BTS of Online Business without the BS
BTS of Online Business without the BS is the podcast for the entrepreneur who wants real tips and strategies to grow a sustainable online business while also getting into the REALITY of being an entrepreneur and juggling everyday life.
If you have passion, drive, and a big vision but you also don't fully buy into the 'you can be overnight success and this shit is #easy', you'll love it here!
We're cutting out the BS, and getting real on the path to building successful, sustainable businesses!
BTS of Online Business without the BS
The ULTIMATE hack for business growth - building REAL relationships with Jackie Dragone
Jackie Dragone is joining me today to chat about the one thing that is often missing in businesses and keeping you from reaching your full potential.
It's not another "secret" strategy or investing thousands, it's building REAL relationships and community. Being a human online and interacting with people.
You can post all you want but the real key to building a thriving business is taking the time to talk to people - THIS is what's going to set you apart from everyone else who might be doing the same or similar things in business as you are.
Be sure to tune in as we dive into tangible strategies and tips you can do now to take advantage of building relationships and community and watch your business growth explode!
About Jackie:
Jackie Dragone is a business powerhouse! She is the founder of the BECOMING WILDLY SUCCESSFUL and host of the BECOMING WILDLY SUCCESSFUL Business Podcast, both where she helps women step out of the box and call their shots in life and business! Her zone if genius is helping personal brands with business strategies as well as igniting their voice in marketing, messaging, so that you can convert to sales from your words. If you are the type of woman that wants to build a global brand and take over the world, join the becoming wildly successful movement. She has been featured in SHAPE, Philly Mag, Woman’s Health, and BeWell Philly to name a few.
Connect with Jackie here:
@iamjackiedragone on IG
Connect with me here:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/iamtaraleson/
Website: https://www.taraleson.com
To get automated and make sales while you're doing other things - working with clients, building relationships, living your life, and just doing shit that isn't online... grab my Email Automation Guide here:
Welcome back to the podcast. Today I have with me my coach, Jackie Dragone. She is a business and brand mentor and I am so excited to have her here to talk with me today. So, Jackie, introduce yourself.
Speaker 2:Yes, hi everyone. Tara, thank you so much for having me. As Tara said, I'm a business and a brand mentor and I really help entrepreneurs anywhere from year one to five sort of in the beginning-ish stages create foundations in your business so that you're going to make consistent sales and also go deeper into the brand and the messaging, because that's the thing that is going to lead you to standing out, to help you to make more sales and to keep you tapped into your vision for what it is that you're bringing into this world.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I absolutely love that. I mean, that's why I've worked with you for so long and we've been working together for over a year now. Yeah, and you're going to continue working?
Speaker 2:Yes, or probably ever but yes, I love it, I'm here for it, let's go, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so don't retire ever. I also have to, I guess.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, you're so funny.
Speaker 1:Uh, anyway. So what I really wanted to talk about today, and something that I think we kind of both touch on in a little bit different ways, is what people are really missing in business at like a foundational level, as we see all of these things online and what we're supposed to do for business, but there's so many little things that people are missing. So you tell me, what do you see that, like, most people are missing in order to actually get them the results that they're wanting?
Speaker 2:Yes, number one is actually taking the time to build a community and to build relationships with your audience. It can look really easy on social media Like, okay, I post every day and I sell on my stories and because of that I'm going to have a viable, successful business. But really relationship capital and community capital is the thing that's going to make you sales. And people won't. People don't teach this and they don't tell you about it because they're not sharing with you the full picture of, like, what they did in the beginning versus what they're doing now. Like, once you have an established brand, yeah, maybe then you can be like all right, I'm going to post content, I'm going to make stories, I'm going to run paid ads and I'm making a lot of money. But that is not how most people start out and I really think we need to fill the gap for people's people in their business and you're like one to five in how they're actually going to gain momentum and traction in making money.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and I so agree because it's funny. I've seen a number of things, and this has been over the years. I mean, this has been going on forever. I'm almost at four years.
Speaker 1:Well, I am at four years of being an entrepreneur and it's been the whole time where it's just like host on social media and people will just come to you and like that is not how this works. That's never been how this works, and you know you do. Building relationships is so important and even in what I do with, like, setting up systems and stuff, you can have systems but there's still setting up the system of personal follow-up on the backend. Like that's part of it as well, because it's so huge.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, relationships are everything and there's so many like missed opportunities or like ships passing in the night, because somebody comes to something once and then you don't pay attention to the fact that, like they came because they're interested in your business, right there there's an opportunity to follow up, to build a relationship, to invite them to your free community, to make sure they're in, and then if they take action from there, great, they're still interested. If they don't, okay, maybe it's not going to happen. But understanding that that is part of what it takes to build out your client roster in the beginning.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And I also think it's a thing where it's kind of gotten this like bad rap the whole, like follow-up and DMing people, because we've all gotten those DMs where it's like I actually just had one where this guy would not stop DMing me and he's like oh hey, didn't you get my last message? Like I'm still waiting for you to respond. How is? Is your business? Blah, blah. And I know he just wants to sell me his coaching and I'm like I, I don't know you, like I don't want to talk to you. That's why I'm not responding. And I didn't say that yeah, yeah, that's not, that's why I'm not responding. And yeah, we're not talking about building relationships in that way. And yeah, we're not talking about building relationships in that way. It's like talking to people like a normal person.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It's just like you would talk to somebody in real life, Like I always give the example. First of all, I probably have the same guy in my DMs because I always get them and I'm like what in the world is happening? Number two, it's like when I was working in fitness, like before and after class, the whole time was spent getting to know the people in the class and building a relationship. I wasn't saying are you going to come back to my class next week? That's not what I was saying to them. I was like how was your workout today? How do you feel? Do you have any questions? What are you doing tonight? Like, literally, I was just getting to know the people and that's like why I sold out my classes and that's why I always have like been promoted to leadership positions, because I go the extra step and it's not, it's just the extra step of building a relationship and it goes a long way.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's so does. And I feel like I I know exactly what you're talking about, cause when I worked at the running room as the manager there for a number of years and I actually built up their run club to like way more than it was before, and it was the same thing. It was just building relationships with people so that they would want to come back than it was before. And it was the same thing. It was just building relationships with people so that they would want to come back Like it wasn't anything crazy or hard or whatever, but it's just and it's just normal conversations. So, and especially like when someone is interested in what you're doing, you are. This isn't like cold DMing someone.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly, it's just following up and saying hi and thanks for coming, like I literally just hosted a masterclass and before we got on the call, I was like following up with people that came like thanks for coming today. It's great to have you there. Like any questions, let me know.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and no one gets offended by that. I think that this is the other thing. No, no one's like why are you messaging me?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. No, I really don't think so either. I think that there's such a difference between cold DMs and relationship building.
Speaker 1:Totally and it's huge, I think, a lot of people to appreciate it, because there are so many times when you know you think about signing up for the huge masterclasses with, like the big business gurus and stuff. How many times has someone followed up with you after that? Probably never. Yeah, no, never. You know, and if you can go that extra mile and actually be like, oh hey, like what, what was your biggest takeaway from the masterclass today? Like, was there anything you know that really stood out to you or whatever, Like people really appreciate that they wanted to be there. So it's totally normal if you message them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's like the vibe that you want in your community too. I think it comes down to that Like for me, I like community and I like people to feel like there's not really a separation between myself and them. There's like no pedestal here, Like I want to be in it with you. Like it's kind of the feeling that I would get if I were to meet Mel Robbins or you know someone like that, or Brene Brown. I think they have this way about them that I wouldn't feel like I couldn't ask them things, like I would feel a certain level of comfort and but I would also see them as an authority. And that's the balance that I strive for in my business. And I think part of that is like breaking the third wall and starting conversations with people and saying like hey, I'm here, Like I'm a real human that you're talking to and that's not how everyone's brand is. I think that's okay.
Speaker 2:Like I went to an event last year and the woman that hosted the event was incredible but she didn't like mix and mingle with us at the event very much. It was very much like I am the brand and this is the event, and like I'm going to say over here. I'm sure she was like busy running things behind the on the backend too, but I think it just depends a little bit as well on, like what is the field that you're going for? Like, if I was to host an event with like a thousand people or hundreds of people, I wouldn't want to feel like here's me and here's the event. I would want there to be some like Oprah feels like kind of integrated in her people Right, I want there to be some kind of connection.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So for someone that is just getting into this, like what would you suggest would be a really good community building thing that they should do? Like where should they start?
Speaker 2:building thing that they should do, like where should they start? Yeah, if you're just starting out in your business, I would say, first of all, you need to really be specific with exactly the problem you're solving. What is the value that you're bringing to the table with that? Honestly, part of me wants to say and this is like the unpopular opinion. But I want to say, first of all, have some kind of a community, whether it's your email list, your Facebook group, a broadcast channel or that you're directing people, people.
Speaker 2:I would be getting on, dare I say, a sales call, a connection call, an audit call. I would understand how to speak to the person on that call to show them the gap between where they're at, where they want to go, and then I would sell them a higher ticket service with an optional downsell. So it would be like a three to six month one-on-one with an option for a one month intensive if they say it's too expensive. So I would have like a high ticket offer with a downsell option and I would get 10, 15, 20 people on a call a month, if not more, and just start there. But don't start there in the sense of you're just selling that offer on social media, like put these people in a community, nurture them, do a free masterclass, voice, memo them daily, talk to them. Then offer the free audit call that's in 30 minutes to an hour and then sell them on the back end after they can see like you're a human and you're bringing value.
