the first moment. And you're going to break that down. You're going to share the energy. You're going to share the energy behind it. You're going to invite them into the emotion that you were feeling. You're going to bring them into everything. When. If it was a moment where you bowled over in pain, you want to bowl over in pain, like you want to invite them into your defining moment, that's the first moment. The second moment is what I call the Sam Cooke moment. Now, Sam Cooke was an R and B artist in the 60s, and he wrote the song A Change Is Gonna Come. And when President Obama got elected, like, that song went on blast all over again. Right? For all of the people in the world who look like me, who are excited anyway, so a change is gonna come is the moment where you experience the change. So you took this defining moment, you started doing things differently, right? How we do anything is how we do everything. And when we decide that we want to do things differently, we make a different choice. We do something different. You did this different thing, and it produced results, and it created a change. And you want to tell people what the change was that you were experiencing. And then the third moment, and this is perfect because at the time of recording this episode, it's Black History Month in the United States. It's the Harriet Tubman moment. Now, most people know the story of Harriet Tubman. She was a slave who escaped, got all the way to freedom. She was in Maryland, got all the way up to Philadelphia to freedom. She looked around. She didn't have any of her family there to be free with. So she risked everything to go back into slavery to bring her family to freedom. Now, the slavery is whatever is the problem that your most ideal client has that they have been unsuccessful at solving on their own. You are Harriet Tubman. You have gotten to freedom. And you probably got to freedom without a pistol, because Harriet had to have a pistol because if anybody wants wanted to turn around on the journey, she was going to shoot them dead before she was going to let them go back and catch her. Okay, so the Harriet Tubman moment is after you made the defining decision, you experienced the change, and the change produced the result. And now you want to teach other people about this change that has changed everything for you. So if you think about whatever it is you want to be able to share with them, and if you think about some of the stories I've even told you during this interview, I bet you could find the Robert Frost, the Sam Cooke, and the Harriet Tubman.
Guest Speaker
Okay, this is like a master class in this darn yell. This is amazing. I want to know, because what's interesting about this, and I absolutely love this framework, is that a lot of times people think it just has to be their origin story. How many times have we sat and listened to origin stories? We were just talking about this before we hit record of the podcast episodes where it's like, tell me who you are and what you do. And most people just skip right through that to get to the meat of it. And so can you give some examples to get people's brains moving in the direction of, like, it doesn't just have to be your origin story of why you started your business. In fact, I'd argue it's probably not that story. Right.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
So let's talk about. Let's use speaking as our backdrop. Right. So I'm going to take you back to 2011, and prior to that, I quit my job in 2004. I first was a Mary Kay Pink Cadillac sales. Well, I was a Mary Kay consultant turned sales director. Then I got the Pink Cadillac in five months. I did that for two and a half years. And then I was like, wait a minute, you just did the same thing. You're sitting behind someone else's desk. You should create your own brand. You should get out into the world. So I decided to start my own company, Incredible One Enterprises. And like I said a minute ago, we fumbled massively, massively. But when I came back into the business full time, January 1, 2011, I got a speaking engagement at my local chamber of commerce. Right. So that was how this whole thing got started. And so as I was going out to the speaking engagement, I was like, okay, what am I going to teach the people? I got to teach them something. I was not as evolved as I am today. Right. So my messaging has definitely up leveled and it's also synced and all the things. But back then I was wet behind the ears. I didn't even know what it was I was going to say to the people. I just like, listen, I need some clients if I'm going to do this thing.
Guest Speaker
Yes.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
What I knew at that point is I knew marketing because I had an MBA in marketing. And when I went back to work for two years, I ran a program in a women's business center or I ran a women's business center program. And one of the things that I created for them was marketing. And so I created my own marketing frameworks and my own program. And so I once I did it for two years in that organization, I owned and kept my ip, I could bring it back into my business. So why do people join chambers of commerce? Because they want to learn how to market. Right. So I created a signature talk called Market like a Rock Star. So I'm literally at a defining moment in my own business. I'm back into entrepreneurship full time and I've got to create money. So I start thinking about what was the thing that I did that made the difference that took me down a different path. Well, recognizing that I have an MBA and leveraging that MBA in entrepreneurship as opposed to corporate America where I first got it, that was the defining moment. That was the decision I made. I decided to pivot what I knew about marketing from corporate America and translate it into a language that would speak to entrepreneurs. And my signature talk, Market like a rock Star is what made the difference. Now, prior to doing that talk, so that first speaking engagement that I had was in February or February, late February, early March of 2011, I started doing the steps in my own marketing and I brought on my first five new clients since I came back into my business full time. So now I had the change, Right. So I experienced the change and I had a process that I could utilize so that when I got up to do Market like a Rock Star, I had a four step framework that I could teach them about how I brought on five clients in less than 30 days.
