Sept. 5, 2023

Mastering Sales as a Fractional CFO With Kathy Svetina

Mastering Sales as a Fractional CFO With Kathy Svetina

Welcome to Sales Made Easy, the podcast that demystifies the art of selling and provides practical strategies for success. In this episode, our host, Harry Spaight, sits down with finance expert turned business owner, Kathy Svetina. As a financial planning and analysis professional, Kathy faced unique challenges when transitioning from the world of finance to running her own business. Join us as Kathy shares her insights on marketing, sales, and the evolving role of finance in today's business landscape.

Kathy reveals the pivotal moment when she realized the importance of asking customers what they want and how her services have benefited them. She dives into the changing perception of finance professionals, who now strive to build relationships with other departments and understand the impact of marketing, sales, and operations on the bottom line.

Discover how Kathy utilized customer research and web copy audits to refine her messaging and align her business with customer preferences. Tap into her experience as a fractional CFO, and learn why startups seeking investors and established businesses in need of strategic guidance can benefit from the specialized services of a fractional CFO.

Our conversation delves beyond sales tactics to explore the importance of collaboration, open communication, and a united approach in fostering business success. Kathy's unique perspective as a finance person provides valuable insights into the interdependence of sales and finance teams and how to forecast cash shortages to ensure business resilience.

Tune in to Sales Made Easy to gain a deeper understanding of the sales process, learn strategies for building relationships, and discover the role of a fractional CFO in driving business growth. Don't miss Kathy's helpful tips and thoughtful advice for sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners alike.

For More about Kathy Svetina:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksvetina/

Website -  https://www.newcastlefinance.us/

Podcast | Help! My Business is Growing -  https://helpmybusinessisgrowing.buzzsprout.com/1809287

Thank you for checking out the Sales Made Easy podcast brought to you by Selling With Dignity.

I'm your host Harry Spaight and bring to you some 25+ years of sales and sales leadership experience in the hyper-competitive arena of office technology sales. I will be chatting with business owners and sales leaders that share their insights about growing their businesses and topics that will be of value. I will sprinkle in a little humor where we can fit it in because life is too short not to have a few laughs along the way.

Look for me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight/ and you can download a few chapters of Selling With Dignity here: https://sellingwithdignity.com/the-book/

Transcript

00:00:00] Kathy Svetina: The more I started doing it, the more I really get educated about what sales means and how. Good selling looks like, not just selling, but good selling. Excellent Selling it. Just trying to be helpful and be supportive and figuring out what is the best solution for what they need right now.

[00:00:17] Kathy Svetina: What I have noticed is that, Even though you might lose a business in that way, it's still, you are getting the right fit business, and people appreciate this so much that they actually send you referrals too.

[00:00:30] Are you looking to improve your sales skills without compromising your values? Welcome to Sales Made Easy, a podcast for business and personal growth. Join Harry Spaight, author of Selling With Dignity, your Formula for Life-Changing Sales Results as he hosts sales experts and business owners who share their journeys of personal growth and business success without resorting to pushy sales tactics.

[00:00:55] Now, here's your host, Harry.

[00:00:59] Harry: For [00:01:00] those of you who are interested in finances, that's a big part of business. We've got a special treat with our guest today. Many business owners struggle to understand their financials and not knowing how to use that information to plan for their business.

[00:01:16] Harry: Kathy Svetina is the founder of Newcastle Finance, a company that helps women business owners get clear on their numbers and their financial strategies so they feel confident they're making good decisions that result. And a healthy and sustainable business. So, Kathy Svetina, welcome to the Sales Made Easy podcast.

[00:01:38] Harry: What is the good word?

[00:01:41] Kathy Svetina: Thanks so much for having me, Harry. I'm super excited to be here with you. Oh,

[00:01:45] Harry: so Kathy and I have been friends for a few years now. If you don't know her, you have to follow her on LinkedIn. She drops. Tons of value. She is a fractional C f O. And so Kathy, what [00:02:00] exactly does a fractional C F O do and how can our listeners benefit from knowing this?

