[SERIES: 0 to 100] Secret #2 - The 3C Formula That Made Me $100K & Still Use Today

Welcome to my series "0 to 100: BTS Secrets of Building a 6 Figure Business in 1 Year"! 

Continuing this series with the second episode revealing the EXACT formula I used to make my first $100,000 and that I still use today.

If anything resonates with you or if you have questions, feel free to DM me on IG!

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Articles referenced:

1. Instagrammer with 2M followers couldn't sell 36 T-Shirts

2. You Only need 1,000 Fans to be successful

In case you missed it:

[SERIES: 0 to 100] Secret #1 - How I Made $100,000 In 1 Year

Transcript

0:00

Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of the Building Her podcast. I'm your host, Katia Lilien. If you've been loving this podcast, go ahead and rate the podcast five stars and DM me on Instagram when you do that because I want to connect and personally thank you. If you are new here, hit that subscribe button. It really helps the podcast grow, and that way you will never miss an episode. So let's dive in Hey, my name is Katia Lillian, and I am obsessed with all things mindset, personal development, and helping you build the best version of yourself. I'm a women's life and mindset coach and an entrepreneur who started a fun hobby of posting #sweatyselfies, grew a successful side hustle, and now I run a six-figure coaching business. I teach you the secret of building a life that aligns with your deepest values and one that you wake up excited for. This podcast is designed to expand your mind and challenge the status quo. So get ready to uplevel your life and let's start building her. In case you missed it last week, I kicked off a new series. Last week kicked off the series 0 to 100: How I Made Six Figures in One Year. I told you exactly how I made 100,000 in one year, specifically in my coaching business, which I sold private coaching. That's it. That's all. I didn't have group coaching. I didn't have a podcast. I didn't have any low-ticket offers. I literally just focused on three things, which is what I'm going to dive into more today. So if you missed that, go check it out. I'll leave the link in the bio below. But for the second part of this series, I want to debunk the myth that you need a lot of followers and a huge following online to make your first six figures in one year. So if you're trying to make money online and think you need a huge following to do so, please think again. The way I did it was through a formula. Let's call it the three C formula. Three Cs consist of content, conversations, and calls. That is it. I know people are probably like, "Ah, how can you make it so simple?" But it's so true. All I did was focus on content, conversations, and calls, and that is how I made my first six figures in one year. I think a lot of the noise comes from wanting a huge following. I just spoke about the Jessie Gene story a few episodes back because, yeah, she's doing amazing. She's growing a following, and she's been doing it in seven months, um, on her new page. And, um, everyone looks at that as successful, which absolutely is, and she shares her personal finances, so, you know, we were able to see her $1.2 million launch, which is amazing. And of course, like, everybody wants that. But you also have to remember that's not where she started. So she had a seven-year coaching background before, had a separate account, built up that following. I think it was over 100,000, uh, followers And sold a coaching program. Now, I believe it was group coaching. This is just what I can see from outside looking in. I don't know her. Um, but I'm just sharing that because that's her background, right? Like, she's already had a seven-year coaching run before she started a new account, and now, uh, this following took off. So that's one way of doing it. But the other way, a- and how most coaches start, is you've got to learn how to sell. And the way to learn that is by actually doing. Remember, marketing is just sales at scale. And so that's why I really cater to the early and aspiring coach because, yeah, you could have a video pop off and your following could grow, but that actually does not guarantee you money. We're trying to look for f- we're trying to look for clients here who will buy my business, not just followers. There's a story, actually, um, let me pull it up here. I actually have the article. But there was an article on Business Insider. It says an Instagram star with 2 million followers couldn't sell 36 T-shirts, and her-- and a marketing expert says her case is not rare. And so we have to understand that even if you have a lot of followers or even if you are looking at other profiles that have a lot of followers, it does not guarantee that they're making a lot of money. So you have to start to understand the content that we're pushing out there is, of course, always delivering value, but you don't need a lot of followers in order to be successful. You need to have the right followers in order to be successful. There's another article that I love. It's titled You Only Need 1,000 Fans to Be Successful. It's from Forbes, and I'll leave both of these articles in the show notes below. But just to consider the logic here, right? Ju- just to dissect the numbers. To make a six-figure income, you