Fatime's Friday Findings

18th October 2024

Oct 18, 2024

Hi there,

Here's my latest stuff on #coaching, #introvertmarketing #mindset, #personalities (with the #Enneagram), and my coaching program, #LearningToLoveLeading.

I hope you find some inspiration! ;)

Much love,

Fatime <3

The Who

It is understandable that a lot of introverted coaches (especially if new to social media marketing and selling) aren't sure who exactly their ideal client is.

(Or at least not sure just how much specificity is needed today to stand out, rather.)

Because compared to earlier decades, now we do need seemingly excessively granular detail as to who we serve, if we want to be of help to anybody.

And yes, this will feel exaggerated.

But, no, by going very narrow you aren't risking alienating potential clients.

Keeping things too vague is how you are actually risking not being discovered by anybody.

So instead of saying that you work with e.g. 'mid-level executives' or even 'mid-level fintech execs' consider niching into e.g. 'mid-level fintech execs specializing in fraud, dispute and payments'.

Who do YOU serve?

I serve introverted coaches who want to niche by helping them define the problem they solve so that they can get enough 'right fit' clients –using the Enneagram (both Type and Instinct).

Are you one of them? Book a call today to check.

Content Categories

What's your favorite content format as a consumer?

I'm asking because chances are that's also the kind of content you should probably be creating.

(That's the kind of content you're already familiar with, so yours will likely also feel quite natural, and you'll also have more fun and ease producing it.)

Mine are books, courses, YouTube podcasts and videos, and of course, (1:1) coaching.

And occasionally I also like to geek out on attending webinars and summits IF they feel super relevant (i.e. are niched well –otherwise they can easily be a huge waste of my time, even if they are free.)

I also like to take notes of my biggest personal aha-moments when I watch/go to these.

(And then sometimes even turn them into content as well ...)

A recent summit I attended and got a lot out of it was the 'The Enneagram Summit for Businesses and Teams'.

(If you missed it, you can still buy the recordings here.)

I've also been noticing how sometimes there's a 'delay' with me between when I first encounter an idea and when it finally hits ('lands').

Often when it finally does, it isn't completely new for me. What 'just' happens is that I finally realize its magnitude, the depth and the impact of the bigger teachings behind it.

It's as if these amazing ideas were 'nurturing' me until I 'convert' –to use some marketing lingo here.

Sometimes ideas take their (sweet) time to 'ripen' in us for a host of reasons, including e.g. that

–they are very new to us

–they are in some ways very alien to our current ways of being and operating in the world (#personality)

–they seem/feel very extreme or 'radical' (such as the process of establishing a very specific niche for your offer in the community), or even 'inauthentic'.

Which is sometimes legit, but sometimes just personality 'sticking to its guns' –in which case it might be worth exploring, experimenting further ...

Concerning this summit, these were my 9 'biggest hits' and reminders, thanks to the following fab folx:

Speaker: Mario Sikora (CEO, Awareness to Action)

Snippet: There’s a difference between 'Instinctual bias' (Instinct) and skill.

Significance: Just because you (subconsciously) over-emphasize and prioritize an area of life (e.g. Self-Preservation, Sexual, Social), it doesn't mean you also do it well (i.e. do it with 'skillful means').

Speaker: Catherine Bell (CEO and Founder, The Awakened Company)

Snippet: The highest performing leaders are self-aware, and transformational leadership equals 'I + I + I + I', i.e.

Inspiration (motivation, vision)

Idealized Influence (values, 'walking our talk')

Intellectual Stimulation (asking Qs, get them to figure it out for themselves)

Individualized Consideration (using the Enneagram).

Significance: Self-awareness is fundamental for life, especially if you want to lead –and we all do, even if we don't realize this (i.e. 'thought lead, market to become an authority in and claim our niche).

(For more on this see my coaching program's premise on how 'influencing = (thought) leading').

