56. High-Ticket Sales on Instagram: A Coaching Success Story with Paula Newlands
What if your next high-ticket client was already watching you on Instagram?
I'm chatting with Paula Newlands, a business coach for personal stylists, about how she turned her content into real sales. Before working together, Paula had a vision for her program but needed help turning that vision into actual sales. She shares how she refined her content, nailed her messaging, and most importantly, closed a high-ticket client straight from her Instagram content.
We’re breaking down the exact strategy Paula used to build trust, nurture her audience, and confidently sell her offer, without chasing leads or cold DMing. This is a behind-the-scenes look at what it's really like to work with me inside my private mentorship.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[00:00] Instagram Sales Success – How Paula landed a high-ticket client
[03:20] The Power of Messaging – Why clarity attracts paying clients
[06:45] How to Build Trust with Your Audience – The organic funnel strategy that works
[09:30] Overcoming the Fear of Selling – Paula’s mindset shift around high-ticket sales
[12:15] Why Investing in a Mentor is a Game-Changer – How guidance led to faster results
[15:50] Your Next Steps – How to apply this strategy to your own business
Key Takeaways:
Your audience is watching. Keep showing up and making offers.
Clear, confident messaging is the difference between content that converts and content that gets ignored.
Your Instagram DMs are a goldmine—learn how to nurture relationships without feeling salesy.
If you’re not seeing the results you want, it’s time to refine your strategy.
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Hot Reels Waitlist – Sign up here
Work With Paula:
Personal Styling & Business Coaching for Stylists
Follow Paula on Instagram
A Truth You Need to Hear:
"People are watching. Keep posting, keep talking about your offers, and keep inviting people in. It just takes time."
S3 Ep56 Transcript: High-Ticket Sales on Instagram: A Coaching Success Story with Paula Newlands
00:00
Have you ever thought about hiring a coach or a mentor to help you grow your business, but felt unsure about the investment? Maybe you've wondered, how do I know if I'm choosing the right person or if this will actually work for me? If so, today's episode is for you. I'm sitting down with my private coaching graduate, Paula Newlands. She's a business coach for personal stylist to share her success story.
00:26
Before we worked together, she had a vision for her coaching program, but needed help turning that vision into actual sales. During our time together, she refined her content, nailed her messaging, and most importantly, closed a high ticket client straight from her Instagram content. This is a behind the scenes look at what it's really like to work with me inside my private mentorship.
00:52
the exact strategies Paula implemented and how she overcame the fear of investing in herself. So if you've been on the fence about getting mentorship or just want to hear what it really takes to make high ticket sales on Instagram, you're in the right place. Let's do it. Welcome to Strut It, a podcast about creating bold visibility on social media with zero apologies.
01:18
I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your host and Instagram marketing coach. I help small business owners get seen on Instagram and monetize their offers so they can make more money doing their sole lead work. If you're tired of spinning your wheels on Instagram and you're seeking simple, proven Instagram marketing strategies that actually work, you're in the right place. Let's dive in.
01:49
Welcome back to the show. Oh my goodness, you are in for a treat today because I have invited in one of my recent private client grads. She is an incredible entrepreneur, business leader, thought leader. I absolutely adore her and she's going to share with us really her experience of what it was like coming in to work with me privately.
02:16
but also I think a lot of you are gonna really relate to her, her story and her mission as she's wanting to really scale and grow her business. So I'm gonna officially introduce her. Are you ready? All right, let's go. I wanna officially introduce you to Paula Newlands, a Dallas Endeavor based personal stylist with a passion for empowering individuals through their wardrobe. She's originally from Brazil.
02:44
fashion journey began when she moved to New York City to pursue a full-time modeling career. For eight years, she graced the pages of catalogs and ads for renowned brands such as Free People, Anthropologie, Gap, Nordstrom, Macy's, and Target. She also had the opportunity to work with esteemed designers.
03:08
like Tory Burch, Dolce Gabbana, Versace, and so many more walking the runway and representing their collections. With a degree in merchandising and marketing from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Paula's knowledge and experience expanded beyond the modeling industry. And in 2020, Paula seized the opportunity to start her own styling business.
