Wendy McCallum (00:39)
Hello everyone, welcome back to the Coaching Edge. I'm your host, Wendy McCallum. It's an exciting day today here in Coaching Edge Land because I have a guest, which you guys will realize is a special thing. It doesn't happen very often on here.
so today I have with me Lauren Balterman, who's a psychology-driven brand strategist, creative director, and positioning expert.
Who helps experienced women turn their expertise into a brand that people recognize, trust, and hire. With 15 years of experience in psychology, leadership, and entrepreneurship, Lauren blends human behavior, brand strategy, and creative direction to help experts become known for how they think, not just what they do. Hi, Lauren. Welcome.
Lauren Balterman (01:19)
Hi, hi, Wendy. Hi, listeners. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast.
Wendy McCallum (01:24)
It is my pleasure. We were just Lauren and I were chatting before we hit record. And I was saying to Lauren that one of the reasons why I thought she'd be a great fit is because I talk a lot on here about figuring out and getting really clear on what your special sauce or your secret sauce is as a coach. And I think that really that is what Lauren does best. Lauren, I think it's what you would re you would probably r refer to special sauce as the psychological signature. That's the thing you talk about a lot.
Is that fair?
Lauren Balterman (01:53)
Yes. Yes. Absolutely. That is my term.
Wendy McCallum (01:58)
Do you want to just like maybe just start by letting people know what that is? What is the psychological signature signature and and and how do we know what that is?
Lauren Balterman (02:07)
Yeah, absolutely. So as we were talking about before, Wendy, you know, so many people who are trying to build a brand and see the importance within brand building, they hear, you know, you need to be yourself, you need to be you, you need to be authentic. And what I found so very often is people don't know how to do that. And then they tend to see all of the things that we get bombarded with online.
And it gets very confusing as to how to really pull out yourselves, what you believe in, your stories, your personality. So the psychological signature is just that. It is the experiences that you personally have gone through, your beliefs. So how you see the world, the unique lens that you see it through. And then we bring all of that into what I call your signature stance.
And that is a very strong one liner. It's like that line in the sand as to who you are and really, really what you stand for, what you stand on. And that is we bring all of that, and that's how we build your entire brand.
Wendy McCallum (03:17)
Okay, give me an example of a one-liner stance, like maybe your one-liner stance, but just so people listening know what we're talking about.
Lauren Balterman (03:27)
Sure. So I actually really like to talk about two examples that I feel everyone really knows. One, whether we like or love either person, one is Tony Robbins and the other one is Brene Brown. So a signature stance, and obviously this is my take after studying hundreds of brands, but really understanding their stories, their beliefs, and then we turn that into, so for example, Tony Robbins would be like.
If you want to change your life, you have to change your state, right? Something like that. That is a signature stance. Brene Brown, for example, would say something along the lines of the most effective or most efficient way to be an incredible leader is going to be through vulnerability.
Wendy McCallum (04:14)
Okay, perfect. So it's the is it like the real life sort of application of your signature of your psychological signature? Is that kind of what we're talking about there? Yeah.
Lauren Balterman (04:28)
Exactly. Well, the
psychological signature is how you make that statement. So like
Wendy McCallum (04:33)
Mm.
Lauren Balterman (04:34)
Tony Robbins or Brene Brown or even myself or anyone I work with, you can't just come up with this one liner, right? So if we you and I were doing it, what I would ask you is the process of the psychological signature. So it's going through, I would say, Wendy, what are five different moments? Those look your look at yourself in the mirror moments that
shifted something in you that made you either a belief shifted, something really landed that was so important. We talk that through. So again, for example, it was something for Tony Robbins about changing a state and how that was so important various times in his life. Then from there, you take what's called a worldview. And it's like how you look at everything, not just to your industry per se.
And then we take that worldview and we say, Great, Wendy, blank is so important to you. This thing that you believe in so much. And then we say, Well, how does that blank thing actually fit into your industry? How does that actually make you different in insert whatever world we or industry we are talking about?
Wendy McCallum (05:42)
getting clear on your psychological signature and then developing this signature stance, that's so important for a coach who is trying to build a sustainable, profitable business that doesn't burn them out, which is really what I'm focused on is helping people do as a coach.
Lauren Balterman (05:59)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And as we know, we were talking about before,
something that we see in the industry, it's very often that people will say, You can build the million dollar business by being wherever, you know, on a beach doing all these things. And what I tend to see as you were talking about are people who are really, really good at what they do.
