Refining Your Framework to Market + Sell Your High Ticket Offer with Mallika Malhotra
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[00:00:00] Heather: I'm bringing you this four part bonus series where I'm diving into the game changing strategies and impactful upgrades made by some of the members of my three month Thrive Mind, Your Success Squad. Discover why and how they implemented these strategies, tune in for each part of the series, and if one feels aligned, apply it to your business too.
[00:00:18] Find out more about Your Success Squad and the other ways that you can work with me at heathercrabtree.com.
[00:00:24] This bonus episode is with Malika Malhotra, the brand CEO, an award winning brand strategist, mentor, and speaker. After years of working in corporate advertising on renowned brands like L'Oreal and Oil of Olay, Malika now empowers women entrepreneurs to get clear on their brand message, define their power niche, and become sought after experts.
[00:00:44] Welcome Malika.
[00:00:45] Mallika: Thank you so much for having me. I love that I can do this with you today.
[00:00:49] Heather: So we're going to talk a little bit about something we worked on in Your Success Squad, but also it's been a little bit of a n evolution I [00:01:00] think of your brand in the last few months. So first let's talk about where you were with the framework because you had a framework already. You might not have called it maybe a framework at that point, but you had a framework already; and t ell me why you were feeling like, okay, I need to refine kind of what you were doing and how you were presenting it to people.
[00:01:23] Mallika: Yeah. I think when you've been an entrepreneur for five, six years, you collect a lot of processes and methods and intellectual property. And I found that I was in that place where I had like very specific steps that I took my clients through when it came to brand building and strategy. And I may have had these mini methods that I was taking them through, but nothing really comprehensive.
[00:01:49] And so as I took a step back and you helped me a lot with this, took a step back to see what were really those components and elements that I was doing on repeat that got [00:02:00] success for my clients; and how could I create a simpler methodology that was sort of more all encompassing that could explain my way of taking someone from brand confused to becoming more confident and having that clarity in their brand and identifying all those different pieces.
[00:02:22] And it's really a process, right? You kind of braindump all the things and, we worked on this together. We braindumped all the steps and then how do you take the pieces of the puzzle and really put it in a way that is clear, that is comprehensive, that kind of touches on everything, but isn't overwhelming.
[00:02:40] I think that's the fine balance is like you want to make sure you're showing your audience the value without making them feel like, Oh my God, that's too much work.
[00:02:49] Heather: Yeah, for sure. And I love what you said that you already had so much. So it wasn't that you didn't have stuff to pull from.
[00:02:59] You [00:03:00] had so much stuff and it was kind of wrapping your brain around how to, in a sense, compartmentalize but section out the different things...how could they fit into what I call the pieces of the pie, right? So making the pie and then slicing it up and how can you fit them to make it make sense for the people you're working with, use it to market internally with your team, all the things. So let's talk a little bit about your framework. I know you have like the three main pieces of it that then break down. So let's talk about what's the name of your framework. First of all.
[00:03:41] Mallika: It's called the Brand CEO Method because my tagline is The Brand CEO. I work with clients who feel like the invisible expert. So they want to build that recognition, that reputation, but for some reason they're not gaining the traction, getting the opportunities that says [00:04:00] that they're the go to in the marketplace. And often it starts with the brand strategy, the messaging, the visibility.
[00:04:07] So creating this framework, the different pieces of the puzzle, I'm able to help them in every step of the process. And it's not linear—that's what I love about it. There are certain steps to the process, either it's from identifying your mission and your vision, the real purpose of your brand, or it could be your polarizing point of view that you have that's going to set yourself apart. It could be your methodology, right? Your process or your method. They're all of these pieces to the puzzle.
[00:04:41] We all come at different stages and phases, and things are always changing. But, by creating this sort of framework that people could see all the different steps and know that they can come to each step wherever they were in their business, repeat a step if they had to, I think made it very clear and [00:05:00] simple for them to understand the process of building a brand.
[00:05:04] Heather: I love it. You broke it down into like three main sections first. So let's talk about the three main sections that you created first.
[00:05:14] Mallika: When I work with my clients to build their brand, there's the first stage which is discovering your brand brilliance. This is that self awareness, the auditing that has to happen where you're looking at your passions, your values, and the big 'why' behind your business. It's also your personality and all the things that are kind of within you, which is really a foundational part of your brand.
