The Commission Code for Success

Marketing That Sounds Like You with Chloe Jenkins

The Commission Code For Success from Sims Training and Consulting, LLC Season 2

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Your marketing can be everywhere and still say nothing. We sit down with Chloe Jenkins, marketing strategist and owner of Chloe Creative, to get brutally clear on what makes people stop scrolling and start trusting you. The answer is not more hustle and it is not a new platform. It is a messaging strategy you can stick to, delivered with consistency so your audience learns what you stand for and why you are the expert to hire. 

We talk about authority marketing in a noisy online world, why AI-written copy often “sounds fine” but fails to connect, and how to build repeatable talking points that travel across LinkedIn, email marketing, social media, and your website. Chloe walks us through a StoryBrand-inspired approach where the client is the hero and we act as the guide, then shows how to turn a big promise into practical content pillars rooted in real daily stressors. If you’ve ever felt stuck thinking, “What do I post this week?” this conversation gives you a cleaner system. 

We also dig into consistency that fits real life: picking a schedule you can sustain, deciding whether batching and scheduling tools help, and why engagement still matters when you hit publish. Then we zoom out to LinkedIn newsletters versus articles and the bigger truth behind declining reach: changing tactics won’t help if the message is framed around you instead of your client’s problem. 

If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a business owner who’s tired of guessing at content, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one line in your marketing you’ll rewrite from your client’s point of view?

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Consistency Sets Authority

SPEAKER_02

Consistency is one of the more important things because it shows people that you know you're reliable, you know what you're talking about, they can expect to see you, expect to see you talking about the same things. And when I say consistency, I mean like consistency of timing and being there, but also consistency of message. So you're talking about the same things so that they see that you're always giving them advice about, you know, X, Y, Z, X, B, X, B.

SPEAKER_01

Welcome again to the Commission Code Podcast. We appreciate you taking the time to listen and join us here today. We're here to help you increase your business revenue and have time to enjoy it. I'm your host, Morris Sims. I've been consulting and training business people for, well, let's just say over 40 years. We're focused on increasing revenue and having time to enjoy it. After years as a professional salesperson, I spent 32 years in the corporate world. I retired as vice president and chief learning officer of the sales department of a large insurance company, where we designed and built and delivered training for over 12,000 professional salespeople. Now, I get to consult one-on-one helping people grow their business and organize themselves to make the most of the time they have. We also build online courses to support business owners in their work if they strive to build the business that they've always wanted. Our objective is really very simple. It's this we're here to help you get what you want from your business and your life. So, right now, let's get on with this episode.

Messaging Strategy Beats Noise

SPEAKER_01

Today on the Commission Coach for your success, Chloe Jenkins is our guest, and she is the marketing strategist and owner of Chloe Creative, and just does some really neat things with how you use the proper words and language in helping you create marketing that's really going to draw people to you and be able to do it so much better than any other way you might want to do it. Chloe, tell us a little bit about you, introduce yourself and tell us what you do.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, thank you. Um, so yes, I'm a marketing strategist. Really, I help people, you know, be seen as like an authority in their field and be the expert that people want to hire, um, which is tricky these days because the online world is so noisy and crowded and it's hard to stand out and be seen. Um, so what I do is basically we work through a strategy for how you want to talk about yourself and what you're supposed to be saying in your marketing so that it connects with people and resonates with them and makes them actually see you as an authority instead of someone that they just scroll by. Um so yeah, we we really bring it back to a strategy so that you have the right talking points and you're not just going to your AI and saying, Hey, give me a headline for this, write me a post for this, and then you get something that kind of falls flat because it doesn't connect with people, which is the worst.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. It doesn't connect with people, and and we're getting to the point where we're pretty smart people without AI, and we realize that wait a minute, that's AI. And it it's it's obvious, and then you kind of lose all credibility when that when that occurs. Yet AI can be such a great tool to to help you get there. But I I want to get back to your your basic point there, which is strategy. Yeah, you gotta know you you gotta have a strategy for what you're doing in your business. Yeah, I I'd love to tell people you gotta know what you want, why you want it. But then you've got to decide how you're gonna get whatever it is you said you wanted. And that how is your strategy? It's the big picture strategy, and then we can take that and create an action plan of the exact tasks that it's gonna take to implement that strategy. Does that sound good to you? Is that real realistic?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, definitely. And I think my work falls that, I mean, you know, when we talk about strategy, there's so many pieces. I focus on the I guess the messaging side of like what exactly we are saying to people throughout all of the different channels, whether you're emailing them, posting on LinkedIn, um, running ads, you know, all of the sort of tactical things that you're doing, you know, what are the what are the messages that you're putting behind it that you're getting people's attention with? Um, hopefully.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, exactly. And it's it's those messages that you want to utilize to inspire them to take some action of some kind, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think a lot of people get caught up in the weeds of being really close to their business and not seeing it from an outsider's perspective.

