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Neuroscience and Money Mindset for High Achieving Entrepreneurs with April Beach and Danya Douglas Hunt (Episode 309)
Category: Launching Online Courses
How To Run LinkedIn Ads for Coaches and Consultants with April Beach and AJ Wilcox (Episode 308)
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LinkedIn Etiquette: Build a Brand that Resonates and Converts with April Beach and Salina Yeung(Episode 307)
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Full Show Transcript:
307
00:00:46] April: Hi guys, and welcome to episode number 307, where we are diving into all things LinkedIn etiquette. So let’s talk about first, who is this episode for? So if you are a subject matter expert or a speaker, a consultant or a coach, and you are looking to generate quality leads, and you are willing to do what it takes to actually build relationships with people on LinkedIn, and you realize that by doing that, you’re actually going to increase your profit.
[00:01:15] April: And if you’re like me, you’ve been on LinkedIn and you’re probably really tired of the spam messages. Just yesterday I had a, a well meaning young man send me a DM on LinkedIn and his only question was, do you have an Instagram for your podcast? Of course I was like, yes, of course. Here I have my Instagram channel for my podcast.
[00:01:39] April: And I proceeded to receive an entire video about all the ways that I should be growing my Instagram. Now, I understand that leading with like tips and help is a really nice way to do things, but this guy had never commented on any of my posts. He had no idea who I was, what I did. He didn’t take two seconds to actually determine if I was somebody that even Wanted help growing my Instagram, and that’s where my frustration lies with LinkedIn.
[00:02:08] April: Message me on LinkedIn if you feel the same way. I do want to receive those messages so I can connect with you. So in our process of building LinkedIn shows and having a series of LinkedIn here on the SweetLife Entrepreneur Podcast, I was on the hunt for people I really value and I really admire. On the LinkedIn platform that I feel like are communicating in a very substantially real way.
[00:02:34] April: And you can tell that their LinkedIn success has definitely grown and it’s because of their skills in their LinkedIn communication and strategy. So in today’s episode. We get to bring in Selena Young. Now Salina helps you grow your business with LinkedIn and she is in a well established LinkedIn expert.
[00:02:53] April: We’re going to be sharing everything we have here for you and all the show notes, and this is episode number 307. So you can cruise over. To SweetLifeCo.Com click on the podcast and this is episode 307 to find all the goodies that we have here for you. And if you are a subject matter expert coach or consultant, and you’re ready to scale your business to the next level, and you are ready to scale your business past the basics, then we would love to connect with you.
[00:03:21] April: You can actually go over to the show notes as well, and you can download the six components of a highly scalable consulting and coaching business. It’s a. Complete list and a free guide that we would love to give you as our gift. You can find all of it by cruising over again to SweetLifeCo.Com. Click on the podcast and this is episode 307.
[00:03:41] April: All right, let’s go ahead and dive in. I think that you are going to love what Salina says here and you’re going to resonate with her as well. All right, you guys. Welcome back to the show. I’m super excited to be here with my new connection, Salina, and Salina is all over my LinkedIn feed. Let me just say this.
[00:03:57] April: I don’t know how I found her originally, but I have notifications on because I feel like she speaks a language that feels comfortable to me and comfortable with me on LinkedIn. So as I have been trying to grow my LinkedIn presence and being more active, I’ve really been taking your lead on how to it.
[00:04:16] April: Best communicate in a real way that isn’t, uh, overly pushy or salesy or marketing. So anyway, yeah. So, uh, thank you so much for taking your time out to be here on the podcast with us and to drop in your wisdom. We’re all, we’re talking about LinkedIn etiquette today. So can you give us a quick background for our listeners of, you know, you’re the one that talks about this and how you got to this place.
[00:04:43] Salina: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me in your show. Like, it’s just so excited, like sweet live entrepreneur. Come on, everybody wants to be part of this. So I’m Selena Young. I’m the LinkedIn business strategist. So I started my business three years ago, um, teaching people all things LinkedIn, particularly how to basically monetize using the power of LinkedIn.
[00:05:06] Salina: And me and April got connected because like one of my poses talk about how weird sometimes you’re just like so trusting about the whole, like, I think the audience on LinkedIn is really high quality, first of all. But like, sometimes you will just trusting people and decided to accept a stranger. And when they do, um, when we do accept it, the minute that we accept, we do not give you a permission to sell us right away.
[00:05:31] Salina: And that’s the pitch slap that we talk about. That’s how we get connected. And today we’re going to talk about that a bit more.
[00:05:39] April: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that was it. I think when I actually saw the words pitch slap written and then you have all your other connections and everybody agrees and there’s this whole chain of connections and everybody’s going, Oh yeah, the pitch slap.
[00:05:51] April: Oh yeah, the pitch slap. I’m like, okay, these are my people. I want to know these people more. I want to hang out with these people and I want, and I want to learn from Selena. So let’s kind of dive into that. We’re talking about LinkedIn etiquette and LinkedIn best practices in, You know, where you have these deadly sins of linkedin that you share, where do you really start with people when they want to become more active?
[00:06:14] April: They want to build their personal brand on linkedin. You know, what, what are these deadly sins that you just are like, please, let’s take note of this first.
[00:06:22] Salina: Yeah, I love that questions a lot. I would start with thinking about the purpose and the goal you want to grow on LinkedIn. Like, is it to find clients?
[00:06:32] Salina: Is it to land a media feature? Is it to basically start building connection? Maybe you just You know, starting out fresh, starting out on your business, then maybe networking. Right. But in a way that, you know, April and I talk about built a deeper connection with another person, like imagine you and them, it’s like a digital handshake.
[00:06:53] Salina: Right. Instead of just like pitch slapping them with like. Hey, this is me. This is what I’m offering. This is my program. This is my website. Like, who are you? First of all, so I would start with your LinkedIn profile. I would warm up your relationship with that person through engaging with their content, like what we do, DMing each other, like understand about like, Oh, who you are, how do you help?
[00:07:18] Salina: Who is your ideal, um, sort of avatar and then go it from there. And, and I think that is much more natural step than someone just like, Hey, April, uh, I’m Selena. I’m the LinkedIn business strategist. This is my website. Check it out. Uh, let’s book a call. I would be like, uh, wait a minute. Like. Please slow down.
[00:07:36] Salina: Who are you? Right? So things like that will really helps to nurture the relationship and later down in the line, it’s exactly what I teach as well. It helps you with sales as well. It’s just take it longer to warm up the audience. But when they do decided to jump on a call and you guys are a match to work together, when you do on a sales call, it’s like a one call sales rather than like you already broke the initial trust and impression with the other person.
[00:08:03] Salina: And then you take it from there, right? Yeah, so that’s, that’s how I see starting out on LinkedIn, figuring the goal, figuring the purpose.
[00:08:12] April: Right, that’s such good advice. And I love that you said it’s gonna take longer, but with that, you’re so right, that when it’s time to convert into pre call, you know, cause we need to disqualify clients, just like we need to pre call.
[00:08:24] April: Prequalify them is just as important and going through the process of connecting with people in the feed, connecting with people in the posts. And I love it when I receive a message from somebody who has at least like two of my posts or commented on something because they actually seem familiar to me and I’m not afraid even if sometimes, you know, they might be.
[00:08:45] April: Pitch slapping me like as you call it, but I’m so much more open to it because I appreciate that they have taken the time to connect with me in the public feed. Absolutely. It just, it, you know, relationships sell. Yeah. And, and we can’t, well, maybe somebody would argue we can buy relationships, but really that level of trust comes with communication of conversation.
[00:09:06] April: And a bit of time too. So for somebody who’s new onto LinkedIn, if they’re trying to find people to connect with it, do you have like a hack or a way that somebody can find the right people to connect with and start following so that they can start messaging people that could be there? Perspective clients.
[00:09:24] Salina: Yeah, absolutely. I wouldn’t say a hack, but it’s more like really go down to what you just said about like who they are, right? Like if. They are targeting similar target audience. It’s easy to open up a conversation by saying, Hey, I really like your content, right? Just like April, you, you receive someone saying, Oh, I really like your content.
[00:09:45] Salina: I really resonate. And exactly like, this is like podcast interview show. That’s this beautiful collaboration happened. Right. And just that instant, um, connection. And I think like sometimes we over. Engineering the part where people will not answer you, but it’s actually not true if you personalize in a way that it’s adding value to the other person, I think it’s ultimately is a big yes, whether it’s to jump on a podcast show interview like this, a collaboration or even to ask for the big ass of sales.
[00:10:19] Salina: I think it’s, it’s very easy when you truly understand the other person who is their target audience, how you can help write things that, um, I find there’s two message, particularly really, really helpful. One started with, let’s say April, you and I are not connected on LinkedIn. I will go through your LinkedIn trying to figure out ways of the content that you’re creating on LinkedIn and say, Hey, I can add value to this.
[00:10:44] Salina: This is something that you and I could work together on. That is one way of doing so. The other way of doing so is like really understanding, um. The offer that you are sharing, like, let’s say business coaching, you’re helping people to basically do business modeling that it’s very highly profitable.
[00:11:03] Salina: Maybe, you know, another like big creator in the space on LinkedIn. Let’s say I know a lot of creators that is doing that. I would love to connect both of you together. That’s at value. But equally is not No. Something that people will find, Oh, that’s so salesy. Why are you messaging me? But there will be like, Oh, I’m open for this beautiful connection.
[00:11:22] Salina: I would like to know the other creator that is doing exactly what I’m doing. And I can work with her to partner up or affiliate or things like that.
[00:11:31] April: Right. And that is so valuable. And I love that you said that too, because it’s not just this and why I value your voice on this. Cause it’s not just necessarily this networking app.
[00:11:42] April: It’s a place to truly build alliances and mastermind with other people and to connect. And I know that I would find that. you’re like, Hey April, you should know Joe or whoever, you know, and we try to do that. You know, I do that actually for our clients, but now that you’re saying that, I probably definitely don’t do that enough for my connections.
[00:12:04] April: And so that’s something that I want to be better at. So as you’re saying this, I’m going, okay, I really need to look at my connections. Who do I value being like, you should know this person. And I know I value that. So I know that my connections would value that in, frankly, I just really never thought about that from a standpoint.
[00:12:21] Salina: And you’re such a so so butterfly. I can tell people it’s like, yeah, I know, I know you through April. Thank you so much, April, for this. And then like, it helps you with like this snowball effect of business opportunity as well. Right? Like when someone think about business coaching, the first person think about is April because you already helped them so much.
[00:12:41] Salina: Initially to make all those beautiful connection. Right. And I love that sentence that people say, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. And that’s, I think the together component, it’s what the most precious thing about LinkedIn. Um, people talk about business all the time and they carry a mindset of like, Oh yeah, we’re like creating this, um, partnership, we’re creating this. Opportunity either as business or a career, um, it’s, it’s normal in this space.
[00:13:14] April: Yeah. And I think that for, I mean, I’ve been down LinkedIn probably since, uh, 2008, 2009, a long, long time ago. I’m aging myself. Right. But I think that for me, In the last couple of years, recognizing the value of really great genuine connections that we haven’t been able to really make on other social media platforms and people I can learn from and people I can contribute to.
[00:13:41] April: And I love that you said that because that is the exact. Intention of why I know that many people are here. Like you were saying, they’re very valuable connections here and contributions, clients, collaborations, partnerships. And, and so I love that those are some of the ways that you lead with for your connections.
[00:14:01] April: So let’s talk a little bit about some. Direct messaging, direct messaging, things that people should not do on LinkedIn.
[00:14:12] Salina: Oh, love that. There’s so many, but I would start with the two, uh, of my least favorite. So I got a lot of people asking me to like send them a recommendation endorsement, and those are usually strangers.
[00:14:27] Salina: And I’ll be like, who are you? Why would I endorse you? Endorse your skill. If I have not even like. Work with you before recommendation either. And I think this is like a big no, no on LinkedIn because you’re giving a task first to someone completely stranger. You don’t even build the initial, um, like sort of like, um, relationship.
[00:14:49] Salina: And on top of it, you just like basically hurting your own personal reputation in this space because. But imagine if it’s a job, right, your future employer will call that person up or DM in that person. Hey, can you vouch for Selena for X, Y, Z? And that person will be, I don’t know who they are, but yeah, I endorsed them previously.
[00:15:09] Salina: It’s hurt them the reputation for both ends, right? Because you’re the one that giving and you’re the one that asking. So I would say this is the number one. No, no, from my end asking stranger for endorsement and recommendation on LinkedIn.
[00:15:23] April: Okay. I love that. And, and yeah, it’s, it’s your personal credibility too. And one of the things that we shared before we started recording is I’ve had people go through and kind of click certain endorsements for me, though I appreciate that I do who they are. And so, you know, then, then they would send a message, say, Hey, I just endorse you for this. And I would have this guilty conscience of like, Oh my gosh, I didn’t, I didn’t, but that has actually bothered me for years where I’m like, Oh, thank you. But I have no clue who you are or what you do, whether or not you’re good at it or what that is. So
[00:15:59] Salina: I think when some LinkedIn guru started to give tips about this, and I think like people start doing it, but without like a purpose or like strong goal of doing it. Right. So yeah, don’t ever feel guilty, April.
[00:16:13] Salina: It’s not your fault. It’s. Their fault, like they shouldn’t even start it with, you know, endorsing people that they don’t know and not really cultivating and like building that relationship first.
[00:16:25] April: Right. Okay. Great. Thank you for my release of that. Uh, so now let’s kind of go into frequency of direct messaging as far as with people you do want to become your clients.
[00:16:41] April: Do you have a recommended way that you, that you’ve known they have done the best practices, right? You’ve connected with them in the feed, you’ve built a relationship with them and you’ve added value. You’ve done all the things that you’ve said. And sometimes that, that jump to, Hey, what’s the next step feels like a pretty big jump to people getting prospects on a call.
[00:17:03] April: Do you have any recommendations on how to convert? From the, the relationship just into the actual sales prospect.
[00:17:10] Salina: I love that question so much. I literally just create a video, particularly around that topic. Um, it’s called the LinkedIn Grove strategies, just 15 minutes per day. So like obviously it’s like a 10 minute video.
[00:17:25] Salina: It’s really long. I go nitty gritty, but I will put into like three buckets. One we talk about like April and I talk about the engagement piece, I think is a really, really big piece. And then engagement could actually go first before even connecting with another person. Just like the point that you talk about, right.
[00:17:42] Salina: April you said. I remember this face like it’s on my feed. She supported my content. That instant connection will allow me to just accept that connection invitation. If that person is sending me in the second sort of like bucket that they’re doing right and the last one, I know what you mean by like, Oh, how do I actually jump into the conversation of sales?
[00:18:05] Salina: Right, I would actually take a step back and think about more in terms of your content. And I think. Content on LinkedIn. It’s such a like opportunity that a lot of people is not using. In fact, there’s only 5. 5 percent of the entire user on LinkedIn is posting on LinkedIn consistently, which means it’s so easy for you to dominate the new newsfeed.
[00:18:28] Salina: And the funny thing is like, if I’m thinking about my corporate. Like, uh, days, right. When I’m still working for LinkedIn during corporate days, I don’t actually engage a lot, like I would actually consume content. I don’t like people content. I don’t comment on people content, but I’m still interested to hear about what, like April, you have to say, what about sweet live entrepreneur?
[00:18:51] Salina: What, uh, what about your offer, but not necessarily interacting in the comments section. Right. So I would actually go back and really dial into your, like. Conversion when it comes to content, did you really at the end of the sort of like content, is there ways to connect with your audience? That is really like relatable.
[00:19:15] Salina: Is there like problems that you’re trying to help other people solve? And then at the end of it, the CTA needs to be extremely clean. And my preferred one is usually DM and then the word, which is the word. It could be your program name. It could be April, your name. It could be like. Things that you hope your clients to solve, right?
[00:19:34] Salina: Like it could be LinkedIn. Then it will be DME, the word LinkedIn, and let’s have a chat. And in that way, it just helps. Instantly to create that really easy flow of conversation of more transactional because they, you know, the other person is interested to talk to you to know more about your offer. And then from there, the transactional conversation is much more easier.
[00:19:58] Salina: And there is an ending point of it, right? Whether you want to take them on the sales page directly to buy a course or directly to book, um, sales consultation call with you VSL, whatever that is, it becomes much more natural. So I will start with that.
[00:20:16] April: Great tip. So, so far we’ve talked about authentically connecting in the feed. We’ve talked about adding value. We’ve talked about connecting our connections to each other. And providing value just because we’re good people and we want to and we know two people that would know each other and they could be great and actually leading with that place of I want to serve, I want to give first and now your tip about this content is so well, Smart because there are a lot of people that want to create content, but there’s something about LinkedIn.
[00:20:49] April: Maybe it’s because we’ve been in the Instagram, Facebook content space for so many years, and it’s just a totally different audience, different objective, a different culture, a different like all of it is different. And so there there seems to be this disconnect LinkedIn versus other social platforms that People may be on.
[00:21:11] April: I know that our clients struggle with that, and those are things that they bring up, which is why I’m so grateful to have you on the show and talking about this. And it’s really how to create content that is conversional. And so with that being said, because I just know our listeners and I Anticipate the questions are asking, how often do you recommend creating or posting not just any content, but that content that asks for a call to action content.
[00:21:38] Salina: Oh my goodness. Love that. I would say it’s a ratio. So for, for instance, it’s a easy ratio to follow. It’s let’s say you post every single day, which is what I recommend Monday to Friday. If it’s possible, then I would say you can have one post that is a ask post, which is you really like. Calling out your audience.
[00:21:57] Salina: Hey, like attention. Mine is like entrepreneur and corporate escapee. If you want to like create a follower, the brand, this is my offer. If you’re interested, let’s have a chat. And automatically we, we mentioned about the conversion, right? Because this is a ask. You need to understand that those type of lead generation posts will not get you engagement, a lot of engagement, just like other posts.
[00:22:19] Salina: Like if it’s a storytelling post about like. April, how you started your business, how you like created this amazing podcast show. Why do you create it? It’s obviously getting more eyeballs and more attention and engagement and people are more likely to engage, like commenting like, Oh, this is such a good show.
[00:22:37] Salina: I’ve been support a huge supporter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Continue the conversation. Whereas if you are direct asked, the conversation is less. But I can guarantee you, whoever that is listening to us right now, that ass is so important because without ass, no one knows exactly what you’re selling. And also it’s a direct ask that it’s just like, you know, I already at so much value throughout the entire week, like with educational polls, how you can basically achieve what you want with the goals.
[00:23:06] Salina: Obviously the, the goals that you want, right? Little mini bite side tips. And then from there you just like, Oh, if you want to learn more, obviously with each day, just two to three minutes of digesting, my content would not get you to where you want it to be. If you want to like 10 X your income or like help to land, um, media feature using LinkedIn, this is the program for you and that ass is important.
[00:23:30] Salina: So I will. Do that ratio if not if you’re posting twice or three times per week, then you can do two asks Um for the whole month and that could be ranging from you can do testimonial as well There’s so many ways of the big ass that you can do not just like hey This is my hand, take my hand. This is my program, but there’s also ways of like using soft styling, using your client testimonial to talk about those results, and then from there to, um, do the big ass of DM you about the work that we just talk about, or this is the sales page, go ahead and learn more.
[00:24:05] April: Wow. That we could have done a whole episode just on that.
[00:24:09] Salina: Know.
[00:24:11] April: Oh my gosh. Um, definitely need to have you back on the show. Uh, this. information is really valuable. And I appreciate so much that you lead with this. You practice this, you, you know, function through this day in and day out on all your LinkedIn content.
[00:24:27] April: I’ve learned so much already about being okay with posting five days a week. I’ve heard that, you know, you don’t need to do that, but I actually. Have enough content that I’ve wanted to share five days a week. And I felt like, honestly, it was this overkill. I was like, Oh my gosh, I’m going to bury all these, you know, followers on LinkedIn.
[00:24:45] April: So I love that you said that. And that’s really encouraging. And then just about how you’re asking for the ask that is, uh, that. That is so, um, you know, people are overusing the word authentic. So I actually try to avoid using that word so much now, but it’s direct and it’s intentional and it is starting with sharing why somebody needs to be there in, in, in coaching.
[00:25:12] April: I’ve coached entrepreneurs never. 27 years. But in coaching that I feel like the number one thing that we do is we serve, serve, serve. And we don’t come anywhere near asking for somebody to take the next step. I think we do that a lot. And so I love that you said that. Especially women. Right. Like, let me help you. Let me throw up more great information all over you or whatever that is, you know? Yeah.
[00:25:37] Salina: There’s a stigma that we’re like, Oh, we just wait. No, no more waiting. Just do the asking. Cause when you do ask results just come so naturally.
[00:25:47] April: Yeah. Yeah. And I would just end with this to our listeners. You know, how many of you guys are out there posting great content, but there are still a, you know, people.
[00:25:58] April: Might not actually be sure how to buy you or what to buy you for or what that next step is and you’re so good at sharing and teaching and contributing and transforming your audiences and giving all this great content and yet you, you have a group of followers that actually might want to engage with you and you are not giving them opportunity to say, Hey, I’m so glad that you know, you’re here.
[00:26:24] April: This is what happened with, you know, April when she worked with me and this is what it is, and these are the end results that, you know, we provide, you know, Are you ready for that? Do you want that? And so I just want to encourage our listeners and people tuning into this show that, you know, selling, um, Myron Golden, I don’t know if you listen to Myron, but I love Myron.
[00:26:43] April: He’s a business leader. Myron Golden says selling is a gift, right? And when we have a solution that we know delivers people or companies measurable, predictable, transformational results, then therefore it’s our obligation to make that available to them. And I think that there is so much of a. Of a, of a practice of free content.
[00:27:07] April: Free content, or even, you know, slightly paid content. And so I appreciate so much your ratio because we don’t wanna be over salesy. We don’t wanna be. Yes. And so I think we overcorrect so much. We actually don’t sell anything sometimes.
[00:27:18] Salina: I know. Yeah. And I love what you mentioned. It’s like, to me it’s like a act of love. An act of service. We’re not a product pusher. We’re just like, if. You and I are a match to work together. That’s an act of love. That’s an act of service. I inviting you to work with me, right? Just like them, the process that you mentioned, we just like qualify your leads.
[00:27:40] Salina: That’s an act of service. Knowing you and I are a good match to work together. If it’s not, then I’m sorry. Let’s, let’s say bye right here. And then later down the road, when you and I are ready, let’s, let’s go ahead and work together, right? So,
[00:27:53] April: yeah. Yeah. And actually doing our potential prospects a favor and saying, you know what? I’m not the right one for you, but here’s somebody else who could be, or, you know, using that very clear language into what our brand is.
[00:28:05] April: Like I, I’m not for everybody for sure. And so, I mean, when I speak on stages, I even speak on stages and flip flops. I mean, some people don’t want me, that’s just who I am. I’m not going to know who I am. Right.
[00:28:16] Salina: So that’s me every day. Okay. Right.
[00:28:20] April: So I was just. Speaking of podcast movement a couple of weeks ago, and you know, I showed up in my flip book, but that’s just who I just always who I’ve been.
[00:28:26] April: Right. Yeah. I feel like. There. I feel like that’s I feel like exactly like you’re saying. I love what you said that that is also a gift to disqualify people with our content with our messaging. And when we go in for that, making that service available to them, just being like, yeah, you know, this is you’re not either ready for this or this isn’t a good fit.
[00:28:46] April: Yeah, I think that’s it. I think that’s awesome. And if
[00:28:52] Salina: I can add two actionable points in terms of what you just said. If someone just like, the big ask is to really leverage the link you have on LinkedIn. Which shouldn’t be just putting a company website, but instead it could be the most important CTA you want.
[00:29:08] Salina: That is related to your sales goal. Let’s say you’re now launching a masterclass, a free workshop, put it right there. Like don’t waste your real estate. The second really good place to put is your feature section is completely for free. It’s the most clickable area on LinkedIn. And my question is why not utilizing it?
[00:29:28] Salina: It’s free traffic, free place to basically go through your funnel. So make use, make good use of those two plays.
[00:29:36] Salina: And I’m going to go change my general website link on my LinkedIn profile right now. I feel so bad, I’m sorry.
[00:29:44] April: What do you mean? That was gold for
[00:29:47] April: me. Don’t what. Well, I’m so grateful that you said that because, yeah. So basically we use our lead magnet or whatever that event we’re hosting in that first action step into our ecosystem of services.
[00:29:58] April: Yes. Golden. I’m going to add it to the list. I’m totally going to do that. Absolutely. Right now. Thank you so much.
[00:30:06] Salina: Perfect. I love actionable steps that you can take and implement, you know. Yeah, we do too. We eat them up. So how can people really connect with you? And just your content is so good. I want to make sure people know how to find
[00:30:20] Salina: you.
[00:30:21] Salina: Yeah, on LinkedIn. Really? I’m most active there. If you DM me like most. Most of the time I’ll be the one that responding. If not, my VA would definitely reroute you to me. Uh, but LinkedIn is the pace, uh, place to go. I do, however, started, um, YouTube channels. If you want to learn something more longer form of training, I have few trainings to get started on LinkedIn, how to basically use LinkedIn, uh, for your business.
[00:30:48] Salina: We also talk about LinkedIn premiums, which is a big topic that everybody asks all the time. Um, me and. April talk about the LinkedIn adequate. I actually have a specific dedicated show that is talk about a tan deadly scene. So if you want to like go through that, that will be really helpful, but it’s really expanding on some of the really great nugget that we just talk about today.
[00:31:10] April: Oh, my gosh. Okay. So that’s all on your YouTube is over there. And awesome. Okay. And we’ll make sure that the links to find you are in the show notes for this episode for sure. And so people can connect with you further. And I appreciate so much your time and being here and contributing and being such a leader in this space.
[00:31:29] Salina: Thank you you so much for having me on the show. I have such a fun time like geeking out talking all things LinkedIn with you.
[00:31:36] April: I really appreciate your wisdom. Thank you so much.
How to Use LinkedIn Events For Maximum Leads with April Beach and Jen Corcoran (Episode 306)
Free Profile Checklist https://jenniferc6c3ad.clickfunnels.com/attract-clients-on-linkedin-profile-checklist
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How to Use LinkedIn Polls to Generate Leads with April Beach (Episode 305)
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How To Grow Your LinkedIn Company Page with April Beach (Episode 304)
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Full Show Transcript:
304
[00:00:45] April Beach: Hi, you guys. And welcome back to the show. This is episode number 304. So if you’ve been a long time listener, you know that all the show notes and everything we’re going to share with you can be found by visiting SweetLife.
[00:00:57] April Beach: Simply click on the podcast and you can search episode number 304. I’m April Beach, host here on the show, and I’m really glad that you’ve tuned into this episode. I can tell you that I really needed to hear and learn what today’s guest brought to the table for us. If you have been trying to grow your business on LinkedIn and maybe you’re like me, I’ve had no idea, honestly.
[00:01:19] April Beach: Raise your hand. How to use LinkedIn company pages. Yes, we use them, but there really wasn’t a big strategy behind it. And LinkedIn didn’t have a huge reach. Well, if you’re like me and you actually want to know how to utilize your company page to build your brand, increase your sales, gain followers, and build relationships with important people.
[00:01:41] April Beach: That are going to grow and scale your business. Then this episode is for you. Today’s guest literally wrote the book, the first ever book on LinkedIn company pages. And in today’s episode, she’s going to share with you and me how much we are leaving on the table. Literally how many things that we could be doing that are simple tweaks to your business page that we’re just walking away from.
[00:02:04] April Beach: It’s like burning cash. You’re going to be blown away by the strategies you hear on today’s show. And what you’re going to walk away with is a simple process to know how to use your LinkedIn company page to build your brand, increase sales, gain recognition for your company and become more known. In addition to that, we even talk about the connection between your company page and your LinkedIn personal page and why that’s important.
[00:02:27] April Beach: So if you’re looking to grow your business on LinkedIn to gain recognition and to have a strategy that’s actually so simple, you can actually. Hand of the strategy that you get here on the show today to a team member to implement for you. It’s amazing. Or if you’re flying solo, this is a very simple strategy that you should be able to easily implement on your own for your LinkedIn company page following the steps that our guest is diving into today here.
[00:02:56] April Beach: So we have Michelle J. Raymond on the show. She’s amazing. I was introduced to Michelle by a mutual friend, and if you aren’t yet, Please cruise over and follow Michelle on LinkedIn. Again, it’s Michelle J. Raymond. Let her know that you heard this episode. You’re going to want to connect with her for sure after this.
[00:03:13] April Beach: It’s just an amazing amount of information that is truly going to be able to be implemented in your business and make a significant difference today. So if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place. Let’s go ahead and dive into today’s episode.
[00:03:27] April Beach: Hi everybody and welcome back to the show. I’m here with my new friend, Michelle, and Michelle was introduced to me by another new friend, which is not always the way we meet, like the coolest people is introductions from other people. And. Michelle and I are going to dive into all things LinkedIn company pages. And one of the, one of the most amazing things that has happened since I’ve been connecting with Michelle is that I realized that our company page is really lacking.
[00:03:56] April Beach: One of the biggest reality check is basically, I really didn’t know what I was doing with LinkedIn company pages. Like I knew I didn’t know. And then I just talked to Michelle and tapped into all of her genius and realize how much I’m really leaving on the table because of my lack of understanding. So I’m really excited that, that you are here to help me and all of our listeners really understand how to dive in and utilize LinkedIn company pages more. So welcome to the SweetLife Entrepreneur podcast and thank you for being here and sharing your wisdom.
[00:04:25] Michelle J Raymond: It is my absolute pleasure and if it makes you feel any better, don’t worry, you’re in the majority, not the minority. They are vastly understood and put it this way, I wrote the world’s first book on it just three years ago.
[00:04:39] Michelle J Raymond: Now think about that. LinkedIn has been around for 20 years. There’s been no resources. It’s at all up until three years ago, which is just ludicrous. So hopefully we can help your listeners here today with some actionable tips that they can take away and move a little bit more into the, you do know some things about company pages that you can implement and help grow your business.
[00:04:58] April Beach: Absolutely. I’m so excited. So tell everybody a little bit how you said you wrote the first book on LinkedIn company pages. I mean, that is pretty crazy that nobody had actually figured it out yet until you did that. So how did you fall into that?
[00:05:14] Michelle J Raymond: Fall into it is the right words. So three years ago I set up my own business and not even that was intentional, it was accidental. So I’m an accidental entrepreneur, which I hope some other people can relate to. But picture this, one day I win a 2 million deal from a LinkedIn post for the company that I was working at. about a week later, I had to quit on the spot because the boss reneged on that deal. So imagine going from the highs of a 2 million win to I quit on the spot, never planned on quitting.
[00:05:46] Michelle J Raymond: And that whole mess that that was, but I just decided I wasn’t going to work for anybody else ever again. I’d had a run of bad bosses and I just figured I might as well work hard for myself. And so I did that. And after, you know, six months of trying to figure that out, I end up. On LinkedIn training, because I’d been using LinkedIn to sell for the last six years at that point.
[00:06:07] Michelle J Raymond: And so I thought I could help other people because it was March, 2020, you know, that little thing called COVID that sent the world into lockdown. That’s when I set my business up which turns out it was a good thing, but essentially I help people. And I went to the first person, offered them training and they said, can’t you just do it for us?
[00:06:23] Michelle J Raymond: And I said, is that even a job? Like I didn’t even know April, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t even realize that people would pay other people to do social media. That’s the craziness in hindsight, but I’m not even making that up. And the thing was company pages are a way that you can get a third party to do your LinkedIn for you without breaking any of the terms and conditions.
[00:06:43] Michelle J Raymond: So I started to do that for one client. Then I looked around and went, no one else is talking about this. So I’m just going to own that spot. And three years ago, people thought I was crackers. There’s no other words for it. They just thought, where’d I come from? And why was I talking about this thing that absolutely everybody else was just.
[00:07:03] Michelle J Raymond: Slamming and that’s where it started. It got me noticed for being known for that one thing. And it’s just got me so many opportunities since. But that’s how it all started. It was crazy. But here we are now.
[00:07:16] April Beach: It, you know, there’s the guy, there’s so many gems from what you just shared in your story. But just for our listeners also, this is totally a sidebar, but it shows the importance of being known for something and being known for one specific thing, even though Michelle and I, and you that are listening, you all, we have a million different things we could do.
[00:07:36] April Beach: But the becoming known for one thing and leaning into that and the power of that. And so that’s just a, that’s a, we could just end the podcast right there on that, but we’re not going to, I mean, that, that’s a, that’s a gem lesson right there. Right. It really, really shows that importance and then we can be known for something else next and something else next. And we just keep reinventing ourselves. Don’t we, you guys.