[00:05:37] The second piece was defining your secret sauce. What is that unique value proposition that you have? What is your competitive edge? And this is by far what I get asked for help with a lot. How can I stand out in my saturated marketplace? This is where finding that niche, that precise audience that you're supposed to work with, [00:06:00] your area of expertise, your standout quality, and your solution come into play.
[00:06:06] And then the last is how are you delivering this brand expertise? Now that you know who you are, now that you know how you're different, what is your visibility presence strategy like? Do you have your own framework, your own signature talk that's helping you share the value and your specialization to your community? What is the offer? Does the offer leverage your strengths and your skills in the best possible way? By having those three steps and then having the different slices of the pie that are attached to it, I think it really helps people understand the process.
[00:06:45] Heather: And like you were saying, I talk about my framework in the same way—that it's not a linear path. And I love that you said that again because I think people are at different stages, right. Or they might be experiencing [00:07:00] different things and they might need help figuring out what their secret sauce is, or they might need more help with w hat their offers are. And I think it allows them to kind of pinpoint things like, "this is what I'm struggling with", or "this is what I desire to have in a better form or evolve in this area." And it allows them to see that part in your framework and go, "yes, I need this." Maybe not understanding that they probably need the whole thing at some point, but it allows them to identify and say "that's me," "that's what I need help with."
[00:07:41] Mallika: Yeah, a hundred percent. I think what happens with branding is that it's never one and done. It is always a work in progress. It's very organic and having this methodology, which is in this wheel, the circle where you can see what you need right now but know that we're always [00:08:00] evolving. We're always pivoting and they're always going to be these other pieces that we can get to to build the brand for the longterm on this ongoing process, because it is overwhelming.
[00:08:11] I have had people see all the steps and they're paralyzed, like, "Oh my God, how am I going to do that?" But when they come in and say, "You know what, right now I need help with my offer". I'm like, "Great! Let's look at your offer." And then the next thing will be how are you going to position that offer. What is the differentiation point of that offer? How are you leveraging your skills, your strengths, your actual brand power in that offer? They're all interrelated. I know that, you know that, but sometimes, people who see it don't know, but we help guide them through all the pieces.
[00:08:46] Heather: I love that. So let's shift a little bit. I love a good framework. So I wanted to talk about that because if you've listened to my podcast before, I talk about frameworks all the time. I love them. I have a training on them. I [00:09:00] just really love them. I call them the motherboard to your business if you use them properly. The cool thing I like about you though, is that you have what I call the micro frameworks. So you have your macro, The Brand CEO Method, but you have these micro frameworks within each piece of your macro framework. It's kind of how I think about it. I love that too because you're able to then narrow down into those different pieces of what they need help with; and you have tangible workbooks that they can work through to get that smaller piece of the pie. So I love that.
[00:09:45] After you had the framework, we were talking about an event that you wanted to do Let's talk a little bit about that and how that's kind of evolved and maybe some of the challenges that have come up through that and [00:10:00] some of the things that may be like aha moments . So let's talk about the event. What is the event that you're doing?
[00:10:05] Mallika: So we have brainstormed together a conversion event that would help sort of prep my audience for the introduction to my core offer, which is my mastermind. And so with the conversion event, I was thinking of speaking on a topic that would help give my audience some value about how to develop a brand but also still remain on brand for me—kind of in alignment with what my skills are, my specialization. And so of course with branding, there's so many topics that you can think of. And I think I may have gone in all these different areas and you really challenged me to go back to your framework. Look at the framework to see what we can stem from there so that again, it is all grounded and anchored in what I am known for in my brand.
[00:10:54] And so we brainstormed some different ideas. I started off [00:11:00] thinking it would be like the six figure brand and sharing five secrets. Going back to my framework and seeing the three different levels, we got clarity on not needing to do too many secrets. I can actually use the three levels of my process and dive deeper and lean into that because sometimes less is more, especially if it's grounded in the work that I've already done to build my own brand.
[00:11:33] I think it's just a good lesson where we think we need to reinvent the wheel and do new things when we can actually just revisit core principles in our business, my framework, and the methodology that I have in hand and use that as the basis for some new content. It's just repurposing it or making it fresh within this new theme that I'm hoping to share with my audience.