realistically only need 1,000 people to purchase $100 of product from you annually. Think about that. Let that sink in. You only need 1,000 people to purchase a product of yours once a year that costs $100. If you need to sell something at $200, well, then you only need 500. So the numbers are not that complex or even that high when we talk about hundreds of thousands of followers or millions. You just need 1,000. And these 1,000 fans can become loyal to you. They are connected to you directly. They have directly and significantly been impacted by your work, and so therefore they endorse you to their friends and family naturally and without prompt. So word of mouth is your best friend. So these fans are not only buyers, but they're your most effective marketing strategy, leading to even more of them over time. And if you come out with a new product, they most likely will buy from you again. So I hate this, this myth out there that a lot of early and aspiring coaches always listen to, "I need more followers, I need more followers, I need more followers." Now, again, looking at the Jessie case study and the large following that she grew and, um, the engaged audience and now converted into buyers, well, yes, that's a case study that we absolutely should listen to because that is, by definition, in my book, successful. Because she has the following but also has the right audience because they're buying from her. So that's a case study. Yes, let's look at that. But also remember she has experience. She's not early and aspiring over here. She's not brand new. She has seven years of experience on social media, if not more. And then also That's more of like a long-term strategy. So she's been posting on the new account for seven-plus months, and she only sold, I think it was that $37 furniture flipping guide, which again, amazing if people are buying it, which I do think they are because she shares her finances. But if you wanna get six figures in one year, you need a high-converting offer and one offer that just keeps converting, which, in my opinion, is one-on-one private coaching. And that's what we're doing with my formula. We're doing the content so that we're getting noticed and recognized, but only to start conversations. We're not looking for hundreds of thousands of followers from the get-go. That would actually be very overwhelming. What we're looking for is 5, 10, right? Like, the views, the engagement does not matter in the beginning because we just want someone to see our stuff so that we can start a conversation, and that conversation we want to lead into a call. Of course, not every conversation is going to lead into a call, but it's a numbers game. If you have 10 conversations going, half respond, two of them turn into a call, one person says yes, amazing. You've just now injected thousands of dollars into your business because one-on-one private coaching is not cheap. It's not a cheap experience. It's not a PDF download. We're talking about time that we're investing here. We're talking about voice notes. We're talking about texting on demand, and it's only for one person. It's not a group setting. You are giving your one person undivided attention. So yeah, it is a higher ticket price point, rightfully so. That is what we are doing, and that is what I did. Now, do I know all the other ways of making money online yet? No. Am I learning? Yes, and I can't wait to share more of that with you. But what I have learned in my experience of building my coaching business and making the six figures in one year, this is how you do it, and this is what I did. So getting a bit more granular, number one with content. So And again, I'm, I'm learning more about content myself, so I'm definitely not a content guru, nor do I pretend to be. That actually is not my favorite or my sweet spot. But what I can say is in my experience, the way it has worked for me, 'cause remember, when I made my first six figures, I made it without this podcast, I made it without any group programs, which were of course lower ticket. I did it without any, any of that. All I was doing on Instagram, I had my free profile, it was documenting my experience. And so back when I lived in Chicago almost five years ago, um, I was really into health and wellness. I had moved from LA to Chicago and I didn't know anyone, and I had this identity rebirth, if you will. And I just went for what I loved and what felt good and my highest excitement. And at the time it was health and wellness. And so I would go out in Chicago and, you know, meet other people at the fitness centers or gyms or pop-up wellness events. Like, literally anything fitness, wellness related, I was there. And so I would meet then like-minded people, and then they would know about a meetup or they would know about some rooftop yoga event or you know, whatever it was, and so I went with them. And so as I was learning and discovering this new city, I was documenting it on Instagram. I was showing people, "Hey, I went to this new restaurant. Hey, I went to this rooftop yoga event. Hey, I did this, I did that." And that is what led to my first brand deal. And that is what led me to my first client. And that just kind of happened over and over again. Sure, I learned the DM strategy later, but that's definitely not how it started. So I want to highlight that you don't have to be amazing at content. What you do need to be is open and yourself and think about documenting your process and letting people in and learning and growing with you versus, you know, all the tips and tricks and edits and cool sound effects. Like, you don't need any of that initially to get started and to even land your first client. I remember one of my private clients Who I worked with for six months, she paid me, I think it was 3,000, so sh- and she was on a payment plan, so 500 a month. But what we had originally started talking about were turkey burgers. I had, I, I think a photo of my turkey burger lunch, and she had responded about, "Oh my gosh," like, you know, "What patties do you use?" Or some question about my turkey burgers. And so that started a conversation, and then I asked, you know, deeper questions, and I followed my DM strategy. And, um, she, she was all... She was, like, giving me information and answers, basically. And then sh- we talked about therapy a little bit, and then I had to ask a hard question, 'cause sh- I guess she was in therapy for a year. So then I asked, "Okay, well, if you've been in therapy for a year, why hasn't your situation changed?" Right? Something kind of big like that w- that hit her, I think, a little bit of like, "Well, damn, Katia might have a point here." And so, um, that then gave me permission to invite her to a call. I felt like it was okay. And then on the call, um, that's where then she decided to work with me. But it started from turkey burgers. Like, just think about that. That wasn't me having this crazy content plan and knowing all the bells and whistles of how to convert clients. Like, no, it was about turkey burgers. And so you have to remember and understand people want to work with you. They are following you for a reason. You are the special sauce You have to remember, like, your life is interesting. People want to see your life because a lot of people have probably stuff in common with you. And when that happens, there's a certain level of trust that is built, and then you get to have the conversation and invite them onto a call. So the second part... After content, the second part are the conversations. And so you can't be afraid to have a conversation with someone. I think about DMs as if it was in real life. So if I had just met someone in real life, let's say it's at a party, I'm not gonna be standing there asking awkward questions, trying to, like, close the deal or, you know, like, "So, how much money do you make?" Or, "Oh, so you hate your job? How does that make you feel?" Like, I don't know, just like those deep questions right off the bat. That's not gonna happen. So I treat every conversation as if I was meeting someone at a party. It starts with surface-level shit like, "Hey, so how do you know so-and-so?" Or, "Oh, are you from around here?" Or, "Oh, um, what do you do for work?" Or, you know, whatever. Like, surface-level conversational type things at the beginning of the conversation. Then once they give you more information, like, "What do you do for work?" And they're like, "Oh, well, right now I, um, you know, I work a 9:00 to 5:00 in the tech industry, but I'm looking for other jobs." So that, that's a very open, vulnerable answer in my opinion, 'cause they gave you so much, 'cause now I'm wondering, "Well, why don't you like your job? Secondly, what are you looking for?" And so now I'm just asking more genuine, curious questions like, "Oh, well, what kind of work are you looking for?" "Oh, I actually wanna be an entrepreneur." "Oh, awesome. What type of entrepreneur?" "Oh, a coach." "Oh my gosh. Well, I do the coaching as well. Um, I- maybe it makes sense to hop on a call. We can schedule something next week, and I could see if I could help you. How does that sound?" And they're like, "Oh my God, amazing." And so it sounds and feels very natural that a call would be the next step because you found out, well, wow, they wanna be a coach anyway, so we're doing them a favor versus an inconvenience because they want to become a coach, right? And that's true for anything that you do. "Oh, I'm trying to lose weight." "Oh my gosh. Well, I'm actually a fitness trainer. I'd, I'd love to talk more and see how I could help you." You know? Like, like you want it to make it sound genuine obviously, but then if it, if their answers are really truly aligned with what you actually do for work and you actually have a service that you could help them with, then you invite them onto a call. And that's what I did. And then once you're on a call, remember 50 perc- you're already 50% of the way there in terms of closing because they would have never joined the call had they not felt like this was right or that this was a match. They're only on the call because they're actually intrigued by what you do and how you could help them. That's why they're there willing to invest an hour, if not more, of their time. So you can show up to the call with the utmost confidence because you already know they said yes, they showed up, they're here live. They want this. They need help. If they say no, then it's just a price thing, a fear thing, but we'll get to that when we handle objections. But for them to show up on the call initially, w- you've already got them 50% of the way there. So you can show up with confidence So then it's