[00:07:56] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah. And that’s where I’m up to right now. Reinventing because, you know, I was known for that one thing and it’s opened so many doors. But now I’m going through this next evolution phase, which is exciting because being known for that one thing got me onto a podcast, which was picked up because someone saw me write a comment on LinkedIn and then someone in New Zealand listened to the podcast and then they reached out and they’re like, do you want to write a book together?
[00:08:20] Michelle J Raymond: And like the whole thing, it went from Vienna to Dubai, to New Zealand, to me in Sydney. How crazy is that? That’s the power of LinkedIn. And that’s why I fell in love with it so long ago.
[00:08:31] April Beach: Oh my gosh. I love your story and I’m so grateful that you’re here. Thank you so much for being here to share with us. All right. So pages, company pages. I mean, I, I think that I have had company pages since I don’t even know, before 2010 probably. And they have just sat there. We’ve been trying to use our company page in the past couple of years, but I have no idea what to do with it. So why is it important to have a company page?
[00:08:58] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah, look, and this is the thing. Company pages realistically have been around for a long time, but it’s only been over the last few years that I think that they’ve got the attention they deserve from LinkedIn themselves. Now, why is that? Thanks to COVID, everybody brought their advertised Spend off other platforms and brought it to LinkedIn, you need a company page to run ads.
[00:09:19] Michelle J Raymond: And so they are cashed up and this is one area of growth for them. Now that works out for all of us who only do organic strategies, i. e. not paid because we get the benefits of all of these additional features. And so LinkedIn have put more resources, they’ve made them more actionable, but why should you use it?
[00:09:38] Michelle J Raymond: Go and Google your business name. That’s my simple answer. We piggyback and leverage off LinkedIn’s credibility and Google loves LinkedIn. And so your company page will show up in the first, probably five results maximum, sometimes one or two, depending how much content you’ve got out on the internet.
[00:09:56] Michelle J Raymond: Picture that first page results, top five, your LinkedIn company page is going to land there. Now you’ve got two choices. You can ignore it. Or you can basically roll out the red carpet if someone clicks on it and give them something that really welcomes them and shows them who you are and what you do as a business. That’s what I help people with. I want them to roll out the red carpet.
[00:10:19] April Beach: Wow. I had no idea. I just never even thought about that. But now that you explained that, it makes complete sense. And so in the past, I know that besides the SEO part of it that you just mentioned in the past, it was really hard to get followers to company pages and they don’t have a lot of exposure.
[00:10:38] April Beach: And the SEO within LinkedIn itself just didn’t seem that it was being shared with a lot of people. Can you speak a little bit to, you know, if there are so few people that actually see this. Other than some other benefits. I know we’re going to learn from you. Like why take the time? Why, why spend the time to curate the content for this page?
[00:10:56] Michelle J Raymond: They were super hard to grow. When I first started, they were like snails pace. I would have to tell people, you know, plan six to 12 months before you see anything, and I can assure you when someone’s paying you for a service. They don’t want to wait six to 12 months to see a result. The good part that LinkedIn’s done is one of the new features that they rolled out a while back is that we get invitation credits so we can invite our first degree connections.
[00:11:20] Michelle J Raymond: That’s people that we’re connected to. We can invite them to come and follow the page. Now we went from 100 to 250, so it’s a really easy way. That you can build a niche community. Now, this isn’t a place where you’re gathering friends and family and former colleagues or aunties and uncles, or, you know, relatives that aren’t interested in your business.
[00:11:40] Michelle J Raymond: We’re building a niche community, much smaller, a higher concentrate of people that are interested in what you do and what you offer. And that’s the main difference between our personal profiles. So one’s highly concentrated and one’s a bit more of a numbers game of lots of people that we’ve connected along the way.
[00:11:58] Michelle J Raymond: And they just work differently. And I think that’s an important piece for people to understand they work differently. So you can grow really quickly. You can do a lot with a page that’s got a couple of thousand. And if anyone’s ever used a review website, like TripAdvisor, Yelp, any restaurant review website.
[00:12:18] Michelle J Raymond: That’s what we do before we make purchases. It’s completely normal for us to go and research companies. So they might like me or they might like you, April, personally, and have followed our content. When it comes to handing over that money, we just want to make sure that the business is credible as well. And so this is where your company page supports what you do with your personal brand.
[00:12:39] April Beach: Oh, it all makes so much sense now that you explain that. Can I ask you specifically about those invite credits? Can you share just a little bit more about how those work? Because I know that people have heard about them and, and just a little bit more clarity on that.
[00:12:52] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah. The thing is, I don’t think most company pages are taking full advantage of this and it is the fastest and easiest way to grow your page. And so what happens every month you get 250 invite credits that can be used across of all of your page admins. So you might have multiple people helping to manage your company page and spread that work around.
[00:13:12] Michelle J Raymond: So what happens is you invite people and here’s the kicker. For every person that accepts, you get an invite credit back again, which is awesome. So be targeted higher chance of acceptance. You get another turn brilliant, but here’s the other side. They expire at the end of every month. So if you don’t use them, you lose them.
[00:13:31] Michelle J Raymond: So keep an eye out. It’s really simple. Just go to the page admin view. And in the top right hand corner, you’ll see invite connections. And what makes this even more brilliant? Is LinkedIn introduced some filters for us. So whether you target people by a geography, by an industry, or maybe you went a particular school, then you can do that within these filters.
[00:13:52] Michelle J Raymond: So again, they help you be targeted. They help you form that niche. And that is where the brilliance starts to come into play.
[00:13:59] Michelle J Raymond: Oh, that’s so cool.
[00:14:00] April Beach: I did notice the filtering on there and was playing with some invite credits in the past, and I think it’s really cool how they give you the credit back when somebody accepts it.
[00:14:08] April Beach: It’s just saying, yes, somebody actually really does want to know about your brand and follow you and be part of this community. So that is super exciting. So let’s kind of go into how do you even have Post on this company page. What do you put out there? What kind of content should we share on a company page versus in our on our personal linkedin profile?
[00:14:29] April Beach: I really I don’t think that people understand and know and what I’ve seen in the past. And I feel like we’ve done the same thing, too, because we didn’t know any better was just kind of sharing some of the same stuff And, and I understand now already just in what you’ve shared with us, that that is definitely not the right approach.
[00:14:47] April Beach: Look,
[00:14:47] Michelle J Raymond: it’s not the worst. I’d rather that than nothing because again, if someone finds you or discovers you on Google or the LinkedIn search bar, then at least they find something and not just the ghost town. So not the worst thing, but here’s my three, two, one strategy, April, which I’ll share, which makes it super easy for anyone running a company page to know what to post.
[00:15:08] Michelle J Raymond: And the last thing we want. We do not want them to be broadcast channels all about the company. No one wants to read that. It reads like ads and everybody just scrolls as fast as possible past ads. So don’t do it listeners. But here’s the three, two, one strategy. So three plus two. Plus one equals six.
[00:15:26] Michelle J Raymond: Okay. So we’re talking about six posts in total, and I’m going to show you how we break down those six posts. Now, for some of you, you might only be able to do one post a week. Totally fine. You might be able to do two in an ideal world. I’d recommend three, if you can get those done. So how are we going to do it?
[00:15:44] Michelle J Raymond: We have what’s called good to know posts. So three out of those six are good to know. And what do I mean by good to know? These are the posts where you highlight what you know is going on in your industry that would really help other people. If you’re a subject matter expert, doesn’t matter the topic you have access and to, or probably have done a lot of research in your particular area.
[00:16:07] Michelle J Raymond: Instead of other people having to do that same research, you become the place that they come to learn. And so this is what I call good to know. So trends that are going on. Maybe there’s been legislation changes for some people. Maybe there are things that are impacting that particular business, like changes to technology.
[00:16:24] Michelle J Raymond: You know, chat GPT is probably a big one that’s. That’s, you know, just being all over the place, but how is that impacting your particular area? And so you start to build up your credibility and to be known for that thing. And then, but if we just talk about that all the time, April, not going to lie, that gets a little dry, a little boring.
[00:16:42] Michelle J Raymond: And that’s when people are like, okay, you know, but what kind of a business are you? And this is where we start to come into the, what I call good to feel. So this is. What is your business? What do they stand for? We know that buyers are drawn to people who share values, purpose driven companies are getting, you know, a lot more say these days.
[00:17:04] Michelle J Raymond: So start to show us some of the things that makes your business different to others. What do I mean by this? If you’re doing work out in the community, show that. Show us some photos of what goes on behind the scenes. You know, it can be as simple as grabbing your phone, taking a selfie or a video when you’re out and about, and just explaining to people that this is part of your process.
[00:17:26] Michelle J Raymond: We want to see behind the curtains, like the wizard of Oz, you know, who’s behind that curtain. And this is what the good to know, sorry, good to feel posts will show people. So then we get that affinity for the business and we get to start to filter out who we want to work with and who we may not want to, but that leaves the lucky last post out of those six, which is the most important one, even though it’s the least that most people skip over.
[00:17:51] Michelle J Raymond: And you know what it is. The good to buy post for the love of God, please tell people what your business does and make it really clear so that people don’t have to guess what you do. I have so many people that I’m connected to on LinkedIn that post regularly that I learn a lot from. I even like them a lot, but I have no clue what they actually sell to people to be able to refer business or to buy from them. And I’m sure you see that a lot as well.
[00:18:22] April Beach: I think I do that a lot. Not only see that a lot.
[00:18:26] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah.
[00:18:27] April Beach: Wow. It is. It is so true.
[00:18:30] Michelle J Raymond: We get stuck in adding value. There’s this thing don’t sell on LinkedIn. And the problem is we can absolutely sell on LinkedIn. That’s why I’m there. I help businesses grow using LinkedIn.
[00:18:41] Michelle J Raymond: But the problem is when we do it all the time and get the ratio out of whack, say we were doing it six posts, we were just saying, bye, bye, bye. No one wants that. But the problem is we’re doing all this value, building up our credibility, people like us, and then they’re just confused. They’re just like, well, what would I actually spend my money with you?
[00:19:00] Michelle J Raymond: Now, when we keep it in the three to one ratio, people don’t mind because they’ve seen, you know, your things, they have an affinity for your business. And then they’re like, shut up and take my money, but they don’t know where. And so this is what I’d like to help people. It’s no longer a broadcast at people.
[00:19:16] Michelle J Raymond: The content style is very similar to what you do on your personal page, but. Don’t forget the good to buy posts. It is critical, even on your personal posts. It won’t reach as many people as part of the game, but it will reach the right people. And that’s the important piece. We don’t want to walk away and leave money on the table.
[00:19:36] April Beach: Wow. Okay. So three good to knows, two good to feels and one good to buy.
[00:19:43] Michelle J Raymond: Don’t forget that one.
[00:19:44] April Beach: That was a game changer for me, an absolute game changer for me. So let’s talk about the frequency of this and, and how often you think that we should be company or posting to our company page.
[00:19:56] April Beach: I don’t think
[00:19:57] Michelle J Raymond: there’s any one answer because every business is different. So let’s say it comes down to resources. Now for a lot of businesses, if you’re a solopreneur or a micro business, you don’t have a team that’s doing all of this for you, so you’ve got to do it yourself. I would kind of do the 80 20 rule. Most of your content should go over on your personal profile with, you know, just the smaller share go over on your company page.
[00:20:21] Michelle J Raymond: So we’re going to take it over in that particular case, ideal world. Even with my paying clients, we’re only doing three times a week. We’re putting our efforts into elsewhere on the platform, you know, forming relationships, nurturing relationships, and putting content out personally. So just keep it ticking over.
[00:20:37] Michelle J Raymond: Don’t get stressed. It’s okay to repurpose to your point. I have no problems for that, but what we do is we just put a bit of a gap in between when you’re repurposing, unless it’s time critical for say an event, any other posts, just put some space between it. And then that way people will just kind of go, I haven’t seen that before.
[00:20:56] Michelle J Raymond: And you’ve kind of got two different audiences. And on LinkedIn, we often see the same thing twice. And what do we do? We just scroll by and just go. What’s the silly algorithm. We don’t blame the person. And so I’ve got a concept that might help some people to keep going. Create your LinkedIn company page is going to be your greatest hits library.
[00:21:16] Michelle J Raymond: And what I mean by that and I’m going to be showing my age here, but when I was younger, I used to buy CDs and you would buy a CD, which have say 25 songs on it and three were great. But you had to buy the whole thing just to get those three. Well, we’re not going to do that. We want all killer, no filler.
[00:21:34] Michelle J Raymond: So we just want the three good tracks on the company page. And don’t worry about trying to keep up with the rest. When you take away the volume component and up the quality, it becomes so much easier to do. So yeah, create it as your greatest hits library and it’s so much easier.
[00:21:50] April Beach: Ah, I’m going to, it used to be cassette tapes for me. I’m really going to age myself.
[00:21:54] Michelle J Raymond: I’ve got those too, the mixtapes.
[00:21:57] April Beach: The mixtapes. We used to hit record when the radio was playing live to try to catch the song in the beginning. Oh my gosh. Yeah. This is, that is really, really interesting. Okay. So the greatest hits I honestly, I always like try to throw myself under the, well not try to, I always end up throwing myself under the bus here on the podcast, especially when I’m learning so many new things.
[00:22:17] April Beach: I honestly think that we have just been saying, okay, we don’t know where else to put this content. We’re just going to put it out on the company page. It was, we have so much content because of the podcast. We’re like, sure, let’s just put it on the company page, put it on the company page. And so I think that we’ve been sharing a lot of content, but there was certainly been no strategy behind it other than sharing, you know, this weekly podcast.
[00:22:37] April Beach: This is a game changer. And now I can see why you wrote the first book on LinkedIn company pages. And also why so many people are coming to you to help grow their business and their brand on LinkedIn. So I’m absolutely incredibly helpful, Michelle. I know that many of our listeners want to connect with you, want to know how to get your book because I mean that if this is what we’ve just picked up and you know, 20 minutes, then what is it going to be if they, if they actually dive into all your genius, how can they find you and connect with you?
[00:23:10] April Beach: Well, the
[00:23:11] Michelle J Raymond: easiest place to find me is always on LinkedIn and it’s Michelle J. Raymond. And that J is there deliberately not to make my name longer, but to make it easier for you to find me because there’s lots of other Michelle Raymonds. So Michelle J. Raymond and the book is called Business Gold and it’s on Amazon.
[00:23:26] Michelle J Raymond: But if you go to my profile, there’s links there and always happy to point people in the direction, but ultimately it’s everything you need to get you started. Started with your company paid. So we’ve covered a little bit here today, but for those of you who want to be stepped through the book is great. It’s a two hour read. It will set you off at success for the future.
[00:23:44] April Beach: Wow. Thank you so much for your wisdom and your experience and your excellence and everything you’ve taught us here today. We’ll definitely be applying this. I know in our business, and we’re really excited because you get to come in and teach our clients in an intensive coming up.
[00:23:58] April Beach: And I know our clients are really excited to be able to work with you. So just. Thank you so much for all the change that you’re making in all of our businesses. And we really appreciate you.
[00:24:07] Michelle J Raymond: It is my pleasure. I wish everyone all the growth this year. It’s a tough year, but I know they’re in good hands with you. So yeah, I’m excited to be working with you guys and just show people that this is just another tool that you can leverage to help your business grow. So yeah, excited to see what we can do.
[00:24:24] Michelle J Raymond: Me
[00:24:24] April Beach: too. Me too. It’s excellent. Thank you so much.
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Episode #300 Celebration: Behind The Scenes of The Show with April Beach (Episode 300)
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Full Show Transcript:
300
[00:00:45] Hi, you guys. And this is a really special episode. First of all, I just want to start out by saying thank you so very much. This is our three hundredth Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast episode. And that is all because [00:01:00] you have kept listening. You have kept sending messages. You have kept sharing this show with your friends and you have kept us going. And so before I say anything else, this episode is going to be epic as far as the birthday gifts we are giving to you for being a listener of this show.
[00:01:18] I just want to start out by thanking you. So much, especially those of you guys that were on our original podcast launch team, you know who you are and who have been there since the very beginning of this show back in 2017 if it wasn’t for your belief, your Kindness And peace And peace And joy And grace And peace Enthusiasm around this show, your faith in knowing that we’re going to drop valuable content, your support, even to those of you guys who left me messages during my little podcast sabbatical that I took saying, April, don’t forget to come back to us. We really want to hear more shows. I even hear right now explaining this to you.
[00:01:59] I can’t [00:02:00] express. How much that has meant to me and how much that’s meant to our team. And it’s because of you guys that we have made it to 300 episodes. So happy birthday to all of us. Happy birthday to the SweetLife Entrepreneur podcast and thank you so very much.
[00:02:18] Okay. So first of all, I want to gift you for our birthday. And we’re going to talk about business evolution here. I’m going to share with you a lot of things that are happening with the Suite Life company behind the scenes, give you all the juicy details, but I want to gift you. So this is episode number 300 and we are giving you over two thousand dollars in free business access in trainings. But here is the catch. You need to access it and download it this week. So we’re gonna celebrate our birthday the whole entire week. So if you’re a subscriber and you get our episodes live, dropped into your inbox. Thank you so much. Here’s one of those benefits. So from [00:03:00] August 7th, all the way through this Sunday, which is August 13th, 2023. If you’re listening to this show, go to this link. Go to SweetLifepodcast.com/300. And these are the show notes for this episode. And there are going to be links and codes for you to access over 2, 000 in business trainings and coaching with us totally for free. You guys, no strings attached.
[00:03:27] We just want to pour into you and bless you the way you guys have blessed us. So pause this episode. If you need to go to sweetlifepodcast.com/300. Or you can text the number 300 to 805 254 0880 and we will make sure that you are hooked up. So again, but that’s you got to get it now because it’s done on August 13th of 2023. So that’s, that’s where all the goods are. And [00:04:00] I’ll explain to you in a little bit here what those goodies are and actually how you know which one you’re going to pick.
[00:04:05] So we don’t want you diving into everything. We want you to diving into the right things, right? How many times do I say this? Nobody needs more content. Nobody needs more training. They need a transformation for their business. So I’m going to help you pick which one of these gifts you want to access, but let me catch you up to date here.
[00:04:21] on what’s happening a little bit with the SuiteLife company and really how our company has evolved since we started the show six years ago. So these key areas are important. And as I’m sharing with you what’s changed for us, I want you to think about what is changing in your business and whether or not you are pivoting correctly for your life, your profit margins, and your teams in the way that are best for you for your next Three, six, 10, 14 years of your business to you.
[00:04:52] So many of you guys, again, have been here since the beginning of this show. And if you go back and listen to the trailer of this [00:05:00] episode, it’s a really short trailer. If you’ve never listened to it, I actually recommend it. Because I literally cried in the trailer of this episode. I was so excited and I was so moved to launch the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast.
[00:05:14] I felt so called to do this and I literally broke down crying in the trailer. It’s like a short little three minute trailer talking about why it’s so important to get trustworthy business trainings in the hands of those people that are intentionally working hard to build trustworthy businesses. And I still am so convicted about that today, but if you’ve never listened to our trailer, you’ll hear a little bit of behind the scenes, a little bit of my story.
[00:05:43] I’m a second generation lifestyle entrepreneur and things I learned from my parents, but really the mission of this show. So go back and listen to episode 00, which is our trailer. If you have never done that, let’s talk about how your company has evolved and how our company [00:06:00] has evolved. So in the beginning.
[00:06:02] Of the launch of this podcast, the reason why I did this, a reason why I felt so strongly about this was because of the fact that there are a lot of new consultants and subject matter experts coming into the world is back in 2017. And there are a lot of trainings out there that were really kind of hit or miss.
[00:06:21] And so we wanted to create a show where you guys can find proven. I say proven. These are trusted business trainings from experts that you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for. And so we wanted to become the go to place where you can get trusted step by step implementable business trainings that you can apply in your business.
[00:06:42] immediately right away. They aren’t too huge and they aren’t too little micro. We’re not going to leave you guys hanging. We give complete business trainings in every single one of our episodes. And here’s a little secret. Many of you, if you listen to our podcast episodes, it’s a lot of what we teach in some of our, especially our startup business programs.[00:07:00]
[00:07:00] You can just listen to the podcast, guys. Go back and start it from the beginning. And frankly, you don’t even have to buy a lot of our services. If you curate the content that I’m giving to you on the in the podcast, we are here to pour into you guys. We have been since day one and I, I feel tired when I say, Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for six years.
[00:07:21] There’s a couple people I really need to thank. I feel like I’m like given an Oscar. I’m not at all. This totally would not have happened if it wasn’t for Brittany Felix, our original podcast producer. She’s absolutely amazing. And Ineke is our current podcast producer. She helped me get the energy again, after taking a year off to relaunch this show, if it wasn’t for Ineke and her creative vision to bring this show back to the world, after a year break that I desperately needed. – Thank you so much, all of you, by the way, for that – , then that would not have been possible.
[00:07:53] And of course, Jessica Erwin, our COO, which you guys are going to get to meet Jessica on podcast episode. I’m so [00:08:00] excited, but let’s talk about. Business trainings, right? Let’s talk about how we’ve evolved. In the beginning of this show, the majority of our client base we are working with were trying to reach consistent 10k months.
[00:08:14] And so the whole first 100 episodes of this show. So we’re curated to trying to hit consistent 10k months and, you know, offer strategy. We’re really focused on building funnels and online marketing and how to create your brand and how to create your voice. But also the other thing, and I want you to think about this for your business too.
[00:08:37] The other thing that we focused on, especially in the first 100 episodes was how to build your business around your family. And when I started this show, my three boys, Tim, Jake, and Sam, were between the ages of 10 and 16. Now, I’ve evolved, they’ve grown, I’ve grown, we’ve all grown. Now my [00:09:00] three boys are 21 and the youngest one is 16.
[00:09:03] So in the beginning, the first 100 episodes, a lot of what you’re going to get in those first 100 episodes are how to build a business around a family when your kids are younger and they’re not grown and flown. And so that’s how we focused. And then as I grew, as my life grew and as my kids grew and as my clients grew.
[00:09:23] So what’s so cool. It’s like, as my kids are growing, a lot of our clients kids are growing up kind of alongside. My kids as well. And we are walking into new seasons of life as leaders, as CEOs, as entrepreneurs, as parents. And that’s a very, very cool thing. Whether your kids are micro and you’re, you know, moving into elementary years, most of our clients, you know, your kids are that teenage phase and you’re, you’re moving into the flown and grown years.
[00:09:54] If your kids maybe haven’t even left the house already. So. I just want you to stop and [00:10:00] reflect. How has your content that you’re sharing grown over the last six years? How is your own personal life grown and how is that reflected in the content that you’re teaching and the trainings and programs that you’re delivering?
[00:10:17] And so as our clients have grown, as my kids have grown, as my life has changed and I’m moving into my late forties now, The content that I’m delivering here on the show, you guys may notice, and if you’re a new listener, welcome. You’re just dropping in here is, is changing because it’s aligning with what I am currently consumed with in my life.
[00:10:40] And I want to tell you something. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s important that your business does align in some capacity with your life in the current things that are important to you. Because when we do things in our business for other people that are important to us as [00:11:00] well, and that we’re currently working through in our own life, we’re even better at what we do.
[00:11:04] We bring more passion to the table. So the first thing I wanna share is it. If you feel like your audience you’re serving needs to be somebody totally different, you’ve never related to them, that isn’t true at all. As a matter of fact, your audience are people that you totally get, that you can relate to, that you understand what’s happening in their business or in their life or whatever it is is your area of expertise.
[00:11:30] And that certainly happened. So those of you guys who’ve been listeners from the show at the beginning, you have seen the episodes that we’ve done that we no longer talk about, you know, how to manage life, entrepreneurship life with younger kids. We did a ton of those episodes in the beginning. As a matter of fact, I even interviewed Timothy, my oldest son, when he was 17 years old about what it’s like to be the child.
[00:11:52] Of lifestyle online entrepreneurs. It’s a very interesting episode. He wore sunglasses and the whole entire thing. You guys, he [00:12:00] had his like tie dye shirt and his hat, and he was wearing sunglasses. And he thought he was so cool. You want to hear something that is cool is that Tim is now. My marketing intern in our company and as we share social media posts in the email marketing He’s a senior in college and he has been interning for us since that interview Back when he was 17, and he is an amazing online marketer and a communication specialist And so watching him and my kids even grow through the process of this show in our business.
[00:12:33] He’s literally sitting on the other side of the wall right now and he’ll be creating email marketing and sharing posts about this. Probably the email you read to come listen to this episode, Tim probably edited and wrote. And how cool is that? Okay. So what’s happening in your business? How is your business evolved as your life has evolved?
[00:12:54] Lean into that. Lean into the things that matter to you because [00:13:00] when things matter to you, even if they aren’t directly related to your business, they matter to the right clients for you as well. So that’s the first evolution. I just wanted to share with you. The second thing I want to share with you is our offers.
[00:13:12] We went from having so many offers, as a matter of fact, at one point in time, many of you know, I own two international business consulting 56 online courses. I’ll open it once I close them all down, reorganize them, updated the model. So what has happened is we used to have so many different offers. Let me, let me tell you a secret.
[00:13:33] Do you know that we have over 250 funnels from this podcast into our business? Let me say that again. We have over 250 funnels from podcast episodes into our business. Right? So you think that, oh my gosh, that’s such a great idea. I thought it was a great idea at first, you guys. Do you know what that is?
[00:13:54] That is called a nightmare. That is called way too many funnels to manage [00:14:00] and update and so much messaging because we used to give a free lead magnet with every single podcast episode. Holy moly, I had to hire a team to document and map every single one of the funnels and the landing pages they were on.
[00:14:12] But in the beginning, I thought that was a great idea. Uh, our listeners, you guys loved it. You had a free, awesome download with every episode. But what happened was it was a million email onboarding sequences all at once and we shut it down. It was just too much, right? Too much is not necessarily a good thing.
[00:14:34] And those are the things through testing and traction that we learned over the time. So we’ve reduced our offers. We’ve reduced the solutions we provide. We used to be a very comprehensive business consulting firm, and now we’ve really, really honed in to different areas of expertise that we like to help our clients with, which are million dollar offer engineering and licensing their content to other programs and [00:15:00] creating ecosystems of offers that align with their life.
[00:15:03] And so, as the podcast has grown, as I have grown, as you have grown, the things we offer, the solutions we offer have grown, and we’re actually, we have decreased, we’ve significantly decreased how many funnels, how many programs, and how many offers we have. And so what does that look like to you? When is the last time you, as your company’s grown, kind of cleaned house on some of the programs and offers that you have built over the years?
[00:15:35] How many do you have? Because Simplicity sells and so, you know, maximizing yourself and getting yourself out there and repurposing content is one thing, but creating a million different solutions that for that you can provide for your clients, you know, that wasn’t our initial intention. We just wanted to create action items from every podcast episode.
[00:15:56] That frankly as a CEO turned out to be a [00:16:00] nightmare for me because it was too much to manage. So I told you I’d share with you kind of a lot of behind the scenes things, sound like a great idea. Turned out two years later, not to be a great idea. So what can you simplify in your business now that your business has grown?
[00:16:15] What can you get rid of? What do you need to cut off? What are you no longer excited about? And here, here’s the biggest one. And this kind of goes into the third area of evolution. What clients have you outgrown? And I’m not saying that in a bad way. Alright? But you will outgrow certain clients over time.
[00:16:38] Just like we used to be very, very heavy for 15 years. We were very heavy on teaching experts, consultants, and coaches to launch their business for the ground up. And we’ve taught that business launch, online business launch for coaches and consultants for a decade, you know, really since prior to 2006, all right.
[00:16:59] But as [00:17:00] time has evolved, we focus on, you guys have evolved, your businesses have grown, your businesses have launched, and now instead of just trying to get you to 10K, now we’re getting our clients to 50K a month. Now we’re getting our clients past seven figures. So, as we have grown, our clients have grown, the content on the podcast has grown, the offers that we are creating, the programs and the solutions that we’re providing, those have also grown up too.
[00:17:28] And that’s the cool thing about staying the course, you guys, when you grow, when you increase your profit. When you increase your own knowledge, so when you understand yourself as a leader even better than you did yesterday, and how do we do that? We do that by putting ourself out there. We do that by trying things, uh, testing new solutions, testing new methods and frameworks on new audiences in listening.
[00:17:55] We do that by understanding. What the next step for our client is in continuing to [00:18:00] create a journey that brings our clients to the next level and the next level and the next level. So we can have lifelong clients. Some of the clients that work with us have worked with us for over a decade because of the fact that we are evolving with our clients.
[00:18:14] This podcast has evolved with our clients. And so we never, we no longer focus on business launch trainings. Again, if that’s where you are. I have a really awesome gift for you with, with this podcast birthday thing. You need to go, you need to go grab it, but it’s not our primary focus. We primarily now for the last five years, I’ve worked with established subjects, met our experts, coaches, and consultants to bring their offers and their businesses to scale.
[00:18:43] And so I just want you to realize that it’s okay to outgrow your clients. It’s okay to stop and ask yourself, do I still love serving these people? Does this still light me up? Because the second you feel like providing support seems like [00:19:00] monotony, that you’re not super fired up about who you’re working with anymore, and it’s nobody’s fault.
[00:19:05] fault. It’s just called moving into a new season. You as a leader are going to move into a new season. And so as I’m sharing a little bit behind the scenes in our 300th birthday episode, I want to let you know that it’s totally normal to do that. And I have done that in all of us. If we don’t take a minute to recognize what we are outgrowing, we’re going to get either bored or burnt out or stagnant.
[00:19:31] You always, okay, I can’t speak for you. I always need to have something to look forward to. It’s just a thing for me. If I don’t have a next level I’m growing to or a next place I want to go to or a next, uh, professional strategy, I want to master a next financial level I want to hit. Uh, a next physical goal.
[00:19:52] I have a lot of like travel adventure goals, whether it’s in your life, in your business. I’m a strong believer. If you don’t have something that’s constantly [00:20:00] challenging you that you need to push yourself to that next level. It’s going to get really old really fast. And that’s why entrepreneurship past those first couple of years, I don’t even know what the success rate is, but it’s really low businesses that launch and those that stay in business past like one year and then three year, it’s because they aren’t continuing to push themselves.
[00:20:20] I believe that when we push ourselves, when we challenge ourselves and when we believe that failing as part of the process, then you are going to be successful at that next level and whatever that looks like for you. So let me just kind of recap a little bit what we talked about since the beginning of this show, six years ago, our audience has changed the content that I’m sharing here on the podcast has grown with the audience.
[00:20:44] Our offers have changed. We no longer serve so many people. It’s very exclusive. The clients that we work with now. I’m not interested in having programs with hundreds and thousands of people in there. I don’t feel like it. I don’t want to do that. I like [00:21:00] working with select entrepreneurs that I can literally know their name, even if they’re in one of our group coaching events, one of our group coaching programs.
[00:21:10] That’s what I like. And so think about what you like. And are your clients growing up as you’re growing up? I don’t care if you’re 25 We are never ever stopping to get to that next level. We’re going to never stop evolving. That’s what makes us entrepreneurs. We’re never satisfied. It’s also one of our downfalls.
[00:21:30] You know, when we do something great, we don’t really stop to recognize that we hit a milestone and did something great. We’re just like, hey, what’s next? What’s next? And so that’s what we’re doing here. Maybe I should even stop and say, Hey, yay, we hit this milestone. But instead of course, I’m just thinking about how we can identify how we can grow from this milestone into, into the next phase.
[00:21:54] And I want you to identify that also. And I want to help you. Let’s get to the [00:22:00] goods. For our 300th birthday, again, this week only, we are giving you guys complete free access to two different trainings. You get to pick which one you want. It’s over 2, 000 worth of trainings. The first one is for those of you guys that are ready for the next level, you’re ready to scale your business and you are interested in learning how to sell your consulting course or training to corporations, organizations, other entrepreneurs.
[00:22:30] the government, educational institutions. So if you are listening to the show and you are interested in, you have an existing program, rule number one, and you are interested in licensing, you want to know about licensing. You want to know what comes next after that launch lifestyle and in social media marketing to really push your business past seven figures.
[00:22:52] Then we are giving you completely free access to licensing. Launchpad. Okay. So licensing launchpad is our entry [00:23:00] training, which gets you to the point where you know what you have, you understand the value of it and you can build an action plan to sell your trainings to other companies. On top of that, we are also giving you exclusive access to one of our Amplify events.
[00:23:16] So what is Amplify? Amplify is our licensing accelerator. It is an amazing group of leaders just like you that are licensing their content and we are going to give you a guest pass to one of our exclusive Amplify events. So again, if that’s the level that you’re at, then I want you to go over to SuiteLifePodcast.
