What if I told you that building a successful business doesn’t have to mean running yourself into the ground?
Welcome to Leading HER Way, the podcast that challenges the outdated belief that success has to come with burnout.
I’m Nikisha, your disruptive coach, and after 15 years of growing multiple businesses, I’ve learned that working harder isn’t the answer—building smarter is.
Every week, I sit down with powerhouse women entrepreneurs and wedding pros who’ve cracked the code to scaling their businesses while reclaiming their time.
You’ll hear raw, unfiltered conversations, client transformations, and behind-the-scenes success stories proving that your business can thrive without you constantly putting out fires.
Here’s what you’ll take away: ✔️ How to build 7-figure systems that scale—so you’re not stuck in the weeds of your business. ✔️ How to stop being the bottleneck and design a business that runs smoothly without you. ✔️ Social proof from industry leaders who have mastered this shift—and are here to show you how.
So, if you’re ready to work less while earning more, hit play, and let’s create a business that ignites your freedom. 🔥
75: How to Build Trust and Increase Sales Without Burning Out
•Nikisha King | Certified Life & Business Coach•Season 3•Episode 75
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If every new inquiry sends you scrambling... If you’re still winging it after years in business… If you want more referrals without hustling harder...
This episode of Leading Her Way is your roadmap.
In today’s episode, Nikisha King dives deep into the Signature Client Journey—the first “S” in her 5-Star SCALE™ Framework—and shows you how to build a structured process that boosts client trust, saves time, and increases sales without adding more work to your plate.
You’ll learn:
Why clients aren’t ghosting you—they’re confused
How to turn a messy sales experience into a memorable one
The 3 steps to confidently map a client journey that works before, during, and after the sale
This episode isn’t about doing more—it’s about creating clarity so you can work smarter and get your time back.
Whether you're a wedding professional, designer, or creative service provider, this episode will help you book more dream clients and turn them into raving fans who refer you again and again.
Want to attract aligned clients with less hustle and more heart? Follow @nkbizguru on Instagram and get access to Nikisha’s 5-Star SCALE™ Framework at her More Profit, Less Chaos masterclass.
Welcome to Leading Her Way with your host and business guru, Nakesha King. This podcast is the ultimate destination for women, creative entrepreneurs, who want to break free from burnout. If you are overwhelmed by client demands and feel like you're doing this all alone, you, my friend, are in the right place alone. You, my friend, are in the right place Now. Let's dive in for steps to take back your time and simplify your workflow. All right, Nikisha, take it away.
Nikisha King:
Hello and welcome back to Leading Her Way podcast, the podcast that meets you in the middle of messy and helps you move into your iconic era. I'm Nikisha, your sales and systems coach. I love that your soul coach, your sales and system coach and today's episode is going to hit home for a lot of you, especially if you've ever felt like your business is running you and not the other way around. This is week two of the more profit and less chaos. Sorry about that. This is the week for the more profit, less chaos series, where I'm walking you through my five-star skill framework. I'll be teaching an in-depth and free masterclass to learn how does my five-star sales framework work for you. You'll be able to join me, take away a whole slew of information and learn how to use it in your business.
Nikisha King:
Now, today we're staying in the S of scale the signature client journey and we're talking about how to map your experience from the moment someone inquires all the way to the moment they can't wait to tell everyone about you. This is about turning every client into a raving fan, and not by accident. So let me start with a truth bomb, because it is truth bomb Tuesday. If your client's journey lives in this beautiful head yes, your head like it used to live for me. And if every new inquiry sends you scrambling, if you're reinventing the wheel for every proposal, every onboarding call and every email, you don't have a client journey. You have a client maze yes, a maze. And let me tell you something confused people do not buy Any business owner who is looking to scale. Confusion is not going to help you. So today I'm giving you three ways to clean this up create clarity and build a journey that sells for you before, during and even after the project.
Nikisha King:
But first let me tell you about a previous client of mine. I don't name clients, but I love sharing their stories of how they evolved. One of my past clients who was a super talented designer. Clients who were super talented designer, incredible eye for details. Client loved her. If they made it to the end, she had a consistent pattern. People will inquire, she'll get excited, send over a long, beautiful email with all her packages and then nothing, silence, or they would say yes, but the project would get messy halfway through. Have you ever experienced that? Her words to me were I'm working so hard, but I feel like I'm winging it every single time. So we slowed it down. We mapped out her entire client journey Within a few weeks. She had a smooth process that made people feel seen, secure and supported, from the first touch point to the last thank you, and her close rate went up by 40%. Listen, people, this works. Here's the kicker. She didn't get better at her craft, she just got better at leading her clients through her process, and that's what I want for you Now.
Nikisha King:
Most wedding professionals, coaches, creative entrepreneurs think their problem is marketing or pricing, but really it's a lack of structure in the client journey in the way that they engage with someone from the beginning or during the process. You've got talent, you know how to deliver, but if you don't have a repeatable flow, you're forgetting follow-ups, you're wasting hours on custom emails and, worst of all please don't get it wrong Custom emails doesn't mean every email have to be custom. You can definitely write emails when you need to and, worst of all, you're not giving people a reason to talk about you once the job is completed, of reason to talk about you once the job is completed. This means every month you're starting from scratch, and that, my friend, is not sustainable as an iconic woman CEO. So here's what I'm going to ask you, I want you to take a second. Ask yourself if 10, forget 10, if 20 new inquiries came in tomorrow, what would happen? How will you process? How would your system process?