[00:11:57] Heather: Want to be part of a community of [00:12:00] experienced coaches and service pros who want to grow their business with intention? Head over to http://heathercrabtree.com not only for the show notes to this episode, but also to get your copy of my digital magazine, Business Minded, a business magazine for experienced online coaches and service pros, where business education, collaboration, and community meet to help you unlock your next level in business. And make sure you're subscribed to the podcast and if you're loving it, I would love for you to leave a review. It means so much to me and is helpful to know you are listening and what you're loving. Okay now Let's get back to the show
[00:12:38] So talk a little bit more about the actual event and what have you had to prepare or what are you in the process of preparing for this event.
[00:12:48] Mallika: Yeah. So obviously the content for the presentation needs to get written. And so I'm working on that a lot. I've refined the theme and now we're calling it Brand M astery, The [00:13:00] Three Secrets To Building A Six Figure Brand. So super excited about that. And now I'm going to be flushing out the content. Then, sharing that with my audience and deciding on the marketing plan to do that. Really looking and giving myself enough runway so that it is successful. I'm thinking about how do I incorporate this into my weekly newsletters. How am I going to be sharing this on social media? How can I start networking more to invite people to this event? I think sometimes we have an idea in mind, an event, and we just put it out there in a Facebook post and think everyone is going to come and it's not like that, right?
[00:13:41] Heather: No, that doesn't work anymore.
[00:13:42] Mallika: You have to do that and ten times more. You need to do audio messages to your warmest clients, giving them a personal invitation to join. You need to create graphics and put them all over your social media from, LinkedIn to Facebook. Even though it is [00:14:00] a mini event and it's a conversion event, you need to treat it like a micro product or a micro service.
[00:14:07] Heather: Yeah, absolutely. And the cool thing about it and what we were talking about, (because you do have your mastermind), you only have a few offers intentionally. You want to keep things simple, which I love. We align on that so much. And I think that when we're thinking about these events, we're putting a lot of time and effort into them.
[00:14:34] And so what I love about this event is that it could be an event that you do again . I'm always thinking about how can you create something that you just don't do once after putting all this time and energy into it because the messaging that you create around it, from the social posts, the emails, [00:15:00] etc. can be repeated. And, something like this, you can actually put into , an evergreen system too, where you don't have to do the live events.
[00:15:10] I know right now that's what you want to do. And I know that when you do live events, a lot of times it gives a great injection of people. For a mastermind and the way you run your mastermind they start all at once. And so I think it works well, but I think there's the opportunity for you to use it in an evergreen way in the future.
[00:15:32] But it's also the test too. If you want to use this kind of concept for other things that you do, then the blueprint is already there. So you could do this again and again for other things as well, and use this same kind of system that you use for this one and be able to refine it for the next time you use it. That's why I love things like this [00:16:00] because you can create them and it starts the momentum of how you can use it in so many different ways without recreating every single time.
[00:16:10] Mallika: Yeah, I think it's a great point. We're making it strategic. It's not just a reactionary event that we're just throwing out there and hoping people attend. We're thinking about how does this fit into the objective of selling the mastermind and getting some intel and feedback to see how successful it was in order to rinse and repeat it in the future. It will save me time and energy for the next round. In the past, I have found that the se speaking types of workshops have done well; but now, what I'm trying to see is if this content is going to be something that really resonates with my audience so that I could do it on evergreen or definitely do it again as a live event for my September cohort.
[00:16:54] Heather: When you're creating this content too, it's making you dive deeper into your [00:17:00] own process, into your own framework, and then really being able to, I guess, document each even further. I think we do this as we go along, right? But when you're going through, I don't know, I'm wondering when you're going through it again (this has happened to me when I've done this) it's helped me create and refine the pieces of it. Now, I'm able to create digital products from it because I've really dug down into how does this work, what do people need; if they weren't working with me to do it, how could I give it to them in a way that they could take it and do this piece on their own. I think it's going to give you the ability to do more of that which I know you have already. You have workbooks and a lot of things that I think you're going to be able to create in the future from [00:18:00] this by allowing you to dive deeper into this stuff, which is like this little ecosystem I see it as and everything is working together and it makes me really happy.