[00:23:35] com forward slash 300 and just fill out your information there and we’re going to get you access to everything for free. If you aren’t quite there yet, if you are still scaling. Which is a beautiful place to be. What does that mean? If you are building your business and you are trying to hit consistent 10 K months.
[00:23:54] If you, it doesn’t even matter if you’ve been in business for over five years. We have a [00:24:00] ton of people that come across our ecosystem saying, listen, I’ve been coaching or I’ve been consulting for years and years and years and I still can’t get to consistent 20, 30, 000 a month. What am I doing? What am I missing wrong?
[00:24:13] We are going to give you free access to SuiteLife launch. Now, Suite Life Launch doesn’t mean you’re launching your business from scratch. As a matter of fact, 56% of the businesses inside Suite Life Launch program have been in business for over 5 years. Suite Life Launch is going to take you through the process of assessing your offers, understanding funnels for online marketing, and actually selling your services consistently.
[00:24:39] And we’re going to give you free access to that program. And so those are your two that you get to choose from. Don’t choose both. That’s the rule. You can’t choose both. You have to pick one. So you’re either trying to hit consistent 10, 20, 000 months, or you’re beyond that and you’re ready to learn more about selling your program to corporations or even allowing other entrepreneurs or [00:25:00] businesses to distribute your programs for you, like in a licensing deal, or you are considering creating a certification program.
[00:25:08] We’re going to give you free access to licensing launchpad and an exclusive invitation to one of our Amplify, which is our private client accelerator events where you get to work with me personally and we get to pour into you personally. So we really wanted to give back to you. We really, there were so many ideas we had around this podcast episode, but I just, I wanted to talk about, you know, some of the things that are the elephant in the room, some of the things that we don’t really get a chance to talk about here on the podcast about the growth and evolution of our businesses and how it’s okay to grow to different levels, how it’s okay to change your mind, all the, all the mistakes.
[00:25:45] Of that we did and wondering how to fix those and how to pivot to your next level. And I just, like we started out in the beginning, I’ll always be honest and transparent with you guys here on this show. If you ever have any questions about anything, you can always send us a direct [00:26:00] message. We are at suite life co or the suite life business strategy on Instagram, where the suite life company, you can follow our company page on LinkedIn.
[00:26:09] And we’re always in there wanting to connect with you and hear more about your company. I am not in this to serve the masses. That’s very clear to me now, even more than it was before. I want to serve you, and I really feel like our legacy is being that, you know, little rock that is dropped to help you be the waves in the pond that continue out across the world for the good work that you have done.
[00:26:36] And I just appreciate you guys so much for being listeners of the show, for your personal support, all of the personal messages. For those of you guys that hear my voice, I had somebody hear my voice. I was at a conference and I was talking to somebody washing my hands in like a public bathroom. And a woman came out of the stall.
[00:26:53] She’s like, Oh my gosh, that’s April Beach. And she gave me this big fat hug and it felt so good. Not because she [00:27:00] recognized me, but because somebody listened. Let’s just be really honest. I put a lot of work into this show. Our team, we spent a lot of money to produce this show for you guys. I’ve always refused advertisers.
[00:27:12] I hate them, personally. And just to know that you guys listen, and that you’re getting some value out of this. is totally worth it. And it just, honestly, that’s the best thank you ever that anybody can say was, Hey, listen, I listened to this episode. It really, really helped me. And that’s all we want to do.
[00:27:31] That’s what we’re here for. Our mission is to inspire and equip. You to design your life through entrepreneurship. That’s my core purpose in this show as part of that process. So thank you so much for being a listener. Oh, just wait for the next year. Oh my goodness. Okay, so here’s a preview of what’s coming up.
[00:27:50] We’re talking more a little bit about offer engineering in the next couple episodes. Next week episode is the five keys to a sold out offer. Next episode after that [00:28:00] is the three components to a transformational consulting program. We’re diving into a little bit. I’m sharing behind the scenes how I travel six months a year in my very specific business model.
[00:28:10] I’m going to unpack that for you. And then This fall, we are diving into an entire LinkedIn Logic Mastery Series with just incredible LinkedIn experts. For those of you guys that are looking to build your consultancy business through LinkedIn and sell to companies or even sell to other individuals through LinkedIn.
[00:28:28] So that’s just a little preview of what’s coming and, thank you so much. I really appreciate you. Thanks for being here.
How To Structure Your Suite Of Online Offers, Programs and Courses with April Beach (Episode 299)
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299
[00:00:00] Hi guys, and welcome to the last episode of the summer series here on the Sweetlife Entrepreneur in Business podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and I am coming to you with this intro to this episode from my front porch. So you probably hear dogs and kids and cars. I have my fireplace behind me and there is a gentle summer rain shower and I’m just so grateful to be here recording this episode for you.
[00:00:26] First of all, thank you so much for listening to this show. There are so many great business podcasts out there and I truly appreciate the fact that you hang out with me and that you don’t mind that I am here. And my workout clothes, my little Patagonia hat with my dog recording this intro from the front porch.
[00:00:43] So this is the last of our summer series and in our summer series we have brought to the surface our most popular episodes of the last couple of years. And as you know, we deliver business coaching and strategies that other coaches will charge you thousands for. And so in this [00:01:00] episode we are specifically talking about how to engineer your suite of online offers.
[00:01:05] Making the old theories of like basic Ascension model. We’re bringing those to light and talking about whether or not they actually should work for your business. We’re talking about new ways to engineer your suite of offers. And I teach you my strategies on offer engineering and business ecosystem engineering in such a way that It does things that my life that I get to do, I get to travel six months a year with my kids, my husband and I own five companies.
[00:01:32] And that is only because of how I engineer my suite of offers. So with that being said, enjoy this episode. Everything can be found by visiting the show notes at Sweetlifepodcast.com/299. And yes, next week is our 300th podcast episode. I’m so excited about that. Get ready for that. Make sure you hit the subscribe button, but in the meantime, dive in and take the proven strategies that I give you here on this show about [00:02:00] how to engineer your suite of offers.
[00:02:03] And you can visit the new link that I just gave you at episode two 99. Or also the previous show notes link that I have given you in the past. Both of them will lead you to the resources that we have here waiting for you. Thank you so much for being a listener to this show, for being part of this summer series and being part of our online business family. I truly appreciate you.
[00:02:28] You’re listening to the SweetLife Entrepreneur Podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business and launch a life you love faster with business mentor and entrepreneur activator, April Beach.
[00:02:47] Hi you guys, and welcome to episode number 225 here on the SuiteLife Entrepreneur Podcast. We’re going to go ahead and dive right in today. And we’re talking about how to structure your suite of offers. I know this [00:03:00] is a common question. I’m literally in clubhouse rooms every single week talking about this, because there are so many things that you could do that you could launch in your business to scale.
[00:03:10] Who knows? Is that the right thing for you? Is that what we really need for you in your company? And that’s, is that really what’s going to equal the profit plan that you want? So in this week’s show, I’m actually breaking down a process that I take entrepreneurs through called strategic business design.
[00:03:27] And so we’re going to dive into all things, how to structure your suite of offers to give you the results that you want. So let’s do a little bit of housekeeping first, and then we’ll go ahead and get started. This episode is for established entrepreneurs. So this is for those of you guys who are in phase three Of my Sweetlifebusiness launch system, it’s also called the start to scale up system.
[00:03:47] Basically it is a roadmap of five different steps and you know which phase of business that you’re in. It’s really important. You know where you are so you know what you should be working on so you can scale your business faster. And so if you’re in phase three. [00:04:00] This episode is for you. So keep tuning in here and we’re going to go ahead and dive in.
[00:04:05] If you aren’t really sure what phase of business you’re in, simply go to SweetLifeCo. com forward slash quiz, and you can take the quiz there and get your exact download customized to where you are in business right now. So this is what we’re talking about on today’s show. We’re talking about the fact that online services, courses, masterminds, coaching programs are all a great way to scale your business.
[00:04:25] However, how you structure your suite of offers can make or break your business, your lifestyle, and your profit plan. So on this show, I am breaking down my strategic business design method, and I’m giving it to you high level because frankly, it’s so simple. You can run with it high level right now. And I want you to leave this show with exactly what to do to get started to design your suite of offers.
[00:04:50] At the end of this show, you are going to know exactly the high level steps of what that method is. You are going to know where you can start right now in [00:05:00] considering your suite of offers, and you’re going to have clarity of what you are going for in the future and how that actually equals the lifestyle results that you want.
[00:05:08] So if that’s what you’re here for, this show is for you. Let’s go ahead and get started.
[00:05:23] Okay, guys, welcome. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. This is episode number 225 here on the Sweetlife Entrepreneur Business Podcast and all the show notes and everything that we’re going to talk about on today’s show. Can be found by visiting SuiteLifeCo. com. Simply click on the podcast.
[00:05:41] And this is episode number 225. And today we’re talking about how to structure your suite of offers. So I’m going to give you three high level steps. And within each step, we’re going to break them down. So if you have a piece of paper and a pen, Take notes. If you’re on the go, join me in clubhouse live this [00:06:00] week, because I’m going to be taking your specific offer design questions on Wednesdays at noon Eastern time.
[00:06:07] And if you’re not yet, you can follow me on clubhouse at April beach. You’ll get notification of that room. And I would love to include you in workshop this with you. So let’s go ahead and dive in. First of all, let’s talk about why this is important. I coach entrepreneurs. Obviously all the time. That’s what I do.
[00:06:25] And what we’re seeing is a huge trend of companies coming to us new and established companies coming to us who have launched a course or launched a membership, launched a grouping of offers because everybody else is doing it. And a couple things are happening. Number one, They’re failing, they’re falling on their face and nobody’s joining them.
[00:06:45] Number two, what they’re doing for the people that are successful doesn’t really align with what they wanted to do and why they became an entrepreneur in the first place. And what happens is they are tapped out. They haven’t designed their offer strategically in a [00:07:00] way that is going to deliver a couple things.
[00:07:02] Number one, the profit that they want. Number two, the lifestyle that they want and number three, the transformation that their clients want and need and deserve from them. So they’re tapped out. They don’t know how to do more. They don’t know how to create this, what we call a suite of offers. And this is how we build profitable million dollar coaching businesses that if you want, if you do it right, you can turn around someday and sell it.
[00:07:26] And so what I’m going to do is I’m going to take you guys through high level. These are the three steps of my strategic business design method. And people fly to me here in Colorado all the time to meet with me for one day to go through this process with them. This is a very important process and I really want to make sure that it’s in your hands too.
[00:07:49] Of course, I would love to have you join me here in Colorado or a virtual strategic. business design session, but let’s get you started where you are right now and make sure that [00:08:00] you know the steps of going through this. When you go through a process called strategic business design, you’re going to end up in three to five years from now with a company that you really, really love.
[00:08:10] You’re going to end up walking into that brand influence that you’ve wanted. So what you want to be known for, how you want to be seen. And really, in my opinion, one of the most important parts is you’re going to end up with the life that you want. You’ve listened to this show before. If you’re new, welcome.
[00:08:25] Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I travel with my kids four to five months a year and it’s broken up. I’m always on a plane. We’re always somewhere adventuring and that is because I learned at a very young age from my parents how to design businesses for lifestyle freedom and this is the process. Really high level and so I want to make sure you have it.
[00:08:44] So let’s go ahead and dive into step number one. And I’m sure this sounds so crazy. You’re like, oh my gosh, this isn’t, this isn’t revolutionary April. When I tell you what step number one is, but it’s really important that most people skip it. So step number one is starting with [00:09:00] the end in mind. See what I said?
[00:09:02] You’re probably thinking, oh, great. I’m listening to this podcast in. I’ve already heard all this before. Everybody says start with the end in mind, but let’s, let’s actually talk about what this means for you and why this is important. So starting with the end in mind means that you’re going to take a second.
[00:09:18] And I really mean take a second, just sit for a minute and stop and envision what do you want your average week to look like in three to five years. That means, who do you want to be working with? What do you want that to actually look like? So I want you to dive in. I want you to close your eyes unless you’re driving.
[00:09:38] Don’t close your eyes. And I want you to picture yourself. What are you doing on an average week and in an average day? What is your average day look like? And perhaps what is your average month look like? And here’s some questions. I want you to see in your own mind when we’re going through this exercise.[00:10:00]
[00:10:00] How are you working with your clients or your customers? What does your interaction between you and your customers actually look like? Where are you working from? Are you working from an office space? Are you, uh, working from your home? Are you working from a sailboat? Where are you working from? I want you to really feel both of those things, because both of those things, that equals the business model we need to design for you.
[00:10:27] And then, I mean, it’s not just a pipe dream and that’s why this is pretty crazy deep strategic business planning. This is not a business coach coming in here and saying, decide that you want to be on a boat. You’ll never get that from me. We need to talk about where you want to be. And I’m going to give you the exact steps to actually make that happen.
[00:10:46] The next process is I want you to go through and who are you talking to? Who are you working with? Who flows through your day with you? Who flows through your activities? Who is on your team? And [00:11:00] how, what, how are they operating? What does that look like to you? The next question, after you go through and imagine that, I want you to figure out what is happening that is not work related.
[00:11:11] And this is where the lifestyle entrepreneur side comes into play. What are you doing? That’s not work related. How are you interacting with the people that you love? What does that look like? And what are those relationships look like? And then when you go through this process to actually envision this three to five years from now, I really want you to see it.
[00:11:33] Because these answers equal the business model and they are going to lead to the suite of offers that you’re going to want to create in your business. Along those lines, I do have a tool for you. Go grab it. It is a 17 page ultimate guide to online business models. If you have not grabbed that yet, grab it.
[00:11:54] It breaks down every single type of offer structure that you can do for an online business. And I tell [00:12:00] you exactly how it’s going to affect your life. You can grab that simply. By going to Sweetlifeco. com, clicking on podcast number two 25. And we’ll make sure there’s a link here for you in the show notes.
[00:12:11] So that’s step number one is starting with the end in mind. But I need you. Most people actually don’t go through this process because of the fact that they think it’s just this pipe dream they’re building. Now we’re going to go a step deeper. We’re going to reverse engineer it even more. So hang with me here, okay?
[00:12:27] So after you’ve gone through that process to really figure out what that looks like for you, what you want that to look like for you, step number two is curating your suite of offers, programs, and products. So here is what I mean by this. What programs do you offer under your business and your brand?
[00:12:48] What types of programs do you want to offer to people? What do you want to be serving them in what regard? How do you want to be coaching them? What type of results do you want to give to them? So, [00:13:00] what programs, plural, make up your suite of offers? The next question to that is, what are the business models of each one of those programs?
[00:13:12] You could, in your business, only have one signature program that brings in half a million dollars a year. You don’t have to have multiple programs. But most companies do. I’m a big advocate for multiple streams of income. And frankly, you know, if you only have one program, we’re not really creating a journey for your clients to grow with you and to keep clients longterm.
[00:13:36] And so I am a big advocate of creating a suite of programs that creates a journey for your clients to work with you for years and years to come as they grow. So in your mind, what programs are you offering when you imagine yourself? Five years down the road from now. And what is the business model of each offer?
[00:13:56] And what I mean by business model, these are the common terms. Is one a [00:14:00] course? Is one a membership site? Is one a live virtual event? Do you have retreats? Do you offer one on one coaching? What is the collection of programs and the business model of each that is going to help you get to where you want to be doing in an average week and an average month and an average year?
[00:14:18] And here’s one thing I want you to lean in on. And we do talk about this a lot in clubhouse. This is what we teach in my masterclass on how to create your signature programs is I don’t want you to be afraid to create a custom business model and deliver your programs in a way that meets your needs while also still delivering a transformation to your clients.
[00:14:38] If you want to do a hybrid mix of models, which every single one of our clients are now. Don’t be afraid to do that. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. And of course, what you create here and what we’re thinking about and we’re shopping in your brain right now in this podcast, it’s going to change as technology changes.
[00:14:55] And you know, we get three, five years down the road and we bring in artificial intelligence and virtual [00:15:00] reality and all these other cool, amazing things, but we need to start with somewhere. And I want to make sure you have the roadmap to do this. Next question I want you to ask is what digital or physical products also make up your offer suite?
[00:15:12] Do you have any? Do you have a book? Do you have t shirts that you sell? You know, what sort of digital or physical products might also be in that suite of offers? Are you writing your third book or your fourth book? Are you launching a podcast? What other ways are you contributing to the excellence of your clients?
[00:15:29] And then here is where the hard work comes in. And this is where most of you guys are going to totally tune me out. But those of you that keep listening are going to be the ones that actually build the life that you want out of your business. The next part is to value and create a profit forecast for each one of your offers.
[00:15:50] So you need to sit down and write the forecast of sales for each one of your offers and the value each one of your offers holds separately and collectively. [00:16:00] and crunch those numbers and make sure they’re going to equal that lifestyle that you want. And then the third step is to determine what do you need to build right now?
[00:16:11] What do you need to start building right now in the next 30, days? What’s the top signature program that you want to launch or gain traction on first? What do you want to be known for first? And most importantly, how does this first program you’re launching fit into that long term suite of offers? And that’s what I want you to lean in on and those are the questions that you should be able to answer.
[00:16:36] If you cannot answer those questions, you know where to find me. This is my jam. This is what I do. You can send me an Instagram DM. I would happy to be happy to set up a strategy session with you. But the first thing is we need to do one thing really, really well. We can’t do all the things at once. And it’s also really hard with all the noise across marketing to become known for something.
[00:16:54] So I want you to lean into this one first signature program that you are building. And you need [00:17:00] to see and understand how that fits, how that one brick, if you will, fits into the bigger house that you were building with all the other bricks. Signature programs that you will create and once you nail your signature offer, once you’ve scaled this first one that you’re doing and that includes a program delivery, you’ve reached your first benchmark of your profit goal, then you can move on to developing the next program in your suite of offers.
[00:17:26] And as you go and as you grow, your clients go and grow with you. It’s an amazing thing and when it’s well thought out and there’s a strategy, I guarantee you it works every single time when we don’t add in strategy and tactics to creating business design. That’s where entrepreneurs run into trouble.
[00:17:46] And so I wanted to download you on this today, and I wanted to give you these really three high level steps. Literally people fly to me in Colorado to spend a day with me to go through this and design this for their company. [00:18:00] And I want you to have these tools too. You’re, you’re my people, you’re my podcast family.
[00:18:04] And thank you so much for listening to the show. And I’ve been getting a lot of questions about this lately. And so I really wanted to make sure that one of these shows here, as soon as I could fit it in, we were talking about these high level steps. So this is my strategic business design process and I want you to have it.
[00:18:22] Let’s go ahead and recap. They’re very basic, right? It doesn’t have to be complicated to build a profitable business. As a matter of fact, simple is what creates traction both for you and for your followers and for your students, your clients, your customers. So number one is starting with the end in mind.
[00:18:40] but in a much deeper way than you have done before. It’s understanding how what you want your life to look like is controlled by the business model. You choose number two is curating your suite of offers, programs, and products, and not only doing that, but then going the extra step, creating a [00:19:00] profit forecast for each of them.
[00:19:02] And understanding and making sure that the hard work you’re doing is in fact, going to equal the profit that you need in order to create the lifestyle and the impact that you want to make. And then the third step is to understand what you need to do first and build right now in the next 30, 60, 90 days, what you need to be leaning in on what signature program that brick in the, in the big building of your whole house has to happen first, what’s the first brick that has to be laid.
[00:19:27] And this isn’t for new businesses as a matter of fact. If you are a new business, thank you for listening to this. But these are the things that we work with, with established companies, established experts that are scaling offline to online, or who have just done a lot of things. I think one of the biggest confusion places in this are companies and entrepreneurs that have launched a whole bunch of things, and it’s all just a bunch of things thrown out there.
[00:19:51] There’s no strategic business design plan. And so it’s taking what, you know, what you’ve done well and putting it into a strategic plan, because I [00:20:00] really, I want you to have what I have. I feel so blessed, but it’s taken a lot of hard work and it’s a lot of strategy and it’s a lot of understanding how the importance of reverse engineering your business model equals that lifestyle and that profit that you want.
[00:20:14] And so this is a wrap on today’s show. I want you to lean in from here. And I would highly recommend connecting with man clubhouse. I would love to workshop with you on this and lean in. And instead of saying, I want to launch a course, or I want to launch a mastermind, or I want to launch a membership. I recommend that you go through the process of strategic business design to understand how it affects your life.
[00:20:39] And truly, what’s the best transformation that you can give to your clients? Are those business models truly the best ways that you can get them the transformational, predictable, measurable results that we want you to give them in your suite of offers? That’s what we talked about today on the show.
[00:20:57] Thank you so much for spending time with me [00:21:00] here. Again, this is a Sweetlife Entrepreneur and business podcast, episode number 225. I know your time is super valuable. So I hope that you felt that it was valuable spending this time here, listening to me. And I would love to connect with you further. As I said, on clubhouse, you can follow me at.
[00:21:16] April beach and all of the show notes and everything we talked about today. It can be found by visiting Sweetlifeco. com. Simply click on the podcast button. And this is episode number 225. Thanks so much. And I can’t wait to talk to you guys again with another proven business training you can take to the bank next week. Bye bye for now.
How to Launch a Transformational Online Course with April Beach (Episode 298)
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298
[00:00:00] Hi, you guys. And welcome to the summer series here on the Sweetlife Entrepreneur podcast. I’m April Beach, host of this show. And I’m so excited to bring you back to the surface one of our most powerful episodes that we have played here on the past on the Sweetlife podcast. If you’ve been following us for any period of time, you know that we give you trainings and proven strategies that other coaches will charge you thousands for.
[00:00:24] And so we went back into our archives and pulled up our most popular profit generating powerful episodes and it brought them to the surface over the summer series here on the Sweetlife Entrepreneur podcast. So if you’re new to the show and you miss these episodes, we want to make sure you don’t miss them.
[00:00:39] And if you’ve been listening to this show for over five years. Thank you so much. First of all. And secondly, these things are great to hear again. And sometimes when we rehear things that we learned once before, we hear them in a different way because you and your business are at a different level.
[00:00:57] And so that’s what we were doing here on the show. In [00:01:00] this episode, we are replaying a popular episode about how to build transformational courses. Now we’re going to talk a little bit about the history of online courses, the trends in courses in this episode, if you plan to scale your business with courses, or if you’ve built courses and they are not selling, this is a very important episode for you to listen to.
[00:01:21] The online coursing courses industry has changed drastically since we first started in 2008. It is completely oversaturated. People are not finishing courses, but yet. Some of our clients are generating millions of dollars selling their courses, and that’s what I want you to hear in this episode. So, with that being said, let’s go ahead and dive in.
[00:01:45] This is a replay of a past episode. All of the show notes have been updated for you, and they can actually be found by visiting sweetlifepodcast.com/298. And you can [00:02:00] also go to the links in the old replay episode and they will be updated for you and they will also be there to provide you with more resources again.
[00:02:07] Thank you so much for tuning into the show, tuning in behind the scenes here from the front porch of the beach house. And I am so appreciative of your listenership and your support of this show. Enjoy.
[00:02:22] You’re listening to the Sweetlife Entrepreneur Podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business and launch a life you love faster with business mentor and entrepreneur activator, April Beach.
[00:02:40] Hi there, and welcome back to the show. I’m April Beach host here at the Suite Life Entrepreneur Podcast and founder of the Sweetlife Company. Thanks for joining me again on another episode where you can take what we deliver to the bank. This show is known for delivering you business trainings and coaching that other businesses and coaches [00:03:00] charge thousands for.
[00:03:01] So thank you so much for tuning in with us before we get started today. And we’re about to talk all about online courses, which I know is a popular topic for so many of you. I want to make sure that, you know, how you can connect further with us here on the podcast.
[00:03:14] Delivering information is one thing, but then you usually have questions or you want to know maybe how this applies in your business. So if you are on clubhouse every single week on Wednesdays at 12 o’clock, we host a room and this room is all about the podcast topic of the week. And I take your specific questions on what we talked about on this week’s show.
[00:03:36] So if you’re listening right now to episode number 223, and you want to know all about how to launch a transformational online course, you’re listening to this podcast, and then you want to workshop with me and ask your questions. That is where you can find me totally free. Every single Wednesday on Clubhouse at 12 o’clock Eastern time in order to find that room You just [00:04:00] need to follow me on Clubhouse and I can be found at April Beach super simple so So let’s take this podcast from where we are now over to clubhouse and I’m happy to have a deeper conversation with you and give you support in this area.
[00:04:15] So who is this episode for this episode is for those of you guys that are in the business launch or scale phase and you’re thinking about doing so with an online course. So here are a couple of important things to note. Launching an online course isn’t enough. All right. In fact, the sale of on demand online courses and free courses actually dropped.
[00:04:37] The consumption of them has dropped over the last couple of years. And that’s because so many people are weary of buying another course or even of spending their time on a free course. And they understand the material they’re getting really isn’t good or it isn’t transformational. And they aren’t really getting the outcome that they had hoped that they would receive.
[00:04:58] So, if you are… [00:05:00] Which you are listening to me here and entrepreneur business, and you’re looking to scale online courses are still really powerful way to do that. In fact, we help most of our clients launch online courses, but how you curate your content and deliver a transformation to your students, to your clients will determine whether or not your course is a huge hit or a huge fail. And so that’s what we’re talking about today on the show at the end of this episode. You’re going to understand the basics of transformational course creation and design. You’re going to be able to assess your current courses and whether or not you need to make changes, and you’re going to have 4 steps to take action if you’re building an online course.
[00:05:41] Right now. So if you’re ready, let’s go ahead and dive into the show and all of the show notes and everything we have here for you can be found by going to sweetlifeco.Com [00:06:00] okay. So let’s first dive in and talk about what is a transformational course. A transformational course is an online course that delivers measurable transformational results where your students, your, your clients actually are able to understand what you have taught them and actually practice and put it into action instead of.
[00:06:21] So a lot of course creators, actually, most of them just teach you how to kind of outline your content. In benchmarks and basic reverse engineering, you need to do much more of that if you want to scale your business and become an undisputed leader in your space by creating a transformational online course.
[00:06:37] So that’s why this is so important. The problem is more content is not better. You know, nobody needs more content. Nobody is out there saying, please inundate me with more content. I know I’m not and I’m sure you’re not either your students and your clients and the people that you’re going to go through your course.
[00:06:57] They just need a transformation and [00:07:00] that transformation could be a micro transformation or it could be a major transformational outcome for them. So in able to do that or being able to do that. As a course creator means that you need to understand how to design your course that includes delivering a transformational measurable result in the end.
[00:07:21] And according to canto. com content overload is when too many different blog posts and articles and ideas and suggestions cover one specific area. And I know that as entrepreneurs that you’re struggling with that. If you’re talking about something that so many other people are talking about in that same area, it is a huge issue for your business and it has a couple of negative effects.
[00:07:45] For one, it creates a vast. Quantity of material covering this one topic and it makes it really hard for you to stand out. Another problem is that it turns off a potential audience and they don’t want to shift through [00:08:00] endless content to find the one thing they’re looking to achieve. And you can read that article.
[00:08:06] We’ll go ahead and put that link to that article in the show notes for you guys on our website. And so, as an entrepreneur, I know you’re struggling with this. I know that you need to understand how to stand out, how to become known, how to become like what I call undisputed leader. And I talk to hundreds of entrepreneurs every single month that are asking, how do I make my course or my program or my service stand out?
[00:08:30] And it all starts with simplified. Transformational program design. So I want you to write those words down in your memory. If you’re driving your car to say with me transformational course or service or program design. Okay. And that’s what we’re talking about here today. That’s what we teach within the Suite Life company.
[00:08:53] If you’re looking for a resource beyond this podcast in this area. And so here are some steps I want to give you that you can walk away with though [00:09:00] immediately so that you can take a look at your course. Step number one is if you already have a course, take a look at your curriculum, take a look at it.
[00:09:11] And if you’re in the process of building your online course, take a look at what you’re proposing to build. And you need to be able to articulate the end results so that people can expect, know what to expect fully. in the end with the transformation they’re going to get from your course. Not just what is the end, but what is the detailed transformation that they can expect.
[00:09:35] You don’t want to just say, oh, they’ll feel better as a parent if you’re launching a parent coaching course. Or they’ll know how to land speaking gigs if you’re a speaking coach. Or they’ll know how to run or moderate a clubhouse room. Those are all too general. I recommend that you are able to specifically articulate and identify the transformation [00:10:00] like this.
[00:10:00] So instead of, they’ll feel better as a parent, you should be able to say something about your course like, they will have crafted their parenting plan with confidence. So it’s really specific and you’re talking about how they’re getting the transformation. Or instead of, They’ll know how to land a speaking gig.
[00:10:18] It’s something to the effect of they will have completed the pitch process to land their dream stages. See, it’s much more specific and it also alludes to how you’re teaching them how to do that. And instead of launching a course that just says, Hey, you know, they’re going to know how to run a great clubhouse room.
[00:10:36] Instead, we want you to identify the transformation you’re delivering. An example could be they understand the guidelines of moderating inclusive clubhouse rooms. You see the difference in that? So step number one is really taking a good look at your curriculum. Number one, do you actually understand the transformation that you’re giving people?
[00:10:56] Is that really, really clear to you? And if you [00:11:00] don’t, It’s okay. I don’t want you to feel like, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I don’t know the transformation because I literally speak with entrepreneurs all the time that are like, wow, April, I’ve created this course. I bought all these other course creation programs and I put all this content in there and laid it out.
[00:11:17] I still can’t articulate the transformation I’m giving people. So if that’s you, just first of all, know that you’re not alone. There’s a lot of people out there talking about how to teach course creation that might not even understand instructional curriculum design. And so that’s not a reflection of you, and it’s certainly not a reflection of your content.
[00:11:36] So the very first thing to do is to look at the curriculum and be able to clearly Identify the transformation in a detailed description. Number two, create transformational benchmarks. And so let’s talk about what I mean by this. I was just hosting a clubhouse room on this topic last week, and I was asked this question, and a woman said she’s had a course [00:12:00] forever, and they were, I was so excited for her because they were going back through her course and actually understanding the importance.
[00:12:07] Of transformational course design. They’re going back and they were updating or redoing their course. It’s been this killer course. It’s made a ton of money for years. And she asked me, should I measure the transformation in the whole entire course or also should I do it in each one of the benchmarks, each one of the modules?
[00:12:26] And here is the answer to that. Yes. As an expert, you need to understand to be able to articulate the sub transformations within each benchmark of your course or of your service. Or really, this applies to any single business model. We teach transformational program development and design that applies to mastermind creation, membership creation.
[00:12:50] This can apply to a one hour coaching call with somebody. This can apply to any way that you deliver your content. Right now, in this podcast, we’re just talking specifically about [00:13:00] course creation. So, step number two is create transformations within each one of your benchmarks. And take a look and make sure that you understand and that you can articulate in a detailed way the sub transformations within each one of your modules or benchmarks as well.
[00:13:17] And number three is to curate content the way people learn. Okay, this is really, really important. Understanding that more content does not equal a better course or a program. We talked about that in the beginning, right? So your responsibility is to actually remove the content that does not directly apply to the end result that you are giving.
[00:13:39] That is step number one, take a look at your course, or if you’re in the process of building the course, take a look at it and say, okay, what doesn’t actually have to be in here to deliver the transformation that I’m guaranteeing people? There’s even more than that. As an entrepreneur, I understand that you’re not an instructional design expert or a [00:14:00] scientific learning expert, but if you’re offering a course, you have to curate curriculum with transformational program or service or coaching design.
[00:14:10] This is how you lead people to amazing results, and this is how you become an undisputed leader in your, in your space. So I want you to understand this. Most people believe that repeated exposure to material, right? So going over the things that you teach them in each module, and rereading it, and practicing it, and memorizing it.
[00:14:30] Is like the best way to get people results, but according to the McGraw Center for Teaching Learning at Princeton University, this is super time consuming and is actually less effective. Instead, they recommend making learning difficult in strategic and desirable ways to enhance retention, retrieval, and transfer of knowledge.
[00:14:56] Let me say that all again. You’re probably going like, whoa, whoa, whoa, you’re talking about Princeton [00:15:00] University, April. I’m a nutritionist or I’m a marketing coach or you know, whatever it is. This totally doesn’t apply to me, but yet it does. As course creators, it is important that we understand instructional design, especially if you are building your company and scaling your business with creating a product that gives people results and they have to go through a process of learning.
[00:15:23] So let me say that again. A lot of course creators, entrepreneurial course creators out there, put a bunch of content in a course, lay it out in a timeline, and then give people homework for each benchmark. That is truly not the way to get people results in your program. And what we find is just going over their notes or rereading the things that you’ve done.
