016 | Confidence to Attract Ideal Clients with KC Cohn

Episode Description:

In this reboot episode of The Suzanne Show, Suzanne shares another SuzPro Live episode where she talks with KC Cohn about confidence and how to attract ideal clients. KC Cohn is a branding specialist with a background in design and architecture, as well as being a color specialist. She believes that helping people gain clarity is the key to overcoming any fears that may be blocking them from achieving their goals.

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Summary: 

In this episode of The Suzanne Show, Suzanne talks with KC Cohn about confidence and how to attract ideal clients. KC Cohn is a branding specialist with a background in design and architecture, as well as being a color specialist. She believes that helping people gain clarity is the key to overcoming any fears that may be blocking them from achieving their goals.

This podcast conversation discussed the importance of avoiding self-criticism and being kind to oneself as an entrepreneur, having a support group or community around one, studying the law of attraction and having rituals to keep calm and centered, pushing through fear, recognizing signs of stress such as not getting enough sleep or not putting oneself first, creating social media graphics for clients, and grabbing people's attention quickly with simple yet effective visuals in order to stand out from competitors. They also discuss energy colors in graphic design and the importance of having a balanced composition when using these colors depending on one's personality and business.

The Imperfect Transcript: 

Welcome to another episode of The Suzanne Show, where I talk a little online business, human resources, personal development, chronic illness, and whatever else I decide to chat about. I am so excited that you are here and I love to hear from my listeners. Please feel free to reach out to me on my website, suzanneproxa.com, or on all the socials where I'm also Suzanne Proxa.

And don't forget to put that K before the S. Let's move on with the episode. I can't wait for you guys to dive in. Hey beautiful human, just a quick note that the episode that you are about to listen to is from my former show, Suze Pro Live, but it is so good that I just wanted to make sure that it was still being shared. So enjoy.

Today, I'm super excited because I am here with Casey Cohn and she is going to talk about confidence to attract ideal clients. And I know that this is a very hot topic for my community. Everybody is always trying to figure out ways to attract ideal clients. And let's face it, as female entrepreneurs, even those of us who've been doing it for a very long time can have our confidence waiver.

So this is going to be awesome. So first of all, I am going to let her introduce herself because as I always say, she'll do a much better job than I can. So welcome. Thank you.

Thank you, Suzanne. I appreciate being here. So I'm Casey Cohn and I consider myself a branding specialist. I have a niche area that I sort of fell into, which is social media. My background is in design and architecture and I'm actually a color specialist. I've helped people choose colors for their homes, for their walls, furnishings, finishes. And I actually train other women how to do that too.

But I'm a fourth generation entrepreneur, so business is just in my blood. And when you combine that with, you know, you take business, you take color, you take design, and you know, the visual and conceptual aspects of it, it made me this branding wizard that just sort of appeared one day. So that's generally, you know, what I do. Awesome. That's quite a combination. It is. It is. It sounds super fun.

It is super fun. I feel really fortunate. And I think that's the best part about it is that it is so fun for me. I'm only going to do, you know, what is and what brings me joy and what helps other people too.

And I'm, yeah, really grateful for that. Awesome. Awesome. So let's talk a little bit about confidence. So usually, you know, there's something that's happened along the line that has damaged our confidence, that kind of thing.

What do you run into the most when you work with people when it comes to confidence?

As far as what's, you know, what's holding them back, that kind of thing?

Yeah.

So, you know, in addition to all the things that I just mentioned I was, I also have a psychology background. So that plays a huge role in all of this. And by looking at people from sort of a 360 degree view, what I found is that people lack confidence because they don't have clarity. And with business, it happens all the time.

I mean, I don't care if you're a new person or someone who's established. There comes a time when you start adding so much to the plate and you get lost in yourself, you get lost in your business, and then you start losing confidence and you just sort of start hiding behind the scenes. You're like, I just, I don't want to deal with that just yet.

So I found that helping people gain clarity so they can get over, you know, any plethora of fears that could be blocking them is just, it's like the door that opens everything. Yeah. I think you hit that nail right on the head.

I mean, that's huge. I've been there and like you said, even people who've been around a while have that happen to them.

I mean, how many times do we see a six figure, seven figure entrepreneur who changes things up or they do, like you said, you know, they disappear for a while and then they come back and they're going to do something totally different. So I think a big thing then is to make sure that we are beating ourselves up.

If we go down that path where we have some confidence issues, you agree with that?

True. Very true. And that's the thing, you know, beginners that start out, they think, oh, I don't know what I'm doing and you know, I don't have the confidence to do this or that, but it happens with everyone. And I think as entrepreneurs, we're inherently, we have more than one interest. So we start piling them on and that's where all the muck starts to happen.

