We recently connected with Bernadette Pannier and have shared our conversation below.

Bernadette, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

This is a great question with a fluid answer. I started my company in 2019, however I was still working for a corporate company. For me my first client was in March 2020.

After speaking with me we established a plan for them to expand their brand using social media.

Before speaking with me they believed there was no need to prospect using social media. They were using email, phone calls, and their website to attract clients. I do believe this is all import to your brand as a whole however, social media is media and it’s powerful.

We launched new accounts on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook within 2 weeks connected them to their website with strategic links to drive traffic.

It created a vibe, increased their traffic and best of all decreased their sales cycle. By taking the conversation to potential clients, educating them early on they were already in buying mode by the time a phone call happened.

6 months later they were so busy they needed to hire more staff, increase their marketing budget and even created a new product to sell for addition revenue based on client feedback.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

After a 20 year career in sales and lead generation, I started speaking at local networking groups to small business owners about how they can use the methods of enterprise companies to increase their sales. By late 2019 I had decided I was ready to plan an exit from the corporate world into my own business. However, things changed quickly in January 2020, my husband of 3 years was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few months to live. It became very clear very quickly that I could not work a full-time job and care for my husband correctly. I say that multitasking is the task of doing many things at once but none of them well. After six weeks of attempting to maintain my sales position and caring for my husband who by now had brain surgery, started radiation and immunotherapy I was strung out, tired worried and burnt out. By March, I had parted from corporate position and set up my own consulting firm. I started with training clients on using social media, Zoom and video. Since as a country, it was our first of many moments where we would need to learn how to pivot to continue our businesses this is where I started. I quickly was able to replace my income, grow clients and best care for my husband.

In the summer, I was consulting clients about lead generation, speaking from my home via video globally, and growing my company to a multi 6 figure business. Telling my clients and audience to continue to show up on camera to grow.

My husband was ill and we were very worried about what the future held but determined to fight and win!

I’m happy to say that now in 2022 my husband fought his way out and is recovering. He still has cancer, however it is no longer winning. And every day we have is a true blessing to our love, the support of our family and friends and the care of his doctors and nurses.

I now have clients from all over our country and Europe. I specialize in lead generation, the process of growing a companies brand, marketing and sales to increase revenue. My clients range from start ups to multiple million dollars.

At any size, the challenges are the same: What type of clients are needed?

Where can they find those clients?

Decreasing the sales cycle!

Increasing revenue!

Now in 2022, I support my clients with the process of using social media, digital marketing, software and lead generation to increase their sales. I enjoy my clients, my freedom to work from anywhere and the health of my husband.

And I still show up, even on the hard days. Because if I won’t show up for my clients who will?

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I am a firm believer in the swivel. Pivoting keeps one foot in place while you move in a circle. A swivel can move you on to another track.

I find that during these moments you must show up and continue on. While we don’t know day by day what may come. I have worked from the infusion room, hospital bedside and even beachfront and mountain top. I say I only need electricity and Wi-Fi to do my job, this is very true. I have hosted events, trained clients, and held sales calls all while my husband was ill. I would like to say most didn’t even notice.

The other side of learning about becoming a CEO of your own company are the bumps along the way. I have had clients walk away mid negotiation, clients cancel in the middle of a contract due to funding and staffing issues, and I have had clients take my ideas and use them without hiring me. All of these moments I have learned from and taken actions to not make the same mistakes again.

But, in general I have been very lucky, I have closed multi-figure deals, my clients have made hundreds of thousands of dollars and even a few have been able to sell for a high market value.

Through all of this I had to unlearn two major things. Asking for help is not a weakness. It is a strength good leaders show. And it is personal so don’t let anyone tell you it’s not. Yes it’s business, yes it’s not life or death, however, this is how I pay my bills, how I care for my husband and how I support our dreams. So it is personal! And that is okay!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

This is my favorite thing to talk about.

I started with this training for my business.

CARE about what you post! This stands for Create Authentic Relatable Educational content.

You need to be you online. This goes for a company or a personal brand. For your company get out there tell the people why you are for them how you help and who you help. But, also show them your people show them your company out in the community helping or even having fun. Get on camera show your face and share your story!

This is true for a personal brand as well, it’s the same process. Tell them your story, get on video, share your client wins, and tell them who YOU are!

I have grown my following on social media this way, my clients have done the same. For each post I place I gain followers, a connection or better a sales call!

If you are starting out brand new to social media make sure these three things are true on any platform: great photo in color of your face or logo, a bio that explains how you help, and a link to connect with you! A quick audit and refresh of your identity online will help increase your presence.

And a video is more powerful than any photo. Get use to getting on video for your clients. It’s powerful!

Contact Info:

• Website: Bernadettebpannier.com
• Instagram: BernadettePannier.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparkleinsales/?ref=share_group_link
• Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/bernadettepannier