StoryBrand Framework And Talking Points

SPEAKER_02

So part of the the work that we do is shifting it from, you know, you are not the hero of this story. You need to think about it from your client's perspective. What are they dealing with? What are they thinking about when they wake up? How can you connect with them where they are instead of forcing your own narrative on them and hoping that they get it? So a lot of the work in strategizing this is um taking your story, taking it apart, and then putting it back together in a way that makes sense to people who have no idea what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01

And you're you're putting it so right on. I'm not the hero. Right. I'm not the hero. Who is the story brand guy that wrote the book?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, Donald Miller.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, Donald Miller. I love the way he puts it. You need to be Yoda. Yeah, you need to be Yoda. You're not Lou Skywalker, you're Yoda. Yeah, you're the guy. Someone's Yoda, you're gonna, you're gonna get them to do what you need them to do.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and that's actually, I love that you brought that up. That's like part of the framework I use when we, you know, the first part of this process is getting all the guts out on the table. Um, everything about your story, your client's story, what you actually do for them, what you get for them. Um, and I to make it more manageable, we kind of turn it into a framework based on Donald Miller Miller's, you know, story brand framework of like you have a hero, they have a problem, they need a guide, they have a plan, you know, step by step, and we organize it into these groupings and then create talking points that it's a lot more manageable to think about who you are as a brand, um, instead of just going back to the drawing board every day and like throwing ideas at the wall.

SPEAKER_01

That's the that's one of the key, I think, places where so many business owners can get bogged down is trying to reinvent the wheel every day. And it seems like it is an everyday kind of thing if you're not careful, because you know, you haven't got that documented idea of what you want, why you want it, and then the the strategy, the how you're gonna get there, and then that strategic action plan. I I greener course called the personal operating system that allows you to get to that point where you take your strategy and your your strategic action plan, and I decide exactly what I'm gonna do every day to implement that plan. But I gotta use the right words to get there, Chloe. And it seems like that's kind of what you do is help us use the right words, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And I like what you said. You know, I see a lot of people go back to the drawing board every day, and over time you sort of drift. You're like, oh, this post did really well last week. I don't know why, but I'm gonna do something like that again. And then eventually, week to week, you're saying very different things. And so if someone goes back to look at, you know, your website or your last post or your profile, it's all different messages. And when that's not telling the same story, people get confused and you're just gonna go somewhere else. Um, so part of what I think is really important is creating those sort of um key talking points that you use all the time across everything, whether it's how you talk about someone's problem, how you talk about you and your experience. You don't want to be like repetitive in the sense of always saying the exact same thing, but you do have to be giving the same message across every post every day so that people recognize, you know, that's what you stand for, this is what you do, this is what you get for them. Um, so you have to be using those same, kind of almost have a um like a north star of the ways that you talk about all the parts of your business so that you're keeping yourself consistent and it's not turning in, you're not diluting your own authority and message.

