In this episode, Maruxa shares her step-by-step process for selling books and getting clients faster and doing it online by connecting with other list owners who have the audience you want to reach. And the good news is that anyone can do this. You don’t need a list to get started and you don’t have to spend any money on ads.  Maruxa will tell you what to look for when searching out partners, how to reach them and what to say to them. And the best part is, you can listen in and get started right now!

Resources mentioned

Joint-Venture Mind Map Template: www.createsellimpact.com/ellenviolette

Facebook Group
www.facebook.com/groups/booksbusinessabundance

3 Key Points

Be strategic; find partners who have high engagement but are still approachable.

Be brave and reach out to people and bring something of value to the table that would be of interest to them.

Find common ground and create a real connection with people.

Transcript

[0:50] Hi everybody. Welcome to Episode 42. Today my guest is Maruxa Murphy. Maruxa will help you discover the best ways to grow an audience without having to rely on Facebook ads or have a large list. She is a wife and mother of three girls, age eleven, seven, and five two dogs and is very involved in her community in South Florida.

She’s the founder of Perky, Perky coffee. I love this, which invites women to rise up from the first cup of coffee and onward throughout the day, she now serves thousands of women and men with ethically- sourced coffee and conversation around rising up and doing each day powerfully in all fifty States. Her uniqueness brought Perky, Perky to the United Nations 2019 and served it to over 400 transformational world and business leaders.

She’s not only differentiated in the coffee industry, but she’s built online communities and companies in the personal and business development industries and sold her virtual-event management company in 2015. She’s done this using her strategies to position uniqueness to matter if the services or products industry. So, welcome to the call.

[02:07] Maruxa: Oh my gosh, Ellen, thank you so much for having me. I’m glad to be here.

[02:11] Ellen: Yeah, I’m happy to have you. We’ve known each other for quite a while. We’ve worked together before, and you reached out to me again recently, which made me very happy and here we are.

So, you want to tell people a little bit about your journey?

Maruxa: Sure, absolutely. Thank you so much. You covered it in a great nutshell right there at the beginning. But, basically, I am at a place right now in my life where I feel like I’ve had this incredible journey that I look forward to sharing with your audience more about how it applies to them. But for me, it really started back in, I jumped from being an offline leadership trainer in the college-university arena. I was working with a lot of students, faculty, and staff, on helping them understand who they are, who they want to show up to be in the world, and really owning that. And, at the same time, I was working like 80-hour-plus weeks, and I just found out I was pregnant with my oldest daughter and also the recession hits all at the same time.

[03:15]  So, with all that being said, I wanted to make a pivot in my life and I knew that I wanted to continue doing a lot of the work I did previously offline, but how to figure out how to do this online. So, the long and short of it is my husband, Dennis and I moved across the country from Florida to Texas to work with one of his mentors, David Fry, which is actually, I think Ellen, how you and I met back then, a long time ago.

Ellen: Yeah.

Maruxa: And yeah, so we started building out telesummit events. And I’m bringing that up because the strategies that we’ll be discussing today are really things that I found were foundational even back then and are still working twelve years later online. Can you believe it?

Ellen: I do. Yeah. I mean, a lot of what I’m doing now really was going back to what I did in the early years. I made a lot of money in the early years, and then I got lazy and then right. And new things came in. I was like, “Oh, try this, try that.” And then finally you say to yourself, “Well, wait a minute, this is what works. Why am I trying all these crazy things?”

[4:18] Maruxa: Right. And honestly, and that’s a thing, you know, like we’re in this new world now, right?

Ellen: Yeah.

Maruxa: Impacting us. And at the end of the day, what I have been doing, I feel, you and I were talking about this a little bit ago, like how grateful we’re feeling right now because we are used to building our businesses online. And you know, for me, I feel very grateful also because I’ve learned how these strategies that worked in the recession like twelve years ago are still working now. And I think will be the reason that so many businesses actually start to show up even more dramatically in our new world.

[4:54] Ellen: Right. And one of the reasons, well, there’s a couple of reasons that I’m really glad I’m having you on today. One is like you said, you came from the offline onto the online. See, I never did. I was doing real estate and buying and fixing houses. It wasn’t like doing business offline, you know, it wasn’t like having a business and then trying to bring it online. So, I wanted to have you on for that reason. And also, because what you want to talk about today is really the best, easiest thing, I think for a lot of people who are just getting on from offline.