Guest Speaker
Oh my gosh, I am obsessed. One thing that I notice about you, and I think that people don't do this often enough is you have to constantly be evaluating what is working, what is the story like, how does this all make sense? And I know when I actually wrote my book. It really had me sitting down and being like, what were the forks in the road, road? What were the decisions? I don't think people actually even sit still enough to contemplate these things that actually contain so much information that can change other people's lives, so much information that can change their own life if they were introspective enough. Have you always been this way? Or, like, is this something you've had to teach clients to do? Because I just don't think in today's loud noises world, people even do this enough.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah, I definitely have had to bring it into the businesses of our clients. Right. And no, I didn't wake up like this. Right? This is trial and error. This is lots of failure, slash, feedback. Right. I believe success leaves clues, but guess what? So does failure. And failure isn't the end of the world. Failure is there's an opportunity for us to make some poignant, powerful shifts that could turn this into a bigger success. Right? And so first, it's mindset work. It's reframing the way that you see things. It's recognizing that, you know, for me, failure is death. Like, when I die, like, I don't have an opportunity to try again anymore. Until then, anything that happens, it's not taking me out of here. So that means that I have an opportunity to improve upon it. And so for me, it's really about giving myself enough white space to be able to reflect. And so I created a journal. Not a journal, a planner that we give our clients. So it started as something a tool for my mastermind clients. It went over so well that now we sell it mainstream because it is such an amazing planning tool. In this planning tool, every single week, we have pages in the planner that really helps you to plan for your week and to plan to review your week so that you can identify the opportunities and those things that are going to move your business forward. Every single week, I'm always Jenna telling clients that business is boring. Business is only warm and fuzzy and exciting when you're trying to figure it out. Once you get that thing clear, it is the same thing over and over again. It is a life of perpetual rinsing and repeating. Like, literally, that's all we do, is we do the same things over and over and over again. And we try to look cute every time we do it. But we're not reinventing the wheel. We're not starting from scratch. We're taking a look at the things that have worked really, really well. We're checking the data. We're evaluating the market to make sure that this is still something our ideal client needs and wants. And then we're doing it again.
Guest Speaker
Yep.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
And again. And one more time after that.
Jenna Kutcher
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Guest Speaker
I love that because I just feel like so many people are on the hamster wheel, and it's like they never even slow down enough to ask, like, what am I learning? Or what is working? Or what do I never want to do again? And I feel like even just the way that you teach, it's obvious that introspection is a requirement. And it should just be a requirement regardless of if you want to speak or not in your life. It should be a practice in your life. One thing that you talked about and I want to go deeper on is monetizing speaking. I think that for somebody listening, the only obvious tie that they're connecting maybe to speaking is getting paid to speak. But that is only one way that you can actually monetize speaking. And I'd argue it's not even the.
Jenna Kutcher
Best way to do it.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Not the best way.
Guest Speaker
Yes. Let's talk about this. Okay.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yes, I am happy to keynote someone's conference. I'm happy. That's. That's paid speaking. Right. I love it. But what I'd much rather you do is fly me in, put me up in a great hotel, and let me position myself to make hundreds of thousands of dollars and not the $10,000 that you're willing to pay me. I have gotten. I'm so masterful with the stage, I don't even have to be selling. Jenna, that when I come down off the stage, there is a line of people. I call this my groupie line. They are waiting to take a picture with me to tell me how I just changed their life in 30 minutes and 40 minutes. And that is where the money lies. If you. I'm just going to give you some quick numbers. Let's say you have a program that you sell for $10,000, and let's say you have an opportunity to go and speak and your ideal client is going to be in the room. Sidebar. I do not advocate for speaking for free if your ideal client is not in the room. So if they want you to come and speak to the Girl Scouts.
Guest Speaker
Yeah.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
And your ideal client is not teenage girls, then they need to pay you to come speak to the Girl Scouts, right? Yes. But if your ideal client is in the room, if they invested something to be in that room and you are able to freely. Now, I'm not talking about a sales pitch.
