Jo shares a case study conversation with her client Zoe Fenn. Zoe's journey highlights the challenges of running a business alone, even with prior experience, and the invaluable support and guidance Jo's programme provided. Zoe's testimonial exemplifies the transformative impact Jo aims for with her clients.

Show Notes:

[00:00 - 02:00] Introduction and background on the podcast's focus.

[02:00 - 03:00] Jo's excitement to share Zoe's case study and the significance it holds for her.

[03:00 - 04:00] Zoe's background and the challenges she faced before joining Jo's program.

[04:00 - 06:00] The valuable support and resources Zoe found helpful in the program.

[06:00 - 08:00] The results and progress Zoe achieved through the program.

[08:00 - 10:00] Zoe's success in selling her group program and creating an individual program.

[10:00 - 11:00] Zoe's biggest takeaway: staying focused on the client's needs and perspective.

[11:00 - 13:00] The importance of understanding the client's language, priorities, and challenges.

[13:00 - 15:00] The difficulty of seeing one's own blind spots and the value of external support.

[15:00 - 16:00] Zoe's plans for designing and delivering her group program.

[16:00 - 17:00] Zoe's recommendation of Jo's program to others feeling entrepreneurial.

[17:00 - 19:00] Zoe's praise for Jo's expertise, responsiveness, warmth, and coaching approach.

[19:00 - 20:00] Jo's closing remarks and call to action.

Useful Links

How to secure more coaching clients' free training

Download the 12 ways to get clients now

Learn about The Business of Coaching programme

Connect with Jo on LinkedIn

Rate and Review the Podcast

If you found this episode of Women in the Coaching Arena helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you’re kind enough to leave a review, please do let Jo know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: joanna@joannalottcoaching.com

Enjoyed This Episode?

Don’t Miss the Next One! Hit subscribe on your favourite podcast app to be notified each time a new episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

Hello and welcome to Women in

the Coaching Arena podcast.

2

I'm so glad you are here.

3

I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor

and ICF accredited coach

4

Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

and I help coaches to

5

build brilliant businesses.

6

I know that when you prepare to enter

the arena, there is fear, self doubt,

7

comparison, anxiety, uncertainty.

8

You can tend to armor up and

protect yourself from vulnerability.

9

In this podcast, I'll be sharing

honest, not hype, practical and

10

emotional tools to support you to make

the difference that you are here for.

11

Dare greatly.

12

You belong in this arena.

13

Welcome to the 66th episode of

women in the coaching arena.

14

I am so glad you are here.

15

I was brainstorming what to record

for you on this Saturday morning?

16

And was going to do five strategic

steps or something along these lines.

17

I just wasn't feeling like.

18

Doing five strategic steps.

19

Maybe because it's the weekend and I'm

not feeling particularly strategic today.

20

Instead, I browse my case studies

and cannot believe I have not

21

yet shared my client zoe Fenn's

amazing story on this podcast.

22

Zoe helps develop strong first

time leaders in insight agencies.

23

She was an absolute joy to work with.

24

I think the key parts of her story

that I'll share with you for me are.

25

That it doesn't matter

how much we think we know.

26

It's really hard to do

this stuff on your own.

27

And Zoe had already had 15 years

experience, pretty much doing what I

28

teach in my program, but finding that is

actually really hard to do it yourself

29

because you get in your head, we've got

our emotions and our feelings involved.

30

And that there's so much more to learn

about running a business, even in

31

terms of the ins and outs of running

it, as well as generating clients.

32

Zoe's case study also means a lot to me.

33

Because it's the model testimonial that,

you know, if you do the exercise and.

34

Someone says, what would you want a client

to share about you after working with you?

35

And then like begin with the end in mind?

36

Well, this for me is everything

I could ever wish and more.

37

So thank you so much Zoe.

38

It's also worth sharing in case you

are one of those people like I was

39

when I started my business working

two days a week around my really young

40

children that Zoe did all of this

inside my program with two days a week

41

childcare and two children under five.

42

So hats off to you Zoe.

43

You have done an amazing job,

and I cannot imagine what you

44

were build as you continue to get

more time as your children grow.

45

Hi Zoe, thank you so much for agreeing

to reflect on your journey with me.

46

Do share a bit about yourself.

47

Ah, well, I set up the

business a year ago.

48

Oh, this is just my

professional self, isn't it?

49

How much do you want to know?

50

So professional me set up the business

a year ago after having my two children.

51

And I set up the business because

I wanted to support people who were

52

transitioning into management and

leadership roles within the research

53

and insight industry that I used to

work in prior to having my family.

54

And what was going on for you prior

to joining the business of coaching?