[00:18:10] Mallika: Yeah, I think it's like optimizing the framework, really looking at the framework as this opportunity to not only create a process, but you're creating a product from the process. There's just so many things. You could teach this framework to other brand strategists. You could go deep into this and create digital products. You could use speaking opportunities to pull out pieces of this. It's like endless. And I think that's why having a framework for your business or brand is just such an opportunity to just get some clarity and a system and organization that opens the door for scaling and expanding.
[00:18:48] Heather:
[00:18:48] And I love that you're so open to like, okay, let's see how this goes. Let's work through it. Let's see how I feel about it too. Like, is this feeling good to me? I know I have this a [00:19:00] lot where when I'm starting new things, I start to question it too. Okay. Is this the right thing? Is this the right way? I think we all do that. And I know that you've had these questions too of, "Okay, I'm putting this energy and time into this—is this really what I want to be doing?" And I think that you are allowing yourself the opportunity to experiment and see how this goes. And I know you're allowing yourself to, if it doesn't work out exactly as you want it to, go "Okay. What can I learn from this? And how can we pivot or how can we enhance it to make it better?"
[00:19:34] Mallika: Yeah, I think we all need to have that curiosity and just kind of lean into that and I remind myself of this, like, have some fun . Try to have some fun and some play in testing something new. I'm still grounded in the framework. I'm still deep within the bounds of my brand so I'm not going off brand, but having fun and being playful and trying this new theme, this new topic. Does it work? Does it not? If it doesn't work, it's okay. What [00:20:00] is the intel and the data that I got from this to then try something else?
[00:20:04] Heather:
[00:20:04] And Mallika, you do a lot of speaking and I wanted to share this because I always say with the framework, it really allows you to market your business in a way that does what you tell people to do. How can you claim your space in the market that you're in? And I think it really sets you apart from other people because you're showing them exactly what you stand for, what you believe in, how you do it. But then you're able to use that to market. And because of building it in the way that you did, you're able to pull different pieces. So you could do a lot of different things with topics where you could pull from this. And even in just one section, right? Like you could have topics, so many topics underneath that. And I think that's another thing that it's allowed you to like open up. When I'm speaking, because you do a lot of that, how can I use these different [00:21:00] parts and we talked about maybe changing up some of the topics that you're speaking about. Not change the topics because you're speaking about similar things, but in the way that you're talking about them and how it comes back to your core and represents you as The Brand CEO.
[00:21:17] Mallika: I think what it does is it gives it context, right? Like I have this overarching strategy that works, but today we're talking about one piece of that. And so what you've taught me is now with every presentation, I share the framework in the beginning so that they can kind of see the map, the whole entirety of the brand building process. And then what we're talking about today might be a sliver of it, a piece of that, but it is showing my expertise that I have created the system, the overarching system.
[00:21:50] So, , I didn't do that with every presentation, and now I'm actually going back to start with that, to start with introducing the framework, the concept, my [00:22:00] process, and then dive into kind of the smaller micro piece of that, whatever the presentation is around.
[00:22:06] Heather: Because it basically gives the audience a picture of all the ways that you can help them. And then there's the curiosity of like, "Oh, she presented on this and wow. I got so much value out of that. Whoa. She has this whole thing, like all the things that she could help me with." It just gives them a picture of how you can help them without really, you don't have to talk a lot about it. It's just giving them that picture of it.
[00:22:29] And then If they're following you, if they start following you and they see it in your social media, they see it, pieces of it in your emails, it's that they hear it again and again, and they're like, okay, I understand, even if it's a portion of this that I like, again, it brings them back because it's allowing people to connect on different pieces of your framework, right, too, and allow them kind of like a choose your own adventure. This is where I want to start, and it allows you to share that with them, even [00:23:00] if that's not the specific topic that you're talking about in that keynote. I love that.
[00:23:06] Mallika: I have to say like this framework really is helpful in the masterminds that I run because everybody kind of comes in in a different season and a different stage. They all have a similar problem in terms of wanting to become the go to expert, but they might be at a different stage. And so sharing this framework allows them to kind of pick and choose whatever they want to work on that month. And so it has a lot of value in that way as well.
[00:23:34] Heather: Yeah. So let's talk about your mastermind. Let's talk about why you run the mastermind. First of all, what is the name of the mastermind? Let's say that first.
[00:23:42] Mallika: So it's called the Brand Breakthrough Mastermind.