[00:02:05] Kathy Svetina: So, a fractional C F O might sound like a bit of a complicated term, but it's really not, when you think about it, a fraction is a part of. So what you're getting is. Is a C F O that is in your business for a part of their time. So instead of paying, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars for A C F O, which is what C f O actually costs you, you are getting someone, especially if you're in a small business, for a fraction of the time, for fraction of that particular cost because you are sharing that person with other businesses as well.

[00:02:40] Kathy Svetina: So it's almost like a shared service. But instead of sharing it with the people that, you know, you're sharing it with other companies, but you're still getting the same type of service that you would get with a regular c f O.

[00:02:53] Harry: Beautiful. Do people know there is such a thing as a fractional C F O or is just helping people [00:03:00] be aware of this?

[00:03:01] Harry: A big part of your marketing?

[00:03:03] Kathy Svetina: That's a really good question. So I've been doing this for the last four years and I'm noticing that things are changing. So originally when I first started, there was a lot of education of the market and what is a fractional co, what can we do? How are we different from an accountant and bookkeeper?

[00:03:19] Kathy Svetina: And I'm, I'm still doing some of that education, but now a lot of people are actually coming to me and asking, we need someone like you. We need a fractional C F O. So there the market is now. Starting to use the term fractionals fractional, C f O, but it's not just because of the CFOs, but there's also other fractional people out there.

[00:03:41] Kathy Svetina: They're fractional sales managers, fractional HR people, fractional marketing people. So that's really helping because this fractional terms is starting to be more known in the marketplace. And that's, and that's definitely a good thing 'cause we're going from educating people what a fractional means to educating.

[00:03:59] Kathy Svetina: [00:04:00] The service that they're gonna be getting and how we different from other people. So it's, it's shifting. The marketing is starting to shift more.

[00:04:07] Harry: Okay, beautiful. And would you say that people who are in need of your services, where would they fit in with like annual revenues, where they might start considering that they need or is that the benchmark typically?

[00:04:23] Harry: Is it annual revenues where they start thinking that they could use a, a fractional C F O before they even think about getting a C F O.

[00:04:30] Kathy Svetina: So with a fractional c f O, it depends on where you are in your journey. So in, you know, a lot of people ask me like, when do I know that I need a fractional C f O? So there's a difference if you're already an established business, if you're a startup looking for investors.

[00:04:45] Kathy Svetina: So, You would need a fractional C F O, for example, if you're a startup looking for investors, if you are pre-revenue, because you'll need someone to guide you through that process to. And also, investors are more likely to invest in you if you have [00:05:00] someone at the ship that's going to steer your finances.

[00:05:02] Kathy Svetina: So they have a lot more confidence. But I don't work with startups, our work with established businesses. And what, what I mean by that is businesses are already between. 1,000,010. So they are, because they're going to have that pain of, Hey, I have an accountant, a bookkeeper already. They're doing an excellent job.

[00:05:23] Kathy Svetina: But I need more than that. I need someone to help me make actual business decisions, like strategic business decisions. Mm-hmm. For example, you know, is the commissions that I'm paying my salespeople. Is dead at the right levels that it should be. Like, how, how does that tie into my business? How do I hire new people?

[00:05:44] Kathy Svetina: When should I hire them? Is this product or service? How is this going to impact my business in the future? So these are all type of questions that people are asking, the bookkeepers and accountants, but they get frustrated because they're not getting those answers. But it's really not the fault of bookkeepers and accountants because that it's [00:06:00] not their job.

[00:06:01] Kathy Svetina: What bookkeeping and accounting is doing is taking. All of the data that your business gets and updating the past, so they're really concerned about the past of your business when it comes to the future of your business. This is where the finance people lie in, and this is where the fractional CFOs excel in figuring out the strategy, the long-term strategy and the future of your business, and not so much concerned about the past.

[00:06:23] Kathy Svetina: We need the past, obviously, but you don't live in a past as a business owner. You wanna know where the future is going.

[00:06:29] Harry: Oh, that's such a great answer. I even have clarity on that. So I know you hit, you hit the nail on the head. So let me ask, do you think most people, do you think there are people out there that even are not sure what CFOs do?

[00:06:42] Harry: Because what you just described is very different from what I know. A lot of salespeople view CFOs as being counters. They speak negatively for all of your salespeople speaking negatively of being of CFOs, [00:07:00] understand that the good ones are very strategic and looking forward and may need your stuff.