55

What was going on was that I was

really enjoying what I was doing.

56

I felt like I was in the right

ballpark because I was enjoying it,

57

but I spent a lot of time in my head.

58

Debating what course of action was

best to start really growing the

59

business and translate my coaching

skills and my 15 year career in

60

research and insight into a business

proposition that people wanted to buy.

61

I had so many different pathways in

my head as to how I could do that.

62

And yeah, I was just spending a lot of

time going a little bit into one direction

63

and then pulling back a bit and then going

a little bit to another and pulling back

64

a bit and feeling a little bit frustrated.

65

With that just, just frustration really

that I felt like I hadn't crystallized

66

what I was about and how to go

about really building the business.

67

And what was the impact of that?

68

At the time?

69

Yeah, well, frustration

and poor use of time.

70

Which started to impact

my esteem and motivation.

71

The coaching qualification teaches you

coaching skills, but you don't get any

72

support on like running a business.

73

At me.

74

So maybe I felt like it would be good

to get some support there as well.

75

Yes, exactly.

76

And what did you find

helpful from the program?

77

Oh gosh, lots of things were

helpful from the program, really.

78

I mean, Your constant availability.

79

Maybe that's not something you can

but honestly the speed at which you

80

got back to me on an awful lot of

kind of small things important to

81

me was really, really helpful just

practically for moving forward on stuff.

82

So that support I really valued.

83

But in terms of the whole program what I

really valued was the community of people

84

and how much we supported each other.

85

And also the breadth of stuff we covered

in the course, stuff that I wouldn't

86

necessarily have Like paid for bit by bit,

you know, but it's all part of the mix.

87

I kind of felt like there was

a lot of added value from it.

88

Things like the copywriting things like

the breathing exercises listening to

89

somebody else do a presentation, even

that kind of thing, and actually, how much

90

you gain from even those conversations

as well, because you sort of think,

91

oh, maybe this is doable for me now.

92

Hmm.

93

And get ideas for how I

could tell a story like that.

94

So those sorts of things were amazing.

95

And then all of the videos online,

the fact you can do that in your own

96

time, and you've got a process, but

you can also fit it very much around

97

your life, was really, really good.

98

And then when you introduced that

half an hour slots, those were

99

really, really, very valuable.

100

Oh, Brill.

101

Thank you, Zoe.

102

It's great to reflect for me and hopefully

for you too, what was the result for

103

you from being part of the programme?

104

Well, a huge amount of progress

on actually creating a business

105

and a viable business proposition.

106

I wouldn't have had the success

that I've had with clients were

107

it not for the program, for sure.

108

I've learned from the program how to

build a credible offer, and I have

109

learned to iterate, I've learned to get

that to a point and then just run with

110

it and then keep iterating as I go.

111

I have learned what sales

strategies work for me.

112

Hmm.

113

I have learned an awful lot of tech

from your course, an awful lot of how

114

to make the most of LinkedIn, how to

make the most of different technical

115

sales tools, lead magnets, things like

that, that I'd never heard of Canva

116

I've migrated everything onto that now.

117

And I just don't think I would have

taken all of those steps as well.

118

And when you're running a small business

you know, to make all that more seamless

119

is so valuable as well as actually like

generating the sales at one end, but

120

actually creating processes that sit

behind that, that are also efficient.

121

It's helped me both grow the

business, but also run the business.

122

Yeah, totally.

123

And tell us about your

successes with clients.

124

I successfully sold my group program,

which I am absolutely thrilled about.

125

I did have a vague group program

when I joined in January that was

126

very loose and not to the point and

was didn't have any of this frontal

127

benefit stuff that we've talked about.

128

You know, it was very, this is what

you get from coaching and I've moved it

129

into really standing in the shoes of the

business and trying to understand what

130

is it that they want for their staff.

131

So I've translated what was quite inward

looking, I suppose, into something that

132

the world actually wants and needs.

133

And I have now.

134

seen that succeed in terms of sales.

135

So I have successfully sold

my group program, which I'm

136

really excited to have done.

137

I think I'm about to make another sale.

138

So you could wait until you, you

could wait until I have before you,

139

before you put the, put this out.

140

But I've translated the group program as

well into a program for an individual.

141

The group one is my flagship, but I've

translated it into one for an individual.

142

And I think he's about to, to buy that.

143

So I can kind of see now how I've

got a signature, but then I can

144

branch out other stuff off it.

145

And I don't think selling the one to one

program is my primary route because I want

146

to do the group ones and I think that I

will enjoy those more and there's bigger

147

benefits from that for the business.