I mean, it’s like some of the people that I’ve had on have given some great strategies, but if you don’t already know how to write great copy and you don’t already know how to do some of the other things, build funnels or whatever, you might find them too difficult whereas what we’re going to talk about really is how I started and what is the easiest thing, I think for most people to do because if you know how to talk and you know how to network offline, it’s not that different.

[5:52] Maruxa: Right, right. And oftentimes, when we get online, we think, “Oh, we have to learn Facebook. Oh, we have to learn Instagram. Oh, we have to learn, Tick Tock. Oh my gosh, Tick Tock. You know what I mean? There are always new things and we’re always bombarded, literally every day. If you’re just now learning Facebook, right? You’re like five years ago, right?

Ellen: Right, right.

[6:12] Maruxa: But it doesn’t matter, If I started learning today it’s already I’m a year behind, right?  Or, whatever.

Ellen: So, every time a new one comes, you go, “Oh my God, now I got to get on this one.” It’s like, “No.” I mean I’m like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, don’t talk to me about anything else.

Maruxa: I hear you.

Ellen: And then, I have an Instagram account. I do, but it’s pathetic (laugh)

Maruxa: What I believe about those tools, I mean, obviously they have made a ton of money for so many businesses.

Ellen: But you got to pick your spots. you got to know who your target market is, and you got to be where they are, and forget the rest.

[06:47] Maruxa: Forget the rest. And also, that’s great and all, and again, we’re going back to basics. We just got hit by a massive pandemic world, and at the end of the day, it’s still too soon to fully know what’s going to shake up. Right? Like I know how to handle a pandemic. I really don’t. But what I do know is that we’re all, right now, craving like crazy, we’re creating community; we’re craving connection; we’re craving just being in person and the energy that happens by being in front of another human, right? And while we’re virtual, and virtual is phenomenal, and it’s gotten us so far, and it’s helped us grow our companies, you know. That’s why we humans exist. And that’s why we humans are human. We need each other in person.

[07:38] Maruxa: You can’t replace that. And in this time, whether as you’re listening to this or watching this, and you’re in a place where you’re at home alone, or you’re with your people- I’m in my home with my three little babies, some of them not so little, but my babies, and my two dogs, and my husband and Oh gosh, like it’s a lot.

At the same time, I’m grateful to know that we have each other. I’m also missing my people outside. I’m missing Ellen. I’m missing all my people that I just want to hug in person. And there’s going to be a day when we are able to do that again and feel safe to do that again, and man, I can’t wait for all the parties that are going to happen. I think even the most introverted of us are going to feel that way at some point, right?

[08:27]: But what I’d love to share today is really recognizing that in the midst of us being all quarantined, in the midst of us being in our own spaces or however long this is going to be, we can start utilizing what has been working offline for so many of us and start to bring that online in a way that feels so genuine because we’re all craving each other and connection. These strategies I’m going to share with you, it means that you don’t have to use Facebook ads to grow your community. It means you don’t have even have to have a big list right now to grow your community. It means literally we’re using each other and growing together.

[09:06] Ellen: That’s a really good point too, that I really want people to get. You know, when I first got into business, I was very lucky. There was a giveaway and, at that time, it was like one of the very first one. So, you weren’t getting them like every day or every other day in your inbox. And so, it was very focused, and a lot of people participated, and it was phenomenal because, at that point, people were so hungry for information. They’re still hungry. But now, it’s like for a specific thing, you’d have to be more specific than it was general. It was like everybody wanted everything, and I was able to build a list of 1600 people in two weeks from that, and I was instantly in business. I instantly started making money. I was able to make like $13,000 in the first six weeks

[09:52] Maruxa: Wow.

Ellen: After that. But the thing is I want people to understand you don’t need a big list. Sometimes, a big list is worse than a small list because you’re just getting a bunch of people on that give you false hope that you’re going to make money from them, and they’re not your people.

[10:06] Maruxa: Right. Yeah, that’s a really good point. You want the right people, you don’t want a list of like, I call it like “the potato chips bag of audiences”. It looks like…

Ellen: Jumbo size!

