Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

OK I have to say it...

Here's the deal, people - ASK your next coach, guru, teacher, or mentor the following questions based on the subject you're enrolling to learn.

For example...

1. Speaker marketing coach:

• How many times a year do you speak FOR MONEY? 
• At what fee? 
• Who are five of your most recent paid speaking clients?

2. Book marketing coach:

• Is your book self-published or with a major publisher? 
• How many books have you sold? 
• If you claim "bestseller" status - what lists and for how long were you on the list? 
• Where is your book TODAY in amazon sales rank (less than 25,000 is good)

3. Group coaching/online course creation guru:

• How many group coaching programs or courses have you run? 
• Since when have you been filling your own groups? 
• What's your average enrollment? 
• At what price point? 
• Can you show me the sales page for three of your recent programs?

4. Infoproduct coach:

• How many infoproducts do you currently sell? 
• What's your monthly sales volume on your top 2-3 products? 
• Can you show me the sales pages for several of your products?

5. Private Coaching guru:

• How many private coaching clients do YOU currently work with? 
• What are your coaching packages and fees? 
• Do you charge by the hour? (It's a BIG red flag if they say yes!) 
• What percentage of your coaching business is repeat and referral? 
• What's the average amount of time and money that clients spend with you?

6. Marketing/business growth coach:

• How long have you been running your business? 
• Do you have other sources of income besides this business? 
• What are they? 
• What are the typical outcomes clients get from working with you? 
• Have you DONE what I want to do - or do you just teach it? 
• How many clients have you worked with? 
• What separates your successful clients from your not-so-successful ones? 
• Then check out their recommendations on Linkedin and their client testimonials on their website (how specific are they? how many? how credible? Full attribution with person's name, company, position, etc?)

There are a lot of people out there who LOOK like they have it going on - pitching their "Million Dollar" this and "Million Dollar" that...

Sad to say, a LOT of it is smoke and mirrors. Motivation, inspiration, pretty websites, great photos of smiling, jubilant bootcamp or retreat attendees, a big social media footprint, great looking videos...

But scratch the surface and the gold glitter starts to flake off in big chunks as you realize you've just been taken for a ride by a very pretty or handsome con artist and suddenly, you're out a few thousand dollars (or a lot more) with nothing to show for it except that empty feeling in the pit of your stomach that you're not any closer to achieving your goals for your business, your bank account, or your lifestyle.

Don't follow the herd - you're not a lemming or a sheep.

Find the people who are the REAL DEAL, who only preach what they themselves practice, invest wisely, and choose carefully.

That is all. Rant ends here.

And next time - we'll tackle the rant of the CLIENT who does not do. (That rant might be even juicier than this one, don't you agree?)

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

1. Most business coaching isn’t really “coaching” - it’s much more 1-on-1 consulting or training or mentoring. The traditional coaching model assumes that the client has the answers  - the coach shows up only with questions. In most business situations in which you as a speaker, author, consultant, or independent professional would be asked for “coaching” - what the prospect is really asking for is 1-on-1 access to you for both questions AND answers

2. Setting up a coaching or 1-on-1 mentoring profit center can be fast, easy and lucrative - When I started adding 1-on-1 marketing coaching services to my offerings back in 2003, I was working hourly (huge mistake). Even then, I would make between $500-$1500 per month per client. And it took me zero prep because clients were paying to tap into knowledge and expertise that I already had! Today I sell three sessions for $2,500 and 90 days for $8,500. Crazy, right?

3. Coaching is a commodity and most coaches are broke - While this is true (sadly), that doesn’t mean that you can’t break the mold. And also remember that this fact is about traditional life coaching or success coaching - NOT business coaching. According to surveys by the International Coach Federation (ICF), the median annual income for coaches is $29,100. That means that HALF of all coaches make even LESS than that! So obviously, this is NOT the private coaching model that I am recommending to you. Instead…   

4. Adding “private coaching” (really 1-on-1 consulting/mentoring) to your business model can vastly increase your earning potential as a speaker, consultant, author, and high-fee expert. Before I started my marketing coaching practice, my sole source of revenue was speaking and training. Clients and audiences would ask me, “What’s next?” and my answer was limited to “What’s the next seminar or training class you need?” Today, the answer is a scalable, high-profit series of private coaching programs. For each of the past 6 years, I’ve generated over $200,000 in private coaching income. That’s over a million dollars during that time - and that’s in addition to my other revenue streams.  

5. You do NOT need to be a certified coach and work through hundreds of hours of training to offer 1-on-1 private coaching programs - All you need is a well-packaged program, a systematic and repeatable process, and some structure for how you want to deliver value in a highly-personalized 1-on-1 relationship with your very best clients who will happily pay premium fees for direct access to you and the expertise you already have.  

6. People WANT to take you home. If you’re a successful speaker, consultant, author, or high-fee expert, buying private coaching from you can be a huge ego-boost for high-achieving executives and entrepreneurs. If your private coaching program is systematized, well-marketed, and well-documented - it will be extremely well-received by clients. Yet so many folks can't quite crack the code of how to add private 1-on-1 coaching to their professional practice…

7. It’s both easier - and harder - than it looks. Read this post for a cautionary tale about a completely unethical and incompetent way to offer private coaching programs. That is NOT the path I recommend. Rather, you need to sit back and strategically decide how to create, promote and profit from private coaching programs you can build around the expertise you ALREADY have. If you want some fast-track help to make the planning, implementation, and monetization way easier, faster, and more profitable, book a free strategy call with one of our coaches.

p.s. Want to apply for your Speaker Strategy Call to see how you can USE some of these ideas right away? Apply for your call here.

As a speaker, consultant, thought-leading executive or entrepreneur, you may have heard about the importance of building an audience for your work... Sounds great. 

But pleasing a nice audience is nowhere as important as developing a market of true buyers for your expertise. 

Here are 17 vital differences between a market and an audience.

You can spend YEARS attracting and serving an audience that is NOT your market. And that's just sad, painful, and frustrating. 

These are as pernicious as they are deceptive. 

WHICH of these has been holding you back - confusing you - or set you to wondering how come you're not making more money as a speaker, consultant, or solo professional?

Let's go down the list... 

1. An audience listens - A market pays attention
2. An audience wants entertainment - A market wants to solve problems
3. An audience values an experience - A market values expertise
4. An audience wants to watch - A market wants to act
5. An audience wants information - A market wants implementation
6. An audience reacts - A market responds
7. An audience wants their questions answered - A market wants their answers questioned
8. An audience wants you to be popular - A market wants you to be right
9. An audience asks “What can you do?” - A market asks “What’s next?” and “What else?”
10. An audience says, “Great show!” - A market says, “Great job!”
11. An audience tells their friends - A market tells their boss
12. An audience buys your book - A market reads your book
13. An audience likes your ideas - A market implements your ideas
14. An audience wants your autograph - A market wants to give you their signature (on checks!)
15. An audience applauds - A market refers
16. An audience says, “Thank you” - A market says, “Thank goodness!”

And finally - most important of all - read this next one as often as you need to...

17. An audience will HEAR you - A market will PAY you (well, often, and gladly)

Highly successful professional speakers, consultants, and experts not only build an audience - they develop a hungry market of true buyers who are ready, willing, and eager to invest in their value, ideas, products, services, and programs. 

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

• Imagine you're focused
• Imagine it's working 
• Imagine you've mastered marketing
• Imagine you truly enjoy selling 
• Imagine clients must qualify for you 
• Imagine you're worth premium fees
• Imagine you have unlimited prospects
• Imagine money flowing easily to you
• Imagine punching people in the face with value 
• Imagine your money worries fading away
• Imagine a clear game plan that you execute on daily
• Imagine your business doubling, then tripling
• Imagine working only when you want 
• Imagine doing only work you want to do and delegating or outsourcing everything else
• Imagine you are #1
• Imagine you're a rock star in your industry 
• Imagine you're booked solid 
• Imagine you have your pick of high-profit projects
• Imagine moving from five figures to six figures - or from six figures to multiple six figures on your way to seven!
• Imagine speaking to hundreds of people regularly 
• Imagine partnering with other experts whom you look up to as role models and now are lucky enough to call friends
• Imagine generating thousands of web visitors 
• Imagine building a huge tribe of loyal followers, fans, and subscribers 
• Imagine doing this all in 13 days, 13 weeks, 13 months, or if you're really slow and silly (like me) 13 years 
• You can do it

p.s. I know you can
Because I did
Starting 13 years ago today
Knowing what I know now, I'm confident YOU can do much (or all) of this in the next 13 months 

Do your future self a favor: 
Start.
Right.
Now.

Dan Janal featured in the 2014 Do It! Marketing Master Class Series

Here's where you'll get some of the smartest marketing advice from top marketers and entrepreneurs who share their best success secrets via in-depth interrogation-style interviews with yours truly... 

Next up is... 

Dan Janal - Publicity Expert

Dan Janal knows how to get business owners and entrepreneurs the media coverage they deserve to promote their services, products, and expertise. As the owner of PRLeads.com and PressReleaseSender.com, Dan is a publicity veteran, award-winning journalist, and the author of one of the very first internet marketing books (from 1994!) Dan is probably the only person who created 8 different businesses that each generate $100,000 a year by using 8 different business models!

Download this Master Class (mp3) now. 

Share this with your pals, link to it from your own blog, tell 17 friends, go nuts and have fun! 

Please leave a comment below with your own experiences or questions about maximizing publicity and the media to generate more awareness, more leads, and more business...

Welcome to the 2014 Do It! Marketing Master Class Series

Here's where you'll get some of the smartest marketing advice from top marketers and entrepreneurs who share their best success secrets via in-depth interrogation-style interviews with yours truly... 

First on the tee is... 

Charlie Poznek - Podcasting Expert

Charlie Poznek is a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of The Boomer Business Owner podcast. If you want to build influential relationships, grow your audience, increase your website traffic, and raise your business profile in front of the prospects who matter most, podcasting can be one of the smartest ways to do it. Charlie shows you how.

Download this Master Class (mp3) now. 

Share this with your pals, link to it from your own blog, tell 17 friends, go nuts and have fun! 

Please leave a comment below with your own experiences or questions about podcasting as a marketing strategy...

Here's a training module (it's #1 out of 3 available FREE here) on why and how YOU can create, promote and profit from private coaching programs built around the expertise you ALREADY have - whether you consider yourself a "coach" or NOT!

To get the rest of this FREE "Private Coaching Success" video series, click here.

Shazam!!

Please post your comments and questions below. Hit the "Like" button above so that you get notified via Facebook when I post more videos.

They are hard. 

Never mastered them. 

Probably never will. 

Wait... 

p.s. Notice how nobody's ever been called "SHORT-winded"?

What do you think? Use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on writing shorter, punchier blog posts. What's hard about it? What approaches do you use? 

As a speaker, consultant, thought-leading executive or entrepreneur, you may have heard about the importance of building an audience for your work... Sounds great. 

Here are 17 vital differences between a market and an audience.

You can spend YEARS attracting and serving an audience that is NOT your market. And that's just sad, painful, and frustrating. 

These are as pernicious as they are deceptive. 

WHICH of these has been holding you back - confusing you - or set you to wondering how come you're not making more money?

Let's go down the list... 

1. An audience listens - A market pays attention
2. An audience wants entertainment - A market wants to solve problems
3. An audience values an experience - A market values expertise
4. An audience wants to watch - A market wants to act
5. An audience wants information - A market wants implementation
6. An audience reacts - A market responds
7. An audience wants their questions answered - A market wants their answers questioned
8. An audience wants you to be popular - A market wants you to be right
9. An audience asks “What can you do?” - A market asks “What’s next?” and “What else?”
10. An audience says, “Great show!” - A market says, “Great job!”
11. An audience tells their friends - A market tells their boss
12. An audience buys your book - A market reads your book
13. An audience likes your ideas - A market implements your ideas
14. An audience wants your autograph - A market wants to give you their signature
15. An audience applauds - A market refers
16. An audience says, “Thank you” - A market says, “Thank goodness!”

and finally - most important of all - read this next one as often as you need to...

17. An audience will HEAR you - A market will PAY you (well, often, and gladly)

Expert marketers not only build an audience - they develop a market for their value, ideas, products, services, and programs.

Want to apply for your Speaker Strategy Call to see how you can IMPLEMENT some of these concepts right away? Apply for your call here.

Guest post by Charlie Poznek 

When I first started my online business, I had no idea what a business coach was, let alone why I needed one.  I was much more concerned with the technical aspects of building a website, launching a podcast, and figuring out what social media was all about.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that hiring a business coach would’ve saved me hours each week, and not just when it came to learning to format my Twitter profile.  

I learned that a business coach is crucial to speeding up the learning curve, connecting with your target market, and avoiding expensive mistakes that new online business owners tend to make.  In essence, hiring a coach will get you in the game faster, keep you there longer, and let you focus on building your brand and connecting with customers.

So how do you find the business coach of your dreams?

1. Clarify your values

What matters most to you in your business, and as a human being? For me, giving back is a huge part of why I do what I do.  When looking for a coach, it was important to me to work with someone who shared that value.  I didn’t care if they were the most well-respected business coach in the world; if their values didn’t match mine, I didn’t want to work with them.

Your values don’t necessarily have to be personal or moral in nature - they might include your working style, or what’s most important to you in a professional relationship.  

For example, do you value someone who gives it to you straight, or someone who is more nurturing?  Are you a go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you prefer to have everything planned out?

Figure out which values are most important to you in a working relationship before beginning your search for the perfect coach or mentor.

2. Set expectations 

What do you expect to get out of working with a business coach?

Would you like a coach who…

• will answer frantic phone calls in the middle of the night?
• meets with you for hours at a time?
• conducts sessions strictly over Skype?
• follows up with you even after you’ve completed your sessions?

Start to think about your expectations of the relationship, including how much time you want to spend working with your coach and what you expect them to teach you.  Some people may want a good listener, while others may want to be told exactly what to do and how to do it. What’s your preference?

You should also consider how you want to work with your coach:

Would you prefer…

• One-on-one power sessions?
• Mastermind groups?
• Live webinars?
• Weekly phone calls?

If you’d rather be face to face than on the phone, look for a local coach who can meet with you in person.  If you’re busy with a full time job and can barely squeeze in a weekly webinar, find a coach who can work around your schedule.

You should also clearly state the goal of working with a coach.  How will you know if the coaching relationship has been successful?  

Make a list of exactly what you want help with, and what you want to achieve.  You might want something as basic as help setting up your website, or something as esoteric as defining the feeling of your brand.  Get specific so you can find the perfect person to deliver what you need.

3. Create a budget

You can spend $25 on a business coach or $25,000.  What’s your budget?

Keep in mind that the most expensive mentor in the world doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the best mentor in the world.  

Many business coaches offer monthly packages that include weekly phone calls and email support.  Generally speaking, one-on-one coaching will be more expensive than group coaching, but you’ll receive less attention.  

An experienced, well-known business coach might charge upwards of $500/hour for his or her time.  If you fall in love with a coach and find out their price point is too high, don’t give up right away. Contact them first to see if they have a payment plan or a program that’s within your price range.

4. Schedule an interview

Once you’ve found someone who shares your values, meets your expectations, and falls within your budget, it’s time to set up an interview.

If the business coach you’re interested in is highly successful, you may feel intimidated and fall into what I like to call the “pick me!” mentality. Remember that there has to be chemistry on both sides in order for a relationship to work.  If this coach is recommended by everyone but you get a bad vibe from them, it’s not worth the investment.  

Prepare a list of questions for your interview, and be sure to take note of how you feel during the interview.  Do you feel listened to? Does the coach seem confident that they can help you?  

A good business coach will be extremely interested in hearing all the details of where you are now and where you want to go - without those details, he or she has no way of knowing if the coaching relationship will be a good fit.

Finally, make sure that you like the person you’re about to hire.  They may have all the knowledge and expertise in the world, but if you dread spending an hour on the phone with them, you’ll be wasting your money.

_______

Charlie Poznek is the Founder and CEO of The Boomer Business Owner with Charlie Poznek, a podcast that helps Baby Boomers create a spectacular life through successfully starting and running an online business.