Episode 142: Curing decision-making disorders through the craft of consulting with Deb Zahn
As you know, this pod is a little different to other facilitation/learning/trainings podcasts, in that it doesn’t just focus on the craft. I enjoy sharing ideas and conversations around the business of facilitation.
I know many listeners who are exploring or tossing up the opportunity of going out on your own - of being your own boss.
As I’m 18 months into my own journey, I always love the opportunity to discuss what it takes to do that, to build and maintain your sanity! Today’s guest is an absolute rock-star when it comes to this, too - so if you’re into building your own facilitation business, or becoming a consultant, you will love this episode.
About today’s guest: Deb Zahn
Deb Zahn is a sought-after consultant with 10 years of successful consulting under her belt. As a go-to source in her market, she routinely brings in 6- and 7-figures a year and has built a steady, reliable pipeline of work. Her consulting methods turn her clients into her biggest fans and best marketers. They come back to her again and again and continually send her new clients.
As a consultant, Deb is especially known for her ability to cure “decision-making disorders” with individuals and groups. She also has earned a reputation as “The Closer,” the consultant who can get high-value contracts with hard-to-get clients. Over the last decade, she has coached countless new consultants and helped them fast track their success. Recently, Deb helped a new consultant get their first contract—worth over $100,000—only three weeks after Deb started coaching them.
She is the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast, which features other successful consultants who share their strategies and insights about building their consulting businesses and delighting their clients as well as consulting clients who share what makes some consultants rise to the top of their hire list.
In this episode you will learn how to:
Define your value to help your clients achieve the results they want
Develop the skill of pivoting conversations to explore outcomes
Focusing on value, not price
Creating boundaries to create work-life balance
Explore opportunities as a facilitator/consultant during COVID
Here are some sample questions I asked Deb:
How did you develop the skill of pivoting language?
How do you help people pick their niche?
How do you create boundaries and create work life balance?
How did you develop your communication skills?
What are your thoughts about creating handles on Instagram?
Resources:
Quotes:
“Excellence is how you build a business.”
“If you make that switch to really being of service to who you want to serve, then everything gets easier.”
Build your facilitation skills:
Join The Flipchart, a Facebook community of over 1000 facilitators from all over the world
Sign up for a free mini-course: From Zoomtigue to Zoomtastic!
Watch the video!
About your host: Leanne Hughes
Leanne Hughes is an international facilitator, speaker and coach who loves creating unpredictable workshop experiences, that predictably work.
She combines her experience in Marketing, with her education in Human Resources and Psychology, to help leaders create engaging everyday experiences - that are so contagious they scale across teams, functions and regions.
Leanne has facilitated leadership, onboarding and team-development workshops across Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development. She has over 13 years’ of experience across a range of industries including mining, government and tourism sectors.
She’s the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and was a finalist in the 2018 Australian Learning Impact awards for Learning Professional of the Year.
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The 5 unpredictable ways to start a Zoom meeting (that predictably work)
