50 \\ 3 Social Selling Shifts to Upgrade Your Follow-Up Strategy and Convert More Warm Leads Into Clients

Most people walk into a conversation thinking, especially when it comes to business, "I don't want to bother them," or "I don't want to feel like a salesperson. I just want to be helpful." But here's the quick reframe: when someone is struggling with a problem you solve, following up is service. It's actually a disservice not to follow up with them.

Tired of showing up online, posting your heart out and still hearing crickets? Are you doing all the right things but wondering why your content isn't converting? Your DMs are dry and your audience isn't buying? You're not alone, and this podcast is exactly for you.
Welcome to Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses, where strategy meets soul and connection. Well, that's the secret sauce. Hi. I'm Cheyanne Cleyman, a wife, proud mama of three, former actress and fitness trainer turned serial entrepreneur and online relationship expert. Over the last decade, I've built my own brands, helped dozens of others grow theirs, and discovered one powerful truth: connection is the real currency.
If you're a service-based business or high-ticket brand that wants more leads, trust, and sales from social media without the burnout or fake hype, you're in the right place. Each week, I'm bringing you short, powerful, and packed episodes that feel like a coffee date with a best friend and biz coach all in one. Let's turn your followers into clients and content into connection. This is Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses, and it's about to change how you show up online. Let's dive in, boss.
All right, friend, we need to talk about something that makes a lot of small business owners uncomfortable. Ready? Selling through conversation. Because chances are you're already having the conversations in your comments, in your DMs, in your stories, but you might be stopping the conversation right before it becomes a client. And I know it's not because you don't care. It's not because you're not qualified, but it's because you don't want to feel pushy, salesy, or just downright gross.
Here's the thing most people don't realize: selling isn't about forcing someone into a decision. It's about guiding them, guiding someone through a decision they're already considering. When you learn how to do that naturally, not only does it feel good, it actually becomes quite fun. How do I know? Because I have been there, done that. This episode is totally personal, because I'm speaking from my own experience today.
We're going to break down a few points. We're going to break down why selling through conversation works better than pitching, how to lead the dialog without pressure, the exact moment to pivot toward an offer, and ultimately, how to keep the conversation human focused, human first. So if you are ready, if you want your business to grow without feeling like you're chasing people, this is it. This is your episode. Let's go ahead. Let's jump in.
First things first, we got to start with mindset, right? Because this, honestly, in anything in life, ends up being the number one block. I used to tell people, because this is also my experience when it comes to health. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, which I have to say, this is really thrilling and exciting for me to say that we are at 50 episodes, everybody! Woo! Cute confetti. We're happy to 100. It's just amazing, amazing. And at the recording of this podcast episode, it is beginning of November, so I have almost had this podcast for a year. So I'm not sure how long you've been listening, not sure how long you've had your business, but I am just really glad you're here.
And when you listen, you'll notice that I make a lot of alliterations and analogies towards two things: relationships and fitness, because those are my other two passions in life. And when you think about what does it take to lose weight, it's mindset, right? That's where you got to start, and that's where it's going to keep it off consistently. And I know this because I myself have lost 100 pounds several times over. And why do I say that? Well, because I yo-yoed for years. I went up and down, up and down because I wasn't ready to confront the mindset part.
So if you want to stop going up and down, up and down in your journey when it comes to your business, especially how you're aiming to convert sales online, you got to start with the mindset. Most people walk into a conversation thinking, especially when it comes to business, "I don't want to bother them," or "I don't want to feel like a salesperson. I just want to be helpful." But here's the quick reframe: when someone is struggling with a problem you solve, following up is service. It's actually a disservice not to follow up with them.
Think about it. For all you parents out there, if your child was learning to swim and their coach had one small correction that would keep them safe, would you want them to withhold it? Of course not, right? Your offer is a solution, your framework is clarity, your support that you give is confidence. So selling doesn't create pressure. Unsolved problems create pressure. When you see sales as service, that awkwardness starts to disappear.
Now, this might shock you, so if you're not sitting down, maybe you should. All jokes aside, most people, they don't lose the sale because of price. That's the big faux pas there. A lot of people think it's that, or maybe the timing or competition. They lose it because the conversation hits the moment of decision, and then it just stops. You may have even heard one of your own audience members say, "Wow, this is so helpful," or, "Gosh, I've been struggling with this forever," or, "I didn't know you did that." And instead of guiding them, we go, "Awesome, well, let me know."
And guess what happens? Life gets busy: dishes, kids, chaos, errands. And that might be for the both of you, right? Not just you, but your audience as well. That micro moment evaporates. Selling naturally isn't about pressure. It's about not abandoning people halfway through their decision. I want to make sure I repeat that, because it's so important. Make sure you do not abandon people halfway through their decision. Don't leave them hanging, right?
