Sophie’s Story: from stressed in interviews to new clients!

Today I’d like to share a special story with you–it’s about Sophie.  She runs her own company here in France, in the pharmaceutical industry.  It turns out that a lot of her clients (and potential clients) are based in the US.  

Today it’s normal for her to contact new clients in English and start new working relationships.  But that used to feel impossible to her just a couple of years ago. 

Let’s see how she changed that (and how you can too).

So how did Sophie know she had to solver her English problem and her business problem? What helped her start finally getting new clients in English?
And can you do it too?

I hope you’ll watch the video interview with Sophie today and see how she did it. And I think you’re going to realize that, yes!, you can do this too. 

What you’ll learn in this article:

1. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: When Sophie realized she had a problem with her English.
2. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: How Sophie knew she needed a new way to improve.
3. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: How Sophie found real help this time.
4. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: What does success look like for you?

1. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: When Sophie realized she had a problem with her English.

Sometimes having confidence in one new skill in English can change your whole business. And Sophie realized she needed to work on doing interviews on Zoom with more confidence. So that she could get new clients.

Here’s what she had to say about realizing that she needed new confidence in her English to move forward in her business:

“I started with my first interview, and I prepared this interview very, in a very detailed way–and uh, so I was not spontaneous during this interview. I didn’t get the job and I tried to, you know, to go back to this interview to try to understand what was wrong and so it was like some difficulties to summarize things, difficulties to find the right phrases, the right vocabulary and also this feeling of missing confidence.”

Have you ever felt that way before? You’re nervous. You may even over-plan and over-prepare but it’s not enough. You still feel stressed speaking English–and miss those new clients. 

2. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: How Sophie knew she needed a new way to improve.

Luckily, Sophie realized she needed to be more confident AND spontaneous in her interviews. And she realized she could try something new–and get help. 

So what made Sophie try to find a new way to improve her English? Hint, she had done her research and had heard that a different way of doing things existed!

“Your program proposed a lot of conversation and I thought that, yes, I need to practice conversations with others, with people I don’t know–and it will be for me a good exercise, to get out of me. To force myself to speak, to force myself to explain what I do for a living, who I am, basically questions that interviewers ask you–all the time.”

Sophie decided to enroll in my virtual immersion coaching program, “Business English Mastery.”  

When you’re trying to find new clients for your business in English, well, there’s pressure. And you’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone. That’s why it’s so important to have fun. Sophie realized this from the beginning:

“I thought, ok it’s a good program because I will do that in a funny way and I will practice.”

When the pressure is on, it’s also really important to be around other professionals and entrepreneurs who are building their confidence too.  That’s what happens in our Faster Fluency Club sessions that are part of my virtual immersion coaching program in English.

Here’s what she had to say about her experience there:

“I started with the FFCC club and yes, um it forced me at that time to speak with people I don’t know I think it will be a very good exercise and from different languages so no choice, you have to speak.”

3. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: How Sophie found real help this time.

Sophie is a business owner and she thinks through new plans for her business carefully before she acts–and she did the same when planning how she would improve her English.

Does what she said about searching for a program and taking time to choose the right one resonate with you? 

“I’m not the kind of girl who decides, like that. I followed you during one year, your videos, all the content you share, freely…your personality, your character, the way you share things, tips, the way you always try to propose other things for your students. And I said, ok that’s the program for me because I can pick up what I need. And, um, it’s always very practical, yeah, I signed up for that.”

And since Sophie has a strong business background–she didn’t just need someone that  could help with her Business English…she needed coaching in English.

“My first objective was a conversations, and improve… my conversation knowledge and to feel more confident. 

After that I decided to have a website. So as my clients are from the US the objective was to have the entire website in English. 

So I thought that maybe I need to change um and to have 1:1 lessons with a private teacher so I had the opportunity to meet Karen who has a very strong experience and what’s good is that yes, I had the English side, but I also get the mindset of, the US company mindset, the culture, … what is important for my US client…and so she shared that with me, all her experience and that was very good. 

It was more than English alone, it was like a coaching. The coaching approach is very important.”

If you’re curious to find out what a virtual immersion coaching program in English looks like, check out my “Business English Mastery” page.

4. Business English Inspiration for Entrepreneurs: What does success look like for you?

When you spend years growing your business, you know what success looks like for you. For Sophie it meant more confidence in interviews…and new clients!
“Before I started…I didn’t make any contracts. So after one year my website was online, I received a lot of good feedback from my US clients, and I had the opportunity to sign three contracts using Zoom as the tool of interviews …I prepared these…to learn how to be consistent, to be short, everything is positive for me. 

The first thing I would say, um, I’ve got repeated business, so I think that’s a good sign, and the second thing is that, um, I can propose to my client a larger , a wide type of services so I also have the chance to work with new partners… a nice aspect of the company’s evolution…

I think as I got more confident in English I feel myself more comfortable to try new things as well.”

What would it do for your business if you were confident enough to make new contacts in English–and turn them into clients?

There’s something I’ve learned from running a business and from working with other business owners like Sophie. Sometimes we say ‘no’ to doing business because we’re afraid.  We’re afraid the change we’d have to make in ourselves and our English is really big–maybe impossible. But, in fact, the change we need to make isn’t as huge as we think. It’s just about finding one thing you need to work on–one new skill you need in English to succeed.  

What does success look like for you, in your business? What one skill could you improve in English that would allow you to change the way you do business–and say “yes” to international business?

Those are things I always ask my clients when they join my virtual immersion coaching program: “Business English Mastery.” 

So take a minute and think about it now. Maybe this is a first step for you in a new way of doing business. 

Improve your English in the comments:

The best way to become more confident using Business English is to practice! 

Here’s your Confidence Challenge for this week: 

In the comments, tell us about one thing you’d love to feel confident doing in English.

If you learned something from this lesson, please share it with your coworkers & friends. You can send your message to them in English for more practice! 

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Do you need a coaching program that lets you say “Yes!” to international business–in English?

Are you ready to work with a team of expert coaches who will help you build your confidence and work toward YOUR business goals?
Are you interested in a coaching program that offers a unique and innovative virtual immersion program?

Do you need a team of coaches who know you’ve got a business to run–and who can help you do that–in English? 

I’m passionate about making and sharing new lessons to help you reach your Business English goals, so you can reach all your goals.

Enrollments for my virtual immersion coaching program “Business English Mastery” close Wednesday, September 14th, 2022 and there are 600 euros worth of gifts I designed just for you when you enroll.

I can’t wait to see you there, 
Christina