Ep #209: Client Interview: Tripling Your Business

Stacey Brown Randall:       Let’s do some quick math in your head: think of your business and how it did last year in 2021. Now, imagine that you tripled it in 2022. Feels pretty cool, right? Let’s talk about how one client did just that.

You are not just another hustling salesperson. You are the expert, the
resource, the valuable partner for your clients, and how you grow your
business should reflect how your clients see you.

Welcome to the Roadmap to Grow Your Business podcast. We generate
referrals without asking, build positive client experiences, and help
you take control of your business.

Here’s your charmingly sarcastic host, Stacey Brown Randall.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Hey there, and welcome to episode 209 of the Roadmap to Grow Your Business Podcast. I’m your host, Stacey Brown Randall.

Okay, because we are talking about how a client tripled their business, we don’t need to do a shout out because these results my friend, will be the shout out themselves within our conversation today. So, let’s dive right on in to today’s episode.

I’m so excited to bring you this interview with Angela Cisneros. She is a jewelry concierge, which I got to admit, it’s a pretty cool job. And I don’t know, I should have asked her this, if she actually created this as a job, or if maybe she’d heard somebody else do it before, but is really, really cool about what she does. And she does talk a little bit about it when we get into the interview. So, I’ll let her do that, I won’t steal her thunder.

But I just want you to think for a moment. I want you to put you in Angela’s shoes before you listen to our conversation. So, I want you to imagine the business you have today, if you’ve already started it, I want you to imagine that you started your business the beginning of March 2020.

Now, for some of you, that is actually your reality because you started your business in the first quarter of 2020. I’ve talked to many people who’ve come into my programs that have found themselves in that place. But most of us did it. Maybe we started our business way after March of 2020, or we started it like I did, not quite a decade before that.

But imagine starting your business March of 2020. It would be a really wild ride, wouldn’t it? Well, I’m so glad that Angela was referred to me by Heather, another one of my GBR and Referring Machine clients.

And so, Angela was referred to me and she joined the Growth by Referrals and referring machine programs. So, she’s executing on both those strategies. And in her one-year mark, that’s when she joined with us in March 2021.

So, I didn’t only imagine how that first year was for her. And we dip into it a little bit, but I had the pleasure of coming alongside her at her year mark, March of 2021, and I’m not going to spoil her results.

I mean, obviously, we’re talking about tripling her business, but I won’t spoil the results. But of course, we’re going to talk about how she tripled her business from what she did in her first year. That probably was a crazy start to that year. But then, she’s one of those clients everybody wants, which I am fortunate enough to have a lot of clients like this because they do what you tell them.

And I know that sounds crazy, but actually, if you’re a business owner and you sell your expertise, you sell your experience, if you’ve got acronyms and abbreviations after your name, it’s like alphabet soup. Like you are certified, you’re trained, your experienced, like you know what you’re doing — it’s exactly how I feel every day when somebody new joins any of my programs. I’m like just do what I ask you to do.

And when the clients do and they have success, it is like cheering from the rooftops. And so, I’m so excited to bring you this conversation with Angela; how she spent her first year in business in the COVID year, and then she got really serious March of 2021 through February of 2022. We’re going to talk about what that year was like while she was tripling her business while implementing a couple of the foundational referral strategies that I teach.

Here we go!

Angela, I am so excited that we get to have our conversation and dig in to you tripling your business after one year in the Growth by Referrals Program.

But before we get to that, because of course that’s amazing and awesome and I can’t wait; before we get to that, I did give you a little intro prior to us starting, but I really want you to explain what is a jewelry concierge because I think it’s the coolest thing on the planet.

Angela Cisneros:       Well, hello, and I’m excited too about sharing all the things that I learned. So, jewelry concierge is basically a one-on-one by appointment jeweler. So, I worked in a regular retail store for about 22 and a half years and I found that people were uncomfortable. Like people wanted to share their stories and they were standing awkwardly in a room full of strangers.

