Client Case Studies

It's hard to trust someone you've never met.  As the Trust-Building in Marketing expert, I know you need some proof to back up my claims.  So, here are some case studies with REAL clients and what they got out of the Trust-Building work we did.  Check them out, then head over to the services page to find your next step. 

Disclaimer: All testimonials you see on this website are from actual clients who have worked with me directly. No one here has been paid for their testimonials, although I do periodically offer reduced pricing in return for a testimonial. The results mentioned by our clients are due to their willingness to explore who they are, their own marketing processes, and implementing the processes/concepts created from their own uniqueness.

In the end Matt and Ryan both walked away with a new, grounded, sense of how they wanted to go about marketing. It now matches their style, their personality, who they are and what they want to create in the world. Here are a few more words from Matt about what he walked away with:

“After working with Kristen, I’m more aware of my tendency to think in old-paradigm marketing strategies. There’s this voice I hear when I’m thinking about getting the 'word' out. It says, 'First you do this, then you do this' except that voice’s direction makes me feel heady, not inspired. As a marketing guide, Kristen didn’t tell me what to do. She asked me what kind of marketing felt good to me. And from that place, my own version of marketing is coming into fruition.”

-Matthew Slone
Co-Founder
http://www.soulfulbrand.com

 

When Shane Thibodeau came to work with me, he was worried about "the big elephant" of launching his relatively new coaching business.  He wasn't sure where to start and was looking in every corner he could find for marketing advice that would get him there.  He was jumping around from one marketing strategy to the next, hoping to see quick results and wasn't getting them.  So, he decided to sign up for the "What's Your Tie-Dye Program?" program.  Before we started, he said; "I want to feel confident in engaging my marketing without feeling intimidated." 

We got to work exploring his values first using the Core Values Index.  As he started applying his values to marketing, we started to notice his big problem with marketing.  "I couldn’t seem to get or stay committed to paths which facts and professionals have shown to be the most effective ways of doing things."  So Shane started to formulate his own ideas about what he needed to be doing to market his business and acted on them.  What happened?  I know and have seen firsthand that when I act as motivated from my values, I become an attractive beacon which calls others to my confidence and my cause.

After just four sessions of applying values to marketing, Shane had this to say; "The process is thorough and incredibly enlightening. Although the direct application is to marketing, there are lessons to be gleaned here which can have lasting and significant benefits on all areas of one’s business and life. In addition to helping me see how I can be most effective...I could see how I used to try to fit those molds. Now I have the knowledge to recognize patterns and warning signs that I am falling into less effective habits which are much less likely to produce the effects I want."

-Shane Thibodeau
http://www.DoWorkBeHappy.com
 

“Before working with Kristen, my marketing plan was too large for me to successfully implement, and therefore I was working on an endless to-do list.” Jane wasn’t clear on exactly what her marketing plan should be. She was frustrated and wasn’t sure how to make the marketing she’d been taught to do work better for her.

Jane hired me to help her make some sense out of all the strategies she had to choose from and create some sort of system that would help her stay on track with marketing. We got started right away and I introduced her to my Inner Trust process where she got some clarity and was able to start looking at marketing differently. At that point, Jane said; “The process was very easy for me, and I totally got it. I was surprised at how intuitive it was.”

After that, we identified some blocks that were causing her to spin her wheels in marketing. As with most clients she was following what she thought she “had” to do and not what she needed to do for herself. So, we adjusted, realigned and got her on a new path with a new marketing plan that was all her own. In the end, here’s what Jane had to say:

“Kristen gave me an understanding that I don’t need to use marketing strategies that aren’t right for me. She also helped me find how I best connect with clients, and how to tailor my marketing to that strength.”

“Going through Kristen’s program finally stopped the feeling of marketing overwhelm and inadequacy, showed me what tactics were effective for my style and gave me clarity around how to spend my time and best reach out to new clients. I have greater control over my time, more confidence in my approach and clarity about the grand potential of my future. Kristen is a brilliant coach and facilitator who helps you see your greatness, your potential and take the steps that will bring your future to you.”

-Jane Morrison
Executive Coach and Business Development Consultant
http://www.JaneMorrison.com

Kim Barnwell came into this process no stranger to marketing, in fact, she knows a lot about marketing but she wasn’t sure what to do with it and most of it felt “icky” to her. She had just lost money on another marketing program she thought would help her make sense of all the information she had. It turns out “at the end of that 5 month program, I was no further ahead and more frustrated by the fact that the program didn’t offer me anything new or different – just more of same including the icky parts.” She was tired, frustrated and all she wanted was to get better results from the marketing she was pouring her heart and soul into. She was looking for something different.

That’s when Kim came to me. Of course, she was worried that this was going to be another rehash of everything she’d learned already. However, she was in the midst of redesigning her relationship with marketing and had a sense that my program would help. She knew that she needed to trust in herself more. So, she jumped on board.

After the first session, Kim said “You helped me find where I was compromising who I am in order to do marketing. You helped me honor the things I was doing right and then we created some guidelines to help me move forward and honor myself.” After each call Kim got clearer on where she was taking on others ideas of how she was supposed to market. We created easy tools to use daily that kept her on track. Together, we brainstormed different strategies for marketing and what offerings she wanted to make that match who she is.