It is again incredibly hard to take all of the expertise, the skill set that you have when you come into coaching. Most of the people I work with are like, I know I'm really good at what I do. And then X years later, two, three, five years later, their revenue, their demand, their sales don't show that. So what I again tend to see is you don't need more certifications, you don't need more expertise or to add to your skill set.
You actually just need to shift your how your brand is being seen and shift the perception as to how people see the expert that you are.
Wendy McCallum (07:05)
So one of the things that we had
I touched on is that
you and I have similar stories in that in 2020 our businesses really shifted, so why don't you share what your experience was in 2020?
Lauren Balterman (07:17)
Sure. Absolutely.
So 2020, I had been coaching for a decade in the health industry. And also for a decade, I was a mental health clinician and really trying to find the pathway that was going to lead me to where I wanted to be living this double life. And 2020 was this beautiful, chaotic time that I decided to leave where I was in corporate setting, private practice, and
moved my whole family from New York to Florida. And at that point was like, we're gonna go out on our own. You know, my part-time 10 year coaching was was very minuscule. And it was 2020 when I said we're gonna take the leap of faith and be the full-time entrepreneur. And it was really, you know, I speak to my double life in s in the sense of that was my secret sauce. So I built that first business in 2020. It was
a health and mindset business. And I built it within eight months, I went to a hundred K. And it was entirely because I leaned into my psychological signature and special sauce, which was I knew I was really good at what I did. I I knew nothing about social media at the time. And instead I recognized how I was very different. Health coaches at that time
We're talking about macros and the best training split. And as much as I love all of that, because I was a bodybuilder of six years, I said, hey, well, I've been a therapist and a clinician for X amount of years at that point. So I went into brand build by my differentiator by saying the only way, the best way to master your body is to master your mind. And
Even when again, social media was a struggle, I continued to lean into that. I continued to lean into what is the process that I really take people through, what is the language, my signature language that I utilize. And I built a brand that was not just different for the sake of being disruptive.
This
is what I love. This is what I'm gonna do. You know, I'm gonna go teach other people how to do this.
Wendy McCallum (09:30)
Yeah, love that because I had such a similar experience, different but similar in the in the during the pandemic as well, which is I'd been coaching for 10 years doing personal coaching. I had a really busy practice at the time helping burnt out professional women. and I'd just gone and done my third certification around specifically around alcohol. And in the course of that certification, I couldn't
stop thinking about the fact that all of these promises were being made about the business potential of this coaching certification for people and how easy it was going to be for people to come out and have a full client roster and, you know, charge really ridiculously high rates and all the rest of it. and this like increasing frustration that I had with the amount
Of frankly bullshit that's being fed to new coaches. And
Lauren Balterman (10:16)
Yes, yes.
Wendy McCallum (10:18)
I had then had a lot of coaches coming to me saying, Look, we can see that you have already built a really strong coaching business. Can you help us do that? Which is what
Lauren Balterman (10:24)
Yeah. Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (10:26)
led to me creating the first iteration of the business building, what is now the business building boutique, was then the business building boot camp. and I think to the development of me and this really clear sense of like, well, here's what I am. I'm this person.
Who is completely no bullshit? And I am done. I am absolutely
Lauren Balterman (10:42)
Yeah. Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (10:44)
done with all these manifestation gurus and these people who are giving formulas and selling,
Lauren Balterman (10:50)
Okay.
Wendy McCallum (10:51)
frankly, something that they absolutely cannot deliver. Like it's to me, there's a lot of fraud that happens out there. And
Lauren Balterman (10:55)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (10:59)
I felt like I actually was the real deal and I knew what it took. And I had done all the things. I'd made a million mistakes. I had learned lots and lots of things over 10 years.
so when I when I read that piece of your story or heard that piece of your story, I thought, that's so interesting. It happened for both of us at the same time in 2020. And I wonder how many other business owners it happened for
in 2020.
Lauren Balterman (11:21)
Yeah. I love your
story, Wendy.
were talking about other people came to you and were like, Okay, you've built this established thing. I see that you can actually do this. You are the real deal. Help me, right? I know for myself it was an entire year.
