Page 11 of The Funnel to You

I went over the stipulations you had with working with my sister and she is fully on board. I told her to connect with you to set up the details for her side of things so that way you can work it out together. Does everything else work for you? If so, we can set up a time to go over what I need in order to get started and we can get this timeline going. Six months is plenty of time to make this happen, but I would love to get a few things done this weekend for you if you are ready.

Zero pressure. This can wait until next week or even later in the month. Talk to you soon.

Matt”

I kind of like how he is getting less formal with his conversations. If I had to be fully business professional for the next six months with this man, I would start to get really tired.

ANC272: “Sasha! OMG I am legit freaking out.”

The first line of Ashley’s message has me giggling.

ANC272: “Okay, so I talked to Matt and looked over your message and everything looks good to me. Can we meet up for coffee to go over things and map it out? I do so much better with in person meetings and I know we are kind of close to each other. Let me know what your week looks like next week. Super stoked! Talk soon!”

SashaLovesLipstick: “Hey girl. I actually have this weekend off from work. Are you free tomorrow afternoon? We can meet at the coffee shop by the teacher store. It might be a bit busy, but it’s my favorite place to go get work done.”

ANC272: “Yeah, that’s perfect. Does 1:00 work for you?”

SashaLovesLipstick: “Absolutely. See you then. Can you get me a list of the classes you have already taken, the ones you have scheduled for the fall, and then what you are wanting to focus on? I want to make sure we don’t waste our time together tomorrow.”

ANC272: “You got it. See you then!”

I normally don’t do in person meetings, preferring the safety and comfort of virtual visits. I’ve never been officially diagnosed with social anxiety – especially since I’ve worked in sales for so long. But I see what I do at work as totally different than socializing outside the building I work in.

I get overwhelmed easily and have to focus on what my role is. If it isn’t clearly defined, I tend to shut down. So, in person events and meetings aren’t high on my list of “let’s do that tomorrow!!” But I think coffee in a place that I am comfortable in, will be a good try for me. With that done, I respond to Matt and tell him I’m in and to send me an invoice. Ready or not, here we go!

Chapter Seven

Matt

Vanilla Raspberry Iced Latte

An hour later I get the notification that payment has been processed. It’s official. Sasha Sloan is my newest client and she is meeting with my sister tomorrow. I’m not planning on showing up for that meeting. That one needs to be just the two of them and I have more than enough work to do this weekend finalizing things so we can jump right in next week.

I open up my notebook just for Sasha and begin mapping out our timeline. Six months isn’t a lot of time, but I want to see what we can do to make the most of that time.

Next stop, what brands does she use the most often? A brand deal or collaboration would be the best way to guarantee visibility. After diving into that bit on Instagram and TikTok, it becomes apparent that there are so many different pitches and products going to these companies every day.

I may have done a little bit of “less than ethical” research to see how many pitches they get, and it is not easy to get the green light for these. Especially with her desire to stay away from trendy launches and really niche products in favor of more classic looks and everyday budgets.

I still take the time to make a list of her top ten brands and then ten brands that are newer to the market but still within her aesthetic.

“Let’s see what we can do with a little creative suggestion…” I mutter to myself.

Over the next five hours, I work my magic. Part of me should be worried about the legality of this, but as long as I’m not hurting anyone, I figure “why not?” Boosting content, manipulating algorithms, and adding more content to search engines are just creative suggestions in my book.

By the time I go to bed that night, I know I have done what I need to give Sasha the best shot to get noticed by these brands – all twenty of them.

Tomorrow I have a whole new set of things to do to increase those chances, but I need to be fully ready for that since it will be more than just a few brands I have to play around with.

“I really hope this works.”

The next morning Ashley texts me to begin the initial freak out for her meeting with Sasha.

Ashley: What the heck am I supposed to wear?

Ashley: Do I need to bring anything else besides what she asked me for?

Ashley: Am I paying for both of us or just myself?