Maruxa:  A family-size pack, a jumbo-size bag of potato chips. I mean they’re so tasty, but it’s empty calories, right? They’re not worthy of you because they don’t need your work right now. Right?

Ellen: Yeah, yeah.

Maruxa:  They’re not worthy of you because they don’t need your work right now, right?  And you’re not worthy of them in that sense, you know like you want to build a list that is rich, that is life-giving to you and also value-serving to them. Right? That is where the goodness comes in. And so, yeah, so for me, the way in which I’ve been doing that, how’s it changed over these twelve years. It’s been like my number-one go-to. I’m only now really starting to learn Facebook ads. I’ve dabbled, but it just hasn’t worked great for me If I’m honest. I think part of it is because I’m so used to building organically. So…

[11:11] Ellen: Well, I will say one thing about Facebook ad. What people really need to do, cause I, I’ve just been in the process, of people who follow me know this, of creating a funnel, my first funnel. And it’s been a long time in the making because I know enough to know that I’m not going to launch it until I know it’s as right as I can make it before spending money on it.

And what I realized was that my lead magnet was not reaching the people I needed to reach because the intent was wrong. So, in other words, I was trying to get them to get a checklist on writing a title when they’re thinking, “I want to write a book,” and they’re not really thinking about the title yet. So, I had to change that, and then that sent me back. But I don’t care because what I’m trying to do is just avoid spending a bunch of money on ads that are not going to work. So, the thing about an ad, and I think this is true, whether it’s, whether you’re paying for it or not, it’s just that you have to really listen to your audience and be willing to, you know, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, but if it’s not working, figure out why it’s not working. What are they looking for? And what is what you’re trying to give them, what they’re looking for or not. And if it isn’t, change the offer but don’t throw out everything else because of it.

[12:27] Maruxa: Totally agree.

Ellen: Yeah.

Maruxa: And for us right now, and we’ve been using ads here and there. One of the things I’ve been playing within like I have our core company is called Eureka Laboratory because I am kind of this like nerdy scientist where we (my husband and I) like to test experiences, right? And so for us, for me, what I’m realizing is that what people, again, going back to what we were talking about, it’s like people crave connection. And so, unless I’m using an ad or anything, any of the tools in my tool belt to create a connection, I shouldn’t be using it, right? So with ads, I’m on a place right now, again, and this is further down from the topic that we’re planning to talk about, but really finding ways to create that connection with somebody, whether it’s using video or it’s using other means to create an experience for that person.

[13:19]: Imagine, and I know you have a lot of book authors, imagine using ads…here’s a great place to use ads, right? You can use ads to put an offer out there for your book, right? They either buy the book, or they do the book free plus shipping, or they buy the book, and then you maybe connect them with like a Spotify playlist that goes along with a book, or you give them access to something where you’re actually teasing them with other experiences that help blend in like the humanness of what you’re doing. Right? It creates a whole other level.

I have a master’s in counseling and in mental health. And I always think about like how do you create the experience where someone can feel safe, and seen, and heard even if it’s you offering an offer. That’s what I mean going back to the basic foundation of creating connection, how do you build that into all the things that you do? How do you build that into the goodness that you bring? So, whether if it’s Facebook ad experience

[14:19] Ellen: Right.  Well, here’s the other thing though, let’s say that you are doing that, but you don’t want to just do it yourself, you want to scale it and that’s where the joint ventures come in. So, how do you create your joint ventures with other people?

[14:34]: Yeah, thanks for bringing that back on. Yeah. So for me, so what Ellen’s mentioning is exactly what I do because if I don’t want to use Facebook ads, I focus primarily on joint ventures. Joint ventures for those who don’t know what that term means looking at an opportunity where you can an offer out in front of somebody else that might also have that audience or your ideal audience and giving them an opportunity to share that offer that you have in front of their people. So, it’s an event, you’re going into the joint venture, sharing an offer together for their audience, right? So, in turn, it helps you grow your audience and you get to cultivate that relationship with them ongoing, in an ongoing way. So for me, the way in which I’ve been doing joint ventures has basically been creating that experience for them.