“What I am accepting is that it really isn’t the marketing piece that has been getting in my way…it’s my confidence and belief in myself.” In the end Kim is making her own decisions and not following any blueprint other than her own priorities, values and desires. She’s walking to the beat of her own drum in marketing and finding the confidence comes with it quite easily. Here’s what she had to say after completing the program; “Kristen is the FIRST marketing consultant I’ve met that supports clients in congruent marketing. Her program is not a 'one size fits all' sort or program - more like 'What size fits you and let's harness the brilliance of that!’ Working with Kristen I no longer feel inclined to entertain methods that work for others but feel icky to me, and having my own inner knowing validated as being exactly the process I should follow is priceless.”

-Kim Barnwell, CPCC, PCC
Certified Life Coach, Mentor and Healing Facilitator
http://www.Conscious-Creation.com

Rhonda is a very organized person and needs a system to follow. When she came to me, she had been trying different marketing strategies and had tried following several other systems from marketing experts. “Before working with Kristen I was growing my business at a turtles pace and also day by day without the knowledge of how to make the growth happen. I used a ‘do and hope it works’ technique. What was keeping me from reaching my goals was mainly the fear of not knowing what to do.” So, we started digging in right away.

First off we found that her experience in the corporate world was useful in her current business. We used her corporate mindset to inform her day-to- day marketing which pointed to obvious marketing strategies. We then worked on getting a marketing calendar together so Rhonda would have the organization she craves. “It was so easy to set up my activities to get done for the next 30 days.” Immediately, Rhonda had a renewed sense of confidence because this system was built around her unique style. “You made sure I kept the decision-making based on my values and priorities. This gave me the confidence to know I ‘can’ do it!”

As Rhonda continued through the process we solidified what to do and she easily found where she could hand off work to others. “I’ve become more organized, strategic, forward moving, & less stressed by not doing everything myself.” In the end, she had a full plan of what marketing strategies to use, and a process for figuring out what to market next. Here’s what she said about our work together; “After working with many other coaches I discovered Kristen’s techniques of coaching is result oriented and what every new coach needs to discover about themselves early on in their business. Since working with Kristen, I’m now able to create a plan of action based on my own personal needs (not some one size fits all system) so that I can stay on target and achieve my desired results.”

-Rhonda Neely
Marriage and Life Development Strategist
http://www.MarriageByRedesign.com

“I always feel like I should be ‘doing’ something for my marketing.” Deni came to me getting stuck every day because she didn’t know what she should be doing marketing-wise. She had studied many of the big gurus who were at the level she longed to achieve. Yet, “Some offer what they have found to work for them. Most offer what someone else found works for them, then they think it should work for…everybody.” She also noticed that their marketing tactics were not at all comfortable for her. She said; “When I put myself out there to ‘market’ I feel…used.” So, she came to me because I offered a chance to find what works for the individual…and why it works for them.

In the beginning we created some consistency in her marketing. Then we identified the types of marketing strategies that have been working well for her. It was at this point where she realized that she was marketing more consistently and doing “something for marketing” more often than she thought she was. “I've put myself out there in many ways. I don't think I've given myself enough credit. Standing back and looking in....I believe I've done very well!” So, we took that realization and built on it by brainstorming how she could capitalize on it more.

Then we created a structure to help her decide what marketing she was going to do each week. After planning her first week, she said; “It's doable, looks great and feels great!” In the end, she had a do-able marketing plan and a financial plan to achieve her goals in the next couple of years. “Getting to the core of my matters is what I loved best. She keeps it forward-moving, challenging and fun. What we discovered works for me, and the tools she’s developed to help me keep moving forward, are so valuable. Whether you’re just starting out, or ‘seasoned’ in your own way, this is a great program for discovery and implementation.”

-Deni Carruth
Founder, MasterWellnes and MasterKeysCoaching
Executive Wellness and VICTOR Life Coach
http://www.MasterKeysCoaching.com 

Nina Ham came to me at a transition point. She knew there was a new group of people she wanted to work with, and she needed a new way to work with them. She was excited to be going in this new direction, but wasn’t sure how to talk about it. Below is how the message building process worked for her and what she took away after just two sessions of working together on her marketing message.

“Before I started working with Kristen, I hoped to be able to identify a way of engaging people in conversation about my work that would really be a mutually enjoyable conversation rather than a thinly disguised marketing spiel. I was also skeptical that I could make headway towards this!

What surprised me most, and also was deeply helpful, was finding myself in tears over how strongly I felt and believed in what my work is. Connecting with that depth of commitment in myself will permanently ground any conversation or marketing endeavor in 'something I deeply feel/believe', so I can go out from there knowing it's what I stand for and what I'm here for.

Kristen’s insistence on staying with the initial 'phase' of a conversation was most valuable to me during this process. She found ways to make initial connection with potential clients that are informal but genuine, before diving deep into a sales conversation with them. Kristen was very skillful at finding common threads among what I was saying and putting those threads into everyday language. This is exactly what now allows me to easily and clearly communicate with others about what I do.”

-Nina Ham
Women's Success Coach
http://www.SuccessFromTheInsideOut.com