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Prepare for Festive Season Conversations
31 Plays1 year ago
I’m running a webinar through the Digital Solutions Program in a couple of weeks focusing on this very thing.
In that webinar I am going to take you through exercises to help you refine your elevator pitch & responses, so that this festive season you can use these social gatherings as an opportunity to hone your skill in delivering your elevator pitch & responses effortlessly.
You’ll be seeking opportunities to practice your responses once you start to see how easily it starts to roll off your tongue after all the times you get to use & refine your pitch.
In today’s episode I’m going to share a taster of what that webinar will entail.
Sharing your business story in a compelling way, will not only attract more clients, you will also attract free publicity, media outlets are always looking for a good story to tell and share, even better if it’s a unique one.
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Register here for a Digital Guide & All Access
Through the Digital Solutions Program
Embodiment Coaching Service
https://creatorsnest.com.au/pages/dharma-coaching
Creators Nest Online Store
https://creatorsnest.com.au/collections/all
https://www.instagram.com/creatorsnestyass/
https://www.instagram.com/bymarienicole/
Intro & Outro Music: Shaman Dance by slavamusic
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By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents are the property of Marie-Nicole Meunier, or used by Marie-Nicole Meunier with permission, and are protected under AU and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of the Marie-Nicole Meunier, which may be requested by contacting
This podcast is for educational purposes only. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein.
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Transcript
Introduction to Marie Nicole's Coaching and Business Goals
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you desire to turn your passion into income? Connect with other creative souls who also dance to the beat of their own drum?
00:00:08
Speaker
I'm Marie Nicole and I'm devoted to combining beauty, uniqueness and connection in everyday living experiences. As a creative professional and Dharma coach, I help people connect to the truth of who they are and facilitate them in embodying their uniqueness. It is my hope in this podcast that I inspire you to live your life on your terms and earn your income through being uniquely used.
00:00:33
Speaker
After all, it's the unique thread that we each contribute to the collective tapestry that creates the whole.
Challenges of Discussing Business at Social Gatherings
00:00:43
Speaker
Are you new to business? And still working out how to respond to those questions you hear frequently at social gatherings and family functions? Like, how's your little business going? What is it you do again?
00:00:56
Speaker
These questions can make you squirm, freeze or look for somewhere to hide if you don't have a clear response, ready to share with the people asking. Especially when you're in the establishment phase of your business and you're still clarifying yourself exactly what it is you are doing. And especially if you're a service based business, helping people in a unique way using your unique skill set.
Webinar Announcement and Benefits for Business Owners
00:01:20
Speaker
I'm running a webinar through the digital solutions program in a couple of weeks focusing on this very thing. In that webinar I'm going to take you through some exercises to help you refine your elevator pitch and responses so that this festive season when you go to those social gatherings you have an opportunity to hone your skill in delivering your elevator pitch and responses effortlessly.
00:01:46
Speaker
You'll be seeking opportunities to practise your responses once you start to see how easily it starts to roll off your tongue after all those times that you get used to refining your pitch.
00:01:58
Speaker
In today's episode I'm going to share a taster of what that webinar will entail. So if what you hear today resonates with you and you want to dive in a little bit deeper then go and get yourself full access to the program. So you can sign up with the link in the show notes and it's only available to small businesses in New South Wales and the ACT here in Australia.
00:02:21
Speaker
But if you're outside of these areas, I hope this episode is helpful to you on your business journey, doing business to your own beat. And that I also know that I offer a highly personalized coaching service, which is not limited to New South Wales or the ACT or even Australia. And that goes much deeper, taking a holistic approach to help you embody your purpose.
Role in Digital Solutions Program and Importance of Business Storytelling
00:02:44
Speaker
So before I get into today's episode topic, just let me tell you a little bit more about the Digital Solutions Program, which is an Australian government initiative designed to equip small businesses with tools, resources and expert guidance
00:02:59
Speaker
that they need to untangle the complexities of digital. I'm a digital guide for the program which offers small businesses the opportunity to build digital skills, accelerate growth, productivity and efficiency in this digital age. If you have a small business in New South Wales or the ACT that could do with some help in this digital space,
00:03:19
Speaker
If you're not sure if you should start with a website, social media, digital marketing plan, or focus on cybersecurity. Or if you need assistance in developing a digital plan for your business. Guidance on what area to focus on first or help you move through your digital journey. Well, that's where I can help as your digital guide through this program. By simply signing up for the all access option for just $45 plus GST. That's a one off fee which is valued at $845.
00:03:49
Speaker
With this you'll receive up to four hours of one-to-one support coaching with your own digital guide. Sign up today by clicking in the link in the show notes. Now I've also dedicated a page to the digital guide offering on the Creators Nest website and the link to sign up is through there too. So now let's get back to the episode and helping you with your elevator pitch and responses this festive season.