[00:15:48] Isn’t necessarily the way to do it. In fact, according to this study by Princeton University, they actually recommend understanding and absorbing [00:16:00] some of your content in your program and intentionally making it difficult, but doing so in desirable ways. creating challenges within your course that people want to overcome, they want to do, and it’s not super easy.
[00:16:18] But let’s go ahead and dive a little bit more into this because you might just be like totally tuning me out at this point, which I really hope you’re not. Because again, as a course creator, Or somebody that wants to offer a course, it’s important that you understand this in the process of building your curriculum.
[00:16:36] So desirable difficulties. Let’s kind of dive into that. What does that actually mean? Desirable difficulties is a term that Dr. Robert Bjork from UCLA came up with over 20 years ago and refers to conditions of learning that create challenges for the learners. And even slow down some of the rate of learning, but in the end, they [00:17:00] actually enhance the long term retention of the knowledge and the skills that you’re giving them.
[00:17:06] So what does this tell us? Okay, this is, this is very advanced instructional design and scientific learning. And I totally get it. You’re like, okay, April, I’m not offering an MBA. I’m like just teaching somebody how to get more YouTube fans or whatever it may be. I totally, totally get it, but you are a course creator and bringing your clients, also known as your students, from one place to another in knowledge or skill is what you’re promising them, right?
[00:17:33] And therefore, you should include some measure of desirable difficulties. And again, what is that? So let’s take a look at your course. Either you’ve created a course or you’re thinking about creating a course. A desirable difficulty is placing the challenges, certain number of challenges, and everybody’s program is different within your course [00:18:00] that they’re ready module, but really great challenges that your clients are ready.
[00:18:06] To face in by doing so they get excited about doing it. They want to do it. They want to take what you’ve been teaching them and delivering to them over the past couple of weeks or months or however long your program is and they want to put it into action. It’s hard. It’s really, really hard, but it’s the best kind of heart because they know that doing it is for sure what’s going to raise them from where they are to the next level of where they want to be with you.
[00:18:35] Here’s an example of this. At my company, at the Suite Life company, we have a program that’s called Your Leading Offer. And we teach small 13 years.
[00:18:52] As a matter of fact, way back when in 2008, we launched an online course on how to create online courses, like [00:19:00] before the whole entire online world was talking about it. And here is why the process of curating your curriculum and building courses in a way that embraces what you are capable of as an expert, as far as scientific learning, but it also levels up your customers outcome. Your clients, not only retention in your program, but the results in your program. That’s how we build leading entrepreneurs and businesses. And we teach a process in my program called your leading offer that actually takes your thoughts out of your mind and your expertise and puts them into a process that creates what we call transformational program design.
[00:19:41] It is really hard work, but by the time we actually teach that in my Your Leading Offer program, people are ready for that. And so they’ve gone through the places in the benchmarks where they’re like, okay, bring it on. I am so amped up for [00:20:00] this. I’m totally aggro. I’m ready to grow. It’s going to be great work.
[00:20:03] This is good, important work because they’re ready for it. If we created huge challenges for them throughout the whole entire program, they would never do it. If we created no challenges for them throughout the program, they would learn nothing and they’d have no transformation. So I always love kind of showing you guys behind the scenes on our company and how we do things.
[00:20:23] So let’s take that example and let’s look at your course or your program that you’re creating or that you have already launched. Do you have desirable levels of difficulty that are strategically placed that cause challenges that enhance the outcome and the transformation people are getting within your course?
[00:20:45] If you don’t, then it’s time to take a look at that. And if you feel like you’re totally having a panic attack right now, and you’re like, Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to start. Then cruise over to theofferengineer.com and you can join one [00:21:00] of my next whiteboarding sessions. I do these whiteboarding sessions for free all the time.
[00:21:04] And we’ll whiteboard out your course together. Or like I said, join me on clubhouse. At noon on Wednesday, the week this show drops, and we’ll, we’ll be diving into this together. And here are some things I want for you to consider as we’re wrapping up this really important episode here on the show. Number one, understand that action is part of your client’s learning process.
[00:21:29] But how are you going to implement that action? What is the difference between them taking action and you just giving them work to say you gave them work? Or frankly, you giving them no work because you just wanted your course easy to get through. Where is the measure there based on the transformation that you are promising they’ll receive from your course?
[00:21:49] Number two, create challenges at the right points within your program. Not just to create these challenges, but understand when and where people are ready [00:22:00] to be challenged. And of course, number three, which is how we started out this show, cut the content and focus on the transformation and the output of the process that you are teaching.
[00:22:12] More content is not better. And if you take anything away from this episode, because I know we talked about a lot. Number one is to simplify the content within your course. Don’t overload people with more and more and more content. Instead, look at the content within your course or your program and ask yourself, how am I going to make this transformational at every single touch point within what I’m delivering to my clients?
[00:22:41] If you want to take your course, you want your course to take the lead in your space. You’re going to need to design it like a leader designs courses. And this applies to many courses, leading courses, and frankly, any program that requires learning and implementation based on the [00:23:00] information that you teach.
[00:23:02] Ooh. So we talked about a lot of things today, today in episode number 222, here on this Suite Life Entrepreneur Business Podcast, we are talking about how to launch a transformational online course. This again is for those of you guys who are just starting to scale your business with online courses.
[00:23:20] Whether you have had a course for years, like the woman I was speaking to in Clubhouse, or you’re just now trying to tap into the power of scaling your business through online courses. Understand that launching a course alone is not enough. Also understand that the completion of online courses has fallen so much that you have to understand how to engineer your curriculum in order to get people transformational, measurable, predictable results.
[00:23:47] And the resources we have for you again are join me in clubhouse. Let’s have a conversation about this. I’m happy to dive in, roll up my sleeves and link arms with you in our regular weekly clubhouse room on Wednesdays at noon. Again, [00:24:00] follow me at April beach and we’ll dive in with this together. Or I want you to also check out theofferengineer.com
[00:24:09] if you’re to the place where you’re ready to take the lead in your industry and you want to make sure that the courses that you’re developing are transformational industry leading courses, that is where you get the steps to do it. Again, that’s theofferengineer.com. And all of the show notes from this episode here can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com
[00:24:32] And I kind of geeked out on the research for this one, so in those show notes, there’s a couple of really important resources. We have actually put the Princeton resource in there for you as well, as well as I’m putting a link to how to create strategic levels of difficulty from Dr. Robert Bjork here in the show notes as well.
[00:24:55] So if you want to dive in deeper to that, I’ve made sure all these resources are here for you. All right, you [00:25:00] guys, thanks so much for tuning into the show. I can’t wait to talk to you again next week on another podcast that delivers a business coaching. You can take to the bank. You guys have an awesome week. Bye bye for now.
How To Fill Your Programs Using Guest Speaking with April Beach and Heather Sager (Episode 297)
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297
00:00:00] April Beach: Hi guys, and welcome back to the show. You have tapped into the summer series here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, and I’m April Beach recording this intro for you from my front porch here, just outside of Boulder, Colorado. If you’re watching this video, you’re gonna see I have a fire on and it’s actually raining here in Colorado.
[00:00:19] April Beach: I don’t know, our climate’s totally changed. It is June and we have had rain every day. But I love recording podcast episodes for you guys. Where you can really see behind the scenes of how we do things. This, we’ve been recording this show for almost six years and and I love just kind of unpacking the behind the scenes for you, especially during summertime.
[00:00:38] April Beach: So this is a special summer series we are doing for you and what we’ve done is we are. Replaying some of our most powerful and popular episodes here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast because they’re so good. I need to make sure you didn’t miss them. Don’t forget, we are known for delivering podcast episodes that other coaches will [00:01:00] charge you hundreds and thousands of dollars for, and everything we do here is to pour into you first.
[00:01:05] April Beach: And so the episodes that I’ve picked to replay and bring that back up to the surface for the summer series are ones that you’re gonna be able to apply to your business immediately today. And make more money. Improve your programs, improve your operations, and generate more leads. And this is one of those episodes.
[00:01:22] April Beach: So this is episode number 297, technically but is it is a replay of episode number 211. And so you’re gonna hear some other links in this episode. All of the show notes have been updated for you and can be found by visiting sweetlifepodcast.com/297. But if you go to the old links in the episode, in the past episode that we’re replaying, you’ll also find all the assets that we promised here for you. So never fear.
[00:01:53] April Beach: Now we are diving into how to actually increase your program sales through speaking in our [00:02:00] guest is Heather Sager. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, if you’re one of our clients and you’re in our programs, you know Heather Sager, she was actually on the episode on a show a few months ago, and we recorded a similar episode specifically for you guys who are speaking to license your training programs.
[00:02:20] April Beach: Now this episode is the version for those of you guys who are trying to bookkeep speaking engagements more to sell your B2C side of your business. We just did an episode recently about B2B. This one’s going back to B2C. So if you’re trying to fill up your courses, fill up your programs, fill up your mastermind, fill up your MRI, or your membership, or your live virtual event, or your retreat, this is the podcast episode for you.
[00:02:43] April Beach: And I felt like it was important because we talked about the. Corporate B2B side of it recently to bring this one back up to light for the rest of you. Enjoy everything here can again be found by visiting Sweet Life podcast.com, episode number [00:03:00] 297, and all of Heather’s assets that we have here for you as well.
[00:03:04] April Beach: Thanks so much for tuning in, hanging out with me here on the front porch, or if you’re listening by audio. Thank you so much for listening over the summer. This is our Sweet Life Summer podcast series and I am so glad that you are here. Dive into the episode and enjoy.
[00:03:22] April Beach: You are listening to the sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business, and launch a life you love faster. With business mentor and entrepreneur, activator a April Beach.
[00:03:40] April Beach: Hey you guys and welcome back to the show. This is episode number 211 and I’m April Beach. Super great to be connected with you today we are diving in, we’re talking about how to fill your programs using guest speaking, and we have Heather Seger, the one and only in the house. So what you can expect from today’s show [00:04:00] is if you are a coach or a consultant and you’re really good at what you do, even the leading expert in your space, but you’re having trouble getting noticed, well, speaking could be a really powerful way. To establish yourself as a leader and get in front of the perfect audience.
[00:04:15] April Beach: And so today we’re talking all about the steps to do that and giving you the methodology from the expert herself, Heather Sager. But real quick, before we jump into that, if you’re new to hearing this show, welcome. This is The Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast. And we give you step-by-step business trainings that are so good. There’s no way they should be free. You can find all the resources we have by visiting sweet life co.com.
[00:04:41] April Beach: And if you’re interested in scaling your business, developing your signature program, signature methods, signature offers in truly scaling your business to live life on your terms for massive profit, then we would love to help you get to that place. Visit sweet life co.com. That is our ninja skill and that’s what [00:05:00] we do. All right, diving into today’s episode. This is for entrepreneurs in all stages of my start to scale up system. So we like to tag these episodes in advance so you know whether or not this is really a good, good opportunity for you to learn and grow based on the phase of business you’re in.
[00:05:17] April Beach: So if you aren’t sure what phase of business you’re in, and therefore what you should be focusing on right now, you can go and take a very short quiz just by visiting sweet life co.com/quiz. And we’ll give you a full download of exactly where you are in your business growth and development, and exactly what you should be focusing on right now so that you can grow your company faster.
[00:05:41] April Beach: So that’s one resource I wanted to share with you. And along those lines, this particular episode is for those of you who are in phases two, three, or four of that start to scale up system. So hopefully that will equip you to know whether or not you should [00:06:00] hang out with us any longer. And I’ll tell you, if you’re in this phase, you are not going to want to miss this episode.
[00:06:06] April Beach: And one other quick housekeeping announcement. I know that we have probably been talking about Clubhouse way too much, but I wanted to let you know that you can connect with us and connect with our Sweet Life podcast guest experts by following me on Clubhouse. I am at. April Beach on Clubhouse, and we now host a weekly room at 12 o’clock every single Wednesday.
[00:06:33] April Beach: And that is Eastern Standard Time. So if you wanna be on the hot seat, if you want my eyes and your business to help you strategize your next steps, find us on Clubhouse and subscribe to our clubhouse updates. If you are not on Clubhouse yet, or if you just want the updates, you can visit sweet life co.com/clubhouse.
[00:06:53] April Beach: And we’ll keep you in the loop of what’s happening on Clubhouse while you might be waiting to get on the app. And we’ll send you reminders and [00:07:00] invitations to our upcoming rooms. So I know that was a lot of information and you can find all the information I just shared with you in the resources for these show notes, which is going to be@sweetlifepodcast.com/211 okay.
[00:07:17] April Beach: Let me introduce you to our fabulous guest on today’s show. You get to hear from Heather Sager. Heather helps entrepreneurs structure their ideas, clarify their message, and hone their speaking skills so they can deliver magnetic live presentations, videos, and workshops to grow their authority, whether on a physical or a virtual stage. She’s spoken on stages around the world teaching six to seven figure business owners how to grow their company using effective communication. She also works one-on-one with business owners to prep them for the stage and help you manage and prepare your message for the most impact. So, Let’s go ahead and dive into today’s episode. Again, all of those [00:08:00] amazing resources that I shared and everything we’re talking about with Heather can be found by visiting Sweet Life podcast.com/two one.
[00:08:17] April Beach: All right, you guys. Welcome back to another awesome episode here at the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Business Podcast, and I am visited today by none other than Heather Sager. And what we’re talking about is something that’s so important, I know many of you guys have questions about. So we are immediately diving into how to fill your programs using guest speaking.
[00:08:38] April Beach: So Heather, thank you so much for being on the show today. Give yourself an awesome intro. An intro that you deserve cuz you’re very powerful at gudy people. Amazing results. Anna, tell everybody about what you do.
[00:08:48] Heather Sager: Thank you so much. I’m thrilled to be here. Thanks for the chance to serve your audience today and talk about pressure on an intro.
[00:08:56] April Beach: I mean, I’m being honest. I will say behind the scenes, so I [00:09:00] have followed Heather on Instagram and it’s one of those things where you’ve been connected and a little bit connected, but not completely connected, and I knew that you guys needed to hear from Heather. So very excited to have you here.
[00:09:11] Heather Sager: Thank you. Thank you for that. So as April said, I’m Heather Sager. So I’m a speaking coach for online entrepreneurs. And essentially what that means, I always joke that I teach people how to do the thing that most people fear more than death, which is public speaking. And in the online space, uh, it’s kind of funny because we think about public speaking back.
[00:09:31] Heather Sager: If y’all worked in corporate ever, how you think about getting up in front of a group and giving a presentation or teaching a workshop, or we think about speakers as the people who live their life on the road at conferences, on big stages, and none of those things seem to really fit in the online space of coaches and course creators and and online entrepreneurs.
[00:09:50] Heather Sager: And what I like to remind people is the fact that as business owners, we speak to people every single day. So we are already speakers. It’s not like a label [00:10:00] that we just all of a sudden adopt. We’re already speakers, and so I, what I do is I teach people how to do it with intention and purpose. So what they speak about actually connects back to not only what they’re passionate about, but also what they do in their business.
[00:10:13] Heather Sager: I think your voice has the potential to be a magnet for other people, for them to go, Ooh, I, not only do I like her, I wanna learn more from her. And the more that you get out and use your voice on different platforms, the more you pull people back with you that they’ll want to join your programs and hang out with you more and buy from you.
[00:10:31] Heather Sager: So that’s what I do. My background is like many entrepreneurs is in corporate where for years I spoke on stages around the world as a corporate trainer. Where I taught actually entrepreneurs in the medical space, so doctors and their teams. I taught them customer service and sales. Two very taboo topics in the medical space, right?
[00:10:55] Heather Sager: Let’s tell you, as a 27 year old kid, it felt like [00:11:00] teaching doctors how to sell, how to talk about what they did, how to talk to their teams, how to talk to their patients. That was an intimidating task at hand, so I had to learn how to speak in a very different way. I had to learn how to be influential and persuasive with an audience who was highly skeptical of my experience, my age, everything about me.
[00:11:22] Heather Sager: And so that’s where I got my like big girl chops around speaking. That’s where I had to fight through all my own insecurities about being a. I always talked about being like a baby nugget on a stage, being an unexperienced or inexperienced professional, like I had to work through all of those mental issues we go through.
[00:11:39] Heather Sager: I had to do that in a very highly publicized, highly criticized space, but I did damn good job, and I realized that while I love my job as a trainer, what I really loved was. Teaching people how to use their voice for good. And I got really good at storytelling. I got really good at the body [00:12:00] language and the hand gestures and all those things that come with speaking that are more than just the message.
[00:12:05] Heather Sager: And I started getting people asking me, could you teach me how to do that on a stage? Or could you teach me how to lead a workshop? And I found all of my free time in corporate was teaching my peers and other businesses how to do what I was doing. And at some point I was like, Ugh. I don’t wanna do this for anybody else anymore.
[00:12:22] Heather Sager: Why don’t I just do this full time? So I made the leap like many do, which is let me start my own business and help other people do the thing that I love. But here’s the kicker. It wasn’t just about speaking, it was about speaking with purpose, because I think speaking is like gasoline on a fire. I think speaking is one of the best marketing strategies that we can use in our business, and I think people treat it as a skill, but speaking is actually a strategy.
[00:12:48] April Beach: Mm. So many things that I wanna say, right, right now about all, about all those things. First of all, now you guys know I wanted Heather on the show. Fire. Fire, right? Fire, fire, fire. [00:13:00] That was like, okay, we can just end it. Just go work with Heather and she’s gonna help you be just this insane speaker. You know, really?
[00:13:07] April Beach: You said so many things though. So as business developers, and obviously that’s what we do at the Sweet Life Company, we help. People develop their programs and we help them develop life-changing programs and offers and these amazing services. Right? And one of the things that they are always asking about is, but how do I separate myself from other businesses that are delivering these same type of results?
[00:13:32] April Beach: Besides doing it within the. Framework of my program, like how do I stand out? And it always comes back to taking the authority on what you know, in stepping out and speaking about it. So that’s the first thing. And I can’t wait to dive into the strategies we’re gonna talk about here today on the show, but something else that you said that it’s so true is that you’re speaking to people all the time.
[00:13:54] April Beach: It doesn’t always have to be a webinar or an actual live event, but when as an online [00:14:00] entrepreneur, when you have the opportunity to actually speak to somebody and take them on a journey that you have pre crafted, it is a skill and that’s how you get people to follow you that are the right. People and I, I wanna just kind of pause for a second saying, even if you’re listening to the show and you’re like, well, you know, speaking doesn’t fit into my business model, listen to what Heather’s saying because you’re already speaking, so let’s make it so you don’t suck at it.
[00:14:24] April Beach: Right? Let’s make every single moment that you are having the, honestly, the privilege. Just like I just feel very blessed and privileged that people listen to the podcast, right? All of us, when somebody is listening to what we have to say. It is a very unique opportunity and a privilege to be able to speak to these people.
[00:14:43] April Beach: So what we say and how we say it is incredibly, incredibly important. So just love everything that you said there and, and I appreciate how direct you are about the importance of this. So you help establish business owners really take the lead [00:15:00] in doing so by speaking and increase what I love, of course, is the sale of their programs.
[00:15:05] April Beach: So, Talk about how you do that. You have a very special method, and I’m gonna tout Heather’s method here for a second. By the way, if you all don’t have a method we need, we want you to have a method to make you known and to gain the trust of the people you’re leading. Talk to us about your method in, what is that called, and can you guide us through your method today?
[00:15:25] Heather Sager: Yes, 100%. I love methods. We were sharing our love of frameworks and methods and just easier ways to help people understand what it is you do, right? We all think things make sense in our own heads, but really our own heads are a very special place that only we understand. So we have to be able to articulate them.
[00:15:41] Heather Sager: So my signature method that I teach inside my program speak up to Level Up. It’s where I teach online course creators and coaches how to leverage speaking in a way that’s gonna grow their business. We walk through something I call the speak for Authority method. And the reason why we call it the Speak for Authority method is every business owner has different [00:16:00] goals related to speaking.
[00:16:01] Heather Sager: Some people might be like, Hey, I wanna get paid to speak $10,000 for a keynote, or $40,000 for a keynote. That’s one strategy. But when it comes to speaking, there are several strategies that you can apply. One can be growing your the revenue in your program, so selling from stages. Another could be driving leads to your social media accounts, or leads to your list, or leads to your offers.
[00:16:22] Heather Sager: Another one could be just. Not peeing your pants when you go live on a platform. It could just be growing your confidence, but I think throughout all of it, speaking is like a business card for your business. In all of these, they’re authority boosting activities that when you grow your authority, you have the ability to.
[00:16:41] Heather Sager: Charge more, get on better stages. Network with the people that you wanna network with, collaborate with the business partnerships you wanna have when you have authority, which is clout, where people see you as the go-to in your field. It seems like doors open naturally. So if you aren’t known, if people don’t know who you [00:17:00] are, you could be the best at what you do.
[00:17:01] Heather Sager: But until other people point at you and say she knows what she’s doing, or he’s an expert in this, by the way, you don’t say you’re an expert. You let other people do that for you. Until that moment comes, it doesn’t really matter how good your program is. You have to articulate it, make it sound like a big deal, and get other people talking about it.
[00:17:18] Heather Sager: And that’s where growing your authority becomes a really important thing.
[00:17:22] April Beach: Wow. Okay. Yeah. So talk to us about this Speak for Authority method, and I love how you preface it by saying that the reason why it’s so important is because all these goals are absolutely important, and they do apply probably to every single person listening to this show.
[00:17:37] April Beach: So what is the first part of this method? Where does somebody start when they wanna take action on this?
[00:17:44] Heather Sager: Yeah, you’re gonna love this one cuz this right, goes right up your alley of what you teach, which is number one is nail your messaging. What do I mean by that Is you have to nail who are you talking to?
[00:17:55] Heather Sager: What do you have to offer and how do you talk about those core [00:18:00] offerings, your messaging? So what’s interesting is the first time I, I taught my program, when I started working with groups of entrepreneurs versus one-on-one, I started by going, let’s create your talk. And I would start extracting ideas out of their head and formulating a signature talk with them.
[00:18:17] Heather Sager: And what I realized pretty quickly was, oh my gosh, this was the first time they were vocalizing their ideas. And some of them didn’t even have their programs fully formatted or organized in a way that really got people results. So I found out, you know what? When people start moving from just writing down their ideas or drawing out their ideas, when they start articulating their ideas, That’s when they realize, oh, this either makes sense or it doesn’t.
[00:18:43] Heather Sager: So step number one, nailing your messaging means that you are not just thinking off, like speaking off the cuff or winging it all the time. Here’s this big myth that happens a lot of times when we see experts or we see influencers on a podcast or on a [00:19:00] video or on clubhouse, we think, oh, they’re just so naturally gifted.
[00:19:05] Heather Sager: But here’s the thing. These people have been talking about these things over and over and over and over again. Mm-hmm. They know what they’re talking about. It’s not by chance, it’s on purpose. Now, sometimes it’s by chance because they’ve just done it enough where they don’t know, but they have discovered what their core talking parts are.
[00:19:19] Heather Sager: You have to understand what should you and what should you not be talking about to lead people into your business, not lead them to other people’s businesses. Like there is a difference. You could talk about a lot of things, but if you don’t have your messaging nailed, you could be providing a lot of education, but then serving them up open doors to have other people help them because they don’t realize how it connects back to you.
[00:19:44] Heather Sager: So, Wow.
[00:19:45] April Beach: Okay. I’m gonna totally put you on the spot here. Yes, please. Go. Because ev, because everybody’s saying like, oh my gosh, shoot. Am I doing this? Am I? Because everybody wants to be out there and sharing information and great value. Can you give us an example of how sharing some [00:20:00] information as in a particular way may lead somebody to go work with somebody else?
[00:20:04] Heather Sager: Yeah, I’ll give you me as an example. Okay. I talk about speaking, right, and I want you to imagine, uh, speaking, this is like this giant ocean of information. It’s in the, the marketing ocean. There’s so many different things we can speak about and one or two times I did podcast episodes or interviews where people are like, oh, speaking on camera.
[00:20:20] Heather Sager: Heather, will you come talk about getting over your fear of the camera? And I’m like, sure, I love this. This is within my, my wheelhouse. But what I realized is when I would start doing all these interviews that were specific to getting over your fear of the camera or going live on Facebook or all these things, which I, I do teach, what I realized was my messaging was really specific to social media speaking, and my offer is how do you speak on all kinds of stages?
[00:20:48] Heather Sager: Get your messaging down. Use guest stages. Yes, use your stages. But the speaking on lives and Instagram stories was such a minute point. I don’t want people to know me as the person to help you get over your fear of the camera, right? [00:21:00] Like that’s not what my program is about. Even though I have episodes around it.
[00:21:04] Heather Sager: Like the messaging, while it was a good relevant topic, it wasn’t core messaging that’s gonna drive back to my program, speak up to level up. I mean, it’s a lesson in my program, but it’s not the core concept, right? So I think a lot of times this thing that happens is we’re like, oh, it’s within the wheelhouse.
[00:21:21] Heather Sager: Well, you have to think about is it like a neighbor down the block in your content or is it like on the block, like on your street, in the house that you’re trying to attract people to? Wow,
[00:21:31] April Beach: that’s so important. Okay. I’m just gonna take a little left hand turn tangent here. Yes. Do as we are all diving into, or as many people as or possibly can, we’re driving into Clubhouse, for example, I just did the recording of this, hosted a a welcome.
[00:21:47] April Beach: Event room for a bunch of women entrepreneurs last night and they were all asking, what should I be talking about in these rooms? And I feel grateful. Now, I didn’t totally lead them astray, but it was always coming back to, cuz [00:22:00] I’m obviously not the speaking coach, but it was always back, what do you wanna be known for?
[00:22:04] April Beach: And I think that this is so exactly important, what you said, because. There are so many things that we can talk about. I can, you know, talk about a million components of, of our program as well in, in the ways and other things that are like supporting evidence, supporting document, but not that main nugget.
[00:22:21] April Beach: So what I’m hearing you say in what I want all of you guys to hear is what Heather’s saying is that go for, go after what you wanna be known for. This is also important why we have your signature program created so we know what we’re selling people into. So it aligns with your program. So important. And I think that there are so many people that are just looking for any opportunity to get in front of an audience that they are willing to speak on.
[00:22:44] April Beach: Oh, I can speak on that. Oh, sure. I can speak on that. Yeah. And what you’re saying is that is not strategy. Let’s be very strategic and make sure that in the little amount of time that somebody is willing to give you attention to hear what you have to say, that you are making a good [00:23:00] use of that and establishing an understanding of who you are, who your brand is, and the, and the end results you provide.
[00:23:05] Heather Sager: Bingo. So powerful and let me give you a visual for that because I wanna make sure you aren’t hearing me say, don’t ever talk about those things. Right. Okay. I want you to imagine, do you remember back in, I don’t know, some kind of math class when we were in school, the something called a sca, I think it’s called a scattergram.
[00:23:20] Heather Sager: It’s like the graph that you would draw with the dots and it’s like when you would have a point, it’d be like all these dots and you’d look for the trends of the dots. Maybe this is a terrible example, but go with me here for a second.
[00:23:30] April Beach: I’m sticking with you. You guys should see behind the scenes in the recording. My, I’m like, uh,
[00:23:35] Heather Sager: So if you think about like mapping the dots, like mapping different coordinates. Yeah. But I want you thinking about is you want to map. Like the bulk of your coordinates, i e the bulk of your speaking to your signature offer. But if you have a little dab like, oop, I’m gonna talk about this because it’s sexy, or oop, I’m gonna talk like, I’ll do a room talking about how do you do your voice on clubhouse?
[00:23:54] Heather Sager: Not what I teach, but it’s a sexy topic that people want. Like if my little scattergram. Gosh, I hope that’s what it’s [00:24:00] called. If I have like a couple beeps and boobs of topics that are outside of my core, that is not gonna dilute what I’m known for. It’s just gonna expand it. But if I spend too much time outside of my core topic, then I will be unforgettable because there’s no repetition on my core topic of people seeing over and over again.
[00:24:17] Heather Sager: Oh, I wanna speak on guest stages. Heather Sagers the speaking coach for online entrepreneurs. Oh, you wanna know how you speak into the strategy. Heather Sagers the coach To help you with that, like you have to make sure your repetition in your wheelhouse is happening in order to earn the right to have those scattered topics.
[00:24:32] April Beach: Absolutely awesome visual. Thank you so much. I have no idea what you’re talking about because frankly I think I was skipping school in stoned every high school math class, but, but just keeping it real. With that being said, I can totally get the visual and that completely makes sense. My teenage boys are gonna listen to this podcast and
[00:24:53] Heather Sager: yeah, it’s cool.
[00:24:54] Heather Sager: Your mom’s super cool.
[00:24:57] April Beach: At me. Oh, they, they’ve heard all the [00:25:00] stories. Okay. I am redeemed. Woohoo. Anyway. Yes. Totally makes sense. Okay, so you are going to be unforgettable. The closer you stay to what I’m hearing you say, the core of the center of that scattergram, like the primary message, so powerful. Super.
[00:25:17] April Beach: Awesome. All right, so step number one is like we’re still at step number one, you guys. Yeah. This is how goal, the information that Heather has given you here. So nailing that message and deciding what we’re talking about. So the second step in that is obviously an extension of that. The second step you say is creating the actual signature talk itself. Share a little bit about how to go about doing
[00:25:39] Heather Sager: that. Yeah, so for those of you who like cooking, I love cooking. Imagine step one is like your masen Plus, where you get all your ingredients out and you know what you’re going to make. Step two is actually following the recipe to build your delicious food, whatever you’re making your meal, so your signature talk.
[00:25:57] Heather Sager: You’re not coming up with random things on the fly. It’s [00:26:00] strategic because you’ve already done that homework. So your signature talk needs to guide your audience from where they are. To where you want them to go, which doesn’t have to be like, haha, I’m gonna trick you to buy my program. You need to guide them in their thinking and equip them with the tools to be successful on whatever transformation they want.
[00:26:18] Heather Sager: Your program just helps ’em do it faster. So your signature talk, it has to include stories. You have to be speaking to people’s beliefs. You have to be hitting that really good balance around insights and awareness and speaking to where they are. But gone are the days where you can just talk about the why fluffy stuff for your whole talk.
[00:26:39] Heather Sager: People hate that. Yeah. They know when they’re being sold or when somebody’s bringing flas. So people in today’s market want tangible. Tips and strategies. So you have to balance your talk with both. How do you provide insights and teach people how to think differently about your topic? You can’t skip over that because if you do, when they go back in their business and try to [00:27:00] apply it and something’s off, you haven’t equipped them with the right context for them to be successful, to be able to maneuver it in the context of their business.
[00:27:07] Heather Sager: So you have to teach ’em how to think, and then you have to give them some tips and strategies. How I recommend people do that. Is, uh, you teach the why and then you teach the what, and it’s gonna get a little technical, but I feel like your audience might love it. My format that I follow with people is you go, why, what?
[00:27:23] Heather Sager: How? Easy model for a presentation and you sandwich it with an opening story and a closing story, like not rocket science. That’s what I work with every client on. Opening story. Closing story in the middle of the sandwich is the what, why, and how. And if you’ve worked with April and you’ve been around her world, the what section is essentially your method.
[00:27:40] Heather Sager: So you’re almost there. You just need to work on, okay, how do I get this messaging in and what’s the right place to talk about in the how to make people hungry for more? But your signature talk should be like an accordion where you can deliver a signature talk in five minutes because you know your talking points, but you also can expand it and make it, I mean, a full day [00:28:00] workshop, maybe even a full course, right?
[00:28:02] Heather Sager: So you should be able to know what your talking points are within your signature talk, and that becomes your business card on those guest stages.
[00:28:10] April Beach: And it perfectly segues into purchasing your signature program. Yeah, and I mean, this is just absolutely the journey that you take people on it and how you nail and get it and get people really understanding what you do in your zone of genius.
[00:28:24] April Beach: Couple of questions for you about the stories. Do you find, and maybe there isn’t a right or wrong answer, but I’m just asking the questions. I think that possibly your audience is hearing, we should totally do a clubhouse room on this, like in conjunction Yes. I’d love with this, with the, the week we dropped this, we should, we should do a clubhouse room and take q and a.
[00:28:41] April Beach: I’m here for it and that would be so much fun. So, Talking about, really quickly about the stories, are they usually a story about another client? Personal stories about how the expert themself or the leader has overcome? Like what type of stories? I mean are we making people cry? Does it depend on the context when we’re talking about [00:29:00] stories in general?