Before I even said I do business coaching strategy, brand build and growth, because the business coaching industry grossed me out. There were so many people that were promising all these fake things, quick tactics. And it yeah, it was so unaligned and gross, you know, to me that it was an entire year of truly still having my health business and
Very small therapy practice and literally having tons of clients through my communities that I'm growing their businesses and their brands. And finally I was like, okay, we are going to do this. We're gonna trailblaze, we're gonna be like the real ones, you know? And and hopefully the people who are I say like disco ball coaches promising all these ridiculous things.
Hopefully, you know, that decreases and the real ones, you know, really, really are here, you know, in the arena 'cause that's what's most important.
Wendy McCallum (12:39)
Yeah, I love that disco ball coaches. I think it's I think the shift is happening. And honestly, there are enough people out there looking for support that it doesn't really matter to me if it does.
I think for me, that most important piece of that is that you are going to have people who are happy with you as a coach because you are the right person for them. So they're
Lauren Balterman (12:58)
Yes.
Wendy McCallum (12:59)
not expecting you to have some kind of guided visualization to a million dollars, for example, which no one ever has gotten from me and never will get from me.
Lauren Balterman (13:04)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (13:09)
That's not what you're expecting because I'm putting myself
Lauren Balterman (13:09)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Wendy McCallum (13:11)
out there in a very authentic way. And you know what you're getting before you come in. And it's
Lauren Balterman (13:16)
A hundred percent.
Wendy McCallum (13:17)
also, I think, the other piece we haven't talked about very much today is this like no trust thing, which I talk about constantly. You cannot build like no trust if you are not out there authentically. Because obviously authenticity and like no trust are directly aligned. And if you're putting yourself
Lauren Balterman (13:28)
Yes, yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (13:34)
out there in even in like just a watered down kind of
Lauren Balterman (13:37)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (13:38)
generic way. It
Lauren Balterman (13:39)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (13:40)
is, it is very difficult. It will take a long time to build that like no trust, in my opinion.
Lauren Balterman (13:43)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (13:46)
So I think what Lauren teaches and what Lauren does is actually the underpinning of everything when it comes to building business.
Wendy McCallum (13:55)
And I feel like you and I agree on this this point as well. Like
I think that given where we are now and a lot of the things I've been talking about on the coaching edge over the last year or so in terms of the market shifting, the saturation in the market, the incredible like surge of AI and just so much
Lauren Balterman (14:10)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (14:11)
so much noise out there. I think
Lauren Balterman (14:14)
Sure.
Wendy McCallum (14:14)
it's it's probably even more important for people to be able to really clearly know and state
Lauren Balterman (14:21)
Mm, mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (14:23)
what sets them apart and what makes them them. Yeah. Yeah.
Lauren Balterman (14:25)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Absolutely. A hundred percent. And you know, something that I know I've seen in the last couple of years between twenty twenty and and now was an incredible surge in messaging. Like you have to do your messaging, you have to do your messaging, like almost to the point where it was just beat over and over and over again. Right. And it is so important to have really clear messaging, but
Again, a lot of the people that I work with, they come and they're like, okay, well, I've done my messaging. Like this is who I work with. I know my ideal client. I, you know, can take her from where she is right now to where she wants to go, A to Z, as I typically say. And to bring it back to the importance of the psychological signature or knowing your special sauce.
I tend to say, you know, two individuals, sometimes I'll say like two two different therapists turned coaches, right? That they have a say they both do the same psychological approach or modality, could be something like EDMR, and they even have a similar background. They're gonna come in and they might work with similar people.
So their messaging might actually be very similar. It it
Wendy McCallum (15:38)
Mm-hmm.
Lauren Balterman (15:38)
takes so much more than just clear messaging. And that's really where positioning comes into place. And that's why I say, hey, we that's great that your messaging is clear, but can you answer the question, why you? Why you in that industry that you were in? So the psychological signature, as I said.
It's really the foundation to building the positioning and the changing of the perception that needs to happen if you really want to close the gap for, you know, where you are right now and having the amount of revenue and sales that you want.
Wendy McCallum (16:15)
I totally agree with with that. I think that, we had a world maybe like six years ago or so where just being clear on who you work with and the problem that you solve was enough.
In terms of messaging. And what you're saying, and what I also am saying in slightly different ways, is what really what we need to be focusing on now is not just the problem you solve and who you solve it for or help solve it with, but
Lauren Balterman (16:40)
Mm. Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (16:41)
also the unique way that you do that that makes you stand out from other people. And it's not just your methodology, guys. Like it's not just,
Lauren Balterman (16:49)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (16:50)
well, I use this approach or I use I've got this certification. It's what makes you uniquely you.