Speaker: Ginger Lapid-Bogda (CEO, The Enneagram in Business)

Snippet: A group of people in and of itself isn’t a team, and some groups won't (don’t want to) become a ‘team’ (but just stay e.g. at a book club or meet up group level). And that’s OK, it's just something worth being aware of.

Significance: It takes conscious intention and motivation to pursue and achieve anything in life. (You have to be both 'able and willing' to go for the thing.)

Speaker: Ginger Lapid-Bogda and Russ Hudson

Snippet: If a Type is missing on a team, what they ‘bring’ can (should) still be represented and actively remembered.

Significance: What the Types stand for are indeed gifts and should be consciously celebrated, embraced, incorporated (... usual caveat: when they are 'healthy, i.e. aren't 'overdone' or 'manufactured' by our ego).

Speaker: Russ Hudson

Snippet: In the business world 'assertive' Types (T3, 7, 8) are best called the 'initiators', 'compliant' Types (T1, 2, 6) are best called the 'altruists', and 'withdrawn' Types (T4, 5, 9) are best called the 'strategic long view' folx.

Significance: Just another reminder (by Ginger and Mario too) of the importance of how we need to steer clear of any excessive 'woo talk' or 'psychobabble' in corporate settings as this can be off-putting (e.g. terms like 'core wounds', passion, virtue, etc.). And a great reminder of the marketing contradiction that we have to speak the language of our audience so that there is receptivity, so that we can earn the right to serve ... and then educate on these sometimes more abstract ('woo') concepts.

Speaker: Russ Hudson

Snippet: It's worth trying to avoid situations where members of a team know 'just enough' about the Enneagram to be 'dangerous' (e.g. when teaching only the bare bones of the 9 Types).

Significance: A great T5 teaching around how sometimes 'a little knowledge' can indeed be dangerous because knowledge is power(ful) –but it must be used (and spread) carefully.

Speaker: Ginger Lapid-Bogda

Snippet: If a team has too many goals it won't be efficient, if it has too few goals, it won't be effective.

Significance: Finding the 'golden mean' is crucial with everything in life, e.g. with our ego too (as in, too little ego strength is a problem, and too much of it is also a problem); or as Ginger also points out, there are 'optimal levels of interdependence' on a team as well.

Speaker: Ginger Lapid-Bodga

Snippet: The term 'self-mastery' is better than 'Levels of Health', etc.

Significance: I personally also like self-mastery more, it sounds less 'medical' to me ...

Speaker: Matt Schlegel (CEO, Schlegel Consulting)

Snippet: Going round the circle (i.e. from 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9) can be used as a generic formula for problem solving as well as continuous improvement. (Watch his talk where he explains and exemplifies how!)

Significance: The Enneagram is a set of useful (leadership) 'cheat sheets' (compasses) as well, if we pay attention to its layers (and remember to use it not just as a mere personality typology but also as a process tool.)

(*Significance = my (subjective) personal interpretation/understanding, i.e. its 'significance' to me at this stage)

Which

· book(s)

· course(s)

· YouTube podcast(s) or video(s) or

· recent course or coaching experience

could you turn into valuable 'content' for your audience?

How will you go about creating it?

What 'spin' could you add to it to make it a, uniquely yours and b, uniquely valuable (!) for your followers?

(If not sure but curious, this is partly what I teach in my marketing and mindset program, Learning to Love Leading. Check out its details here.)

My Favorite Brands Exercise

When working with introverted coaches on their niche, branding and marketing, I like to ask them to collect their own favorite brands.

This tends to help them identify what core values these represent for them –and whether they want to emulate any of these when they are creating their own niche or offer.

Our favorite brands are often connected to either our Dominant Instinct (i.e. Self-Preservation, Sexual or Social), or the Instinct we are currently 'drawn to' (=our current growth edge).

(Which can often also mean that we are consciously or unconsciously cultivating these in our lives too, and are therefore more drawn to 'serving around' these as well, 'win-win' style.)

(Want to know more about the Instincts? Start here.)

*What are your favorite brands? What are they saying about you? And your ideal client or niche?*

Do I 'Have to' Niche?

Do I 'have to' niche?

Do I have to 'curriculize' my coaching (i.e. offer one, specific transformation, in advance?)

Do I have to pick one platform only?

The answer to all these is –not if you already have enough (or more than enough) of (the right) clients.

(This often happens if

· you've been in business for a good few years,

· have honed your craft,

· have organically discovered who you're drawn to serving, what with and how ... and these people are already referring you on among themselves.

In other words, no, nothing is compulsory, and 'if it ain't broke', you don't need to fix it.

But if you are struggling to clearly, confidently and consistently market aligned with your unique gifts and temperament, check this useful niching PDF, or my manifesto on why and how you should niche with the Enneagram. :D

How to Avoid the 'Niche Wobble'

There is a common phenomenon I'm seeing with the introverted coaches who I help to learn to market their services better (by creating a killer niche using the Enneagram).

After being inspired by a conversation with a lovely client, I have been calling this 'The Niche Wobble'.

The Niche Wobble is the sudden (sometimes recurring) burst(s) of doubt we get when we have started implementing our (new) marketing and mindset (i.e. speaking up about our new niche and serving there too).

And then suddenly we aren't sure whether this is really where we 'belong', where our current calling is ...

And where we personally feel comfortable enough to serve, but not 'too too' comfortable either, so that we can still also grow ...

We don't know if we should change tracks, revert, escape, move to a (the) desert (island) –you name it. (I personally know all these pangs too very well, unfortunately. :D)

The way to prevent niche wobbles further down the line is rooted in

a, doing the deep, thorough niche work (with a coach who challenges you) to dig deep enough to discover your deepest motivations, goals, fears, and triggers (e.g. as per your core Enneagram Type) –and to find aligned and sustainable ways to serve exactly there

and

b, doing enough market (and 'competition') research (in 'side' niches too!) to truly validate your offer for those more 'silent' days when doubt temporarily creeps in again ...

Check out how these happy clients of mine coped with their wobbles and other marketing and mindset issues as well, thanks to doing Learning to Love Leading.

Learning to Love LEADING

Despite quite some pushback from my amazing marketing coaches I called my marketing and mindset coaching program for introverted coaches 'Learning to Love Leading' because I believe that influencing with good marketing is in itself (thought) leadership.

This title also includes my 3 key values in life, as per my Type (8) and its lines (to Type 5 and Type 2), i.e.

learning (T5)

loving (T2)

leading (T8)

And working with so many lovely (generous, sensitive, service-oriented) introverted coaches these days is also making me notice that I'm actually coaching them to learn to love themselves as well, not just 'leading' in their niche.

(This is inevitable, BTW, if you learn the Enneagram, i.e. that as you learn your own Type you understand that, as they say, 'nothing is wrong with you' and that your personality is 'just' a vessel, a 'carrier' that has kept you alive and functional.)

I find that helping people fall in love with their gifts and become increasingly understanding and accepting of their (current) shortcomings is just 'good business'.

Because you can't create a clear, confident, consistent creative/coaching business without truly embracing who you are, at your core.

And you also can't create a sustainable marketing mindset if you don't also learn to understand and appreciate your (future) customers (aka current prospects) as well...

What's your coaching program called? What are your 3 core values? Hit reply and let me know, I'm super curious! <3

Impostor Flare Ups

I was recently called a 'marketing genius' by a client, which caused a massive, instant impostor flare up.

After all, I ain't no Rory Sutherland or Seth Godin.

Nor do I have a PhD in marketing.

Or an M.Sc.

Or an MBA.

(And I just had to Google what masters-level marketing programs are actually called as I thought they're MAs –LOL).

I don't have a Bachelor's level anything in it either.

And I have 'only' spent around $5-10k USD on my own marketing coaches (so far).

Which is exactly where my impostor gremlins like to anchor themselves –in the lack of degrees and certificates and ('earned') sh*t.

(Like having spent, say $11k is suddenly where it'd be 'at'?! Or obtained a degree in yesterday's (!) marketing trends?)

And partly because those amazing coaches taught me well as well, I know that marketing is half magic, half mindset.

(I almost wrote 'madness', which it is too, TBH, aka the Sexual Instinct –more on this here or my program, Learning to Love Leading ;))

In other words, being a good marketer is NOT a matter of your MA, M.Sc, MBA, or M-anything in the field.

It is a matter of sharing clear, confident, consistent ideas, focusing on the problem and the (tangible) transformation you provide (as opposed to e.g. accidentally speaking too much about the 'bells and whistles', i.e. features of your thing, instead of the obtained benefits).

When I felt that I'm getting constricted by the triggering around the generous label, I buckled up and walked myself through it by consciously picking up the anxious anchors and dropping them where they belong.

Namely, in the instant massive value created for this client with their specific 'bleeding neck problem' that they've been struggling with for a while with their messaging and positioning of an important offer.

What do you do when you feel like an impostor? What mindset 'reshuffle' typically helps?

Niche and Package

Another reason why you should niche and package your coaching

(besides the regular suspects of

· signing more serious, more committed clients

· feeling calmer and more focused, more in your zone of genius while serving them

· looking like the calm, confident, serious business that you are ...)

is that you're also helping people justify the expense to themselves.

Now I know, I know, ideally we'd want to be working with people who

· already believe in coaching (i.e. understand the power and importance of regularly digesting, organizing, 'sifting and sorting', metabolizing any accumulated mindset stuff and conceptualizing new goals, etc.)

· have the money allocated for it

· 'know, like and trust' us and want to buy (almost anything we put out) from us, specifically ...)

Yet the reality is that value is half created in the mind, half in the actual offer (service), and by putting a tangible package in front of people that promises to

· take them from A to B (i.e. from pain to solution)

· within a specific amount of time and for a set price (i.e. the 'container'),

we're making it easier for them to buy from us, by helping them to

· justify the expense to themselves by making them feel that they aren't recklessly, selfishly spending money on 'themselves' but on solving a concrete problem they know is costing them (e.g. their health, their reputation, their marriage, their growth –you name it)

Have you already 'niched and packaged' your coaching service? Or could use some help with it? Book a free niche exploration to here.

How to Create a Meaningful Offer

I live in the jungle now (in Cancun, Mexico) and keep getting fascinated by the types of roots that the trees have here ...

(This one behind me, for example, is so uncannily geometrically perfect that it almost looks artificial, IMO.)

*These hanging roots look so uncannily geometrically perfect that they almost look artificial...*

And because I 'live-and-breathe' niche these days, it also reminded me of how our niche's components should also be neatly interwoven (as opposed to just arbitrarily picked and thrown in) to a coaching package.

In other words we always want to craft a coherent offer that is meaningfully 'rooted' in our

–personality's gifts

–existing coaching skills

–certificates of our favorite modalities

–any relevant other past (life) experience

This is also to say that we shouldn't dilute an offer (=confuse our ideal prospects) by offering everything

–we're good at

–have ever done

–got certified in

So a suggestion is to always look for the common thread running through it all, both

–for them (i.e. in terms of the coveted solution and transformation)

and

–for your soul's alignment as well.

Always consider what the 'minimum viable amount' is that they need to get the desired overarching transformation.

(...and don't forget to create a balanced coaching curriculum to help your clients achieve it!)

Keep rockin', happy coaching!

Fatime <3

P.s. Although my 'official' niche (and flagship offer) is all about helping introverts with their marketing using the Enneagram these days, as some of you know I sometimes also work with people who are struggling with 'difficult emotions' caused by 'difficult relationships'. So I figured I might as well create an 'official' mini offer around it –here it is, if you are curious. (Just hit reply if you want to know more.)

Fatime’s Substack

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