SAMIA: Hello, Salaam, Shalom, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Aloha, Holah, Ciao, Bonjour, and Buna... and Privet!It's really really good to be with you again. And guess what... we have a wonderful returning guest… And that's Linda Prado and she is a Marketing Expert and Business Mentor. Welcome back, Linda...

LINDA: Hi. It's amazing to be back because we are having such juicy conversations...

SAMIA: Yes, indeed... And just for those people who might have missed our first episode Linda, will you tell us again a little bit more about who you are and what you do...

LINDA: Absolutely! So I'm a Marketing Expert and a Business Mentor... And I've been in luxury marketing for nearly a decade… and I work with coaches, and online service providers who want to attract premium clients and sell high-ticket offers... And my mission in this world is to lead a movement of self-led, soul-guided leaders who are paving their path to success and they have so much to say, and they desire to speak up and use their bold voice to make an impact... And on a more personal level, I'm also a Digital Nomad for the last 16 years... And as you can guess, I really value freedom life.

SAMIA: I love it! I absolutely love it... You know Linda, last episode we talked about your affluent marketing framework, and you gave us so much wisdom... I especially love the distinctions that you were drawing between what an affluent client is like in terms of their mindset versus people who are not in that mindset... I thought it was so helpful. And then we started to talk about some of the challenges that people can begin to experience... And I was thinking that for this episode, I would love to dig deeper with you into the idea of where are the biggest service gaps in the coaching industry, you know, that create so many problems for coaches, and trainers and healers... but also for our clients. So I think it'd be wonderful to get your perspective on that.

LINDA: Yes, I am so happy we are bringing the awareness of this topic, because we have the power now to save people's money. And, you know, to educate what to look for and what to be aware of when they decide now is the time to invest in a coach or in a mentor. So this is an excellent topic today.

SAMIA: Yay! So please tell me where... I know there's, you know, several big gaps when it comes to service in the industry... But what's... what would you say is one of the biggest gaps...

LINDA: I will start with a delivery before I move to marketing which is my jam... Because as you know, I'm in high ticket so I really value what happens after the sale is done... And what I'm seeing is what's happening inside the container is telling versus training. And let me explain you what that means... So telling is, when I'm telling what people should do and a really good example is if you go to the last episode where I speak about affluent marketing... I will… I'm telling you about it… and most likely you will get value from it and you will understand and shift the perspective. But I'm not training you how to get, you know, affiliate clients… this is what's happening in my containers... I am training people to master the skill so when they finish the program with me they have mastered the skill for life because they've been trained to do this… even if it's with the, you know, less tangible things as the mindset... we still need to have this support. But you can’t just give a worksheet, write down your limiting beliefs and what do you believe instead, you know… So telling versus training is, I think, a huge one... And it unfortunately happens also in high ticket containers where we pay, you know, five figures... and then it's just telling… And even worse, if it's just my way or highway, then it's...

SAMIA: Oh my gosh... You know, I think that is my number one observation too in terms of where the gaps are… and it's my I'm biggest... I want to say… thing that makes me feel frustrated in terms of like when I have spent... I mean at this point, probably close to $100,000 that I've invested in coaches and, you know, different training programs and different… just investing in different communities… to teach myself and develop my own capacities as a coach, and trainer, and healer... And that was the number one thing I found missing… like some of the highest... I remember, one of the first times I invested in, like really for me at that time especially, it was like a high-level investment… it was a $20,000 or so program... And I think the big mistake that I made is because I didn't understand how the program was going to work and how to tell if it was right for me at  that time or not... I actually stretched myself a lot to make that initial $20,000 investment because I had so many expectations of like once I got into the group I would learn what I need to… and I expected to get the support that I needed to actually implement the learning... And I'd be… I was like, if I actually get that support, get that training, that learning, it will be worth the stretch, it will be worth this investment... But the reality of what happened when I was in the group was so different… because exactly what you were saying Linda… I got there and we sat there, and they gave us all kinds of information... And then we were pretty much left on our own to implement it. So not only did we not have support in terms of, like, figuring out how to customize that information to my… to myself... But just the plans that I created, that even the ideas that I came up with for what I wanted to do with that information, required additional investment... And I'd stretched myself so much at that point to just get into the group... I didn't have the resources left to make further investment. And so I was like, "Oh, this is not the right group for me, at least certainly not at that time." And I was just… my biggest disappointment... I was like, you know, the money is not even honestly wasn't the biggest challenge... I mean, I had stretched already, I would have/could have stretched more... But the thing that just was really disappointing and made everything so much more difficult, was that lack of training and support…