SPEAKER_01

You

Social Media Consistency That Fits Life

SPEAKER_01

mentioned posts. Uh is is social the well, how do I phrase this question right? I don't know. I I let me tell you, I guess, where where I stand is it social is not the end all to end all when it comes to marketing. It is something we need to work with, but it's not the only place, nor is it the best necessarily.

SPEAKER_02

For a lot of the business owners I work with, it's the primary marketing driver. Like that's where all the business comes from. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um, I mean you can set up like they see positive results from that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, definitely. Um, I think it depends, like it's easiest when you focus on one channel, whether it's Instagram or LinkedIn, you know, some people are on Facebook. Um, but uh, you know, being consistent in that one place, building a following. Um there's there's some strategy towards like, you know, you have to be saying the right things and connecting with the right people, but it for a lot of people, that's you know, number one way of inbound leads, um, cold outreach to works. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So we I'll I'll use myself as an example. I'm not consistent with what I do on social at all. I'll go for weeks without doing anything, and then suddenly I'll post a couple of times a week for a few weeks and see no results and quit. Fix me.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I guess my question is what um what's making it hard to be consistent? Is it coming up with ideas? Is it just you don't know what to say, not sure like how to position it the right way?

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

All of the above.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02

I get that.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, and also I'm not looking for a free consultation here, but rather I'm thinking that's probably uh a common kind of a thing for all our listeners. Sometimes there are a lot of folks out there that may be similar to to have the same similar kind of problems I do. So where do you begin? Because for me, to be honest, the the uh the the oh my god, I've got to sit down and come up with a post. Oh crap, what's it gonna be this week? And how do I how do I keep from making it sound like it's the same thing I posted last week? And gee, I got all these other things to do. Is this really the most important thing for me to do? How do I how do I work social and using that marketing activity to become more uh a part of my routine, yet not take over my day? I'm so afraid it's gonna become a black hole and I'm gonna sit there messing with social media all day long.

SPEAKER_02

And then you post something and no one responds, and it's like, well, that was all a waste of time. What's the point?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I get that. Um so I will say when you have a strategy, it's so much easier because you already know what to say. Um and I know saying strategy is kind of vague, but what I mean is when you have an outline of the right way, like these are the things that I need to be saying to my people in order for them to get who I am and what I do and what I offer, it makes it a lot easier to take your, you know, an idea and fit it into these sort of um buckets.

Content Pillars From Client Stressors

SPEAKER_02

So so as an example, like, you know, we come up with, I'm just gonna try to think of a um, so I worked with a nutritionist recently um who works with a lot of people who just got like a diagnosis from a doctor. They thought they were healthy, they thought things were fine, they got a blood test result that came back saying, like, oh my God, you have crazy high cholesterol or something. Um so she finds them at that point. They or they find her at that point when they're confused and overwhelmed and like they don't know what to do. They think changing their life is really hard, um, et cetera, et cetera.

SPEAKER_01

So we've we know we've identified the problem.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. The problem is uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02

And um uh the problem is they have a bad, you know, their their health is bad. They need to change it, but they don't know how. Um, many other problems, such as, you know, changing your whole lifestyle and diet is hard, knowing what to do, getting your family on board. Um, so what she does, you know, part of her work is she actually like sits down with them and kind of talks through some of the mindset blocks that are holding them back from actually shifting their lifestyle. They create a plan that's very customized to them, lots of like little daily shifts. They start with like, what's one tiny little shift you can do um every day, and then we'll build from there. Um, eventually it all adds up. And she says within like two months, people are already seeing results because they focus on little things. So with her, the plan we put together, we we first looked at some of the some of the stressors that these people are feeling in their life already. So one thing she kept mentioning was um her clients, when they go to the grocery store, they get really stressed out and overwhelmed because they don't know what to do. They're thinking about all the things they're not supposed to be eating. That's just a daily problem that they're always thinking about. So one of her, one of the like content pillars. So we kind of created based on her story and her audience's story and what she does for them, we came up with a few kind of buckets of how to talk about her work, whether it's these like daily stressors that are um, you know, you're dealing with every day and some of the mindset shifts that she can offer them to move them closer towards realizing that she can help them. Um, so like grocery store dilemmas, or like, oh, you have to cook dinner for your family again and you have no idea what to make. Um trying to think of some of the other ideas. This was a couple weeks ago.

