Ep 201: How A Career Diagnostician Builds A Relationship-Led Consulting Pipeline | LaToya Scroggins

Welcome And The Guest Setup

Sara 0:32

Welcome to the Solo Consultant Summit series, where we sit down with solo consultants to talk about how they got started and where they are now. I'm your host, Sarah Noel Block, and today I'm joined by LaToya Scroggins. LaToya is the founder of The Career Collective, where she works as a career strategist and diagnostician, helping professionals get to the root of what's really holding them back. In this conversation, we dig into how she built her consultancy from the ground up, the hard lessons she learned about saying no to the wrong clients, and how she repositioned herself from an order-taker to a trusted strategic advisor.

1:14

This is always super conversational, and messy is perfect. Love it. Got it. Can you introduce yourself to the audience? Awesome. So hi, my name is LaToya Scroggins, and I am the founder of The Career Collective, where I am a career strategist and coach, and I specialize in career diagnostics.

What Career Diagnostics Really Means

1:43

Ooh, okay. Hold on, pause. What is a career diagnostic? So career diagnostics is the way I say it just because to say diagnostician is very difficult. But I mainly focus on getting to the crux, the real issue, and diagnosing the issue, because everything and every problem is not the same cause. A lot of people try to solve their career issue, um, by the same resume template or this latest trick, and that's not the solution. So I diagnose the real issue. Okay. So everybody is different, and you help identify what issue they are having and how to overcome it. Yes. I love to tell people, um, a lot of people have that aunt or cousin that has- Mm-hmm medicine left over in the medicine- Yeah cabinet. And when they- Uh-huh get sick, they'll be like- "Oh, Aunt Lucy has a antibiotic." Okay, but you don't have what Aunt Lucy had. That antibiotic is not going to work. So that's how- I didn't know anybody did that. They do, yes. Oh my God, that's funny. Yes. Okay.

Burnout Sparks A Consulting Reset

3:02

So before we get into all the juicy goodness, tell me how you got started with your own consultancy. So I have to go back to that key word for me, which is diagnostics, and I felt off, and that's actually how I, um, advertise and present myself. I'm like, "If you feel like something is off in your career, let's figure out what that is." And so I was actually applying that to myself. I was burnt out, had been- Mm-hmm doing the same... been at the same place for nine years, and wanted something different, and I had people encouraging me. They were like, "Hey, why don't you try going into business yourself?" I'm like, "I like to have, I like a regular paycheck. Why would I do that?" It is comforting. Yes, yes. And so I, I think, um, you've seen a, there's been a lot of impact on women in the workplace. Mm-hmm. And I took advantage. I did take some leave, do some self-reflecting, and started, you know, kind of seeing what was out there and what I could do, and got connected with the right people that kind of was like, "Hey, yes, this is what people do. This is how you can do it." Um, side note, all business solutions are not for everybody. But, um, yeah. Agreed. Yes. And I just, I went from there. I really bootstrapped it, just getting started by helping and seeing what would pick up and what wouldn't, so.

Landing First Clients Through Referrals

4:40

Yeah. So way back then, how did you get your early clients? So all my early clients, it was referrals, word, word of mouth. Um, jokingly, and Lord help me if my old employer sees this, but it was jokingly if you wanted to leave your current employer where, where we were- Uh-huh the joke was, "Go see LaToya, she'll help you escape." It, and- It was, it must be a big company. It, mm, not... But I mean, big enough- That, that big? Yeah. It was just, it was a lot of people were, um, you c- you know, you go somewhere getting started and the passion is there, and then sometimes it, that fire gets, um, it, you know, put out. It gets extinguished. Or something wasn't right, and I'm like, "Well, what happened? Is this what you really wanted to do?" Just in conversation, and the next thing I know they're like, "Hey, can you look at this resume for me?" "Hey, I got a interview." And it was, it just became this secret joke if you wanted to escape or get out, come see LaToya. So. So you must have done a good job since everyone was like, "Go see LaToya." It, it was, and we would have to try and swear them to secrecy, but apparently it didn't work because more people found out. So yeah. Okay. So- referrals is how you got started, and it was mostly people working at the same company as you. Mm-hmm. Where are you now? How are your leads coming in?

