June 24, 2025 • 32 mins
Kendall Cherry, ghostwriter for multi-million dollar startups, shares transformative insights on overcoming the fear of selling through authentic storytelling, addressing the guilt that keeps many entrepreneurs from effectively marketing their services.
• Identifying the "starving artist narrative" that reinforces guilt around making money from creative endeavors
• Taking "sales field trips" to observe how businesses naturally incorporate selling without being pushy
• Using specific storytelling techniques that connect with potential clients without feeling vulnerable
• Speaking directly to your audience with "you" language instead of distancing with "we"
• Creating a "future casting" narrative that helps clients envision positive outcomes
• Building a content ecosystem that qualifies and nurtures leads without requiring constant sales calls
• Collecting and analyzing "walking testimonials" to identify patterns in client language
• Repurposing high-performing content strategically to save time while maintaining consistency
Connect with Kendall through her newsletter at wallflowerfridays.com or explore her LinkedIn content for practical examples of authentic selling through storytelling.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kendall (00:00):
A bookstore is there to sell you books.
No one is going into abookstore and thinking that
you're being too salesy.
Alyssa (00:07):
Welcome to Brilliant Ideas, the podcast that takes
you behind the scenes of some ofthe most inspiring digital
products created by solopreneursjust like you.
I'm your host, alyssa, adigital product strategist who
helps subject matter expertsgrow their business with online
courses, memberships, coachingprograms and ebooks.
If you're a solopreneur withdreams of packaging your
expertise into a profitabledigital product, then this is
(00:30):
the podcast for you.
Expect honest conversations ofhow they started, the obstacles
they overcame, lessons learnedthe hard way and who faced the
same fears, doubts andchallenges you're experiencing,
from unexpected surprises tobreakthrough moments and
everything in between.
Tune in, get inspired and let'sspark your next big, brilliant
idea.
Hey everyone, welcome back tothe Brilliant Ideas Podcast.
(00:51):
Today, I'm excited to introduceyou to Kendall Cherry, the
visionary behind the CandidCollective, where she's written
for multi-million dollarstartups and built email empires
with 750,000 subscribers.
In this episode, we're going todive into a topic that hits
home for so many of usovercoming that nagging voice in
your head that says it's bad tosell.
If you've ever struggled withself-doubt about selling or
(01:14):
telling your story, you're infor a treat.
Let's jump right in and getcandid with Kendall.
Welcome to the show, kendall.
Thanks for coming on today.
Hi, thank you for having me.
It's great to have you, and youknow this is a topic that
people feel a little bit uneasyabout, because, as a business
owner, we sell things, but noteverybody thinks that selling
(01:37):
comes easy to them, becausethere is this unspoken fear that
by telling people that theysell things, people will think
that they're just in it for themoney.
And I've gathered lots and lotsof notes from my clients and
you know, talking about theiroffers every day is a struggle.
I think that there's thisdeep-rooted fear coming off,
that they're afraid of comingoff as like annoying, or that
(02:00):
there's like a little bit ofguilt around it and feeling like
, when they do talk about theiroffer, that it comes off as
unnatural and feeling superforced.
And so I'm curious in your view, can you share a moment where
you pushed past the guilt orfear of selling, and what
changed your perspective aroundit?
Kendall (02:19):
Yeah.
So for me, a couple things tokeep in mind.
So I'm a ghost writer.
I write content for clients allday, every day.
So I'm basically somebody thatwas always probably destined to
be a writer type.
I just happen to do it in a morecommercial way, where I'm
writing on behalf of businessesand it's a B2B service and
(02:39):
something that I see a lot thatI think plagues writers in
particular, but I think ittranslates over to any form of
service provider or, to behonest, any kind of business is
this idea of what I write abouta lot called the starving artist
narrative.
So for me as a writer, it showsup in most of the movies.
You see, if it's writers, it'sthe penniless writer, it's the
(03:01):
business owner that can't keepthe lights on, and we're just
shown these images in the media.
This is super, super common,and so we, I think, as a
collective, we've kind ofinternalized this.
Like you say, the guilt, theshame, the like you can't
actually be successful if youown your own business.
If you do and you make a lot ofmoney, it's super shady, you're
(03:23):
doing something wrong orunethical.
So we kind of have this likecollective narrative that we all
believe, you know, deeplyingrained in us.
I was that person for a reallylong time, especially as a
writer, like I grew up hearing,you know, writing's a great
hobby but you're never going tomake any money for that, so it's
kind of the most extreme usecase, I think, coming from that
(03:45):
background.
And then I started gettingcurious about sales and, like
you know, I need to make money,like I need to pay my bills, I
need to pay my rent and all ofthe things.
So if I wanted to do that as awriter, I started taking myself
and the thing that reallychanged it for me I, in Austin,
texas, where I live, I startedtaking myself on what I call
(04:05):
sales field trips.
So I would just go to likethese little local shops that I
really loved.
For me, naturally, it was abookstore, a very local indie
bookstore, but I would just takemyself on these little field
trips and I would kind of takepages from the notes and books
of these small businesses and Iwould look at, okay, especially
(04:26):
at a bookstore, right, abookstore is there to sell you
books.
No one is going into abookstore and thinking that
you're being too salesy.
And so I started noticing likewhat were these moments inside
the store.
Opportunities, to you know,increase the price of the
transaction, sell more books.
How is it happening?
In this very cozy ecosystemAgain, where no one's flagging
(04:49):
book, people's trying to selltoo many books.
That is the purpose of whysomeone walks into that store.
And so what I noticed is, if youever go to a bookstore, they
have these little cards whereit'll say Mindy likes this book,
because that's not just to giveyou a recommendation, that's
also so you'll sell and buy thebook.
And same thing with booksellersand like things at the cash
(05:12):
register et cetera.
And so I started looking notjust at bookstores, but
primarily coffee shops,bookstores, boutiques and
clothing places.
I started looking at theseother places where, if someone,
a customer, has a need, theywalk in expecting to buy
something to you know, to thattype of store that they're
(05:34):
walking into.
And when I started, kind ofunearthing that that helps me
understand like, oh, these,these smaller shops are doing
this, it's safe to sell in thatway.
So how could I incorporate thatinto my own work and how I kind
of work around and sell in myown business?
Alyssa (05:52):
As I was saying, I totally agree with you what you
were saying about the starvingartist narrative and I also
share with my clients thatselling isn't about manipulation
or feeling or trying to bullypeople or do those FOMO tactics
that people use in theirmarketing.
I do think that there is asubpopulation like that who
(06:16):
typically use that wholeguilting people into selling
what they do, and I just feellike that is just selling using
fear tactics is just not thevibe for me.
But I also think it's importantthat they prioritize those
micro problems that theircustomers can relate to.
Um, I was recently interviewingum reed homes he's also like a
(06:37):
sales and marketing expert justrecently on the podcast and he
was talking about this thingwhere the best way to kind of
relate to your customers is toidentify problems that already
exist within your audience thatare easily relatable.