[00:29:00] April Beach: Is there a quicker, seriously, you guys follow us on Clubhouse? Cuz Heather and I are gonna do this. I’m just putting her on the spot right now. We’re gonna host a clubhouse room on this. So what, just join our clubhouse room and you can ask your story questions. Go to our Instagram bio. It’s go to Heather’s Instagram bio.
[00:29:16] Heather Sager: I’ll give you, lemme give you a little teaser. The secret to good storytelling is knowing what emotion you want people to feel. That’s the key thing. You have to be intentional with the emotions you want to evoke. So for example, when I was working with Tyler McCall last month, we wanted people to feel heart, but we also wanted to laugh.
[00:29:34] Heather Sager: So we talked, we did a story about the time he went to forestry camp and was too embarrassed to tell his father that he had to take a dump. So we had to go home. So like outside of the cont I very weird left story about like 11 year old Tyler. That was one story. But like you have to catch people off guard, but you have to know what emotions are you going for and obviously your stories have to have a point.
[00:29:55] Heather Sager: There was a business lesson in that story, I promise you. Yes. I’m sure there was. Yes. We’re [00:30:00] too like on the nose. Mm-hmm. With our stories where like, I hate this people’s signature story where they’re like, let me tell you about my perfectly curated journey, which pumped me out of this perfect place to be your expert.
[00:30:12] Heather Sager: No, I think it’s bullshit. Your audience is not in the exact same space that you were. You can’t say I was in your shoes, because I think it’s obnoxious and rude because you don’t know what their shoes are. I think we have to tell our journey stories differently in a more authentic way if we wanna attract the kind of clients we want.
[00:30:29] Heather Sager: That’s if you wanna have, I think, authentic, ethical, meaningful relationships that make impact. You have to tell stories differently than what we’ve been told with the bro marketing online.
[00:30:40] April Beach: Ah, here’s, here’s my clapping. There you go. Nice. Yes. There we go. Okay. Awesome. All right, step and we are gonna do a clubhouse room on this. So let me just say you go to sweet life podcast.com/211 which is this episode number, and we will make sure there is a link to how you can get into this [00:31:00] clubhouse room and ask, ask Heather your questions. Also, follow us both on Instagram, because we’ll post our events on our Instagram’s accounts, too.
[00:31:08] April Beach: Heather, what’s your IG handle?
[00:31:09] Heather Sager: @theHeatherSager.
[00:31:11] April Beach: @theHeatherSager Awesome. Okay, so step number three. We’ve nailed this signature talk. We are on a roll. What happens next? What’s the next most important thing ?
[00:31:23] Heather Sager: Okay. So I think as entrepreneurs, we get by a lot by writing things out and typing things in our Google Docs to post on our blogs or whatever else. But if you want to speak, you actually have to speak, which means the first time that you speak your signature talk out loud should not be on a stage. It should be in the privacy of your home office where you can sound like a blubbering idiot because you will. So, so step number three is, Becoming magnetic with our delivery skills.
[00:31:47] Heather Sager: So you have to learn how to speak in a way that’s captivating and entertaining that serves your audience. Gone are the days where you can just show up and shoot a video on something good, on a how to People’s attention [00:32:00] span are short. Even on live events or like on clubhouse, people can jump in and outta rooms quickly.
[00:32:05] Heather Sager: So you have to understand that your delivery skills, it’s not just the words you say, how you say it matters more. So you have to think about, am I speaking in just audio right now or am I also, do I have video? When it comes to communication, there’s three parts. The words that you say, how you say those words and your non-verbals, and I think people put disproportionate weight on those.
[00:32:28] Heather Sager: What it works out to studies that came from Southern California universities in the seventies show that in marketing, when we’re talking about things that have an emotional message, which most of our marketing messaging does, 55% of what we communicate is our non-verbals. So our facial expressions, our gestures with our wow posture over half of what we communicate, which is why video is so powerful in allowing us to see, oh, she’s authentic or she’s not.
[00:32:52] Heather Sager: Right? Like, video is powerful cuz you see those, right? But 38% of what we communicate is the how we say it. The [00:33:00] intonation, the pace, the volume, the emphasis, those kinds of things. It’s 38% leaving only 70% of our communication to our words. Now as online entrepreneurs we’re used to writing, we’re used to emails, we’re used to captions.
[00:33:13] Heather Sager: We’re used to putting all the weight there. So it’s scary to think, oh crap, I have to focus on these others, but I see it as a gift. You don’t have to be so precious with your words when you’re speaking. In fact, I screw up all the time. If you rewind this back, I have misspoken, I have, I have strong words together.
[00:33:30] Heather Sager: Didn’t, didn’t actually make a sentence. I speak like up all the time, wrong words, whatever. You just keep moving because your energy, how you deliver it, and your body language carries you and your message. So if you don’t get intentional with how do you wanna be received, what kind of energy do you wanna create for other people?
[00:33:46] Heather Sager: What do you want them to feel when they hear you? See you listen to you? If you don’t practice that you’re leaving it to chance. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t, I don’t wanna leave to chance what people say about me. Like I wanna be intentional and be like, damn, I wanna work with [00:34:00] Heather. Or, oh, you need a speaking coach that’s gonna help you bring your energy up.
[00:34:02] Heather Sager: Work with her. Yeah. Like I wanna be more intentional. Absolutely. I don’t wanna like be caught up and obsessed with what people say about me, but I know I can influence it, so I say, why not?
[00:34:11] April Beach: Yeah. That’s amazing. Those stats are very interesting. I I had not personally heard those before, so super, super surprising.
[00:34:18] April Beach: And then Steph number four. Okay. So how do we, how do we go about wrapping all this up together? And this is your speak for authority method. This is your unique. Ip, your methodology. You have gotten people results going through this process, going through these steps, time and a time again. So wrapping this up, what’s that last really important thing that people need to do?
[00:34:40] Heather Sager: Yeah. So building your authority means you need to make sure that your speaking strategy fits your strategy that you’ve outlined. So if you determine that speaking’s going to grow your authority, you have to say, okay, what podcast stages do I need to be on? Right? Which live events do I need to be on? Who do I need to partner?
[00:34:54] Heather Sager: How do you identify the right players in your industry to help position you in that way? If your [00:35:00] strategy was to grow your leads, all right, in this stage we’re gonna make sure the freebie that you offer on stages correlates with your signature talk. So it’s not just a one-off like, oh, go take my random free training about something.
[00:35:11] Heather Sager: That’s not what I’m talking about. You’re not gonna drive that. So that’s where we’re gonna talk about how do we get results from our speaking determined by the strategy that you identified as your number one. So making money, if that’s negotiating a higher fee, great. If that’s selling your program, great.
[00:35:24] Heather Sager: If that’s driving leads, great. Like it’s kind of a pick your own, uh, pathway. There. You have to figure out what strategy you want for you, and then we have the template to say, okay, how do I make that happen from a stage?
[00:35:34] April Beach: Fantastic. How powerful is this, you guys? Alright, let me make sure that I can summarize your four steps. as clearly as possible because there was so much gold throughout this process. So your speak for authority method that you just laid out like a red carpet here, I mean, this is gold. You guys, you would’ve had to pay Heather a lot of money to get this information. And so make sure that you’re connecting with her more, both on [00:36:00] Clubhouse and we’re gonna give you some ways to work with Heather after this.
[00:36:02] April Beach: So the first part of your method is really nailing your message. The second part is really creating that signature talk. The third is delivering it with confidence. In the fourth part of your method is elevating your authority. Did I summarize that correctly?
[00:36:18] Heather Sager: You did great. You did great. High fives and applause for your articulation.
[00:36:22] April Beach: Good students, good student. You guys should see my, see my notes behind the scenes. I’ll just share personally, you know, public speaking has just always been something that I love to do and once I get up there and once I get in a role, I’m great. But it is such a head trip for me to get up there in the beginning of it.
[00:36:41] April Beach: And my biggest fear, I tried to figure out what I was afraid of. Cuz clearly I talk all the time. I’m not afraid to speak right. And I, I really don’t care what people think about what I look like. I’m, you know, one of the few speakers that usually takes a stage in some sort of flip flops, but, What I realized I was afraid of is that people were gonna leave that room, and this [00:37:00] is when we were having, you know, regular events that people were gonna leave.
[00:37:04] April Beach: That room unchanged. And I realized that, wow, what if somebody says, that was the biggest waste of an hour I ever spent. And it scared the shit outta me seriously forever because I was like, gosh, I just want people to leave here and have some sort of a transformation. And I was taking that. I’m really an advocate for that, as you know, like that’s how we develop programs.
[00:37:26] April Beach: Your program should deliver a transformational, measurable result. And I wasn’t really sure that my signature talk was doing that. And so if you guys are listening and you have whatever issues, like Heather said it in the beginning, people would rather. What, like die than speak on stage. What? What is that saying in the beginning? Like,
[00:37:43] Heather Sager: yeah, it’s like a Jerry Seinfeld joke around. More people would rather give the eulogy or a be in the coffin than give their own eulogy.
[00:37:50] April Beach: Right? That is awful. We were all given a voice for a reason. We’re all called to do great things for a reason. And using what Heather told you guys today in this show. [00:38:00] And her method is going to help you get clarity on all of this. And I, I’m super excited and appreciate your expertise and your time here today on the Sweet Life Podcast. So we’re gonna do a couple things to wrap up this episode. First of all, Heather has a way to get you started. Obviously, we wanna give you tools to take action right now. So Heather, where do people go to learn more about working with you directly?
[00:38:22] Heather Sager: Yeah, so the Speak for Authority method we talked about today. I outline this in a little bit more detail and at a little slower pace. If you wanna head over, my free training is up right now. If you head over to heather sager.com/free, you can download that free training.
[00:38:36] Heather Sager: You can watch it right away and go through it. And I teach you how to actually use this method to start driving leads into your program, so you can grab that now. It’s really designed for coaches, course creators, and small business owners who do not have a large following. But want to start establishing their self as authority.
[00:38:50] Heather Sager: So that’s perfect for you. But also if today’s conversation was of interest and you’re trying to figure out what kind of stages would even work for me, like how does this even play [00:39:00] out? I think maybe we should go on a second date. So maybe let’s jump into a training. Let’s go on a second date so I have a podcast.
[00:39:06] Heather Sager: It’s also on that page, heather seger.com. Fest free. You’ll have two options. The podcast is the Heather Sager Show, and you get like a little besta playlist that you can hear a little bit more around how I speak. You can get used to my style a bit, steal it, use it for your own, and uh, start getting more comfortable with this concept of what does it look like to speak on other people’s stages, but also use daily opportunities to exercise your voice, build your confidence, and most importantly, be more intentional with your message that you wanna share so you can make a bigger impact.
[00:39:36] April Beach: I love it. Okay, so I’m looking at my phone here. If you guys are watching the video behind the scenes, looking at the schedule, this show is live on January 25th. It is episode number 211. So that means sometime this week you and I are going to host a clubhouse room and we are going to implement and talk to our audience and answer questions for people that are listening to this show.
[00:39:59] April Beach: So I’m so [00:40:00] excited. I’m so excited too. We’ve been talking about like, you know, doing rooms together. So here is how you find out when this room is happening. First of all, you can go to sweet life co.com/clubhouse and you’ll get a list of events in the direct link to the event so that you guys won’t miss it cuz Clubhouse has a lot of fun things happening.
[00:40:21] April Beach: If you are not on Clubhouse, then listen to my podcast that I recorded episode number 209 about how to get started. Started on Clubhouse and I just want you guys just to take a second here like me, I do have many notes. If you feel like you are struggling to be seen as a leader in your space, that you really wanna connect with people on a more personal, relational level, relationship sell, that’s what sells.
[00:40:48] April Beach: And you want to get in front of your ideal audience and give them an experience, transform them through your speaking so that they can work with you more. I highly recommend. Speaking in general, but [00:41:00] specifically hitting up Heather to see how you could do that more confidently. So Heather, thank you so much for being on this show, so much Gold.
[00:41:08] April Beach: Again, this is Sweet Life podcast.com/ 211. So episode number 211, we’ll have all the links that Heather mentioned cuz we dropped a lot of gems in this. So all the links so you can find Heather and work with her more. And of course, a link to our clubhouse room when we get that scheduled.
[00:41:33] April Beach: Hey guys. Thanks for tuning into the show. To get updates and join Heather live in our clubhouse room, please visit sweet life co.com/clubhouse and follow me on Clubhouse at April Beach. If you would like to have Heather’s eyes on your business and ask Heather your questions, and also to join our weekly clubhouse rooms every single Wednesday at 12 o’clock Eastern time. Thanks [00:42:00] so much for tuning into us, and I will talk to you next week on the show.
How To Create A Quiz And Generate Leads For Your Business with April Beach (Episode 296)
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Full Show Transcript:
296
[00:00:00] Hi guys, and welcome back to the show. You have tuned into the summer series of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast and this is episode number 296, and this is such a good show. This is actually a replay of a popular episode that I dropped a few years ago and it’s so good, and it includes a totally free hour long training on how to do what I’m talking about in this show, including worksheets and everything else.
[00:00:26] I couldn’t resist to replay this episode for our summer series. If you are tuning in with me on video, you’re seen behind the scenes, I’m actually recording this updated intro for you from my front porch with my dogs and the park, and the fire and the afternoon thunderstorms here. And, uh, and all the cars driving by and my neighbor’s wondering what the heck I’m doing.
[00:00:48] They, I don’t think they think I work at all you guys. It’s so funny. How many of you like your neighbors and the people around you, you’re an online business strategist or whatever you do, like, they have no idea [00:01:00] what you do. So you know what I’m talking about. So here I am recording this summer series Intro for you, and I always love to share with you behind the scenes, as you guys might know or you might not know.
[00:01:10] My husband and I own five companies. I travel six months a year. And so every time I get to do a podcast intro from the front porch or pool side, you know, the audio might not be perfect, but I love, unpacking what we do behind the scenes so that you can take the frameworks that we use and apply them to your own business if you’re looking for a lifestyle centered company as well.
[00:01:30] Okay, this episode, I will, I will not make you wait any longer. This is how to create a quiz to generate leads for your business. Why is creating a quiz important? Creating a quiz is not only important for generating leads. Okay? That’s, that’s a, you know, captain obvious. Why it’s really important is because quizzes give you inside insights into your audience.
[00:01:54] That both helps you in understanding. Where they are, and it helps [00:02:00] them in understanding themselves or their problem better. So it’s a win-win. It gives you a better understanding of your audience, and it gives your audience a better understanding of themselves. In addition to generating a massive number of leads, so in this show, I break down how to create a quiz, the whole entire process.
[00:02:16] And like I said, it comes with a totally free hour long training that should not be free anymore. And so you can grab all of this by visiting the show notes@sweetlifepodcast.com slash. 296, you’re gonna hear some outdated links in here because this is a replay from a previous show. You can also go to those outdated links and all the information is waiting there for you as well.
[00:02:38] Thank you so much for tuning into this show and being part of our family of online business ecosystem. Friends, I love that you’re here. I appreciate everything that you’re doing to build your business, and thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of that and contribute to your company growth. Okay. Go ahead and dive on in. This is episode number 296, which is a replay of episode number [00:03:00] 217. Enjoy.
[00:03:04] You are listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business, and launch a life you love faster. With Business Mentor and Entrepreneur Activator April Beach.
[00:03:23] Hi everybody. Welcome to episode number 217 here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast. My name’s April Beach and I am your host here on the show. Half of these shows are just you and I rolling up our sleeves together, working on online business strategies on the other half of our shows.
[00:03:39] We have amazing guests. So thank you so much for tuning in here. And today we are talking about how to create a quiz to generate leads for your business. It’s gonna be a power packed episode, and it’s gonna be pretty quick and short. And here is why. I have a huge, really cool extra [00:04:00] bonus with this podcast episode for you.
[00:04:02] I’m including totally free a one hour video training and a worksheet that goes along with this episode that tells you exactly step-by-step in-depth, how to create a quiz or an assessment to generate leads for your company. And you can totally get that no strings attached, completely free. I’ll tell you this right away.
[00:04:23] Here are two different ways you can get it. You can go to sweet life co.com/how to create a quiz, or you can text the word quiz help. That’s all one word. Quiz help to the number 8, 0, 5, 2, 5, 4, 0, 8, 8, 0, and that’s gonna be a link where you can access this training right away. Why am I super passionate about this and giving you a bunch of stuff for that’s really highly valued because I know it [00:05:00] works.
[00:05:00] We’ve had quizzes in our business for years, and they’re a powerful way for you to generate leads in your company. They’re also a really great opportunity for your clients, your potential clients. And so it’s a win-win situation for everybody. So here’s what we’re talking about today. This episode is great.
[00:05:17] For those of you who are ready to generate leads for your small business, that means you are in either phase two or three of my start to scale up system. It’s my business growth roadmap, and of course, I have a quiz that you can take that tells you exactly where you are in the process of growing your business.
[00:05:39] Again, I’m a huge advocate for this type of list growth, and you can take my quiz, our quiz if you haven’t yet, by visiting sweet life co.com/quiz. Now this episode is for those of you guys who are looking to grow your list, but you wanna know how to do so in a mindful way. We’re gonna [00:06:00] dive into the steps to create the content of your quiz, the outcomes of your quiz, and the questions within your quiz.
[00:06:07] And we’re wrapping it all up today, talking about software recommendations for where you can build your quiz. So at the end of this episode, you’re gonna have a strategy of whether or not quiz list growth is right for you. You’re gonna know how you wanna use this strategy in your business. Your wheels are totally gonna be spinning here in about the next five minutes in a really good way, and you’re gonna learn the exact process to design a quiz and the content within your quiz. So if you’re ready, let’s go ahead and dive in.
[00:06:46] Okay, today we’re talking about the power of quizzes. So when you engineer a quiz or a self-assessment correctly, it’s a very powerful tool for both you and your audience. Quizzes give you an amazing [00:07:00] amount of insight into where your clients are right now and what they need right now, and also to where your marketing is landing.
[00:07:07] So we’ll talk about that here in just a sec. But with the knowledge that you get based on where people land and the results of your quiz, you can segment your list. You can decide to add more services. So how people are falling in the outcomes of your quiz is gonna give you insight to whether or not you wanna add more services or solutions or products for these people.
[00:07:30] And you can hyperfocus on those that truly, truly need your services and your solutions. And. What’s also amazing about this is with this type of lead generation, you can move people to other places. You can create a journey for people through your products and through your offers, and you can move them to other places in your business through the knowledge that you’re receiving from the outcomes of their quiz.
[00:07:58] Or of [00:08:00] course, you can completely remove clients altogether. So based on your quiz results, you can disqualify those people that aren’t the perfect people for your business, and that is equally as powerful for you and for them. We don’t wanna waste their time if they’re not the right fit clients, and we certainly don’t wanna waste yours either.
[00:08:17] So quiz a quiz really, really does this. So let me take you behind the scenes. I know if you’re a listener, you’ve been listening to the show for a long time. You have heard of my Sweet Life Entrepreneur Roadmap. I created this roadmap about eight years ago, and we have two names for it. I’ll be really honest.
[00:08:36] I call it in-house. It’s a sweet life entrepreneur roadmap. The technical term is called the Start to Scale Up system. Okay, so you might have heard it being called different names. You know, whichever one you like. It’s the same thing. Let me explain to you the quiz process of how we use this. So, first of all, what it is, is it is five phases of [00:09:00] business growth, starting from phase one when somebody’s just thinking about launching a company all the way to phase five, which is a social entrepreneur.
[00:09:09] So it’s a company that has hit the financial benchmarks they wanna hit. And they’re doing so well. They’re making a huge impact. Basically they’re making a ton of money to give a ton of money away or to free up the founder’s time to go start a new company. So we have five phases in this literally roadmap to building a life first business.
[00:09:30] And within each one of these phases, there are different things that a company needs to focus on. So phase one is just figuring out starting phase two is launch. Phase three is scale. Phase four is also scale, but it’s a next level scaling. There’s a difference between the first time you scale and when you continue to scale as a business.
[00:09:48] And then phase five is impact. And so we have this quiz. That I share with you at the beginning of every single episode cuz we actually tag our episodes here on the podcast based on [00:10:00] what we’re talking about, in what part, what phase of outcome this episode is appropriate because also that’s a benefit. I don’t want you hanging out here with me.
[00:10:09] If I’m talking about something that really only pertains to those entrepreneurs in phase five and you’re in phase two, that’s how we get really overwhelmed in business and that whole shiny object syndrome. So, That is our quiz. You can take it. You can find out exactly what phase of business development you’re in.
[00:10:25] So I’ve just shared with you how we use that even on the podcast. But now let’s go a little bit further behind the scenes. Based on the outcomes of where someone lands in our quiz. We have certain business programs, so we are able to strategically design business coaching and strategy programs and services and courses and offers and communities and masterminds based on the phase of business that somebody is in.
[00:10:54] So, It’s helpful to me on the business side because I know where the majority of our [00:11:00] marketing is landing. For example, if we have marketing strategy and, and I put the quiz out there, and the majority of people are, are in phase one, they’re just starting up. Well, they’re not our ideal clients. Our ideal clients are businesses that are really ready to scale, or they’re going through from offline to online to scale.
[00:11:17] They’re launching their first online business, or they have been in online business. They’re really ready to develop their signature offers and have scaled strategy. And so it’s really important that I know whether or not our marketing is hitting the right people, our perfect clients. So that’s what’s really cool for us on the back end.
[00:11:37] So, Now let’s also talk about what’s really cool for the users of our quiz when they take our quiz. And again, if you’ve taken our quiz, you know this, they get an entire list of exactly what they should be working on right now in their business. They get a summary that explains the phase of business that they’re in.
[00:11:55] The highs and lows, the pitfalls in the victories, and they get a very [00:12:00] thorough checklist of exactly what they should be focusing on right now. So even if they aren’t one of our ideal clients to join our, you know, mastermind or to join our next level signature offer program. They’re still getting amazing value based on where they are in business, so it’s a win-win for us as a company.
[00:12:20] Again, we have insight into who is coming into our marketing funnels and who’s coming into our, our marketing efforts. We know exactly where entrepreneurs are, and so therefore, we’re only gonna offer entrepreneurs. The resources based on the phase of business they’re in. I’m not gonna send an email to every single person about joining a program that’s really only appropriate for those people in maybe phases four or five.
[00:12:44] So see how cool that is for us. We have amazing insight. We have amazing intelligence into what people need from us, and we’re giving it to them exactly based on where they are in business, and they [00:13:00] are getting exactly what they need based on where they’re in business. So now let’s turn this to you. What is it that you do?
[00:13:07] What is it that you need to know about your clients or what type of clients, or maybe even phase of clients in their journey do you serve? A quiz is gonna give you great insight into where your clients are and what they need. And with this knowledge, just like we do, you can segment your list, you can decide to add more offers or services, and you can hyper focus on those people that are coming your way.
[00:13:35] It is an amazing opportunity for you, and it’s really, really a win-win. There’s a lot of lead magnets that we can create out there. Obviously, we always want them to be a win-win, but I honestly don’t think any are as powerful as a self-assessment or a quiz and, and I’m just speaking from our experience.
[00:13:53] And so the users get the amazing results. You get the amazing results, and it’s a win-win for everybody. So, [00:14:00] So now let’s kind of dive in here for a minute and let’s talk about actually how to create the content for your quiz. This is where people get stuck. They’re like, oh yeah, I wanna create a quiz. And then it’s like they totally stop because you think it’s easy, but it’s actually easier said than done.
[00:14:19] So just like everything else we do in your business, we wanna give them a transformation. Even in your quiz, in your lead magnet strategy, in a call with you, everything. Okay. And so we wanna make sure we’re taking them from one place before they’ve taken their, your quiz to knowledge or a different place in the end.
[00:14:38] So the first thing that you wanna ask yourself when you’re figuring out this kind of strategy of, okay, what’s my quiz on? Like, what do I wanna do here? What’s gonna be awesome for everybody is what, you know, really what is the main topic of your quiz? How does your quiz relate to or confirm your area of expertise?[00:15:00]
[00:15:00] So how can you create a quiz that relates to what you have sick skills at, what your company is amazing at? And really think about that instead of just throwing a quiz out there. And literally, the next question I really want you to ask yourself is, what is gonna be helpful to you? What insight is gonna be helpful to you as the business owner to understand about your audience?
[00:15:29] For me, I need to know what phase of business somebody is in when I know that I can deliver them. Pinpointed perfect business coaching programs to keep growing and scaling their company. For you, what do you need to know about the people that are coming into your business to truly line them up in a perfect way for your services or your programs?
[00:15:55] And then the next question is, what is the quiz gonna tell your [00:16:00] users about themselves? What can you share with them that they don’t already know, or what can you confirm to them that they might have had a feeling about, they might have had a suspicion about already, but nobody ever made it that clear.
[00:16:14] Here’s the deal. When somebody takes your quiz and the outcome that they receive is so right on. It blows their mind. They’re like, oh my gosh, this person was in my head. I love them. They know more about me than I know about myself. I love this business like we’re creating super fans here. When your quiz does this, so what do you need to know about the outcome of the quiz for your business, and what do the users need to know about themselves or their situation?
[00:16:47] That is what creates a powerful quiz. It’s so good. You’re gonna love it. You’re gonna, you’re gonna have people, I have people emailing me being like, oh my gosh, April, this is right on. And thank you so much. And that’s what I want for you as well. [00:17:00] So now we’re gonna dive into just a little bit about actually how to create the quiz itself.
[00:17:05] You know me, I’m a program builder. I’m a service in a, in a content, you know, course builder. So I have to teach you this side cuz this is where everybody gets stuck. I’m gonna share with you the first three steps here. And then this is what the hour long training that is totally free with this podcast episode gives.
[00:17:23] And so it’s super duper important that if this is an area that you want to use in your business, go take that training. Like there’s no strengths attached. It’s not even a whole hour, I think it’s like 53 minutes, and I dive in in depth and help you strategize the answers to these things we’re talking about.
[00:17:40] But here, this is how to create your quiz content. So number one, you start with the end in mind. If you’ve tried to create a quiz and you’re starting with the questions, you’ve probably struggled greatly. Instead, we wanna start with the outcomes. Okay? So first you wanted to create the clear outcomes and give [00:18:00] them unique names.
[00:18:01] Give them names that people understand, but they’re unique names, you know? So our outcome is like phase one planning, phase two, launch phase three, scale, phase four, purpose, phase five impact. So they’re clear words, you know, we wanna get fancy but not too fancy. Just make sure they’re very clear outcomes that people understand.
[00:18:20] So the first thing you’re gonna do is really define the end results and define your outcomes. Step number two is then write each outcome. Of your quiz in paragraph form, and this is really important. This is what’s gonna go to them by email or what they’re gonna find on a results page on your website.
[00:18:41] You wanna write it out. You wanna say, Hey, listen, this is where you are. I hear you. I’ve got you. Like that’s what this paragraph says, and you wanna take your time to write out the response or the result for that outcome. And you wanna include any sort of details that are necessary, any sort of specific [00:19:00] outcome knowledge, or whether it is psychological, or whether it’s physical, or whether it’s, you know, strategic, any of those things you wanna include in this outcome, including tips and steps and actions and recommendations.
[00:19:15] And then the third part is going in and then creating the statements or the questions that lead to each one of those outcomes. And so that is a step-by-step process. Those are three of the six steps that we use to create an amazing quiz that converts and converts to the right people and just wows them.
[00:19:35] Even if they aren’t your right clients, we’re still gonna wow them, right? Cuz you know what? If they aren’t your right clients now, they might be your right clients next year. And that’s a really important thing to remember, so, And so those are the three steps to actually go through and create the content within your quiz.
[00:19:53] And again, that’s really high level you guys here on the podcast to be very efficient and making sure I’m giving you great [00:20:00] information in a short period of time. But if you want to access that free video training, all you have to do is go to sweet life co.com/how to create a quiz. You know, all squished together to make it URL friendly.
[00:20:14] And then I’m also gonna make sure that we put the links for how to access this free training, and it comes with a worksheet as well into the show notes of this podcast episode. If you’ve never visited our podcast website, it’s like a whole entire business resource center. You can actually search anything by keyword, and it’ll bring up exactly where we’ve taught that for the last four years on the show.
[00:20:37] This is podcast number 217. So that means the quick link to get to the show notes for this episode, all you have to do is go to sweet life podcast.com/ 2 1 7. So if that’s easier for you, then whatever’s easier, I wanna make sure we’re getting the resources in your hand. Okay, so we [00:21:00] talked about the importance of a quiz, the power of a quiz, showing you behind the scenes on how we use our quiz and how we have for years and why we love it.
[00:21:08] And hopefully if you’ve taken our quiz before, that’s gonna really make it even clearer for you. I, I love showing you guys behind the scenes on things you’ve already used because I think those, those are the best examples that we can have as we’re learning and as we’re growing. So now let’s kind of talk a little bit about tech.
[00:21:24] Okay, so we use a software called Interact. I love these guys. I love the software, I love the flow. I will go ahead and make sure that there’s a link for Interact Quiz Builders in the show notes of this episode. So if you’re wondering what we use, Those are the guys we like. We’ve been with them for years, but there are other places where you can create quizzes as well.
[00:21:46] Google Forms is ex for, as an example, creates quizzes, type form, creates grade assessments, and even Kajabi has an assessment tool. I would say we haven’t recommended that highly quite yet, even [00:22:00] though as you know, we’re big hijabi fans. I just find that there’s some other software out there that’s giving, uh, a better user experience with quizzes.
[00:22:07] So I’ll go ahead and drop some of those tech links down here for you in the show notes as well of this episode. Basically, here’s the deal. I love self-assessment. I love quizzes. They’re great for your business. They’re a great lead generator. They’re highly valuable to those people that are either new to your list or already on your list.
[00:22:24] I mean, we have people coming back all the time. And retaking our quiz to see where they are in this whole entire, you know, sweet life business roadmap. And so that’s what I want for you. I want you to be able to create the lead generating list, growth quiz that’s gonna be highly valuable for your new people, for your established people, and for you as a business owner.
[00:22:46] So that’s a wrap today. We talked again all about quizzes, showed you behind the scenes. In ours, we dove into the first three of six steps in order to create a powerful quiz, and I [00:23:00] gave you the tools and resources to access the free one hour training or 52 minute training. It’s so good you guys. It’s really helpful.
[00:23:07] If you’re serious about creating a quiz, it’s totally free. It’s on me. It’s my gift to you. I want you to be awesome at this. So go grab it Again, you can grab it by visiting the show notes for this episode, which are@sweetlifepodcast.com slash two 17. That’s where we’ll have all the tech links and everything as well.
[00:23:25] And if you just wanna go directly to the place where you can get the training right away, you can go to sweet life co.com/how to create a quiz. All right, you guys. I love chatting with you. Thank you for being a listener of this show. Again, I’m April Beach. If we haven’t spoken before, come cruise over and hang out with me on Clubhouse.
[00:23:50] I know it’s hard. Not everybody can get there quite yet, but it’s the place where we hang out every single Wednesday at 12 o’clock Eastern time. We dive in deeper to entrepreneur [00:24:00] business strategies. It’s a room that I host and I would love to meet you there. If you’re on Clubhouse, follow me at April Beach.
[00:24:07] Come into that room on Wednesday and just say, Hey, April, I listened to your podcast and you are also welcome to ask me any questions about any of the business trainings that we drop here on the podcast in that clubhouse room. So if you’re going through these business trainings and you’re using our podcast like a course, which is what it’s designed to be used for, and you have any questions, Cruise over, hang out with me on Clubhouse.
[00:24:30] That’s where I am every single week, and I would love to meet you. All right. Have an incredible day, and I will talk to you guys next week.
8 Steps to Create Your Expert Coaching Process, Method, or Framework with April Beach (Episode 295)
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295
[00:00:00] Hi guys, and welcome back to another episode here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and you have tapped into the summer series. If you’re watching this on video, you are seeing that I am on my front porch recording the intro to this episode for you with my fireplace on and my dog here, and.
[00:00:20] All the cars driving by and all the kids playing in the park in an afternoon. Rain shower, out, out over the overhang here. So welcome to our world. Welcome to what it’s like to build a business that is totally engineered because of the life that you want, and we try to show you this as many times as we can behind the scenes.
[00:00:40] So this is the plan. This is what we’re doing here for the next five podcast episodes. I’m actually replaying the most powerful episodes here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast for you. And here is why. Because these trainings are so good. They are game changers for your business. And frankly, as you know, the trainings we drop here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, other coaches charge you [00:01:00] for and we give you here for free.