more so just about the connection on the call, right? So like are- can we be a normal human being? And can we ask questions just to, again, dive a little bit deeper and, and see like what's really going on with them. Like what are their pain points? What is not working? And then if you truly feel like, yeah, wow, I could really help this person. This is per- this person is a perfect fit. This is exactly what I do. Well, then you tell them that at the end of the call. You say, "Thank you so much for being honest and open with me, and I really appreciate your vulnerability. Wow, I'm so excited to talk about an offer for you because this is exactly what I do. This is exactly what I help early and aspiring coaches with. I help them make their first 100K. Would you like to hear more?" "Absolutely." "Okay, great." And then you just go into the offer. And the way the offer should feel when you, um, pitch it to them and then of course close when you talk about pricing and everything, the way it should feel like is you referring or recommending a restaurant to a friend. That's how easy and casual it should feel like, right? Like, "Hey Katia, I'm gonna, uh, be there in St. Pete over the summer. I'm brand new. I've never been before. I'm a foodie. What type of restaurants would you recommend? Do you have any favorites?" My answer to that question is so normal and candid and excited, right? Because I'm like, oh my God, I have a list of restaurants. Like, what's your favorite cuisine? Italian. Okay, awesome. My favorite pizza restaurant is The Noble Crust. Go there. And these are my recommendations. I would recommend this pizza and this pasta, and definitely start with this cocktail, and right? Like that is my offer to them. So that is how normal it should feel when you are pitching your offer for your coaching business, right? Well, I offer XYZ, and you should absolutely go with XYZ, and this is how it should help, and blah, blah, blah. And it's helped these people before, and here's some testimonial. Whatever it is, but the, the feeling around it should be as if you're just recommending a restaurant to a friend. And so then the close is just them figuring out logistics, right? Uh, the money, you know, can we pay in full, or is it a split payment, or is there a payment plan option available? And, uh, uh, is there some fear around can you do this or can you not, or the time commitment? Like there's so many other things that can come up, but You want it to be a safe space. You want them to feel like they can trust you. And if that feeling is there and that energy is there, I guarantee you will close them. And that is how I did it. It's truly those three Cs, and I hope me reducing it down to those three Cs in this formula makes it so crystal clear and easy for you to grasp and understand. Content is just so you can start conversations. It's just to connect with people. Anyone that follows you, anyone that likes your content, anyone that comments on your content, you are more than welcome to send them a DM because they know you. They saw your name, they saw your reel, they saw whatever content you put out there. So now when you DM them, it's not weird because they came to you first. They engaged first. They made the first move. So now you reciprocate. You respond to that through a DM. And then in the DMs, you're just asking them questions. You're trying to find out more, as if you are meeting someone at a party. Please be normal, and please have a conversation that way. And then you have calls The calls are where you just talk to someone, see what's going on with them. If you genuinely have an offer that can solve their problem, then you offer it to them. If you don't, then that's okay too. Just say, "Thank you so much for joining this call. I love everything that you shared with me. Full transparency, I don't believe I am the best fit for you because of X, Y, Z. However, I would recommend you to so and so. Happy to make the, the referral, or happy to make the connection." And that's it. You move on then to the next. And that's how I did it over, and over, and over again. That is how I grew the muscle of not giving a fuck. That is how I grew the muscle of showing up online, being able to be seen, talking on camera, talking to people on, on the phone. That is how I did it. It was just rinse and repeat. Those three things, and that's how I did it. That's how I made my six f- my first six figures in business. So stay tuned for next week's episode, episode three of this series, because I'm gonna be talking a little bit more about the power of investing. Uh, general concepts, but more so focused on my own personal experiences with the power of investments that I have made and the transformations that I have seen and have gone through. So stick around for that next Friday. And if you have any questions, you can always feel free to DM me on Instagram. I am an open book. Hopefully you know this by now if you are an avid listener. If you're not, if you're brand new here, feel free to DM me on Instagram. Let me know what resonated with you the most or if you have any questions of anything that I said, feel free to reach out and, uh, I'm more than able and willing, and I welcome, um, the questions so that I can help you and support you. All right. Thank you so much for tuning in, and we will chat next week.