And so this leads me to my nextquestion for you, because you
are an authentic storyteller andyou show people how to sell
using stories, so can you sharelike a simple technique on how
(06:59):
you use stories to make sellingkind of less awkward?
Kendall (07:05):
use stories to make selling kind of less awkward.
Yeah, one thing I love I lovethat you you brought up there's
kind of a subpopulation or typesof of people who'd sometimes
can sell.
Uh, that is based in feartactics.
What I will say is a lot of theclients that I write for are
95% either woman, person ofcolor, lgbtq, and of the other
5%, the white guys, are veterans.
(07:26):
So a lot of my sales tacticsthat I tend to teach people are
meant for more minoritypopulations that are actually
really looking to sell in a waythat's ethical, that is not just
here to make money, but yougenuinely, if you're going to
make money, you want to feelgood as you're selling but then
(07:47):
as your customer is buying.
So that's kind of my wholetrain of thought and that kind
of authenticity and also theintegrity of selling in a way
that feels good For me.
I think storytelling is theeasiest way to connect, not just
your own personal experience,similar to what you said those
micro problems.
We as service providers, we getso much insight into selling
(08:10):
and solving very, very specificproblems.
These are the things thatnaturally emerge over time that
you and I know.
This has been my story, likethe things that I'm the best at
are not something that on dayone I flagged and was like this
is going to be my whole thing,like it's something that kind of
emerged naturally.
And so storytelling one onetactic that I really love is
(08:36):
very similar to like sharingpain points, but you do it a
little bit more future oriented.
So first, first tactical thing,I'll say I think a lot of
people, when you know we writecontent we've sent, tend to say
you know my clients or I knowthat we and we talked to this
like big collective group ofpeople, instead of talking
directly whether it's contentthat you're writing, whether
(08:59):
it's on a podcast and you'respeaking, you know, maybe it's
an email newsletter, whatever itis people tend to go broader
because they feel weird talkingdirectly to the person.
So the thing I can say is like,even if you go back and look
through like maybe the lastthree posts you've written or
emails you sent or whatever, tryto notice if you're saying the
word we instead of using theword you, if you're if you and
(09:23):
this is kind of the thing Iscrubbed for all the time like
your content should be saying Iknow that sometimes you feel
like I know, I know that youknow X, y, z.
Whatever the problem is, itshould always be pointing back
to you.
And then, as far as like aspecific story example, I really
like this idea of what's calledfuture casting.
It's basically the idea whereyou take someone's pain point
(09:46):
and you paint a vision of whatit could look like in the future
.
But you use examples and againthat kind of you experience.
So one example I would use formy clients maybe would be the
idea that you know, I know thatyou desire, you know, a life
where you can write content orhave content published for you.
(10:07):
That you know takes less time,it makes more money and allows
you to sign clients with ease.
You'll notice if you were towrite out that sentence, there's
probably the word you in thereat least four times.
But kind of using those painpoints or the future you know
story and painting that pictureof what someone would desire
(10:28):
their life to actually look like, but using the word you to kind
of anchor that into anexperience.
I think sometimes people needpermission to whether it's to
dream or to brainstorm or getideas for what that future state
could look like.
Sometimes, when you're deeplyin the thick of things it's
really tough to be like, oh yeahthat you know my reality could
(10:50):
look like that because you're sodeep in it and it's so far from
where you currently are.
But if you can use storytellingas a way to kind of again
future cast and cast a vision ofwhat that could look like, and
using the word you as the anchor, I think that is one of the
best ways to show people alsothat you understand what
motivates them, even if maybetheir current state doesn't
(11:12):
quite look like that, yet I lovethat technique.
Alyssa (11:17):
I'm just making some notes here.
Kendall (11:19):
It's one of those things that when I think I don't
know what it is, it's like oneof those kind of light bulb
moments where people don'treally even realize they're
doing that, especially if you'rewriting your own content.
It's like you use we and youthink it's fine.
And then you go back and youlook and you're like, oh my gosh
, I actually did that like waymore times than I wanted to and
it's it's the quickest fix.
It's literally one word.
(11:40):
It's not like you've got to gorewrite a bunch of content, but
it's like the quickest littletweak that I that's.
That's kind of the first thingI tell people is like just just
scan for we versus you first andthen see how far that gets you.
Alyssa (11:53):
No, that makes sense.
But so I just want to backtracka little bit to storytelling.
Um, you mentioned thesepersonal experiences that can
easily, can help to easilyrelate to your customers.
Now, now for someone like okay,so for example, for someone
like me, I have a very, I wouldsay like mundane, like I have a
(12:15):
very like big, like, not generic, but I have a routine that I do
every day.
Like I don't I wouldn't say Ihave these like wild experiences
, adventures, and I go to allthese places and I, you know, I
travel once in a while, but youknow, I don't have it's hard for
me to talk.
I think for me even it's hardfor me to talk about personal
experiences when my day ispretty generally the same, you
(12:40):
know, every single day.
So it's like what do I talkabout in my content?
That would make it seeminteresting.
Kendall (12:47):
Yeah.
So the thing that I think theinternet gets wrong a lot of
times about storytelling andthis is like the perfect framing
.
Everyone thinks that that meansyou have to be hashtag
vulnerable.
You've got to like, share someyou know big traumatic
experience.
You've got to go on some likecrazy you know million dollar
vacation and then talk aboutwhat it taught you about B2B
(13:08):
sales and it's like that's notthe thing, that's not the actual
solution.
I think what I would say is forpersonal experiences, people
want to know what's going onbehind closed doors and what
kind of conversations are youhaving with your clients.
So what questions are theyasking you?
I love that you came to thispodcast with where you said,
(13:28):
like you know, I went around andasked people.
Those are the kinds of thingsthat people want to know and
hear the story of, because notonly is it letting you show off
your process and your expertise,it's giving someone that behind
the scenes look of.
This is how you would solve myproblem once you get your hands
on it, and there's going to be amillion different ways that you
(13:49):
know, based on the nature ofwhat you do.
Like the way that Alyssa solvessomething is going to be
different than the way thatKendall solves something versus
you know the other 20 millionpeople that.
Do you know the other 20million people that?
Do you know?
Maybe something similar?
So, allowing people to see andunderstand, like I have this
client come with this problem oryou know we how I solved a
certain issue or recurring issueor a big question frequently
(14:14):
asked questions are a reallygreat place to anchor that in as
well, but I don't actuallythink it means you need to have
some like again big, vulnerable,traumatic story.
I'm actually pro like havingvery specific boundaries of like
what I will and won't talkabout.
Um, cause I'm a business, not apersonal.
I am a personal brand.
But like you don't need to knowabout what I talked with my
(14:35):
therapist about this week, likethat's, that's not what I'm here
to do.
But I think those conversationswith with what you talk about
with your clients how you wouldapproach a problem, structure a
project you know, tacklesomething with a team or you
know whoever else like I thinkthose are the things that people
, when it comes to B2B worldespecially, it's one of those
(14:59):
things where you don't reallyknow what the experience is
going to be like until you're init and you've paid someone and
so you kind of want to letsomeone know like, hey, here's
what it's going to be like,here's how I would approach it,
because then that would give youknow the person that's reading
your content.