03:36
leveraging her fashion experience and knowledge to help clients cultivate their own unique sense of style. Now recently, Paula has launched another business where she acts as a business coach to retail associates who are wanting to become personal stylists and really build their own styling business. Paula, I'm so happy you're here. Welcome to the show.
04:03
Thank you. I'm so excited. Yay. OK, so I already told everyone kind of your intro. Give us just a little bit behind the scenes of like who you are, what lights you up, what are you up to? Yeah, give us a little intro to Paula. Yeah, absolutely. So I have only ever been in the fashion industry. I started in retail when I was 15 years old and it was just
04:33
store to store to store and then 18 moved to New York City, dove into the modeling and the fashion industry there. I went to FITM, like you mentioned, graduated. I just really wanted the diploma to say she knows what she's doing because for me, I just had so much experience that I just wanted to make sure that I completed the circle.
04:56
And in 2016, I moved to Dallas to work for a company called Trunk Club, which was owned by Nordstrom at the time, which really set the foundation for what I'm doing today. It gave me the confidence to go out and start my own business, which was very scary because whoops, it was during COVID. But honestly, it was a blessing in disguise because I had the time to really dive into services, pricing,
05:26
who I wanted to target. And so yeah, I'm about to hit my five year anniversary. Oh my gosh. And that is so major. And those first couple of years of business ownership are rocky. So if you can get to your five, you are doing such a good job. So that is phenomenal. And so you found me the wild world of the internet and the online world. Paula is actually in Denver. I am in Denver.
05:56
but it's not like we met in real life, right? So Paula, how did you find me? I'm very curious. I was so excited to learn that you were in Denver, but I had no idea when I first came across your profile. I actually found you through Juan's profile. I remember listening to something that he was talking about and he mentioned going to be on your podcast.
06:23
And I love podcasts. I love anything that has to do with business and just like money mindset. Like I'm for it. And so I listened to your podcast and I fell in love with it. Like I kid you not, you're one of probably like the three that I listen to regularly. So yeah, and then I messaged you on Instagram. And when I found out that you were in Denver, I was so pumped. I love it. That is so fun. That is so fun.
06:53
I appreciate you sharing that because I'm always talking on the podcast about like creating an organic content funnel with your business, know, with your content that you're putting out there. And my podcast is totally, you know, it's here to be of service. But of course my podcast has to work for my business, you know, for me to keep pouring my time, my energy, investment into it. One of the reasons why I was super excited to work with Paula is she is like,
07:21
Queen implementer. remember when we were first talking about potentially working together, she was like, Elizabeth, I don't need any hand holding. Okay, like I just need the map. need like, okay, we do this, we do that, we do that. And then I run and do it. And I'm like, you are my kind of client because those are the people who get the best ROI from working with me. I just was very impressed with you, Paula, when we first met, just there was so much confidence in how you were.
07:50
just showing up on social media already for your styling business. So I'm curious, when we started talking about the potential of working together, what were you struggling with and what was kind of like a goal that you had? Like, why were you curious about working together? Like I mentioned, I've had my styling business now for almost five years and I really had to figure it out by myself. And now I'm at a place in my business where it is just
08:20
running like a well-oiled machine in Dallas, which is great, but I've always had this deep desire to coach and mentor other stylists, especially now that I have figured out that side of the business. And especially with a focus on retail associates, because that was my journey. And knowing that I was ready to start implementing this new
08:46
journey, this new side business that had to do with my personal styling, I knew that I was going to be able to get where I needed to go quicker if I just had someone by my side. And so like you mentioned, I didn't need the hand holding because I was so beyond ready to launch this new side of my business, but I needed someone to
09:10
run ideas off of someone that can bring me back in when my ideas are just scattered. And I'm like, wait, but which way do I go? So working with you was exactly what I needed. And I'm so glad that you brought up the whole, you know, a mentor. Part of the work of a mentor is
09:31
When you are creative and you're a visionary and you have 50 ideas before breakfast every day and they're all freaking brilliant ideas, a good mentor is going to say, Paula, don't focus on those 10 shiny objects. This is the next lead domino for you to focus on today, right? And I remember that we did that several times where you would have these incredible ideas, but I was like, that's not what we're doing today.
