Kim Willis

Persuasion Pursuit

Got Skills But Minimal Sales?  The Shocking Truth About Most Experts…….

Most coaches, consultants and self employed ‘experts’ are great at what they do.  But here is where they often fall down: they’re not so good at finding clients.  If you’re like a lot of coaches, experts and creative people I talk to, sales and marketing is not a comfortable activity for you.

You just want to do what you do best – work with quality clients – and make a difference for them.

👉 Is This You?

Maybe you’ve got technical skills (SEO, web design, even accounting), or creative skills (writing, blogging etc), or maybe you're a coach.  Irrespective, you just want a better, easier way to find clients.  Without having to sell and hustle like a salesman

👉 A Better Way to Attract Clients

Here is where you want to be:  the expert and authority in your niche.  Get it right and people will beat a path to your door.  Mess it up and people will run a mile.
 
 ****Special Offer to My Linked In Connections****

If you want to attract ‘A’ class clients to you like bees to a honey pot, you should talk to me.  I’ve been using these techniques for years in my own business.  Techniques that enabled me to quit the rat race and travel the world as a digital nomad.  

So here is my $500 offer for you……

I will give you up to 1 hour of my time (by phone, Zoom or Skype) for brainstorming, including specific strategies on expert positioning and client acquisition.  I’ll always be focused on skyrocketing your income by showing you how to attract clients who pay you top dollar.  

All I ask for in return for this free help session is a testimonial and the opportunity to build a valuable relationship.

Results matter, so that will be my focus with you – to give you valuable ideas you can use straight away.

👉 Contact Me

Link me in (see above).

OR You can contact me here:
Phone:
USA: 310 601 8528
Australia: 07 3102 3572
Skype: kimwillishere
Email: kim@persuasionpursuit.com

Partner

Willis Marketing

Director

Story-based content for Hot Leads, Authority, and Trust | Ghostwriting for Time Poor Experts, Founders and C-Suite Execs | Soft Skills Specialist | Cut Through the Online Noise NOW

If you're an expert with something to say, shout about it.

But you need an engaged audience.

No audience = no clients

How will you do it?

Different ways but here are my favs:

1. Podcasts
2. YouTube
3. LinkedIn
4. Website
5. Email list
6. Live Events
7. Collaborations

All good, but it's not as easy as it looks, but I guess you know that already.

The issue is not the method; it's more about execution than anything else.  

How will you get the job done? 

Will you need help?

If you're a do-it-yourself person, fine.  How's that been going for you?

Look, if you don't fix it, here is what will happen:

- You won't get enough traffic
- You won't generate warm leads
- You won't attract high-value clients
- Your dreams will be put on hold
- Hopes will be dashed
  
 I can help you:

• Build trust

• Establish authority in your industry.

• Give clarity about what you do and who you help.

• Inspire a prospect to work with you

I've helped hundreds of people generate more traffic, leads and clients.  We do it with smart traffic and relationship-building methods.

For example, I redesigned Avon's LinkedIn About section and newsfeed content for his Relevate business. Views increased by 500% within two weeks, and he got a new client.

Help starts at $395.  Send me a message. 

► 𝟭𝟮𝟭 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝟲 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗦, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗡𝗢 𝗔𝗗𝗦

"Kim helped me improve my content, sales copy, and one-to-one engagement with people. To say he has a 'way with words' is an understatement. With his help, I attracted 121 customers/clients online in six months. I spent no money on ads. Highly recommended." Connie Cachia, Digital Marketer (retired).

► 𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐄 𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐄

"Great ideas; I love the full post. Now, I understand the power of good writing. And I can vouch for Kim's brain dump call process. A huge amount of value there." Lloyd Thompson, Founder at Digitaldoo.com

► '𝙆𝙄𝙈 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙎 𝘼 𝙍𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙊𝙐𝙍𝘾𝙀'
"Kim Willis is a rare resource and one you should connect with. He can easily mix the skills of copywriting, sales and social media marketing in such a way that it works. I'll be forever grateful for the advice, coaching and mentoring he provided me, and so will you." Peter Beckenham. The Solopreneur Sales Strategist.

Last week I saw Faheem Moosa’s post that featured a pic of him with a couple of his clients.

No biggie except for one simple fact.  He’s from Canada, but the pic was taken in Dubai.

He was there for a business conference, and fortuitously, two of his clients were at the same event.

Like me, Faheem does all of his business online and rarely meets clients face to face.

Seeing as I haven’t been on a plane since before COVID, the last time I met clients face-to-face was in 2019.