They could actually assess forthemselves if your approach is
better than the person you know,your competitor or whoever else
(15:20):
.
So I really like that approachto storytelling, whether it's
again how you would solve aproblem, how you had a specific
outcome, maybe certain valuesthat you have as a part of your
process, maybe you structure theway you approach things or
you're onboarding in a certainway, because it highlights
certain things.
I think that's a way better wayto set something up and it
(15:43):
feels more authentic and genuineand it allows you to shine and
show that more technicalexpertise without being super
dry or losing people if you'rean expert.
Alyssa (15:55):
I like all of it and I liked what you said about the
sales conversations or justhaving conversations with your
clients, not necessarilysales-based, but many of my
clients also have trouble withsales conversations.
I think there is an angle therethat I think could be improved.
(16:16):
And I know everybody, even ifyou think that you're in, oh,
I'm great with salesconversations I think there's
always something to improvethere.
And I know when I do salesconversations I know like
everyone says I'm like crazy,but I do cold outreach and it's
not for everybody.
But I do it on purpose becauseI'm trying to figure out on my
sales conversations with thesecomplete strangers who are in my
(16:38):
niche, like what do they needhelp with?
Not necessarily thinking thatI'm going to sell to them on
that call, but to think like,okay, they are struggling with
this challenge and so that couldbe something that I could talk
about in my content.
So pulling on those salesconversations can help me kind
of figure out what story, whatkind of stories I can share and
questions that people have andthings like that, what you were
(17:00):
mentioning.
Now for them, for people whostruggle with sales
conversations or they have maybelike a fear or a doubt of how
to I guess not just to close,but just to like the structure
of the sales call and just beingable to sell on the call
(17:23):
without feeling like salesy.
What would you say like?
What kind of mindset shifts doyou suggest to overcome that
self-doubt that creeps in whenthey're having those things,
when those have thoseconversations?
Kendall (17:34):
Yeah.
So what I will say is I'mcoming from probably a pretty
different perspective than youknow your situation and maybe
the people listening.
But I was very similar to whereI was, like I don't love sales
conversations, I don't love thescripted.
You know, I'd had a couple ofcoaches trying to map these
scripts for me and I was likethis doesn't feel authentic to
me at all.
Like and I and I'm also thetype of person where I can tell
(17:57):
very quickly when it comes tosales content, whether it's a
one-off project or contentrecurring I can tell pretty
quickly in about 10 secondsafter reading an inquiry form
where someone's gaps are and ifI can help fill them.
And so I'm not this personthat's just trying to close
anybody.
I'm not trying to create abunch of upsells.
I really only sell people whatthey're ready to be sold for or
(18:22):
sold to, especially when itcomes to specific scope.
So I operate from that mindsetin general and what I will say
is I don't have very many salescalls at all.
I would say maybe one a month,maybe two, and I'm closing.
I'm closing without a salescall and the way this is
(18:43):
happening and I think if you'resomebody that doesn't want to be
doing sales.
You can sell people throughyour content and get someone 90%
to 95% of the way through thebuyer's journey through a
specific ecosystem to where thelead is already qualified.
They know exactly what you do,your unique value proposition,
(19:03):
your differentiators, the entireecosystem can be set up in a
way your services page on yourwebsite, your weekly email
newsletter, which is basically apipeline, nurturer the LinkedIn
content, whatever it is thatbasically reinforces and
nurtures people.
So your hardest job is prettymuch lead gen and then just
consistently cranking out thecontent in a way where it works.
(19:27):
But that is, for me, the way Isee it.
If you struggle with salesconversations, I personally do
it because I'm a writer and Ijust don't like having a bunch
of calls on my calendar becausefor me it's like I'm deep in the
dock and then if I have to jump, jump in and jump out, like I'm
a big deep work person, so Itry to eliminate, you know,
sales calls as much as I can.
(19:49):
Um, and so I just startedfiguring out okay, if I write
the content in a specific way,you know how could I do this.
Where it's, it's basicallybottling up the same FAQs that
I'm going to have in a salesconversation, the same talking
about my services, etc.
My process.
How can I bottle up my bestanswers to what I would have to
(20:10):
one person in a sales call andscale it so it can go to my
4,000 people on LinkedIn or my1,500 email subscribers?
How can I take that and bottleup that energy?
So my best sales energy is thecontent that is constantly being
, you know, put out into theworld.
And then wouldn't it be cool ifthat would just eliminate the
(20:30):
need to have to be on a bunch ofcalls or do any sort of like
manual intervention, manualselling.
So that's how my businessdrives sales.
You know, we have prettyconsistent sales as far as, like
inquiries that come through andfor me it's inquiry comes
through.
It is very rare at this pointthat I have to turn anyone away
(20:52):
and it's pretty much a quicklike here's the proposal, here's
the scope, here's the paymentterms, let me know if you're in,
send it, move on.
So all of that is like that'smy, you know, quote, unquote
sales process and if I do everget on this, you know what some
people may call a sales call.
It's usually more of a scopecheck.
(21:13):
The person's already sold.
They just need to figure outyou know which option or you
know what which direction theywant to go first.
But people are basically soldbefore they get on a phone call
or before they send the inquiryform.
So it's a little bit different.
Alyssa (21:28):
I love that and I also like when you say what you said
about sales energy, like protectyour energy because your
calendar is going to be full ofsales calls, and then where does
that leave you at?
Kendall (21:40):
the end of all of that like that.
Alyssa (21:42):
I mean it does.
It's exhausting, um, I mean thesales calls that I have, like
when I'm doing outreach or moremarket research.
So I feel like those are alittle bit different than having
sales conversations where, like, if I'm doing a sales
conversation, I don't, um, Idon't expect a closing, I just
for me, it's mostly like I needsome market research, I need to
see, see if my offers arelanding or not, and just kind of
(22:07):
see where my content is andthings like that.
So, but for an actual salesconversation or hopping on sales
calls, you can absolutely dothat with content Like that
makes so much sense.
So, yeah, no, I love that.
And so we've come to our nextsegment here, which is called
the brilliant bite of the week,and this is where you can share
an actionable tip, a strategy, amantra that will get my
(22:29):
listeners to leave this episodeand go do the thing.
So what would you?
Can you share something that'stangible, something that
practical that they can walkaway and they can use?
Kendall (22:40):
Yes, I want you to go through the last six months of
content, uh, in the form of likeemails, email responses from
clients, testimonial forums,comments on your LinkedIn posts,
um, you know, replies to youremail newsletter, whatever it is
.
I want you to go back andcreate one Google Doc of your
(23:03):
best.
We'll call them walkingtestimonials.
They could be from a formalform or I love taking a look at
LinkedIn comments, dms, whatever, basically any feedback
questions that people have askedyou, and I want you to scrub
and kind of notice what peopleare consistently asking for and
see how you can incorporate moreof that what I call like the
(23:28):
word on the street, like howsomeone's actually describing
their pain point in their words,and see how you can fuse that a
little bit.
