How to Sell Advice

What is your inner
voice telling you to do?

What does that quiet little.

Inside voice that sort of whispers.

If only you listened to it, the kind
of voice that you only get when you go

away from your work for a little while,
the thing that kind of, if you've ever

gone to vacation, And you're sitting on
the beach and you've had some time to,

to step away from your work, your life,
your business, and you start to kind of

have these ideas, these inspirations.

And one of the benefits of downtime
is that you get to be more creative

and see your business from a whole
new perspective, different parts

of your brain fire and give you
new inspirations to work from.

And if you're really paying
attention, there's a quiet, inner

voice that tells you something,
it almost whispers in your ear.

And I'm a big believer
in listening to that.

And I don't think you can do it
when you're fully in your work.

I think you need that combination
of stepping away from your

work and stepping back into it.

And, you know, even having a baby a
couple of weeks ago, and I took a couple

of weeks off work after, after she was
born, just to sort of have a or off my

advisory calls, I still took emails and.

And what, not just as I could keep my
clients, uh, fully up to speed and,

and help them where they needed to,
although it was pretty quiet, thankfully.

That being said, I had time.

I had time to think and
I time to step away.

I've also stopped writing daily,
which I'm kind of missing.

And I might come back in some
form to it or, or something, but.

What this has done though.

It's actually important.

It's freed up more of my time to think.

And given me.

Renewed perspective on.

My business and sort of the
hunches and the ideas that I have.

Now, the thing about thinking
is while it's important to step

away from your work, and it's
important to get that distance.

So you can have that perspective
and then new synopsis in your brain

fire, and you get inspired and
bring some new ideas to the table.

It's then important to action them
and you're not going to create

perfect action towards them.

In fact, you're not gonna, you know,
you're not going to get it right the first

time you might have a great idea that ends
up being completely something different.

And that happens all the time.

But it does require you to put into
action, these little voices, these ideas.

To find some concrete way to, to put the
idea into the world and create tangible

first steps, because you can't think
your way through an entire vision, the

entire vision, especially that little
inner voice needs to be nurtured.

And you want to think about it, but
you also want to start to create it

because through creating you find out
what you have to say through creating

you, find out what it is that is going
to be, and then you get to get feedback

from the world and then the world will
tell you and shape and give you input.

And that's going to further give you
more information to make your idea.

Uh, you're thinking even better.

So, whatever you're kind of working on, if
you find yourself way buried in the weeds.

I try to take a little bit of
time off a few days, even a long

weekend and really disconnect.

Ideally more than a week,
but that's totally up to you.

And obviously that's not practical for
everyone or possible in some cases.

But if you can get a step back and really
just sort of, and even if you can't.

Listening to that quiet, inner voice.

The thing that's saying this is
what's right for you even if, and

especially if, but even if it's not
practical on paper, even if it's not

the logical direction for you to go in.

And sometimes when you're
creating a, a business or an idea,

It's quite niche.

It's quite particular.

But it's that particular
stuff that really resonates.

And maybe no one knows no one,
you know, or no one who knows you.

Would really resonate with
this sort of niche idea, Nisha

inspiration that you have.

But by creating it, you start to form.

You start to form it so that it
becomes more tangible, but you

also start to attract people to it.

So I, this is really just
employing you to, you know,

when you're finding yourself.

Disconnected from that inner voice from
that inspiring little nudge that you

get, then it might be time to step away
from your work for, you know, a week or

so, if you can, and again, having done
that for a couple weeks, that's great.

Uh, me stopping writing for two
weeks has really helped me to think

about, well, what is important?

What is the voicing in
style and communication that

I want to put out there.

And that's really allowing me
to kind of crystallize some

of these concepts in my mind.

Again.

Um, and then making
discrete actions toward it.

You know, for example, the original
premise of doing my coaching

work, the kind of work I do.

Through Mindshare and everything else
was to help marketing PR marketing

consultants sell their expertise.

And there's something about the advisory
business model that I really love.

It's the thing that I'm most credible
at the thing that I'm best at.

That being set up, people have been
coming to me that are not non marketers.

Uh, but are looking for it to
selling their advice and expertise.

Great.

But there's also been folks that are
in the, what I call practitioner stage.

They're still doing execution work
and I work in interact with, and I've

gone through that process of doing
execution where for years for you.

You know, for 20 years I've been building
websites and freelancing for a decade

and I ran an agency and all that stuff.

That that work is really valuable,
but it's completely different

than selling advisory services.

So now I'm thinking, you know, how do
I, my, my instinct is telling me that I

need to go deeper on the advisory stuff.

How do you sell your expertise and not
your hands and stick with that and create.

Uh, silo, not a silo, but
create an environment where

that's all that it's about.

And then really think
about as well separately.

In addition, what does the
practitioner's world look like?

What does it need?

To, to be in order to serve
those that are in the trenches,

doing execution work every day.

So my mind is telling me that I want to
start kind of creating these segments

and, and then services and products.

And maybe there's going to be overlap.

Maybe someone who's doing execution
work today, who's maybe a freelancer

wants to become a microwave agency and
start to outsource more work and kind

of create leverage in their business.

Maybe they're also interested
in doing advisory work.

And that's fine.

They can join.

Both.

Content.

Uh, pillars or, or consume both and, and,
you know, it's always good as well to be

exposed a few steps ahead in case that's
something you eventually want to do.

But I also want to create an environment
that feels hyper specialized in

hyper-focused for the people who
are, where they are today on, based

on their goals that they have now.