I hosted a small mastermind for a handful of my clients, hence the pic.

Connie was one of my best students.  She embraced what I taught her and, over the next few months, attracted 121 customers without ads.  How did she do it? Direct outreach on Facebook.

Yes, really.   

Here is a picture of us in Bali.  Connie is on the right, with her husband on the left.

Referral Systems to Drive Leads | Trust-based Conversations to Drive Revenue | Case Studies to Build Belief and Authority | People Connector and Community Builder.

Who should you write for?

Those who pay you, or those who praise you?

For many, it’s the latter.

They crave approval

They forget about the main game: 
- Winning right fit people to your cause
- Being the go-to option for buyers

Temptations abound.

And lots of goo-roos will pander to your ego.

But winning Likes and Comments from those who will never buy.

Is a fool’s errand that ends up one way

No moulah
 
And a likely exit from LinkedIn

Oh well.  Another dream shattered.

Back to the drawing board.

The message?

Focus on: 
- Networking
- Relationships
- Conversations

Boring eh?

Why less qualified people are stealing your lunch

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

That "less qualified" person is winning BECAUSE their expertise is limited.

They think their basic insights are groundbreaking. 

But basic is exactly what your target buyers want.

Your buyers aren't experts. They're trying to solve a problem, and they need someone who can explain what's going wrong in simple terms.

Meanwhile, you're adding layers of nuance. Caveats. Sophistication.

You know too much to keep it simple.

You add complexity because you're worried a peer might think it's not "expert" enough.

This is status anxiety dressed up as quality control.

You're afraid to dumb it down because you want to prove to peers that you know your stuff.

But your ideal buyers aren’t impressed by your expertise.  What they want is simple: they feel you understand their challenges.

So you have a choice:

Create content that earns nods from peers (who will never hire you)...

OR create content that attracts clients.

One feeds your ego. The other feeds your family.

So, are you creating for peers or for your clients?

Cut the crap.  Fess up - your fear is holding you back
That was me

I was like a deer frozen in the glare of a car's headlight..

Trying to deal with my fear of public speaking wasn't easy.  

Time and time again, I rejected opportunities to give talks about my primary area of expertise:

“How to use stories and conversations to explode your sales”

Hot topic, eh?  Yet every time someone asked me to speak… 

I made every cotton-pickin' excuse under the sun, including:

- I’ll be on vacation
- I have another commitment
- My dog is about to die (I didn't have a dog)
- I’m scheduled to mow the lawn (I never mow lawns) 
- My wife said I was a loser, and now I'm sad (another lie)

But finally, I developed enough gumption to kick the fear to the curb.

And give my first talk.

It was a disaster, but I recommitted and, over the next few years, gave hundreds of talks. 

As I improved, my results also improved.  Some talks led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.

All because I tackled the fear monster head-on, and won.

What fear have you conquered?

What fear do you need to tackle?

P.S.  I still have fears - fear of heights, and I’m claustrophobic.  Oh well, can't win ‘em all. 

TODAY'S PIC.  Me at 5 months.  Another lie.  It's Noah, my grandson, and he has NO FEAR.  (Well, not yet. haha)

Why B2B marketers mess up on LinkedIn
They treat it like a lead gen platform.

That used to be me.  I bought into the hype and went all out for leads.

After 3 months - no leads, no nothing

So I switched

I focused on relationships and little more than a month later signed my first client

So the message is clear:

LinkedIn is really a networking and relationship-building platform.

This is why cold outreach campaigns bomb.

The same applies to running ads to people who don’t know you.

It’s likely to fail.  You’re a nobody, and you will be ignored.

Instead, start here:

1. Ideal Buyers.  Your ideal client profiles (ICP)
2. Engagers.  Industry people who amplify your content to buyers.
3. Industry Influencers.  Thought leaders your buyers follow.
4. Potential Channel Partners.  Non-competitive companies serving your ICP
5. Niche Media.  Podcast hosts, event organisers and community owners.

Build relationships with these people.

Referrals, introductions and warm leads will flow from there.

The Success System That Never Fails

That’s the title of a book I read many moons ago.

Written by W. Clement Stone, he shared his miraculous story of how, at age 19, he began working with his mother to sell accident insurance policies. 

He became a sales superstar and then founded his own company, Combined Insurance, which eventually grew into a large business.

According to Stone, the keys to success are threefold:

1. PMA - Positive Mental Attitude.
2. A saleable product
3. A sales success system that never fails

Rather than constantly reinvent the wheel, he was adamant that a simple, replicable system trumps constant improvisation.