[00:01:02] And so we have gone through and we’ve picked out the five most popular and pivotal episodes that we have dropped in the last couple years, and we’re bringing them back to the surface. This is great if you’re a new listener, and frankly, if you’ve already heard these before, how many of you guys know it’s important to rehear things we already know so we can learn the next level of it or apply it in to a higher level, the scale of our business?
[00:01:23] And so that’s what we’re doing. So this is a replay of episode originally, number 212. What we’re talking about here is the importance of having a proprietary method, process, and framework for your business. If you do not have your own method, process, or framework to get people results, your company is probably struggling in one of a few different areas.
[00:01:42] Number one, with your sales. Number two, in getting clients results. And number three, actually with your marketing. If you’re having trouble getting known, it’s probably because you don’t have your own proprietary, proprietary process that people rave about you for. And so we’re diving into all that into this episodes, the updated show notes, because this [00:02:00] is a little bit later here.
[00:02:00] The updated show notes for this episode can be found by visiting sweet life podcast.com/ 295. But you can actually find them by visiting the old show notes as well. And with this episode, I’m actually giving you a free tool. Remember, our episodes are so actionable, you’re gonna walk away with your business better.
[00:02:21] When you left, I’m actually giving you a free tool of a worksheet on how to create your method and framework and really teaching you more about what this is. So whether you’re new in business or you’ve been in business for 10 years, And you just wanna really systematize things. This is a perfect episode for you.
[00:02:36] Also, for those of you guys that are interested in licensing your courses and trainings to other companies in the future, even if you’re not doing it right now, we need to have a proprietary method and process for you to do that. Before we can even talk about licensing. So this is a great place for you wherever you are listening to this.
[00:02:54] And again, all the show notes can be found by visiting suite life podcast.com/ 2 [00:03:00] 9 5. You’re gonna hear some old links in here that just comes with a replay, but we have everything live for you. So tap in wherever where, wherever you need, and, uh, we’ll be waiting to deliver the tools to you. Okay, enjoy the episode. Thanks for being here.
[00:03:17] You are listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business and launch a life you love faster. With business mentor and entrepreneur activator April Beach.
[00:03:35] Hey there and welcome back to the show. This is episode number 212, and today we are talking about. Eight steps to create your leading method or framework. I’m April Beach, founder of the Sweet Life Company and host here for the past four plus years on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast.
[00:03:52] And I’m super glad you’re tuned in today. This is a really important topic and something I’m incredibly passionate about, something that I teach [00:04:00] frequently, and so I’m glad to dive into it more on today’s show. So first of all, if you’re new to listening to this show, we tag every single episode based on the phase of business that you’re in.
[00:04:10] I wanna make sure that the things we’re talking about and the business trainings we’re delivering align with what you should be working on right now in your business. So each episode is tagged with a phase based on my start to scale up business system. If you are not sure what phase of business you’re in, cruise over to sweet life co.com/quiz.
[00:04:34] Again, that’s sweet life co.com/quiz. When just answer six simple questions, you will learn the phase of business that you’re in and you’ll know exactly what you should be focusing on right now to grow and scale your business faster. So, So this particular episode is strategically designed for those of you in phases two or three of the start to scale up system.
[00:04:57] Some of you may also know my business system as a [00:05:00] sweet life entrepreneur business system or roadmap, and so this is the same system that we’ve had for years, and so glad to be able to help you hone in and get focused on what you should be working on right now. So in today’s episode, we are talking to those of you guys who may lack a method or process or framework that delivers transformational results to your clients.
[00:05:23] So if you’re ready to scale your business, but you’re lacking a method or a framework, we’re gonna run into some problems. And so that’s why what we’re talking about here is so important because you’re probably incredibly good at what you do, but you might be struggling to scale or get noticed or establish undisputed leadership.
[00:05:40] So, And I often find this is because you are lacking a proven method or a process or a framework that scales your business to the top. But by doing so, you’re getting your people, your clients, these amazing, predictable, transformational results. That’s why we need a [00:06:00] method, and honestly, most business coaches don’t talk about method development.
[00:06:03] But it’s usually the first place we start with our clients because without a method, you are gonna struggle to grow your business in other areas, but with a method, we can exponentially scale your business across all levels, across your offers and the content that you’re talking about. And so creating this methodology is usually the first step.
[00:06:24] That we wanna talk about the first area that we look at in the process of working with companies that are really ready to take it to the next level and really ready to lead in your niche. So at the end of this episode, you will determine your need for creating a unique method or process. You’re gonna have eight clear steps to follow, to jumpstart the creation of your method or your process, and you’re gonna understand how your method is the core of all the other services, your leading offers and your leading programs, and really the future of scaling your business.[00:07:00]
[00:07:00] In addition to what I’m talking about here on the show, I’m also giving you a free resource. We do this oftentimes with most of our episodes. You’re gonna get some really cool free tools. This episode’s free tool is literally a worksheet that guides you through the eight steps to create your method. And so you can grab that by going to sweet life co.com/method.
[00:07:25] And of course we will have all these resources in the show notes for you. So if you’re ready, let’s go ahead and dive on into today’s show. Okay. First things first, let’s talk about having an method and why it’s important. Having a method is important because this means that you are creating a system that guarantees predictable, transformational, measurable results [00:08:00] every single time to your clients. And in doing so, you’re gonna increase your efficiency and your’re gonna be able to better systematize and scale your business, and your clients are going to get predictable, transformational results.
[00:08:14] Your clients are gonna know what to expect in working with you. And then it has even more compound amazing effects. So you’re gonna be able to create a team that you can scale and you can train other coaches if that’s within your business model, based on your method. So for example, in my company in the Sweet Life Company, one of our methods is called Sweet Life Launch.
[00:08:37] It’s a 90 day launch system. I’ve taught this system for over 12 years. I have other expert business consultants that I have trained on my method, and it’s very easy for them to follow. So when you have a method, you can actually train other coaches in your method, and you have just created exponential results, like dropping a stone into a lake in [00:09:00] these ripple effects of going out of how many more businesses you can touch.
[00:09:03] And it really all starts with creating your method. And then you are also able to become known and in a sea of so much noise, it’s really important that we have your message clear and people know what your ninja skill is, what your superpower is, and by creating your method, That is the first step, one of the first steps that we do in the process of helping you to become known and stand out in your space.
[00:09:28] And then once you have your unique method created, you are able to create a suite of offers around it. These could be programs or products or books or leading talks all around your method. So the method is like the center of the earth. The method is the core. Of what you’re known for, what your superpower is, and then we build your leading program services, offers your leading suite of products all around this, including all the other big [00:10:00] dreams that I know you have because you’re an entrepreneur, you’re a creator, so you’re always creating all these things in your mind that you wanna do.
[00:10:06] Truly, it starts with your method. So let’s go ahead and dive a little bit more into what a method is and why it’s important. And then I’m gonna download you on these eight steps. And of course, don’t forget to grab the worksheet that goes along with this@sweetlifeco.com slash method. It’s gonna be really helpful for you to implement the things that we’re talking about here on today’s show.
[00:10:30] So a method is basically a set of principles and tools and processes that guide your clients to achieve a particular transformational result. Your unique coaching method is developed from your ip, your intellectual property, your experience, your expertise, but then also your beliefs and your systems and your processes that you use within your coaching process to support your clients.
[00:10:55] So it’s your technique, it’s your system, it’s your way, it’s your [00:11:00] method of getting people results. Now let’s just talk for a sec, because there’s also another terminology that’s put out there that I work with clients to develop as well, and it’s called a framework. A method really is your unique way, your unique style of bringing people to results.
[00:11:19] Whereas a framework is more of a structure, it’s more of a loose system that allows for movement within that system where your clients can bring in their own tools, their own system, their own information to be organized and better understood within the guidance of your framework. So frameworks, examples, you know, can be concepts or core principles or thought processes, even blueprints that people can build upon or springboard from.
[00:11:43] In one instance, I’ve heard it referred to as where a framework is a noun, whereas your method is a verb. If that helps you to kind of separate them. And honestly, clients work with me to develop their method and their framework. So a great example of this is a client of ours, grace, who’s the [00:12:00] founder of the hi vre.com.
[00:12:02] Grace has both a genius framework that she delivers within her incubator program and her unique method, known as the Zone of Grace that guides her clients through core principles to achieve the highest business and life results. And also, just so you know, at the end of this episode, and we’re gonna dive into the teaching here, but in the end of this episode, I’m gonna share some of the frameworks that I’ve created within my companies that I’ve owned.
[00:12:25] And they’re truly the reason why we scaled past seven figures in multiple occasions. It’s because people know to expect, cuz we have a very clear framework of what we do and people know what to expect from us. So let’s go ahead and dive into these eight steps to create your method or framework. Step number one.
[00:12:45] Is truly honing in on your ideal client. Now this might be like, thank you Captain. Obvious. I know I have to do that for most of you that are in the scale phase of your business, but when we’re talking about your method, it actually might be a little bit harder. You might be like, my [00:13:00] friend Brian Fanzo calls like he is like team, no niche where he can get a lot of different companies and a lot of different areas, great results, and that’s terrific.
[00:13:08] Whatever it is, whoever you’re serving, we do need to hone in on who the ideal buyers are. They don’t have to be all the same people, but what pain point or deep desire is your method solving, or is your framework delivering really, really focused? Maybe not so much on the people themselves, but on on the problem.
[00:13:31] Or the deep desire. That’s what people buy. They buy a serious pain point that they need help overcoming or a deep desire that they want incredibly badly. So step number one is really deciding what solution, what pain point is my method going to solve or deliver? And then step number two is actually laying out what I call the transformation story or your transformation timeline.[00:14:00]
[00:14:00] And it’s your job as the teacher, as the leader to lay this out. And this is identifying where people are right now and where they’re gonna be when they are done working with you, when they’re done experiencing your method, following your framework, following your roadmap, blueprint process. Those are all different interchangeable words we use for this type of coaching.
[00:14:25] And a couple of questions you should ask yourself are, how is my method? How’s my framework or my process going to improve their life? How can it increase their sales, improve their business? Does it improve their efficiency? Does it give them more clarity? Does it give them better health and wellness?
[00:14:43] Does it help them to serve more clients and scale their business faster? There is going to be a transformation that your people go through along the route of following your method or your framework, and it’s your job to actually lay out that [00:15:00] transformation and determine where are they gonna be when they are done with this transformation.
[00:15:05] It’s our responsibility as teachers, as coaches and consultants, as leaders to define the end result. That we are going to take people through, and it’s our job to get them there. That’s also why having a method is so incredibly important so that you can guarantee predictable results within your programs.
[00:15:22] And then step number three is to pinpoint the problems and define the process. Now, along that transformation timeline of creating your method, there are problems and your problems become what I call your benchmarks along that way. But one of the things I want to caution you on is that these problems, these so many solutions or points of knowledge that you’re teaching them along, guiding them through your process, they can be both physical problems and psychological problems.
[00:15:56] So here’s an example I wanna give you of a client of mine. [00:16:00] She has an amazing method that I helped her design and create called the Convergence Method. So Arianna Grace is her name, and she has the convergence method, and we developed her method specifically because she helps Christian course creators get their students better results.
[00:16:19] But Arianna realized that it wasn’t just what the people needed to learn, that there were some spiritual blocks that people were experiencing. Going along through these courses. So Arianna’s method that she designed helps Christian course creators get their students better results by pinpointing the problems along the way that identify both the physical and the psychological needs within that method.
[00:16:47] So that’s an example of how you, when you’re creating your method, should be thinking, I’m not just giving these business results, or I’m not just giving these health results or these financial results, but what are the psychological [00:17:00] needs that are happening that what’s the mindset behind what I’m taking my students through as well?
[00:17:06] Because it is just as important in some cases. Based on what you’re teaching or your area of expertise to pinpoint both along the creation line of your, of establishing your method. And then number four is to actually produce your method outline, create your method plan. Really sit down, get to work, outline your method, create the plan, and make sure that you are at the end of the day saying, I know that, I know that.
[00:17:31] I know that I outlined this in a way that people are gonna get the results that I promise when they follow my method, my process, or work within my framework. Number five is to pace yourself. And really think about it, how long is it going to take somebody to get results within your method? And this is not necessarily even talking about the business model of your method, but still talking about the process in which someone needs to follow.
[00:17:59] [00:18:00] And how long can your clients, can your students expect? So number five is to pace yourself and to define how long it’s going to take somebody to get results within your method. Number six is to brand the heck out of it. So give it a great name. A name like Arianna’s, that is the convergence method. Or like my other client, grace, which is the zone of grace.
[00:18:23] Give it an amazing name that is yours and nobody can take from you. And it separates you from everybody else. But it’s also clear about what it is that your method delivers. So pick a name, brand it, own it, share it with the world. Number seven is really getting in and having test testing interaction for your method.
[00:18:43] This is really committing to those first people that you are testing your method on. That’s what we do. You need to make sure that you apply it to the world, but then you’re also committed to listen, get feedback, listen to your students, and perfect it. The first time we put something out there in the world, it’s not [00:19:00] gonna be perfect.
[00:19:00] Things evolve. Our methods, our programs, our systems all evolve and that’s a process of growing as a leader while we’re, while we’re growing our students and our clients as well, is always being, being willing to listen, always being willing to have feedback, and really taking a look at the method that you’ve presented and making sure that that is for sure working.
[00:19:21] Getting the feedback from people that are in your process and in your method in testing it and making sure it’s getting traction and that they’re getting results. And then step number eight is to scale and exponentially increase your profit. While in most cases you can decrease your time by choosing business models that scale.
[00:19:42] So number eight is scale and increase profit and double down and use your hard work and your method to create leading offers, programs, suites of offers and services that can scale your business exponentially. This is when you know what, if you’ve nailed your [00:20:00] method, maybe it’s time to write a book on it.
[00:20:02] If you’ve nailed your method, let’s turn it into your leading talk. There’s so many other things that we can do. Once you nail your method, your process, your unique methodology, that gives people amazing world-class transformational results, that’s what we’re talking about here. That’s what we do as a company.
[00:20:19] If you wanna work with us, you can always work with us as well to develop your method and process. That’s what we’re here for and that’s what I wanna talk about today on sh, on today’s show, is really emphasizing the importance of creating your method and why every single coach, or consultant, or service-based provider needs a method that you can rely on and that your people can trust.
[00:20:38] So let’s do a really quick recap. We talked about eight steps to create your method or framework. First one was choosing your ideal client. Second one was laying out the transformation. Third one was pinpointing the problems and defining both the physical and the psychological needs that your method has to deliver.
[00:20:54] The fourth is producing your method outline in your method plan. The fifth is pacing [00:21:00] yourself and determining the timeline. The sixth is picking your name and branding it. The seventh is testing and traction, and the eighth is scaling exponentially. And so that’s a recap of why creating your method, your process, your framework is so important and.
[00:21:17] I told you if you hung out until the end, I’m gonna give you some examples of some of the methods that we have created as a program creator, as a method creator, of course, I honestly, I have like a method for everything, but let me just share a couple of them with you so you can get your wheel spending as well as you’re thinking about creating yours.
[00:21:33] So for example, my 90 day business launch system is called Sweet Life Launch. My five phase business design, launch and scale roadmap is the one we use here in the beginning of our podcast. That’s the one that outlines all the five phases of business design, launch, and scale, and it’s a long-term roadmap.
[00:21:55] Clients follow our roadmap for years. I have clients that are in phase three and four and they’ve been there for [00:22:00] five years. It’s the whole life cycle of a lifestyle, highly profitable business. We call that the sweet life business roadmap. And it’s also referred to in the tech side of it as the start to scale up system.
[00:22:14] That’s our framework. And so for example, if you’re a podcaster, I love teaching other podcasters to figure out a way to tag your episodes so that you can organize them and you can really build a relationship with people in certain, with certain tags, and then funnel them into your programs. But you guys can do this for anything.
[00:22:31] You don’t have to be a podcaster to do this. But this is another example of why having a system, a process, a framework, is so incredibly important. Another example is my process to teach entrepreneurs and experts to develop your method and your leading offer and your leading programs, and it’s called My Method Creation System.
[00:22:49] And then the last one, but definitely not, not least, is my three step proprietary process that turns everyday entrepreneurs into undisputed leaders who live life on their terms. And [00:23:00] that’s called My Sweet Life Entrepreneur System. So see there’s like a method to everything, but these are things that I have learned and built over decades of coaching other businesses.
[00:23:11] These didn’t come overnight. So going back to yours, your first step is to define what you wanna be known for, who you’re serving, and create your method. And talk about it, share it. Share that you have a method. This develops a higher level of trust between your audience and you, between your potential clients because they know you’ve taken the time to develop a method.
[00:23:31] If you are one business and you might be doing Facebook ads and you say, Hey, listen, but we have a method of getting our clients results, and you spell it out, versus your competitor who also might do Facebook ads. Obviously it’s just an example my do Facebook ads, but they just kind of put some services on their website.
[00:23:50] Lemme tell you what, I’m going with one with the method because I trust that you have laid out the process to get me results. That’s why a method is so incredibly important. [00:24:00] Okay, so here is a couple of resources for you to take action on this now. So we want you to listen to this show and then we want you to take action on it again.
[00:24:09] The first thing is grab the eight step guide to develop your method. You can grab that by going to sweetlifeco.com/method. The second thing we have for you is depending on when you listen to this show, we host a one day live virtual event on creating your leading offer or method. So I will put this in the show notes for you, but you can join our one day live virtual event on creating your leading offer or method by going to sweetlifeco.com/leading offer event.
[00:24:45] And. If you listen to this, if you subscribe to this podcast and listen to it, real time tickets for that event for the whole day right now are on sale for only $77. It’s crazy. So again, sweetlifeco.com/leading offer [00:25:00] event, and I’m gonna be helping you build out your methodology that day. It’s gonna be amazing day, and of course, If you are not yet on Clubhouse, I talk about this all the time on Clubhouse, so I’m always hosting rooms on Clubhouse regarding methodology creation and leading offer and business scaling.
[00:25:17] I would love to chat with you, so if you’re on Clubhouse, follow me at April Beach, get notifications turned on, and I will love to talk to you and answer your direct questions about creating your method and your leading offer. And really truly designing a blueprint for your business for high profit and the lifestyle you want, and then helping you reverse engineer it to actually get there.
[00:25:39] Thank you so much for tuning into the show. I dropped a lot of links and a lot of resources. There’s a lot of gold in this episode, so if you forgot every other link that we’re talking about, here’s the last one and everything is gonna be under this one link. You ready? Okay. You can go to Sweet Life [00:26:00] podcast.com/ 2 1 2.
[00:26:03] So sweet life podcast.com/112. In all of the show notes, the transcription for this show, the summary of this show and all the links to all the resources we’re gonna drop right in there for you to make it super easy. You can also find the link to this show in the latest podcast by visiting us on Instagram at April Beach Life.
[00:26:24] All right, you guys have an awesome day. I love talking to you. Always. Thank you so much for being part of this show for so long, and if you’re a new listener here, it’s absolutely awesome to get to connect with you. I’ll talk to you guys next week.
Offer vs. Program: What’s The Difference? with April Beach (Episode 294)
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294
[00:00:44] Hi you guys, and welcome to episode number 294. I am recording this episode on location. Just north of Tampa, Florida in Saddlebrook, Gulf and Tennis Resort down here at a [00:01:00] very cool event with Myron Golden called the Offer Mastery Live. And so there’s gonna be probably a little bit of background noise and. My sound might be a little bit different for this episode, but how could I resist if you are not watching the video on YouTube, Cruise over there because this place is just beautiful and you know me. If you guys have been following me for any period of time, it’s not gonna surprise you at all that I decided to record a podcast out here by the pool. By the bird sanctuary in my flip flops. And ready to dive in with you today.
[00:01:34] So today we are talking about the difference between an offer and a product. So, And the event I’m actually at right now with amazing speakers and incredible humans, like Eileen Wilder is here. She was a guest on the podcast a few months ago. And, uh, everybody’s talking about offers and making offers. And being an offers engineer that I am, I realize one [00:02:00] thing that is glaringly missing from what they are talking about at this event.
[00:02:06] And that’s what we’re talking about here today. Soon this podcast episode. So for all of the show notes, cruise over to sweet life co.com. This is episode number 294, and you are in the right place if you are a subject matter expert, a consultant, a speaker, a coach, or an advisor of some kind, and you build offers and programs.
[00:02:33] Based on your expertise to help other people get fantastic results from the processes you have created. And so if that is you, this is an awesome episode to be listening to Cruise over to the show notes because I’m actually gonna give you a worksheet download with this episode totally free, breaking out the five components of an offer.
[00:02:55] And so make sure you’re cruising over to the show notes. On our website, you have to go to sweet [00:03:00] life co.com to get those. Click on the podcast and search number 2 94, and I will make sure that you get, it’s actually a two page worksheet with explanations and a bunch of cool stuff. So if this is what you want, if you’re not really sure the difference between an offer and an actual program, then stay tuned and let’s go ahead and dive in.
[00:03:21] Okay guys, let’s go ahead and dive into this episode. If you’re watching the video, I had to move locations. There was just a little bit too much background noise there, but I want, I wanna get to what we’re talking about here today. So we’re talking about the difference between an offer and a program. And frankly, I have never heard anybody define this, and I realize that I think maybe there’s some confusion or maybe some feeling of overwhelm for experts and coaches and advisors and consultants, because there’s a lot of talk about build your offers, build million dollar offers, build high ticket offers, build low ticket offers, build mini offers, right?
[00:03:58] But there is a [00:04:00] difference between an offer and a program, and so I wanted to bring that to light here and help clarify that. Now, of course, here, here are some disclaimers. I’ve never heard anybody define the difference, and so this is my belief, this is my expertise in doing this now for 17 years. This is how I define the difference between an offer and a program.
[00:04:22] You may find somebody else has a totally different definition. All right, so let’s start by telling you a story to help you understand what I’m gonna explain here today on the podcast. So, Let’s say your friend is having a party and she’s just totally overwhelmed. She has so much going on and you offer to help her, and here’s some of the things you say.
[00:04:44] You say, I am gonna help you do your grocery shopping. I’m gonna help you plan the menu. I’m gonna help you send out invitations. I’m gonna help you decorate the house and decorate the living room. I’m gonna help you clean up your house. You know, how many of you know that that’s the [00:05:00] biggest work of a party is making sure you know your bathroom’s clean and everything, and, uh, so you make this great offer to her and you offer to do all these things for her.
[00:05:10] You may even say, I promise I’ll be there by this time. You may even say, I guarantee you everybody will love the food that I make. All right? That is an offer you’re offering to do something. For her. Now you go, you show up that day. You do every single thing that you said, and you use your secret genius sauce expertise to actually make that food that you guaranteed.
[00:05:44] Everybody would love to actually make sure the house is decorated just as you promised That is the product. So there is a difference between the offer and what you’re offering to do somebody for somebody, [00:06:00] and the product, the offer is the promise, the guarantee, what’s in it for them. The offer is even a little bit of scarcity.
[00:06:10] Even if you say to your friend, look, I’m willing to help you, but I have this other thing that somebody else wants me to do that same weekend, so you need to let me know by five o’clock tonight. If you want my help, that’s part of the offer you’re offering to help her. Okay. But the product is you actually showing up in doing the work with her for her, or teaching her how to do the work yourself.
[00:06:39] And so now let’s take that analogy and hopefully that clarified it for you. And now let’s take that analogy and let’s talk about your business, right? Like how that actually can apply to your business. You hear so many coaches. Again, I’m here at this amazing, beautiful space with these [00:07:00] multimillionaires.
[00:07:00] Multiple seven and eight figure business owners, and they’re talking about generated offers and they’re talking about their offers and their teaching, their students how to generate these amazing offers. And they’re talking about very important things that have to do with offers, like what you’re gonna promise them and how you increase the value of what you do.
[00:07:23] But nobody here and frankly ever have I ever heard actually explain the difference between the offer and a product. And so that’s what I wanna talk about here on the podcast. And I actually, my goal is to help you with whatever part of your business you’re building. So of course that’s the been the goal here for six years on the podcast.
[00:07:45] Those of you guys that. Listen to the show, know that we deliver coaching and strategies that other coaches will charge you thousands for. I can, and do charge in depth for [00:08:00] the things that we’re talking about here on the pH, on the, on the phone here, on the phone, uh, here on the show. Okay? So this is really, really valuable and my goal here for you is that I want you to understand what you’re working on.
[00:08:16] When you have clarity in your work, you get faster action. So I wanna separate the difference between an offer and a product in an effort to help you understand which one you’re actually working on or which one may need the most work. A few weeks ago, and darn it, I should have looked it up for you, I don’t remember the exact episode, but a few months back.
[00:08:43] We did an episode, it was so powerful on the six components of a scalable offer. Okay. And that was language that people really understand. It was the six components of a scalable offer, or I think it was actually six com. No, it was six [00:09:00] components of a scalable program. Right. What I was teaching in that podcast is what goes in the actual product itself.
[00:09:07] I was not talking about how to make an offer. I. I was talking about how to actually build the, the pro product, the program with these six components in every single program. I don’t care what you do, I don’t care if you’re doing live virtual events, retreats, running a mastermind, having an mri, like a monthly reoccurring revenue program, building a course.
[00:09:30] Every single program has to hit all six of those components. That’s another episode. I’ll reference it for you here in the show notes. But that is only half of it. So I digress. My goal is for you to be able to identify this part of my business needs work. It’s either the offer or it’s the product. Okay, so let’s talk about what could go in each one of these.
[00:09:55] There are five components to the offer. To the offer building [00:10:00] side, and there are three components to the product side, and then obviously each of these trickle down and, and there’s a bunch more steps, bunch more details that I can’t go into right now on this podcast. I just wanna go really high level here to help communicate the difference.
[00:10:18] So in an offer when we’re talking about the offer itself, five components that make up a sold out offer include, Your pricing, and we’re not even getting into pricing or any of these. I’m just giving you, again, high level, your pricing makes up your offer. And so let’s go back to our story of offering to help your friend.
[00:10:41] You may say, Hey, listen. I’m, I’m gonna do this for free. You may say, listen, this is a really good use of, uh, you know, your investment in me. And let’s say your friend, I don’t know, maybe she’s a massage therapy and you therapist and you trade her out. You say, I’m gonna plan your party for you, and, and you gimme a great massage.
[00:10:58] Whatever the pricing is [00:11:00] that goes into the offer, the next component of the actual offer itself is scarcity. That’s when you tell your friend, Hey, listen, I need to know by five o’clock tonight, or I, I’m booked. Right, or, or there’s only three seats left in my program. That’s another component of making your offer.
[00:11:20] Another one is the bonus. Okay? So a big part of creating great sold out offers is giving bonuses. If you do not listen to Alex Hormozi, love this guy. He’s the author of, Million Dollar Offers. He talks about not just throwing anything into offers, and you know that we’ve been talking about this for years on the podcast as well.
[00:11:43] We don’t throw just a bunch of crap, honestly, into your products to increase the value. We’re very strategic about what we pick that goes in your programs. Part of making an offer is communicating what those bonuses are. [00:12:00] You want your bonuses, and this is, this is for free. You’re welcome. Uh, you want your bonuses to solve a problem that your client is having in one of their hesitations of buying you.
[00:12:14] So make sure when you pick bonuses, we can do a whole episode on bonuses. We actually will, uh, when you pick your bonuses, make sure that they aren’t just a whole bunch of fluff. Nobody needs more content. Guys. And I know I say this quote all the time, I’m gonna say it again. It’s really important. Nobody needs more content. They need a transformation, and time is more valuable than their money.
[00:12:36] They’d actually pay you more to reduce the amount of time. So going back to what is included in the offer side of it. We talked about pricing, we talked about scarcity, then we just hit on bonuses. Include bonuses that answer their hesitations to buying you.
[00:12:53] The next one is your guarantee. Let’s go back to our friend and, and we’re, we’re helping her [00:13:00] plan, her party. The guarantee is when you say, I guarantee you that when your guests taste my chocolate cake, it’s going to be the very best cake they ever tasted. Okay? That’s a guarantee. So what are you guaranteeing is going to happen in the end result of your offer?
[00:13:21] And then the promise is the last component of an offer. Your promise is, I promise I’ll be there at one o’clock. I promise I’ll show up and I’ll give you a hundred percent of my attention. I promise I’ll help you clean up when the party is over. Those are promises, and so that is, that is the offer side.
[00:13:42] It’s you’re making an offer and you’re giving promises, and you’re giving guarantees, and you’re quantifying the value. And that is what we work on when we’re actually building the offer side of it. Okay, so hopefully that [00:14:00] makes sense. Message me on LinkedIn at April Beach if this does not make sense to you. Or on Instagram as well, April Beach Life on Instagram, but I wanted to share that component. Again, I’m here at Offer Offer Mastery live. With seriously, I mean, just amazing mentors that I have looked up to and learned so much from for so long, but, this is missing. Nobody’s talking about this. Okay, so this is the offer side of it.
[00:14:28] Now let’s talk about the program, the product side of it, because this podcast is what is the difference between an offer and a program? The program is the actual product itself. It is the content, and it is the model of delivery that makes up what you’re actually doing. It’s your curriculum. Curriculum.
[00:14:49] It is your intellectual property. It is your teaching. So there are three components that you need to hit on in order to build a transformational program. [00:15:00] I don’t care if this program, again, is a one hour masterclass, a 12 month, uh, mastermind. It doesn’t matter yet. Okay? So let me explain this to you. The bottom line is your program has to have these three components to be transformational.
[00:15:15] The first one is it needs to have your method or your framework. Your program, your way of teaching is your intellectual property and the way you do things and the way you teach things. I can’t do it the way you do it. Nobody can compete with you, your unique method. Is your process of getting people results?
[00:15:43] Let’s go back to our friend and, and we’re helping them have the party. Our unique method of baking that chocolate cake is what makes us be able to guarantee that the cake is the best cake anybody ever tasted. All right, so your program, first and [00:16:00] foremost, we cannot build any program until you first build your framework or your method in which the program is built around.
[00:16:07] Frankly, that is the centerpiece. And if you’ve heard, heard any of my other podcasts, we talk about method and framework creation all the time here on the show. Because it’s literally like the center of your universe, your method. Just think of the sun and the solar system and everything else flies around it.
[00:16:23] Your method and your framework of getting people re results is in the center. That’s a first component of your program. The second one is the actual curriculum itself. That is a curriculum that fills up the content. First, you have the process of teaching, and then you’re gonna dive into how am I actually doing it?
[00:16:40] This is the nitty gritty of the chocolate cake recipe. This is one third of a cup of sugar and a half a stick of butter. Okay? These are the nitty gritty components that fill up. All of the ingredients in your chocolate cake, in your genius, in your promise of what you deliver your [00:17:00] curriculum is also your intellectual property.
[00:17:04] And if you’re struggling with building curriculum, that’s one of the things that we do. We have a framework called Transformational Program Design. You can also listen to other podcasts where I teach on T P D and transformational program design. But for the purpose of this one, Let’s just dive in saying, okay, the program itself, number one, it has your method and framework.
[00:17:24] Number two, it has your genius curriculum. And then the last thing that makes up your program is the model of delivery in the client experience. So first, you build your method of getting people results. Second, you extract your genius and you download all of your amazing content, your recipe. The very last thing we do is the very last thing is picking the model, by the way.
[00:17:52] People do that wrong all the time. I think every single person out there builds a program in the wrong way. We don’t pick the model until the end. [00:18:00] We don’t wanna pick the model until two things, until number one, you fully understand how you want your life and your time to work, and then we reverse engineer it into the delivery model that works for you.
[00:18:10] You all know I travel six months a year with my kids, my husband and I own five companies. I own two international business consulting firms. How do I do that? I first determined the content I need to give my clients, and then I determined how I wanna live my life, and then I reverse indivi, engineered it into the delivery model of my program.
[00:18:31] And you can do that too. So let’s kind of summarize this and wrap this up with a bow. There is a difference between an offer and a program. What are you struggling with? Are you struggling with I. Determining and clarifying the offer side of it, which is your price, scarcity, bonuses, promises and guarantee, or are you struggling with actually delivering your product?
[00:18:58] Are you struggling on the product [00:19:00] and the program side of it? There seems to be a million coaches out there that are teaching you guys how to create offers, but nobody, I mean, I can’t say nobody. We do it, but I, I’m sure there’s a lot of amazing coaches out there to do this. I haven’t come across them yet.
[00:19:15] Actually extracts your genius into the product. People get stuck pulling their genius out of their head into a transformational methodology and product in the curriculum itself. And so I want you to understand what you’re struggling with right now. Do you feel like you’re getting stuck on the offer side of it, making the offer to people?
[00:19:34] What’s the pricing? What’s the scarcity? What are the bonuses? What is the promise and what is the guarantee? Or do you feel like the actual product itself. Is where you are getting stuck? Are you stuck in, uh, uh, do you not have your method built yet? Do you not have your process or your framework created yet?
