Discovering new clients doesn't always involve direct sales pitches. In fact, I've found that the best way to get new clients is not by trying hard to convince them. What does that mean? I've been working in the innovation business for 15 years. I know that it's crucial to keep making your product better by talking to customers regularly. For us who run workshops to help customers solve their problems, those problem-solving workshops are our products. So, to get new clients, I reach out to successful senior managers on LinkedIn, like C-Level, SVPs, and VPs. I ask if I can spend 15 minutes learning from them about how they solve problems inside their companies. If they agree, I curiously ask a lot of questions about their process. Why do I do this? - People like feeling important, like heroes. They like being asked for advice. So, I give them what they want, and that makes it more likely for them to say yes to my request. - Sometimes, they just tell me how they solve problems without asking me anything. That's okay - I still learn a lot. - Most times, they ask why I want to know. When I explain my approach, I often hear, "You didn't try to sell anything, but you've sold yourself perfectly." - Success! If you're interested in learning more, please feel free to ask below. PS: What's your approach to finding new clients?

Hey everybody recording posted! @Graham Thompson needed to practice for his upcoming 60-person LDJ, so we organized a practice session for him. We wanted facilitators and as many participants as possible for this 90-minute practice on Saturday October 28, 2023 at 4:00pm London time (8:00am in LA). We needed a really big wave 🌊 of Jedi Facilitators from this community, and they stepped up to the challenge! Nice to see you 🫵 there!! 🌟✨

I've recently embarked on my freelancing journey as an innovation facilitator, and I'm in search of a peer learner. I'm looking for someone with whom I can exchange insights, support each other throughout the process, and share our experiences. I firmly believe that connecting with fellow with the same goals can greatly enhance our performance. If you're interested, please leave a comment, and I'll get in touch with you

It's hard to describe when you encounter something that speaks to you. Like, really speaks to you... It's liberating. It's energizing. It's all-consuming. But that's a peek into how I felt when I discovered the world of facilitation. As a former journalist, turned nonprofit executive director, turned freelance marketer/consultant, I've been wandering the career forest looking for a more permanent home. Every position I've held has taught me skills that I've been able to use and build upon, but it wasn't until I found out about facilitation that everything clicked into place. And now, I can confidently point to the magical land of "workshopping" and say that I've found my professional home. So far, I'm early on this journey. But I'm loving every step. I ran a career workshop for a friend a couple of months ago. Now, I'm prepping for a more formal multi-workshop for a video production company that I'll co-lead with my business partner. I am eager to tap into this community and learn from the best. Heeyah!

Hi all, I am Irina from New York :) Just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I come from a wide background in merchandising & product development across a variety of categories (apparel, accessories, home decor, etc) for multinational stores as well as an entrepreneur with 2-companies (one in fashion subscriptions, one in lifestyle services). Across my 15+ year career, I've had the pleasure to work with both fortune 500 sized companies and startups. I played a big role in executing new high-level projects as well as helping others to do so. I am skilled in various elements of launching new products/services such as graphic design, e-commerce, uiux (minimal), etc - to the point that I am able to step into an existing project to fill in at a moments notice whenever needed. I find myself in an interesting place in my life right now where I'm seeking to get my consultancy off the ground, to potentially connect my lifestyle services in retreat planning/designing with design thinking/sprints or other similar workshops which would essentially connect everything I do (well...mostly lol). That's why I'm here. Happy to get to know you all! Excited for what the future holds :)