Service providers and businessowners tend to just get so
caught up in the day to day thatwe, like, are well intentioned
that we're.
You know, we're going to sendthe testimonial form or we're
going to follow up with feedbackand then it just never happens.
(23:51):
Or what happens to my clients?
Because I write a lot of clientcase studies and testimonial
kind of stories.
They're like, oh my gosh, Icollected the testimonial and I
actually haven't looked at itsince they submitted it and
you're like whoa, or the contentgets submitted and it doesn't
really do anything other than itbecomes, you know, maybe a
(24:12):
photo of someone in a copy pastetestimonial from the forum.
But what I find is even more sothan market research and sales
calls or whatever else like yourbest stories and best sales
angles are things that yourclients and customers are
already telling you about whatit is that you're offering and
the value you deliver.
It's just we don't know what todo with that content and that
(24:35):
qualitative data, because it's alittle bit different than
seeing numbers or whatever else,and so I find those are kind of
the were the best gems ofstories come from.
One of the best, best piecesthat I got from a client that
became this like I'll call itlike this kind of cult, classic
piece of content that has helpedme sell a lot of services, is
(24:58):
this it was a message, a DM,that one of my clients sent me.
That was like girl, we justbeat or we just confused my mom.
She thought that this emailnewsletter you wrote as me was
what, or wrote as me was me, andwe tricked her.
And then she was like and mybest friend said the same thing,
and so then it birthed thisidea of like like can your
(25:19):
content pass the best friendtest?
Which I could have never comeup with that myself.
Like I wish I was that creative.
But that that concept got, youknow, into my brain because it
was something that a client hadtold me and I had it just
sitting on in the photo roll onmy phone because I'd
screenshotted it.
And then when I went back andlooked I was like actually
(25:40):
that's kind of genius for aghostwriter.
Like can we trick your bestfriend or your mother?
Like that is so fun.
But those kinds of moments Ithink everyone tries to force,
like what makes me so different?
And the truth is your clientsand customers are already
telling you you just gotta goback and read through and see
what they've said.
(26:00):
So go go back, scrub six months, put it, put it in one Google
doc, moving forward, and thenfrom there let let that be kind
of your parking lot for forcontent that comes back.
But there's a million story,ideas and concepts that can come
from their, their data andthings you can repurpose too
(26:20):
right.
That can come from their dataand things you can repurpose too
right, completely.
Yeah, all of my Spoiler alert,all of my LinkedIn content is in
an 83-page doc that we cyclethrough every six months.
I never write LinkedIn contentanymore.
If it's quality and caliber,you can leverage a lot of that.
Again, it's basically an asset.
You can leverage a lot of thatand just write's basically an
(26:41):
asset.
You can leverage a lot of thatand just write.
I write maybe one post freshbecause I'm writing a book right
now.
So I'll write one post a weekthat's fresh, about the book.
That's on storytelling andsales.
But literally my other LinkedIncontent is in an 83 page doc.
My assistant schedules it forme and I know it sells it, you
(27:02):
know, nurtures the pipeline andwe call it a day.
So, yeah, yeah, content on.
Uh, I won't go.
It's like expert mode, but it'slike stealth mode, ninja mode
Like, and so then all of thattime saved, I'm like I'll just
go write for clients, or youknow, again, I'm writing a book
in the background.
It's kind of what I'm doing myfree time.
(27:26):
But content is high leverage ifit's written in a way that's
strategically telling storiesand selling.
Alyssa (27:30):
Yes, that's true and like it.
I mean, with all that time youcould write a new piece of
content and then just add it toyour bank, like you're.
You don't have that pressurebehind you.
Kendall (27:39):
Yeah, or the one thing I noticed too is like some
people will write content likeyou can tell it's written in the
moment.
It's like I saw the this is theworst example, but this is
actually true life.
Someone took a photo of theirdog in the snow with power
prints in the snow and they werelike what my dog taught me
about B2B sales in thissnowstorm and I'm like that is
(28:09):
not the vibe, that is not it.
Like if we're, if we're doingthat, you might be better off
just not writing it that day.
Like I don't know what to tellyou, but this content, when it
gets written in the moment, itdoesn't age very well.
Like you can have content thatis really high quality that ages
well and nurtures your pipelinetoday and also six months from
now and six months after that,like some of my best performing
content.
I mean it's the internet hasseen it probably eight or nine
(28:31):
times and no one's no one'skeeping tabs on that one piece
of content that you posted,cause we're all mindlessly
scrolling.
Alyssa (28:39):
So, it's.
Kendall (28:41):
It's interesting how, the more my audience grows, like
I just see the engagement go upfor each post, I'm like this is
not the first time it's beenout here, but yeah, it's one of
those things.
It's a different kind ofmindset when it comes to content
and it's not creating it liveand in the moment.
Alyssa (29:00):
It's so true.
It's also like the ones that Ihave the least amount of effort
in, like when I do like B-rollcontent, for example, like it'll
do really well, but the onesthat I really spend a lot of
time on it just doesn't seem toreach as much.
But it just because you know.
I mean, if it is just in themoment like it could be great
too.
Kendall (29:20):
But, um yeah, like the paw prints in the snow, I don't
know I wish I could say I waskidding, I saw and I just was
like mouth hanging open.
What is this?
People posting, like the photosof their breakfast.
I'm like this is not instagramin the 2010s.
Like this is we're trying tosell things.
People like so basic.
(29:42):
Yeah, it's it.
Alyssa (29:44):
Yeah, yeah, well thanks so much, kendall, for you know,
coming on the show today andsharing so many golden nuggets
with us today, I'm just likepages and pages of content here,
um, anyway.
So I just wanted to say, um, Ialso want to also mention how
can my listeners connect withyou.
Kendall (30:01):
Yeah, so I have a newsletter that I write every
week called Wallflower Fridays.
It's a lot of what we've talkedabout today, where I share
either stories and differenttypes of media or really and
truly like a lot of it is basedon questions that people ask me,
similar to what we've talkedabout today questions about
selling, questions aboutstorytelling and how you can be
(30:24):
more authentic and of integrityas you sell services or whatever
it is that your business doesso that you can sign up for at
wallflower Fridayscom.
And then I would also recommendI tell people if you want to see
kind of what's inside myLinkedIn content bank.
I get a lot of people at thispoint who will DM me and tell me
(30:46):
that they've either madepopcorn or a cocktail and just
started reading through myLinkedIn archive either my
comments or the posts that Iwrite.
So you can find me on LinkedIn.
I'd love to connect, but ifyou're curious about what any of
that kind of content could looklike, you know my best stuff is
out in the open, so it's allbeing published, but I'd highly
(31:08):
recommend just checking that outas well If you're looking for
actual, tangible examples ofjust some different frameworks
and things that I found workover the years.
You can find me on LinkedIn.
Alyssa (31:20):
Awesome.
Well, thanks so much, kendall,and I'll make sure that all of
your links they're in the shownotes of this episode, so make
sure to check all of them out.