[00:19:55] Um, do you not? What’s another good example? Do you not have the content filled into your [00:20:00] program? Do you not know what to say in your videos? By the way, don’t just take chat G p t, you know, and what they say you want. It has to be your own intellectual property. Great tool. You guys can actually go to our website and download our AI for Coaches tools where I give you a downloadable how to create a program and a product using chat, G P T.
[00:20:22] And I give you all the rules around that. We love giving you guys so much free stuff that you just, your business transforms. It makes me so happy. Uh, But the content, the curriculum itself, is that what you’re struggling with? Or are you struggling with understanding and defining your model? Do you not know if you wanna do v i P days or a membership?
[00:20:44] Do you not know if you wanna launch a course? By the way, courses have not been selling and converting since 2008. If there are course creation coaches out there that are saying, launch a course and you’re gonna make millions of dollars, they’re probably lying to you unless your audience is in the corporate space.
[00:20:59] Those [00:21:00] courses, courses are doing awesome. Yeah, I mean, I’ll, I’ll always give you my opinion. It’s okay. A lot of people hate the things I say. Uh, but listen, I’m here to tell you the truth. I’m here to tell you what I know from literally 27 years coaching other businesses, and I have been teaching experts and entrepreneurs how to build their programs.
[00:21:24] Since 2006 originally, but really since 2008. And so I want you to hear this because at the end of this, your action items are, what is the biggest thing you’re struggling with? Is it making the offer or is it actually developing the product? And I believe that once you identify what it is you’re struggling with, you can take faster action.
[00:21:48] To get it done and to have faster results. I want you to take what you have here on the show and take immediate action. So let’s wrap it up. This is episode number 294 here on the [00:22:00] Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, if we don’t know each other, and, uh, you can cruise over to sweet life co.com and find all the resources we have there for you.
[00:22:12] And today on the show, we talked about what is the difference between an offer and a program, and why is it important? And I would like for you to identify if you’re struggling in this area or you want more knowledge in this area, what is the one action item you were gonna take from this show? It could be just going and taking a piece of paper and out lighting the.
[00:22:32] Here are the components of my offer. Here are the components of my actual product. Based on what we talked about here in the show, uh, it could be going to our website, clicking on the podcast, hitting episode number 2 94 in downloading the free two page worksheet. Uh, Jessica, our coo, she’s fantastic, built this worksheet for you guys and, uh, you can download this worksheet and it breaks down the five components of an offer.
[00:22:59] [00:23:00] Or it could be just listening to this twice or just thinking about what you’re struggling with. Sometimes we don’t know the problem that we have because we’re so used to consuming, consuming, consuming more information because we think the problem’s just gonna show up. The more we learn from people, the more we consume, and then the more we learn, and then the more we consume.
[00:23:23] So if you’re not really sure with what your product is struggling with right now, I just wanna encourage you to stop for a minute and allow yourself to be introspective. Stop listening to my voice. So I’ll shut up here in just a sec, and give yourself permission to actually look at your own product instead of having people talk, talk, talk, talk, talk at you all the time.
[00:23:45] And so on that note, Uh, that’s a wrap. Thanks for joining me here. And, uh, again, down here in beautiful Saddleback Resort in Florida. If you’re watching the video, yes, I am totally sweating, but I love being outside [00:24:00] and I’m gonna go inside and enjoy the conference. Wanted to create this, um, This training for you.
[00:24:06] Again, all the show notes can be found by visiting sweet life co.com, episode number 294. Just click on the podcast and we’ll be right there with you on tap. All right, guys. Have a fantastic week. I’ll talk to you soon.
Program Sales Made Easy: The Key Assets for Closing Lucrative Licensing Deals with April Beach and Emily Hall (Episode 293)
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293
[00:00:44] April Beach: All right, you guys. This is episode number 293, and I’m super stoked to dive into this. This is really the nitty gritty of what you need. To sell your programs to other companies, to license your trainings and courses to other organizations, nonprofits, [00:01:00] government education, small business tech companies, hospitals, other coaches just like you.
[00:01:06] April Beach: Today we’re diving into what you actually need. We’re talking about the actual assets that you need to close a sales deal, and there’s only three assets. Praise the Lord. I love licensing, you guys. It is so simple. The sales process is so simple. Shoot, that’s why I’ve done it for 14 years. That’s why I was able to figure it out 14 years ago without ever do ever having to do it before, because you don’t have to overthink it.
[00:01:34] April Beach: It isn’t this complex. Sh fancy schmancy thing, and we’re making it really simple for you Here on today’s episode, of course, Emily Hall, our licensing sales specialist, is back with us again, and we’re actually unpacking the three deliverables that you need to have prepared in order to close millions of dollars in licensing deals.
[00:01:57] April Beach: All right, so this is going to be [00:02:00] simple. Make sure you have a pen and a paper out because Emily unpacks each asset for you. And of course, if you wanna work with us to develop these assets, if you are ready to move into licensing and you are ready to scale in this amazing way, And you want a dream team that is rolling up their sleeves with you, you know where to find us. Cruise over to sweetlifeco.com. Simply click on licensing and you can find out how you can apply to work with me, how you can apply to be part of our ecosystem, working with Emily and having her build out your sales presentations even for you. And of course, you can also apply to work with us privately or in our ecosystem with other businesses.
[00:02:42] April Beach: We have super opportunities to help you advance at your rate, at your speed, and we are waiting there for you. So again, cruise over to sweet life co.com and you can find all of our licensing support options and click on the one that you believe is right for you now. [00:03:00] Let’s unpack what you actually need, the three assets you actually need in order to sell licensing deals. I can’t wait to dive in more. Emily and I in this show even dove into what you need to put within each asset. We’re not just telling you, ah, you need this and this and this. She actually unpacks and in this, do that and in here do there. So get a piece of paper and a pen and let’s go ahead and dive in.
[00:03:28] April Beach: All right everybody. We are back again with Emily Hall, and this is like the fast down and dirty, but full of gold series of podcast episodes on how to sell your courses to companies. And the last couple episodes we talked about, how to approach companies, who to sell them to, like how to find the right company to sell your training or course to.
[00:03:51] April Beach: And then in last episode, Emily walked you through, you know, exactly,, how to hold those conversations in a sales process. How to [00:04:00] actually outreach and who to connect to in a sales process. And today we are diving in and finishing the trifecta of amazing. Information and coaching for you here on actually, what do you need?
[00:04:13] April Beach: What assets do you actually need to close sales deals, whether they’re a thousand or a million dollars, when we’re talking about selling your programs to companies. So I’m super excited about, talking about these three components of the, the assets that people need. So can you dive in? Let’s start with obviously the basics of each one of these assets and the function of each one of these.
[00:04:41] Emily Hall: So the three assets that you need to close any sale. The first one is a one pager, so this is going to be a high level description of. What your program is a really, that social proof or the proof of the problems of some sort of data, some sort of something that illustrates what problem they’re [00:05:00] feeling, that validates that, , that then flowing into the features and the benefits and the value of having that overall transformation solved.
[00:05:10] Emily Hall: Get to that transformation. What, you know, that that big value thing that they’re looking for. Then diving into, you know, a high level of what the format of the program is, what the features are, what all the benefits are, the kind of the, not the nitty gritty, but a little bit more detail, um, than about you, about the educator, about your company, your credibility markers, brands you’ve worked with, things like that.
[00:05:34] Emily Hall: So it’s really just an at a glance. One, maybe two pages tops. This comes in early in the process. It’s something that you typically engage in with your champion, which we talked about in the last episode, and that then becomes a, , kind of a talking point piece for them to be able to take within their organization to make sure that they’re representing your.
[00:05:53] Emily Hall: Program and your brand and you the way that you want them to. And so this can be standardized, it can be customized for different [00:06:00] industries, for different brands. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Simpler is often best with one pagers though.
[00:06:07] April Beach: So I love this. We’re talking about one pagers because I know our audience is really familiar with one pagers when it comes to pitching themselves to speak. You know, so we have speaking one pagers. We have, you know, one pagers to get pitched on podcasts to be a podcast guest. But what’s so cool about this is that you’re really talking about a one pager that talks about the problems and solutions of their actual offer. So it’s an offer, one pager, it’s a program, one pager, and it, it’s talking about, Hey, listen, why should your company bring in my training? Why should your company bring in my course? These are the markers. These are the problems we solve. So literally, It’s as simple as that. That very first thing, it’s a higher level one pager in order to sell a program. And so it’s cool if it’s two pages, you think in many cases
[00:06:54] Emily Hall: it can be. Yeah. If it works visually to have it just a little bit more spaced out, you know, you don’t [00:07:00] wanna compromise readability, , and having it feel overwhelming to look at, you’d rather have them read it right? So if it, if it’s, think of it like a resume, like if it goes on two pages cause it really needs to, that’s okay. Just make sure that it’s cohesive and clear and it’s not two full packed pages. It’s two pages that have room to breathe and you’re using design a little bit differently.
[00:07:23] Emily Hall: You’ve got a little more space, you’ve got a little more, uh, room to room to play visually so that they can scan it faster. That’s kind of the only reason that you would dip into two and kind of where you wanna, where you wanna hold yourself back there from using two pages as an excuse to just fit more information on that is not the goal. Not the goal.
[00:07:42] April Beach: Well, and I know that’s a big problem and, and, but we see that with our clients, right? They really wanna, they just wanna share everything and they’re like, oh my gosh, I wanna get out there. I wanna put everything in that one page or, so. Can you just highlight again, for those people that are listening, like, what are, what are the most important things that need to be on this? It’s not everything, [00:08:00] but what exactly should be on this one pager?
[00:08:02] Emily Hall: Yeah. Less is. Less is more. And, , every single one of my clients has run into this exact same thing. You think that every. Single part of your program. Every single detail, every single statistic, every single, everything is so special and so important.
[00:08:17] Emily Hall: You have such an attachment to it, and you really have to look hard in the mirror and get a little bit critical about how you walk those back a little bit and think about what are truly the most important words that need to be on this page. It very much is an introduction to your program, not. It. It’s not selling the program itself.
[00:08:35] Emily Hall: It’s getting them interested. It’s bringing them to the table. That’s the goal of this one sheet, is to pique their interest so that they come to the table with you to have more conversations. So the things that you want on there are a really high level overview, kind of a tagline type situation. You want to outline the problem and kind of the overall solution, that big transformation, um, and whether that’s through data or whatever other can kind of things [00:09:00] that you typically will use to, um, sell those.
[00:09:02] Emily Hall: A lot of that can be transferred from your B2C sales. If you’re already doing B2C sales, that can come over pretty easily. And then you want to talk about really high level, so. The program format, the for the structure, what’s included. Again, not getting into the nitty gritty, this is not like a full detailed proposal, which we’ll talk about in a little bit, but this is just a very, very quick, here is what the thing is.
[00:09:25] Emily Hall: And then really reinforcing your credibility. So your bio, your company’s bio, the companies that you’ve worked with, how many people have taken this? I. Those, those authority builders and those credibility boosters that are gonna help them say, okay, yes, I take this person seriously. This is something to pay attention to.
[00:09:43] April Beach: That’s so cool. That’s so cool. And super simple. Okay, so that is asset number one. And then asset number two is…
[00:09:50] Emily Hall: is our sales presentation. So this is the thing that freaks a lot of people out. It feels very intimidating, it feels very formal. But if you wanna think about the sales presentation as. [00:10:00] Just a slightly more structured sales conversation.
[00:10:03] Emily Hall: So usually the sales presentation will be, you don’t need to have it ready for your initial meeting with your champion. Typically it’s gonna be a second or third meeting within the organization, um, depending on how. Big the company is how many layers they’ve got, things like that. Um, and it is, it ranges really in how you put it together and what they’re looking for.
[00:10:25] Emily Hall: It can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes. You can be really, really specifically answering questions that they have. They might have really specific requests on what they want information on. Um, or you, they might give you nothing and you have to really kind of, Use your, your audience analysis, your research.
[00:10:45] Emily Hall: Lean on your champion for insights to be able to craft something that you know is gonna be really compelling and really persuasive. So, Typically a pit , sales presentation has a few different parts. It’s got an open, it’s got a middle that has a few different subsections, [00:11:00] and then it has a close. And how much or how little you put into that really depends on who you’re speaking to, what they wanna hear about, how you wanna kind of position your content.
[00:11:10] Emily Hall: The biggest thing is to remember that this is a. Presentation for your audience. It’s not a presentation about you, which is an in. It’s a different nuance. This is not a, I’m gonna stand up here and read you the brochure. Of all the reasons why I’m amazing, it is a, here are all of the ways that you are struggling, and this program is perfectly positioned to help that it positions you as a partner, positions you as an ally, and as somebody that they can see going forward.
[00:11:40] Emily Hall: It builds that connection, that credibility, that trust, so that they feel more confident saying yes at the end of it.
[00:11:46] Emily Hall: See, I think
[00:11:47] April Beach: that’s a mind-blowing thing and I think people overthink this. And again, as you guys know, cuz I’ve said it a million times, Emily is in, she works with our clients on these kick-ass sales presentations.
[00:11:59] April Beach: And, and we [00:12:00] see that in our clients too, right? Like they, they feel like they need to show up and like, Initially until they learn this magic that, and I think it just is a tendency in the world of business, we feel like we need to show up and present. Right. And it’s always like the same presentation every single time.
[00:12:17] April Beach: But if, if our listeners have been listening to everyone of the podcast episodes, they know that in the last episode you talked about, I. Important questions to ask that in internal champion, right. Important questions to ask in that first meeting, and what you are saying and what you teach actually feels so much better and it works a lot more to make more money and close more deals.
[00:12:39] April Beach: It’s where you’re, you’re presenting back not just the program, but their own, probably like what you heard them say about their issues as to why your program would be a good fit for that. And let’s say, I mean, I’m just gonna be honest, frankly, I really love that because I don’t like feeling like I’m under pressure to sell something.
[00:12:59] April Beach: [00:13:00] I like having a conversation. And so the way you’re talking about this is even though you’re in a sales presentation, it’s still bringing up conversations that you’ve already had regarding their specific company. This just feels so good to me, and I know our clients love this process as well, you know, how, but is this the way that like, I mean, you’re, this is your area of expertise, you know, so obviously you’re the expert at this, right?
[00:13:28] April Beach: But is this the way that everybody does it, or is this just something special about the way you do it? I mean, Talk, talk to me about this. Like, is this a totally disruptive approach to sales processes, like actually listening to people?
[00:13:43] Emily Hall: Um, yes and no. Uh, it is, it is in some areas. So I have been been doing this for. I mean, I’ve been building sales presentations as part of what I do for almost 10 years, and with my agency for, at this point, over [00:14:00] four years. We worked with hundreds of clients, helped, helped our clients make millions of dollars, all sorts of really cool stuff. And what. We really, it’s part of it is based in my background.
[00:14:11] Emily Hall: So my background is in, program development for public health. So really leaning into behavior change psychology to figure out how do you get an audience to go from A to B, to change a behavior, to change a thought, to change, a feeling, to change all of that. So I bring that approach, but then very much with a business first attitude.
[00:14:31] Emily Hall: You know, the most important thing is that my clients that I work with, your clients that I work with are. Achieving their business goals. And a lot of times how we do that is we have to extend that business first mindset into how we approach the presentations. And so I have to coach my clients on how they shift their mindset so that they go into things very business first, how do we make sure that their clients feel taken care of?
[00:14:54] Emily Hall: Their prospects feel like they are connecting with the absolute right person. And so it’s, it, [00:15:00] there are, I mean, this is based in communication science. It’s based in marketing principles, it’s based in all sorts of stuff. And then when you get into the presentations, there’s a whole bunch of like design science and how we build all of those things.
[00:15:10] Emily Hall: We build all the assets for our clients, um, for this process, but it’s very much based in a foundation of, of. What works, how the brain engages, how we connect with other people, how, what information we need and at what stage of the process we need it in order to change our thoughts, our behaviors, our feelings, or make a decision, um, from A to B to go from, you know, I don’t even know I have this problem to, yes, I feel confident that you are the right partner.
[00:15:40] Emily Hall: This is the right solution, and I will get the results that I’m looking for. And so we really go in deep into how. Where are they at in that process? Where are their brains coming? Where are their brains coming from? what do they need to hear? What, how, what can we provide to them to help them feel better about it?
[00:15:55] Emily Hall: And how can we do that in a way that feels very collaborative so that they feel heard, they feel [00:16:00] understood? And what that does is that strengthens our approach because we’re then able to serve them up more targeted information, we’re able to answer their questions better, and ultimately help them feel better about their decisions.
[00:16:11] April Beach: Mic drop right there. Okay. Thank you so much for explaining that. And I know that I really wanted our listeners to hear you kind of go through that process and be like, this is not cookie cutter and this is why, and that’s why it’s so brilliant the way that you do this. So thank you for sharing all this.
[00:16:30] April Beach: So we talked about needing a one pager, so that’s asset number one. Number two is this genius sales presentation that’s led by science and, and communication and all the things you said. And then what’s the third asset that people need to sell their programs?
[00:16:44] Emily Hall: They need a proposal. So the one pager is really what helps them get that first meeting. The presentation is what helps them, you know, convince the decision maker, convince the people at the table that this is the right thing, and then they have to actually [00:17:00] get that decision in writing. And the way that they do that is through presenting the proposal. So the proposal’s really just an expansion of.
[00:17:07] Emily Hall: All of the messaging that they’ve already built, but an expansion into the logistics, and this is where it’s really cool that a lot of, I know that your clients and a lot of clients that I work with, use the proposal as an opportunity to customize things so that it fits within the client’s parameters.
[00:17:22] Emily Hall: And so this is where all of that research that you’ve gathered, all that information that you have been taking notes on, that you’ve been listening to, that you’ve heard, that you’ve reacted to, it can all come into this one place to really show the client, yes, I see you. I hear you. This is what we have prepared for you.
[00:17:38] Emily Hall: That is a just for you version of what you’re looking for, the transformation that you’re looking for, that we provided to all these other people, here’s a flavor of it that fits your logistics, that fits your format, that fits your, um, you know, your software, you know how, where it’s hosted, when we’re gonna bill, how or contracts are gonna work, who’s gonna own what, things like that.
[00:17:59] Emily Hall: All those [00:18:00] specifics go into that proposal and that’s then where you really get them to sign on the dotted line. So your ask typically at the end of a sales presentation is, Are we ready to send a proposal over? And that yes, means that they’re ready to review the logistics and then it may have to go through review processes.
[00:18:14] Emily Hall: Typically, the bigger the organization. Yeah, the more the reviewing. Um, and so that’s where really following up with the people that you have built those relationships with throughout the process is really important to be able to get that signature back, to be able to roll in from there.
[00:18:29] April Beach: So good. So good and so simple. And, um, again, you know, many of our, our listeners to this show have been in the consulting or the expert advisory space for years and years, and, you know, when you’re selling consultancy services, you don’t sell them like this. It’s been very complicated for them for the last 10 years. That’s why, you know, you and I are both such an advocate for licensing.
[00:18:51] April Beach: It’s like this crazy secret that nobody talks about, which is why we’re. Trying to bring it to the surface here. And it’s so [00:19:00] simple. It is a one pager, it is a presentation of, of actually just saying back to them what you’ve heard. And it is a proposal based on a customization from, uh, what I would call a base product, what I’d call a base offer.
[00:19:14] April Beach: And so, um, this is, this is really eyeopening. I know for a lot of our listeners and. Hopefully just, you know, everybody comes to me and they say, I, I, I just don’t know what I don’t know. And that is literally every single person that comes across our ecosystem threshold just says, I just, I just don’t know what I don’t know.
[00:19:33] April Beach: I don’t know how to sell this. I don’t know what it looks like. I don’t know what I can charge, and all these things. And so under the way you have broken down in these last three episodes is, So powerful and I appreciate you so much and I appreciate who you are as, as the advisor and a consultant to our clients and being within our ecosystem and just always giving so much in teaching.
[00:19:52] April Beach: You’re such an awesome teacher. So thank you so much for this and I can’t wait for these episodes to drop. I know you guys are listening to it live, [00:20:00] but I know that many of you guys have been waiting for this content for some time. So any final words regarding, , assets to sell? Anything else that you want our listeners to know?
[00:20:10] Emily Hall: Don’t overthink these. I know that it’s, it’s easy to get really overwhelmed with thinking. You have to have all of these ready in advance. A lot of times it’s really just important to get those first leads, get those conversations, get those meetings on the books, and then the rest will evolve. The rest will happen naturally.
[00:20:26] Emily Hall: So don’t worry about what is next. Focus on the asset that you need to build at the time. Focus on listening to your client. That’s the most important thing, and. Trust that you will be able to build something that really resonates with them because you’ve been listening, because you’ve been responding in a way that is supportive and connection driven.
[00:20:46] Emily Hall: And if you need help with this, let us know. We’re happy to help. This is what our agency does. Uh, but it’s, it’s something that don’t worry about it before you need to worry about it, because that’s a really big thing that we see our clients get very overwhelmed with [00:21:00] before they need to be, and it affects, you know, How you come into conversations and you, you feel that stress and you feel that tension.
[00:21:06] Emily Hall: Cause you’re thinking, okay, do I do a proposal now? Do I do it later? Do I have to have it in the initial meeting? You don’t have to have any of that ready. And so it’s just give yourself a little bit of space. Trust that it’s a process. It’s not gonna all happen at once. And know that you’ll, you’ll get to that next stage when you get there.
[00:21:23] April Beach: Mm. I love it. Thank you so much, Emily. We really appreciate you. Thank you. Okey dokey. You guys. That is a wrap of episode number 293. Wow. Those were three powerful episodes. 291, 292, 293, where we went in and unpacked how to actually sell your programs to other companies. Prior to that, we unpacked how to actually package your opportunities, your content, your courses, and your trainings.
[00:21:53] April Beach: I took you through the steps of exactly what people are looking for. I’ve taken you through the process of how to price your licensing [00:22:00] offer. We have taken you through and unpacked the actual strategy of who to sell it to and frankly who should license their trainings and who shouldn’t license their trainings.
[00:22:11] April Beach: Here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, We have wanted to open up this world of licensing to entrepreneurs. Whether you guys work with us or not, of course we are here with our arms open. We are the only organization and consulting firm that we know of, like us, who has a complete licensing roadmap and project plan with as many experienced in successful clients, and we are waiting to give those solutions and strategies to you.
[00:22:38] April Beach: I certainly would love to work with you know, your story and help you explode the reach of your work and your profit. But if you’re not ready for that yet, that’s why I record these shows because I want to help all of you, wherever you are in the process, understand what licensing can do for your business.
[00:22:59] April Beach: And so for those of you [00:23:00] guys that are just dipping a toe into licensing and you’re not really sure if you wanna move forward, cruise over to licensing launchpad.com. It’s a little mini training, but you’re gonna get to build your first licensing action plan. And for those of you guys who already to dive in, Cruise over to sweet life co.com, which is our main company website.
[00:23:21] April Beach: Simply click on licensing and you’re gonna find all of the different options. We are here to work with you in a one day workshop. We’re here to work with you in our Amplify Licensing Accelerator. And we are also here in a done for you capacity to hold your hand in a V I P setting and build out all of your licensing for you.
[00:23:43] April Beach: Whatever you are ready for right now, we as a team are prepared and we are ready to help you do that. So please cruise over there, set up a call, and I would love to personally talk to you further about how we can help you advance your business through licensing or just go to licensing launchpad, dip [00:24:00] your toe in and let’s play with it and open up the world of licensing for you.
[00:24:04] April Beach: Again, I have a super special appreciation for Emily Hall and for her coming in and working with you guys on these last few podcast episodes. Please, you know, send her messages as well. We’ll make sure all of her contact information is available in the show notes and thanking her. Uh, and we’re just here to pour into you guys.
[00:24:24] April Beach: Licensing is a very, very, secret thing when I share about the possibilities of licensing. Every single person I talk to, whether they have a nine figure business or they’re barely crossing $9,000 a month, every single person says, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m not doing this. How do I get involved?
[00:24:47] April Beach: How do I get started? This is so exciting. This is genius. I wanna dive in, help me, and those are the things that I hear. And so that’s why these episodes were so important because I wanna open up the world of licensing [00:25:00] to everybody and share with you the same success that I have achieved through licensing myself.
[00:25:04] April Beach: And so hopefully this was beneficial to you. Thank you so much for spending time with me here on the show, sharing this show. Next week we’re diving into more trusted business strategy and coaching that. Consultants will be charging you thousands for we just give you free here on this show. Thank you so much for tuning in.
[00:25:19] April Beach: Again, you can find how to work with us and any other support we have for you is always available at sweetlifeco.Com. You guys be awesome and I’ll talk to you.
Mastering the Pitch: Selling Your Training Programs to Companies with April Beach and Emily Hall (Episode 292)
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Full Show Transcript:
292
[00:00:44] April Beach: All righty, you guys. This is episode number 292, and you are here because you are interested in fully understanding how to actually sell your program. How to pitch companies to sell companies, your training program, your courses, your [00:01:00] content. You are definitely in the right place I’m April Beach. My specialty is helping experts just like you and coaches and authors and speakers, subject matter experts and consultants, package up your training programs and seldom to other companies, organizations, small businesses, even micro entrepreneurs.
[00:01:18] April Beach: Possibly just like you are. So if that’s what you’re in for, you are here in the right place. And so all of the show notes, so we have a lot of show notes, we provide a lot of resources for you guys here on this podcast. They can all be found by cruising over to our website sweetlifeco.com. Simply click on the podcast and this particular episode is number 292, so you can just enter number 292 and it’ll take you right here with all the resources.
[00:01:46] April Beach: That I’m going to mention for you here on this show. On this show, we have our expert, Emily Hall is back with us again this week, and we are diving into how to actually pitch companies. [00:02:00] In last week’s episode, we talked about identifying what companies to sell to, who actually values your program, what companies are out there looking to buy programs just like yours.
[00:02:09] April Beach: Today we’re diving into how to actually pitch them, and that means we’re diving into the nitty gritty of what to say on your first pitch phone call and who exactly what you wanna talk to in what answers you are looking for. Exactly. And so if you fe felt like this is an intimidating process, or you don’t really know where to start, maybe you’ve been selling courses and doing launches for years, right?
[00:02:35] April Beach: And all of a sudden you wanna pivot into this new, very smart and profitable way of doing business, and you have no idea where to start. You are gonna find a great deal of confidence in today’s conversation. Let me tell you, I’ll just spill the beans ahead of time. It is way more simple than you probably think.
[00:02:54] April Beach: I’m so excited for you to keep diving in with us today in actually how to pitch companies. And [00:03:00] if you’re ready to move into licensing, if you have a company who’s already approached you that wants your programs, or if you are super smart and you realize and identify. That this is a direction that you wanna head in for your business.
[00:03:13] April Beach: Cruise over to sweet life co.com and apply to work with us where we will hold your hand through the entire process of licensing your program to companies, even packaging it and giving you all the contracts you need. To make that happen again, you can cruise over to sweet life co.com and just click on licensing, and we are there waiting to work with you.
[00:03:34] April Beach: Okay, so again, this episode is all about unpacking what to say on those initial calls, and if you are ready for that, let’s go ahead and dive in again with Emily Hall. All right, you guys, we are continuing in this little mini podcast series. We’ve been talking about licensing and how to get your courses into other companies for a few weeks here on the show, and now we’re into the nitty gritty of it.
[00:03:57] April Beach: It’s like act. How do you actually sell [00:04:00] your programs to companies? And we have our favorite person, Emily Hall, in here, who gets to work with our clients personally and help them sell their programs to companies, help them. Close these million dollar deals. Emily, how, I just have to say this, and we’ve done your intro before, but how much money in sales have you closed recently with your clients? So some crazy number?
[00:04:21] Emily Hall: Yeah, it’s up over 25 million. I think it’s close to 30 these days.
[00:04:26] April Beach: That’s crazy. Okay, so think about this amount of money, this amount of program sales. Um, and so you’re really getting a special treat by tuning into Emily today. And her area of expertise is helping you actually stand up confidently within the sales process, especially if you’re somebody like me.
[00:04:44] April Beach: You’re somebody like many of our clients who have never sold a program to a company. A day in your life, you don’t even know where to start. And so in this episode, we’re really diving into how to confidently move in this direction and, and move into the sales process [00:05:00] of selling to companies. So let’s just kind of start there.
[00:05:02] April Beach: What is an overview of. You know, what does it look like when you are selling a program to a company? Then, you know, it, those then selling individually to, to people. If you, they might have been consulting or coaching in the past. What is like the main difference between those two types of sales processes?
[00:05:21] Emily Hall: Yeah, so we call that B2B versus B2C. So B2B is your business to business. That’s gonna be your course licensing, your program licensing. B2C is business to consumer. That’s where you have one buyer at a time. So some of the main differences are with b2b, you’re typically selling a group of licenses, anywhere from 10 to a hundred to a thousand, depends on the size of the organization and what their needs are.
[00:05:43] Emily Hall: Whereas B2C, you’re selling one seat at a time, which they’re just very different. So, um, typically B2B takes a little bit longer to close. It’s bigger conversations. There’s more dollars on the line. It’s a bigger investment that an organization is making time-wise, energy-wise, resource-wise, dollars wise, [00:06:00] all of that.
[00:06:00] Emily Hall: Whereas an individual, you’re selling to a specific person at a specific phase solving one problem. Um, and you are instead of. Engaging in a kind of multi-tiered sales process. You typically are, you know, engaged in more of a longer marketing play, and then you have some sort of sales trigger where they are buying with maybe not even con like getting in contact with you at all.
[00:06:22] Emily Hall: They might, may not have any, any direct relationship with you. They just are like, yes, I have seen this person online. I trust them, I know them. I want to buy their thing. I want to be in their world. Whereas B2B is, um, a much more, uh, It’s a much bigger stakes relationship, so there’s a lot more involved in preparing for that in moving through that process. And a lot more people that you have to get on board that have to say yes to it.
[00:06:47] April Beach: In much less of that marketing. They’ve seen you online forever and ever. Right?
[00:06:51] Emily Hall: For sure. For sure. It’s like very, very little. You need some of it for the street cred, you know, it’s you, you have to, you have to show them that you know what you’re [00:07:00] doing.
[00:07:00] Emily Hall: You are legit. You have this presence, you have credibility. Um, but it’s a lot more about how. The results that you’ve gotten, the, um, the value of the promise that you are bringing to them, that’s the most important thing.
[00:07:13] April Beach: That’s so exciting. So I think that those people are listening who have been in like the online marketing and social selling and posting on Instagram, you know, every single day and doing your reels and doing your videos, you know, those things are, are really not as important when we’re talking about selling to B2B.
[00:07:28] April Beach: And just like Emily said, having your credibility, you need to be good at what you do, right? You need to know what you’re doing. You need to have an an established thought leader type of a or or specialist in your area of expertise for sure. Um, but. Even as far as an online platform, which we’re not even talking about this in today’s show, really the platform we play with is LinkedIn in this capacity and not so much Facebook and Instagram and in those type of places, which is, which is kind of a breath of fresh air, I think for our clients who, you know, who our [00:08:00] listeners, I mean, who.
[00:08:00] April Beach: Who have been in the online coaching space for, for some time. So when we’re talking about selling B2B and when we are talking about moving into this direction, you’re gonna hear my dog crying in the background. Hello everybody. He’s very excited. My kids are home. There you go. There’s my dog crying the background.
[00:08:19] April Beach: I don’t know if you could hear him. Um, but when we’re talking about moving in the sales direction, How does somebody start? Like who do they look for? What, where do they even begin in this process? I think that alone is an area of understanding that is very gray for a lot of people. Moving in B2B sales.
[00:08:39] Emily Hall: Yeah, it’s uh, it’s a tricky one. It feels like that big scary first step, like when you’re in social selling, it’s that first figuring out how to post for the first time. It’s figuring out like, okay, what direction do I go? What do I say? Who do I want to talk to? Um, it’s. It’s a very different game. It’s a relationship game for sure.
[00:08:57] Emily Hall: And so it’s how do you leverage the relationships that you [00:09:00] have? How do you build new relationships? How do you, um, demonstrate your expertise and highlight what you do, the results you’ve gotten for people in more of a high quality way? So a lot of times we see people that will go and do. Speaking engagements and get leads for companies off of that, that are interested in learning more.
[00:09:19] Emily Hall: Or they’ll host, you know, they’ll host a community paid workshop or they’ll go speak at a conference. We see a lot of, a lot of conversion off of speaking events, um, and then existing networks, you know, tapping into your LinkedIn network. When people go onto LinkedIn, they’re already in business mode and decision makers.