Speaker 2:That is exactly exactly what I would do if I was just starting over. In fact, sometimes I think about just bringing my business model back to only that, because it's quite simple, you know. So, like I have that thought sometimes, what business model do I want long-term? Because holding space for 10 to 15, like really amazing clients, one-on-one, is super effective as a business model. It can be scalable, it can be if you want it to be, you know. But I also like the masses, so I like teeter totter but like this is the way I would get money into your business if you're just starting out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's exactly how I love to do it too. I although so many people are like don't give away so much for free, don't do free calls, blah, blah, blah I love it and I have done them for so long and they convert really well and I know you've had the same experience Like when you can actually get on a call and truly help someone. That's how you're going to convert people into clients, because you're showing that you can help them. You're not just like talking out of your ass, like so many people like we see a lot of people online that promise things and don't follow through. This is a way to show you know what you're doing. You get on a call with someone and you like walk them through how to do something.
Speaker 1:You give them somewhat something tangible yeah and I think that it's like this is such a missed opportunity and so many people don't want to put work into it, but like there's so much benefit that can come out of it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so much benefit and you can wait for your content to do the selling for you all day long. Or you can use your content to build a free community and then nurture that free community and sell to them directly, and I've done this so many times that I know that number two is going to get you a faster result than number one. If you do not have an established brand, you need to build the business and then the brand, and that doesn't. That doesn't mean that you don't know what you stand for or what your brand is or what the vibe you bring. You know yourself, you know your values, you know your mission, you know where you want to lead people, but at the same time as that, like you, have to have the business built up in order to have brand recognition.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you have to have the foundation there. Yeah, because if you don't have the foundation, you're not going to be able to keep going in your business, like it's unfortunately just the way that it is. Yeah, exactly yeah. I think that there's like too little emphasis on actually truly how can we provide value, because that is what is really going to convert to clients.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Value is so underrated, because I think that what we see online is like a persona of a brand that you have to build to attract people, because you want to be this thing that's larger in life and everybody wants to flock to you and there's this energy around you and like you're just like this big entity, right? So we see so much of that and it's really fucking confusing for people that are newer in business because guess what? That person didn't start like that. They're five, 10, 15 years into the game to become this like figurehead. If that's what you even want, right? You, if that's what you want, and there's no shade I'm not throwing shade on these people.
Speaker 2:I some of them I look up to and I think it's like wow, holy shit, look at what they built. But that isn't. That's not where you start. Like don't try to be this like big, crazy entity or feel like you have to fix or change yourself. Like know the value that you bring, know why you know your expertise, know your story, know your knowledge, know your wisdom. Sell that. That's all you have to do and be in the beginning.
Speaker 1:And sometimes you're forcing it so hard that it's like you're not doing the right things, you're not connecting yeah, yeah, it's, I absolutely agree and I actually I wrote down something during the masterclass and I was just like you know your business, especially when you start out like you're not starting a business Usually, like when we think about starting a business, you're not doing that so you get famous. You're not doing that to win a likes contest, like you're doing that to bring value to people, to make an impact in their lives. That's that's where you're doing this. So you really have to think about, like, how are you going to do that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because a lot of this that we see is you know, especially when you look at those people which, like you said, it's not it's not that that's bad, but it's just that they built this over so much time. Yeah, and you can't look at that and think that's where you're going to start. Yeah, exactly Because bottom line, it is a business and you have to start by running it that way and know how you're also going to make money from it so that you can continue running it.
Speaker 2:Yep Exactly, exactly, spot on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, amazing, all right. Well, where can everyone find you? Tell me all the things.
Speaker 2:Yes, people connect with you. Yes, you can find me on instagram at. I am jackie jargon, also on tiktok, which I've loved, tiktok. Lately I am jackie jargon, um, or on my podcast becoming wildly successful. It's available on apple, spotify and a few other platforms, but those are certainly the most popular um. So head over to the podcast. Give it a listen. There's a ton of business strategy on the podcast for you there. So those would be the top places. Shoot me a message, come, listen and I would love to connect with you.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Okay, and for the last thing, what is like the number one thing that you would tell someone to start with when they're very first starting out? How, like, what would they start with if they're starting tomorrow in their business, or you know, in terms of like, building a community, building relationships, where should they start?
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, you have to. People have to know about you for you to have a business Like. That's number one. So you want to get visible. That's number one is to get visible. But understand why you're getting visible. What do you want to be known for? What's your going to be your signature offer? To start with? What's your signature problem that you're solving? I'm not saying you have to put yourself in a box, but you need to start somewhere, get visible and direct people somewhere with this visibility strategy whether it's to an email list or a free group. Like, don't start with an offer, don't just go try to sell something. I've seen coaches teach this and then people in the group fall flat on their face and they're disappointed and I'm like, well, you didn't teach them step one, which is you need an audience. You need an audience step one, right. But don't just go build an audience without knowing, like, who you want in the audience and the value you're going to bring to them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, amazing, love it All, right. Well, thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you for having me. This was super fun. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yes, amazing, all right. Well, if you are on YouTube, make sure that you like and subscribe and I will catch you in the next one.