[00:23:44] Heather: And do you take a certain number of people? Tell us a little kind of like the logistics of how you run it.
[00:23:50] Mallika: Sure. So it's a four month container, up to 16 women. It's a combination of group mentorship, but there's also some one-on-one calls with [00:24:00] me as well as a very active online community. So I find that that hybrid is kind of the winning formula where you're part of a community where you get the hot seats in the group calls week to week to really move the needle of your business. But when you need that private one on one, you get a couple of those calls and then in between when you need questions to be answered or accountability, you have that online community to kind of keep moving you forward.
[00:24:30] Heather: And I have a question about it now. I, and I don't know, we haven't talked about it so again, I'm putting you in a spot. But with the mastermind, when we were talking through it and kind of working through, we were working through the sales page and the waitlist and kind of all that stuff together, you were thinking about whether to have one option for people. Let's talk about how you thought about that and thinking through, do I want to change this? And I, do [00:25:00] I want to offer something else?
[00:25:01] Mallika: So again, I've always wanted a very simple business plan. I wanted one main core offer. It's just what I believe in. It's what I preach. And so my mastermind has been that for the last couple of years.
[00:25:13] But I know that there have been clients and prospects that have come to me that wanted more one-on-one time with me. And so what I've decided to do with the mastermind is actually have two ways to work with me. So you have the traditional way, which is how I described—mostly group mentorship, a couple of one-on-one calls. Then I have a VIP method, which we kind of talked about and outlined, where you get the group mastermind but you also get one private call, one hour call with me per month for an extended amount of time. So not four months, but it's actually six months. And so that's really for someone who might like group but they really want to hash things out and want me privately on their own [00:26:00] time. And it's actually been very well received.
[00:26:02] I'm so glad that I was able to not create an entirely new offer, but just an elevated version of the traditional offer. So the messaging and the marketing still stays the same. We're still solving the same problems. We're still targeting the same types of clients. Just one client wants more of the VIP experience where they have more access to me.
[00:26:26] Oh, it works for them. And it also works for me. So I'm pretty excited about it.
[00:26:31] Heather: I love that you were able to just create another tier of the mastermind instead of developing something completely different because when you do that, there's so many other things, right? You have to market that separate thing. You have to develop the process for that separate thing. Like there's so many things around it that I think entrepreneurs don't think about having the time to do another offer to promote it. S o I love that you were able to [00:27:00] incorporate that kind of like second tier of it into the current offer.
[00:27:06] Okay. So at the end here, I just want to share a little bit more about the mastermind. So who are the people that would be interested in joining your mastermind?
[00:27:16] Mallika: Yeah, so they are usually service based entrepreneurs, consultants, coaches, designers, photographers, more experienced entrepreneurs, I'd say. They've had some success but they really call themselves or think of themselves as the invisible expert. For some reason, they are not being seen as the go to and they have the skills, they have the strengths, but they're getting passed out of opportunities. They're getting ghosted by clients. They see their business sort of plateauing and they're ready to kind of amp it up and have a mentor in their back pocket to help them with the strategy, with the messaging, defining the niche, with the visibility. [00:28:00] Making connections with introductions or through networking and just have the attention being in a smaller cohort of, you know, I am really on them. I am like, they're my eyes and my brain all over their business so that they can kind of get to that next best step every time. So they want to do the work.
[00:28:20] Heather: I love that. You and I have been in business for a while. It is hard to find group containers that you do have that access to the person. And they really are kind of deeper diving into your business and helping you. And I love that you do that. That's just you as a human being too, it says so much about you. So I love that opportunity to do that in your mastermind.
[00:28:42] So tell people as we wrap up here where they can find you.
[00:28:47] Mallika: Yes. So you can go to my website, which is https://www.mallikamalhotra.co/, which I know is a mouthful, but hopefully there'll be a link somewhere. Find me on Instagram. I'm very active on Instagram. My handle is [00:29:00] @mallikamalhotra.co.
[00:29:00] Heather: Awesome. Thank you so much, Mallika. It was a pleasure having you here. And if you're interested in learning more about Mallika's mastermind, make sure you go check her out or go follow her on Instagram. Alright, thank you, Mallika.
[00:29:13] Thank you so much.
[00:29:14] That wraps up another episode of Your Savvy Business. Thank you for spending your time with me today. Until next time, my friend.
