If your sales follow-up strategy is basically “just checking in 👋” and hoping for the best… this episode is going to change how you think about sales.

We’re sitting down with Andrea Mac, founder of Salesy and a revenue strategist with 25+ years of experience, to talk about how creative service providers can build a sales process that feels human AND creates more predictable revenue.

Because sales doesn’t have to mean pushing harder, chasing people, or trying to close someone on the first call. (Andrea compares that to meeting someone on Tinder and immediately asking them to marry you 😂.)

Instead, we dig into what actually moves a potential client from interested → ready to buy: better lead qualification, intentional follow-up, stronger relationships, and knowing exactly what information you still need before an opportunity can move forward.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why most people give up on sales follow-up way too early
• The 6 things you need to know to properly qualify a lead
• Why “circling back” and “just checking in” aren’t great follow-up strategies
• Growth Play’s 3 in’s framework for adding value when you follow up: invitations, insights + introductions
• How to know when someone is actually ready for a sales conversation
• The difference between your target market and your ideal buyer
• How to track prospects, connectors, champions + dream clients
• Why relationship capital matters more than having the “perfect” sales script
• How often you should follow up after a sales call
• Why sales is ultimately about listening, not convincing
• What parts of your sales process you can automate — and what should stay human

One of our favorite reframes from the conversation: everything you do during the sales process is an audition for what it feels like to work with you.

So if following up feels awkward, you’re worried about being annoying, or you’re sitting on a list of leads you KNOW you should probably reach back out to… start here.

CONNECT WITH ANDREA MAC

Andrea Mac / Salesy:
https://www.besalesy.com/

Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea4thewin

CREATIVE MAVEN SOCIETY

If you’re a creative service provider and want support building a stronger marketing + sales system for your business, come hang out with us inside Creative Maven Society. It’s our coaching membership for creative entrepreneurs who want strategy, feedback, accountability, and a room full of people who actually get what it’s like to grow a service business.

https://www.joandlyndon.com/creative-maven-society

COME SAY HI

Jo & Lyndon:
https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/

The Sustainable Creator:
https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

What if your portfolio could do more than show people you’re talented… and actually help bring the right clients into your business?

In this episode of The Sustainable Creator, we’re sitting down with Bri Summers of Brighten Made to talk about portfolio marketing, Instagram content strategy, and what it actually takes to turn creative work into qualified leads.

Because a beautiful portfolio post getting a bunch of likes is nice. A portfolio post helping the right person think, “Yep, I need to work with them”? Even better.

Bri shares how her approach to marketing has evolved over nearly a decade in business, from posting polished design work and hoping it performed to intentionally using storytelling, strong hooks, behind-the-scenes content, experimentation, and subtle selling to attract better-fit clients.

We get into the difference between content designed for reach and content designed to convert, why going viral isn’t always the goal, and how creative service providers can market their work without making every post feel like a giant BOOK NOW button.

We also talk about:
• Using storytelling to make your portfolio more compelling
• Viral content vs. content that generates qualified leads
• Writing stronger hooks for portfolio and Instagram content
• Creating content throughout your client process instead of starting from scratch later
• Educating potential clients without primarily attracting your peers
• Using your portfolio to communicate strategy—not just aesthetics
• Tracking marketing when clients may follow you for months (or years) before booking
• Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, referrals, and deciding which marketing channels deserve your energy
• Building a portfolio when you don’t have many client projects yet
• Marketing sustainably when you’re balancing creativity, business growth, a team, and real life

Timestamps
01:39 — Why “pretty portfolio posts” stopped being enough
04:02 — Going viral vs. attracting paying clients
09:20 — Where portfolio content fits in your marketing funnel
17:00 — Why the hook can make or break your content
18:37 — Calls to action, subtle selling & starting conversations
23:42 — Using your portfolio to educate potential clients
33:10 — Tracking leads when the sales cycle is long
44:13 — How to build a portfolio when you’re starting from zero
55:46 — Building a business for the season of life you’re actually in

Connect with Bri:
Brighten Made: https://www.instagram.com/brightenmade/

☕ Want to grab a virtual coffee?

We’re Jo & Lyndon, business coaches for creative service providers, and we help creatives build businesses that grow without requiring them to burn themselves out in the process. We work with creative service providers through 1:1 coaching and Creative Maven Society, our coaching membership for creatives who want hands-on support with marketing, sales, positioning, offers, and sustainable growth.

DM us on Instagram to set up a coffee chat and get to know each other. No weird hard-sell coffee required. ☕

Jo & Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/
The Sustainable Creator: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

Jo went to Create & Cultivate Festival in LA with one goal: make the most of it without trying to be everywhere at once.

She came home with new relationships, a very unexpected interaction with Emma Grede, a few paradigm shifts about business and visibility, and a reminder that sometimes the best networking strategy is simply being fully present with the person in front of you.

In this episode, Lyndon interviews Jo about her Create & Cultivate 2026 experience, from how she approached a massive women-in-business event without getting completely overwhelmed to the conversations that changed how she thinks about showing up online.

And yes… we need to talk about the moment Emma Grede looked at Jo and told her she recognized her. 👀

But the bigger takeaway wasn’t the photo or the surreal interaction. It was watching someone with that level of influence make one person feel like the only person in the room.

We’re getting into:

→ How Jo set intentions for Create & Cultivate before she arrived
→ Why she prioritized relationships over trying to “do everything”
→ Her unexpected interaction with Emma Grede
→ What the experience taught her about playing bigger and letting herself be seen
→ Why you might not be as “behind” as you think you are
→ The connection between personal branding, authenticity, and business growth
→ Why showing more of who you are can actually make your marketing more effective
→ How to turn conference networking into real relationships after the event
→ What Jo would, and wouldn’t, do differently at the next Create & Cultivate Festival

One of the biggest themes Jo came home with? People need enough context to know how they want to connect with you.

That applies at a networking event, but it also applies to your marketing as a creative service provider. Your expertise matters. Your values matter. Your personality matters. And hiding the pieces that make you you can make it harder for the right people to recognize that they want to be in your world.

☕ Want to get to know each other? DM US TO SET UP A COFFEE CHAT.

Seriously. We love meeting other creative service providers, entrepreneurs, founders, and generally interesting humans. Send us a DM, tell us you listened to this episode, and let’s see where the conversation goes.

Connect with Jo & Lyndon on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/

Follow The Sustainable Creator:
https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

In this episode:
00:28 — What is Create & Cultivate Festival?
02:01 — Setting intentions before a huge networking event
05:21 — What Jo’s day at the festival actually looked like
09:45 — The unexpected Emma Grede moment
20:48 — Learning to play bigger and be seen
24:45 — “You’re not behind” and redefining the timeline
27:02 — Bringing more personality and values into your marketing
29:12 — Following up and turning networking into relationships
30:20 — Jo’s favorite conversations and biggest takeaways
32:28 — Would she go again, and what would she do differently?