Ep 59. No LinkedIn presence to 5 clients in a month: Marta’s Silent Storm Story

This week I’ve got another client conversation for you, and I love this one because it ties in perfectly with what I’ve been talking about in the last few episodes, which is going back to your foundations, even the bits that you think you’ve already nailed.

So you’re going to hear from the lovely Marta today, and what’s really interesting about her story is that when she came to me, she wasn’t lost. She already knew who she wanted to work with, and if anything, she was clearer than most people are when they start with me.

Why your foundations still matter, even when you think you’ve nailed them

When we started working together, she did have a social media presence, but it wasn’t really doing anything for her, and by that, I mean getting her clients. She knew that if she wanted her business to grow, she was going to have to show up on social media, but she didn’t know how to do that in a way that suited her personality.

I think this is the bit I want you to sit with before you listen to this one. Because even when you think you’ve done the work, you know what you stand for, you know your message, you know who you want to serve, I still think there’s a deeper layer underneath all of that. Knowing who you serve on paper, and actually being able to talk about it in a way that sounds like you and lands with the right person, are two completely different things.

And this really is my sweet spot. I love going deep on who you are and who you want to attract, and making sure that we bring your voice into it so we can attract them. And this is exactly what happened with Marta.

From zero followers to five clients in four weeks

She went through the foundational work in Silent Storm again with me by her side, which meant that she got fresh eyes and got even clearer than she already was, and we built her whole LinkedIn presence from scratch. I mean a brand new profile. She had zero followers. She had no idea how to use the platform, no idea how to post or connect with new people. And she ended up getting five leads, which turned into clients, within the first four weeks.

That’s amazing in itself because it was a brand new profile, but it happened because she committed to doing the work, and because we’d done the foundational work. She was so clear on who she was and who she wanted to work with that it was really easy to optimise her profile to speak to that one person. And then I helped her create content that I knew would encourage that person to get in touch with her. So that’s what she did, and she ended up landing clients from social media for the first time ever, which was amazing.

So if you’ve been thinking, “Oh, I’ve already done my values work,” or, “I already know who my ideal client is,” I’d still encourage you to listen to this one with an open mind, because sometimes it’s not that the work is wrong, it’s just that you’re too close to it to see what’s still missing.

So here’s my conversation with Marta. She talks about her experience of working with me inside Silent Storm, and honestly, it’s so much easier to get other people to talk about my thing than it is for me to talk about it. And of course, if this makes you think, “I really want to work with Anita too,” I’d love to invite you to check out the show notes. You’ll find loads more testimonials from other amazing clients, and there’s also a form where you can apply to work with me. I do that because I only take on a few one-to-one clients a month, so I can give you my full, undivided attention, but I also want to make sure it’s the right next step for you.

Just a little disclaimer: we recorded this over Zoom without our mics, so forgive the sound quality. It’s not brilliant, but it’ll still give you an idea of the experience and the results we got together. Enjoy.

Before Silent Storm

Marta: Before I started Silent Storm, I was pretty clear on my niche, what I wanted to do and who I wanted to help. But I had basically no social media presence. I did not enjoy posting. It was just something I ignored. I was like, can I just please make my business grow without using social media? And I knew that was going to be challenging.

Marta: I knew I had to use social media if I wanted my business to grow. I’m doing something I love, so how do I tell people that I’m doing it? So I checked out your website and your Instagram, and instantly I felt a connection. I loved your visuals and everything you were saying. And what really resonated for me is that you work with introverts. I was like, this is great. This is someone who’s going to understand me, who isn’t going to push me to do something or be someone that I’m not. So I felt super comfortable.

Marta: I liked your vibe and what you were saying. And then you sent me a message, and I loved that one-to-one attention. We jumped on a discovery call and I didn’t even have to think about it. I was like, yes, this is exactly what I need.

Working together inside Silent Storm

Anita: Amazing. So how have you found your journey within Silent Storm? You’ve had so many wins, and it’s been so nice to see your journey from the start to the end.

Marta: I love how you have all the modules, so on my own I could go through the coursework and start thinking about it and implementing it. And I really like how you create this very solid foundation to get clear on. I was already clear on who I wanted to work with, but I got even clearer, and you invited me to do interviews, which helped even more.

Marta: I love how all the steps are built into the programme in a way that’s really easy to follow. It just makes sense, how you have this foundation and you build on it, so you’re not randomly posting or randomly creating content. It feels much more anchored and much more intentional.

Marta: It was definitely all new to me, especially LinkedIn. I didn’t have a profile, I was starting from scratch. So it was really helpful to go through everything with you, from setting up my profile to you walking me through how to post, how to connect and how to use the platform. That was incredibly helpful.

Marta: And I loved the one-to-one attention and the fact that we were meeting every week, so I could come in with whatever was going on for me. Normally I’d be working on a post, and it was so helpful to get your eyes on it, get another perspective, and have you help me rewrite it in a way that was more interesting and more compelling.

Marta: You’re really good at tapping into who your client is, in this case tapping into me, my style and my voice. So when we worked on things together, I could feel that Anita knows how I express myself, and she’s going to help me express myself in a way that feels authentic to me, yet connects even more with my ideal client. And you’re an excellent copywriter. It was such a great experience.

Getting clients from a brand new LinkedIn profile

Anita: You’ve got clients from a brand new LinkedIn profile as well. That’s no mean feat.

Marta: I did! It’s definitely something I feel much more comfortable with now. And it was nice to go through it with someone else, with you in this case, because it can feel scary connecting with people and offering your services. But having you by my side, I felt a lot more confident, and it’s just so much more fun.

Marta: Another big part for me was the accountability. I knew we were meeting, and I didn’t want to log on to the call and say, “I haven’t done anything.” So that was another motivating factor. It was the accountability and your support.

Anita: So how many clients have you had since we started working together?

Marta: Since Silent Storm, I’ve designed five websites. These were leads that turned into clients, either for a whole new website or a website redesign. So I think that’s really good, from social media.

Anita: Amazing, considering you had a brand new LinkedIn profile and started from scratch. Had you ever had leads from social media before we started working together?

Marta: Never.

Anita: I’m so happy for you. Every time a client gets a client, it’s such a nice feeling.

What Marta would tell you

Marta: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like I have all the tools. I know what I need to do, I know how to do it, and I feel comfortable showing up. I definitely feel like I have that foundational piece, we’ve built so much on it, and I feel like I can continue to build on that.

Marta: Anita is awesome. And there was no pressure from you. I never felt like I had to do this or that, or do it the way Anita was asking me to. It was very much, I’m here to support you and I really want you to show up as yourself. So that was awesome. I would tell people, don’t even think about it. If you want to increase your social media presence, join Silent Storm. That is the way to go.

Anita: I’m so glad, because my intention is never to mould you into another version of me. I’m here to support you in whatever way that looks, and I’m glad you got that. Thank you so much, Marta.