LINDA: And I can explain you what happened behind that when it comes to marketing... And I've been there as well. And it's especially happening with one of our first investments… because the marketing sells on the feeling only. And that's the problem... So it's hyping you up... It's the hype marketing. You can see a lot of short threads saying my client just made a 50k this month, who wants the same result? Of course I do, if I'm not there. But as a premium client, and an experienced client, which you, our listeners are going to be now after this episode, you are going to ask… "Okay, but who is your client? What industry? Is she selling windows? Is she selling… like what industry is your client? Because I know my industry, but how do I know if it's going to work for me? Where was this client? Does she have a team? Is she running the ads to get to that 50k or 100k, whatever? And then how does it work? So I know that it's different from everything else I've already tried, I know... And it's like how do I know it's going to work for me?”  So when you're an educated premium client... you are not falling for the feeling only. We do buy based on emotion. But when we become premium clients, we back it up with the logic… so we know what to look for... For example, that means that your process needs to have a framework... If you're on the other side marketing it, then show the framework, show how you're going to lead your client from where they are to the result and promise you have put in the marketing… if it's those 100k, what's the process? And also, who's the client? what type of client is going to get the results? So unfortunately, the gap is selling on the feeling only and hype marketing.

SAMIA: Yeah. And I think that brings me back to one of the points you were mentioning last episode about integrity… is that if you're just selling based on feeling only, then… I mean, that's important in its way, but it's so important to also have additional elements to your marketing to make sure it's not just feeling only, it’s not just hype, because otherwise, then you can't really stay in integrity with what you promise.

LINDA: Absolutely, and how to understand if you’ve been sold only on the feeling... I can give a few more examples. So you're like, "Well, how can I be safe?"

SAMIA: Yeah... 

LINDA: So if they are telling you that come and experience this container... then let me tell you it's going to be just an experience and not your ROI… experience, right… Then the words like… caliber to my energy… because she's, you know, let's say a millionaire or seven-figure coach… come caliber to my energy… And I've been in such program so I know it very well… we sat down and just listen to how she was speaking about her success… she threw one cookie-cutter method that wasn't totally aligned with me just to back up that there was strategy involved in her teachings… but it was caliber to my energy... So it means that by sitting in, you know, high four-figure masterclass I would get the results... So calibration… that's a tricky one as well... Then, you know, uplifting feeling from the marketing itself... like branding, luxury lifestyle photos, speaking about her lavish days, lavish lifestyles… just showing, you know, the luxury around her and pumping you up with her lifestyle… but again, not telling you how she's going to get you to the result... she's promising... So you're again hype, because you love what you see. And of course, you desire the same... So your logical mind somehow goes away, because she's so good at marketing. She's so good at building this relationship... She's a good marketer. But on the other end you, as a client, unfortunately, you don't ask these crucial questions that, you know, now you know, what you need to ask... And that's when you fall for these hype feeling type of things.

SAMIA: Yeah, thank you so much for giving that... giving that framework, as it were, another framework for how we can think about and evaluate like when it's just hype and so forth. Is there another big gap that you see, another big problem that you see that we can educate our listeners about...

LINDA: Yes, absolutely. And this is something to be aware of... if you get to a sales call and you are experiencing a lot of pushing when you're sitting there and feeling really pressured into a sale… this is a really red flag... Because no one has the power over your finances, over your decisions... This is where you should probably pay attention to how you feel when you sit with the person face-to-face on a sales call. Because what's happening, those people are pushing you into your wounded feminine by stepping into their wounded masculine... So it's a pushy sales tactic… for example... to understand exactly what I mean… one of the questions, you know, if you're like, "Well, I'm not sure if I'm ready”... They're like, “Where will you be in six months if you don't act right now? Can you afford not to act right now?" So you've been pushed into making a decision... And I'm not against handling objections because it can be done in a very empowering way to create this transformation on the sales call... And, you know, there's also a process how to avoid objections overall with your content and screening process so you… when you were the one who, you know, has the sales call to close one, then there's a process for that… But if you are sitting there and you've been pushed into making the decision, then think hard… because you can also end up in a coaching-like relationship where you'll be bullied… where you've been... well, you'll be shamed and blamed if you are bringing things up and discussing... and it is a very traumatizing experience. Or, you will make a decision that actually wasn't aligned with you because you were pushed into the sale... So objection handling is not a bad thing. But if someone's really pushing you into making a decision, then step back.

SAMIA: Yeah… I love the example that you gave about what the pushing might look like... And I've had that experience so many times because when people do that, it's sort of like, again, trying to get you to stay just in the feeling… or, you know, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I'm in this bad place already, and if I don't do this now, six months later, I might be in an even worse place." And so you're still so much caught up in the feeling that it makes it difficult to even think about what the... like, logical questions that you might need to ask or question and, you know, just to balance off for yourself, your ability to evaluate whether this is the right decision for you or not... They just want for their benefit, want you to just stay focused on your hurt feelings, as you were saying… those wounded feelings… that is such a good point…

LINDA: Exactly, exactly. And I can imagine that some of the listeners might be doing their sales calls in this way... And I want to express like the understanding… because most likely, you've been taught to do this that way... it's not your intention to push anyone into a wounded place... I get that because you've been taught to do this… so now you know… Because you can also see what type of clients then you are signing… because if they sign up after a lot of objection handling, they are making perhaps a very disempowered decision, very spontaneous decision... So they might be bailing on payment plans, they might be ghosting you, they might not show up… Because you did make a sale… but it was from a disempowered place for your clients. So now understanding, you know, the explanation behind it... now you know that if you are handling your sales calls like this, that there's a different way how you can switch and then sign those amazing premium clients.

