Welcome, welcome to episode 464.
I’m super happy you’re here. I want to talk a little bit about your next steps, and really sort of put an emphasis on getting out of consumption and getting into action, because too often, we procrasti-learn, we procrasti-consume, we procrastinate under the guise of improving, of getting better, when really, we’re just waiting. We’re just not making the choices. We’re just not committing to the thing we know will make everything different.
I see this a lot when I enroll clients into the agency. We have clients who, at one end of the spectrum were like, “Yes, I know working with you is going to make a difference,” and so they worked with us in whatever way worked. A great example of that’s Tara Newman; we talked about this in her podcast episode with me. We talked about the fact that we started by doing, when she could, one-on-one calls, and then we moved to more of a structure where we did quarterly one-on-one calls. Then she pre-booked monthly one-on-one calls, and then I built her a strategy. And then she became an agency client, and now she’s still an agency client, and from time to time we do additional projects for her. That grew from knewing she needed support, but also knewing how she… Knewing? Knowing how she could be supported and get access to that support where she was at.
On the other side of that, I have clients who I have worked within the last year who I have been connected with and friends with, and who’ve been consuming this content and learning from me for years, who have stayed relatively in the same spot as far as their marketing was concerned. Their business has grown through other avenues, but in getting content out at the last minute, long pauses or absences from social because they don’t know what to say. Whereas when we started working together, all of that shift happened because of the clarity of having a strategy.
And what I want to encourage you to do is look at where is this happening in your business, not just in your marketing, but anywhere in your business, anywhere. Maybe it’s hiring team. Maybe it’s committing to a mastermind. Maybe it’s rolling out a new product or service. Maybe it’s rolling out a new content type, like a podcast. Maybe it’s in putting an end to something: removing someone from your team, removing a service from your offerings. Whatever those things are, I want you to look at where waiting shows up in lots of places.
And this is a lesson I learned, like, this week. Full disclosure, this episode was in no way planned. I didn’t have this episode scheduled in my launch episode calendar. This episode is born out of being in my mastermind and talking to my coach, and really looking at where I was waiting, where I was pushing a decision to the last minute and ending up in discomfort unnecessarily because I was waiting. That shows up with my team, that shows up for me in commitments, that shows up for me in missing opportunities, because I waited too long to make the commitment to what I knew I wanted. And so, I knew I had to get on and talk to you guys about this because there are a lot of you doing this right now with getting support in your marketing.
I built Backstage Live’s VIP Pass because Uncommonly More is your contract marketing department. I’m your contract marketing director, VP of marketing, whatever you want that title to be. I am your go-to, on-your-team strategist. And we can do that in a lot of ways, but too many people who listen to this podcast, and maybe you’re one of them, are waiting until the stars align and they’re in a position to bring us on in a huge fashion with done-for-you services to get any support at all. And that’s why we have other offerings. That’s why the only way to work with me is not I build you a strategy and then my team executes it.
We have clients who do that. Yes. We also have clients who have a team already that run their marketing, and we come in and we do a quarterly strategy. We have clients who come in two to four times a year and do VIP days with me, and we build their strategy together. We have people who do Backstage Live once, twice, three times a year, so they can get really clear on building their own strategy, and they can lead their team. I have people who I talk to every month, they book a coaching call with me every month, or a consulting call with me every month, and we talk about where they’re at right now and what’s next.
And now we have an even more robust way to get access to me in a way that makes sense for your budget through Backstage Live’s VIP Pass, because you’re going to get access to four Backstage Lives, two monthly group calls with consulting, hot seat time, and private one-on-one access to message me anytime. Get my eyes on your content, get my eyes on your ads, get my eyes on your social posts, get feedback on a nurture sequence or a new tool or technique or strategy you want to try.
But still, there are people, and maybe you’re one of them, who know they want to do this and are choosing to wait, who are asking me, “Why are we not starting in 2020? Why are we starting in November of 2019? If this is a 2020 program, why isn’t our first class not until 2020?” And it’s because you’re forgetting that 2020 starts in 2019. I already have my Q1 marketing plan. I already know what we’re rolling out for the entirety of 2020. I’ll be honest, I’m really not rolling out anything new. This is our big test for 2020; we’ll see how it goes into 2021. Right? I know that because knowing that makes the difference in how I approach getting results on the other side of that.
