Show notes
127 | Steve Sims Shares How Rapport Can Take You from Rags to Riches
Who is your ideal client, and how can you best build rapport with them?
When it comes to getting things done, Founder & CEO of theBLUEFISH.com Steve Sims is your man. He runs a luxury concierge company and if you take a quick look at things he has arranged for his clients, you'll understand why his company is in such high demand.
Forbes Magazine called Steve "The Modern Day Wizard of Oz" but, talking to him you wouldn't think that. Steve grew up a bricklayer from London and despite his success, is still very much rooted to the ground. Steve believes that relationships are everything!
Who is your ideal client? You've probably spent time studying them; getting to know what makes them tick. What will make them say YES to what you have to offer?
When you focus on serving them with everything you've got, and ensure that everything that you do is for them, you will see results!
It can be tempting, though, to branch off.
With my brand, The Pitch Queen, I coach accountants on how improving their sales will skyrocket their revenue. We work through the sales process, and strategies they can implement so they nail their sales conversations, work less, and make more money!
But here's the thing: every entrepreneur wants and needs to learn sales! So sometimes, it's easy to get distracted: "If I just expanded my offerings to include…" Maybe you're looking at needing a big client, or you're desperate for some revenue… that tends to come back to bite you!
Sometimes the answer is YES, you do need to expand! But you need to know how to read the signs and know when you are stepping away from your niche, taking on the wrong type of client, outselling yourself, and compromising who you are.
As an entrepreneur, when you are in your "sweet spot," you will know it, and that makes all the difference in your business, helping you avoid burnout, and actually enjoying the process of being an entrepreneur.
This week's guest on Success Unfiltered, Steve Sims, is a concierge of high-level experiences for the rich. If you want the pope to officiate your wedding, or to party with Elton John, Steve is who you call! He found himself reaching out to a group that was outside of his usual clientele, and had to say NO and reset his business, going back to his roots and serving others at his best.
Be inspired to serve your ideal clientele at your best: make sure that you tune into this episode of Success Unfiltered! And you know that when it comes to planning my wedding, I'm totally calling Steve.
Enjoy, and thank you for listening and tuning into Success Unfiltered!
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Special thanks goes out to Steve Sims for taking the time to chat with Michelle. Be sure to join us next week for our next new episode!
PS. How Do You Make REAL Business Connections In An Online World? The online business world sometimes feels like a huge party where everybody's talking, but nobody's listening. How do you make genuine connections with real people in a place that feels fast-paced, impersonal, and anonymous? It's not as hard as it sounds. My FREE guide will give you the skinny on showing up as YOU, making connections with class, and starting relationships online that will lead to "IRL" sales success. Grab "How To Build Relationships Online: Your Checklist For TRUE Connections (And REAL Sales)!" right HERE!
Here are a few key secrets we talked about in this episode:
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Michelle introduces Steve Sims.
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Self-doubt has been Steve's biggest obstacle: why would people choose him? He went on a 3 day drinking binge because he doubted himself.
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Steve realized that he didn't look the part: his clients would show up in Ferraris, and he'd be on a motorcycle.
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To fit in, he bought a Ferrari for an event in Monaco, and took a picture of himself with a giant luxury yacht in the background. When he got the pictures back, he realized: "that isn't ME."
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After realizing that he had sold himself out, allowing himself to be changed to fit other's perceptions, he went on his drinking spree. He realized that he had put the dollar above his sense of self.
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"I was losing my ability to connect [with my clients] because they saw value in stuff that I didn't." ~ Steve Sims
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The key is understanding what your client actually wants, by taking the time to establish rapport.
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When Steve came out of his "bender," he changed everything. Went back to his roots, his former way of doing things. YES, he lost money (he saw a 40% dip in revenue!), but he found a more satisfying life as he served his ideal client that he knew and understood.
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Your ability to connect with your clients is directly connected to your revenue.
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Surrounding yourself with the right circle is key to realignment.
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"We surf the tides that we initiate the swells on." ~ Steve Sims
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When you've gotten out of alignment with your niche, purpose, and values, the realignment process is hard, and takes a lot of work.
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Find ways to remove the friction in your life.
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The advice that Steve got from his dad helped him as he realigned his business: "Son, no one drowned by falling into the water. They drowned by staying in."
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"I was drowning, and I had the choice to stay in or get out." ~ Steve Sims
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"You've got to have community….No one wins alone." ~ Steve Sims
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Steve compares his experience to a very expensive MBA program.
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We're attracted to shiny objects: it's important to look at them and see, do they align with me? Are they a good fit? Do I even like them? If the answer is NO, then don't do it!
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"If there's all bells and whistles and ticker tape, it might be trying to hide something." ~ Steve Sims
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Instead of simply asking clients for feedback, Steve starts out with "What did I do wrong?" This changes the way that they respond, and helps them think differently to give more valuable feedback. That way they don't just gush and call it amazing.
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Steve shares what he would tell his younger self.
Connect with Steve Sims:
PS. How Do You Make REAL Business Connections In An Online World? The online business world sometimes feels like a huge party where everybody's talking, but nobody's listening. How do you make genuine connections with real people in a place that feels fast-paced, impersonal, and anonymous? It's not as hard as it sounds. My FREE guide will give you the skinny on showing up as YOU, making connections with class, and starting relationships online that will lead to "IRL" sales success. Grab "How To Build Relationships Online: Your Checklist For TRUE Connections (And REAL Sales)!" right HERE!
Music produced by Deejay-O www.iamdeejayo.com
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