148

But if some businesses are too

small for the group one, they don't

149

have enough people at that level.

150

I've got a version of it for the

individual, which is just so clear.

151

Now, because I've done all that work

through your program on how to really

152

build an offer that you can sell.

153

Amazing.

154

Yeah.

155

It's so exciting, isn't it?

156

And then you can make that into

a book or anything else that you

157

want to, like for an online course.

158

And yeah, super exciting.

159

I've got ideas coming out of my head.

160

Really.

161

I just can't, can't put them all

into practice at the moment, but

162

yeah, I'd love to kind of build an

app and build some stuff that people

163

can just access themselves almost

and just do their own learning.

164

But yeah, lots of ideas

for how I can do it.

165

What would you say is your

biggest takeaway from the program?

166

It's funny because it's sort of

stuff I already did know from

167

my previous career, but it's...

168

I don't know, it's somehow you get

lost in all the other stuff when

169

you're running a business, but I think

it's just to be super focused on the

170

consumer, on the person who is buying.

171

And that was the biggest thing.

172

One of the other big things, I maybe

should have mentioned that in what

173

was going on before for me, but one of

the big things I was spinning around

174

about wasn't just like what's the best

way to grow this and market it, but

175

it was also like, should I be a B2B

business or should I be a B2C business?

176

Yeah.

177

And it took a long time for me to feel

really comfortable with one or the other.

178

It took a long time to kind of let

go of one, but now I am focused

179

on being a corporate business

and I want to sell to the agency.

180

It's just made a huge difference to

what I spend my time doing and how I

181

prioritize my precious time I have each

week to spend on my business right now.

182

That is the single biggest thing

for me that was important because

183

once I had that, everything

could flow much more easily.

184

Think about the kind of

events I need to be at.

185

The events where the CEOs and the

agency owners are not necessarily the

186

events for the actual like employees.

187

So going to things like the

MRS conference, for example

188

was a big thing for me.

189

So I think I will take away to always

think about what that person wants and

190

needs and to keep myself constantly

connected with those people and be

191

doing market research with them,

always understanding Top of mind

192

priorities are and what's worrying them

and what's keeping them up at night.

193

And, you know, is it retention?

194

Is it productivity?

195

Is it performance?

196

I think that's the biggest thing.

197

Like once you know that you

can tell the story around that.

198

And it's not to say I'm

like changing what I do.

199

I still am focusing on those people

at the beginning of leadership

200

and management, but it's just

to stay relevant in terms of.

201

why they need me.

202

Yeah, so true.

203

And it's something that most

people think isn't important.

204

So I love that you've shared that

because everyone just wants to

205

jump to like selling the thing,

but there's so much value in

206

really keeping up with that client.

207

That's what I've learned, like, stand

in someone else's shoes, see the

208

world from their eyes ask questions,

don't perform and yeah, really.

209

Get as much information and get

as familiar as you can with what

210

they're doing and what's going

on right down to the specific

211

language that they're speaking.

212

And as I was saying, it feels

so odd to say this because I

213

did it in a previous career.

214

Like when we'd be giving advice to

brands to do that, giving them the

215

exact language and all, like everything

from quality down to language that,

216

you know, consumers would connect with

and then giving that to the brand.

217

But then it's good cause I've got

a lot of evidence in my head of

218

being a very successful strategy.

219

So I just needed to, to

apply it to my business.

220

And I think you do think when you start a

business that it's all about you and you

221

get bit, you do get bit self absorbed.

222

Exactly.

223

And we can't, we can't do it ourselves.

224

Like I have a business coach to

tell me, you know, what I need to do

225

differently because you just can't see

it when you're in it no matter how much

226

you know the staff, it's just really

hard to see your own blind spots.

227

Yeah, exactly.

228

And it's a lot of ego when you start

a business, you know, you sort of want

229

it to be successful and you think, I

think you have that belief that, or

230

I probably had that belief that it

was about me and what I was doing.

231

Yes.

232

Make me successful or not.

233

And so you're getting quite

focused on like what you're

234

producing and putting out there.

235

And I think you can shift to

focus on what do they need?

236

But it's such a difficult process to

go through on your own, because you

237

have to work out like who you're even

targeting and why and all that stuff.

238

And that's what the course does.

239

You say it kind of lets you

get there in your own time.

240

You've got your point of view

on that right from the outset

241

around niching and stuff.

242

And I think I even heard that in the

thing before I bought the program, like

243

about why you need a niche and everything.

244

But I think I thought I had a niche, but I

didn't realize until I joined the program

245

that it wasn't quite niched enough.

246

Yeah, yeah, totally.

247

It's all the stuff around that.