So here's the ultimate key. If you're a note-taker, write this one down: Permission-based selling. What is that, right? Well, let me break it down. It sounds like this: "Hey, would it be helpful if I shared how I support clients with this?" Or, "Want to see what working together would look like?" Or perhaps, "Hey, do you want to talk a few options and see how we could solve this together?"
When you ask permission, you eliminate pressure. You set them at ease, right? They get to opt in, and I'm telling you, 90% of the time they say, "Yes, please. I need help." That fear of, "What if they say no?" Well, what if they say yes? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And just remember, you're not shoving a solution down their throat. You're offering clarity with consent. That's a little good one, right there, too. Clarity with consent, also great for relationships, right?
So how do we actually break this down for your business? Let's get tactical. Here's a very simple three-step formula that we teach our clients and we live by as well in our own business.
Validate: When you're speaking with someone, you want to make sure that you help them feel seen. So you can say something like, "Hey, you're definitely not alone in that. A lot of business owners hit this wall," right? Because for me, our business, we speak to business owners. Maybe for you, it could be like, "Hey, you're not alone there. A lot of women struggle with this when they become a mom," or "Hey, a lot of homeowners, they struggle with this when trying to sell their house." Whatever it is, help them feel like they're not alone.
Normalize: What it is that they are struggling with, right? So for us, we would say something like, "Hey, this usually happens when engagement isn't connected to a nurture system." It just kind of puts point A, point B. It helps them see, "Oh, okay, that is what I'm missing." I didn't even think about that before, but it's totally normal that they're going through it.
Offer Support: You can say something as simple as, "Hey, and if you'd like, I can walk you through how I help my clients fix this."
Now, I don't know about you, but I have purchased and invested in several different business mentorship programs. It's something I would really highly suggest and recommend to every business owner. And there's pivots there, too. There may be a business coach that's right for you in one season of business that's not right for you in another, and you need to know how to move along, and that's a whole another episode, right?
But why I brought this up is because think about it yourself, any investment that you've done for your business or even for your own just personal growth, what caused you to finally get out your card and make that purchase? More than likely, it's probably someone walking you through some kind of a framework like this. It probably validated you, totally made you feel like this is normal, and then ultimately, as they put you at ease, offered their support. No weirdness, no pressure, just support.
And here's why this works: people don't buy clarity. People buy confidence in their next step, right? So you may give someone clarity, but that's not what they're going to pay you for. Once they have clarity, that's when they have that aha, that confidence in their next step. So your conversation ultimately gives them both.
When you lead them this way, you want to make sure that you present the offer when someone expresses one of these signals. So there is always a correct time, right? It's one thing to know what to offer, but you want to know when to present your offer.
There's four different things:
Frustration: Offer it when they express frustration. Maybe they say something like this: "Oh, I'm so tired of posting and hearing crickets," right, again, from our perspective. Or, "I am so sick of trying the same weight loss products and nothing works." Or, "Our house has been on the market for three months. We haven't had a single showing." Frustration, right?
Curiosity: Curiosity is a big leaning in. When you hear someone say, "How did you fix that?" It's kind of like the big bell, like, "Ding, ding, ding!" Oh, my goodness, that is gold. Everyone wants someone to ask them a question, right? And a little free tip I've mentioned on a lot of my other episodes is, if you don't get a question, don't wait for it. Ask someone else a question, create a conversation, so that eventually their curiosity will be perked and that question will come.
Desire: Another thing is just simple desire, like we've actually found clients simply by just communicating online with someone and seeing someone say, "I want my content to convert like that." Awesome! Guess what? Happen to know someone who can help you with that. We are experienced. That's what we do. That's what we love to do. We would love to help you fulfill that desire.
Readiness: And ultimately, they need to be ready, right? The readiness? "I think I need help with this." And this is a big cue, because someone could really need the help that you've got, but they also have to be ready, and they have to know that they're ready.
This is also something I went through, not just personally, with losing weight, but also, once I had lost 100 pounds and kept it off, I became a health and fitness trainer, and I knew the clients who were ready to lose weight and the people who weren't, right? Sometimes you'll have people jump in and join you on your offer that think they're ready, but they're not completely ready. They at least need to signal that they're ready. And a lot of that will come from those other steps of desire, being curious and frustrated.
So when you hear those, you want to move, right? That's your time to act. So cue into those things, listen, but you do want to move forward gently toward clarity. You can try something like this, simply saying something like, "Hey, if you want, I can share exactly how we'd fix that together," giving them clarity so that they can see point blank, "Okay, this is how I get from that point A to point B. This is what so-and-so does," and then they can make that choice. Do they want to go down that journey with you?