SPEAKER_01

Um Well, that gives you an idea of what we're talking about here. You're taking that you're taking that overall problem of uh high cholesterol or whatever, and now you're drilling down to what specific actions are necessary in order to solve that problem. Exactly. It uh it it goes right along with I guess what I was saying is, but you know what the strategy is, I help people get healthy. Some of the problems I deal with, one of those is high cholesterol. Now, when people have that problem, here's some of the solutions, some of the actions I can help them take to order to solve that problem.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, exactly. Um exactly. And once you already know, um, once you've mapped out on paper how you want to talk about all those things, it's easier to think about like, okay, today I want to do something that makes people realize um, or at least gets people thinking about this part of their problem. Um, so maybe you woke up and you had an idea, like you had a client session that was really, you know, someone said something, you're like, oh, I want to use that client quote. I don't know how. You can look at your strategy and think about some ways that you can connect it to the different talking points that you already have. Um and then coming up with, you know, idea, fleshing out that idea is so much easier. I hope all that made sense.

SPEAKER_01

Like no, it does. It makes perfect sense. Do you recommend that your clients do this every day or do we do we batch stuff or what how do you how do you make all this work in the daily life of a business owner who's trying to work on in their business as well as do this stuff, which is working on your business?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I think the best thing, I think I heard it from someone else, but what I believe is the best schedule is what you can be consistent with. So whether that's once a week, showing up like if you're showing up once a week, every week, that's great. Same time being consistent about that. Um, if that's the best you can do, then like do that. Ideally grow it, grow it from there when you're able to. But um consistency is one of the more important things because it shows people that you know you're reliable, you know what you're talking about, they can expect to see you, expect to see you talking about the same things. And when I say consistency, I mean like consistency of timing and being there, but also consistency of message. So you're talking about the same things so that they see that you're always giving them advice about, you know, X, Y, Z, you know, you're an expert in this field. Um so I think, you know, depending on the platform, like Instagram, they say, you know, every day, that's a lot for some people. That's too much for me. But I think if you can do once a week, that's great. If you can do two or three times a week, I think that's even better. Um, it's really just about sticking to a schedule that you can manage. Oh, and then you asked about batching. Um personally, I don't do that because I get an idea and I want to write it all out and I do it. And like there's something for me about like having an idea and sharing it right away and like seeing the feedback that I like, but I'm also a writer and like I can do that really quickly. I think for a lot of people, it is easier to kind of plan things out. And especially when you have a strategy, um, you can look at like the week or the month ahead and think about like, okay, I want to talk about, you know, this point a couple times this month. So I'm gonna space it out and make sure I'm talking about it kind of similarly, but have a different take on it. Um, and then keeping, you know, in the course of a week, I'm gonna talk about three different aspects or angles of my work um and not be too repetitive. So I think um what's really helpful is planning out. So like planning out topics or hooks, you know, if it's on Instagram or LinkedIn, like what are the hooks I'm gonna use, and then fleshing out the content when you have time.

SPEAKER_01

Oh man, I'm taking notes. That is probably one of the biggest challenges I have is actually doing it. So I'm I'm thinking that if I can get myself into a consistent habit of taking time to batch out what I'm gonna do, maybe I can become more consistent. Because once I do that, aren't there ways that I can use something to schedule my posts and I've got five things I want to post and something that'll put them out there on the right days and times?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, there are. Um I mean, if you're using just like LinkedIn lets you schedule something ahead of time just within the platform, I think Instagram does too. Um, I know there are programs that'll do like all of them at once. I don't use them, but I know they're out there. Um the one thing to keep in mind when you're scheduling posts is depending on the platform, well, most platforms, the they want you to be engaging around the time when you're posting. So like they say on LinkedIn you should be engaging for 10, 30 minutes before you post and after, and anyone who comments to replies. So like there is something to be said for being present when you're posting so that the algorithm knows that you're you're there and you're engaging. Um but that being said, you know, I see a lot of posts gain traction over time. So there's the immediate bit, but then also like days later you'll still get you'll still get engagement.