LinkedIn Relationships That Drive Leads

6:17

So now I do a lot of my leads, um, through LinkedIn. Mm-hmm. Finding... I do organic lead generation. I do not, I don't like to say I sell on LinkedIn. I'm really trying to just find those connections and letting people know and see and experience me, and ra- You're building relationships there. Yes. And then let them raise their hand. Mm-hmm. And I'm like, "I can help you." So. Yeah. That's- I'm with you. That's exactly what I recommend too and what I do. Yes. Okay. So you're doing a lot of, like, biz dev then on LinkedIn now, and that's how it's typically working. Mm-hmm. Oh, the reason I'm asking is because this is coming right before the Solo Consultant Summit. We're gonna be publishing this, and the entire summit is about relationship-led pipeline, lead generation, closing sales. So I've been asking all of the consultants joining me, like, "What's working for you?" That and asking my current clients. They ref- they send me people too. Um, and I even incentivize them. Like, I'm not... I give them free, um... They can earn one-on-one sessions with me with their referrals, which is- Oh, that's smart. Yeah. So it, it tends to work, and it... And they know, and they know what they're getting, 'cause they'll be like, "Oh, they said you're gonna be like that." I'm like, "I am." So it works. Yeah. Okay.

Niche Communities That Create Momentum

7:54

One more question on the business side. Are you part of any, like, smaller niche communities that you have found you got great connections from? Oh my gosh, yes. Um- Share, spill tea. Oh my gosh. Um, I will say there's three that come top of mind, but I, when I started, I really thought this was gonna be a commun- like, I was gonna be community-based, 'cause that was the in thing. Um- Mm-hmm and I probably, I've worked with Bree Lever probably the past two years. I'm friends with Bree. Hi, Bree. Yes. Yes. And she actually, she's, like, posting, 'cause she's, you know, back and she's telling my story. But, like, she took me from 17 to 61% in closing. I saw that post. Did you? That's you? That's me. Yes. Nice. Yes. And I just... So that and the people that I met in the Ember family- Mm-hmm love. And then the second one would be, um, Molly Lowe, who has Catalyst, and she really taught me how to sell organically. She is... She lives by how, what she preach- like, what she teaches, she lives by it. Um, and just even those people and the women there, we kinda all support each other. I will go to their events, they'll come to mine. Nice. It's just... Yeah. And then, um, Women Talk Fierce. They, they're newer. Mm-hmm. But it's for, um, women in business, and the best way to describe it, it, we talk business. We are, it's raw, it's real, and the recording is off. So we don't have to worry. Nice. Yeah. That's Women Talk Fierce it's called? Y- so WTF. On purpose? On pur- yes. Nice. Yeah. Yes. And they have, like, a podcast and st- they do too on... But it really is, and it's real problems that we're going through, whether it be business or just the personal side of business. We get together every other week, and that's probably the... I, I live for my every other Wednesdays with them, so. I love that. Mm-hmm. People underestimate the value of these communities because it can be lonely out there, and these connections not only get you referrals and new business and introductions, it's like these are your coworkers now. These are- They, yes yeah. Like, these are my people. They speak my language. So yes. It's so nice. I'm gonna check them out. Yes. Um, I have a directory where I keep track of all of the niche communities that people recommend to me, so I'll have to add that to it. Oh, I have to invite you. We do, they do, I can invite people. You can come and, and join, crash a session. Yeah, that'd be fun. Yes. Yeah. I'll send you an invite. Okay, so that's not the topic of today. Today we're talking about how to move from being an order