So on that note, you were clapping. So I know I was on the right, was going in the right direction with that. On
Lauren Balterman (17:01)
If that's it.
Wendy McCallum (17:02)
that note, What are some steps that people can actively start taking to actually get clearer on what that is? Because a lot of people are thinking.
I have the first couple parts of that niche statement down. My messaging is pretty clear. I know
Lauren Balterman (17:15)
Sure. Sure.
Wendy McCallum (17:18)
I'm really good at this, but I really have no idea how to describe my special sauce or what my psychological signature is.
Lauren Balterman (17:27)
Sure, sure. So one of the first places I is a wonderful, you know, beginning start point is if you were to look at wherever you market yourself, any social media or whatever it may be, if you read your last couple of marketing materials, posts, if you read them, ask yourself the question.
Could this be written by almost anyone? Could this be written by someone else in your industry? If the answer, whether you're using AI or not, a whole nother conversation, right? But
Wendy McCallum (18:07)
Yeah.
Lauren Balterman (18:08)
whether, whether or not, if the answer to that is yes, then you are not showing.
you again may not have defined why you and your brand signals, as I tend to say, are off. There is an incongruence between who you are, your expertise, and what we really want to put forward in terms of special saw, psychological signature. So that is step one. How do you feel about that, Wendy?
Wendy McCallum (18:41)
No, I that aligns now I want to go check my last couple social posts.
Lauren Balterman (18:47)
Yeah, I I tend to say that when I do in-person workshops and events and I'm like, okay, pull it up. I'm like, we're gonna read that together. And it really is a big aha moment. So I love that.
Wendy McCallum (19:00)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. No, that's a great, that seems like a great place to start. And I just want to talk about AI for a second too, because this is probably making this even more likely that people will look at whatever the latest content is that they've put out, whether it's a newsletter, it's social media or some other form of communication, and they have used Cloude or Chat GPT to create that and it's coming off as any it could be anybody.
Lauren Balterman (19:29)
Yeah,
yeah.
Wendy McCallum (19:30)
so I how how how has how have you seen AI impact this? And is there a way to use because everyone's doing it? So is there a way
Lauren Balterman (19:38)
Yeah, yeah.
Wendy McCallum (19:39)
to use AI that is more aligned with your psychological signature? That's a big question, but
Lauren Balterman (19:45)
Yeah. I
know, I know. So it's so interesting that you ask. I actually just had an AI expert come into one of my communities and really be speaking to all that because I'm one to say, you know, it's my one of my worldviews and my philosophy in life, where there's a will, there's a way we you know, we can figure things out.
What I tend to find, I mean, even for myself with AI, and this is what one of the AI experts was really saying, it's she actually used a beautiful analogy. It was the imagine you are meeting someone and you have, you know, an adult friendship or an adult relationship, right? And you have to you want to almost speed up the process in which that person knows you. And if you have that on one, you know, one side of the coin and on the other side of the coin.
You have this individual as an adult, right? Where however old you are. And this other side of the coin is someone who knows you so deeply. And if you were to talk to that person, they can almost finish your sentences. And she said, a lot of people are utilizing and using AI as that first one that I was talking about, where it's like, I don't really know you. I'm gonna spit something out that really isn't you, right? As opposed to that second relationship who, you know, maybe has known you.
decades. So from there, I tend to find again, the more that you can input into AI, I mean, I have a lot of clients that that like AI, that love AI. And I say every single thing that we do within the program, psychological signature, I do what's called your brand persona, which is a really cool thing. It's similar to brand archetypes, right? But it takes your psychological signature and it really is
how you, the version of you, how we embody that and how we bring that forward within your brand. So your language, your visuals, all of that, the more that you can put that as well as your messaging into AI, the better it's gonna come out.
Wendy McCallum (21:50)
Yeah, 100%. I I think there's the the instructions that you give and the there there are ways to work around this for sure.
Lauren Balterman (21:59)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (21:59)
but I do think it's something to be really aware of. I think that's the first step here. It's like, look, it's really easy to come off as generic if you're using AI copy. And the way to like the first step in in as with every problem is to become aware of the fact that it's potentially a problem for you.
