The Art of Persuasion: Turning Strangers into Buyers in 45 Minutes with Elena Daccus

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation! JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire! They're brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Business Made Simple. Today, we'll be breaking down the art of persuasion, turning strangers into buyers in 45 minutes. To drop these value bombs, I brought Elena Dacus into EO Fire Studios. Elena is an industry-leading messaging and high-ticket sales expert. She has bought and sold over 50 companies worth up to 10 billion, opened the list to hundreds of businesses and helped them scale. She will help you stop 90 % of stuff that is keeping you stuck and 10x your business with one powerful message in virtual stages.

0:44And today, we'll talk about persuasion skills. We'll talk about turning strangers into buyers. And we'll talk about seven ingredients to turn your webinars into bestselling TED-style talks and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Elena and our sponsors. The Gold Digger Podcast, hosted by my good friend, Jenna Kuchar, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Gold Digger Podcast helps you discover your dream career with productivity tips, social strategies, business hacks, inspirational stories, and so much more.

1:19A must-listen episode is one of Jenna's reasons on everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Listen to Gold Digger wherever you get your podcasts. Is today your day? Visit Thrivetimeshow.com to see testimonials of how Clay Clark's business coaching has helped over 2 ,000 entrepreneurs to dramatically increase profitability. It's month to month and less money than an average minimum wage employee. Schedule your free consultation today at Thrivetimeshow.com. Elena, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with?

1:57Excellent. Well, what's up, Fire Nation? So excited to be here. Well, I believe actually the most important thing in order to be successful is actually the very simple thing is just don't give up. You cannot fail if you just don't stop and don't give up. And actually, the most successful people are just fast action takers. That's it. They're not smarter. They're not more talented. They're just faster. Fire Nation, I have made so many mistakes and I failed so many times, but I've done it really quickly, really quickly, so quickly sometimes I don't even recognize when I'm making the failures because I'm already on to the next failure.

2:35So just keep pushing forward. And today we're talking about the art of persuasion, turning strangers into buyers in a mere 45 minutes. And Elena, you believe that persuasion skills are actually more critical for entrepreneurs now than ever before. Why is that? You see, the thing is, especially right now, I mean, the biggest problem that so many entrepreneurs really facing is increased competition. It's harder to do business. There's more competition in every single niche. And the hardest thing than ever is to get attention. And actually, this ability to convince someone, to move them from just being a stranger to becoming a buyer and then telling everyone, their friends, their relatives about you, your offer and your product is the key ingredients that allows people to stand out.

3:28And actually, this is not just great for getting clients, customers and growing successful business, but it's really required for every stage of your business. If you're asking for funding and if you're then selling business afterwards, that is the key ingredient and the key skill that is an absolute game changer for CEOs and entrepreneurs. Now, I love examples. So can you give us maybe a real world example of this in action? Yeah, well, what we're going to talk about today is one of the greatest examples of that is, of course, webinars, masterclasses or speaking engagements. Then as you, especially if someone's listening, if you're an expert coach, speaker, author, if you run any kind of have an online business or online presence, being able to talk about your value of your offers from stages, from virtual stages, from webinars is really great example of that.

4:20And in 45 minutes, that's a really effective way to really summarize your message and really shortcut But this time that someone needs to go through to get to know you, to love you and love you offering products and ultimately want to work with you or buy from you, which is why, you know, webinars are still one of the most effective ways to really grow the business online. As you can see, Fire Nation, Elena is fired up. She's excited. We're going to be talking all about this today. And this is going to be real awesome content for you to take your knowledge, utilize it with the art of persuasion and turn strangers into buyers?

4:59Because I will say one thing that I've recognized with my audience, Elena, they do a lot of things right. They're excited, they have a lot of good ideas, they move forward, but at the end of the day, they are struggling to turn strangers, people that they are just meeting or cold calling or emailing into actual buyers. What are they doing wrong? Yeah, well, there's a few things that many people really fall into. And first of all, it's totally understandable. I mean, one of the things is that sometimes people don't understand the importance of, you know, this webinars or masterclass, especially if people are maybe running launches or if they're doing cold calling or if they're doing any type of speaking engagement, maybe from stages or maybe they're doing podcasts.

5:45Sometimes people don't really appreciate the importance of that time. The importance of investing time and thought and effort into actually creating this 45 webinar masterclass. So they just don't spend enough time and thought about it. Or they use some maybe a template that they've downloaded from a course they took years ago. So that's one thing. Number two is what I see a lot of people, especially very experienced, outstanding experts do is when they think about, right, I have a launch coming up. I want to give as much value to my audience. Well, I'm going to teach my best stuff for free in the hope that afterwards people will be impressed by the expertise and they want more.

6:27But actually what we find in working with hundreds of businesses is actually the impact is the opposite. When you kind of teach and maybe overwhelm people with steps and how-tos and tutorials, instead of being impressed, they're overwhelmed, they're confused. And that actually, as we know, is the best way to lose clients, To lose perfect buyers is to confuse them. So those are kind of the key things. And another thing is one of the reasons why people think, well, this webinars and masterclasses are dead is because there's so many webinars that purely focus just on selling, just on pitching. And just really, you know, there's not enough of that transformational insight.

