How Did They Do It?
By Kostas Panagiotou
How Did They Do It?Nov 10, 2021
The Art of Conversational Sales: Conversales with Philip Carrington-Spence
Most of us solopreneurs are in it for the love of what we do. Typically we are experts in the services we provide, whether we are therapists, coaches, artists or small business owners. This leads us into countless enjoyable conversations with our clients, patients and fans.
However, conducting a sales conversation typically feels like an entirely different matter. The context in which we often conduct such conversations seems to be very different, and this often makes us dread these conversations.
Some time ago, I spoke with hypnotherapist and sales expert Philip Carrington-Spence about the art of conversational sales for coaches and therapists. In this almost hourly live chat we discussed some typical pain points for solopreneurs when it comes to making sales calls. If you are wondering how to improve your sales skills then I strongly recommend you taking some time to watch this episode and find out:
- Why sales conversations needn’t be boring and dry
- Why you shouldn’t be afraid to charge high ticket prices
- The number one tip for conducting successful and natural sales conversations
- Why you should be aiming to get a lot of ‘no’s’, despite of what the sales guru’s say
Create a Plate List, Not A Bucket List- Interview with Andrew Laws
You often hear success and productivity gurus talk about the need to find 'The One Thing': your one passion in life which you pursue relentlessly so that you become really good and successful at it. Luckily for some of us, who don't have the stamina of the monomaniac Captain Ahab in 'Moby Dick', there are people doing a lot of things, who are successful and fulfilled in their own way proving that it doesn't have to be that way.
Marketer, musician, author, photographer, podcaster and family man Andrew Laws is one of these people. In just over 30 minutes, we cover a dazzling range of topics, including why Andrew is passionate about 'marketing for humans', why connection is the key word in both marketing and music, why he would rather read Stephen Fry's travel book rather than his own, and why you should have a 'plate list' rather than a 'bucket list'.
Follow me on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for weekly conversations with inspirational individuals who found their freedom by doing every day what they love doing most.
How Did They Do It Trailer
Interview with Alex Vitillo- The Shamanic Priestess
Join me in conversation with Shamanic Priestess Alex Vitillo where we clarify the difference between a priestess, a witch and a goddess; we delve into concepts such as quantumflow, soulcontracts and heart-centred entrepreneurs; and we demonstrate convincingly that money and spirituality can go hand in hand when you work for the betterment of the world!
Follow me on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for weekly conversations with inspirational individuals who found their freedom by doing every day what they love doing most.
Interview with Creative Musician and Studio Owner Déhà- Music is Healing
In this interview with extreme metal musician and studio owner/producer Déhà we delve into the purpose of creating music and art in general. What need does it serve? What does it give the creator of the music, and what does it offer to the listener?
Déhà, known in doom metal and DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal) genres for his individual, emotional creations manages to give a positive spin to otherwise negative genres. In this frank conversation we discuss the compulsion to create music, the need to self-harm (and how to fight it), the apparent gap between creating music for your own healing and producing it professionally (hint: the gap is not as big as it seems) and much more.
Follow me on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for weekly conversations with inspirational individuals who found their freedom by doing every day what they love doing most.
Unmosh Your Mind with Roz Knox
Heavy metal and hypnotherapy: not your most obvious companions, but definitely best buddies in the mind of hypnotherapist and self-proclaimed metalhead Roz Knox. Join me in this episode to hear Roz talk with passion about how metal is life, heavy metal gigs are self-care and hypnotherapy is the key to unlocking your potential and aligning your subconscious mind with your conscious behaviour. Finally, find out how heavy metal and hypnosis can actually be combined in a (dys)harmonic symphony called Metal Meditation!
Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts not to miss my weekly 'How Did The Do It' conversations with inspirational individuals who found their freedom and purpose by doing what they love doing most.
Maira Danni- Heal Your Inner Patriarchy
Do you suffer from the effects of internalized capitalism, patriarchy and violence? Gestalt Therapist and Sexologist Maira Danni reckons that you do. Patriarchy has been installed in human society about five thousand years ago, and has been with us since then, causing trauma and damage to both men and women.
The good news is that you can heal your internal patriarchy; all you need is to apply the healing forces of love and freedom in your life and respect the boundaries of the people around you. Maira explains in detail how you can do this.
Join us in this hour long conversation to find out more about the anarchistic origins of Gestalt, the genesis of patriarchy, Maira's views on healing from domestic violence, why people don't like to talk about sex, why anger management is not a great term to use and so much more!
Subscribe to my podcast on Anchor, Spotify and/or Apple for weekly conversations with inspirational individuals who have found their freedom by doing what they love doing.
Follow me on KostasTheCoach-The Freedom Composer for weekly blogs helping solopreneurs, therapists and creatives to find their freedom and clarity of purpose in life!
Start Small, Dream Big: Interview with Kickboxing Champion Jess Roper
In today's episode I discuss with amateur kickboxing champion Jess Roper what it takes to be a champion. Jess is not only a kickboxer, but also a hypnotherapist. The word which connects the two disciplines together, is 'Mindset'.
Jess is building her own Fighting Fit community where she inspires individuals to create confidence. She is also working with young people at schools to help them develop the mindset of tomorrow's champions! Listen to this episode to find out why:
- Discipline can only be developed when internal conflict has been resolved
- You don't need to practice for 10000 hours to become competent at something
- What the true meaning of a champion is
I am always on the outlook for inspiring individuals who have found their freedom and transformed their own lives doing what they love doing. Should you be one of them, or know one of them, don't hesitate to get in touch! Email me at kostasthecoach@gmail.com to discuss getting you on the show.
Hearing Music in my Head- My Musical Journey
This time, the roles are being reversed! I am interviewed in my own show by Jess Roper, the kickboxing champion. The interview was pre-recorded for a new show at Bexhill Radio called 'Rock Your Weekend'. Sadly this show is now not going ahead, but Jess and I decided to air it anyway through my own podcast. I will be featuring Jess in the next episode of 'How Did They Do It' where I will be interrogating her in turn about developing a champion's mindset!
In this Spotify exclusive episode, you will find out about my musical journey and influences and you will have the opportunity to listen to some tracks of bands I have been involved with over the years, such as Landskap, Crippled Black Phoenix and Pantheist. It's a story about passion, creativity and musical inspiration. Find out about how it feels to hear music in my head, why I never became a full-time musician and what made someone who was playing Greek traditional music and listening to classical music, pivot to extreme metal!
I am always on the lookout for inspirational individuals who have found their own freedom by transforming their lives doing what they love doing. Should you wish to be featured in a future episode, then please email me at kostasthecoach@gmail.com
Piano and Mental Health- Interview with #thatpianoguy Mark Deeks
In this episode I speak with #thatpianoguy Mark Deeks. Mark helps adults fulfil their dream of playing the piano. His work focuses on changing their mindset and removing obstacles and excuses that have so far prevented them from playing their preferred instrument. There is as much of a coaching approach as there is a teaching element in his work: Mark tackles negative and unhelpful beliefs about learning to play an instrument, challenges the language people are using which is likely to add stress rather than relaxation to their lives and sets them up for success.
We discuss the health benefits of playing the piano, the link with our mental health (and the story in Mark's life which gave him a sense of mission and purpose in tackling mental health through music) and Mark's own musical project Arð | Facebook
Mark is expertly using a range of social media to bring his message across so I also grabbed the opportunity to ask him about his preferred social media platform and why!
Food is Joy- Interview with Ethical Business Owner Jaya Patel
Once in a while, we all meet a person in our lives who seems to live and breathe for their unique talent to inspire and bring other people together. Those people are not necessarily what we would consider to be ‘successful’ in a material sense. Their ‘success’ doesn’t necessarily translate into wealth; this doesn’t mean that they can’t achieve wealth, and indeed they often do as a side effect of their strong work ethic based on the deeper values that lead them to positive action.
However, their gains are first and foremost internal, and their influence upon others cannot be measured solely by quantitative figures. It is rather akin to a slow burning flame, which is passed on in an almost unnoticeable and inconspicuous manner to the people around them. Their leadership is powerful and infectious, and yet they don’t shout, demand or intimidate.
I believe that Jaya is such a person, and in this interview I speak to her about her life and food philosophy, what motivates and drives her forward and how her customers react to her work. You will hear about her holistic views and how the ancient Ayurvedic philosophy influences her cooking methods. Her approach has a strong effect on her customers, whose loyalty and enthusiasm are visible to anyone who has ever set foot in her shop.
Jaya's shop in Bicester sadly doesn't exist anymore; her philosophy however still lives on in her more recent cooking ventures in Oxford. As she states herself 'I sometimes spend 18 hours a day cooking in the weekend. I'm not sure I would be able to do this if I was to consider it as work'.
Enjoy the conversation with this remarkable person and as ever, comments and suggestions for future speakers are welcome on kostasthecoach@gmail.com
Know Your Values- Interview with Dr Bridget NLP
A former GP and medical director, Bridget is now known as the Chief Unsticker: she helps business owners get unstuck from their unhelpful thinking patterns and create clarity and consistent action instead.
The tool she is employing in this, is called NLP. Neuro Linguistic Programming is looking for the patterns and processes people are using in their heads to get the results they do. It's about modelling successful patterns and getting rid of unhelpful ones in order to get the best possible outcome.
"We all tell ourselves stories. By working out what is relevant for you, lightbulb moments are created". Everything you read, little things you see around you in your day-to-day life, TV programs you watch...it's all content you can use to create your own metaphors about your life.
We are using our memories, values, experiences, language, metaprograms etc to create our stories. But above all, employing metaphors and using stories in your life, should contain an element of fun. If the story you are currently telling yourself doesn't work, all you have to do is re-write the script.
Gurus will often tell you that as a business owner you should be modelling the behaviour of billionaires. If you adopt their habits, routines and processes, you will become a wealthy person too. However, the crucial element that gurus often omit, is that this will only work if these billionaires share a similar purpose and values with you. If the habits and routines you adopt don't suit your purpose, they are not likely to be sustained long enough to create consistent results.
People often start their business careers with huge goals, until negative thinking and the imposter syndrome take over, forcing them to adjust and shrink them. Working through past and present negative experiences that affect your perception and the story you tell about yourself, helps to get clearer on your goals, take consistent action, get the right people around you and get unstuck from negative and unhelpful thinking patterns.
HOW CLEAR ARE YOU ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS RIGHT NOW?We Are Robots Not Humans- Interview with Shona Hirons, the Bionic Woman
The title of this podcast, are the literal words of the line manager of Shona Hirons, which were spoken to her when she was being reprimanded after having made a mistake at work. Working for a highly competitive law firm, Shona was told that people in her position are not allowed to make mistakes. Just like robots, it is expected that they always provide a flawless performance.
Shona had sent an email to the wrong person after an exhausting 80 hour work week. The email didn’t contain any confidential information, but she was still suspended and reprimanded because ‘it could have’.
This was not the only incident during her law career. Shona was constantly made to feel that she shouldn’t be too ambitious, as women should be at home raising children, instead of competing with men at the workplace. After a serious cycling accident which forced her to work part-time, she was told that she shouldn’t expect any sympathy and that she was still expected to get as much work done as a full-time member of staff in her part-time hours.
Shona has since turned her life around. She gave up her job and started her own coaching business. She runs her own gym, writes books and gives public talks. But the burnout she experienced after years at a thankless, pressured and toxic work environment, is not something she is likely to forget.
In the interview I conducted with Shona, we find out what made her The Bionic Woman. Her story is one of strength, determination and a personal mindset which has turned from negative in the past, to unrelentingly positive in the present:
- Born premature and her dad was told by a consultant that there is no hope for her
- As a result of being prematurely born, she had a hole in her heart, and surgery to fix this life threatening issue
- Suffered from severe burnout at work
- Had a life changing cycling accident
- She is a cancer survivor
Yet she is here to tell us her story, and how she turned her life around through relentlessly working on her mindset…for she is the Bionic Woman!
Create Your Own Symphony with Mira
What does it really mean to find your personal freedom?
Freedom is a big word nowadays; people refer to it in a number of different contexts, including having the freedom to 'do what they want', not to comply with government regulations etc. According to Mira, freedom is about utilizing your whole being, including your intuition, to take decisions and lead your life.
Applying esoteric tools such as Mongolian stones, Hebrew numerology and Chinese astrology, she helps people to delve within themselves for the answers. We discussed the importance of vibrations, energy and everyone's quest to find personal harmony, or as Mira likes to put it, their own 'symphony'.
As a creative musician, I like her use of musical analogy and I agree that being in harmony with our inner energy (whether you call this 'vibration' or something else) is crucial in understanding ourselves. But how do we apply this wisdom and knowledge in our day-to-day life as solopreneurs?
While Mira speaks of people finding their symphony, I prefer to use a different musical term to describe the solopreneurial hustle. I often speak of 'one-man' or 'one-woman' bands in this context. As small business owners, we are often the singer, guitar player, drummer, songwriter and producer in the band. This can be a bit overwhelming at times, and take us away from our sense of inner freedom, which is the very thing we sought out by choosing a self-employed existence!
We often find activities which are crucial for our success, such as showing up regularly online or making sales calls, daunting. While in our heads the problem lies with the 'others' and how they will react to us, in reality our problem stems from our own ego limitations. Being too self-aware and preoccupied with 'what others will say' is a source of stress, anxiety and very often, failure.
By taking the time to regularly re-connect with the things that 'make us tick', we remind ourselves of our true purpose and our ego retreats with this insight. When our values and purpose are aligned with our goals, habits and daily actions, then we find our inner freedom again. This is how finding inner balance and harmony looks like. This is where we find our inner 'symphony'.
You can contact Mira here: https://linktr.ee/mirareiss
Join here my FREE facebook group for solopreneurs, small business owners, therapists and creatives who want to beat stress and overwhelm and create freedom, accountability and clarity of purpose: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromvisiontoaction