🌴256. Creating a community of clients feat. Alan Weiss (Weekend Rewind)

Today on Talk the Walk, I grabbed my coffee (Alan Weiss had his martini 🍸) and we dived into two big C-words: clients and community. It was a global hangout—Brisbane spring for me, early fall for Alan—plus friends dialing in from Portugal, Seattle, Sydney, Italy, Montreal and Silicon Valley.We unpacked how to create a community of buyers (not just followers), the difference between tribes vs communities, and why evergreen clients are built on breadth (multiple buyers inside one org), generosity, and staying visible in the right public squares.My favourite bits:Evergreen clients = many doors. Don’t get stuck with a single buyer—build relationships with their direct reports and (crucially) their assistants. When people move, opportunities move with them.Communities are inclusive and porous. People come and go—that’s healthy. What matters is a strong nucleus and clear norms (short posts, debate the idea not the person, beach-flag rules 🟢🟡🔴).Evangelism beats ads. Bring your best clients together with your next-best clients and let the “chain reaction of attraction” do its thing.AI is a tool, not your identity. Tie AI to your lane. For me: “the do’s/don’ts of using AI to build influence and long-term relationships inside organisations.”Loneliness is a market. Soloists (and now remote workers) are “collegially lonely.” Offer connection in multiple formats—audio, video, text, live, remote—so people can choose their own adventure.Be respected over being liked. Set the tone, enforce the norms, and don’t fear unsubscribes. Communities thrive on clarity, not appeasement.Timestamps00:00 — Coffee vs martinis, Brisbane spring & top-down weather03:10 — Evergreen clients: why one buyer isn’t enough07:45 — Assistants, internal moves, and following the buyer train11:20 — Cracking global orgs: referrals + local-to-parent leap15:05 — When to be generous (and when to invoice)18:40 — Community ≠ tribe; inclusion, porosity, and norms24:00 — The teaching-hospital model & beach-flag moderation28:15 — Evangelism and the “chain reaction of attraction”32:10 — “I’m burned out on communities” (and why formats matter)36:00 — Platforms: live, remote, newsletters, “A Minute with Alan”40:05 — Frequency without burnout: be the nucleus, set rules44:20 — Self-esteem, permission, and resisting conformity48:50 — Tech teams, responsiveness, and scaling content53:30 — Final takeaways + next session teaserPull quotes“Don’t just interact with your buyer—know their direct reports and their assistant.”“Communities are inclusionary and porous. Tribes are not.”“I care less about being liked, and more about being respected.”“AI isn’t your brand. It’s a tool in your process.”Try this this weekMap one client to 3+ internal relationships (buyer, two directs, assistant).Send a value-only note (no pitch) to a client you haven’t served in 90 days.Add one more format to your community (e.g., short audio, monthly live, or a light-hearted thread like “what to watch”). Variety increases stickiness.Shout-outs & mentionsLisbon/Portugal crew, Seattle, Sydney, Montreal, Silicon Valley—love the global energy. Tools mentioned: newsletters, private podcasts, Zoom workshops, forums.CTAIf this sparked ideas, hit reply and tell me: What’s one move you’ll make to widen your buyer map this month? And if you’re building an evergreen client base, I’m brewing something special—jump on my list to get first dibs.Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.comP.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help:Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint. Let's connect on all the channels:Leanne Hughes on LinkedInLeanne Hughes on InstagramVisit my website: leannehughes.comEmail me: [email protected] you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.