The Four C’s of Success: Because Being an Expert at HR Isn't Enough

If you think being an expert at HR is the key to running a successful business, then you couldn’t BE more wrong.

Sure, being an expert in your field is important. After all, if you don’t know your craft, you won’t deliver great service—and without that, there are no referrals or glowing testimonials.

But what if I told you there are other, equally or more important elements to your success?

That’s exactly what today’s episode is about.

You’ll discover:

• What criminals can teach you about becoming a successful business owner.
• Why programming yourself like a 3-year-old could be the key to creating better content for your audience.
• What I learned from becoming a “greedy little hamster”—and how that mindset shift helped improve my social circle.
• The one skill every HR consultant MUST master, and why it’s not much different than preparing for an employment tribunal.
• A quick way to fast-track your success and race ahead of your peers.

This episode isn’t just about external strategies—it’s about ensuring your foundations are solid, so you can create the success you deserve.

And if you want more insights like this, make sure to register for my free event next week, where we’ll go deeper into turning leads into clients—and selling without the sleaze.

Or, if you need tailored help, grab a 1:1 strategy call with me to work through what's not working in your business—and how to fix it.

But whether you take either of those options or not, make sure you tune in to this episode, because it could change the game for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction to the Four C’s of Success for HR Consultants
01:00 – How your circle of influence shapes business success
02:15 – Why surrounding yourself with the right people is key to growth
03:30 – How to elevate your thinking by changing your social circle
04:40 – The importance of coaching for HR consultants
05:50 – How a coach can fast-track your business growth
07:00 – Why self-talk can either make or break your HR consultancy
08:10 – Reprogramming your mindset to boost business results
09:15 – The role of closing sales in growing your consultancy
10:20 – Why closing isn’t about being pushy, it’s about leadership
11:25 – How to convert conversations into paying clients
12:30 – Why sending proposals isn’t the best way to close sales
13:30 – Mastering sales without feeling awkward or pushy
14:40 – How to stop wasting time on dead-end sales leads
15:50 – Why investing in a business coach can speed up success
16:55 – Fast-tracking your HR business growth with the right support
17:50 – Applying the Four C’s to your consultancy for real results

Want My Help to Build Your £70K+ HR Consultancy?

1️⃣ Grab a copy of my book – The Complete Guide to Building a £70K HR Consultancy – and discover how to get every lead and client you need.

2️⃣ Apply to Join The Fastlane Formula – so we can work together 1-to-1 to get you earning £70K+ faster (and easier) than going it alone.