I think it doesn't matter where you are. Definitely be kind to yourself. Yeah.

So, I mean, what advice would you give to somebody then who's in the middle of that panic mode?

And I mean, I'm sure you've been there as well, you know, where you're completely stalled, your brain won't work, you know.

I mean, it's a horrible feeling. You're like, oh my gosh, you're just completely overwhelmed.

You know, how do you, first of all, how about how do they recognize that?

Because sometimes you actually can't recognize it, even though it seems so obvious to other people.

And then how do they go about, you know, at least starting down the path of trying to get out of that muck?

Well, I mean, I think it's a little different for everyone. There's different ways that, you know, one could approach it. To recognize that you have it.

I mean, I think if you're stressed, you know, that's one, you're not getting sleep. You're not putting yourself first. I was just talking to a student of mine tonight who was mentioned that she had so many things on her plate and she realized that she wasn't taking care of herself and that that's what needs to come first. So I think that's a really good indicator.

And also I think it's good for me myself. I actually just recently realized this. Like I'm so about law of attraction and putting out good vibes and all of that, that I don't like to complain or, you know, put that out there. But I recognize when I do just get it out or just vent or something, and I do it in the most positive way possible, say things like I'm challenged.

That's all I needed to do. And right after I'm like, okay, I can see, I see what's going on and I know that I need to do something. Either I know what it is or I need to get help or have a support group of people around me that a community that understands, you know, the things that I'm going through too. They're a big help.

Yeah, most definitely.

And speaking of that, do you have a community that people can join for that kind of thing?

Well I have, my community is actually centered around color, which is a huge part of branding and they're absolutely welcome to come there. That is called Color Oasis Lounge. It's a Facebook group. You should join it, Susie. It's so much fun because my background is in design and architecture and because I train women how to become color consultants.

A lot of it is geared toward interiors and wall colors and things like that. And the branding came about this year. So I'm still working on merging the two together. That's the entrepreneur side where I've got to toss everything in to the mix. But I've had such amazing results with it that I've, and I've been helping people like crazy.

It's some, and that's the other thing. Sometimes you don't even need a website to start a business. And I help a lot of new entrepreneurs do that through their Facebook graphics and establishing a brand and a direction. And that's helped a lot. Brand and direction is a good thing.

Yeah, for sure. Definitely.

So, and maybe this runs along the same line.

How is confidence derived?

How is confidence derived?

What do you mean by that?

So let's say, let's say somebody is one of the fortunate ones who actually has a lot of, a lot of confidence.

You know, where do you think that comes from?

I mean, and how do you think it might relate to people who are actually working on it?

I think people that have a lot of confidence have, well, they've either worked on it or through it, but I think that they don't let fears stand in their way. They just walk right through them. And so people that were kind of, grew up that way and have had that confidence their whole life, I think they just don't, they just move forward. They just keep moving forward.

And people that have a lot of fears right now could have more confidence if they learned how to walk through that. And I think that's the biggest block to having confidence. And I think the biggest way to achieve it. And the fear is a beast.

I mean, I still remember as a new entrepreneur, that was the worst. And I mean, I even still have it now. And for the most ridiculous reason. Right.

I mean, do you have like a set of like tips that you give people to try to help them bust through that at all?

I'm not sure that I have a set, you know, about, for me, you know, it's like studying the law of attraction and having rituals for myself that keep me really calm and centered. And you know, most recently I had a fear, I joined a networking group online and part of it was to, you know, contact people outside of my own circle to try to collaborate or get to know them.

And I felt like that is not something that I had an interest in doing. Maybe I'm going to be in a bad mood or something and won't want to talk to someone or maybe I won't care for them or vice versa. But I made myself just do it. And I was invited on a podcast and it went really well and was really well received. And I ended up loving that person.

And just the more people I talked to, the more amazing and outrageous opportunities came about. And so this is something that I'm a huge believer in and that is finding positive proof that things can happen, like changing your belief. So what I realized was that why not just walk through the fear because something amazing could be just on the other side.

So just by changing that belief of, you know, I'm not in the mood or I'm tired or they're not going to like me. It was like, well, let me just walk through it and see what amazing could happen. And so there's my proof. I did that and it happened.

So from now on, it's like, all right, I can do this and just refer to the positive things instead of all of the negative things that have happened. Right. Plow through it. Just do it. Just do it.