[00:07:07] Harry: So treat them with respect. So talk to me about that is where's this misconception coming from? This, I don't even know know if it's old school, but were CFOs ever really beam counters.

[00:07:21] Kathy Svetina: Unfortunately, I would say yes because there has been also progression in the way how finance used to work and how it works now because there has been a lot more need of look being.

[00:07:34] Kathy Svetina: At the business and being more strategic and actually having this holistic view. And and not just in the small business space, but also in more of the corporate space. Where I come from, there is more of this need to actually be a business partner to other departments. So before we can think of accounting and finance being an all, almost like ivory tower telling people what to do.

[00:07:56] Kathy Svetina: And I think that's where this perception of Bean counter [00:08:00] started. Now there is more this need and. And cultivating of relationships with other departments. And I always say this finance doesn't exist in a vacuum. Like I cannot do my job if I do not know what's happening in marketing, what's happening with sales, what happen, what's happening with operations, because every single thing that you do in your business, Whether it's small or big, or even if it's a multi-billion business, it's going to affect the finances.

[00:08:28] Kathy Svetina: So making sure that those relationships that you have with the marketing and salespeople, especially salespeople, because salespeople are so important when it comes to forecasting the revenue and when the money's actually gonna come in, that I, I can't, I cannot do my job if I do not have a good relationship with the salespeople.

[00:08:47] Kathy Svetina: So I think. Maybe that's where the perception started because it wasn't that partnering with the departments before. It was more telling them what to do.

[00:08:57] Harry: Exactly. Yeah. It's so good. I mean, I can [00:09:00] think of years ago, nothing current 'cause everyone's adopted to this new thinking. You have wink, wink, but.

[00:09:08] Harry: CFOs would basically, from the ivory tower say, you need to sell with more profit to sales. Right? It's like, okay, what does that mean? Now we, we need to raise our GP percentages. It's like, oh, okay. Yeah, so, right. So it's just, it's funny. It is just like, we're just gonna send this out and you guys do it, which again, caused massive conflict.

[00:09:30] Harry: And by, by the way, they were kind of responsible for us getting paychecks every pay period. So, You couldn't really fight it, but it wasn't a real partnership at all. But it sounds to me like the value of this relationship. It's like in sales. I don't know if you've seen this, but sometimes sales leaders.

[00:09:53] Harry: Make forecasts to look good. Mm-hmm. On paper. And the numbers don't always [00:10:00] follow the actuals. Don't always follow the forecast. Yep. So having a great relationship with a sales leader, you could say, so Harry, this is your forecast, really. What do you think I can count on? Yep. And you know, so it's kind of an off the record.

[00:10:22] Harry: Conversation that no one, no sales leader's going to wanna say, just volunteer that because that becomes their forecast. Then it may be below the number then, you know, all kinds of bad things can happen. But how do you, following this line of thinking I have, what do you think about it? If

[00:10:40] Kathy Svetina: you are, yeah. And for me is, here's, here's the thing.

[00:10:43] Kathy Svetina: I know the sales, they have their, you, you have your own quota that you have to meet. But for me, as a finance person, if you know already that you're not going to meet that quota, that there's a chance, you're not gonna meet it. I, I would like to know it. If you tell me open and honest to say, Hey, this is [00:11:00] completely, I'm, I'm, I'm not gonna meet it, I, I just know it because then I can forecast and say, okay, if Harry's not going to meet this particular quota, I.

[00:11:09] Kathy Svetina: That might cause cash shortage for me, three, four months down the line. And I would much rather know that right now so that I can prepare the business. Do we need to get a loan? Do we need to change our terms? Do we need to extend our line of credit, whatever it might be, whatever levers I need to pull so that I, that I can get business through that particular issue because we're not gonna be meeting that revenue.

[00:11:32] Kathy Svetina: So, It is much better for me to know that in advance so I can p prepare versus you know, a week before that and like, Hey, this deal fell through. It just didn't, it just didn't happen. And then we're all scrambling and trying to figure out, okay, now, now what do we do? Right?