Guest Speaker
Yes.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
I'm Talking about freely sharing your expertise and demonstrating. Whilst anyone would want to take you home after you come down off the stage, then you can make way more money. Let me tell you about the most I've ever made from my speaking engagement. I did a breakout session at an event on my signature talk. At the time was market like a rock star. There were 250 people in my breakout room. When I came down off the stage, there were 68 people waiting to talk to me. And within 14 days, I closed $185,000.
Guest Speaker
The conversion there, Darnell. Oh, snaps, baby.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Listen, no one would have ever. I am amazing, but a Nobody paying me $185,000 to keynote. Nothing.
Guest Speaker
Yes.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
So what I say, what I observe a lot around speaking, and I get wanting to get paid for speaking. It is a whole thing. But you're stepping over dollars to pick up pennies when you get paid to keynote. And there's a time and a place for it, but it's. It's most often not the time that you think it is. And so if you learn how to speak, you've got to learn how to tell a powerful story. You've got to learn how to connect deeply with your audience. You've got to learn how to demonstrate your expertise. You've got to learn how to transition them from the problem into the possibility. And you've got to walk them over the bridge about how you are the only person in the world in this moment that can help them solve this problem because they've been trying to do it on their own. And if you can, when you do all of that together, you will make way more than that little keynote fee that they want to pay you.
Guest Speaker
So, so powerful. And I love this because I honestly feel like we're debunking a lot of the mindset barriers that people have about speaking. And I also think it's so powerful in the sense of you are collecting actual feedback, energetic feedback that is not possible on your phone. Even if you're in the chamber of commerce and there are 20 people, you get to pay attention to the questions they ask you afterwards. You get to pay attention to the parts where they're drifting off or checking their cell phone. There is so much feedback happening constantly. Like, I don't you agree that, like, every single entrepreneur should be forced to be in a room at least a few times a year just to feel the energy and pay attention like that is a disservice that so many people are working from home at their kitchen table, which is my favorite thing to do, but not actually out in the world with their people.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah, absolutely. And there's so much power being in proximity of others. Not even just for the monetization that can happen.
Guest Speaker
Yeah.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Just for the energetic exchange, just for the idea. If you hear one person say one thing and in hearing that, you internalize it in a way that finally makes something you've been trying to resolve on your own, click.
Guest Speaker
Yep.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
It's worth the price of admission.
Guest Speaker
Yep.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
It can literally be a game changer. And I believe that, you know, oftentimes in order to change your situation, you've got to change your environment. So you've got to get out, you've got to get around different people, you've got to get into community, you've got to be go beyond being the smartest person. And if you're at home, at your kitchen table or in the office that you've designated, you're the smartest person in that office.
Guest Speaker
Yeah. Right.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
So you've got to go find some other smart people to be around so that someone else can add their smart to your smart. And then you become a genius. And that thing that you do.
Guest Speaker
Yes. Oh, my gosh. One thing I adore about you is, I mean, you have built a multi million dollar business, but you have this idea framework of speak and move millions. Talk to me about that. Walk us through it. Because your frameworks are so powerful and I love this because anyone that's listening right now, you should be taking notes because this is literally a masterclass on this. So walk us through this one.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah. So again, speaking for me is everything. It is my lead generator, it is my sales tool. It is my gift back to the world. I have been given the gift of stringing words together that inspire, that incite action and that take people to their next level. I'm a disruptor and a catalyst. And so using my voice is probably the most powerful gift I could ever get to the world. So in that, I also recognize that in order for me to grow my business, I had to find a way to leverage this skill that I have naturally with a strategic approach that would allow me to monetize it. Because there are a lot of people who are speaking for free and they are not getting paid. Now, I am of the belief that every speaking engagement you do is a paid speaking engagement. You're just determining who's paying you. Right. Either the meeting host is paying you or the people in the audience are paying you, but you should be getting paid every single time. And so to that end, we've developed the Speak and Move Millions framework. And it's, it's a double entendre, right? It's moving millions of people and it's moving millions of dollars when it is done really, really well. So the first part is really understanding your signature story. Like what are the stories? And it's not just your origin story. How do you parlay the content, the strategy, what it is that you've brought to the table for others in a way that becomes real and actionable for those that are listening. If you understand how to put words together to give people the visual imagery that they need in order to tap in and then lean into what it is that you're sharing with them, it's a game changer. So, so the story is first, then from the story