248

Exactly.

249

It's the so what and it's the with what

offer and all of those different bits,

250

you know, it's, even though I know that

theory from my, as I say, I know that

251

theory from before, but actually applying

it to yourself and being disciplined

252

about going through that process.

253

I just don't think that's something

you can really do on your own.

254

No, not in, not in like.

255

Three to four months anyway, or whatever

it took me to probably took me like three

256

months to sort of get that bit going.

257

And then like three months more, the

second half of your program, more

258

selling strategies and how to then

be getting the program out there

259

and what worked, I would say more

or less spent three months on each.

260

And so it's a huge amount of

progress in six months, really.

261

Yeah, amazing.

262

Yeah, it's been brilliant to see.

263

What's next for you Zoe?

264

Well, I'm going to design and

deliver an amazing group program.

265

It is in the making a future idea

that I do have is creating the same

266

program for a slightly senior level.

267

One about building high trust

teams specifically and becoming a

268

head of or a team leadership role.

269

Because I think the program I have

now is more for people who are at

270

the very beginning of like trying

to have client relationships and

271

trying to line manage people.

272

The next one will be more around

how do you scale up your leadership

273

and build teams and have impact

and influence at a bigger level.

274

Yeah.

275

Who would you recommend the program to?

276

Well, I already have recommended it to

somebody who yeah, like I'm connected

277

with, who seemed to be feeling similar

feelings to me around just spinning

278

around in their own head quite a lot and

getting a bit frustrated with progress.

279

I would recommend this program to people

who are really feeling entrepreneurial

280

and really want to build something.

281

And

282

people with a passion for, for making

a business out of what they do.

283

Totally.

284

And what should others

know about working with me?

285

That you're amazing.

286

I like this one.

287

You are a font of knowledge on everything.

288

I mean, I know you are there as a coach.

289

You do also have your own experience

to draw on as well, and do you

290

research things for us or things that

the group is interested in as well?

291

So you did quite a lot for me and

others like me on the corporate

292

side of things and looking at some

of the corporate sales strategies.

293

So I think that you have lots

of expertise yourself and then

294

you'll go away and look up things

as well, which is super valuable.

295

So there's the expertise and the fact

that you've been there and done it.

296

There's as I say the responsiveness.

297

But then there's just all of

the warmth isn't there as well.

298

There's just all of the

warmth and the encouragement.

299

And the really kind way in

which you challenge us, I think.

300

You, the way you build everyone

up and build up the belief.

301

But you keep the baton with us as well,

you know, to keep trying stuff and and

302

then work out what works for ourselves.

303

It's not, in that sense,

it is more coaching esque

304

because it's not prescriptive.

305

It's not, it's not like.

306

Five steps to getting

clients type of a thing.

307

There's the frameworks which you need

to work through for yourself to build

308

the kind of business that works for you.

309

You're like selling a way for us.

310

To solve our own challenges and whatever

those are, whether that your challenge

311

is more at the offer end of things, or

if it's more putting yourself out there.

312

I didn't particularly have that one

so much putting myself out there.

313

But I did have more of the, like,

getting clear on what I was doing and

314

about, but whatever your challenge is,

the frameworks are there for that, for

315

you to work out what works for you.

316

That seems differentiated

to me in the market.

317

And then the fact that it's a combination

of a group program plus some one to

318

one time with you as well is great.

319

And the fact that it's longitudinal,

it goes over six months.

320

I think you need that time.

321

And you need that like regular dose of Jo

every week to keep you moving on things.

322

So I think that the format of

the program is unique and the

323

way in which you deliver it.

324

Oh, thank you so much.

325

That's so amazing.

326

And I loved working with you.

327

I can't wait to see what's next for you.

328

Thank you so much, Zoe.

329

I hope you enjoyed listening

to Zoe's learnings.

330

She shared some really key, fundamental

things for you in this episode.

331

And if you would like my support to

make this happen, this is what I do.

332

Send me a message on

LinkedIn or Instagram.

333

It's Joanna, Lott Joanna with

an A, and Lott with two T's.

334

.

And let's chat about how I can help you to build or grow your business even further.

335

And like I say, at the end of every

episode, trust yourself, believe

336

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

who keeps on watering the seed.

337

Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

Thank you so much for listening to this

338

episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

339

I have a mess of free resources on

my website joannalottcoaching.com.

340

That's Joanna with an A

and Lott with two T's.

341

joannalottcoaching.com.

342

And I'll also put links in the show notes.

343

Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

344

Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

345

personally thank you for that.

346

Remember to trust yourself, believe

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

347

who keeps on watering the seed.

348

Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.