We dont have to embrace everything Stone did or all of his views, but I like the idea of having a success system that works over and over again.

Replication = Multiplication

It’s the way to scale.

Example:

I’m building a new referral system where warm leads are regularly produced.

Like clockwork.

I can’t do that without a reliable system that replicates the initial work I did

It’s not smart, it doesn't duplicate, and it’s very tiring.

Thoughts on systems?

Any fool can complicate things

Even me.  Which is why I’m always simplifying my message.

So an 8-year-old can understand it.

But to do it well, understand your topic at a deep level.

Go deep.

Then remove excess words that add nothing to the piece.

Sometimes less is more.

And right now commoditised content - AI slop or otherwise - is saying a lot but meaning little.

Your job is not to produce content that means nothing.

Instead, learn how to cut through so you mean something to your audience

It’s about resonance, not word count or posting frequency.  

Slow down, and focus on making real connection

That’s all.

Why I’ll never join BNI

Or other in-person business referral groups.

I’m not saying you can't make money from them.

You can.

But often the referrals are low quality - not exactly your type of people.


Not all referral groups are like that, of course.  

Some attract high-calibre people, but it’s the exception, not the rule.

The effect for many members - especially white-collar experts - is few, if any leads.

And if the leads convert, often the ticket value is low.


The other problem is the time factor. 

I know people who spend half their week travelling to one networking event or another.

And having one-to-one networking coffees.  

It’s ok to do these things, but it's not very time-efficient, and it can be expensive.

Here is my suggestion…

✅ Break free from the need to always meet people face to face.

And find a balance between online and offline networking activities.

And for crying out loud, be creative.

👉 Example:

Many moons ago, when living in Sydney, I hatched an idea to visit Melbourne to do business.

I had some connections there, so I enlisted their support and asked for introductions.  

Each of these introductions was called, and appointments were booked.  Yes, no emails or DMs were sent - fancy that.

The result was 5 new clients and a heap of revenue.

This might sound harsh, but some of the people who join these often expensive networking groups are a bit lazy.  

They don’t have the wit, courage or confidence to break free and go for it.  


There are plenty of ways to generate business without spending countless hours a week doing offline networking.

I’ll talk about one of them in my next post.

P.S. Regarding the above example.  It happened when I was a young guy - well before the internet.  Would I travel a long way to talk to leads now?  No way.  Today, I would do a Zoom call and decide the next steps from there.

Lure Agency

Hello and Welcome! We are a Hospitality B2B marketing agency.

As master mixologists, our recipes build bridges for hotel sales teams and industry visionaries, ensuring that every handshake is the beginning of a long-lasting relationship and the promise of soaring revenue.

Whether you're an independent resort or a tech company, scaling revenue within the hospitality sector can be tricky without the right mixture of human connection and tailored strategies.

Our secret sauce is crafted to help you WIN.

With us, it's never just business; it's a journey of collaboration, and we're here, ready to concoct your success story next.

Let's shake and stir greatness together.

 Connect with us soon!

Partner and Creative

knoodle Advertising

A full-service advertising, public relations and digital agency in Phoenix, Arizona. Our philosophy begins with comprehensive strategies fueled by massive amounts of research. Use your knoodle; what can we do for you?

Managing Director | Partner

The Starmack Group

Founded in 1998, The Starmack Group is a full-service advertising and communications agency, focusing on national, personality-driven hotels and management companies, as well as clients in the lifestyle industry. We provide business partner passion and responsibility, industry experience, and creative execution in brand management, graphic design, campaign development, interactive design and implementation, as well as media research, planning and placement.

Senior Art Director

Cory Falter Creative

Cory Falter Creative is a boutique design and marketing studio, offerings a comprehensive array of services, include Branding, Graphic Design, Advertising, Web & Interactive Design, Photography and Copy Writing. For more than 20 years, I've had the pleasure of creating for a diverse group of clients ranging from Sporting Goods and Surf accessories manufacturers to Hospitality and Music Radio stations. The Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels and Suzuki Motor Corporation to name just a few.

Account Director | Principal

454 Design

Founded in 1995 as a full-service branding and creative studio partnering with a diverse array of clients in the action sports, real estate, technology and hospitality industries.

Director | Founder

▶︎ 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗨𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗔 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘?

Why aren't independent resorts and hospitality vendors seeing consistent growth anymore?

Because buyers today don’t want to be sold to

They want to be helped. 