we want to identify the strategy. So how are we going to tell these stories so that we get people to rise up and say, oh me, me, I need you. Would you help me, please? Right, this is the groupie line. These are the people who didn't get enough just hearing you as they sat in their seat. They need to reach out and touch you. They need to take a selfie with you. They need to figure out how they can get into a program, how they can get more of you in their life. So the strategy piece is how do we take the story that we're telling and parlay it into an opportunity to have a sales conversation about the possibility of solving a problem for that person. Then once we have the strategy, we need to erect some systems because we need to have an automated way in order to consistently get this happening. As an example, if I go somewhere and speak, I'm always going to offer the audience a lead magnet. Now, it is technically against the law for a meeting host to say, I'll give you a copy of the list of everyone who registered. That is spam. So you have got to do your own thing to get people to be willing to give you their contact information. Name, email, phone number and social media handle is as good as gold. So you've got to create a way. So you want to create a lead magnet that will help you to get everyone's information. My favorite way to collect people's information is through the use of a text to number. I recommend that you get a full phone number, not the five digits and you give them a keyword that you have them text. And let me tell you why, as soon as they text this keyword to that number, you have their phone number. That's the first piece of marketing data you need to be able to market to them forever. Then you want to set up a sequence of messages that will be texted to them to get the remaining information that you need. So the first prompt is going to ask them for their name. Now you have their name and their phone number. The second prompt is going to ask them for their email address. Now you have their name, their phone number and their email address. And you have everything you need to market into the them into perpetuity. That's a system. Now behind that system, once you have their email, you want to have an automated nurture and convert sequence set up that has been customized to the speaking engagement you just came down off the stage of or that you're still on the stage of. People are always remarking because literally they opt into my free gift while I'm on stage.
Guest Speaker
Yep.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
And they get a phone call because my team makes a phone call to welcome them to our community while I'm still on stage.
Guest Speaker
Everyone's phones start blowing up in the.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Room and sometimes we delay it. Like we're like, okay, let's hold the call for 45 minutes.
Guest Speaker
Right.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
If it's a 45 minute keynote. But literally that is a set of systems that we utilize when speaking that helps us to take those leads, work those leads and turn those leads into qualified leads and eventually into sales conversations that become paying clients in our programs. That's a system. So inside of the framework, you want to make sure that you understand the story, that you have a clear strategy. I forgot the sales. I forgot 1s. You know what your sales infrastructure and mechanism is going to be. And then you have the system set up to be able to keep this process moving in order to be able to eventually position your business for scale, which is what we do. We help entrepreneurs scale from mid six figures over to seven and eight figures. You're going to have to have the right systems because scaling is about multiplication, replication and duplication and being able to pull these things together so that they are working when you are not is the key to having enough leads to get enough sales to get your business to and beyond the seven figure mark.
Guest Speaker
This is so good. And one thing that I think people don't realize the power of is like you have a captive audience. And I say that in a great way of like, they are there and you get their attention way longer than you could ever keep it online, on YouTube, on a pot, like anything. And so there's so much power for transformation there. Like real transformation.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Right.
Guest Speaker
Like not just listening and implementing information, but transformation and when it's done well, and it can be done incredibly well. Wow. What a tool. One of my friends, Sally Hogshead, she's a wonderful speaker. Yes. And she has a whole, like, intake process for whenever she does speaking so that she can tailor her talk to the audience. But it's also an incredible way to gain insights into what are they actually struggling with, with what do they need the most help with. And so if a corporation hires her to speak, she's like, okay, X amount of people need to take this, you know, intake before I will come and speak. And not only does it help her deliver a better speech, but she's also collecting all of this insight data and information. I'm like, dang, Sally, you are so smart. It's beautiful. And so there are so many beautifully strategic ways that it also allows you to serve on a much deeper level, which I'm sure you see all the time. That's so the same thing.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
We encourage our clients and our students. We have a whole course on speaking with millions walking through the whole framework, every component of the power of speaking as well as the business of speaking. And one of those elements is absolutely that pre program questionnaire and making sure you learn enough data to be able to make sure that the stories that you tell will resonate with that audience. Because I promise you, you're not getting a groupie line if every story doesn't land. If they can't see themselves inside of the problem you say you solve, they're not going to be willing to stand in line and take a picture with you. It doesn't matter how cute you are.