From Order Taker To Advisor

11:50

taker as a consultant to, uh, like a strategy person, the person that they go to to make decisions. Mm-hmm. So that's actually... I see that a lot because a lot of us start in a place where we're freelancers and we're subs, so people are sending projects our way and it's like, "Do this thing." Mm-hmm. And eventually you get to a point where you're like, "Actually, I've been doing this for a lot of companies and we should be doing it this way." So how do you reposition yourself so you're no longer that person that they just send you a brief and you do the thing? Oh my gosh. I've been battling this, um, with my last two iterations of improvement, is how I'll say that. Mm-hmm. And I had to... When I started out, I was so focused on pleasing and wanting to say yes to everything to get the clients in, to help- Yeah to be show, to show like, "Oh no, I can do this thing." And I was burned out. I was exhausted. And- Girl, I've been there. And I also was burned out. I was... And I was like, "I don't like this." And, um, through these groups I've been in, uh, enabled to see be like, "You're doing too much. You're giving away too much," and having to draw that hard line in the sand and almost start over, do, to do a reset. And I asked myself, I'm like, "How can I best help them? I'm not helping them by doing the work." Mm-hmm. I am, I am a teacher at heart, and I think I got away from that. And I went back to that piece, 'cause I rather teach you how to do the thing than do it for you. Yeah. And so I really started implementing that. And even having to ask in part of my intake, um, that collaboration, having that right fit with the client is so important. I had to be okay saying no to certain potential clients. It, it's hard It's scary too. Like, you're like, "That's money I'm turning away. This is..." Like you said at the beginning of this, like, I love my steady paycheck. So that's like- Yes directly hitting with your fear. That, that is probably... So to, for the audience, like that's probably the best lesson I learned is I said yes to someone that I knew I did not align with. Mm-hmm. They wore me out. Yeah. That the energy cost Yes rarely outweighs the money. Yes. But I ha- I've gotten clearer, and so I, I had to go back and do a diagnostics on myself to be like, what is the problem? And I, I'm operating outside of my skill, out of what I do naturally. Mm-hmm. And I'm more advisory. I can look back, I can assess, I can tell you what's wrong, but I can't do the work for you, and I can't want it for you more than you want it for yourself. Yeah. And being okay saying no, that is probably the hardest piece, but being clear upfront. And like I said, I have some... The people that I've had from the beginning, it's hard 'cause they were used to having full access to me, for me doing everything for them, and having to have those reset meetings and times to be like, "Hey, this is going away." Yeah. "I don't do this, I don't do this anymore." And, um, I just had someone recently, they literally wanted me to do their job search for them. I don't, I don't do that. Uh, so I have a question around that. Did you find... Because usually when we're in transitions, there's a dip unless, like a financial dip, unless

Resetting Client Access And Saying No

15:43

you build some sort of bridge from your old financial path to your new one. Did you find that that happened with you? I had that dip, and I knew, I knew it was coming, and I did it anyways. It was the scariest thing I've ever done. But Um, it got made up for that following month. Yeah. And- With the brie post? Yeah, like- With that? Yeah. Yes. I just- I had to do it. I gave everyone an opportunity to get... You know, I was like, "This is what I'm doing. If you wanna stay, here you go. If this isn't up your alley, if it doesn't connect with you, I understand. I appreciate you. I'm here when you need me." Mm-hmm. And people who I thought would've left, stayed. And the pe- the people that left, I was like, "You, you really need to stay. Where, where are you going?" But it- It's okay. Yeah. You can't control how people are going to act. Yes. Yes. So very scary, but whoo, okay. Lesson learned. Yeah. I mean, you only had to deal with the dip for a month. That is not so bad. Mm-mm. No. It was just, yeah, just that month in there. It, it, it improved. It was worth it. I, I think... I don't regret it. I, I can say that. Yeah. Okay. So when you were making that transition, you just told your clients. There, there was no... You just, like, did a cutoff date it sounds like, where it was like, "This is how we're doing it now. You in or you out." Yeah, I, I gave... I did a month, uh, before they, um- Like a notice? Like- Yeah, I did a, a month notice, and I had to. And it was also, I think the... It's two times. I did one... I've done this twice actually, some variation. I did it, um, end of December, so going into January, and then I did it at the end of June going into July. Mm-hmm. And it just, the timing come up, "Hey, we're go- second half of the year, it's time for..." You know, it wasn't working, and I'm very transparent. I'm very transparent in letting them know, "This is why I'm doing this thing." Yeah. "It ain't working. Y'all ain't doing the work, so I'm about to switch it up." Yeah, and I mean, that's just how it is when you have a business. Like, you know when your clients just aren't getting the results because their hearts aren't in it. They're not invested enough in, in the results. 100%. So it's like, "Okay, I guess, I guess we're gonna change things." Yes. In my most recent change, it, it gets so much pushback, but they... I'll get a sigh, and they'll do it, but they show up so differently with how I, I changed. Because I'm a, I'm all, I think you need pain points. And I'm intentionally causing that friction to be there so that they show up ready to go. So what kind of friction do you put in there? So I no longer, um... If they need a strategy session, it's pay by session. You,