And I just want to thank youfor listening today and for
hanging out with us, and I hopeyou found this episode as
helpful as I did, and I'll catchyou next time on another
brilliant idea.
(31:41):
I did and I'll catch you nexttime on another brilliant idea.
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of brilliant ideas.
If you love the show, be sureto leave a review and follow me
on Instagram for even moreinsider tips and inspiration.
Ready to bring your next big,brilliant idea to life?
Visit AlyssaVelsercom forresources, guidance and
everything you need to startcreating something amazing.
A bookstore is there to sell you books.
No one is going into abookstore and thinking that
you're being too salesy.
Alyssa (00:07):
Welcome to Brilliant Ideas, the podcast that takes
you behind the scenes of some ofthe most inspiring digital
products created by solopreneursjust like you.
I'm your host, alyssa, adigital product strategist who
helps subject matter expertsgrow their business with online
courses, memberships, coachingprograms and ebooks.
If you're a solopreneur withdreams of packaging your
expertise into a profitabledigital product, then this is
(00:30):
the podcast for you.
Expect honest conversations ofhow they started, the obstacles
they overcame, lessons learnedthe hard way and who faced the
same fears, doubts andchallenges you're experiencing,
from unexpected surprises tobreakthrough moments and
everything in between.
Tune in, get inspired and let'sspark your next big, brilliant
idea.
Hey everyone, welcome back tothe Brilliant Ideas Podcast.
(00:51):
Today, I'm excited to introduceyou to Kendall Cherry, the
visionary behind the CandidCollective, where she's written
for multi-million dollarstartups and built email empires
with 750,000 subscribers.
In this episode, we're going todive into a topic that hits
home for so many of usovercoming that nagging voice in
your head that says it's bad tosell.
If you've ever struggled withself-doubt about selling or
(01:14):
telling your story, you're infor a treat.
Let's jump right in and getcandid with Kendall.
Welcome to the show, kendall.
Thanks for coming on today.
Hi, thank you for having me.
It's great to have you, and youknow this is a topic that
people feel a little bit uneasyabout, because, as a business
owner, we sell things, but noteverybody thinks that selling
(01:37):
comes easy to them, becausethere is this unspoken fear that
by telling people that theysell things, people will think
that they're just in it for themoney.
And I've gathered lots and lotsof notes from my clients and
you know, talking about theiroffers every day is a struggle.
I think that there's thisdeep-rooted fear coming off,
that they're afraid of comingoff as like annoying, or that
(02:00):
there's like a little bit ofguilt around it and feeling like
, when they do talk about theiroffer, that it comes off as
unnatural and feeling superforced.
And so I'm curious in your view, can you share a moment where
you pushed past the guilt orfear of selling, and what
changed your perspective aroundit?
Kendall (02:19):
Yeah.
So for me, a couple things tokeep in mind.
So I'm a ghost writer.
I write content for clients allday, every day.
So I'm basically somebody thatwas always probably destined to
be a writer type.
I just happen to do it in a morecommercial way, where I'm
writing on behalf of businessesand it's a B2B service and
(02:39):
something that I see a lot thatI think plagues writers in
particular, but I think ittranslates over to any form of
service provider or, to behonest, any kind of business is
this idea of what I write abouta lot called the starving artist
narrative.
So for me as a writer, it showsup in most of the movies.
You see, if it's writers, it'sthe penniless writer, it's the
(03:01):
business owner that can't keepthe lights on, and we're just
shown these images in the media.
This is super, super common,and so we, I think, as a
collective, we've kind ofinternalized this.
Like you say, the guilt, theshame, the like you can't
actually be successful if youown your own business.
If you do and you make a lot ofmoney, it's super shady, you're
(03:23):
doing something wrong orunethical.
So we kind of have this likecollective narrative that we all
believe, you know, deeplyingrained in us.
I was that person for a reallylong time, especially as a
writer, like I grew up hearing,you know, writing's a great
hobby but you're never going tomake any money for that, so it's
kind of the most extreme usecase, I think, coming from that
(03:45):
background.
And then I started gettingcurious about sales and, like
you know, I need to make money,like I need to pay my bills, I
need to pay my rent and all ofthe things.
So if I wanted to do that as awriter, I started taking myself
and the thing that reallychanged it for me I, in Austin,
texas, where I live, I startedtaking myself on what I call
(04:05):
sales field trips.
So I would just go to likethese little local shops that I
really loved.
For me, naturally, it was abookstore, a very local indie
bookstore, but I would just takemyself on these little field
trips and I would kind of takepages from the notes and books
of these small businesses and Iwould look at, okay, especially
(04:26):
at a bookstore, right, abookstore is there to sell you
books.
No one is going into abookstore and thinking that
you're being too salesy.
And so I started noticing likewhat were these moments inside
the store.
Opportunities, to you know,increase the price of the
transaction, sell more books.
How is it happening?
In this very cozy ecosystemAgain, where no one's flagging
(04:49):
book, people's trying to selltoo many books.
That is the purpose of whysomeone walks into that store.
And so what I noticed is, if youever go to a bookstore, they
have these little cards whereit'll say Mindy likes this book,
because that's not just to giveyou a recommendation, that's
also so you'll sell and buy thebook.
And same thing with booksellersand like things at the cash
(05:12):
register et cetera.
And so I started looking notjust at bookstores, but
primarily coffee shops,bookstores, boutiques and
clothing places.
I started looking at theseother places where, if someone,
a customer, has a need, theywalk in expecting to buy
something to you know, to thattype of store that they're
(05:34):
walking into.
And when I started, kind ofunearthing that that helps me
understand like, oh, these,these smaller shops are doing
this, it's safe to sell in thatway.
So how could I incorporate thatinto my own work and how I kind
of work around and sell in myown business?
Alyssa (05:52):
As I was saying, I totally agree with you what you
were saying about the starvingartist narrative and I also
share with my clients thatselling isn't about manipulation
or feeling or trying to bullypeople or do those FOMO tactics
that people use in theirmarketing.
I do think that there is asubpopulation like that who
(06:16):
typically use that wholeguilting people into selling
what they do, and I just feellike that is just selling using
fear tactics is just not thevibe for me.
But I also think it's importantthat they prioritize those
micro problems that theircustomers can relate to.
Um, I was recently interviewingum reed homes he's also like a
(06:37):
sales and marketing expert justrecently on the podcast and he
was talking about this thingwhere the best way to kind of
relate to your customers is toidentify problems that already
exist within your audience thatare easily relatable.
And so this leads me to my nextquestion for you, because you
are an authentic storyteller andyou show people how to sell
using stories, so can you sharelike a simple technique on how
(06:59):
you use stories to make sellingkind of less awkward?
Kendall (07:05):
use stories to make selling kind of less awkward.
Yeah, one thing I love I lovethat you you brought up there's
kind of a subpopulation or typesof of people who'd sometimes
can sell.
Uh, that is based in feartactics.
What I will say is a lot of theclients that I write for are
95% either woman, person ofcolor, lgbtq, and of the other
5%, the white guys, are veterans.