09:58
I know that when I invest in support, that's the same kind of support I need too. It's just like, there's no shortage of ideas, right? I always say we need a mentor or a coach who is not like swimming in the soup with us so they can have like a really true, just fresh perspective on your business and like your right next step. And part of our work together is you just ask such incredible questions. And I always say like, if you're in any coaching container, whether you're working with me,
10:28
or you're working with a different coach, the key is to not be afraid to ask questions. I can't tell you how many times I'll work with clients and they're like, I'm just embarrassed to even ask you this. And I'm like, sister, don't be embarrassed. I can't help you unless you're asking questions. So Paula, feel like part of why you got such insane results was because you ask really great questions. So I'm curious, like, have you always been that way or is that a skill that you have learned throughout the years?
10:56
This is just such a funny question because no, I absolutely was not this person and it happened probably within the last few years. It was just something that I wanted to implement because I agree with you. It's like when you can really get to the root of what it is that you're trying to do and seek and accomplish, then you will. And it's with anything. It's even in relationships. I'm like, okay, let's dig deep.
11:25
Like what is really the cause you know like asking the right questions is so important so I do that Intentionally and it did not happen overnight I've not always been this person But it is is a skill that I learned within the last few years that I really try to implement like throughout my life Yeah, yeah, no I really appreciate that and that's for anybody listening like again whether you're looking for support or even just
11:54
you're in a team and you're trying to be a better leader or you're trying to grow your business. I've really learned that clear communication is a skill that you really have to be intentional about learning because I can't tell you how many times people will come to me and they'll say something. I'm like, I'm not clear on your question, right? Like it's like a whole nother skill to ask really good questions. And so I just want to put it out there that if you're listening to this and you're like, gosh, I think I struggle to ask questions sometimes.
12:23
we do that because we're afraid to take up space, right? Like we're afraid to be too much, you know, like, oh, I'm gonna bug Elizabeth or I'm gonna send her too many voice memos or I'm gonna ask her too many questions in the group. And I always tell people like, you're not too much, I can handle it. It's my job to manage my life and my time, but it's your job to ask questions. And so again, whether you're working together or not, I want you to kind of take that nugget and see how you can apply that to your life because...
12:51
This is such a skill for growth. Like you said, not just business growth, relationship growth, personal growth, all of that. So you came into the program because you wanted to really like, you had it in your heart. And I remember you were like, I've had this in my heart, like clearly for at least a year, if not more, right? Oh yeah, five years. Since I started my own business, I have already had the idea that I wanted to one day help others and
13:21
offer my styling studio to other stylists because I really feel like having a studio space, first of all, like a seamless experience for clients and sets us up for success. And so I was ready, girl. I was ready. Yes. And so I think that was another part of the investment with me is you were like, okay, this has been a seed in my brain for so long. And then when you take that leap and you make an investment, it's go time, right? There's no more like
13:50
thinking about what you want to create, you're creating it and we're doing it together, right? And that's exactly what we did. Tell everyone just a little bit of a peek behind, what did we work through kind of high level during our time together and then share some of your like awesome and sane results. Yeah, absolutely. Like you mentioned, you know, when you take that leap of faith because working with someone or just paying a high ticket item for something,
14:19
you probably have thought about it for a while and you've gone back and forth on the decision. And so when you are finally ready to take that leap of faith, you're probably going to do the work. Like you're going to be ready to do the work. And that is where I was in my mind. I'm like, okay, it's funny because we charged the same price for our services. And I think I share this with you like, oh, it's so funny. Like when
14:47
I'm speaking with my clients and I'm having consultations and I am so confident in the services that I offer and the delivery that I'm gonna give to these clients that have never worked with me before. And I understand the sticker shock aspect of it, but I'm so confident in what I'm gonna be able to do for them. But then when it's reversed and then you were like, Paula, you know, this is the investment. Are you ready to make the investment? I'm like, oh gosh.
15:15
like, oh, I'm so scared. I don't know. scary. It's scary. But there's just so many things that go into it. And like, I sure it's like, I was ready to do it. And once I paid, I was like, we're doing it. And just now when you shared about asking questions for me, I'm like, oh, hell yeah, I'm gonna be asking questions. You know, I'm gonna ask all of the questions I want to make sure that I am able to
15:44
Maximize your ROI, right? Like that's what I always tell people you want to maximize your ROI. You got to ask the questions. Oh, yeah. I mean, there were definitely times where I'm like, oh, gosh, she's probably not going to answer me because I literally send her like 10 voice notes that are like two minutes long each. Like, when is she even going to I'm probably confusing this woman. But yeah, I'm like, you got to do what you got to do. Mm Yeah.