And so, when the owners retired, I said, I’m going to do something different. And so, I had the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with people, they can share their stories, voice their questions or concerns, and I can really figure out what they want and help them to get the jewelry of their dreams.

Stacey Brown Randall:       I think that is amazing. I don’t know what the process was like for my husband when he was going in and purchasing the engagement ring. I do know that what he first picked out and showed my friend, she said, “Go back to the drawing board.”

So, I could imagine how much easier Nom’s life may have been had he had you in his life. I don’t know, like we’ve been married what now? Almost 17 years. So, like 18 years ago, but that is amazing. I think that is a brilliant, it’s a brilliant business idea.

And I love obviously, that you’re doing it and you followed your dream and your path, but also, that you’re having success with it and that I have gotten to be a part of your journey and a part of that success. And of course, that gets me all excited and all giddy, is to know of the success you’re having. So, we are going to start with your results.

A lot of times I do these conversations and we wait. Like we talk about all the things and then we get to what the results were. But we’re going to flip it this time. We’re going to start with the results so people can understand kind of what this looked like. And then I’m going to ask you some questions, just kind of a little bit about how the last year has been for you.

So, at the time of this recording, obviously, we’re past your one-year mark in the Growth by Referrals Program and we are past when this goes live, of course, the one-year mark as well. But you really tripled your business in the last year. And really, we’re kind of looking at that March 2021 through like to March 2022, so to speak.

That kind of timeframe, that 12-month timeframe, and you tripled your business. You got 22 referrals in that timeframe and cultivated 13 new referral sources. So, 13 new people referring you.

And obviously, it had a big impact on your business from the perspective of having these new people starting to refer you and trust you, and then having these folks that were like, “Yes, I’ll be referred to have a conversation” and then that helping you really triple your business growth, which is so amazing.

So, how does it feel kind of like reflecting on that and that success?

Angela Cisneros:       It feels amazing. I started my business in March of 2020. It was frightening at that time in life for a number of reasons. And I was just so scared. I didn’t know how I was going to get my clients, how I was going to advertise, what was going to be effective, and I just dove right in. And I did a lot of social media that was really, really beneficial.

And then to start the Growth by Referrals Program and to have steps, that was one thing I really, really appreciated that there were steps involved. When you start a business, a lot of things feel a little chaotic and so, like had steps to follow, a plan to follow, really gave me an anchor and helped me then focus on what I needed to.

Instead of getting caught up in the chaos, I could focus on the actual referral parts and building that part. But I’m so proud of myself. I never ever imagined that I’d be in business for myself and so, I’m just so proud of myself.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Well, you should be super proud of yourself. You absolutely deserve it. I think that is amazing. And I think you’re right. I think … so here’s two things I want to just kind of point out for folks who are listening to you talk a little bit about your journey.

You started your business in March of 2020, and you kind of had what I call that hard knock year. I mean, it’s exciting and it’s scary, like all at the same time. And I’ve done it twice, so I know it very, very well. And you try a lot of things and you see what will work and you talk to a lot of people because you want people to know you have this new company and you’re excited to share it.

And like there’s a lot of pounding the pavement and there’s a lot of like figuring things out and testing things and trying things and see what will happen. And I just think you have to go through it. I think there’s so many people that want to short cut or short change themselves.

I mean, I won’t say like joy of the first year, but like the highs and lows of the first year, I really think it helps kind of like cut your teeth as an entrepreneur and it kind of like remind yourself of how strong you are, and what you are actually capable of, kind of having that hard like tough like, “Oh, I don’t know if I’ll make it,” but just being a business owner for the first time is unlike any other experience you’re ever going to have. I mean, maybe, I don’t know.

I guess, I could equate it to becoming a mother. You’re kind like where is the instruction manual for both? You’re like, what the heck? And there’s lots of people out there who can give you great advice, but you just kind of have to go through it yourself as well, both, becoming a mom and starting a business.

And so, I love the fact that you were kind of like in it for that first year and you just kind of like dug in and did the things you needed to do. And then what you didn’t mention, I want to give a quick shout out to Heather, one of my other clients actually referred you to me about the time you were starting your second year in business. So, I love the fact that you came in to the Growth by Referrals Program in your second year in business.

There’s not a right time or a wrong time for people to join any of my programs. It’s the time that is what is needed for yourself. But I usually actually tell folks when they’re in that first year of business, like just get through that first year, at least the first six to nine months, know what you’re actually selling and what your process looks like before you try to start getting a whole bunch more referrals from that perspective.

And so, I love that I got to start with you and you came into the program when you were hitting that second year in the business, March of 2021, and then got to have that next year with you.

And then you said the other thing I think is really important, which is steps. Like how much of a necessity are steps to follow when you could technically do anything, because there are a gazillion ideas and experts and resources and bright, shiny objects of teaching you how to grow your business and what you should be doing.

So, knowing that you came into something that was going to be step by step and then hold you accountable to every three months, like actually tracking your results. I think that’s a piece within some of our programs where we do the tracking on a quarterly basis that we sometimes forget to talk about when people are thinking about joining your program.

Is like actually not only you’re going to learn it, then I’m going to stay on you and make sure every three months you’re telling me what’s happening, so we know it’s working. And so, that helped you as you kind of got through that year and I love it. I mean, I think that it’s like this perfect, like … again, there’s not a right time or a wrong time to join or the best time to join the program.

But at the same time, I do think that when you came in, you were just positioned for it and that allowed you to take what I was teaching you and then to put it into practice. And then look what a good student you are because you had all the success, which is amazing.

So, what was it as you were approaching the second-year mark, you’re having those conversations with Heather about, maybe it was just about referrals and then that’s when she brought up my program that Heather’s also in as well; but what was it as you were approaching the end of your first year, starting your second year and you’re like, “I need to get serious about referrals?” What was that for?

Angela Cisneros:       Honestly, I didn’t think too much about referrals because as you’ve said before, they were so awkward. Like “Refer someone to my business, I’ll give you a cookie.” It’s weird and it’s awkward, and Heather actually, we talked briefly about it and she gave your book.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Awesome.

Angela Cisneros:       And I dove right into your book and it just made sense on a practical level, but then also made sense for me because I always look at jewelry as connection. So, I’m connecting to my client. But my client is also connecting to their sense of style.

There’s connecting to somebody else, they’re connecting to future generations, and what I really was drawn to in your program was keeping those touch points was all about connections. So, it just felt so authentic to me to be able to, you want to call it market, that sounds inauthentic, but to reach out to my clients and reach out to people in that way, it felt like this is how I do business.

And so, it was nice having only a one-year business because I could really reach back and look at my clients and really have, as some of the steps were involved in creating a plan, and walking through what you taught, I could look back and it wasn’t like looking back over 20 years, and I could also create healthy habits moving forward, instead of trying to relearn and trying to change something I’ve already had instilled in me.

Stacey Brown Randall:       That is definitely a benefit: you got to learn it fresh versus having to unlearn to relearn. I mean, there’s a lot of folks who come into my program who’ve been in business 5, 10, 15, 30 years, and they’ll tell you, there’s a lot of unlearning to relearn how to do it in this way, to have those connections, to be that authentic piece and to really like focus on their relationships.

And it’s not like they were unwilling to do those things before. It’s just that so much of the tactics that are taught today, they keep the focus on us and our business and growing our business. And we just kind of flip that on its head to get to the end result, which is let’s focus on them. And then we know it’ll come back around from that perspective.

And of course, there’s more to it than the high level I’m giving it at this point. But I also think it’s important for people to recognize in that one year that you came into the Growth by Referrals Program — actually, you’d had two programs.

You did Growth by Referrals and then you also had Referring Machines, which that’s the abbreviated name because it’s a super long title, which is How to Turn Clients and Contacts into Referring Machines. But we call it Referring Machines for short.

So, not only did you take the Growth by Referrals Program, which gave you the roadmap, the steps of how to take care of the people who in that first year had already started to refer you. And then you learned the roadmap, the steps to how to take people that you wish were referring you and to cultivate them into referral sources. Hence, that’s where you got 13 new referral sources from, which means of those 22 referrals you got in that 12-month period, 13 of them came from brand new people.

Like that is half. Everybody knows I don’t do math in my head. I do not do public math, but yes, that is actually more than half if I’m thinking correctly. It is. So, like not only did you have people who had referred you in that first year, that you could leverage to continue to refer you, but also, you could have new people be like, “Wow, yes, of course, I would refer” and it was their thinking, it was their idea because you never asked them to refer you.

You never hinted around like, “Hey, anybody, you know …” Like you never had to come out directly. You never had to hint around. You just had to be like in community with them, in relationship with them and focus on them.

And then this is what people always miss about the scientific pieces of how this works from the sociology and the psychology and kind of like the behavioral economics of how all these pieces work together, is that you actually can get what you’re looking for, the results you’re looking for by putting other people first, and by focusing on it in that way.

And so, you learned two strategies and implemented on two strategies as you were kind of going through your second year of business, but your 12 months with me inside GBR and Referring Machines.

With those two processes that you learned, did you have any like big “aha” moments or any big thing? “Like if there was one thing I would tell somebody that I learned that I didn’t know before, it’s this.” I mean, there may be many things, but like what’s the big thing?

Angela Cisneros:       I’m thinking back to where my brain was.

Stacey Brown Randall:       And it’s a good considerable amount of content and good considerable amount of like the process that you built and then what you executed on.

Angela Cisneros:       I think, and this might sound, I don’t know — but for me, my big “aha” moment was or one of them was like it’s so much fun. Like meeting with people and taking time to really connect with people, as opposed to just trying to get business. They sound like the same, but you go about them a little bit differently and it was so much fun.

And I also found that one of the things I think you said, and it rang true for me is as you are meeting people and making appointments or making meeting times that you needed to like set a time, call it when you call them and contact them, like set a time. And that made a big difference instead of, “Yeah, yeah, let’s get together.” It was like, “Okay, let’s get together this day or this day.”

And that was a big, I guess “aha” moment as well, because I did a lot of the, “Yeah, yeah, let’s get together. Yeah, yeah, let’s get together.” So, I liked having a plan.

Stacey Brown Randall:       And sometimes, it’s the tiniest things that make the biggest “aha” moments or the biggest improvements to your business. So, that’s awesome.

I mean, sometimes I talk with people who’ve been in business like decades and they’re like, “I can’t believe you had to tell me that I needed to be doing that and somehow I had forgotten.” And I’m like, “Hey, it happens to all of us.”

Like I could tell you things in my business and I’m like, I should be doing it, I can’t believe I forgot to do it. Now, I need to get back to it. So, it definitely happens in all aspects of our business.

But you’re right, it is fun. And for the introverts that are probably listening, they’re like, “Oh my gosh, she said, meet with people.” It’s not as if that’s the only thing you were doing and it’s not as if you were meeting with somebody new every single day.

But the truth is if you want to grow your business by referrals, you’re going to have to have relationships with people who would put their reputation on the line to send a client to you, who will eventually give you money. And that is the ultimate like definition of what a referral is, which means we only refer people we trust.

And most of the time, we have some level of a relationship with the people that we trust. It doesn’t mean you need to see them every week or every month, but you probably need to start off by meeting with them.

And that’s one of the things we teach in Referring Machines, is that first conversation, but the what you do and say in that conversation, to your point Angela, is what makes it fun, is what makes it relaxed, is what makes … it’s like this isn’t about me, so like I can just calm myself down and enjoy getting to know this person.

And I think that’s what helps whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, understand that yes, there is connection. Yes, there is conversation with people, that maybe people you don’t know that well. But ultimately, the way we structure this, pulling on how we know that this works, seeing it work from experience and then what the science tells us, is that it’s going to be enjoyable as long as you allow yourself to enjoy it.

But if you go in thinking, well, I’ve got to tell these 14 things about what I do, you’re already miserable, and guess what? So, are they. So, I don’t teach anything that comes at it from that perspective. But I know there’s probably some introverts saying, “She said, meeting people as fun. What if I don’t think it’s fun?”

Don’t worry. What we’re talking about is when you’re in those meetings, because you’re going to have to have some of them. I mean, I guess the reality of this is someone’s like, “I want to get referrals by never talking or meeting with a single person.”

I’m probably not the person to teach you how to do it because I don’t know. I don’t know how to get you referrals without you ever having to meet or talk to, or get to know or building relationships with anybody. I don’t know how that works. If you figure it out, tell me.

But the reality of it is, is for this to work, it’s got to be genuine. But you cultivated 13 new people. I have somebody right now that’s in Building a Referral Business and she’s like, “I just need five new referral sources.”

Like that’s not a lot. Like five new referral sources, there are some people who start out and they’re like, “I could use like 20 new people referring me.” Like we all start at different places, we all have different things that we need as the year goes on. So, I think that is a brilliant “aha.”

And I know you kind of were like, it may not sound like super serious that it was fun, but Angela, that’s what kept you going through the year, was the fact that you enjoyed it. It was fun, so you kept doing it, and then you got to bask in your reward of actually having a business that was tripled in growth. So, congratulations.

Angela Cisneros:       Well, thank you. And I will say I am an introvert. The big crowds aren’t my favorite, although I’ll do them. So, I actually found the meeting 101 really right up my alley as an introvert because I got to have good conversation as opposed to how’s the weather type conversation.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Oh, I love that you said that. I would not have guessed that you’re an introvert. So, maybe that’s just because I get to see a different side of you being a client of mine. But that is awesome, so thank you. See, all introverts now are like, “Okay, if Angela can do it, we all can do it.” Introvert/extrovert, personality really doesn’t matter.

Okay, so now, you have these strategies in place. Moving forward, based on what you’ve learned over the last year, you’re now in your third year of business, how do you feel about having these strategies or these processes or these plans in place as you move forward? What does that look like for you? How do you feel moving forward having gone through this past year?

Angela Cisneros:       I feel really confident. I feel like again, going back to what I said earlier, I still have a plan to work with. Yeah, confidence would be how I feel.

The other thing is that one of the things you talked about before is, you’re working so hard on your business and you’ve got your nose to the grindstone and then you look up and you’re like, “Oh shoot, where’s my next batch of clients?”

And part of the reason I feel confident moving forward is that even when it’s like a down month for me or a down few weeks, and I’m like, “Oh no,” it’s like I can hold onto that as my anchor and go, “Okay, how many people are you meeting? Where are you reaching out? What are you doing?”

And so, it helps calm me in that moment of franticness to just continue to move forward instead of getting lost in the franticness.

Stacey Brown Randall:       I think that is such a powerful statement, that it gives you confidence, but really, what you mean, is in the moments of wondering, because we all … I’ve been in business almost a decade and this is with my second business. So, I’ve been a business owner for all … I’ve been around the block before. I’ve been a business owner for a little bit longer than a minute.

And the truth is no matter how successful my business is, I still have those moments. I still have those moments of like, “Ooh, wait, let’s check out the pipeline. Let’s check out what’s happening. Let’s check out where people are coming from.”

And then it’s like “Wait, nope, I know my plan and I’m following my plans.” And as long as I follow my plans, because I have been tracking this, I know these are the plans that work for me, these are the strategies that work for me, and I just need to keep working those.

And anytime in the past, when I’ve ever thought, huh, something feels off, everybody else who I teach who goes through my programs, everybody else that I teach in the same way, it’s a little bit of that same thing of, “Wait, what have I fallen off of doing and what do I need to get back to?” Because I’m human, I’m like everybody else. Things get busy.

It’s like “Wait, what did I stop doing that I knew I needed to be doing and get back to it?” And it’s your guidepost, it’s the roadmap. It’s like we’re going bowling together and I’m going to put up the little sides to make it really easy for you to knock some pins down, is because you now have a plan that you can follow and follow it as you need to. And then make sure that it’s always there and you can turn it up and turn it down depending on where you are with your business growth. So, that is awesome.

So, Angela, my final question for you is if anybody was thinking about joining, whether it’s Building a Referral Business or any of the standalone programs like Growth by Referrals or Referring Machine, what would your advice be to them?

Angela Cisneros:       Do it. I would say do it. Read the book if you want more information, just kind of a better framework for it because that’s a great place to start. But it’s really going to help you grow your business. There’s no one way about it.

As in anything, you get what you put into it, but if you’re serious about growing your business in an authentic way for you, this is the place to do it.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Oh, that’s so awesome to hear. I love that. Yes, and of course, I concur. I would agree with what you have to say as well.

Well, Angela, thank you so much for taking time to join us today on the podcast. It is always so fun for me to talk to people about their journey through working with me and then of course, we love talking about the success that folks are having as well.

So, thank you for being willing to share your story and just real quick, where can people find you? And do you have a geographic location that you work in or are you national/international? How does that work? And then of course, where can people find you?

Angela Cisneros:       Sure. Well, I mainly work out of … I’m in California, so I mainly work in this area. But I do work with people across the United States all the time. So, you can find me on my website, www.angelacisneros.com.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Perfect. And why don’t you go ahead and spell your last name? Like I always have to say Stacey with an E. Why don’t you just go … I’m going to put in the show notes for everybody so they can find it when they go to this episode. You can go right to her website without having to know how to spell it. But just in case, go ahead and spell your last name for us.

Angela Cisneros:       Yes, it’s C-I-S-N-E-R-O-S.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Awesome. Angela, thank you so very much for joining me today.

Angela Cisneros:       Thank you so much for having me.

Stacey Brown Randall:       Thank you Angela again for coming on our show. I love sharing my clients’ success. Why? Well, because one, they deserve every bit of it. So, when they’re having it, I want to showcase them. And I love having them on the podcast so that they can share those results or being able to post their results in our social media because they deserve it, because they put in the work.

They invested, they trusted, and then they did what they were told, which I talked about at the beginning of this episode. And then they continued with consistency to do the work. And so, they deserve every bit of their success.

But the second reason why I love sharing my clients’ success in this way is because when you hear it from them, I know it helps you understand what’s possible. So, yeah, I’m speaking to you.

Maybe you’ve always thought, should I join one of Stacey’s programs? Is now the right time? Well, maybe hearing Angela’s story will answer that question for you. And if that’s the case, well, of course, we can’t wait to welcome you on the inside of any of our programs, particularly if you’re going to join Building a Referral Business, or BRB and I get to work with you personally.

But I also know it could be speaking to those of you who are like, “Hey, I joined GBR. I just haven’t gone through all the modules. I let myself get busy or summer came along or Christmas came along,” whatever it was for you, Hanukkah came along.

Whatever the excuse was, you’re actually in the program, but you haven’t finished it yet. I want this to encourage you to get in there and do the work because when you do, well, we like to show that the success follows.

Alright, I’m going to link to all of Angela’s goodness; her website in particularly her Instagram account because holy cow, her jewelry is gorgeous, and that’s coming from me who is not a jewelry person. My husband got off so lucky with that, but her stuff is just fantastic. So, I’m definitely going to link to her website. You guys can check her out. Hire her if you want to and a link to her Instagram as well.

You can find all of those links and everything we talked about on our show notes page, including the transcripts, which you can download. If you’re more of a reader and want to take your time with it, you can also find those on the show notes page as well, which is at staceybrownrandall.com/209, and that’s because this is episode 209. So, staceybrownrandall.com/209 and you know it, Stacey has an E.

Alright, next week coming up is episode 210 and it is time because it’s a 10th episode for our Q&A, question and answer episode. We’ve had some really good questions submitted and I can’t wait to answer them.

So, until then, you know what to do my friend, take control and grow your business. Bye for now.

Thanks for listening to the Roadmap to Grow Your Business podcast. To
access all resources and links mentioned in today’s show, and to
connect with Stacey, head over to www.staceybrownrandall.com.