[15:24]: So, oftentimes, people come to me and they’ll say, “Well, that sounds great, Maruxa. I love the idea of a joint venture, but like, I don’t know who’s in my audience. I don’t know the people that also carry that audience,” right? So, Ellen, for example, let’s say you didn’t know anybody in the book-publishing space, right? You might come to me with that question. “Ah, how do I get in front of them?” And honestly, one of the things I like to do is I like to tell people like, “Okay, first and foremost, we’ll just create a whole list of people. Number one, the first list is people that you do know,” right? It might not be a direct connection to the book-publishing space but everybody is only six degrees to somebody else, right? So, I like to make a list of all the people that have my back, right?

[16:04]: Who I know that I know that I know that really care about me and I care about them.

Ellen: Right? But what if you don’t know anybody? I mean, what if you’re just getting online, and you don’t really know anybody online?

Maruxa: Yeah, that’s a great question. So, I would specifically go to people that I have worked with. It doesn’t have to be online, right? that have my back, right? So, when I say have my back, I literally mean like my next-door neighbor.

Ellen: Okay.

Maruxa: Right? So, I start with everybody and anybody that I know knows what I’m doing matters and that they are a cheerleader for me. Okay. And so, then I go to them and I say, “Hey, here’s what I want to put on the table. Who do you know that might be in this space?” Even if you know them just slightly or you know a friend of a friend, right? “Would you be willing to introduce me?” Right? And I literally start that simple like, “Can you make the introduction for me? Would you be able to introduce me?” And, at first, it feels really scary because what if they say no?

Ellen: I know. Ask. As one of my mentors said yesterday, “Get your ask in gear.” (They laugh.)

[17:16]: Maruxa:  It’s so important.

Ellen: I know, it’s like, sometimes, you can have the best offer, you can be doing everything right and then you don’t ask for the sale.

Maruxa: Exactly. So honestly, I open it up to whoever because I learned this the hard way when I was building my coffee company, Perky, Perky. Literally my cousin’s, how does this work? My cousins, husbands, father, okay? Cousin’s husband’s father is a…I didn’t realize what he does for a living, which is, he does a lot of real estate in Jamaica.

Ellen: Ah, good coffee.

[17:51] Marxua: Exactly!  Like, hey, I went to my cousin and I said to her, “Hey, I am looking for roasters. I’m looking to create a joint venture. And she goes, “Oh my gosh. Well, my husband’s dad is actually in real estate.” She’s calling me right now. How funny is that? He’s in real estate. “My, husband’s,” yeah, “dad is in real estate and he, for sure, knows all the farmers.” And I was like, “No kidding.”

[18:18]: So, we ended up having conversations, and now we have this beautiful relationship built. Like the same thing happened in Costa Rica and now we’re working with those farmers in Costa Rica. So, you never know who you have in your circle.

Ellen: Right.

Maruxa: Also, I just want people to remember that part. Oftentimes, as individuals, we limit ourselves just to our own fear and live out of that space of like, “Oh, but I don’t know. I’m just not sure.” And we make all these assumptions, but the reality is there are so many more people that really have our back and are willing to figure it out with us. And I think it’s a beautiful time right now to invite ourselves into that bravery of asking and just lift ourselves into that space. Saying, “What if I did ask, what if that one question coming out of my mouth was the thing that helped me get to where I need to go next?”

[19:14] Ellen: And then, what do you say? What do you say when you reach out when you start reaching out to people, what do you say?

Maruxa: So basically, what I like to do is I’ll, I’ll reach out and I’ll say, “Hi, so-and-so introduced me to you. I’d love to get to know you better. I never lead with a…

Ellen: Ask.

Maruxa: Ask, right? I lean in first with “How do I get to know this person better? How do I get an opportunity to know about this person better?” And I just open up that space in that way. Right? So, you know, “Hi Shane, my name is Maruxa. So-and-so introduced me to you. I would love to hear a little bit more about you, like what lights you up? What makes you come alive?” And, oftentimes, they’ll tell me, but they’re like, “How does this relate to this?”

[19:56]: I’m like, “Well, I only like working with people that are lit up because I know that when we’re all lit up in our work, then we all create a better product on the backend. And then, there they ask typically “What is it that you bring to the table?” And then, I share also from that space, and then from there, cool things can show up, right? I allow for that. In essence, I call it “the magic,” right? Allow for that magic to lead that conversation. So, for example, with the Jamaican farmers, we didn’t end up working together because of the logistics process. It didn’t work at this point, but I connected them with roasters here in the United States to help them create more of those logistics to make it work for them.