7:13And we'll talk more about that later because I think it's such an important aspect. that people don't get that transformation, that insight, that value that gives them the aha moment enough. So there's too much of a selling. Now, before we do move on to that specifically, can you give us a real world example of how you've done this or maybe one of your clients? And of course, we can bring out the specifics so we don't have to talk about names or numbers, but what actually has it looked like for somebody to put that into action? Yeah, well, there's of course different ways of doing it. A lot of my clients, what they do, let's say they have a speaking engagement, maybe they're running a launch, especially what we do with them.

7:54We always put together this 45-minute presentation. And, you know, the way people can be thinking about that presentation, there's no pitching, there's no selling, but there are some key, really powerful ingredients inside it that really convince the person, really show why you're perfectly positioned to sell what you're selling, what is unique about your product and offer. this unique selling proposition, but we really do it through really powerful insights. And the way it practically will look like, once you have this presentation, you can then share it on a stage. You can do it as part of your launch.

8:28You can put it inside of your evergreen funnels if you love those automations. So you can use it in all parts of your messaging. And it kind of becomes your messaging ecosystem, really. And the beautiful thing about this is that every email, every piece of content that you produce every ad comes from that messaging ecosystem, which means you're always on message. And we know when we look at most successful companies in the world, like Amazon, Apple, Chanel, one thing they all have in common, they're always on message. We know exactly what they're about, how they work, what value they bring. And that kind of creates this brand because we know people need to hear the same thing over and over, sometimes 21 times before they're ready to buy before they kind of make this decision.

9:14So really thinking about masterclasses, speaking engagement is a good practical way to utilize this. Also, if you're thinking about funding, and if you're thinking about asking someone for funding or selling shares in your company, that's effectively another way of convincing someone to be brought and buy your product and your idea and your business. Fire Nation, I hope you're enjoying these real world examples. And we have a lot to talk about around these topics, including seven ingredients when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic this year. Even if you're not using it, you've likely heard about the many benefits it can provide, like helping you save time, brainstorm ideas, and tackle your to-do list.

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12:58Schedule your free 13-point assessment today at thrivetimeshow.com. Elena, we're back and I want to dive into the blind spots that we have as entrepreneurs when it comes to webinars, when it comes to speaking events. Yeah, well, one of the key things is indeed is people think that the best way to sell is to sell with information. And when they think about adding value, they think, I'm going to share the best stuff I know. I'm going to share the steps. I'm going to share all the expertise that I have in my shortest time. But actually, what that does is really this is where a lot of people lose clients.

13:35And also, if you think about the thought leaders of this world, like Simon Sinek, Brenner Brown, Arthur Brooks, if you think about their TED Talks, they actually never share information. They never share steps or tutorials. They never bombard us with data. They do something completely different. They actually give us insights. They change our point of view. They give us a new outlook on life. And this is why we remember them, right? We are like blown away. We think, wow, I have never thought about this way before. But they're also able to create this demand and desire for their offer, which means they don't have to pitch in.

14:16And that's kind of a key blind spot is really not recognizing that actually information does not sell. Fire Nation, I've teased it twice already. Now we're going to get into it because Elena, you've created a recipe to turn salesy webinars into best selling TED style talks that will literally have people begging you to buy. What are those seven ingredients? One of the things, again, you need to be thinking about thinking exactly like TED style talk. What is it that gets us to watch one 20-minute talk like 20 million times and it goes viral? Why is it a bestselling book reaches New York Times bestseller, even though there are so many Harvard PhDs that have written maybe a better quality book?

15:05But why is it the other book actually becomes a New York Times bestseller? And that's the same idea that makes those TED Talks most viewed. Those bestsellers are so incredible is what you should be thinking about putting inside your masterclasses. And it's really about this transformational insights. That's a new way. That's kind of a big way to be thinking about your talk. What are big ideas inside your business that are connected to your offer? Really important that you can really infuse. One of the things that we always do with my clients, we count how many blow-my-mind emojis they get when they run their speaking gigs or their masterclasses.

15:44That's the reaction we want. So first ingredient is really thinking about what are the big ideas that give people this aha moment, that wow them, that gives them new way of looking at the same thing that maybe they've been trying to solve and resolve before that your business can offer. And every single business has this big idea. It's just the case of digging it out. And then, indeed, the next one is a lot of people, they might share great talk. They might share amazing stories, right? They might share amazing stories, and they're really heartfelt stories. But they really fail to create demand for their offer or their product at the same time.

16:24And that is key ingredient, John, because it's one thing we have to do this two things. Because, of course, everyone's listening to this and running their businesses. They want to be successful, but they also want to add value and create the impact. So big ideas, transformational insights, giving people this aha moment, blow their mind and change their beliefs and perspectives. But at the same time, you've got to create that demand for your offer. That means that everything has to be connected to your offer at the end. ultimately positioning you as a speaker, as an author, as a CEO, as an entrepreneur to sell what you are selling.

17:01Why? So it all kind of makes sense in the mind of a customer. So they almost in the end will be making the buying decision themselves without you even asking or pitching your stuff. That's the beauty of this product, of this process. And yeah, and you've got to also obviously connect to the audience. And, you know, we can talk for a long time about this connection, but this deep connection with an audience. And a lot of people, when they talk about their target audience or their avatar, their marketing terms, they use kind of this, you know, this generic overused language. Like you're lost, you're overwhelmed, you're struggling with this.

17:44And what we're finding is this language is actually gets a lot of people quite resistant. They're like, well, I'm not overwhelmed. I'm not lost. But actually, when we change the language into very specific symptom-based and really in a very objective way, describe where people are, what a real problem they're facing in their business or in their life. And we get so specific that your audience feels like, oh my word, she or he can see the color of my clothes or how I'm looking. This is incredible. So that's another ingredient. to success. And of course, there are so many as well. Fire Nation, there are so many ingredients to your success.

18:27We're going through a few here. And I want to really talk with our audience now about your recommendation. If we need help for our next virtual or in-person events, what are the steps we need to take? What ingredients do we need to make sure are involved? Well, the key thing also, keep it short and concise, Keeping it short and concise. And certainly, especially right now when there's so much information out there, people get really distracted. Keeping it short and your ideas short is really important. Another thing is think about every time you share something, think like you're in a court case.

19:04You have to prove it. People will not believe someone just making a statement. Prove it. Analogies, examples, so many ingredients. Think about best-selling books. Ultimately, they will have one or two ideas inside of a good book, but then they have so many case studies, examples, analogies, different representation of that idea in a different environment that by the end of it, we're totally convinced. We're no longer questioning this, and it becomes almost our idea. So when you're putting together masterclasses or speaking engagement, that's big ideas, one or two no more, but then infuse it with so many real life stories, examples, analogies, kind of psychological tricks to get people to completely take it on board.

19:50Elena, you've given so much value today. You've been dropping value bombs. We talked about persuasion skills, how critical they are for entrepreneurs right now, turning strangers into buyers. We talked about some of the seven ingredients and the recipe of turning salesy webinars into a best-selling TED-style talk. What is the one thing you really want to make sure Fire Nation gets from our conversation today? Yeah, well, the key thing is just, if you list out movie listeners, you've been struggling to create maybe sales, maybe traction, or perhaps you've been doing lots of speaking engagements or running webinars or masterclasses and you've been getting kind of nice comments and claps, but you actually haven't seen the buying frenzy and the people really buying and you're missing that oomph.

20:37Well, maybe this is now the time to go deep into your messaging because if you focus on that, go deep on it, explore it, it will make a huge difference to your business. I have worked with hundreds of businesses and that's one asset that we're spending time on obsessing. In fact, it's one of the most important assets in your business. So spend time on it. Now, Fire Nation wanted to connect with you to learn more from you. What is your call to action for our listeners today? Sure. Well, the best thing is, of course, we're going to drop my masterclass in the show notes, but reach out to me on Instagram, on Bossy Hills Club.

21:16And let me know that you're a listener. And for all the listeners, we will offer a free messaging audit. So if you already have a webinar or you have something going on, but it's not quite working and you don't know why, me and my team will audit your messaging ecosystem and we'll tell you exactly what's happening, what's missing and how to fix it. And also, of course, I have a podcast, Bossy Hills podcast by Elena Duckey. So go and check it out. And yeah, reach out and connect and let me know that This is where you found me and I would love to connect with you and support you. Wow. What an offer, Fire Nation, a free messaging audit.

21:52Because honestly, sometimes it can just take a little tweak to make a huge difference. Sometimes it's a big tweak and that might be the case. But sometimes just a small little twist, turn, tweak can make all the difference in the world. And you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with ED and JLD today. So keep up that heat. for links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com, type Elena in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up. And Elena, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side.

22:28Thank you so much. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Elena for sponsoring today's episode in Fire Nation. What can 4 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs teach you? How about how to achieve financial freedom and fulfillment. My first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, is a revolutionary 17-step roadmap that will lead you to the lifestyle you've been dreaming about. This book took me 10 years of accumulating the genius of the world's top entrepreneurs, and you can get it all in one place when you visit UncommonSuccessBook.com. I'll catch you there or on the flip side.

23:09The Gold Digger Podcast, hosted by my good friend, Jenna Kuchar, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Gold Digger Podcast helps you discover your dream career with productivity tips, social strategies, business hacks, inspirational stories, and so much more. A must-listen episode is one of Jenna's recents on everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Listen to Gold Digger wherever you get your podcasts. Is today your day? Visit thrivetimeshow.com to see testimonials of how Clay Clark's business coaching has helped over 2 ,000 entrepreneurs to dramatically increase profitability.

23:46It's month to month and less money than an average minimum wage employee. Schedule your free consultation today at thrivetimeshow.com.