And outdated sales funnels? 
They’re about as useful as a “Do Not Disturb” sign in a digital-first world.

So, how do you drive real revenue without burning trust?
➜ You answer their questions. 
➜ You build relationships. 
➜ You show up before they even hit “inquire.” 

That’s what we do at Lure Agency.

Since 2012, I’ve helped independent resorts and the vendors who support them attract, convert, and retain more business using a proven transparent relationship marketing strategy.

Built for how modern buyers actually buy.

What’s the difference?

Most agencies pitch impressions. 
We deliver impact. 
With clear ROI, scalable strategies, and messaging that doesn’t just sound pretty.

It sells.

Because after 30 years in marketing, here’s what I know for sure:

No trust = no sale. 

But trust? 
Trust scales.
Along with sales.

Struggling to find sales?

Let's connect and chat about it.


▶︎ 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗘:

"Our results with Lure Agency have been crazy impressive!! This strategy has been a lifesaver for us. We're now efficiently operating with two salespeople instead of the previous 3.5, all thanks to a stream of highly qualified leads."

Julie Petit
Director of Sales & Marketing 
Stonewall Resort

_____________________________

“Cory and the Lure team have been critical in helping us grow our inbound lead flow and revenue growth year-over-year.”

Organic website traffic increased by 18%, inbound lead inquiries increased by 37%, and annual revenue growth grew by 4.6%. 

Jake Newman  
Marketing and Sales Coordinator
Newman Windows and Doors

________________________________

“Lure Agency has great ideas, increased our web presence, and generated more leads for us. 
I highly recommend their services. “

Organic website traffic increased by 23%, time spent on the site by visitors grew by 37%, and revenue grew by 6.3%.

Steve Blidner
Founder & CEO
TTI Technologies
 
________________________________

Would you like to learn how your sales team can identify, convert, and retain more revenue?

Call me directly at 619-889-8156 or email me (cory@lureagency.com) and let's have a conversation about your goals and objectives.
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#digitalmarketing #sales #hotelmarketing #hotelsales #marketing #integratedmarketing #b2bhospitality #hospitalityb2b #hoteltech #hotelrevenue #hotelbusiness

Cory Falter

Moments like this remind us why we ❤️ Hospitality.

The inaugural The Waves of Hospitality Awards presented by HSMAI San Diego Chapter rolled onto the shores of Belmont Park.

Like a tsunami.

Electric.
Magical.
Unforgettable.

It was named "Waves" because this city is defined by the ocean. Its energy. Its power. It's in constant motion forward.

Just like our honorees and winners.

HUGE congrats to:

➜ Marketing Professional of the Year
Keriann Greaney Martin, CHDM
Hotel del Coronado

➜ Sales Professional of the Year
Debbie Au Burlock
Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa

➜ Revenue Management Professional of the Year
Isabelle Camu, CRME, CHBA
Fairmont Grand Del Mar

➜ General Manager of the Year
Jayne Aston
Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa

➜ James V. Cunningham Award for Hospitality
Tré Wilke IV
Evans Hotels

These are the people riding the wave of excellence. 
Pushing hospitality forward. 
Shaping the guest experiences that make San Diego unforgettable.

To every winner:
You earned this.
Your work matters.
Keep making waves.

And to everyone who showed up last night? 
You made it electric. 
The energy in that room was pure San Diego magic.

And special shout-out to Belmont Park for hosting us at your incredible venue. You guys knocked it out of the park...

This is just the beginning.

Year two is going to be even bigger.

Who's ready to ride the next wave with us?

Growing Revenue For Hospitality B2B Is My Bottom Line 🔺 Partner at Lure Agency 🔺 President HSMAI San Diego 🔺 Host of the InnSync Show 🔺 SDSU Dad of Twin Daughters 🔺 Former Pro Motocross Rider 🔺 80s New Wave Fanatic

Leadership wants an update on prospecting.

All those check-in emails.

And follow-up calls.

How's it going?

Oh, fine. 😜

Prospects don't need to like you.

They need to trust you.

I've done business with people I didn't particularly like. 

But I knew they'd deliver because of their track record and the results others vouched for.

That's why building trust signals matters more than being likable.

➜ Your content. 
➜ Your problem-solving. 
➜ Your expertise. 

These create the visibility engine that earns trust before you ever get on a call.

Case in point: 
I used a custom AI prompt to vet CRMs. 
Got it down to three solutions. Ran one demo. 30 minutes total.