Guest Speaker
Yes. Oh, my gosh. One thing I think about often, because I just always hear from entrepreneurs where they're like, I don't know what stories to tell. I don't know. And if we go out and we're with friends or something, and I find myself telling a story where I'm like, oh, people are interested in this. I have a note in my iPhone of just, just good stories where I'm like, yes. I'm like, the one time my mom made us paint faces so that we could earn money to buy bikes. Like, oh. And people are like, wait, what? And so it's like, start creating a story log. And I think you. Then it's like, you start to feel more confident of, like, even if everybody had three to five go to stories for, like, your party stories, you'd probably feel more socially confident to be in settings, things, and you might just shock yourself.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Absolutely. We call it a story bank. But yep, absolutely. I have one in my phone and I'm always, when I taste something, I'm like, oh, I need to write that story down. That landed really, really well. I'm gonna use that.
Guest Speaker
Yeah, I love it so much. So what is your final piece of advice for somebody now? They're listening, they're hooked, they're obsessed with you. You're incredible. If they're like, okay, I want to add speaking to my business, or I want either high ticket speaking gigs or gigs that give me the opportunity to sell what I've created. What advice do you have if they don't know where to begin?
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah. So, first of all, congratulations. You just made an amazing decision and I'm so excited for you. Speaking is about to unlock a whole new world of opportunity for you to take the work that you do and to get it out into the world. It's about shaking the planet and making it this planet better. And right now there are hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who have the problem that you solve that need a solution and they need the solution from you. So I'm so excited that you've made this decision. Now, having said that, there are a few key things that you want to learn and understand. I do not recommend that you try to wing it and you try to do it on your own. I am of the belief that if you could do it by yourself, it would already be done. And you want to go and you want to learn it from someone who is willing to share everything that you need to know in order to be able to see how to unpack the results for yourself. Of course, I just happen to be one of those people. We have an amazing course called Speak and Move Millions that walks you through the power of speaking. And I'm going to teach you everything. I'm going to teach you how to tell a signature story and I'm going to offer you a free gift in a moment. I'm going to teach you how to tell signature stories. I'm going to teach you how to use props and how to use your body and how to all the things you need to know to tell a mean story that is going to resonate based on the experiences that you have lived in your life. So you're halfway there because you've experienced them. Someone just needs to teach you how to pull on them so that you incite that 93% emotion and that 7% logic. That's the power of speaking. And then you need to understand the business of speaking. Right? Okay, Now I'm Getting booked to speak. Speak. Do I charge? When do I charge? How much should I charge? When do I not charge? How do I get to the point where I'm generating, you know, five figures, six figures a year from speaking? How do I use speaking to get people to enroll into my higher end programs? Like, how do I create a continuum, opportunities, whether I'm on a podcast, whether I'm on a virtual summit, or whether I'm on a stage, how do I make sure when I just go live on social media, I'm able to turn that into a sales machine for our business? These are the types of things that we handle inside of the. The business of speaking, all inside of this powerful course. And what I'd love to do is I'd love to start you off with a lead magnet that we created. And it's the key components of your signature talk. I'm going to break down each of the elements and how to actually be able to leverage them in a talk or a story that you have right now. And it's my gift for you just for being here and hanging out with Jenna and I. If you go to move to millions.com forward/freebies or just move to millions.com and then there will be a button for you to push for freebies, you'll be able to see that signature talk cheat sheet.
Guest Speaker
Oh, I love this. And guys, if you're paying attention closely, Darnell is doing what she's teaching, and that is the sign of a good teacher. So get in. Like, I don't know, Darnell. I'm like the type of person where I'm like, like, I want to sign up for everything because I want to experience a funnel. I want to see what's working. Like, I only take advice from people who are doing what they're telling other people to do. So amen to that. Where can everybody find you? Connect with you, follow you, learn from you? Give me all of the places to connect.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Yeah. So I am Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon everywhere on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, I'm even on Tick Tock everywhere. That's where I am. And if you go to movetomillions.com, what I love about that site that we put together is that it's a digest site. So from there, you'll be able to learn about my planner or my book, move to millions or my courses or my live events or any of the things that we're doing. All of the free gifts that we're offered, they're right there in one centralized place, Add a URL that's very easy for you to remember because you might forget to put the Y in my name when you put me in Google and I might not show up. But everybody knows how to spell Move to millions so move to millions.com is the best place for you to go, and it'll link you to anywhere you'd want to be able to find me online.
Guest Speaker
This was such a treat. I feel so energized and motivated. Like, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This was amazing.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Thank you so much for having me. Jenna. I agree this was phenomenal and I'm so excited for everyone that's going to get an opportunity to sit and listen to what it is that we shared here today.