That sentence alone has enrolled dozens of clients for me and my team, because it feels safe, it feels respectful, it feels collaborative, right? It's like we do this together, and it ultimately keeps the relationship human, which is so important in a world of AI, right?
And listen, if this conversation that we've been having right now, because I do feel like, even though I can't hear you, I feel like I know you because I have been you. And chances are you're listening to this podcast for a reason, because you want help, right? So if this feels like a breath of fresh air right now, if you're thinking, "Yes, oh my gosh, finally, someone who gets me! Like, this is how I want to sell," then you're going to love the masterclass that my husband and I are creating called Turn Conversations into Clients. It's that simple.
Inside, we're going to be breaking down some things like the entire human-first selling framework that we've created and used with our own clients. We're going to also be sharing our exact message-to-client pivot language and how to follow up without feeling annoying, and ultimately, how to create your own simple, simple, simple, I want to emphasize, pipeline that converts clients over and over again for you. So you can actually go ahead and join the waitlist right now, as we are just putting on the finishing touches. You can use the link in our show notes, and that's where I'll send all of my early enrollments, all my early waitlist people access and bonuses.
So one more thing before we land this plane on this episode that I feel I have to bring up. It's one piece that like nobody talks about: the energy, the energy of follow up. Most business owners follow up like this, right? "Hey, just checking in," or, "Hey, just want to see if you saw this." The energy behind that is like someone waiting to be picked on a dodgeball team, right? Kind of like, "Hey, hope you pick me. I'm over here. Pick me." No, no, no.
You want to follow through with confidence, follow up with leadership, right? Try this instead: "Hey, wanted to follow up because I remember how stuck this felt for you, and I would love to help you if you're ready." Or something maybe a little bit of urgency, like, "Hey, spots fill up quickly, and I didn't want you to miss your chance if this is still important to you." See the difference? It's the same conversation. It's just that it has elevated energy and authority in that second one.
All right, my favorite part of every episode, as we wrap this up, is to give you a bit of a challenge, a little bit of an action step, right? So your challenge this week is, are you ready? Drum roll.
Identify three warm conversations just sitting in your DMs or your comments or maybe in your email inbox.
Now reopen them with the permission-based language that I talked about above. If you don't remember what that is, the power of this episode is you can pause and rewind, baby, right?
And then, number three, make sure that you guide them. Guide them. Don't pressure. Don't pressure.
If you're listening in your car right now or you're just like, "Oh my gosh, Cheyanne, this is where I just do, I just freeze." Don't worry. I've got a little simple prompt for you. Try this message: "Hey, I was thinking about what you said the other day. Would it be helpful if I walked you through how I support clients with this?" Send that, just one or all three, right? Send that message to all three, and then just watch what happens.
And of course, I want to know what happens. If you have some good clarity or some good connection from this, please run, don't walk. Now, please come on over and type me a quick message on my Instagram, which link is below, or send me an email, which also is below, because I would love to hear your success stories.
And I ultimately just want to say thank you so much, boss, for hanging out with me on Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses. If today's episode gave you clarity, confidence, or even a little courage, you know, a little kick in the butt, take a screenshot, tag me on Instagram at @theenergizedmompreneur, and tell me, tell me the permission-based sentence that you're going to try this week. Throw one over to me and I'll tweak it, or I'll say, give you a big thumbs up and say, "Go for it."
And don't forget, join the waitlist for the Turn Conversations into Clients Masterclass. Early access is coming soon, and I really don't want you to miss it because space is going to be limited. Remember, selling should feel natural, right? It should feel relational. And when you learn how to turn conversations into clients, everything changes, baby. Thank you again for joining me on another episode of Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses. This is Cheyanne Cleyman, and I'm giving each and every one of you a huge virtual high five. See you on episode 51.
All right, my friend, that's it for today. But let me leave you with this. If your content is not converting, it's not your fault. Chances are you've been taught to prioritize the algorithm instead of the actual humans reading your words, and that ends right here. Go ahead and grab my free guide, Five Quiet Reasons Your Content Isn't Converting, and What to Do Instead. It's packed with real talk, practical shifts, and quick, immediate wins. Link is in the show notes below.
And if you're ready to stop guessing and start connecting with ideal clients who actually buy from you, book a free connection call with our team at Kuleana Connect. We don't do content. We do connection that converts. Because at the end of the day, it's not about going viral, it's about being valuable. Thanks for hanging out with me again. I'm Cheyanne Cleyman and I'll see you on next week's episode. See you later, boss.