And so, it’s a slow process, but now it’s a win for them and it’s a win for me. In the midst of this, that might not be a, “right now”. What it is is a, it’s been like, it’s goodwill that’s been given to them. In some way, I believe it will always come back to us.

[20:55] Ellen: Yeah. And a point about that is, sometimes, things take a long time. I mean, I just did a webinar where I got a sale from someone who’s been on my list evidently for years, for years. And that happens quite often, especially with books because people will say, “Well, it’s not the right time for me to write it yet.” But they’ll get on my newsletter and stay there literally for a decade before they ever reach out to me. So, you just don’t know. But there’s also this, I guess, law of energy that when you put it out, it doesn’t always come back the same way you put it out, but a lot of times it comes back somewhere else.

[21:30]  Maruxa: Exactly. Yeah, honestly Ellen, I can’t help but believe that because over and over again when I come from that space, not of lack of fear, but from that space of like, I call it the “Alice -in- Wonderland moment,” right? Like Alice in Wonderland you literally never know what the next step is going to look like or be like, but you walk in and a whole new world can be uncovered and the whole new possibility is showing in front of you. And it’s our choice then to say, I’m going to accept this as an opportunity” or “I’m going to stay away from it.” Right? In every situation, I’d give myself those like, “Is this an opportunity? Is this an opportunity to learn about that other person in front of me? How can I be of value to that person?” And it always shows up in some new, beautiful, unique ways I just never expect. And for me, that’s fine.

Now the other part of this though and the joint ventures is to find those joint ventures that are actually ready to move on something.

Ellen: Right. How do you do that?

Maruxa: Well, how I do that as I even rate before I even go into a conversation like that, I make sure that I’m really clear on what it is that I want to create an offer around. And so, let’s say it’s a book. Maybe you have a book launch coming up, right? What I like to do with book authors, with book launches, is I really like to spend time, get very clear on, “Okay, who is my ideal reader for that?” And as I get very clear on that, then I think about “Who hangs out with the ideal reader? or “Who does this ideal reader spend money with?” Right? So, I go and I think about, okay, so let’s say I wrote a cookbook, and let’s say it’s a paleo cookbook, so I would then look and think about, “Okay, well who is the paleo cookbook, buyer, reader?” and “What does this woman also buy?” Right? I think about utensils, I think about maybe she attends conferences or buys other cookbook products, or maybe she’s also into fitness, right? And what kind of fitness, right? So, I get really clear.

[23:41] Ellen: And then, what does that do once you know that?

Maruxa:  What it does is I go and I look into who are the players in these areas, right? So, let’s say this paleo cookbook that I’m creating, I’m really excited about it, and I want everyone to know about it. I want to know who’s on Instagram, for example, or on Facebook, who has the Facebook groups who are into paleo, right? Who are the fitness groups that really showcase paleo as the diet to participate in or partake in so that this fitness plan is really doable for them?  Put those names down. And then I write down so-and-so and so-and-so; I’m going to try to make as big of a list as I can-typically, around fifty to a hundred is my size list and usually I spend a good six, to eight hours doing that.

[24:33]: Just doing my research

Ellen: Okay. Hear that everybody’s six to eight hours. Don’t think you could do it in five minutes.

Maruxa: It’s really important. But you can also bring on an assistant. My assistant is in the Philippines works. yeah, does that research side for me. But what I like to do in those is number one, I like to look at a few things. Okay. I look at engagement. “How engaged is this person in this industry?” So, if I’m looking at, let’s say, fitness folks that paleo eaters tend to kind of go towards, I look at her engagement or his engagement, how many people follow him, right? On which platform? And in terms of engagement, I want to look at like on a scale of one to ten, I kind of create my own scale here, like one being very active, ten being like everyone just dies for this person’s content. Right?

[25:24] Ellen: Right, right.

Maruxa: You know, likes and comments on all their posts. I take a look at all those, and then from there, after I do this list, oh, and I also make sure to get to their website and their email address if I can find it. Okay? And this is why I like having an assistant because I want to it focus on other areas.

Ellen: Right.