Nikisha King:
Now let's talk about the solution. I gave you the scenario. I told you what my client went through, but here are the three powerful steps that I use to help my previous client map out her signature client journey. One we want to name your checkpoints, not just your services, your checkpoints. When you're clear, your clients can follow. So we're going to start by outlining the stages of your client journey. Please don't mistake me for the task, not the task, the stages. So here's a simple one, because you might have something different, but this is why we work together Inquiry, discovery, proposal, booking, planning and prep, delivery, follow-up and referrals. So this is a really clear and that's like the overhead of the stage. Now, it isn't about being perfect. This is about being predictable. When your clients know what's next, they feel supported, and when you know what's next, you stop waking up in a panic. The tool that I use, the tool that I love because the capability to customize it is Tave. It allows us to map out the journey and create these amazing custom automations for our clients' needs. Tave is a CRM and there are so many but I specialize with Tave because I use it, I love it and it has such an expanded way of using it where you can build it for anyone. So that's what I do. Since my clients are so diverse, the mapping out of the client journey will tighten up your business in a big way and that's what I want for you.
Nikisha King:
Two assign one clear action per phase. Listen, most of you are experienced ghosting and it's not because your offer wasn't great. I want to repeat that again. It's not because your offer wasn't great. It's to repeat that again. It's not because your offer wasn't great. It's because the next steps are just too vague and they leave a lot of people either confused or curious, and people don't like to ask questions because they feel like they're getting your business. Each checkpoint in your journey needs one action. So here's an example the inquiry process. They filled out a form Discovery, they schedule a call Proposal, they sign the contract or agreement. The booking part is not only a welcome email that's so long and dreadful, but the booking part is time where you get to extract the information from them that you need to do your job, whatever form it is, whatever information the form gets you, that is it. And if you clearly tell them that that's when they're going to do the form and not take five years to get it to you, I am very aware of that.
Nikisha King:
Planning and prepping this is where you get the materials you need to fulfill the job. Materials could be paper for stationers, it could be getting your digital assets together for photographers, and then production and delivery. This is the part where you put everything together, you approve it with them and you deliver it. You are the leader. They're not the leader you are. If you're giving them options, backdoors or long-winded paragraphs, my love, you are creating confusion. Keep it simple, keep it moving. Now, real talk. You can be warm and clear at the same time. Clarity is going to build trust. Confusion will always kill it. Did you hear me? Clarity is going to build trust. Confusion will always kill it. I want you to remember that. And last but not least, number three end with a Raven fan moment.
Nikisha King:
Most people finish a project and poof, they just disappear, but not you. They're not being rude, but they're tired. Do you ever feel tired at the end of a project? And you're just like I am so done with this client, this project, and you just disappear. I get it, I completely get it. I used to do it. But if you want referrals, if you want that, omg, you have to hire her energy. You got to create a last impression that feels intentional.
Nikisha King:
It can be so much, but let me give you a couple ideas. A beautiful, crafted, handwritten note Make sure your stationery is branded. You know from a stationery designer that is so important. A follow-up email with a bonus tip, something that will help them on their next journey. A video walkthrough of the final deliverables, which is always nice for them to have.
Nikisha King:
You never know people like keeping mementos. And a thoughtful what's next? Guide for them. What's next? It could be so much. Here's a pro move. Ask yourself this what would make me me feel amazed and taken care of if I were the client? What would make you feel amazed and like, wow, this person really thought about this final process? I want you to reverse the role. Be them. That's what builds into your finale overall.
Nikisha King:
The truth is, you don't need to do more to scale. You're doing well, you're doing great. You just need to do the right things consistently. That's what it is. It's just about taking the time and doing a certain process consistently. That will get you and your clients in a really good place. Mapping your journey isn't about perfection. It's about permission permission to stop scrambling, permission to create structure, permission to lead your clients with calm and confidence. This is how we stop leaking time, energy and money, and this is how we become iconic and unforgettable.
Nikisha King:
So I want to introduce to you, next week we're going to be digging into the pre-booking moment how to build trust with people before they say yes, how to create that sense of I feel like I already know her before the invoice even gets in their inbox. That's what we're doing next week and I'm excited. That's where we're going to cover and that's what we're going to talk about. So could you confidently and calmly guide each one from hello to happily book without breaking a sweat? If your stomach flipped just a little bit, the next week episode is for you. I am excited, cannot wait and definitely, my friend, check out the show notes to find out when is our next masterclass. It is free. So please feel free to sign up, join me and let's have an amazing time.
Announcer:
Thank you for joining us today on Leading Her Way. We loved having you with us. Join me and let's have an amazing time. And visit our resource hub, which is linked to the show notes. There you'll find tools to streamline, organize and grow your business. Keep moving forward and we'll be right here to cheer you on next week.