[00:11:49] Harry: Oh, it's so beautiful. And so the, so on the sales side of things, sales really should have the understanding of what's going on in the finance side.[00:12:00]

[00:12:00] Harry: This stuff. I mean, everything was kind of kept in silos for many, and not just my past, but in many businesses there's silos sales, you focus on sales, finance, right? You get the idea of what silos are. Yep. But how do you break down the silos? It's just such a very valuable conversation. What do you suggest that companies that are in this space of a million to $10, 10 million, or even larger, what do you suggest they do to like get everyone on the same page and understand the value of this conversation?

[00:12:36] Kathy Svetina: The good thing is with the small businesses, there are not that many silos because you don't have that many people. The thing when it gets really complex is as the business grows, that he gets into multiple hundreds of millions and dollars, and this is where corporations have such. A hard, hard time with this naturally silos start to develop and unfortunately because every single person starts to have their own agenda.

[00:12:59] Kathy Svetina: Mm-hmm. [00:13:00] And what I've noticed is when people are starting to put their agendas in the agendas of their own departments in front in. In front of the actual agenda as a whole, as a company. That's when things start to break down is because we're all saying, you know, we're all here for the greater good of the company.

[00:13:20] Kathy Svetina: We are different pieces of the organization that work together. And if everything works together, you know, it's, it's like a fine tuned machine. But when still start, when things start to break down, Is when every single piece of the machine thinks that they can operate on their own without the others in the input.

[00:13:39] Kathy Svetina: So for me, the way how I like to handle this is come into the conversation, say, open and honestly, and say, Hey, we all need each other. I need you just as much as you need me. I'm not there in my own ivory tower barking down orders to you. But if we are coming together and saying, Hey, we're all these doing this for the greater good of the [00:14:00] company, which by the way, the greater good of the company is also in our best interest as well, because I'm getting paid.

[00:14:07] Kathy Svetina: You are getting paid, you're getting your commission, and my forecast look good and I can prepare the company. We, we all win. So let's think of it as how do we make it so that we all win versus just one person or one department, which, which never happens, you know, because we're all dependent on each other.

[00:14:24] Kathy Svetina: That when things start to break down, the rest of the company is gonna start to break down.

[00:14:29] Harry: Yeah, no, it makes perfect sense. Okay, so you obviously have skills here in the world of finances, and when looking at your LinkedIn profile, I can see you have quite the history of this. Being with your financial background, what made you decide that I'm just gonna go out my own and figure out how I can do sales and marketing and grow a business with the background that you have.

[00:14:56] Harry: So what was going through your mind when you got started? Was it four [00:15:00] or five years ago?

[00:15:01] Kathy Svetina: Yeah. So, you know, I have background in finance, particularly fp and a, which is financial planning and analysis. So the good thing with fp and a is that we see a lot of areas in the business. So we have these conversations with sales and marketing, and I have supported sales and marketing before, but you know, When you support 'em from the financial piece versus actually doing sales and marketing on your own, it's a completely different edible.

[00:15:29] Kathy Svetina: So going from finance into actually running your own business, it's. It was how do I put this lightly? It was a, it was a culture shock. It was definitely a culture shock because now you are not only doing what you're good at, which is finance, which is what I have a lot of skill in, you know, almost 20 years in finance.

[00:15:49] Kathy Svetina: But now how do I market this business and who do I market it to? How does that work? And then how do I actually sell it? It's just like my [00:16:00] mind was absolutely just, On fire. So I think what I did is I started doing it piece by piece. So there were a couple of things that I found that were really helpful for me.

[00:16:09] Kathy Svetina: Like for example, StoryBrand was one of the first marketing frameworks that I really liked. I. And resonated with me. And ever since I have actually then I have hired marketing people. I have hired copywriters from my website to really understand this. But one of the things that was, you're gonna laugh at this, Harry, but it was, it was kind of revolutionary for me at the beginning of this year.

[00:16:35] Kathy Svetina: It's like, why am I trying to figure this out on my own? Why don't I just go to my customers and ask them, you know, what is it that you want? What are the benefits that you got out of, out of our engagement together? Like, how do we, how, how, how did what I'm doing? How did that change your business? And it sounds so simple and so basic, but.