LinkedIn Newsletters And Platform Choices

SPEAKER_01

I mean, to chase the topic a bit here, talk to me about LinkedIn articles. Good, bad, indifferent. What are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02

So, from what I've seen, the trend now is towards LinkedIn newsletters. That's getting more traction. Articles were now don't don't quote me on this because I'm not like a LinkedIn platform expert, but articles were bigger last year. I saw a lot of people doing them. I don't see them very much anymore. It seems like people are really shifting towards newsletters, probably because I think the platform probably likes newsletters because when someone subscribes um and you post, it goes straight to their email. So people are getting a direct thing, then they'll click to the platform to read more or whatever. So it's getting people more engaged with the platform. Um I just know everyone, everyone and their mom is making newsletters right now on LinkedIn, LinkedIn newsletters. Um, because it's like in the platform. It's not, it's not, it's independent, it's not an independent email thing.

SPEAKER_01

But it it's all in this, it's all the same place inside LinkedIn, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What do you call it?

SPEAKER_02

Kind of, yeah. And the format might be slightly different, but I think it's pretty similar to an article.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So good, bad, or indifferent, what do you think? Is that a good thing to do?

SPEAKER_02

I think they it can be good. Um I think it's still important to be using your strategy to be talking about the right things. So I see a lot of people complaining about their reach, they're not getting impressions that they used to. So they're gonna start writing, they're gonna move over to Substack so that they can do long form instead. Or they're gonna try, oh, they're gonna try TikTok now because everyone talks about it. And I really want to tell people the platform, the tactics, they're not gonna change your results if you're still saying the wrong things. So, like you can post something, you can have a nice little post that gets no reach because you're just not framing your message the right way. And so if you write a long version of that same idea and you're still not framing it the right way, it's just more wasted effort. Just writing more without connecting people. So I think the way I look at it and like the work I do is kind of platform agnostic because it doesn't really matter where you're putting this message. You need to have your message down first. Um, and and frame it, frame it the right way in terms of what people are actually thinking about how you're talking to them and all of that. Um, so I think yes, articles, newsletters can be great if you have a lot to say about something, but make sure you're saying it in a way that people will care about and respond to, um, which is positioning it in terms of their problem, what they're dealing with, what they want to solve, and then how you actually solve that in your own unique way and give them more, you know.

SPEAKER_01

But it all starts with what their problem is, not my problem.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, if I walk in and my problem is I gotta pay the mortgage, that's probably not a good mindset to have as I begin to create my messaging for uh for working with people who have a problem I want to help them solve. Yeah. No, it makes sense. Makes makes good sense. It really does. How about repurposing content, Chloe? If I'm if I write a newsletter and put it out there, then can I take snippets of that and use that to be my content and social posts?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, definitely. Um absolutely. I think especially if like you have a lot of points that you're making in a newsletter, like however things naturally break up. Um the the one thing I would like advise is to make sure that you're framing each idea. How do I say this? Um like your hook, the first line is the most important thing. A lot of people just use a title, like, you know, how to do X, Y, and Z. Um, and it doesn't get reached because people don't understand why it's valuable to them. So, like, however you're breaking it up, make sure, like we just said, framing it in terms of their problem and what they want. Um connect, connect whatever that chunk of the content is back to their larger problem, the solution they need, what you offer, um so that it's still an independent, you know, piece of advice that they really need and they see the value in, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, it makes perfect sense to me. Really does.