00:04:15
Speaker
Sharing your business story in a compelling way will not only attract more clients, you will also attract free publicity. Media outlets are always looking for good stories to share and tell and even better if they're unique ones.
Personal Insights on Elevator Pitches
00:04:31
Speaker
As a creative who has been pitching my own offerings for 25 plus years, I know how awkward these conversations around the festive season can be. Especially when you're surrounded by people who do not run their own business. And they're used to seeing things wrapped up in a neat little description package with job titles, pay structures and clear rungs to climb that represent you've made it in your chosen career.
00:04:58
Speaker
When you come along as a new business owner or entrepreneur and you're creating a new offering that does not come with a how to guide or job description.
00:05:08
Speaker
It can be difficult to respond to these questions like, how's your little business going? What is it you do again? In that moment, you might want to squirm, freeze or look for somewhere to hide. So you don't have to fumble through trying to explain what it is exactly you're trying to do. And especially because it might be all new to you and you to the mainstream. So it can be difficult to express confidently what it is exactly you're trying to achieve.
00:05:35
Speaker
When I was writing my business plan for Creators Nest, which was a retail store with an integrated workshop and creative co-working space, with other branches off this core concept, which made it really difficult to say it was just X.
00:05:50
Speaker
It was more of an asterisk than an X. Some of the branches of this court offering I was intentionally introducing at different stages of the business, which to others may have looked like it was evolving as the years went on. But in truth, all the branches were written into the business plan well before I even opened the physical doors.
00:06:11
Speaker
So to explain what it is I did in my business, I created an emotional response that opened up a deeper conversation on how rather than what. My elevator pitch for that business was, have you ever noticed a woman's eyes sparkle when she's engaged in something she's passionate about? The ripple affecting communities when mothers find their spark again and thrive as individuals?
00:06:38
Speaker
I help creative women recognise their potential beyond motherhood with a space for them to incubate business ideas and connect. If they lose their identity through motherhood, Creators Nest provides women with opportunities to reignite their creativity, passion for life and feel supported.
00:06:57
Speaker
I can help these women because I've built my businesses as a mother, maintained my own identity while being available for my family, and I can help other women use these strategies too. Now I could have also briefed that down as needed, but it was the essence I was sharing, the flow on effect of women coming into and engaging with Creatorsness offerings
00:07:22
Speaker
This could have been through shopping in the store, selling through the store, utilising my business coaching services, partaking in a holistic wellness based workshop, joining us for a creative workshop purely for the pleasure or coming in to use a creative co-working space and connect with others doing the same. Often my elevator pitch would lead to further questioning opening up a much deeper conversation than if it was just a
00:07:49
Speaker
me saying, it's a retail store with creative co-working space and integrated workshop, which would more often not just lead to a response of, oh, okay. The elevator pitch evokes a feeling of being involved and connected to the business offering rather than being sold to.
00:08:06
Speaker
So this works well for pitching your concept to people that you might see as your target audience. Or it can also benefit you in just having interesting conversations with people who are interested in hearing more about what you do, even if they're not your target audience, but they may know someone who
Adapting Business Models and Crafting New Pitches
00:08:23
Speaker
is. And as you describe the feeling, they may be triggered to think of someone that could benefit from engaging in your offering.
00:08:30
Speaker
Or they could be connected to a service that would love to feature your business in a magazine, TV show or as a guest panellist. All of these experiences and opportunities I have had through being able to express effectively what it is I do with my business.
00:08:47
Speaker
Since closing my commercial space, I have once again had to go through this process of preparing my responses. For the more common question I get these days, do you still run your business just out of your home? Now the answer to that is both yes and no, as I have been reworking my offerings to suit my current situation, and not having the physical commercial space has shifted my focus to being more of a service-based than a product-based offering.
00:09:15
Speaker
So I will need to develop a new elevator pitch once I have a clearer picture of what that will look like going forward. So let's now look at how to create your elevator pitch. What should it cover? There are three main areas that you should cover in your short response. Number one is the problem you are solving. For Creator's Nest it was isolation and identity loss.
00:09:41
Speaker
While it was targeting mothers, it was not exclusive to women, but they were the inspiration behind the need to solve this problem. Number two, what's your solution to their problem? Again, for Creators Nest, it was about providing a space where they felt seen, understood and supported.
00:10:01
Speaker
And number three, who were you serving and how? As I've mentioned, Creators Nest was inspired by the needs of creative mothers wishing to maintain or regain their personal identity by providing them with a space that they could feel supported in and meet others in a similar situation or on a similar journey to them.