[00:16:57] Kathy Svetina: It just never clicked for me. I [00:17:00] never, like, I use data all the time with my, you know, with my finances, right? But I never used that type of data in terms of sales and marketing. So I know it sounds very basic, but it's, it's one of those things that changed the trajectory of the business this year and it really made a huge impact.

[00:17:18] Harry: Awesome. So what exactly did you do with that information from your clients? Did you put it in video format on your website, or how did, how are you using

[00:17:29] Kathy Svetina: it? So right now it is still in progress. So I can tell you that originally at the beginning of the year, and we're recording this in 2023, I've hired someone to interview all my customers.

[00:17:42] Kathy Svetina: So I did customer research and then I also did some of the web copy audits with. People who would be likely my customers. So they gave me feedback on that, and then I basically took all of that information and I said, okay, [00:18:00] now that I have this, what do I do with all this data? So I knew that I wanted to go and change the website copy, but not.

[00:18:08] Kathy Svetina: Just because I needed to change a website copy, but also because when I changed the website copy, it changes the messaging as well. So the underlying tone there is that I wanted to make sure that the messaging is right and that the positioning is right. So the web copy really help with that because as you putting words on the paper, you are looking at does this make sense?

[00:18:29] Kathy Svetina: Does, does this match what the customer said? You know, it's a lot easier to go towards common goal, goal versus said, Versus saying, you know, I just need to change my positioning. So okay, how do we do that? So I use web copy as an anchor for that to make it easier. So I hired someone to do that and we're still in the process of putting that actually on the website, but it was so, there was so much clarity in terms of the customers that this company is a good fit for.

[00:18:57] Kathy Svetina: Like how do we make sure. [00:19:00] That what I'm talking about, the the company actually resonates with people. So it's, it's been very eye, eye-opening to see that come, come together. So it, and it all stems from, you know, customer research. So, Yeah.

[00:19:16] Harry: That's great. You are, you're such an expert and I mean, I, I look at what you've done knowing you, again, in our group's conversations.

[00:19:26] Harry: It seems like you're such an expert on marketing, and I know you don't think of yourself as one, but you really, I mean, for many of us, we could look and learn from you. I remember a couple of years ago, you had every. Possible app on App Sumo, and you were trying all kinds of different things. I went through that stage myself.

[00:19:46] Harry: I think this is part of growth. Ooh. A new shiny software from App Sumo. Yeah. But let's talk about the sales side of things because you've definitely have had the marketing thing down and you, you've gotten better at it. But what about the one-to-one [00:20:00] sales? What's helped you with that?

[00:20:02] Kathy Svetina: So the one-to-one sales.

[00:20:03] Kathy Svetina: Obviously it's been happening because I've, I've had sales, but I, one of the things that I really wanted to do recently in the business is turn it into a good process because I think when you have processes in the business, and I see that also with the businesses that I work with, once you have the process, it.

[00:20:22] Kathy Svetina: It frees up your mental energy so you don't have to think about it as much. And also it's repeatable so that you can see what's working and what's not working. And it increases the quality because now it's not that, you know, if I talk to Harry, he's gonna get one side of me and then I talk to Jane over there and he's gonna get a completely different side of me.

[00:20:43] Kathy Svetina: So having that process in sales, It was so valuable to me. So what I did at also at the beginning of the year, and I said, okay, I'm, I'm, I'm done with like, muddling this through and figuring out what works and what doesn't. I'm gonna hire a sales coach. So I did hire a sales coach that specializes in women-owned [00:21:00] businesses.

[00:21:00] Kathy Svetina: So we did that and we went through my entire discovery call. How does that work? What are some of the things, the language that I can use around it? The process, like the, the entire step-by-step. How do I do that? How do I actually guide, gently guide the person towards what decisions they need to make?

[00:21:20] Kathy Svetina: And I, and I wanna point out here that maybe the right decisions for them is not to hire a fractional C F O. Hmm. So that's that's also important too, because for me, I'm, I'm in a very. I think as a fractional C F O, you're in a unique position where sometimes you almost have to bid against yourself because I could get a client that it might not be in their best interest to actually hire a fractional C F O for whatever reason might be because they're just not ready.