I mean, it's kind of like, I mean, the best example I can give probably for a lot of people is Facebook Live.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like 80 to 90% of entrepreneurs who are new are just terrified to try it. Yeah. Then they do it. And it's so funny because a lot of them are just like I am. Like once you do it once and you're on there, like you're loving it and your freaking lives are like 30, 40 minutes long. And oh my goodness, might are long. So yeah. Okay. Yeah. I can relate to that.

That's how I was too. I was like, oh, I'm just going to do it. And I was addicted for a long time. Just totally addicted. And it's surprising that people, a lot of people who say I'm really good with public speaking, but when it comes to this Facebook Live thing, I'm just, yeah. Whoa. Yeah. That's a whole different fear there. Yeah. That one's different. Yeah.

So what is the magic that you bring to your client?

I think, you know, I thought about this for a while and even it really was through when I was doing color consulting and it was my clients who helped me realize this. And that was my ability to really feel into them. So there is an intuitive side that comes out that I'm able to, you know, extrude from them. And I'm an expert at basically hearing what they're not saying.

So I take into account, you know, someone that I'm consulting with says, but there's just that little thing inside of there that I'm able to pull out, you know, and my ability to, you know, empathize and just feel it and then deliver on it.

So with the branding and the graphics, it's finding out all about the person, you know, and finding kind of the secret sauce inside and giving them permission to bring it out, finding out about their business and where they want it to go, and then finding out about like the clients, the type of clients that they want to attract.

And once I get all that together and just kind of set it off to the side, then it just start happening. So I'm just able to really get to the core of the client and move forward with that and then present them with a branding board and a template of graphics that they can actually just grab and go. They can fill in their own, you know, text or message.

They can throw in their own photograph if they want, you know, however they want to do it. But the idea is that it resonates with them so deeply that it's them, that it's their business, that it's the clients, it's all, you know, unilateral. And that's what attracts the clients to them that they really want. And that's what gives them the confidence because it's like they gain clarity by just talking with me.

And then they have the confidence because now all of this relates to them. They're like, yes, these colors are like my power colors and I really feel them and this look and this vibe feels like me and it feels like my business and this is exactly who I want to attract. And the clients are, you know, just like a magnet. They see it, they want it, it just all works out.

So it's that intuitive side of me that just really brings that magic out.

Yeah, you know, that is important.

I mean, when you get that piece down, you know, everybody says you don't need a website, you don't need the graphics and all of that, but I do find it helpful, you know, to have all that figured out. And you know, people know when they see my stuff, they know my font and all of that. They know my color.

Yeah, yours is really good. You're the only on point.

So yeah, although you know, I always want to change it, right?

I'll help you.

I know, I was just thinking like, it's so much fun. That is fun stuff.

Yeah, some days I think about ditching the pink and then I'm like, I don't know. I'm a pink girl too, so I feel you. Yeah. So let's see.

So and maybe the answer to this is what you already provided, but how do you go about making the social media graphics for your clients then?

Thank you for asking that. So the funny thing is, is that, you know, I don't, I'm not a graphic designer, but I'm really good with visuals and the tools that I do know. I started in PowerPoint and I started using drawing programs. And of course in design school, all of the CAD and everything that I did there, the computer rated drawing. So I work in Canva and I create everything through there.

And then I actually share it with my clients because I want them to be able to empower themselves to be able to use this as, you know, a launching pad, if you will, to be able to either create their own or get more ideas or tweak something here or there.

Because the thing that I noticed by niching down into social media in terms of branding is that it's so much different than a website or a landing page because it's a smaller visually, it's a smaller image that people are looking at and they, whether it's on their computer or their phone, and you only have three seconds or however long it is to grab your client's attention.

So colors may actually even look a little different for social media graphics and they might on the website. Because when you're on the website, it's like you're standing back and you can take it all in. You might need something that's going to capture their attention.

I mean, in addition to the simplicity of it or whatever the image or direction is, you know, it's really important in terms of how you're going to grab the attention of your client quickly. Definitely.

I mean, and you have to on social media because everybody else is out there saying, look at me.

You know?

Yeah, you're right about that too.

Yeah, and like I said, just looking at your phone, it's so little.

And yeah, you're fighting against everyone else.

What's the way to make it more advantageous?

Yeah.

So tell me, who do you work with?

Who do you prefer to work with?

Well, I've been working with women throughout everything that I've been doing, but even with the branding, it's who I prefer to work with. I'm not saying that I wouldn't work with men. I might be willing to give it a whirl if the right person came along.

I'm really particular these days about who I take on because my time is so limited that I want to work with someone who's really open to disclosing whatever information about themselves, that they're open to how things could look, and that they value the information that I'm giving them and that they're willing to take the next step, which is what I present to them.