And then really get in there and start changing the instructions and the directions and also making sure you're getting really clear with whatever platform you're using as to what it is about you that does make you unique and you're communicating that. But actually, the first thing you said made me think of like a course I took with Marie Forlio, like, my gosh, so long ago now, where she
Lauren Balterman (22:35)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (22:36)
said, whenever you're writing copy, it was the copy cure, which is a
Lauren Balterman (22:39)
Sure.
Wendy McCallum (22:39)
great course at the time. and
She said whenever you're whenever you're writing copy, write it to write it like you would to your best friend, which is kind of what you're saying. And I think that that gets yeah. Yeah.
Lauren Balterman (22:47)
Yes, yes. I I say that every day. I'm like, I promise
this is what people want. It otherwise it's not in your voice. Like, do it as
Wendy McCallum (22:55)
Yeah. Exactly.
Lauren Balterman (22:58)
if you are on two couches facing each other, having that conversation.
Wendy McCallum (23:03)
I think it's really important. And I've said that before on the podcast. And I tell my coaches the same thing, but this is just another example of why that's so important. And that is that that is just directly connected to this whole idea of like what makes you uniquely you and your special sauce. And and don't be too worried about using like I'm just thinking of the other day I was recording a little video and I had a
written out like the points I wanted to talk about. And then at some point I started ad libbing like I do every time I do anything. And I said the word shebang. I said,
or the whole shebang. And I had this thought
Lauren Balterman (23:36)
I love that. I like
Wendy McCallum (23:38)
in my mind, I was like, my God, Wendy, why did you use that word? Anyway, I kept going, finished it, and then went back to look at it and was doing some editing on it. And I thought, should I change that word out? And made the decision not to for a number of reasons. One, that is who I am. And that is actually a weird word that I use.
Probably more than I should, but that I actually use in real life. Yeah.
Lauren Balterman (23:59)
That Wendy. I love that. See, but
it's that it's that realness. The like there is so much that really goes into someone's psychological signature. There's you know the foundation that we had talked about, but to really bring that into your brand, like you were just saying, as I was talking about your brand persona and the signals that your brand gives off, language is so important, right? Back to like the original thing we were talking about. You want your brand to
be you, then it has to actually be you, right? It has to be the language that you use. I actually tell clients when they can, you know, time permitting, to go record a conversation with a good family member, a friend, do a couple of these. And that was a great way that a lot of people utilized AI. They actually uploaded those, you know, whatever everyday conversations into AI and asked AI.
What are the words and what are the phrases that I use? And that gave people gold. And I'm like, okay, is that in your content? And they were like, no, because it sounds weird and it's not professional, like a shebang. And I'm like, that's exactly what we need.
Wendy McCallum (25:07)
That's right. Yeah. And that's why psychological signature works for you and special sauce works for me, because I've been using the word special sauce with my coaches now for the last like seven years. And so
Lauren Balterman (25:15)
Yes. Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (25:17)
for me to suddenly start talking about psychological signature would not fit with my actual psychological signature because it's
Lauren Balterman (25:21)
Yes. Right.
Wendy McCallum (25:24)
it it just doesn't match doesn't match me.
Lauren Balterman (25:27)
mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (25:28)
but it matches you. And I just wanna again like
Nothing else from this podcast, give people permission to actually explore what makes them the uniquely them and to really get out of this trap that I think is it's always been out there. But and I don't know how you feel about this, Lauren, but I am seeing it, I've been seeing it more and more over the last few years. This idea that if you just do it this way, here's
Lauren Balterman (25:53)
Mm.
Wendy McCallum (25:54)
the recipe, here's the here's the secret, follow my funnel, copy
Lauren Balterman (25:57)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (25:59)
my ad.
Campaign. Do my this that you know, do just do it this way. Here's the formula. And I really am such a fan. In fact, I would say this is part of my own special sauce psychological signature, is that I'm anti-formulas. I
Lauren Balterman (26:12)
Yeah. Same.
Wendy McCallum (26:13)
think everybody has to figure out what the right approach is for them. And everybody has strengths and everybody has areas of challenge. And we should all be leaning into our strengths because why wouldn't we do that? And so that's
Lauren Balterman (26:24)
Sure.
Wendy McCallum (26:25)
probably going to lead us down a slightly different path path than somebody else. But
Go and explore that instead of looking for a one size fits all formula or solution to whatever it is you're working on right now.