[00:21:49] Kathy Svetina: They bookkeeping is not done right. We need to first figure out that figure out. Or maybe they're just not financially ready for one, even though they need one. So then I just refer them to other. [00:22:00] People, but having that process around the discovery cause it was so important for me because it, it freed up my mental energy so that I can focus more on the person and helping them versus trying to figure out, okay, so now what do I do?

[00:22:16] Kathy Svetina: What are we gonna talk about?

[00:22:17] Harry: Right. Yeah, that's true. So good. Your when you started out. I just trying to envision what you were like several years ago, but when you just started your business, what was the first thing that you thought about sales.

[00:22:35] Kathy Svetina: I hated it.

[00:22:36] Harry: Okay, and so what, what changed? How did that change?

[00:22:42] Kathy Svetina: I think one, because when, when I was thinking about sales, and you know, even you say that in your book and you have this great example of someone being on a parking lot and then the guy comes in and shakes your hand and it's just, I mean, that was the visual that still stuck in my head and that [00:23:00] was really what I thought about sales.

[00:23:02] Kathy Svetina: But the more I, the more I started doing it, the more I really get educated about what sales means and how. Good selling looks like, not just selling, but good selling. Excellent Selling it. Just trying to be helpful and be supportive and figuring out what is the best solution for what they need right now.

[00:23:20] Kathy Svetina: And it might be that it's, it's not you, it could be someone else. But what I have noticed is that, Even though you might lose a business in that way, it's still, you are getting the right business, the right fit business, and people appreciate this so much that they actually send you referrals too. So you're never really losing a business.

[00:23:40] Kathy Svetina: You're always gaining stuff. You are gaining better customers through better selling. Yeah,

[00:23:46] Harry: so true. I mean, I'm thinking about you saying to somebody, you're probably not ready for me, or This does not look like a good fit right now. Yep. That just has gotta gain massive respect on their side based [00:24:00] on everybody wanting their money.

[00:24:02] Harry: Right? So it's like so refreshing when someone says, This is not right the right time. Is there an ever a negative reaction to that? Are people offended by that at all, or is it always pretty

[00:24:17] Kathy Svetina: positive, would you say? No, not at all. I mean, it's always a positive thing and you know, I, I, I tell 'em upfront that said, you know, even though you're not my client right now, it is still my job to make sure that the decisions that you're making, whether hiring me, that it's going to be in your best interest and your business's best interest.

[00:24:35] Kathy Svetina: So I'm looking at. After your finances, before you even hire me.

[00:24:39] Harry: Yeah. And this is, I mean, this is a great sales lesson, is that you, you, you're honest with your prospect and you let them know that this may not be the best thing for you. And again, if you're just thinking that you're one and done with people, then you're probably not gonna do that.

[00:24:55] Harry: But if you're building lifelong clients or people that are going to give you referrals, [00:25:00] you speak honestly and openly and you share these insights and the trust factor is gonna go up

[00:25:06] Kathy Svetina: immensely on that. And it's also the type of business that I personally wanna build. I'm all about healthy and sustainable.

[00:25:13] Kathy Svetina: So healthy and sustainable does not equal fast a lot of times, right? Unfortunately. Yeah. So I'm not looking at the fast results. It's looking at the slow, steady growth, that it's healthy, that's sustainable. And you know, relationships, relationship are the core of my business. They take time to develop.

[00:25:32] Kathy Svetina: Yeah. And you can't rush that.

[00:25:33] Harry: What would you say? So good. What would you say is a length of a, a sales quote, unquote cycle for you where it's repeatable when someone comes in and they start showing interest from the time, that might be a normal, I mean, ev, there's always people that change their mind and so forth, but what would you say is a good expectation for someone to get started before you turn they decide to become

[00:25:59] Kathy Svetina: [00:26:00] a client of yours?

[00:26:01] Kathy Svetina: So it really depends on what stage they're in. So usually by the time that they come to me, they already have that pain. It is just, the question is, can they, does it make sense for them? So if it does make sense for them, then we can get into a contract within a matter of, you know, days. But if they're either too small, Or if they are just not ready yet, meaning that their books are completely a mess and they need to hire a bookkeeper before that, a really good bookkeeper and I'm not there to supervise that because for whatever reason it doesn't make sense at, at that point in time I.