It's in Canva and I share that with them and I kind of let them loose at that point. If I feel like I want to continue working with them, then I might do some more graphics or something of that nature. But a lot of times I just won't because it's just the end of it.

So the beauty of it is that they can take the package that I give to them and just go have fun and put everything on Facebook that they want. It's really easy and they can just extrude what they want. Or if they have a website or a landing page or something like that, that they do, it's a do it yourself, they could take that information and place it on there themselves.

So if they're that kind of person, then it's useful for them.

Or if they have a graphic designer or a website designer or even another branding person that's going to blow this up really big time for them, they can easily take what I give to them in case they're not into any of this and hand it off to someone else who can take it to the next level because they're going to have it. It's going to be a conceptual vibe.

Their message is going to be much more clear and it will just help those people down the line that much more. Awesome. Yeah. Cool. It sounds super fun.

Like, do you do the color palettes and everything for people?

Yeah. Oh yeah. That's my specialty. The last 10 years I've been.

Well, I couldn't figure it, but I wanted to clarify.

Yeah, I do.

So do you have, before we go away for the night, do you have any tips or anything that you want to share with people as far as confidence goes or colors, any of that good stuff?

Yeah, I do. A lot of times I see graphics and the color schemes are such that they bring the whole visual and graphic down. They're not excitable. They're almost better for like a spa or something like that. So for example, if you did have a spa and you wanted people to feel relaxed and relieved in that kind of thing, you might use spotlight colors like purples or greens or blues.

Those are cooler tones on the color. But even then, someone who's on social media, I'm going to say, yes, you could use those, but you're going to need a color to capture them or they're just going to float right by it unless they have a lot of time to really dive in. I see too many people using purples and greens. And what happens with those is it just weakens them just instantly.

I immediately feel it when I see them. And there's certain people and like, oh, I want to work with you so bad because I know I could just do something that would get you to attract your clients.

And the other thing is that if you're going to use purple and green and you've got, maybe you have a wellness or you work with raw foods or something like that and you want people to have energy and that's the end result that you want, you don't want colors that are going to bring people down.

And most of the time we want a little bit of energy in the graphics because we want them to capture their attention. So that's the thing with social media. So energy colors would be colors like orange, yellow, and red. So things that represent the fire or sun or elements like that will really capture people's attention. But it doesn't mean that I'm going to do all your graphics like that at all.

It's a really balanced composition and it depends on you, your personality and who you want to attract and your business, of course. Yeah.

Well, and I know I always feel like mine doesn't reflect the kooky personality.

Oh, okay. So I love the pink. Yeah.

Well, I just worked with someone recently who also was a pink person and she was concerned about integrating it, but we made it work. So interesting. Yeah. Ways to do it.

Well, awesome. So I'm sure that there are people watching and listening and this is going like everywhere. So there's got to be people who are going to want to check in to you, work with you, that kind of thing. Yeah.

Ali, where can they find you?

Do you have any freebies for them or any offers coming up that they might be interested in?

Yeah. So the best way to find me is I've gone ahead and put a contact form on my website that's called Room Color Schemes. And I can lead you there, but if you put in www.room-color-schemes, and that's schemes with an S,.com. And then if you put slash contact, that should take you to my contact sheet and on there, in addition to my color consultations.

If you want a color consultation, you can click that, but it's a social media branding for my business. So I would be happy if you just click that and you have room to tell me what you're interested in, I'd be happy to get back with you. And we can get on like a 20 minute discovery call just to find out more about what you need and how I can help you.

And if you mentioned that you watched this, then I'll make sure that I take extra special care of you and give you a good deal. Yay. Watch or listen, because it's going to be on the podcast. Watch or listen. If all of that was too confusing, just Google room color schemes or my name, Casey Cohen. It's K-C-C-O-H-N. I'm all over the internet, so it should be pretty easy to find.

Or go to Facebook and look up my name also and PM me or friend me or whatever you want to do. I love talking with people about this. Business is my thing. Color is my thing. And you have visual graphics. And it's just so nice to watch people gain their confidence just by having the clarity and attracting only the clients that they really want to attract. Definitely.

Suzanne, thank you so much for the opportunity to be able to speak to your tribe. It was a lot of fun. And I know for those who haven't listened, she had an opportunity for something really big tonight. Instead of this, I had an opportunity for an 80s party. An 80s party. I prefer the 70s. So maybe next time we can have our own 70s party or something. That's right.

We said we were going to have our own party. Yeah. All right.

Well, thank you so much for being on. And I know I will see you around because I see you often.

Yeah, likewise. Online. So thank you so much and see all of you guys later.