Transcript

00:01 Hello there and welcome back to another episode of Marketing Made Easy for HR Consultants with me, Nick Poninski. Now, this week's episode is a little bit different.
00:09 It's part personal development, part marketing and sales, and honestly it might be one of the most useful things I've shared on this podcast.
00:16 I almost split this episode and the messages therein into four separate episodes because the ideas I'm going to walk you through today are that powerful.
00:26 But, everything here was presented to me as a whole and it made such a big difference. It big impact that I want to do the same for you.
00:33 So, today we are talking about the four C's of success. I heard this, as I say, at a recent event and I thought, yep, that's gold.
00:41 I need to share this with my audience. And if you are someone who is looking to grow your HR consultancy, get better at results, feel more in control, all that good stuff, all while having more energy doing it, then this episode will absolutely land for you.
00:56 Now, those four C's, let's have a bit of an overview. They are, number one, circle. This is who you spend time with.
01:02 Number two, coach. Coaching, getting help to grow. Number three, conversations. The messages you tell yourself. Number four, close. Your ability to close sales effectively.
01:14 Now, these aren't always the first things that people think about when they think about business success. Most people jump straight into better marketing, more visibility, delivering a great service, being the best service provider.
01:27 And all of that matters. Of course it does. But there's also an internal game at play too, and that one's just as important.
01:35 Right? And the four C's for this episode, they cover both the internal and the outer game of growing a business that actually works for you.
01:44 So whether that's earning 70K a year, only working four hours a day, whatever it is that success looks like for you.
01:51 This is what this episode is all about. So let's dive into the first C. Number one, C is Circle. And this is all about the people that you spend time with.
02:02 Now we've all heard that phrase, you're the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. Bye!
02:07 Uhm, while it's become a little bit of a cliché, it's also completely true, right? Your circle shapes your thinking, your energy, your goals, and your sense of what is normal.
02:19 So let me bring this to life, right? Imagine you're a criminal. You hang out with five people. Five other criminals.
02:25 You spend all your time with criminals. Over time, criminals, crime, that becomes your normal. You get exposed to ideas, habits, and conversations that make crime seem acceptable and smart.
02:39 And that's if you end up in prison. Same thing. The great thing is you'll learn more tricks. You'll become a better criminal.
02:46 It's like a university for that kind of life, right? You'll be learning all the tricks from all the other criminals.
02:53 Now flip this. Imagine you're a millionaire. You hang out with other millionaires. You hear how they talk about money, how they make decisions, what they prioritize.
03:03 You learn from them, you think like them, and it rubs off. Now, it always rubs off, right? Whatever situation you're in, whoever you spend time with, their way of thinking, that informs your way of thinking.
03:17 Your circle influences what you think is possible. And that hit me hard recently. A few weeks back, I did the Circle of Life exercise.
03:27 You might remember that exercise. And I realised my social circle wasn't quite what I needed it to be. Not bad people, not unkind or negative, just not the kind of people who were helping me grow.
03:40 It's kind of like that frog in the boiling water, uhm. I, you know, the frog was, it sits in that boiling pan of water and it doesn't realise that the pan is, the water is slowly boiling it to death.
03:54 It doesn't notice the temperature rising until it's too late. And that's the same thing with me and my social circle.
04:00 I haven't realised. I realised that it's not as good as I want it to be. And all of a sudden that circle of life, which is why the circle of life exercise is so important.
04:10 It shone a light on this for me. So I've made some changes, right? I've joined a mastermind filled with ambitious people.
04:16 Aiming to build six and seven figure businesses, people doing big things, thinking differently than me. And it's already, it's making a big difference.
04:26 I'm exposed to different ways of thinking, different opportunities and different conversations. I even suggested, I even suggested a Manchester meetup because, frankly, we meet up once a month.
04:36 We've got an online portal where we all connect, share ideas and we meet up on these different calls or whatever.
04:41 But we only meet up once a once a month in person. And frankly, once a month isn't enough for me.
04:46 I am like a greedy little hamster. I want more. I want more exposure to these people. You know, they're not all six and seven figure business owners, but a lot of them are.
04:58 And, yeah, whether or not you are earning six figures, seven figures, the fact, you know, whether you're earning five figures, you want to be earning six and seven figures.
05:09 That's what I want to be around, right? I want to be around these ambitious people. I want to build proper relationships.
05:14 I want with people like this. People who push me to be better, to think bigger, and to take bolder action.
05:21 So, let me ask you, who is in your circle right now? Are they pushing you forward, or are they quietly keeping you stuck?
05:29 Are you surrounded by other couch potatoes who come home from work and stick the telly on? Or by people who challenge themselves, invest in themselves, and want more from life?
05:39 If it's the former, no shame whatsoever. But if that's not for you, then maybe it's time to make a change.
05:46 You know that phrase? Birds of a feather flock together? If you want to succeed, you've got to make sure that you're flying with the right birds.
05:54 let's talk about the second of the four C's. Coaching. This is all about leveraging external expertise. It's about realizing that there are people out there who know more than you in certain areas, and there is nothing wrong with getting help from them.
06:09 In fact, it's smart, because if you try to figure everything out on your own, everything, you will waste time, you will make mistakes, and you'll miss opportunities you didn't even know existed.
06:20 Now, every successful person has a coach, often more than one. They don't just rely on themselves. They actively seek out support to help them grow, challenge their thinking, and improve faster than they ever could alone.
06:33 Take athletes, footballers, even at League 2 or non-league level. They've all got coaches. Not just a shout-out. Shout-out at them from the sidelines, but to improve their technique, sharpen their mindset, and push their limits.
06:46 Because if they showed up every week and played the way that they thought was best, they would never grow. They would never change.
06:52 Same goes for singers. They might have a natural talent, sure, like the footballers. But a vocal coach hears what they can't.
07:00 It spots the small tweaks that make a big difference, and it helps them get better. It's exactly the same in business.
07:07 You're an expert in HR, that's your zone. But maybe more importantly, marketing, sales, funnels, maybe that's not your thing. That's okay, you're not supposed to know it all.
07:16 And that's, but that's where coaching comes in. And when I was first introduced to the 4Cs framework, the coach running the session asked me a question that, that stuck with me.
07:25 It hit me hard. Are you ready? How long will it take you to learn everything I know and implement it all without making a single mistake?
07:36 And I thought, yeah, that's the value of coaching. It's a shortcut. It's a way to fast track results of what and get to where you want to go without tripping over every avoidable mistake along the way.
07:49 Because here's the thing. Maybe you could figure it all out on your own. But how long would that take? And what would it cost you in the meantime?
07:57 But with a good coach beside you, someone who's walked the path, someone who knows where the potholes are, you can skip the detours, you can avoid the dead ends, and get to your version of success a hell of a lot faster.
08:09 And yeah, not every coach will be the right fit. I've worked with loads of over the years. Some were brilliant, some weren't.
08:15 That's life. But each one, they taught me something. And finding the right one, that's been a game changer. So the goal isn't to find a guru, it's to find someone who helps you become a better version of you.
08:27 Helps you get there to success. Faster than you could on your own. It's, uhm, you know, let me give you an analogy to bring this to life for you.
08:36 You can climb Mount Everest alone, but it's a hell of a lot easier and safer with a Sherpa by your side who's done it 
08:44 the third C of success, conversations, and specifically the ones that we have with ourselves. This is about self-talk, the messages that you give yourself day in and day out, because the language that we use in our own heads that shapes our beliefs, and those beliefs shape our actions.
09:03 So if the message you're telling yourself is negative, I'm no good at sales, I'm rubbish on video, I'll never figure this out, you're not just describing reality, you're creating reality.
09:13 When I released a podcast episode a while back about showing up on video, I had loads of messages from HR consultants saying, Nick, I'd love to do video, but I'm just no good at it.
09:23 And the thing is, that sentence right there, I'm no good at video, that's not a truth, that's a belief. It's a message someone's been repeating themselves so often, it's become part of their identity.
09:36 Now, here's what happens. You tell yourself you're bad at video, so you avoid it, then when you do try it, you look for evidence to prove that you're bad at video.
09:43 And remember, you'll remember all those awkward attempts. The stumbles, the nerves, and say, see, I told you I was rubbish at video, and then the cycle continues.
09:52 But the truth nobody starts out great on video. I certainly didn't. Go back and listen to my early podcast episodes if you want proof.
09:59 They're still live, they're still useful, but the difference between those early ones and what I do now, it's night and day.
10:06 And I only got better because I kept showing up. And it's the same with you. You'll never get better at video, or sales, or writing, or anything else if you keep telling yourself you're bad at it.
10:16 And avoiding it. So let me give you a story about this to bring this to life. Years ago, I was working as a HR advisor alongside a brilliant HR manager.
10:25 We got on so well. We had a great laugh. One day, she brought her daughter into the office. She was about three years old.
10:33 I don't know. Her daughter tripped over something and she laughed and said, Oh, Demi, we're clumsy, aren't we? And that stuck with me because in that moment, she wasn't just describing what happened.
10:44 She was programming her daughter. She was passing on a belief. We are clumsy. And I knew that she genuinely believed that about herself too, because she'd collected evidence over the years to back it up.
10:56 I spilled that coffee. Yep. That's because I'm clumsy. I banged my elbow on the door. Oh, classic me. I'm just clumsy.
11:03 Do you see how it works? The more we tell ourselves a story, the more we look for proof to back it up and the more it becomes real.
11:10 But here's the good news. It can go the other way. You can choose different self-talk. You can say, I'm learning to get better at sales.
11:17 I'm building my confidence on my own video. I'm not clumsy. I just had an off moment. Now I'm not saying positive self-talk fixes everything, but it sets the foundation because your beliefs lead to actions and your actions shape your outcomes, right?
11:32 There's a book I read years ago called what to say when you talk to yourself. It's by a guy by, uh, called Chad Helmstetter.
11:39 His whole premise was that you can reprogram your brain through repetition, repetitive, repetitive messages by feeding your brain helpful intentional messages throughout the day.
11:52 Now, I don't wanna, I don't know if this is scientifically bulletproof, but I do know that when you change what you say to yourself, you start behaving differently.
12:02 And when you behave differently, you start getting different results. So here's my nudge for you. What Challenge it. Choose better messages.
12:11 Because if you keep telling yourself you're bad at something, you probably will be. But if you tell yourself you're improving, and you back that up with action, then success becomes inevitable.
12:22 the fourth and final C of the four C's of success is close. And this one really matters because if you don't close, your business will.
12:31 You can be brilliant at what you do, you can give away great advice, run a beautiful website, and have calls with ideal clients.
12:39 But if you can't turn those conversations into paying work, then you don't have a business, you've got a hobby. And here's where most HR consultants, they say things like, I don't want to be pushy, I know what I'll just send a proposal.
12:54 But let's get real for a second. Closing isn't pushy, it's leadership. When someone comes to you with a problem, they don't want a sales pitch, but what they do want is a solution.
13:06 And if you believe in what you offer, if you believe that your service will solve their problem, then it's your job to guide them to a decision.
13:15 Saying, let me know what you think, or I'll pop over a proposal, that doesn't really help them. It leaves them in limbo, and people don't don't buy.
13:25 They stall, they drift, they disappear. So, if you're avoiding the clause, you're not being kind. You're leaving people stuck, and you're putting your own business at risk in the process.
13:37 But when you do avoid you learn to close, everything changes. You stop second-guessing yourself after calls. You stop chasing dead-end leads.
13:45 You stop wasting time writing proposals for people who were never serious. You feel in control of your income, and you attract better clients the ones who see you as the expert and want to work with you because of how confidently you led the conversation.
14:02 Now look, selling is a skill. I'm not going to lie to you, right? Just like managing a tricky HR case or running a disciplinary.
14:09 The first few times, you'll be probably nervous. I remember the first time I did a dismissal. I was bricking it.
14:16 I don't know why, but I was sat there. I couldn't bring myself to look in the guy's eyes. But I got better because I kept going, right?
14:24 The more I was exposed to this situation, the more normal it became. Sales works the same way, right? Confidence comes from experience, and experience only comes from doing.
14:36 So if you've been avoiding sales because you feel awkward or underqualified, know this. It's not a personality thing. It's a skillset thing, and you can learn sales.
14:48 You can learn to To bring this to life for you, let me tell you, we know this, right? You would not.
14:53 You wouldn't wing it at a tribunal, so don't wing a sales conversation either. Turn up to that call prepared. Ask good questions.
15:02 Understand their problem. Then lead. Say, based on what you've told me, I can help. Would you like me to show you how?
15:09 Shall we? Get started. And yes, they might say at the end of it, I need to think about it, right?
15:15 People will always dither. People will always try and avoid making a decision because people like to stay where they are.
15:21 Even if they, yeah, even if subliminally they don't realize this. They like to stay in their comfort zone, right? But there are ways to handle that objection of I need to think about it.
15:33 There are ways to understand what's really going on and move things forward without feeling like a pushy salesperson. I go through loads of that in my book.
15:41 There's a full book. It's full seven-step script and all the objection handling prompts you'll ever need. If you've already got the book, go check out that chapter.
15:48 If not, now's a good time to grab a copy. But here's the bigger picture. This is just the start. This is the first podcast episode of the podcast I've ever done on sales and I know I need to do more.
15:59 I keep saying this and I know this. So over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing more episodes that dig into this properly.
16:06 How to handle objections, how to sell without feeling awkward, and how to lead sales calls that feel natural, easy but still get results.
16:14 So if you've been quietly avoiding sales, you're going to love what's coming. And actually next week, as you probably know, I'm running a free event.
16:23 The third session on the Friday is all about sales. We'll dig into this topic in a way that feels tailored to you.
16:28 The HR consultant who doesn't want to become a salesperson, but still wants to win more clients. So if you haven't already, get yourself registered.
16:38 The event is free and it'll change how you approach sales for good. And remember, you're not doing anyone any favors by avoiding sales.
16:47 You're not protecting them. You're not protecting yourself. You are just giving up control. And in this economy, that's a bad decision.
16:54 that's it. Those are the four C's of success. Now it's over to you. From here, you've got two options. You can do nothing.
17:01 You can freeze. You can stay where you are. You can let time pass. And over time, things will get harder, because nothing truly stays the way it is still.
17:09 That is inertia. If you're not growing, you are fading. Or you can choose to start. You can start making changes.
17:17 You can start applying what you've heard today. Start building a consultancy that actually works for you. More clients. Better control.
17:25 Building a business that feels good to run. If you want help with that, I've got two steps for you. First, make sure to come to my free event next week.
17:33 We'll dive deeper into everything we've touched on, especially how to turn leads into clients and start selling comfortably without selling yourself.
17:41 And if you want my eyes on your business and tailored help with where you're stuck, then book a strategy call.
17:47 We'll work through what's not working, what needs to change, and how to make that change happen. Quick recap before we wrap.
17:54 We've talked about Circle, who you spend time with. We've talked about coaching, getting the right help. And we've talked about conversations, the stories you tell yourself.
18:03 And we've talked about closing, mastering sales so your business can thrive. I hope this episode has given you something to think about, and more importantly, something to act on.
18:13 Either way, as always, get marketing. Because without marketing, there's no sales. And without sales, there's no business. So get marketing.