[00:26:37] Kathy Svetina: Then it could also last another year too. Like I've, I've been in contact with some people that have worked for two years and we might end up working together, you know, in, in the next couple months or so. But that sales cycle could be two, three years long. Also, if they're really ready and if they're that point, it could be just a couple of days.

[00:26:56] Kathy Svetina: So it really depends on, on the stage of the business. Yeah,

[00:26:59] Harry: [00:27:00] totally. And then the whole trust factor is like they have a conversation with you and they have the immediate trust, which I've gotta believe you can build pretty quickly based on your experience. And you know, especially when you get those testimonials and videos like, Hey, look at my friends.

[00:27:15] Harry: Look at my clients. These people say amazing things

[00:27:18] Kathy Svetina: about me. So one of the things that I don't do is I do not use testimonials from clients from in my business is because it is such a. Sensitive topic because it's confidential. So I always make, make sure that I, I don't do that, but if someone refers me to their friend, obviously they're, you know, I am whatever they decide to talk about my services to each other.

[00:27:46] Kathy Svetina: That's none my, none of my business. I hope it's positive, right? But I'm not the one controlling that conversation. Also what I, what I also do in my marketing and my sales, I [00:28:00] talk about the problems that I've solved like on podcasts like this. That's, that's a big thing. I use a lot of videos. So I've, I've been starting to use video for, for the last a little bit more than a year.

[00:28:13] Kathy Svetina: So that's, that's a big one too, because that way people already know how you talk, how you communicate, you know how it is to work with you. So videos are very much an important piece of my marketing and sales strategy. And also, you know, just being visible and providing these helpful resources. As you know, Harry, you were on my podcast.

[00:28:35] Kathy Svetina: I have a podcast called Help My Businesses Growing, which is targeted towards these growing businesses when they have, you know, everything that ends up in your finance and in your business will end up in your finances. We talk about other pieces like sales, marketing, operations, hr, everything, because I want that to be a trusted resource for my.

[00:28:55] Kathy Svetina: Clients and potential clients, and through that, I ga gain a lot of [00:29:00] trust as well too. So just being helpful and genuinely, you know, I would say caring about the business even before they become your client. That's been a big thing for me.

[00:29:09] Harry: Right. Such a great attitude. And you're, you're, you're, you're giving so much value so people can tune in and even if they may not need you right now, they can refer your podcast or one of your videos and say this.

[00:29:23] Harry: Person's a great resource and not just, or you can direct people to, I mean, are you on YouTube or is it all on your website?

[00:29:31] Kathy Svetina: So right now it's all on my website. We are in the process of putting stuff on YouTube too. Not because you know, we wanna be on YouTube, but because YouTube is one of the places when you can actually search and find these things, right?

[00:29:43] Harry: Yep. It's great stuff. All right. Well this has been awesome. I don't wanna keep you here all day. You've dropped tons of value. Is there anything that we missed that you wanna bring up?

[00:29:54] Kathy Svetina: So you know, like I said, everything that you do in your business will end up in your [00:30:00] finances. If you are interested in how this relates to your business, make sure you check out my podcast, help my businesses growing, and if you need help with your finances, I'm always there.

[00:30:11] Kathy Svetina: Kathy Betina, Newcastle of Finance Us is my website.

[00:30:15] Harry: Awesome, and we'll put that in the show notes. So follow this lady. She provides massive value and she's brilliant and I have tons of respect for her. So she is one who does business with dignity and sells with dignity. She will not steer you wrong.

[00:30:31] Harry: So she, Kathy, thank you so much for making appearance and dropping the value bombs like you did today. It's been awesome. Thanks

[00:30:38] Kathy Svetina: so much for having me, Harry. This was delightful.

[00:30:41] Thank you for listening to Sales Made Easy. If you found value in our conversations, please subscribe and leave a review. Our goal is to provide practical strategies for growing your business while staying true to your values. Remember, six. Success in sales [00:31:00] is about serving your clients. Serve first and the selling will follow.

[00:31:04] We'll be back soon with more insights and inspiration. Until then, keep serving and providing value to others. Good things will happen..