Using Paid Sessions To Create Buy-In

18:56

you gotta find that time, you tell me what we're covering, and you have to pay then and there. Because what I found out doing, um, a monthly, doing quarterly, it would ebb and flow. It was like, oh, they would start good when they just paid. Mm-hmm. Dip. It's time for a renewal, they'll show back up for a second. Yeah. They're like- But then- oh, wait. Yeah, but then we're having to go back and start over. It's like we lost traction. Mm-hmm. And so now there's this friction, and it's kind of like they show up. It's not just, "Oh, let me do this session to check a box." It's like- Yeah "No, I'm pulling this money out, let me..." It makes all the d- I... People thought I was crazy, but it, it works. I, it works. That makes sense. I was, like, right before we got on to record this, actually when you emailed me, I was speaking in this community, and I was trying to explain that. Like, you can't give away these high level strategy things for free and expect people to move forward, because they don't attach any value to it. It's just a freebie. Mm-hmm. You need to have that exchange of money so they see that value, and then a reason for them to move into the next thing. Yes. Like, this was for an entry offer. That's what we were talking about. So I was like, okay, no, you gotta charge, and then you can offer a credit to move to the next thing- Yes so that you keep them progressing. Yes. And that I think... I can't remember who told me. I've heard it just recently. They're like, "You know, 'cause once, once they pay you a dollar, they're willing to pay you another dollar." Like that kind of- Yeah mentality. So yes, I, I agree wholeheartedly. Yeah, absolutely. Even like small dollar amount things like a micro-offer where you're reselling a on demand workshop, for example. Mm-hmm. Even that means that they are more likely to move into something else, something a little bit bigger. Yes. So, okay. So you moved from the, I was gonna say executioner, but the, the, the doer, we'll say doer- Mm-hmm instead of executioner- Yes um, into the strategy person. Mm-hmm. Were there any pieces that you had to get in place first before you were able to do that, like to ramp up for that change? Did you have to change your messaging at all so, like, the referrals came in more accurately? I embraced it fully. So I had to go from sounding like

