Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rhonda Hight. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rhonda, appreciate you joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?

When I began my business, What I did not know, so did not anticipate, where the slow seasons in this industry. I had to learn very quickly how to forecast the ebbs and flow of the business and plan accordingly financially.

Secondly, I learned that nothing is final until the client’s check clears the bank. I would book work, and then be devastated when they decided to postpone or cancel the project because I was anticipating that revenue. To minimize the loss of revenue when this happens, I implemented a generous cancellation policy, and also stopped putting so much work (e.g., details) into a proposal. That decision was based on: 1) Learning that a potential client had taken my proposal and given it to the vendor they hired instead. 2) Proposals can be time consuming and after spending many hours on research, course/curriculum design, and preparing the presentation–you can’t charge for all of the time devoted to the proposal. My solution to that was developing a “plug and play” template and limiting the amount of information that I include in proposals.
I give the potential client enough data to make an informed decision, but not enough to appropriate my work, or utilize valuable time that can be spent on revenue generating activities.

Rhonda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Rhonda C. Hight, owner of Let’s Talk, LLC, a boutique human resources consulting and training firm. In 2023, Let’s Talk, will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

We have collaborated with various corporations, small businesses, government, and non-profit agencies; domestically and internationally. The business began with a speech given at a Toastmaster’s meeting hosted by my then employer, The Coca-Cola Company. I began receiving requests to speak at different events and that morphed into requests for facilitation and training services. While working for Coca-Cola, I was asked to deliver presentations for some of their fountain sales customers. Initially, this was pro bono work done in addition to my role in the human resources department for Coca-Cola USA. When I resigned from Coke in 1995 to work in my business full-time, they became my first client.

Let’s Talk offers a number of program offerings including interpersonal communication skills, sexual harassment, and leadership development. For the past three-years, our work has almost exclusively centered on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. What makes Let’s Talk unique are the relationships we’ve developed and nurtured over the years. Approximately 85% of our business is derived from established relationships, referrals, or those that we’ve met during speaking engagements and in training classes.

I am most proud our longevity. As a registered corporate coach, I have been a part of helping my clients reach new heights in their business or careers; and have mentored a number of young women and watched them blossom in their respective endeavors By combining my gift of gab with my human resources experience, and subject matter expertise on various topics, I have been able to do work that I love and that is purposeful, while traveling the world and meeting some wonderful people, My mom used to say that I talked too much. My only regret is that she did not live long enough to see that all that talking had a purpose, and that I am now paid nicely to do just that.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

One of the first business books I read from cover to cover when I began my business was The Personal Touch by Terrie Williams. It served as a blueprint that I have implemented and followed for years for staying in touch with my clients and building brand loyalty. By applying the “personal touch”. I’ve been able to build advocates, sponsors and allies for Let’s Talk. The old school methodologies of sending handwritten notes, forwarding articles on items of interest to them, remembering key events and things of importance to them, and providing personal and professional support in various ways.

The other book that provided guidance that helped me foster brand loyalty is The Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer. I learned that networking (contrary to popular belief) was not about meeting individuals that could do something for you, but rather building connections with people that you could do something for. It is true that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I am intentional about staying in touch with clients, celebrating their wins, and providing empathy and support with their losses or life’s hardships.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The Covid pandemic was definitely a time when I had to pivot in business. Prior to the pandemic, the majority of our revenue was derived from classroom training. During the height of the pandemic all classroom training came to an abrupt halt. Two years before the pandemic, in preparation for semi-retirement, I had begun learning different meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams, etc.) and facilitating virtual instructor-led training programs for one of my clients. This made it easy for me to pivot and begin offering virtual training classes to all of my clients immediately. I could not have foreseen that something I was initially hesitant about doing, would be the thing to save Let’s Talk from suffering a large financial loss when Covid hit. We were able to seamlessly move our clientele to the virtual world while still providing engaging learning experiences.

The move to virtual offerings has significantly limited the time I spend on the road and provided more time to spend with family, friends, and doing things I enjoy. As the world returns to some normalcy, requests for live training are increasing, however I now approach the projects I say “Yes’ to more strategically, in order to continue enjoying life to its fullest.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Letstalkllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.iintagram.com/Letstalkllc25
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LetsTalkLLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda08/

Image Credits
Dewayne Rogers