Guest Speaker
This was a true master class. What a beautiful and powerful episode. And Dr. Darnell is so dang inspiring. I don't know about you, but I'm like, let's get on some stages, people. And I love how she breaks down every single framework. You can tell that she is captivating, but I also know she has the power to teach you how to have that same captivating energy and voice. Today, what I hope for you to do is to explore some of your own stories, sit down with yourself and ask yourself, where were those moments that led you to where you are today that helped you learn the lessons you've learned that could likely change someone else's life? Oftentimes, we're too close to our own genius to even see it as something that could change someone else's life. And I don't want you to live your life sitting on that information and keeping it to yourself. I want for you to share it, whether it's on stages or from the comfort of your own home. Although after today's conversation, I feel like you're going to want to step up on stages. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the podcast. I hope you absolutely loved it. And of course, until next time, keep on digging your biggest goals.
Jenna Kutcher
Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger podcast. I hope today's episode filled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action, and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to gold digger podcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more. And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, gold diggers.
Episode 863: How to Grow Your Brand and Boost Your Bank Account with Speaking
The Goal Digger Podcast
Host: Jenna Kutcher
Guest: Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon
Release Date: March 24, 2025
In Episode 863 of The Goal Digger Podcast, host Jenna Kutcher welcomes Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon, a distinguished entrepreneur and expert in leveraging public speaking for business growth. Together, they explore the transformative power of speaking engagements in building a brand, generating leads, and increasing revenue. This episode serves as a comprehensive masterclass for entrepreneurs eager to harness their voice as a strategic business tool.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon opens the discussion by highlighting the unparalleled effectiveness of public speaking as both a lead generator and a sales tool. She asserts that speaking allows entrepreneurs to "immediately cut through all of the noise and get to the point of the sale so much faster" (00:02). In an era dominated by information overload, her perspective emphasizes the importance of authentic communication in establishing trust and fostering meaningful relationships with potential clients.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon ([00:02]):
"What I love about speaking is that it is both the number one lead generator and sales tool on the planet."
Addressing a common hurdle among entrepreneurs, Dr. Darnell tackles the fear of public speaking. She encourages listeners by reminding them that they have been "speaking since you were two," underscoring the innate ability everyone possesses to communicate effectively (03:25). This mindset shift is crucial for entrepreneurs hesitant to take the stage, emphasizing that confidence in speaking is a skill that can be nurtured and developed.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon ([03:25]):
"You have been speaking since you were two. Of course, you're a speaker."
Dr. Darnell introduces a structured approach to crafting impactful stories through her unique framework, consisting of three pivotal moments:
This framework not only aids in storytelling but also ensures that the narrative resonates deeply with the audience, fostering a connection that can lead to business opportunities.
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon ([15:40]):
"A powerful story has three distinct moments: the Robert Frost moment, the Sam Cooke moment, and the Harriet Tubman moment."
Delving into the financial aspects, Dr. Darnell discusses various strategies to monetize speaking engagements effectively. She emphasizes that every speaking opportunity should be viewed as a potential revenue stream, whether through direct payments from event hosts or by converting audience members into high-ticket clients (31:35). Key strategies include:
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon ([31:35]):
"Every speaking engagement you do is a paid speaking engagement. You're just determining who's paying you."
For entrepreneurs eager to integrate speaking into their business model, Dr. Darnell provides actionable steps:
Additionally, she underscores the importance of continuous evaluation and adaptation, encouraging speakers to refine their narratives based on audience feedback and evolving market demands (43:36).
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon ([35:31]):
"Understand your signature story and create a system to capture and convert your audience."
As the episode concludes, Dr. Darnell offers final advice to listeners ready to embark on their speaking journey. She recommends enrolling in her course, "Speak and Move Millions," which provides comprehensive training on both the art and business of speaking. Additionally, she shares a complimentary lead magnet available at movetomillions.com, designed to help entrepreneurs craft their signature talks (46:56).
Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon ([46:56]):
"If you go to movetomillions.com you can access my signature talk cheat sheet as a free gift."
Website: movetomillions.com
Social Media:
For more resources and to take advantage of Dr. Darnell’s free offerings, visit movetomillions.com.
Resources Mentioned:
This episode of The Goal Digger Podcast offers invaluable insights for entrepreneurs looking to elevate their brand and income through public speaking. Dr. Darnell Jervy Harmon’s expertise provides a clear roadmap for leveraging speaking engagements as a powerful business tool, making this episode a must-listen for anyone aiming to transform their business through the art of communication.
Timestamp References: