Back at my corporate job, I used to deal with one client who… how do I put this nicely? Thought he was being efficient, but was actually the literal definition of doing the most.
Here’s what I mean.
We’d email him a press release to review—just a simple document we needed approval or a few edits on. And he would reply to the email saying, “Thanks, I’ve mailed you my changes.”
Not emailed. Mailed.
Like, with a stamp. USPS. The cross your fingers and wait four days kind of mail.
Turns out he’d print the doc we emailed him, mark it up with a pen (in handwriting no one could read), scan it, copy it for his files, and then physically mail it back to us.
So then, once the post office did its thing, someone on our end had to manually decipher the notes and retype everything.
All for something that could’ve been handled in a 30-second email.
In his mind? He probably thought he was being thorough or professional.
But to us??? It was a nightmare client experience.
Looking back, it’s honestly kind of funny to think about because we genuinely passed this client off to every new hire like a hazing ritual. 😂
But I digress, the point I'm trying to make here is that you might be doing the same thing to your own leads (just in less obvious ways).
Hear me out and I swear this will make more sense.
I was talking to a few very smart, talented business owners the other day, and every single one of them was struggling to convert leads. And they couldn’t figure out why.
But as I started to ask questions from a brand strategist’s perspective? I saw the reasons as clear as day.
They were all unintentionally creating friction.
One friend has been killing it, making connections in person at networking events and meetups, but post-event, she never heard from people again. I took a look at her digital presence, and it was so underwhelming that anyone who Googled her after probably thought, “This doesn’t match up,” and moved on. AKA, there was a disconnect between the brand she presented in person and the brand they saw online.
Another friend was getting people to the proposal stage, but then she’d hear crickets. I asked what she was sending, and it was a bare-bones Excel sheet. And while that approach may work for some, if you're in an aesthetic-first field selling high-end services… that may be a huge red flag to a client. They want the full high-end experience. And if you're a visual-first brand coming up short on visuals? That’s going to make me hesitate, too.
And another friend couldn’t even get the leads in the room. She kept getting friend-zoned by potential clients. The biggest issue? Her message was too vague and her positioning didn’t hit right. Nothing came across as “sh*t, I need you in my corner, ASAP.” It was more like, “Oh… cool. That’s what you do? Sounds nice.”
Keep in mind, none of these women are bad at what they do. They're all experts in their industries.
But none of them had noticed the friction they were creating in their brand experience until we sat down and I pointed it out.
Then they were like, “Oh sh*t. How have I not made that connection before?”
They were all adding unnecessary steps, confusion, or gaps without realizing it. And when someone’s considering investing hundreds or thousands of dollars to work with you…A tiny crack in the experience can start to look like a major red flag.
So if you want to avoid those red flags, my advice to you is this: Start looking at your brand, your content, and your entire client experience as one seamless journey.
Don’t just think about “how do I market my business?”
Consider how someone goes from complete stranger to client with as little friction as possible.
Think through every stage, from the point of discovery to nurture to conversion. Go through the “funnel” as if you were your own potential client. What looks janky? What makes you scratch your head?
Because it doesn’t matter how talented you are or how much value you bring to the table. If the experience you present feels off, the “yes” won’t come, and you'll never have a chance to show off your brilliance.
So here’s your homework:
Audit your client journey this week.
- Is your website aligned with what you say in person?
- Are your proposals and materials branded, clean, and confidence-inducing?
- Do you have follow-up built in—or are you ghosting your own leads?
- Are you making people jump through hoops to say yes?
You don’t want your brand experience to be the equivalent of the guy mailing his press release edits in what could have been a damn email. 😂
Let’s make it easier for people to work with you. Because it may not be that 'no one wants to work with you' it's far more likely they're interested...until they're not.
Sound good?
Hit me up if you have any questions.
Until next time,
Marissa