16:07
So one of the things that we worked on together was you had a very clear vision of wanting to create, you know, a coaching program for retail associates who are wanting to start their own styling business, because you know exactly how to do that. That was your path. And you built a six figure brand and you can teach other stylists how to do that. Right. So we knew that. So a couple of the things that we worked on and then you can kind of.
16:36
chime in if you feel like there's other things that I'm missing or you want to add to it is we talked about formulating a clear offer. What is the offer? What are the deliverables of the offer? What is the investment? What are you going to charge? We worked through your whole sales process of, how does this work specifically on Instagram too? How are we inviting people into this conversation or this next step with you?
17:05
with your Instagram reels, with your stories, with how you're showing up, right? So we worked on kind of like content strategy around that. And then as it was super incredible, Paula was following on this guidance and she did what I taught her to do. When Paula, Queen Implementer, started creating these reels and these stories with this very specific sales strategy that we had talked about,
17:34
Right away, Paula, what you got like three leads. I did. did. And wait, this account too, I want to just highlight for everyone because everyone has a story going that I have to have like 10,000 followers to make sales. So this was a new account that you had launched. So like how many followers were on this particular account? I mean, I think still I only have 117. Okay, so 117 followers, you posted some content that we worked through and then you got
18:03
three leads right away for your coaching business, which I was like, Oh my gosh, you were born to do this. This is amazing. Okay, keep going. Yes, yes. And so I did but and it was all thanks to honestly your help because you coached me through like, okay, here are the important parts of your real here's your call to action here is like literally the words that you need to use to call in who you want to mentor.
18:31
And I did and even though I post constantly for my styling business, it was still so scary to do it. I'm like, why do I feel so uncomfortable? This is weird. I do this all the time. But I followed instructions and I did I got three leads that turned into consultation calls that week. And I booked one of the three. incredible.
18:57
So she booked like a soulmate client, like a high ticket client, which was so great. And I want to go back to how you were like, okay, it's interesting because I I post all the time for styled by Paula, which is Paula's Instagram for her styling business. But this other account, which is called my stylist and we'll link her candles. If you guys want to go check it out. I love that you said like you got freaked out.
19:23
you know, like creating this content. And I just want to highlight that any time we are creating a new offer or like a new part of our business or we're building a new audience. mean, a lot of us are still in that, like, I want to build and attract the right people to my accounts. And yeah, I want to pull people into my products or services, but I don't really know how to use social media to do that. It is so uncomfortable at first. And that's why it really was cool working with you because
19:54
I would give you kind of like a script of here's exactly like what you say and how you position it because marketing is all about positioning, right? It's still extremely authentic. I feel like sometimes when we talk about this, when it's like a formula or something, it makes it feel like really impersonal. It's still very personal. It's still very authentic. But the idea behind like positioning is that you are calling out in a very specific way, your ideal client.
20:24
And we do that by really highlighting the problems and pain points of our ideal person. We highlight what they want, their desire, and then you position your product or service as the solution to what they need, right? But this is where the place where most entrepreneurs and business owners drop the ball, they don't do a call to action. So I could like talk about your struggles. I could talk about your desire. I could even talk about how I could help you. But if I never am
20:52
clear and this goes, oh my God, full circle. This goes back to clear communication. If I'm not clear on how to work with you in my exact next step to get off of your Instagram and into your email list or in onto your sales console calendar, then I'm not going to do it, right? And so you followed the steps and it freaking worked. It did. Yes, so great. So I'm curious, like, what was it like?
21:21
in terms of receiving like private mentorship, working together. What was the experience like, I guess, from like a high level energetic standpoint? Well, I feel like you were the perfect match for me. Seriously. Oh my God, a perfect match. Yes, yes. It was like we matched up. So good. Your energy is so electric and
21:49
I just gravitated towards it because you can tell that you're very passionate about what you do. You're very passionate about people. You are willing to take risks also with your posts and your reels and how you communicate with your clients. I mean, I was probably watching you for at least two or three months before I decided that like, okay, you're the one I want to work with. But
22:16
From the beginning to the end, was an amazing experience. You were very clear with the intentions. You were very clear with when you're available to communicate, and you followed through with everything. That's probably something that I feel like a lot of your dreamboat clients that you wanna work with, I anyone taking the leap to pay a high ticket price like that is probably considering
22:45
if it is the right move, if it is the right coach, if it is the right mentor, or, you know, what if I make this investment and it doesn't work out? What if I don't see my return? And I also had that fear, but it was so seamless and you are so present and clearly it worked. Thank you so much. I receive all of your love. Thank you. Thank you.
23:11
And I want to highlight something you said, is that Paula just said, I hope everyone heard this, that she was watching my content, listening to my content, watching it for like three months before she hired me. OK. And I cannot emphasize this enough. It's not like Paula was like constantly commenting on my stuff and liking it and sending me nonstop messages. And like this is why I always tell you guys
23:41
People are watching, okay? Keep posting, keep talking about your offers, keep inviting people in because I'm telling you, people are watching and it just takes time. It just takes time. I love how you just described it. This is a relationship. It is a big deal. I'll never forget the first time I invested in, you know, a high ticket price for a coach and I seriously was like, I'm in a bar.
24:08
And it's not like we all have this extra line item in our budget for coaching, right? You have to decide, okay, this investment is going to take me to my next level as a human being, right? As a person, as a business owner, as how I'm operating in the world. I mean, there's so many different levels to this, but I do, I love that you talked about the fear of letting that money go because I will tell you, I am a very savvy investor now at this point. I actually did a whole story on this today.
24:37
on my Instagram and I kind of disclosed all the different investments I've made in coaching and mentoring specifically. But I just wanna say to everybody that even for me, there's still moments where I'm like, oh my God, it feels really scary. There's never a moment where you're just like, whatever, I'm just gonna like spend money and not care. It's a big deal. But one thing is that,
25:00
people need to really build that relationship with you before they're going to invest in your product or service. And that's why social media is so powerful is we have this little tool in the palm of our hands. And Paula, you're so good at this. Like if you guys, want you to watch what Paula does on her socials because she's in her car, like on her story, talking to the camera, telling you what she's up to. She's doing like behind the scenes. She just got her own studio space in Denver where she's going to have stylists.
25:28
who can come like rent her space and do their sessions there. She is bringing us along in the behind the scenes. She is like such a great example of really embodying what I teach, which is bring people in to the behind the scenes. Put your face on camera. People need to hear from you. And Paola, the other thing I love about your content is that you really help people. Like it's not smoke and mirrors. This is a tip that you can go use right away.
25:54
Right? And that's what I do too. And that is so effective with social media. I love how you are showing up on social media. I absolutely loved working with you. I'm so excited to see all that you are creating and going to create in the future and you're getting married soon. One more thing to the plate. Cause you're not busy enough with your two. not at all. Zero, zero busy. And having two styling studios and
26:22
trying to plan a wedding. Yeah. There's never the right time, right? Just like they say about kids, like it's never the right time. You just got to do it. If you want it, you got to do it and you got to spend money to make money. And that's just how it goes. That is how it goes. So, okay. I'm sure people are listening and they're like, first of all, we'll definitely link your socials, both of your social feeds so they can kind of see what you're up to and stock you. And I'm sure some of them are listening and they're thinking, oh my God, I need a personal stylist.
26:52
Can you help me? So I'm just curious, where can people go if they want to work with you? Absolutely. So my website, would say number one, because you will really be able to dive into who I am, what's my background, what's my why, what makes me so passionate about what I do, my services, the breakdown of all of it. So I would say my website styled with a D, styledbypaula.com.
27:21
And then Instagram is where I am the most active, which is also at styled by underscore Paula. And I work with everybody, right? I feel like when you're a business owner, you work with everybody, but my bread and butter is C-suite executives, both men and women, business professionals. So the need to look put together.
27:48
to look polished, to feel good, and not the time to figure out how. And so I really love just doing closet editing, helping men and women get rid of what no longer serves them, only keep the items that they love. And styling, wardrobe styling is my favorite service, really helping maximize what's already in your closet because everybody has gems.
28:15
that they probably don't use or they don't know what to do with it. And then my styling studio, which is my baby. I love it so much because running around town and trying to shop is just exhausting. So we will do the shopping appointment at my studio, which makes it a very seamless experience. that is for like the local in studio appointments are for people who are local to Denver or Dallas, right? Yes, yes. But hey, if you want to fly in, come on.
28:44
Oh, let's go. Let's go. I have a question for you because I know you work with a lot of C-suite people. Do you also do like personal branding stuff? Because I feel like that would be a big thing for people who are building their personal brand or they're a high ticket coach or someone who's wanting to embody like they want their wardrobe to like really represent like who they are, their next level self. So I would imagine you would help those people too, right?
29:11
Absolutely. Absolutely. mean, small business owners, business professionals, they all kind of fall in the same category. And in order to do a good job with your branding or rebranding photo shoot, let's start in the closet. Let's figure out what do you have? What are the gaps and holes? What's the goal? What brands flatter you? What colors flatter you? I mean, it's a whole art. And so yeah, absolutely.
29:39
Oh my gosh, when I was working with Paula, I can't remember. I think I wore like a red shirt or something and you messaged me and you're like, that red looks good on you. And I was like, oh my God, Paula said it looks good. So that means it's like really good. I love your work and what you do and you're so next level. So thank you so much for being here and sharing your experience and your journey. I know it's going to help so many people who are in that place of just wanting to learn how to invest in themselves and their business. And I want to.
30:08
close this episode by just sharing one more pro tip for you, my beloved listener, which is that if you are newer to investing in coaching or mentorship, maybe you've bought like a lot of online courses and you've tried to do it yourself, but you are kind of over that. You're over that. You're realizing I need someone live. I need someone to actually help me in this moment have their brain in my business. How do you find the right coach or mentor for you? Here is the secret.
30:39
You want to hire someone who has already done what you want to do. Okay. And the more specific you can be, the better. So for example, in hiring Paula, that if I'm a retail associate listening to this, or let's just take it even bigger than that. stay at home mom who's like, I've always secretly wanted to start my own styling business, whoever it is. I would hire Paula because Paula has already
31:08
done it, she's already done the thing that you want to do. Okay? And so in my coaching journey and my investment journey, part of why I'm so successful now is because I've been very strategic in how I've invested. So I have invested in an AI coach because I wanted to master AI. Could I have taught myself AI? Sure. Would it have taken me 10 times as long? Yes, absolutely.
31:36
Would it have been applicable everything I learned to my business? No, it wouldn't have. So it was worth me investing in that. I've invested in mentors who've helped me to build teams. I've invested in mentors to help me be a better CEO and leader because I felt like I was lacking leadership skills. I've invested in coaches that helped me to learn how to build out a high ticket coaching program. I've invested in mentors to help me scale brick and mortar businesses.
32:05
I'm telling you, so the more specific you can be with identifying what is your struggle, what do you actually want to create in your business, then you go and find the mentor who has already done what you wanna do. So if you wanna hire someone who has already learned how to use organic content, meaning no paid ads content on Instagram to actually drive revenue and work with more soulmate clients,
32:31
you would hire me because I've done that in multiple businesses, right? I've already done that. So I'm just highlighting this point because I think sometimes that's where we make the wrong investment is we hire more of a generalist versus someone who has already done and is currently doing and living at the level that you want to live at, okay? So I just wanna leave you with that tip.
32:57
Thank you all so much for being here. Paula, thank you so much for joining me today. Yeah, thanks for having me. I loved it. It was awesome. Good. If you loved today's show, please share it with a business Bessie. And I cannot wait to strut it with you next week. Thank you for listening to strut it. If you're ready to start leveraging Instagram to grow your business, then you're going to want to grab my free monetize your IG guide where you'll learn seven simple and proven ways to finally make money on Instagram. You can grab your guide at ElizabethMarberry.com slash freebies. That's ElizabethMarberry.com slash freebies to get my monetize your IG guide. If you got some incredible value from today's episode, be sure to leave a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and I cannot wait to start it with you again next week.