SAMIA: Yeah, you know, this makes me think about some of the posts that I've seen that you have made on your Facebook page for example... that I think are a brilliant example by the way, everyone… just saying… go check out Linda's Facebook profile or her other pages to see some excellent examples of how she pre-screens clients… so that when she gets them on the sales call, like you were saying Linda… they've already been filtered to a certain extent... and you don't have to do so much objection handling because you've appropriately filtered them beforehand... 

LINDA: No, I'm handling objections with content...

SAMIA: Yeah... can you give us an example from maybe a recent post that you've made where you demonstrate this?

LINDA: Hmm. Okay. I can't remember when I handled the objection specifically… but if I know that a person is fed up and tired with doing cold outreach and cold DM’s... I know that I'm against that too. And the post I recently did is expressing like my experience how I still took rejection personally when the DM’ing process wasn't getting enough sales... how I was getting migraines from being in my DM’s all day long… and how I'm not using the cold outreach anymore... So if they would be like… I hate this… because it's not like directly an objection, but it might be, you know, when I'm preaching my affluent marketing... this is like how it works... so they know exactly… and then I'm explaining how I'm using DM’s right now, and how my content is converting clients… and DM’s is just for relationship building and engaging.

SAMIA: Yeah. And I remember also, you will oftentimes... another thing that I've seen you do is, you’ll mention things like… oh shucks, I'm blanking on the specific language you use, and I don't want to misquote you… but you actually... you actually say things about… if you are like this, if you are in that state... so beyond even just like the DM… but like you specify other things about me as a prospective client, and where I'm at in my journey, and my mindset, and so forth... So I can sort of continue to screen myself and be like… Ah, yes... she's talking about strategies that I'm interested in, she's talking about utilize... not doing things that I don't want to do... but also she's talking about, you know, other aspects of where I'm at in my own journey with finances, etc. And so I just keep screening myself out.

LINDA: Listen, I know what type of client is going to get results with me...

SAMIA: Yeah...

LINDA: That's why my results are getting high ticket sales even in the first 30 days of working together. Because exactly as you say, I'm saying where they are, where their desire to go, what qualifications they have, how advanced they are. So they are someone who are already at least to a 2k-5k mark, or sporadic 10k... And they desire to grow to 30k months using content that positions them as an opinionated thought leader... And they have already tried some things and they are not aligned with cold outreach... So see how specific this is? And you can, oh, that's me, or well, no, that's not exactly me, I'm not there yet…

SAMIA: Yes, exactly. Thank you so much... I couldn't remember the exact language you use. But you give the perfect, perfect example of exactly what I remember seeing on your profile… and that is like really, really, really helpful. Okay, so we've talked a little bit about, you know, where the service gaps are, where the problems are... So what... can we talk just a little bit more about what people should look for in a coaching program as a premium client?

LINDA: Absolutely... I'll keep this short and straightforward, because it is straightforward... First of all, check their success rate... and not the hype marketing, my client or I just made 100k month… look for case studies... What… who's their client? where they've been? when they came to them? what they did together? What are the results? So case studies… not just also screenshots… or they can be faked as well. So real case studies… Then see if they have a clear process, how they'll lead you to the result... So the framework and how the actual work is going to look like. And it doesn't mean that they're cookie cutter coaches… They will be flexible… Like I have the framework, but it doesn't mean I'm putting you in the box… I just have a framework that I know it works, but we will tailor it to you... So look for the process, how you will get the result... so you can avoid cold DMing for example, you know… Then also explore if their content shows a deeper understanding in the result that you want to get help with… Or is the marketing based only on beautiful visuals and the hype marketing that we discussed that just creates that beautiful feeling without explaining how it works... So it's pretty straightforward. If you master to spot these three things, you're on the safe side...

SAMIA: Awesome... I love that. I absolutely love that. So, I am starting to feel pretty complete for right now Linda… do you have anything else that you would love to share with our audience right now...

LINDA: Yes! Well, I would love to encourage that... Investing is an amazing thing and it helps us grow and expand. But at the same time, don't give your power away only to coaches only investing… Invest from an empowered state, and know that it is going to be a tool to get you further… and know that all power is within you... And the right coach will activate the power that you have, and train you on a new skill if you need to.

SAMIA: Yes. Woohoo! I love that. That is so cool... I want to thank you again Linda for taking the time to be with us again today and sharing all of your amazing wisdom. I really, really see so much wisdom in what you share and in your approach. And I just love your focus on freedom and your value for integrity... And I just want to encourage all of our listeners to please make sure you check the show notes because we're going to be adding Linda's links in there so you can connect with her, and continue to learn with her, and work with her if you're in the right place and right mindset to work with a wonderful Affluent Marketing Expert like Linda. So until we connect next time, I wish you lots and lots of peace and joy… :)