(07:26):
So a lot of my sales tacticsthat I tend to teach people are
meant for more minoritypopulations that are actually
really looking to sell in a waythat's ethical, that is not just
here to make money, but yougenuinely, if you're going to
make money, you want to feelgood as you're selling but then
(07:47):
as your customer is buying.
So that's kind of my wholetrain of thought and that kind
of authenticity and also theintegrity of selling in a way
that feels good For me.
I think storytelling is theeasiest way to connect, not just
your own personal experience,similar to what you said those
micro problems.
We as service providers, we getso much insight into selling
(08:10):
and solving very, very specificproblems.
These are the things thatnaturally emerge over time that
you and I know.
This has been my story, likethe things that I'm the best at
are not something that on dayone I flagged and was like this
is going to be my whole thing,like it's something that kind of
emerged naturally.
And so storytelling one onetactic that I really love is
(08:36):
very similar to like sharingpain points, but you do it a
little bit more future oriented.
So first, first tactical thing,I'll say I think a lot of
people, when you know we writecontent we've sent, tend to say
you know my clients or I knowthat we and we talked to this
like big collective group ofpeople, instead of talking
directly whether it's contentthat you're writing, whether
(08:59):
it's on a podcast and you'respeaking, you know, maybe it's
an email newsletter, whatever itis people tend to go broader
because they feel weird talkingdirectly to the person.
So the thing I can say is like,even if you go back and look
through like maybe the lastthree posts you've written or
emails you sent or whatever, tryto notice if you're saying the
word we instead of using theword you, if you're if you and
(09:23):
this is kind of the thing Iscrubbed for all the time like
your content should be saying Iknow that sometimes you feel
like I know, I know that youknow X, y, z.
Whatever the problem is, itshould always be pointing back
to you.
And then, as far as like aspecific story example, I really
like this idea of what's calledfuture casting.
It's basically the idea whereyou take someone's pain point
(09:46):
and you paint a vision of whatit could look like in the future
.
But you use examples and againthat kind of you experience.
So one example I would use formy clients maybe would be the
idea that you know, I know thatyou desire, you know, a life
where you can write content orhave content published for you.
(10:07):
That you know takes less time,it makes more money and allows
you to sign clients with ease.
You'll notice if you were towrite out that sentence, there's
probably the word you in thereat least four times.
But kind of using those painpoints or the future you know
story and painting that pictureof what someone would desire
(10:28):
their life to actually look like, but using the word you to kind
of anchor that into anexperience.
I think sometimes people needpermission to whether it's to
dream or to brainstorm or getideas for what that future state
could look like.
Sometimes, when you're deeplyin the thick of things it's
really tough to be like, oh yeahthat you know my reality could
(10:50):
look like that because you're sodeep in it and it's so far from
where you currently are.
But if you can use storytellingas a way to kind of again
future cast and cast a vision ofwhat that could look like, and
using the word you as the anchor, I think that is one of the
best ways to show people alsothat you understand what
motivates them, even if maybetheir current state doesn't
(11:12):
quite look like that, yet I lovethat technique.
Alyssa (11:17):
I'm just making some notes here.
Kendall (11:19):
It's one of those things that when I think I don't
know what it is, it's like oneof those kind of light bulb
moments where people don'treally even realize they're
doing that, especially if you'rewriting your own content.
It's like you use we and youthink it's fine.
And then you go back and youlook and you're like, oh my gosh
, I actually did that like waymore times than I wanted to and
it's it's the quickest fix.
It's literally one word.
(11:40):
It's not like you've got to gorewrite a bunch of content, but
it's like the quickest littletweak that I that's.
That's kind of the first thingI tell people is like just just
scan for we versus you first andthen see how far that gets you.
Alyssa (11:53):
No, that makes sense.
But so I just want to backtracka little bit to storytelling.
Um, you mentioned thesepersonal experiences that can
easily, can help to easilyrelate to your customers.
Now, now for someone like okay,so for example, for someone
like me, I have a very, I wouldsay like mundane, like I have a
(12:15):
very like big, like, not generic, but I have a routine that I do
every day.
Like I don't I wouldn't say Ihave these like wild experiences
, adventures, and I go to allthese places and I, you know, I
travel once in a while, but youknow, I don't have it's hard for
me to talk.
I think for me even it's hardfor me to talk about personal
experiences when my day ispretty generally the same, you
(12:40):
know, every single day.
So it's like what do I talkabout in my content?
That would make it seeminteresting.
Kendall (12:47):
Yeah.
So the thing that I think theinternet gets wrong a lot of
times about storytelling andthis is like the perfect framing
.
Everyone thinks that that meansyou have to be hashtag
vulnerable.
You've got to like, share someyou know big traumatic
experience.
You've got to go on some likecrazy you know million dollar
vacation and then talk aboutwhat it taught you about B2B
(13:08):
sales and it's like that's notthe thing, that's not the actual
solution.
I think what I would say is forpersonal experiences, people
want to know what's going onbehind closed doors and what
kind of conversations are youhaving with your clients.
So what questions are theyasking you?
I love that you came to thispodcast with where you said,
(13:28):
like you know, I went around andasked people.
Those are the kinds of thingsthat people want to know and
hear the story of, because notonly is it letting you show off
your process and your expertise,it's giving someone that behind
the scenes look of.
This is how you would solve myproblem once you get your hands
on it, and there's going to be amillion different ways that you
(13:49):
know, based on the nature ofwhat you do.
Like the way that Alyssa solvessomething is going to be
different than the way thatKendall solves something versus
you know the other 20 millionpeople that.
Do you know the other 20million people that?
Do you know?
Maybe something similar?
So, allowing people to see andunderstand, like I have this
client come with this problem oryou know we how I solved a
certain issue or recurring issueor a big question frequently
(14:14):
asked questions are a reallygreat place to anchor that in as
well, but I don't actuallythink it means you need to have
some like again big, vulnerable,traumatic story.
I'm actually pro like havingvery specific boundaries of like
what I will and won't talkabout.
Um, cause I'm a business, not apersonal.
I am a personal brand.
But like you don't need to knowabout what I talked with my
(14:35):
therapist about this week, likethat's, that's not what I'm here
to do.
But I think those conversationswith with what you talk about
with your clients how you wouldapproach a problem, structure a
project you know, tacklesomething with a team or you
know whoever else like I thinkthose are the things that people
, when it comes to B2B worldespecially, it's one of those
(14:59):
things where you don't reallyknow what the experience is
going to be like until you're init and you've paid someone and
so you kind of want to letsomeone know like, hey, here's
what it's going to be like,here's how I would approach it,
because then that would give youknow the person that's reading
your content.
They could actually assess forthemselves if your approach is
better than the person you know,your competitor or whoever else
(15:20):
.
So I really like that approachto storytelling, whether it's
again how you would solve aproblem, how you had a specific
outcome, maybe certain valuesthat you have as a part of your
process, maybe you structure theway you approach things or
you're onboarding in a certainway, because it highlights
certain things.