Lauren Balterman (26:36)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (26:37)
And don't be afraid to embrace the quirky things that make you who you are, because also, hello, I am constantly looking for proof that people are real and not robots.
like if someone says shebang in a video, it's probably not a robot. And if s and if someone, you know, makes a typo in a newsletter, it's probably not a robot. Like this is not about being perfect.
Lauren Balterman (27:03)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (27:03)
this is about being real, I think, is what we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Lauren Balterman (27:06)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
I I love I love that so much, Wendy. You know, it's even I say
There is no one size fits all. There are tons and tons and tons of ways, more than one, you know, to grow a business, to grow your brand. And like even on a tangible level, sometimes I say to people, and it like surprises them, but you know, I I ask people all the time, like, what is the way that you really want to market your business? You know, a lot of the people that I've worked with, a lot of the coaching industry is like, you have to be on Instagram, you know. And then I meet with people and they're like, I hate Instagram.
Like I hate And I'm like, and you've been doing this for two years, you know, and like just that shift and that level as you said, permission. Like I remember switching one of a clients from an Instagram, you know, to Substack, but and it it made the world a difference. I mean, mentally, emotionally, financially for her business. And like really, I I love that you said that, just giving people the permission to be like, no.
What do you really want to do? You know, I I even remember years ago when I had a mentor who would always say to me, Lauren, your care cells are too long. They're too wordy. They're n and I, you know, my my brain that I'm like, I know sales psychology, I taught it in university, all this stuff, but I'm like, I hired you because I want to, you know, hear and take your expertise. And I really sat with that. And again, it's like something I teach today. If that's how you speak, you know, then that
Go ahead, do that, you know, and do what feels really good to you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Wendy McCallum (28:46)
Yeah.
No, I love that. I mean, that do I have a podcast for reasonance because I hate social media. I mean, do I have social media? Yes, it promotes the podcast. That's about it. Because for me, long form content and being able to talk and be at least on one side of a conversation with people is the thing that is the most comfortable to me and that I as a result of that probably am best at.
When it comes to marketing. And so, you
Lauren Balterman (29:12)
Yeah. Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (29:13)
know, you don't have to do the one, the one thing or do it the one way. And
Lauren Balterman (29:18)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (29:19)
I think my guess is that you feel the same way I do, which is it if you can get clear and really stay true to what your psychological signature or special sauce is, you're probably going to do very well with whatever the channel is. And that's also probably going to help you figure out what the right channel is.
Lauren Balterman (29:41)
Yes, yes, a hundred, a hundred percent. I I
Wendy McCallum (29:41)
for you. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Lauren Balterman (29:45)
take people through, like I go through an assessment.
How do you take in information? How do you process? How do you think? And we go throughout an an entire series of questions to actually then it will spit out based on what you have now given to me and answered. These are different platforms, you know, they're gonna be beneficial. And then you take that in and make the final choice. But a hundred percent it really is geared towards you and what feels best.
Wendy McCallum (30:13)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. So I asked you earlier, we were started talking about what people can do, practically speaking, to get clearer on what their psychological signature is. And I think the first thing you said is, well, go and look at your last couple of posts. And if
Lauren Balterman (30:27)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (30:28)
they sound like anybody could have written them, then they're you're probably not speaking through whatever your s psychological signature is.
Lauren Balterman (30:37)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (30:37)
So once
they're what let's say they do that, which a lot of them are gonna a lot of you guys are gonna do it, and you're gonna be like, man, actually 25 coaches
Lauren Balterman (30:44)
That
Wendy McCallum (30:45)
I know could have said the exactly the same way as I said it. What is the
Lauren Balterman (30:48)
Mm-hmm.
Wendy McCallum (30:49)
next step towards getting clear on what their actual brand voice is and their special
Lauren Balterman (30:56)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (30:57)
sauces?
Lauren Balterman (30:57)
Yeah, absolutely. So as you said before, it's a phrase I always say, love, use. First, there is awareness, recognition, and change, right? So if we're in the place of awareness, we know, my goodness, I am totally blending in, could sound like 25 other people. So this is actually what my quiz is based off of. But I say to people,
Go and find one spot to start with. Because if we have that answer that you are blending in, there's going to be a couple different pathways and channels that you can go down. Nine out of 10, that more than one kind of needs to be fixed, focused on, amplified. So I tend to say there are five different pathways that I would look at. So find your one pathway. And the five are going to be what I call my five Ps. So the first one is.