The vendor I chose? 
I found them through their content ecosystem.
Not a sales pitch.

Trust beats likability every time.

Want to build that trust engine for your hospitality vendor business?

Our latest article breaks down the prospecting strategies that actually work.

The Warm Prospecting Playbook for Hospitality Vendors Who Hate Cold Calling

Check it out: https://vist.ly/4d5vh

Cold prospecting? 

You're basically sliding into someone's DMs from an igloo.

Warm prospecting? 

You've been showing up at the campfire so long, people already saved you a seat.

The difference isn't luck.

It's consistency.

When you engage on LinkedIn regularly, you're not interrupting strangers. 

You're connecting with people who already know your name, your vibe, and your value.

Stop being the cold caller nobody asked for.

Start being the person everyone's been waiting to hear from.

Let's warm it up y'all 🔥

Are we still doing this?

I opened my spam folder and found a ton of "just circling back" emails and one gem that started with "Dear {FirstName}."

Seriously?

Traditional outbound is broken. 
Especially when selling to hotels.

Here's why:

Selling most SaaS is straightforward.
One product, one pitch, one use case.

Selling to hotels?
That's way different.
You're navigating legacy systems, limited IT resources, tight budgets, and a small team where every stakeholder wears multiple hats.

You can't template that.

I sat down with Kimberly🌟 Hensley, MBA from Tripleseat, on the InnSync Show to dig into this. Her take? "Every independent hotel is its own little ecosystem. What works at one property won't work at another."

Are we still doing this?

Sending generic pitch decks to properties that need customized solutions?

Independent hotels don't have enterprise budgets or dedicated tech teams. They need vendors who get that reality.

So why are vendors still blasting generic emails and hammering cold calls like it's 2010?

Because they haven't figured out what actually works.

The best tech vendors don't sell features.
They understand independent hotel operations.
They know your pain points before you tell them.
They speak your language.

Want the full breakdown on prospecting that builds trust instead of resentment?

Check out our latest article:
The Warm Prospecting Playbook for Hospitality Vendors Who Hate Cold Calling

👉 https://vist.ly/4d5vh

Dirty reps at the gym build muscle.

Dirty reps in sales build revenue.

But here's the problem with most sales training: 
It stops at the workshop.

You get pumped up for a day, learn some frameworks, then go back to your desk and... nothing changes.

Because knowing isn't doing says Celeste Berke Knisely, MTA

The real shift happens in the practice. 
The messy reps. 
The accountability check-ins. 
The ongoing reinforcement that actually changes behavior in your CRM.

Here's what else changed ➜ 80% of what was sales is now marketing.

Your cold outreach? 
It's competing with content, AI agents, and buyers who've already done their research.

So we're teaching hotel sales teams how to leverage their marketing departments to warm up that outreach. 

Make it less cringe. More human.

And we're doing it through training that's actually engaging (gamified, not death by PowerPoint).

But the secret sauce? 
We stick around after the workshop.

We track the changes. 
Hold people accountable. 
Make sure those dollars don't fall flat.

Want to see how to level up your game?

Read our latest article and see what separates a transaction from a true partnership.

Prospecting in the Age of AI: 
A Hotel Seller’s Survival Guide

READ THIS: https://lnkd.in/gZAB-RgR

Early Lure Agency was a hot mess.

Not because we weren't hustling.

We were swinging at everything like a newbie at TopGolf.

Chasing our tail. And clients.

The problem? 
Zero strategy. 
Just a giant menu of services we assumed clients needed.

Well, they didn't.

What they actually wanted was simple.
More qualified leads.
More deals closed.
More revenue.

Not a 47-point proposal with every service under the sun with no clear, positive outcome.

Here's what changed everything:

Susan Tucker and I stopped selling what we could do.
We started solving what they needed.
And obsessing over it.

One clear outcome:
Drive direct inquiries that convert better than cold outreach and third-party leads for hotel group and hospitality vendors.

That's it.
That's the whole deal.

And guess what? 
Our clients have stuck around for years now. 
Because when you nail one thing really well, people notice.

If you're struggling to gain traction, here's my advice:

Ditch the laundry list.
Pick one outcome you can deliver better than anyone.
Go all in on that. 
And back it up with proof.

Clients don't buy features. 
They buy results that make them money.

What's the one outcome you're obsessed with delivering? 

Drop it below and let's send it. 🤙

taplio

The Battle

Kim Willis

Cory Falter

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taplio

The Battle

Kim Willis

Cory Falter

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kim Willis's LinkedIn Performance

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