Repurpose Content And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_01

Chloe, we're about out of time here. Tell me what what do you want to make sure you get across to our friends today out there that are listening? What's the one thing that you can share with them that's gonna help them and help them that they can go out and use today to improve their marketing and how they talk to people?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think there's so many things, but I think like what we said, um you really have to remember that your client is dealing with their problems, and you have to think about what they're what they think the problem is, and stop talking about what you do for them, talk about how you solve the thing that they are most worried about. Um, that's how you're gonna get their attention and you know they're gonna see you as an expert.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, what a great point. How how they see the problem, not how you see it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's it's all getting it from their point of view, not mine. That that's a great way to put it in a way to think about it, I believe, as we go forward trying to follow this together.

Connect With Chloe And Closing

SPEAKER_01

Chloe, if I want to engage your services and help you find or let you find the right words for me, because I can't seem to find words nowadays. How do we get in touch with you and what do we do?

SPEAKER_02

You can either find me on LinkedIn, I'm Chloe Jenkins, or my website is Chloe Creative Agency.com. And um send me an email, get in touch there. Always happy to talk about marketing or strategy or words or anything.

SPEAKER_01

That's great. All right, super. Hey, Chloe, thank you so much for being a part of the commission code here today. We really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it tremendously, and I hope you did. Yeah, that's all. Well, Ned, I hope our friends are picking up several things they can use today to help them in their business because that's what we're all about. Okay, Chloe, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you. And that should be enough.

SPEAKER_01

Now, you gotta pronounce your your hyphen name for me because I couldn't figure out how to pronounce it to save my freaking life.

SPEAKER_02

That you know, that's why I don't. Slukowski. Slukowski. The Z is silent, so you just pretend it's not there. Slukowski.

SPEAKER_01

You need to have that as a footnote under that that you know, the C is silent. There needs to be a a pronunciation guide. Yeah, it needs to be something you could put on there say in parentheses.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01

I'm so glad you didn't make me try and do that.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, don't worry. I don't use it a lot of the time. Like on LinkedIn, I don't even have it because I'm like, this is too it gets cut off. No one can pronounce it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, it's it, you know, I mean, it was Carnegie, I think, that said the the sound of your own name is one of the sweetest sounds you get to hear. So I always like to make sure I pronounce names properly or at least as as properly as I can, you know. Uh I teach people to to lecture to read at church, and they're always the announcements, you know, and there are people's names in there. And I was up in the northeast for a long time. I'm in Texas now, back in the real world. Um, and um boy, some of those names are just incredible. And I finally told folks, I said, Don't don't worry about it, decide how you're gonna pronounce it, and then pronounce it that way with confidence. Because the only people who know how to pronounce it properly are those folks with that name. That's true. They'll come up and correct you after church, or they'll come up and tell you how great it is that you did it right. Yeah, yeah, it'll be okay. Nobody else is good, but if you try it and you stumble on it and you say, Oh, I'm sorry, I know I messed that up. All it does is bring attention to you, and we don't want to bring attention to you, we want to bring attention to people you're anyhow. Right names are names are important to me, so I try and get them, I try and get them right. Chloe, thank you very much. That was very helpful for me, and I'm sure it will be for our audience as well. That's how I that's how I judge these things. If I get something out of it, then there's somebody out there listening that's gonna get something out of it, and I just appreciate you. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02

Great. I'm glad you got something out of it. That makes me happy.

SPEAKER_01

What is your mailing address so I can send you something when this is all over with?

SPEAKER_02

Uh, sure. It's um 1155 North La Sianica. Do you want me to just email it to you?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because there's an apartment and yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh email is great. That'd be super. Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Well, thank you. This is great to be here. I appreciate it a lot.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that does it for this episode of the Commission Code Podcast. This is the place where we want to help you find the Commission Code to success in your business. Remember, go to MorrisTems.com for more information, and in the meantime, hey, have a great week. Get out there and meet somebody new, and we'll see you again next time right here on the Commission Code. Best wish is I'm Morris Tims.