I’m not planning because it makes me feel like I’m doing something. I’m planning because it makes execution easier. I’m planning because it allows me to move through my business in even the most uncomfortable times, which, I’ll be honest, I’m in right now, because guess what? We outpaced, growth-wise this year, what I expected. I outgrew my expectations in 2019, and it’s only October. I’ve already done this year what I expected to do this year, and we just started Q4. And that’s great, and that’s incredible, and it’s wonderful, and I couldn’t be more excited, and it has me really looking at what can we do in 2020. But also, it’s created a little discomfort, because I hadn’t prepared structurally for the growth. I hadn’t prepared system-wise for the growth.
But guess what? We’re getting through it, we’re navigating through it. I’m not going dark on social, content’s not going quiet, I’m not ceasing all sales. You know why? Because I had a strategy I could lean on those days where I wanted to bury my head in the sand. I had a strategy I could lean on when I didn’t know which way was up. I had a strategy I could lean on to make the adjustments necessary to support that growth, keep it going. I didn’t have to shut the door and not let anybody else in because I had gotten uncomfortable. Because I had the support of a strategy, I knew exactly what my next steps were. I knew exactly how to adjust the door and slow flow without stopping it.
And that comes from building these plans over and over again, but it also comes from executing these plans over and over again, and that’s where too many people are stopping. They’ll buy in on the idea that a plan’s a good idea. They’ll buy in on, “Yeah, totally, I’m going to go to Backstage Live, and I’m going to make an incredible 90-day plan,” and then they don’t execute. Maybe the resistance gets in the way, maybe life gets in the way, maybe clients get in the way. I’ve been there. And that’s why we built in accountability and support into Backstage Live because the critical step after building a plan is executing a plan.
So I want to challenge you today to stop consuming, to stop thinking about what’s next, and to decide. Make a decision, make a call. Now, I deeply hope that that call is to join us for the VIP Pass in Backstage Live because I think it’s going to be incredible… No, I know it’s going to be an incredible asset for you as you move through 2020 because it’s going to put you in a room with other leaders who are doing this work. It’s going to put you in a room with your marketing director, your go-to strategist. That’s me. Just so you know, that’s me. It’s going to put you in the energy of planning and execution and review, and planning and execution and review, which is literally my whole job and is your whole job too.
And so, I highly, highly, highly recommend, figure out what’s next so that we can get you rolling for 2020 right now. We can get Q4 of 2019 to support Q1 of 2020. Instead of starting over in January, let’s just keep on rolling. I take time off every December, somewhere between two and four weeks. I planned on four this year, but I think it’s going to be two, full disclosure. And that doesn’t mean that when I reenter the office that first week of January, I’m starting over. No, I’m moving with all the momentum I created in Q4. I’ll already have a foundation of retainer clients on our books. I’ll already have a huge section of recurring revenue created and sold and booked. When we enter January, it won’t be about me trying to figure out what we’re going to do in 2020 to hit a revenue goal. I already know what my 2020 revenue goal is, and I already know how we’re going to book it.
That’s what planning allows for. That’s what strategy allows for. And so, I want you to embrace that consumption and listening to the show and nodding your head and buying in are no longer enough. What is your next step? Where does the execution part come for you? Where is the decision that needs to be made? Again, everything in our marketing is planning, executing, and reviewing. I’m here to support you in doing that.
So, I’m going to put the soapbox away. You are going to come over to thestaceyharris.com/backstagelive. You’re going to reserve your seat for your Backstage Live VIP Pass. You’re going to spend all 2020 with me, and we are going to change the way you market your business, not just to make it more effective for your customers, not just to increase your bottom line, but to give you the ease and comfort of knowing that when growth has you wanting to hide under the covers, your business is still supported. Your sales calendar, your programs are still being filled, because guess what? That happens to all of us. All right?
All right, so, head on over to thestaceyharris.com/backstagelive, book your VIP Pass. If you truly don’t know if this is the right fit for you, let’s have a conversation. Head over to thestaceyharris.com/contact. You can send me an email through there. Send me a DM on Instagram, send me a message on Facebook. I accept everything but carrier pigeons because I don’t do birds. Let me know, we will get you a call on my calendar, and we will decide together if this is the right program for you. And I promise, if it’s not, I’m not letting you in. But that’s why I have other ways you can get support from us. That’s why I know a lot of really incredible people who this might be a better fit for you. But I want to support you in making a decision on what that next step is in moving forward. Okay? All right.
Again, soapbox away. I can’t wait to see you in Backstage Live. Returning to regular scheduled programming on Tuesday with another bonus episode. Remember, we’re going two times a week here in October. I’m really, really excited to chat with you. If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks for listening. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this episode, so head over to Instagram, send me a DM and let me know, and I will talk to you soon.
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