Positioning. Literally, if I am talking to you right now and I say, Wendy, why you? Okay. If you're answering only with your credentials, or I am the most passionate person who just loves my people so much and get no, no, no. Okay. That is not what we need. So, number one, positioning. That's the first P. The second one is going to be your
Process. This is not just a process that's like thrown out on AI that you have like a cute little name with. The process is actually going to take someone through the psychological journey of showing them what's possible for them and answers the question: why you? There's a reason that my process, my methodology is called the psychological signature journey, right?
So
Wendy McCallum (32:39)
Mm-hmm.
Lauren Balterman (32:39)
positioning your your process. So already.
If one of these are your leak, then that's the one that we really want to lean into. The other one is going to be proof. And if your expertise, if your sales are not equaling your expertise, your skill set, I really ask the question, how much proof are you putting out there? And what is your relationship to that? And they also say proof has to be connected to either your positioning or your process. We can't just put the side by sides, you know, as health and fitness coaches anymore. That's
2020, right? And then the last two of the five Ps kind of come together. So one of them is what's called your persona, and the other one is called your presence. Presence just means, are you showing up consistently in the persona? So Wendy, like you were very much saying, your persona from what I'm hearing is I'm gonna be direct. I'm gonna tell it like it is, right? No BS. So
I would say that's a very strong persona. That's how your brand signals who Wendy is. Do you have a persona? Or is it I'm Molly, sweet so-and-so one day, and then I'm someone else another day? so find one of the five PAs that is your biggest leak and then we kind of build from there.
Wendy McCallum (34:00)
Yeah, I love that. going back to the testimonial proof piece for a sec, because this is something I'd forgotten I wanted to chat with you about because when I was going through some of your materials this morning, I heard you talking about this and I thought, okay, that's really that's something that would be of interest to people who listen to this podcast. Talk to me maybe by giving me an example if you can. And I know I'm putting you on the spot. So if you can't, that's fine too. But I'm trying to
Think of an example of a testimonial that you might get from a client. So some proof of, you know, how wonderful it is to work with you. that is just proof of the fact that they had a good experience and you're maybe you're a good coach,
Lauren Balterman (34:42)
Mm.
Wendy McCallum (34:42)
versus proof that would connect back to the process and the positioning in a way that's more effective when you're using it. how do when we're talking about that? What can you give us an example maybe of the difference there?
Lauren Balterman (34:50)
yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So I'll give a personal example as the easiest thing that really came to mind. So a generic testimonial or proof point is really something like working with Lauren is, you know, so amazing. She's an incredible coach. She digs in there, you know, always listens to me, ready to hear my stories and answers quickly and la la la, right?
Beautiful, beautiful testimonial that I take to heart very much. Obviously, love what I do. The the opposite of that, or something that will really connect to a process and positioning is more speaking into where they were, right? So speaking into something like I was an individual, I have 15 years of experience, and every single time I went to go write content.
I was so confused. I never knew what to do. I spent hours doing it. And then I put something out there and never got the keywords in my DMs. And meanwhile, every time I open up social media, I see a 22-year-old who I know they don't have half the skill set that I have. And at least they're saying that they have full programs and all this stuff. Working with Lauren, she brought me through the psychological signature process. I know exactly how to communicate.
my skill set. I know exactly what makes me different and how I put that into my brand and content. And now I have a full program.
Wendy McCallum (36:24)
Right. So for those of you who've been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably heard me talk at some point about gathering testimonials and how and also just not even formal testimonials, just like a casual testimonial from someone who you're, you know, currently working with, for example, in session. I am always reminding people to focus on getting
Really clear on how the person's feeling before and how the person's feeling after. And really, not just emotionally, the shift in their emotional state before they start working with you and after they start working with you, but also practically speaking, what are the tangible differences in the way their life is playing out? What are they doing differently in their day-to-day? How has it actually impacted their behavior and the way they're showing up? So the first, and that I think would lead to the second type of testimonial that Lauren's talking about, that is a much more effective.
Testimonial. So if you are currently, if you have, if you don't have a formal testimonial gathering process as part of your coaching business, maybe I'll talk about that in another episode. I really recommend
Lauren Balterman (37:23)
So needed.