Messaging That Diagnoses The Real Problem

21:47

a career coach, and anyone who know- I wasn't even using career strategist, 'cause I, I said career strategist at the beginning. I was very adversarial to the term coach, because I just felt- People think of it different ways. Yeah, I just felt like it was so saturated, and it had such, for some people, a negative connotation. 'Cause I would meet a lot of people who would say, "Well, I've had a coach, and it did nothing." And I'm like- Yeah "That's not me." So I'm like always, how do I differentiate myself? Um, but I had to... It's tricky. I have to still speak to people so I can get their attention to be like, "Hey, here I am," and then insert, "But this is how I'm different." Mm-hmm. And so for me, a lot of people, and l- my client base, they think that their issue's with their resume. That, that's what they believe. That's what they're being told. So I have to sometimes say, "Okay, yeah, let's talk about that resume. And then but let me tell you why that's not the issue." So mastering that conversation and even how I do my events, that's what my events are about. They, I, you come, you ask me that question that you would love for someone to answer, and I'm gonna answer it live for you. And, um, we're gonna talk about it. We're gonna diagnose it live. And I love it. 'Cause usually there's other people going through that same issue. Yeah. And it's probably mirroring the experience they would get inside of your community. Like, this is what you can expect. That's the best way to market is, like, show people exactly what it feels like to be on the inside. Yes. And I'm still working on the, the language. The more, um, I kinda get into, to the mindset, you know, like, what's resonating, what's working, what's not working. Um, but most of it comes from the conversation. Me, if I can ask, or get the opportunity to ask the question to provide the insight, that just about does it for me. Mm-hmm. That, that makes sense. Like, I think that that is a skill that you learn as a consultant, how to ask the right questions so you can pull out the information you need in order to, like, properly diagnose. Yes. And I think all my time in HR and recruiting and employee relation... 'Cause you know, usually when people come to you, we're taught early on, what they're coming to you for and saying is not the real issue. So just being able- Yes to know how to ask those questions is something I've always had to do, so. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. Mm-hmm. I wanna talk about that for... Like, we're over time a little bit, but- Okay. for just one second, because, like I was telling you, I was just doing a workshop on gateway offers, and that is exactly the reason why. Because when people come to you, when a prospect comes to you- Mm-hmm they are feeling the pain. They are doing their best to diagnose what that pain is, but they're on the inside. They don't actually understand what's causing it. But you, as the expert, can say This is actually what is causing that pain, and this is how to fix it. And that is why- Yes gateway offers are so important because you can properly diagnose it before prescribing something new, rather than like so many consultants will just have a discovery call and then give them a proposal of whatever they typically do instead of really digging in and understanding what do they actually need. Yes. I just changed that up a little bit. So my exploratory call, my free ex- my call that's free. Mm-hmm. People don't book that as much anymore as they do my focus session. Where- Is that like a power hour type, like a consulting hour? Yeah, where they ask, "What's that one question? Let's dig in." And like you said, you know, then if they wanna move forward, I will credit, you know, towards the next thing. Yeah But- That's exactly like a, yeah, like a gateway offer. Yes. They come in for that. They ask their question. That makes complete sense. Yeah. And then they're like, "Well, what else can you do? How else can you help me?" Exactly. And I just, it's... That's probably one of the best things, and it was scary, but, um, 'cause I know some people will straight say they don't do exploratory or free. Mm-hmm. I still have it there as an option. Yeah. They self decide, "Oh, you know what? I'd rather get this than not..." Well, you know, knowing I'm gonna walk away with something, so. Yeah. I'm actually surprised that they do that on their own. Like, the free option I have is, like, a 20-minute connection call, which anybody can book for anything- Mm-hmm even if they just want, like, me on their podcast. But, um, like, to move forward into a sales conversation, we're going into the gateway offer. Uh-huh. It's been, I- But the fact that they're, they are raising their hand and, and putting themselves in there is pretty impressive. Yes. Ab- I'm very, again, a teacher at heart. I like to give out... I'm like, "You wanna talk for 20 minutes and I can tell you what I can do for you? Here you go. If you wanna work through it, something, and see if we're a good fit, here you go." Yeah That seems to, it's been working. Yeah, you're probably attracting exactly who you want to attract because of the way that you're, you've structured it- Yes your sales process. Okay, awesome. Can you tell everybody how they can work with you and what that looks like? Yes. Yes. I

Ways To Work With LaToya

27:43

would encourage, if you want to connect with me, I'm on LinkedIn, so LinkedIn/in/latoyscroggins. Um, thecareercollective.co because .com is owned and they're holding it hostage. So thecareercollective.co. A tale as old as time. Yes. Yes. I keep watching it. I'm like, "Somebody not pay so I can scoop it." Co sounds cooler anyway. Yes. But, um, the best to me, the best thing, um, is the free, the monthly event. And you can choose to be an attendee, or you can say, "Hey, I have a question and would love to have y- I do those at least once a month, um, sometimes twice depending on the influx. Um, and then also you can take my career personality quiz and kinda see why your career feels off, where that misalignment is coming from and find out what your career archetype is. I have a quick question before we wrap. When you say career, are you typically helping people in corporate, or people who are trying to leave corporate, or people who have their own business? I, all of the above. Okay. And I say that the number of women, I did not expect this, I get a lot of women who are in corporate that are wanting to advance and start their own business. Hmm. Like multiple streams of income or to eventually leave and just do their thing? To, most of them to leave and just do their thing, and they realize they need that bridge. They can't just start- Yeah without having a plan. I had a long ass bridge. I was in corporate- I j- for a long time while building this. Yeah, I like, I end up having to create a channel just for them inside my community. I created a channel for those that were building their own business. It was just happenstance, and I absolutely love it. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Mm-hmm. I was talking to someone the other day who supports that group too. I'll have to mull it over so I can introduce you guys. Yes. Oh, would love it. Yes, yes. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. Yes. I'm looking forward to your summit and attending. Like, yeah, love it. Yes. September 14 through the 16th, and this is coming out before then. Awesome. Thank you. Thanks.

Sara 30:13

That's a wrap on this episode of the Solo Consultant Summit series. If you enjoyed this conversation with LaToya

Wrap Up And Summit Reminder

Sara 30:19

Scroggins, you can connect with her on LinkedIn or check out her free monthly career diagnostic events at thecareercollective.co. You can also take her career personality quiz to find out your career archetype. See you at the summit!