I think that's a way better wayto set something up and it
(15:43):
feels more authentic and genuineand it allows you to shine and
show that more technicalexpertise without being super
dry or losing people if you'rean expert.
Alyssa (15:55):
I like all of it and I liked what you said about the
sales conversations or justhaving conversations with your
clients, not necessarilysales-based, but many of my
clients also have trouble withsales conversations.
I think there is an angle therethat I think could be improved.
(16:16):
And I know everybody, even ifyou think that you're in, oh,
I'm great with salesconversations I think there's
always something to improvethere.
And I know when I do salesconversations I know like
everyone says I'm like crazy,but I do cold outreach and it's
not for everybody.
But I do it on purpose becauseI'm trying to figure out on my
sales conversations with thesecomplete strangers who are in my
(16:38):
niche, like what do they needhelp with?
Not necessarily thinking thatI'm going to sell to them on
that call, but to think like,okay, they are struggling with
this challenge and so that couldbe something that I could talk
about in my content.
So pulling on those salesconversations can help me kind
of figure out what story, whatkind of stories I can share and
questions that people have andthings like that, what you were
(17:00):
mentioning.
Now for them, for people whostruggle with sales
conversations or they have maybelike a fear or a doubt of how
to I guess not just to close,but just to like the structure
of the sales call and just beingable to sell on the call
(17:23):
without feeling like salesy.
What would you say like?
What kind of mindset shifts doyou suggest to overcome that
self-doubt that creeps in whenthey're having those things,
when those have thoseconversations?
Kendall (17:34):
Yeah.
So what I will say is I'mcoming from probably a pretty
different perspective than youknow your situation and maybe
the people listening.
But I was very similar to whereI was, like I don't love sales
conversations, I don't love thescripted.
You know, I'd had a couple ofcoaches trying to map these
scripts for me and I was likethis doesn't feel authentic to
me at all.
Like and I and I'm also thetype of person where I can tell
(17:57):
very quickly when it comes tosales content, whether it's a
one-off project or contentrecurring I can tell pretty
quickly in about 10 secondsafter reading an inquiry form
where someone's gaps are and ifI can help fill them.
And so I'm not this personthat's just trying to close
anybody.
I'm not trying to create abunch of upsells.
I really only sell people whatthey're ready to be sold for or
(18:22):
sold to, especially when itcomes to specific scope.
So I operate from that mindsetin general and what I will say
is I don't have very many salescalls at all.
I would say maybe one a month,maybe two, and I'm closing.
I'm closing without a salescall and the way this is
(18:43):
happening and I think if you'resomebody that doesn't want to be
doing sales.
You can sell people throughyour content and get someone 90%
to 95% of the way through thebuyer's journey through a
specific ecosystem to where thelead is already qualified.
They know exactly what you do,your unique value proposition,
(19:03):
your differentiators, the entireecosystem can be set up in a
way your services page on yourwebsite, your weekly email
newsletter, which is basically apipeline, nurturer the LinkedIn
content, whatever it is thatbasically reinforces and
nurtures people.
So your hardest job is prettymuch lead gen and then just
consistently cranking out thecontent in a way where it works.
(19:27):
But that is, for me, the way Isee it.
If you struggle with salesconversations, I personally do
it because I'm a writer and Ijust don't like having a bunch
of calls on my calendar becausefor me it's like I'm deep in the
dock and then if I have to jump, jump in and jump out, like I'm
a big deep work person, so Itry to eliminate, you know,
sales calls as much as I can.
(19:49):
Um, and so I just startedfiguring out okay, if I write
the content in a specific way,you know how could I do this.
Where it's, it's basicallybottling up the same FAQs that
I'm going to have in a salesconversation, the same talking
about my services, etc.
My process.
How can I bottle up my bestanswers to what I would have to
(20:10):
one person in a sales call andscale it so it can go to my
4,000 people on LinkedIn or my1,500 email subscribers?
How can I take that and bottleup that energy?
So my best sales energy is thecontent that is constantly being
, you know, put out into theworld.
And then wouldn't it be cool ifthat would just eliminate the
(20:30):
need to have to be on a bunch ofcalls or do any sort of like
manual intervention, manualselling.
So that's how my businessdrives sales.
You know, we have prettyconsistent sales as far as, like
inquiries that come through andfor me it's inquiry comes
through.
It is very rare at this pointthat I have to turn anyone away
(20:52):
and it's pretty much a quicklike here's the proposal, here's
the scope, here's the paymentterms, let me know if you're in,
send it, move on.
So all of that is like that'smy, you know, quote, unquote
sales process and if I do everget on this, you know what some
people may call a sales call.
It's usually more of a scopecheck.
(21:13):
The person's already sold.
They just need to figure outyou know which option or you
know what which direction theywant to go first.
But people are basically soldbefore they get on a phone call
or before they send the inquiryform.
So it's a little bit different.
Alyssa (21:28):
I love that and I also like when you say what you said
about sales energy, like protectyour energy because your
calendar is going to be full ofsales calls, and then where does
that leave you at?
Kendall (21:40):
the end of all of that like that.
Alyssa (21:42):
I mean it does.
It's exhausting, um, I mean thesales calls that I have, like
when I'm doing outreach or moremarket research.
So I feel like those are alittle bit different than having
sales conversations where, like, if I'm doing a sales
conversation, I don't, um, Idon't expect a closing, I just
for me, it's mostly like I needsome market research, I need to
see, see if my offers arelanding or not, and just kind of
(22:07):
see where my content is andthings like that.
So, but for an actual salesconversation or hopping on sales
calls, you can absolutely dothat with content Like that
makes so much sense.
So, yeah, no, I love that.
And so we've come to our nextsegment here, which is called
the brilliant bite of the week,and this is where you can share
an actionable tip, a strategy, amantra that will get my
(22:29):
listeners to leave this episodeand go do the thing.
So what would you?
Can you share something that'stangible, something that
practical that they can walkaway and they can use?
Kendall (22:40):
Yes, I want you to go through the last six months of
content, uh, in the form of likeemails, email responses from
clients, testimonial forums,comments on your LinkedIn posts,
um, you know, replies to youremail newsletter, whatever it is
.
I want you to go back andcreate one Google Doc of your
(23:03):
best.
We'll call them walkingtestimonials.
They could be from a formalform or I love taking a look at
LinkedIn comments, dms, whatever, basically any feedback
questions that people have askedyou, and I want you to scrub
and kind of notice what peopleare consistently asking for and
see how you can incorporate moreof that what I call like the
(23:28):
word on the street, like howsomeone's actually describing
their pain point in their words,and see how you can fuse that a
little bit.
Service providers and businessowners tend to just get so
caught up in the day to day thatwe, like, are well intentioned
that we're.
You know, we're going to sendthe testimonial form or we're
going to follow up with feedbackand then it just never happens.
(23:51):
Or what happens to my clients?
Because I write a lot of clientcase studies and testimonial
kind of stories.