Now the premise and the through
line of all this, and this is

where my thinking is coming from.

So this is, this is the inner voice.

That's, that's sort of
talking to me a little bit.

The through-line of all of this
is how do you create more leverage

around your expertise now, your hands?

So on the practitioner side,
that still means taking these

templates tools, processes, systems.

And selling them and making that
part of your service, maybe even

adding a call, like I would love it.

If graphic designers would
sell you an hour and a half of

their time where they could.

Design a logo with you together.

Cause I've guaranteed.

You get.

Great work done.

And even if it was a thousand dollars
an hour, I guarantee you, you know, a

good designer can help create something
that's really aligned with what.

What the client wants very quickly,
and I bet you that could be a

whole service in and of itself.

So I think advisory, or at least.

Access to your thinking in a live
real setting, even if your hand is

still on the keyboard or the mouse,
and you're designing something.

It's still a valuable thing.

So I think there's lots of ways to create
a higher ROI situation for everyone.

By leveraging your expertise by
not just thinking in traditional

ways of selling time for money.

Uh, so that's sort of the through
line with everything that I do.

But my inner voice is telling me that
I want to go deeper on advisory work.

And does advisory work also mean.

Education work training and
that sort of thing in some ways,

maybe in some ways, not, maybe
that's another thing altogether.

I've always said, you know, do lead,
advise, teach is kind of the pillars.

Um, And, you know, doing
would be as a freelancer.

Leading would be as a microwave
agency, advising as an advisor and

then teaching as a standalone thing.

And teaching may encompass
selling courses, subscriptions,

all kinds of stuff.

Content.

Uh, frankly, So, I don't know.

So, but right now the two big buckets are
advisory and practitioner execution work.

And how do I deliver for
them in discreet ways?

And then, you know, at some point I have
to say, well, can I help both audiences?

Can I help that whole spectrum?

Can I help that whole life cycle of a
marketer from freelancer to microwave Inc.

Adviser, educator?

And, you know, do they
need to be discreet?

Separate things might have my hundreds.

They do, but we'll see.

The feedback I've gotten is the
opposite that the people have

enjoyed working in a collaborative
environment with practitioners and

advisors, as I'm starting to call them.

Uh, that being said, I got to follow the
gut, got off, got to follow the instinct.

So I'm just going to kind of see
where all this stuff goes, but I

really want to employ that one.

If you don't have that inner voice
working for you, if you don't have

that creative inspiration striking,
try to take some time away from your

work, at least for a little bit.

And let your mind just wander and do
other things, go on a bike or go on

hikes, go on vacation, whatever you
can do to get away from your work.

Even if it's for a day, an afternoon,
a week, a weekend, whatever.

Listen to your voice, tap into
that again, and then put it

into action and create something
concrete and then see what happens.

Cause you can't think your way out
of a situation and no matter how.

Confusing or complex or uncertain.

The questions you may have
are you have to action that,

but the best way to action it.

And the best way to think
about things is from a slightly

detached and slightly removed.

Perspective and the best way
to do that is to literally move

yourself from your officer desk.

You work for a bit and then see where that
see what begins to percolate in your mind.

And again, I've had the benefit of having
a baby stepping away from my, my calls.

So I didn't have any calls.

I was just kind of responding
to emails and also, um, just

having that free time and also.

Not writing daily, which has allowed me
to think more deeply about what message

do I want to put out in the world?

Who am I serving?

How am I serving?

How am I segmenting and organizing
those people so that everyone

feels particularly cared for?

Not just lumped in as like you can't
help everyone do all things, but

you can certainly make experiences
more specific to a target audience.

By really thinking about
what are the particular needs

within the group that I serve.

And that doesn't mean you can,
you have to exclude anyone.

It just needs, you just need to think
about, well, what are the different

segments of people that I help?

And how do I create products?

Services offers content around
the specific type of people that

I help because they have very
specific needs and you want to be.

Uh, walking specific rather than, uh,
you know, uh, a wandering generality.

And that's the main thing.

So.

Just want to leave that with you,
feeling inspired a little bit,

taking time away really helps.

Uh, but then going back, listening to
that quiet inner voice, the one that is.

So quiet, you can almost ignore it.

The one that doesn't feel logical.

But has a, some truth in it that I'm.

Not fully aware of where it comes
from, but I really believe that it's a.

A deep, deep truth worth listening to,
and I think it's the sum of all your

experiences, the pattern matching the
wisdom that you have crude over the years.

Uh, of course get advice if you need it.

By listen to that inner voice, shape it,
put it to paper, start writing about it,

create something outside of your head.

Something tangible.

And then seeing where it goes
and seeing where the feedback.

Seeing what the feedback is after
you've put it out in the world.

Uh, or even noticing how you
feel when he started to create.

Content or create thinking, or are we
writing down making real these ideas?

See how you're feeling.

Follow it.

Because inspiration is a.

Non.

It's an expiring resource and you have to.

Capture it and capitalize
on it when you have it.

And the best way to get it is to step
away from work for work for a bit.

So hope this helps just
want to share this with you.

Uh, are you a practitioner
and advisor or the same thing?

I don't know to me, they're part of a
journey and I want to be able to help

all of you in specific, in unique ways.

That others are not able to help with.

And, uh, You know, continue to provide
unique, one of a kind service that's.

That's my goal.

So what is your quiet, inner voice
telling you today and what are you doing?

To move it forward.

Are you trusting yourself?

Let me know