Maruxa: But you can do it yourself. So then, from there, then what I like to do is I like to then categorize it by size of list and also engagement. And this is kind of my secret sauce. I like to say, “Okay, I (inaudible) it from tier one, two, three and four. Here, four, are the folks that have, let’s say on Facebook, typically under 5,000 people, maybe 5,000 people if there’s like on their personal profile, on their business page, around, you know, 5,000 or so.

[26:16] Maruxa: And on Instagram, it’s typically around 10,000 or less-people following them. But these ones in tier four are highly engaged. These are my micro-influencers that have high engagement with small numbers. Right?

Ellen:  Well, how do you know that they have large engagement? Why don’t you tell people that?

Maruxa: That’s a great question. So, the way in which I do that is I like to look and see, like when they ask a question or they put a post out, they have tons of comments. They have tons of likes, they have lots of reactions to their posts, right? So, I want to make sure, and then I’m seeing …

Ellen: And it’s not to be everyone.

Maruxa: No. Not at all.

Ellen: Yeah, yeah.

Maruxa: Like you’ll be able to see. So, the difference between somebody who has these same numbers is not (inaudible) maybe it’ll be like a tier five is difference in the engagement.

[27:07]: So, the tier fours are, they’re typically in like a very small niche of it. So, let’s say we’re working with a fitness person. She specifically does bar exercises. So, she’s like a bar instructor online. Right? So, she does a bar for paleo. I mean like how niched can you get? Right?

Ellen: Right, right.

Maruxa:  Typically, she’ll have a pretty small audience. But that audience, everything she says, they’re like, “Yeah, I love it. Oh my gosh, this is great. Let’s go.” They’re super engaged with that.

Ellen: Yeah.

Maruxa:  Those are my people. So, I’m going to those first as a tier four, and then tier three is going to be the ones basically from 10,000 Instagram followers to about 30,000 Instagram followers. They still have major engagement, just like the tier four, they just have a lot more people watching them. And they’re also seen as micro-influencers.

[27:57]: They don’t have a humongous following. They don’t have like a million fans and have a hundred people but that engagement energy is still there. People are still really connected to the work that they’re doing, and those people are so much fun to work with too.

Then tier two are the folks that are around 100,000, basically 30,000 to 100,000 mark in Instagram, and on Facebook, on Facebook page, typically you’ll see them be like, they’re pretty much like celebrities in their niche. And then, you have your tier one who is the major celebrities. So, this is like the Kardashians, like the ones that are like, “Oh my gosh,” Michelle Obama, the ones that everybody wants to have

Ellen: Right, on their team.

Maruxa:  You’ll find that if you can look at that list of a hundred people that you created and you can layer them, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s not a perfect science. But what I like to do is I like to then focus first on those tier-four people. The tier fours are my favorite because they are in the process. They’re the hustlers right now, Michelle Obama and Oprah, they are not hustling to get the audience there. They’ve got the audience; they’ve got the people, and they are being paid, if their name is on something, people are paying them.

The folks in the tier-four and the tier-three categories are people, oftentimes, that sometimes they’re getting paid, they’re just not getting paid as much. Right? Or, they’re being paid in a variety of different ways: referral strategies are huge one or they’re being sponsored like they have sponsored posts and things like that. And I like working with those folks because of the engagement. It’s so much more powerful for me to work with somebody in the tier four, tier three than it is tier two, tier one because I spend so much more money on the upfront to get a tier two, tier one. It’s the tier three and the tier fours are really where I like to play. It’s more fun because it’s more connected, they’re more human at that point.

[29:53] Ellen: Well, do you have any tips for people like that are afraid to ask? I mean, that seems to be the biggest thing. “Okay, like I’ve made the list, I don’t know these people now, what the hell do I really say?” It’s like that’s the hardest thing. And I know like I’m on LinkedIn and I’m one of their, I don’t know, top people, I get a whole bunch of little stars and things, you know? And so, I get a lot of people coming to me with offers all the time. They either want to work for me or they want me to do something for them. I’m not interested in those people.

So, what I have to do is I kind of have to use my radar and try to figure out, “Okay, who’s approaching me the right way so that it shows me, first of all, they understand marketing and second of all they’re willing to make the effort to get to know me at least a little bit first. And then, it’s easy to just not do anything because you’re getting people coming to you if you are at that stage. But if you’re not, like how do you get over that thing of just being afraid to ask or not knowing how to ask?