Evolving Business Narrative and Emphasis on Self-Love
00:10:22
Speaker
For the Yass Valley, a big part of this problem I was solving was from my own personal experience, moving to the region based on my then husband's job opportunity with little opportunities of my own for my career path going forward, feeling really alone in this and then discovering I was not.
00:10:40
Speaker
There were so many other women in a similar situation to me, so I wanted to create a space that could bring these women together so we could encourage and support each other on our journeys of building our businesses while still being available for our families. Once you have written out the three main areas to cover, brainstorm free write sentences that convey how you want your ideal client to feel when they hear about your offering, and then refine it.
00:11:09
Speaker
Refine it to just a few sentences. Is the purpose of your offering to make them feel beautiful, effortless, playful, supported? Your offering may be something to do with grief counselling, supporting them through a major life transition. So choose words that help you capture how what you offer will make them feel the way that they desire to feel.
00:11:33
Speaker
My current tagline for Creators Nest is Creators Nest is where beauty, uniqueness and connection are combined to create a harmonious life.
00:11:43
Speaker
So my elevator pitch would be something around that feeling of being connected to self, to others and our natural surroundings in order to feel in harmony and that there is value in being uniquely ourselves rather than trying to fit into a mould.
Encouragement to Practice Elevator Pitches
00:11:59
Speaker
Honouring our inner beauty and letting that shine through, radiating externally rather than trying to work from the outside in.
00:12:09
Speaker
Since my marriage of 24 years ended early in the early part of last year, the number of times people have said to me, you're looking amazing considering what you're going through. And that's because my focus over the last almost two years has been to connect back to the essence of who I am, how I am here to serve the collective, and how I can live in harmony with the cycles of nature. And we are a part of nature, so we live in cycles, we thrive in cycles too.
00:12:39
Speaker
As a result of that, I have been radiating self-love, not looking for external validation. My business has always been about supporting and elevating others, and now I am working on elevating and supporting myself rather than letting my circumstances drag me down.
00:12:57
Speaker
So having a pitch that you've prepared and practice, yes, practice. Like you're learning a script as an actor in a play, keep it on you. Keep it on your phone and any chance you get, read it, read it out, recite it over and over again until it flows out of your mouth effortlessly. And then when it comes to those end of year social gatherings, make the most of it. Practice responding with this. It may not come out exactly as you wrote it,
00:13:28
Speaker
but the essence will be there as you have anchored in your mind what the objective of your business is and who you are wishing to serve with your offering and how. And if it does not come out effortly, that's the first two, three, four, seven times, don't beat yourself up.
00:13:45
Speaker
This is an opportunity to practise and hone your craft, not just in what you do in business, but how you speak about your business. So when you get those magazine interviews, TV show features and panel discussion opportunities, you'll feel much more at ease sharing your business story, providing you with more opportunity to reach potential clients and customers. Believe me, I know from experience.
00:14:11
Speaker
Practicing an elevator pitch helped me so much with all of my businesses and especially Creators Nest. Creators Nest, the commercial space, was featured so much in so many TV shows and articles and it was the elevator pitch allowed me to just share the essence and expand on it as needed. But I did not feel like I had no idea what to say because I had practiced my elevator pitch.
Invitation to Webinar and Closing Remarks
00:14:39
Speaker
Now remember if you want to dive in deeper join this digital solutions program and attend the webinar which is taking place on Thursday the 21st of December at 2pm and you can do more exercises to help you hone your elevator pitch and prepare for those festive season conversations. Now I'm also running a webinar next week on the 14th
00:15:00
Speaker
of December on how a podcast can benefit your business. So join the program today if you'd like to attend either of those. And if you're listening to this after those dates, you can still get access to the recordings and the resource library of the program. And don't forget that if you sign up for full access, you will also receive up to four hours of one-to-one coaching with a digital guide to help you along your journey.
00:15:25
Speaker
Plus, there's always the option of working with me as an embodiment coach. So reach out for a connection call if this is something you'd like to explore further. But for now, make the most of what I've shared in today's episode and take some time to craft an elevator pitch. Practice it. Enjoy those end of year gatherings and the opportunity to share your business story in a compelling way.
00:15:49
Speaker
Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is and I hope you got value out of listening to this podcast. If you are looking for a coach to support and guide you through your own unique journey of creating a life you love, then reach out for a connection call. And if you'd like to connect with other creative souls in person by joining us at a workshop, a retreat, or to book a unique shopping experience here at Creators Nest, I run those by appointment. So check out the website for more details. The link is in the show notes.
00:16:19
Speaker
Oh, and please leave a review. I'd love to hear any insights or inspirations that were activated in you from this podcast. And I look forward to drumming, dancing or soaring alongside of you.