Wendy McCallum (37:23)
you put something in place. And I probably have talked about it, frankly, at some point in the last four seasons, but always be asking your clients those questions. How are you feeling before? How are you feeling now in a very specific way? And then also what's changed in terms of the way you show up in life and your behavior patterns.
versus, you know, then versus now. and then how would you connect that to the work that we did? Like so that there's actually that connection
Lauren Balterman (37:48)
Yeah, yeah.
Wendy McCallum (37:49)
back to the process. I
Lauren Balterman (37:51)
Absolutely.
Wendy McCallum (37:52)
yeah, I think that's really helpful for people to know because that first testimonial you gave, the example, so beautiful, but I was thinking to myself, I have like a hundred of those. And so does
Lauren Balterman (38:01)
Right.
Wendy McCallum (38:01)
every other good coach out there, right? and
Lauren Balterman (38:03)
Yeah, yeah.
Wendy McCallum (38:04)
so it's like, how can you set yourself apart? So just another way that this getting really clear on your psych
Psychological signature, getting clear on those five P's that Lauren was talking about, your special sauce, all of the things we've been talking about in this episode, how that plays out in a in a really practical way in your business building. And that is in
Lauren Balterman (38:24)
Yeah. Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (38:26)
the gathering of proof and
Lauren Balterman (38:29)
Yeah.
Wendy McCallum (38:30)
the proof that you actually put out there and how you put it out there. Mm-hmm.
Lauren Balterman (38:33)
Exactly. Two
other tangible things that just came to my mind are definitely
Wendy McCallum (38:38)
Mm-hmm.
Lauren Balterman (38:39)
one, don't wait for however long the program is, right? If you have a 12-week program, it's not just like the big mama transformation from zero before they started. It's like, okay, well, one week in, right? Two weeks
Wendy McCallum (38:52)
Yes.
Lauren Balterman (38:52)
in, 30 days in, it all of that matters, those small shifts psychologically. If you start putting those small transformational shifts into content.
Again, it's gonna build because it meets someone where they're at, right? And then the other thing that I tend to say that makes it real tangible is what does or did what does someone know? What can they now do? And the feel, right? So know, do, feel at all the different stages that you really take someone through.
Wendy McCallum (39:24)
Yeah, that's a great way to look at it. No do feel. I like that. okay, this is excellent. I could talk to you forever, Lauren. would I but
Lauren Balterman (39:31)
I know
Wendy McCallum (39:34)
I would love to wrap up with I did this this morning, by the way, guys. So Lauren has a link that she's gonna share and I'll let her tell you what it is. But I did do this this morning and it was pretty cool the way it worked out. and I'll include the link in the show notes, but tell people about the link that you wanted to share today.
Lauren Balterman (39:49)
Sure. So as I spoke to before, I have what's called the hidden expert quiz. It is super quick to really take. And once you take it, it is connected to a private podcast that gives you a bunch more information. But if you are the person listening to this podcast and you know that you want to increase your sales because you are incredible at what you do, then this
This quiz will give you one of those five Ps. It connects and it is built upon the five P system to really show you this is your number one leak. Let's go do this. And then the private podcast gives you more information on how.
Wendy McCallum (40:27)
Yeah, and it's really good. I I only had time to listen to the two to two of the podcast episodes in my private podcast this morning. But what I listened to was great. And I'm gonna listen to the rest of it in the car this afternoon when I do my little road trip I have to do. So I encourage you to go and and do that quiz and and look for Lauren on where's the best place to follow you, Lauren, on Instagram? Yeah.
Lauren Balterman (40:49)
On Instagram. Yeah,
I'm also on Substack Lauren Balterman. and then the website, LaurenNicole.life.
Wendy McCallum (40:57)
Great. Okay. Well, I'll put the link in the show notes to that quiz and you can find Lauren through that. and thank you so much, Lauren, for coming on. As I my gut was telling me that you were gonna be a good fit, just given what you what you talk about. And I think we've got a lot of alignment in terms of how we look at this particular issue. So I appreciate you taking the time today to talk to me.
Lauren Balterman (41:16)
Yeah, absolutely, Wendy. I'm so glad. Thank you, thank you.
Wendy McCallum (41:21)
My pleasure. Okay, everyone, I will see you next time on the coaching edge. Thank you so much for listening. Have a great week.