[30:53]  Maruxa: You know, it’s the way for me, this is what I do. Like I am like, I’m not immune to that at all. So basically, the way in which I do it is I have to center myself and remember what I am bringing to this person is valuable. And then, typically what I’ll do is I’ll write, I’ll sit down on my computer and for those who love writing, you write a message to that person as if they were a friend, right?

[31:19] So, it’s like, “Hi Ellen, it’s so nice to meet you, and you don’t know me yet. And I just want to let you know your work has done this for me.” Right? I always lead from that place of love. Always lead from a place of love. A compliment goes a long way, you know? I have people, the same thing, I have people always asking me like pitching me all the time and I’m just like, I don’t even know but “Let me tell you why you’re awesome.” You know? It just feels good.

Ellen: Of course, yeah.

Maruxa: That’s a human thing to do, right? That’s where we are staying connected in creating that connection. And so, it’s coming at it from a place of like, “How can I be a value to you?” first and foremost. Like “I want to be a value to you. And if you’re open to that, I’d love an opportunity to connect and share with you how this book might be a value to you and to your audience.” And that’s it.

So, it’s a really, really simple, it’s really human. I don’t have to like go out and like all of the things, I don’t need five paragraphs to tell them about everything. It’s like going on a first date, you know?

[32:21] Ellen:  Yeah. Sometimes, I don’t even start there. Sometimes, I’ll try to see something where we have a mutual connection like, for instance, we both went to U.C.Berkeley or they’re also a musician or something, or they’re in San Diego, or they’re in L.A., cause that’s where I’m from. But whatever it is, just to find something, and I’ll just say, “Oh, how’s the weather there?” Or, just something that people can all relate to. And then, “How can I help you?” One of the ones I love to ask is, “Who’s your ideal client?”  just to make sure that we’re even compatible to take the next step.

[32:55] Maruxa: That’s a really good point.

Ellen: Yeah.

Maruxa: And that’s it. Come at it from instead of your fear, cause when we were in fear we’re on us; we’re focused on…

Ellen: Right, right.

Maruxa: Get out of our own way for a second and say, “Okay, well how can I be of service to this person?

Ellen: Yeah.

[33:10] Maruxa: I want to know who is their ideal audience is; it’s very valuable information so that you can either figure out who to connect them to or find a way to build that connection with them because they said they have that same ideal audience.

Ellen: Right, right, yeah. So, I always want to ask more, but it’s like my guys will get mad at me if I make them too long.

[33:30] Maruxa: Yeah, I get that. I think really the final tip that I have is for everyone to remember that you’ve already taken some amazing steps. You’re in the process of either writing your book, getting your book out there into the world, publishing, you know, getting the book published, wherever you are in that process, you’ve already done something that 95% of the people that have wished to write a book haven’t yet done. So amazing. That is amazing. So, when you’re at the place where you’re ready to get the book out there, it’s just one more second bravery, that’s it, just one more step of bravery.

Ellen: And it’s good if you can actually do that when you’re thinking about it writing the book.

[34:07] Maruxa: Oh my gosh, that’s actually huge. That’s a really great place to start.

Ellen: Yeah, yeah. Well, I really appreciate everything that you’ve said. I love the way you go about systematizing it and making it step-by-step for people because I know it’s so easy to just feel like, “Well, I don’t know where to even get started,” so I want to thank you for that.

[34:27] Maruxa: You’re so welcome. I’ve had many years of trying to figure it out myself, so if I can simplify it.

Ellen: Right. Why don’t you tell people what the next step is for them.

[34:39] Maruxa: Sure. So, if you are interested in simplifying this process and actually getting my mind map, I have a little mind map that kind of walks you through creating your first joint ventures. I would love to give that to you. And if you’re okay with it, I’d be glad to share the URL with everybody else.

Ellen: Absolutely, yeah.

[35:00] Maruxa: So, it’s at createsellimpact.com/ellenviolette Pretty simple.

Ellen: Say it again.

Maruxa: Createsellimpact.com/ellenviolette

 Okay, that’s Ellen, E.L.L.E.N “V” as in victory I. O. L. E. T. T. E.

Maruxa: Yeah.

[35:22] Ellen: Okay. So, that’s it for today. Till next time, Bye-bye.

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