They're like, oh my gosh, Icollected the testimonial and I
actually haven't looked at itsince they submitted it and
you're like whoa, or the contentgets submitted and it doesn't
really do anything other than itbecomes, you know, maybe a
(24:12):
photo of someone in a copy pastetestimonial from the forum.
But what I find is even more sothan market research and sales
calls or whatever else like yourbest stories and best sales
angles are things that yourclients and customers are
already telling you about whatit is that you're offering and
the value you deliver.
It's just we don't know what todo with that content and that
(24:35):
qualitative data, because it's alittle bit different than
seeing numbers or whatever else,and so I find those are kind of
the were the best gems ofstories come from.
One of the best, best piecesthat I got from a client that
became this like I'll call itlike this kind of cult, classic
piece of content that has helpedme sell a lot of services, is
(24:58):
this it was a message, a DM,that one of my clients sent me.
That was like girl, we justbeat or we just confused my mom.
She thought that this emailnewsletter you wrote as me was
what, or wrote as me was me, andwe tricked her.
And then she was like and mybest friend said the same thing,
and so then it birthed thisidea of like like can your
(25:19):
content pass the best friendtest?
Which I could have never comeup with that myself.
Like I wish I was that creative.
But that that concept got, youknow, into my brain because it
was something that a client hadtold me and I had it just
sitting on in the photo roll onmy phone because I'd
screenshotted it.
And then when I went back andlooked I was like actually
(25:40):
that's kind of genius for aghostwriter.
Like can we trick your bestfriend or your mother?
Like that is so fun.
But those kinds of moments Ithink everyone tries to force,
like what makes me so different?
And the truth is your clientsand customers are already
telling you you just gotta goback and read through and see
what they've said.
(26:00):
So go go back, scrub six months, put it, put it in one Google
doc, moving forward, and thenfrom there let let that be kind
of your parking lot for forcontent that comes back.
But there's a million story,ideas and concepts that can come
from their, their data andthings you can repurpose too
(26:20):
right.
That can come from their dataand things you can repurpose too
right, completely.
Yeah, all of my Spoiler alert,all of my LinkedIn content is in
an 83-page doc that we cyclethrough every six months.
I never write LinkedIn contentanymore.
If it's quality and caliber,you can leverage a lot of that.
Again, it's basically an asset.
You can leverage a lot of thatand just write's basically an
(26:41):
asset.
You can leverage a lot of thatand just write.
I write maybe one post freshbecause I'm writing a book right
now.
So I'll write one post a weekthat's fresh, about the book.
That's on storytelling andsales.
But literally my other LinkedIncontent is in an 83 page doc.
My assistant schedules it forme and I know it sells it, you
(27:02):
know, nurtures the pipeline andwe call it a day.
So, yeah, yeah, content on.
Uh, I won't go.
It's like expert mode, but it'slike stealth mode, ninja mode
Like, and so then all of thattime saved, I'm like I'll just
go write for clients, or youknow, again, I'm writing a book
in the background.
It's kind of what I'm doing myfree time.
(27:26):
But content is high leverage ifit's written in a way that's
strategically telling storiesand selling.
Alyssa (27:30):
Yes, that's true and like it.
I mean, with all that time youcould write a new piece of
content and then just add it toyour bank, like you're.
You don't have that pressurebehind you.
Kendall (27:39):
Yeah, or the one thing I noticed too is like some
people will write content likeyou can tell it's written in the
moment.
It's like I saw the this is theworst example, but this is
actually true life.
Someone took a photo of theirdog in the snow with power
prints in the snow and they werelike what my dog taught me
about B2B sales in thissnowstorm and I'm like that is
(28:09):
not the vibe, that is not it.
Like if we're, if we're doingthat, you might be better off
just not writing it that day.
Like I don't know what to tellyou, but this content, when it
gets written in the moment, itdoesn't age very well.
Like you can have content thatis really high quality that ages
well and nurtures your pipelinetoday and also six months from
now and six months after that,like some of my best performing
content.
I mean it's the internet hasseen it probably eight or nine
(28:31):
times and no one's no one'skeeping tabs on that one piece
of content that you posted,cause we're all mindlessly
scrolling.
Alyssa (28:39):
So, it's.
Kendall (28:41):
It's interesting how, the more my audience grows, like
I just see the engagement go upfor each post, I'm like this is
not the first time it's beenout here, but yeah, it's one of
those things.
It's a different kind ofmindset when it comes to content
and it's not creating it liveand in the moment.
Alyssa (29:00):
It's so true.
It's also like the ones that Ihave the least amount of effort
in, like when I do like B-rollcontent, for example, like it'll
do really well, but the onesthat I really spend a lot of
time on it just doesn't seem toreach as much.
But it just because you know.
I mean, if it is just in themoment like it could be great
too.
Kendall (29:20):
But, um yeah, like the paw prints in the snow, I don't
know I wish I could say I waskidding, I saw and I just was
like mouth hanging open.
What is this?
People posting, like the photosof their breakfast.
I'm like this is not instagramin the 2010s.
Like this is we're trying tosell things.
People like so basic.
(29:42):
Yeah, it's it.
Alyssa (29:44):
Yeah, yeah, well thanks so much, kendall, for you know,
coming on the show today andsharing so many golden nuggets
with us today, I'm just likepages and pages of content here,
um, anyway.
So I just wanted to say, um, Ialso want to also mention how
can my listeners connect withyou.
Kendall (30:01):
Yeah, so I have a newsletter that I write every
week called Wallflower Fridays.
It's a lot of what we've talkedabout today, where I share
either stories and differenttypes of media or really and
truly like a lot of it is basedon questions that people ask me,
similar to what we've talkedabout today questions about
selling, questions aboutstorytelling and how you can be
(30:24):
more authentic and of integrityas you sell services or whatever
it is that your business doesso that you can sign up for at
wallflower Fridayscom.
And then I would also recommendI tell people if you want to see
kind of what's inside myLinkedIn content bank.
I get a lot of people at thispoint who will DM me and tell me
(30:46):
that they've either madepopcorn or a cocktail and just
started reading through myLinkedIn archive either my
comments or the posts that Iwrite.
So you can find me on LinkedIn.
I'd love to connect, but ifyou're curious about what any of
that kind of content could looklike, you know my best stuff is
out in the open, so it's allbeing published, but I'd highly
(31:08):
recommend just checking that outas well If you're looking for
actual, tangible examples ofjust some different frameworks
and things that I found workover the years.
You can find me on LinkedIn.
Alyssa (31:20):
Awesome.
Well, thanks so much, kendall,and I'll make sure that all of
your links they're in the shownotes of this episode, so make
sure to check all of them out.
And I just want to thank youfor listening today and for
hanging out with us, and I hopeyou found this episode as
helpful as I did, and I'll catchyou next time on another
brilliant idea.
(31:41):
I did and I'll catch you nexttime on another brilliant idea.
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of brilliant ideas.
If you love the show, be sureto leave a review and follow me
on Instagram for even moreinsider tips and inspiration.
Ready to bring your next big,brilliant idea to life?
Visit AlyssaVelsercom forresources, guidance and
everything you need to startcreating something amazing.
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