[00:09:34] Emily Hall: Tend to see that as more credible than the Instagrams, the, Facebooks, the tos of the online world. So, um, it’s a much higher quality place to stay, like you said. Um, but what you’re really looking for, you’re, you’re looking for someone who could be a champion for you. So finding somebody who sees what you do, who understands the problem that you solve, and who is excited about it, because that champion is going to be your entry point into an organization.
[00:09:59] Emily Hall: That [00:10:00] champion is going to be a very key person for you in this sale, in this sales process. Um, your champion typically isn’t your decision maker. They’re the person that’s gonna go and advocate for you within that organization about how awesome you are. How great this program is. You absolutely have to meet them.
[00:10:14] Emily Hall: We have to get everybody together and hear what they have to say. Um, your champion is going to be somebody who is going to sell essentially on your behalf within the organization.
[00:10:26] April Beach: That’s fantastic. And you know, I know a lot of questions that our clients have is can the champion be maybe a past client of mine or somebody I’m currently working with?
[00:10:35] April Beach: Do you feel like that is okay? Also?
[00:10:37] Emily Hall: Absolutely, absolutely. The champion can be, you know, you can have any relationship with them. It’s somebody who understands what either the industry that you are coming from, the, um, the value that you teach. Maybe they’ve seen you speak before, maybe they’ve experienced how, um, you know, they’ve experienced a transformation from you and they want to share it with their entire organization.
[00:10:58] Emily Hall: There’s a lot of different ways that you can really [00:11:00] hook somebody into that champion role and leverage that into a bigger contract.
[00:11:03] April Beach: Perfect. Yeah, that sounds fantastic. So once they find this champion who absolutely loves them, then what do we, what do they do with this person? Take us through the next step of, okay, this person loves me.
[00:11:16] April Beach: They just said, Hey listen, I really want to introduce your program to my HR manager. I really wanna introduce you to program to our founders. Uh, how do we help them do that? Like, what are the things that are important that need to happen next?
[00:11:29] Emily Hall: Yeah. So we typically recommend that. You have a, either a face-to-face or a zoom meeting with your champion, and you really wanna accomplish two things.
[00:11:39] Emily Hall: One, you want to get a. Bigger understanding of truly what the problem is that they are trying to solve within their organization. What does success mean for them? What barriers are they running into? Who is going to have a say in this? Who are your, you know what we call your influencers? Who are the people that have a seat at the table and will [00:12:00] have.
[00:12:00] Emily Hall: Say in whether it’s a yes or a no, um, but they may not be the ultimate decision maker. This can typically be somebody in your finance department or the legal department or it that, you know, if you, if they say, yes, this program is gonna affect their world, but they’re not the ultimate yes or no. And then you have your decision makers.
[00:12:16] Emily Hall: Typically, there’s one, maybe two in an organization. So really identifying who those people are will help you to then equip your champion with the talking points, with the value propositions, with the language that they need to go to each of those people to get buy-in on your behalf.
[00:12:33] April Beach: Yeah. That’s brilliant. And I love, I love how you said that, I mean, you’re basically like being a good listener. You’re, you’re being in there and, and here’s the deal. You are super excited because you’re having a conversation about your program being brought into an organization. But I know that one of the things that you oftentimes share with our clients as well, and helping them with this process is, Being a really good listener, and I think that some people get really intimidated because they feel like they need to show up to this [00:13:00] meeting and have, you know, this whole presentation.
[00:13:02] April Beach: I know that’s coming down the road. We’re gonna talk about this next, but I love that what you say is listen to even what the champion wants in who those key players are. And so, We want I, I say this and I highlight this for you guys listening because when you understand that you need to have great listening skills and you need to ask questions about, The other key players in their organization.
[00:13:27] April Beach: And that is what Emily just said. The two most important things of this first conversation. It’s not so intimidating. You’re there to be a listener, to, to learn, to absorb, to answer questions and to support. And I, I love that because I think it takes the edge off of that quote unquote, like first type of sales meeting.
[00:13:48] April Beach: Yeah.
[00:13:49] Emily Hall: And it’s, it feels like a lot of pressure when you have to memorize every feature, every talking point, every little nuance, and it’s, it’s essentially, it changes the [00:14:00] dynamic. So if you were to come in and say, here is, they’re like, tell me about your program, which everyone will usually start with that.
[00:14:06] Emily Hall: Um, but it’s up to you to take control of the conversation and shift it and say, well, I’d love to hear more about you first. Um, so get them talking first. That’s like rule number one. Um, instead of saying, all right, here are my 60,000 things, let me just like fire hose this information at you. When that happens, they’re going to try to make those connections themselves.
[00:14:25] Emily Hall: They’re gonna try and say, okay, well this could help this person. Okay, that makes sense for that person. They’re, they’re connecting those dots already when you can get that information from them. You can then present your program information back to them with those dots already connected. So we, when you say, okay, you’ve got, you know, you’ve got somebody in legal who is really worried about cybersecurity, or you’ve got somebody in finance who’s really worried about, you know, the, the turnover of the fiscal year, you can say, oh, well we’ve got really flexible payment plans that allow you to spread this out over the fiscal years.
[00:14:57] Emily Hall: Tighten it up here, push it to next year. So that should make your, your financial [00:15:00] person really happy so that they can make a mental note of that. Um, you know, our. I don’t know, insert talking point about cybersecurity, X, Y, Z. We built this program to be able to accommodate this, blah, blah, blah. Um, and so it allows you to really customize those features and position them as benefits to your, um, to your, your.
[00:15:18] Emily Hall: Target cu your target company, uh, which is huge. And then what you can do is you can take those talking points that you kind of outline for them, put them into a, either a custom one sheet, or you can have a one sheet of those things already prepared and be able to deliver that to your champion so that they can distribute that internally so it gives you more controls.
[00:15:39] Emily Hall: This could be a PDF it could be. A word attachment in an email. Don’t recommend that people then can change your stuff. PDFs are great, um, but it can be, you know, as custom or as standard as you want it to be. But then it gives that champion very accurate, very true talking points. So they’re not trying to paraphrase you.
[00:15:57] Emily Hall: They’re not trying to summarize what you’re saying. They’re not trying to [00:16:00] draw out insights that may be incorrect. So when they go to speak about it, when they go to deliver that information to the other influencers in the organization, to the stakeholders, it is accurate. They are. Everyone is looking at the same information.
[00:16:12] Emily Hall: Everyone is seeing those benefits. Everyone is seeing all those details. In the exact same way. And so it gives you that control and it takes that pressure off of your champion to have to remember it all, which helps them feel better, helps them feel more connected to you, and it really positions you as a partner to them, as kind of a teammate in this process versus just kind of giving them information and then waiting for them to, to do all of the work on their own.
[00:16:34] April Beach: Right. And what I, what I always love to tell our clients too is that the better we can make our champion look to their teammates, to their bosses, like we wanna make our champion look like a rockstar, like the best employee or the best team member who just found this amazing program to solve this problem.
[00:16:51] April Beach: And so equipping that champion to even look really great, um, and feel good and feel confident sharing about your program is a [00:17:00] big part of what. What we do in the beginning phase. So I know that there’s oftentimes a lot of hesitation, especially when you guys are moving from selling your program B2C, to selling your program b2b, that I just want you to hear what Emily is saying today about this relationship with your champion and how we want to equip them and how we wanna listen to them and.
[00:17:21] April Beach: You know, as we go through the rest of this and we have another special episode coming up next, I, I want you guys to start just for a second here and try to identify people. Do you already have in your circle that could be a champion for you? Do you have clients that work for companies? Do you have other business partners or other affiliates that actually own other companies that maybe you’re thinking about licensing your program into their even small or micro business or their association or their.
[00:17:53] April Beach: Membership community or whatever that could be. And just trying to think about what you can do to make their job [00:18:00] easier to help them to accomplish the goals that they have, not only for their own business, but you know, for the people that they work with and for their clients as well. So, um, really quick, Emily, just because I know we’re honing in on the champion here on this episode, what are the other roles.
[00:18:17] April Beach: Of the process of the people, we kind of give names to roles of the people in the process. For those businesses that are selling to larger corporations, what are some of the roles that those other people that champion has a conversation with, um, may have, and what do those people just generally care about?
[00:18:38] Emily Hall: Yeah, so we have, like I mentioned, you have your, your influencers and your decision maker. Your decision maker is, depending on the size of an organization, um, is either going to be C level. So, um, C E O /C O O, chief Operations Officer, um, depending on the area of business that your program sits in, the decision maker is likely going to be [00:19:00] the highest or one of the highest leaders in that organization, especially if it’s a very high dollar amount.
[00:19:06] Emily Hall: The other people that typically have a say, and by the way, they care about overall success of the, the mission of the organization. So they care about, you know, Delivering services to customers, delivering software, whatever it is, they care about keeping people happy. They care about the, the broader, um, business ecosystem and how that all works together.
[00:19:28] Emily Hall: So the more you can appeal to that for the decision maker, you’re gonna be in very good shape. The other influencers that we typically see that have a seat at the table but may not be a full decision maker, are people kind of below that, within the org, within that team. Um, so they might just be lower level in terms of.
[00:19:45] Emily Hall: You know, they may be closer to the customer or closer to the client or closer to wherever in terms of, you know, hierarchy. So they may have more insight and more direct insight into those things. Um, you’re typically going to have somebody from finance involved. If it’s a very high [00:20:00] dollar amount, it’ll be the C level or just below.
[00:20:03] Emily Hall: They care about, uh, how much things cost. They care about flexibility of payments. They care about when they have to pay, what those deliverables are gonna be, what those milestones are, they are accountable to. Um, they’re accountable to the finances of the organization. So they wanna make sure that they are being good stewards of that, they’re being good gatekeepers of that.
[00:20:20] Emily Hall: So being able to really appeal to the, uh, short-term value of your program as well as the long-term value of your program is really gonna help you get that person on your side. Typically we also see somebody who is involved in the implementation of the program. So sometimes that can be somebody from operations, sometimes that can be somebody from IT who is responsible for kind of configuring or managing, could be somebody from HR if it’s a, you know, a people focused program. Um,
[00:20:46] Emily Hall: There might be an entire training department that has people that are dedicated to that. So when you think about who is implementing or executing or kind of owning the actual program itself, you wanna think about making their lives easier. We wanna make sure [00:21:00] that, you know, everyone’s busy, everyone has a full, full job if they are being brought into a room saying, here’s this thing that you’re gonna manage.
[00:21:07] Emily Hall: That’s, that’s a lot of extra work potentially that may, they may or may not be on board with. And so being able to really highlight how. Your program is set up to be easy. The support that they get, the flexibility that they have, the resources that they have in order to make that a smooth process for them.
[00:21:24] Emily Hall: Not add too much overhead in terms of time or steps or, you know, dealing with all the, all the minutiae. And so being able to make their lives easier in terms of productivity and efficiency is, is fantastic there. Typically you also have somebody that represents risk management, so that could be. Um, so it could be legal, could be somebody from finance or HR.
[00:21:44] Emily Hall: That person wants to make sure that things are like above board, that this is legit at this high quality, um, that this is not going to communicate something that is going to open them up to liability. And so this is where your credibility, your authority, your [00:22:00] expertise, your, you know, documentation of what goes into this program is really going to come in.
[00:22:05] Emily Hall: Come into play when you can assure them of that, that this is based in X, Y, Z science, or this is based in 20 years of experience in all this data, or based in, you know, whatever your program is based in really leaning into that credibility so that they feel more at ease about it. Um, those are kind of the big players.
[00:22:23] Emily Hall: If you have any other ones, depends on the organization a little bit. But what you wanna think about just a shortcut is what are, so if you find out that, say somebody from, I don’t know. Facilities is gonna be there. I don’t know, maybe there’s an in-person element and there’s a, there’s somebody who’s from admin or somebody who does event planning.
[00:22:40] Emily Hall: I don’t know, it could be anybody. Um, think about what. Are those person’s performance metrics? What makes them successful? What does success in that role look like? What does that mean for them? Um, and then how does your program help them achieve that, um, in either actively making it better or not [00:23:00] holding them back from achieving that.
[00:23:01] Emily Hall: So you kind of approach it from two sides, but that’s kind of your shortcut to be able to, uh, translate how to speak to different people that are coming to the table.
[00:23:09] April Beach: That’s fascinating. Um, and you know, again, if you guys are new to this, which we assume most of our podcast listeners are new to this because this is like an untapped just pot of gold for you guys, which is why we’re bringing it to you here on the show, and we work so hard.
[00:23:26] April Beach: Bringing you up to the table so that you can take a seat at this table. And all of these episodes have been designed to build awareness and confidence in this as potentially your next move. And so Emily, I think that you just, even just breaking it down here and making it super simple, like the first meeting again is listening to that champion, finding the champion, whoever they could be.
[00:23:50] April Beach: But you know, and we talked in the last episode about. Great ways to get introduced to champions, what companies to look for. But once you have that person, what do you ha how do [00:24:00] you handle that conversation? And I think that that is a very important thing that you covered because I, to me, hopefully for our listeners, that just took out all the intimidation of just saying, Hey, listen, this fir first conversation is, is just listening to the problems and, um, understanding, you know, the dynamics of their organization.
[00:24:17] April Beach: And then thank you so much for also going further in depth and breaking down. Decision makers and implementers and stakeholders and all these other things. And uh, you know, basically as a summary for our listeners, just understand that each person who is in the process of deciding whether or not to license your training or course has their own drivers.
[00:24:37] April Beach: And identify what their drivers are and be able to speak to how your program will affect or will not affect their drivers. That’s it. And they’re, here’s the deal, guys. They aren’t gonna bring anybody in the meeting that your program does not affect. Like, they’re not just gonna, everybody’s too busy.
[00:24:55] April Beach: They’re not just gonna have a meeting with 20 people when your program only affects maybe three different departments. [00:25:00] You know, they’re only gonna bring the three people in there. So you don’t have to get overly intimidated, you don’t have to identify every role of could be in there. But once you learn who’s gonna be in there, figure out why.
[00:25:09] April Beach: Why they care, why they’re there listening. And this is of course, selling to big corporations, organizations, but when we’re going into selling to small businesses in startups, and. Even healthcare. We don’t have, well sometimes we do in healthcare, have that many people in a meeting. So just know it’s not always gonna be this big, huge thing.
[00:25:31] April Beach: But our job here is to equip you on what could be so that you’re going into it with eyes wide open. And so, Emily, thank you so much again for another, Awesome podcast episode. These are answering like these are like frequently asked questions that we get all the time, right, that we’re answering here on this show.
[00:25:50] April Beach: And if you don’t have these questions yet, you will. So just come back and bookmark this. That means you aren’t yet at that point, but you will remember where this episode is. Number [00:26:00] 292. And come back and listen to it and. You’ll have all, all of, all of the answers here. All right. Thank you so much, Emily. I appreciate you.
[00:26:08] April Beach: Thank you. Okay, that is a wrap for episode number 292. Hopefully, you are finding peace in the sales process. It is so much easier than people think to actually license and sell your programs and trainings to other companies. Because we don’t have to deal with complex funnels and fancy schmanzy sales systems.
[00:26:31] April Beach: It really comes down to connecting with the right person, listening to their company’s needs, and connecting your program or training. With the needs they are trying to fill, whether their needs are internal for training their staff, or whether their needs are external and they wanna use your program to beef up their offers to their clients.
[00:26:52] April Beach: Both of ’em are a huge blessing to both you and to the organization and of course to the end [00:27:00] users as well. So that’s one of the reasons why I love licensing so much. So, again, to reference the show notes and the transcription and everything we talked about. Cruise over to sweetlifeco.com. This is episode number 292, which you’ll find if you just very simply click on our podcast button.
[00:27:17] April Beach: You can search 292. And if you wanna dip your feet into licensing, if you wanna build your first licensing action plan, if you wanna identify in your own vault of genius what you already have, that is. Primed and ready to go for licensing, cruise over to licensing launchpad.com. It’s a very short, there are actually five little mini videos that I personally guide you through where I’m gonna take you through the process of building your first licensing action plan.
[00:27:47] April Beach: It’s a super rad training. We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of people go through it since we dropped it just like a couple weeks ago. It’s been awesome and I can’t wait for you to dive in as well. Again, licensing launchpad, [00:28:00] depending on when you listen to this, there will literally be thousands of people who have gone through that.
[00:28:04] April Beach: And you wanna be in the beginning. You wanna be ahead of the curve. You wanna be tip of the sword. That’s why you listen here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast to get trainings and proven strategies that you can take to the bank from experienced consultants and experts that are all here to pour into you.
[00:28:19] April Beach: That is our mission here on the show. So thank you for listening, and I will see you on next week’s episode where we have Emily coming back one more time. And we’re diving into more of what you actually need, the assets you need in order to close million dollar licensing deals. I’ll see you next week.
[00:28:38] April Beach: Thanks for being here with us and share this show with your friends, please. I hate advertisers. I refuse ’em. I turn down their money all the time and I really rely on you guys to share this show cause of that. So we really appreciate you and advance for doing that. Thanks so much. I’ll see you next.[00:29:00]
Pinpointing Potential Buyers for High-Paying Licensing Deals with April Beach and Emily Hall (Episode 291)
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Full Show Transcript:
291
[00:00:43] April Beach: Hi everybody and welcome back to the show. This is episode number 291, and so all of the show notes and everything we’re gonna talk about here can be found by cruising over to sweet life co.com. Click on the podcast and just remember the number 291.
[00:00:58] April Beach: I’m April Beach. If we haven’t connected [00:01:00] before. I help specialists, subject matter experts, coaches, consultants, speakers, and authors. Scale their business online by developing million dollar programs with lifestyle freedom. And so if that’s what you’re looking for, everything we talk about here on this Sweet Life Entrepreneurial podcast is designed to give you proven strategies and steps to accomplish that.
[00:01:19] April Beach: So thank you so much for joining us here. Let’s kind of unpack who this episode is for. So we’ve been talking a lot about licensing and what licensing is and how to take the courses and the trainings and the content and the frameworks that you have already created. You’ve already been using them in your consulting business and actually allow other companies, To deliver them and actually license them to other companies.
[00:01:45] April Beach: Giving other companies, corporations, small businesses, even micro entrepreneurs just like you. The ability to distribute your trainings, whether internally to their teams or externally is part of their pro, is part of their products. It is a huge. Not [00:02:00] great secret because I’m trying to make it not a secret.
[00:02:02] April Beach: And everything that we’ve been doing in this series here on the show for the last couple of episodes is introducing experts like you to this possibility. And so we’re moving from really what is licensing, what is the program, how to do it. Now we’re moving into how to. Sell it. And I brought in our very own Emily Hall.
[00:02:23] April Beach: Emily is an absolute expert when it comes to selling programs to other companies. She comes in and she works with our clients and handles our clients’ development of their sales processes as well. And so if she was certainly the best person to bring into this show and introduce you to, and so. We are gonna unpack in this particular episode, who to actually sell it to.
[00:02:47] April Beach: It’s a question I get all the time. You know, you guys say, April, I have this great course, I have this great training, but how do I know who wants to buy it? I’m used to selling it b2c. Now I’m thinking of selling a b2b. [00:03:00] What companies are out there that would want to buy my training, especially some of you guys have amazing niche trainings, like off the wall, super specific, and we’re gonna be giving some case studies of very specific niche trainings.
[00:03:13] April Beach: And in this episode we’re gonna unpack how to actually go through the process of identifying. Who to sell it to. So Emily is coming in here and we’re also unpacking for you the top five industries and the types of programs that they are buying. This is very important for you to understand. So as we’re walking through, we’re telling you how to connect with companies, how to reach out.
[00:03:36] April Beach: How to skit the ball, rolling to sell your programs to companies, but also what the top five industries are looking for in the programs are buying right now. This is a really powerful episode for you and on top of it, we of course have an amazing bonus training. If you have not dove in yet, cruise over to licensing launchpad.
[00:03:56] April Beach: And let you can go to licensing launchpad.com. It’s a [00:04:00] little mini training on today’s show, we’re only covering five different industries. In licensing launchpad. We unpack for you 10 top industries in exactly all the programs they’re buying. And we even give you the names of the positions of the people.
[00:04:14] April Beach: In these companies and who to reach out to, to connect with to sell your program too. So we’ve done all that work for you already. You can cruise over to licensing launchpad.com to get started, and of course, listen to this episode. So let’s go ahead and dive in with Emily Hall. All right, you guys. Welcome back to the show.
[00:04:33] April Beach: I am super excited about our next expert who’s actually hanging out here with us for the next couple of shows. It’s been long awaited that Emily Hall and I have been trying to get together and record these podcast episodes for you. First of all, this is not just a podcast episode like every single one of our.
[00:04:51] April Beach: Episodes, I guess we dropped. This is really a training and it’s really important for you all to understand that you should be taking notes here [00:05:00] cuz what Emily’s about to walk you through. People pay thousands and thousands of dollars for this information that’s gonna, that she’s gonna guide you through on these next couple podcast episodes.
[00:05:11] April Beach: So if you are again in a place where you wanna license your trainings and courses to companies, you’re really ready to scale your business. Uh, listen up. Today we are talking about. Actually who to sell your program to, who to license your program to, who to license your training from a B2B perspective.
[00:05:30] April Beach: And so I’m so pleased to bring in Emily to guide us through this process and this conversation. And Emily. You’re always in there working with our clients. You guys, our clients are really lucky. If you wanna be one of them, you know where to find us because Emily literally rolls up her sleeves with our clients all the time working through these sales processes, and I wanted to give you guys a taste of how amazing she is.
[00:05:52] April Beach: And the biggest thing that everybody asks is how do I sell it? How do I sell my license program to another company? Who do [00:06:00] I sell it to? And it kind of just seems like this huge barrier in block, especially for experts and coaches and consultants coming from the coaching space and this is very different.
[00:06:10] April Beach: It’s actually much. More simple in my opinion, but talk us through this process. What does it look like? How does one even determine who is the best buyer for their program?
[00:06:23] Emily Hall: Yeah, like you said, it’s a really, really common hangup. You know, especially if you’re already selling B2C, you know who that audience is, you know who that individual buyer is, and when you try to identify companies with those same profiles, it’s, it’s not apples to apples.
[00:06:36] Emily Hall: It’s apples to oranges for sure. And so figuring out who to target can be a really, really hard spot. So what we really encourage our clients to do and what we help them kind of go through is, A little bit of a, a narrowing down process. So we start with, based on your program, based on your course, your workshop, your training, whatever your material that you’re licensing is, are there any immediate industries that you know would [00:07:00] benefit from?
[00:07:01] Emily Hall: The transformation that you provide in terms of financial success. So financial success is gonna be kind of that initial hook that most companies are gonna be looking for. There’s obviously layers of reasons that companies say yes to buying programs, but the financial benefit of that, um, is one of the biggest ones.
[00:07:18] Emily Hall: And you wanna look at that through two perspectives. The first one is the internal, benefit. So how will it help their employees be more productive, be more engaged, be more. Happy, be more successful in what they’re trying to accomplish. And then whoever that company’s client is, their customer, their end user, whatever services they’re providing, how can your program help them be more successful in how they deliver their services?
[00:07:47] Emily Hall: So looking at the internal financials, so how does it help their staff? How does it help their employees? And then also how does it help their customers? So figuring out. Just out of the gate, are there any industries, any companies, , any, you know, [00:08:00] specific organizations that really makes sense out of the gate for that. That’s kind of the first thing that we look at that can help to narrow it down because there are a million places to take your program
[00:08:09] Emily Hall: and it’s hard to know where to start.
[00:08:10] April Beach: Right, and I love that you said that too, because we’ve used that language a lot here on the podcast recently about how to. Pick what programs you wanna license. And we’ve talked about, you know, is your program something that is internally facing or externally facing? And you’re right, both certainly benefit both. But the first thing, if you guys are listening to this and you have a course or a training that you want to figure out how to license other companies, you’re tired of selling them directly yourself.
[00:08:39] April Beach: And that’s exactly kind of what Emily is saying here. Now, not just identifying the product, but going in and now identifying. How it benefits the company internally and externally as well. I think that’s, I think that’s brilliant. Not just the actual hardcore product itself, but the, the extenuating benefits for sure.
[00:08:57] Emily Hall: Yeah. Yeah. Um, so the second thing, kind [00:09:00] of the second step, second tier of this is to look at your own experience. You know, you didn’t, you’re not brand new to your expertise. You’re not brand new to doing this. So what industries do you have experience in? What networks are you connected in that would.
[00:09:15] Emily Hall: Lead to a stronger, easier, smoother connection into a specific industry, into a specific organization. A lot of times that’s a really strong way to start leveraging those relationships using the networks that you’ve spent, you know, years building as a professional to help you launch into this. B2B side of licensing, um, is a really, really smart way to do it.
[00:09:35] Emily Hall: You’re not starting from scratch, you’re not reaching out for cold calls, you’re leveraging the assets that you’ve got. Um, a lot of times programs can go into lots of different industries. So being able to kind of choose that lowest hanging fruit, if you will, of, alright, what, what can I do to get the most success?
[00:09:49] Emily Hall: Immediately get that social proof, get that sale, get that, get that success, get those results for those clients, and then be able to move on to the next one. Um, so that’s kind of that second side of it is [00:10:00] what. The company, what they need, what will benefit them, and then also what’s gonna be easiest for you.
[00:10:05] April Beach: Yeah, and that’s so interesting too cuz so a lot of our listeners haven’t been part of corporate for a long time, or they might not, na, they might not have established corporate relationships. I remember the first time I sold my like, First big deal, license package. It was to, uh, an industry that I had never set foot in in my life.
[00:10:26] April Beach: And I remember, I remember thinking, oh my gosh, I feel like such a, such a fish outta water here. But I know a lot of our clients, uh, that still then go on to sell programs into industries where they have zero experience or they have zero connection. And so, I love what you teach our clients like there are shortcuts to do this.
[00:10:47] April Beach: If you don’t have established relationships, you don’t have established connections, you actually have shortcuts on how to find the best industries that actually align with your program. [00:11:00] Uh, can we dive into that a little bit here for our users too?
[00:11:03] Emily Hall: Yes, yes. There are definitely five main industries that we see program sales being the most successful in. Uh, the first one is, um, a little bit of kind of the broad category of corporations and what we look at within those are, you know, tech companies, financial companies, insurance companies, maybe professional services, things like that. Really large organizations that are providing services directly to customers. So those, um, industries tend to really, they tend to be large. They tend to take a longer time to close cause you have more, um, More
[00:11:37] April Beach: levels than red tape.
[00:11:39] Emily Hall: Yes. Yes. Lots of hoops to jump through for sure , but they tend to be some of the biggest, and so they tend to have the largest payouts. And so it’s really, and they’re very established.
[00:11:50] Emily Hall: They’re very, uh, Um, easy to understand how they work. They’re very similar to each other. And so once you kind of dial in your value proposition for one company, you can [00:12:00] very easily take it to different companies that are similar. So that is one that’s really, really successful , especially for. Yeah, it’s just, it’s a very, it’s a very, very successful industry.
[00:12:12] April Beach: Right. And I know that our listeners are like saying, okay, when you say like, big deals, like big sales deals, um, you know, we love dropping numbers for you guys here on the podcast. I know that we have current CR clients right now that are in deals with big industries for over a million dollars for one course.
[00:12:28] April Beach: What other numbers have you seen, Emily, when we’re talking about. Licensing your training and program to these larger corporations. What are, what are some of the sales numbers that you have seen with program selling in the past?
[00:12:40] Emily Hall: Yeah, it can be, it depends on the, the specificity of the course really and how many people in the organization it applies to. It can be as little as, you know, two to 500,000 up over in the multiple of millions, just depending on what segment of the organization it’s targeting, what area of their team, um, is going to be using it [00:13:00] or what segment of their, um, end users or their customers are gonna be using it. But there’s definitely a really broad range there.
[00:13:06] April Beach: Right. I love how you said as little as two to 500, 250 to 500,000. No big deal. Yeah. We’re talking, we’re talking about one training guys, one course. So we really, we really wanna let you know that this is feasible. People are doing it, our clients are doing it. You can be doing it too. Uh, okay. So that’s one area is the per professional training, like the larger corporations, our purchasing programs.
[00:13:29] April Beach: All the time. Yes. What is another industry that is, that you wanna share with our listeners?
[00:13:36] Emily Hall: Yeah, so while those organizations typically have pretty large budgets that are pretty flexible, um, one that they surprisingly have larger budget budgets than people realize is the government and education side of things.
[00:13:49] Emily Hall: So we see a lot of people find success selling to government organizations and educational entities, uh, because governments and educational. [00:14:00] Organizations. They have, they have set budgets, they have money that they have to spend, they have grants, they have bonds, they have all these pools of money that have to be spent.
[00:14:07] Emily Hall: And so being able to really tap into those and build relationships is so helpful. The other great thing is once you get into one, they tend to refer to each other. So it tends to be a really nice domino effect of using multiple sales after that initial, um, that initial deal closes. Of, you know, other similar organizations in other states or other parts of the country or other regions or other, you know, departments wanting a similar transformation.
[00:14:32] Emily Hall: They, that referral network within government and within education is really, really strong. So it’s very, very beneficial to tap into that industry.
[00:14:41] April Beach: That’s fascinating. Um, and again, we do, you know, you and I are both working collectively with clients that have government deals and education deals. And so what I’m hearing you say, and what I’ve heard you say to our clients as well, is that they literally have the money and they actually have to spend it.
[00:14:58] April Beach: So it’s not, it, [00:15:00] it, they’re there, they’re looking for programs constantly to fit into certain areas, both education. And this is, you know, these are primary education, secondary education and government, and they are always looking for curriculum and programs. Uh, and, and they do have the funding for that.
[00:15:16] April Beach: So that’s exciting for, for you to hear. Um, hopefully exciting for you listeners to hear as exciting. It is for me to have her tell you that. Uh, okay. So number three, we talked about. Larger corporations. We talked about government and education. Now what is the third industry that we often see programs being sold into?
[00:15:37] Emily Hall: Yeah. So the third one is, um, actually the startup world. And by startup world, I mean not necessarily your, you know, bootstrapping entrepreneur or your, you know, brick and mortar small business. I’m talking about the startups that go through the funding process, go through the venture capital, whole chain of barriers? Yes. Um, to try and get up and grow. [00:16:00] Those organizations have, uh, they have a lot of cash, so especially depending on where they’re at in their funding stages, they have cash to burn and they have to spend it in specific ways. So being able to tap into those, um, that part of the industry, that startup industry.
[00:16:15] Emily Hall: Of companies, um, is really, really helpful. If you were able to help them reach their next funding goal, help them reach their next milestone of rolling out, building, launching, scaling their product. There are different levels of funding that are unlocked at different levels. So if you can help an organization get to that next place in a way that saves them money, saves them time, makes them look good, it’s gonna be a much, much easier sale.
[00:16:39] Emily Hall: So you see a lot of success in startups with programs that help companies accomplish those things.
[00:16:43] April Beach: Oh, that’s so exciting. Okay. Uh, industry number four.
[00:16:48] Emily Hall: Yes. So this one is a little bit of a surprise and it’s a little bit, it, it, it works in a very specific situation, but the fourth one is actually the nonprofit world. So [00:17:00] nonprofits like to, uh, they’re there to help people. They have big hearts. They have a mission, they have employees that are engaged. Everybody is, is working towards something. And while they don’t necessarily have a. Like a, a budget the size of maybe a government entity or a big corporation, they have a vested interest in furthering their mission.
[00:17:23] Emily Hall: So if your program aligns with them seeing success in their mission, it’s going to be very helpful. They also have to be very transparent. With how they spend their money, where they spend their money, things like that. And so being able to, you know, they have caps on how much they can spend on salaries typically.
[00:17:39] Emily Hall: So they’ve got, you know, cash that they want to put back into their programs, back into their business to further their mission. So if your program aligns with that and you’ve got those good relationships, you’ve got that good track record proving that you can get that result for them. That’s, it’s a great place to be.
[00:17:55] April Beach: Fantastic. I love that. Uh, and we have also seen success with our [00:18:00] clients in that area. Uh, and I think that you were part of some of those deals, or you were around in some of those deals last year for a couple clients who were going through and it was, it really was surprising to me. I’ll be really honest.
[00:18:11] April Beach: To see exactly how much nonprofits we’re spending on programs. Um, and certainly encouraging to see that in, in their desire to purchase programs that help them accomplish their mission is, it’s a, it’s frankly blows my mind. I’ll be really honest. Um, makes me really happy cuz our clients are making money and the, and the organizations are really happy, but it, it still surprises me.
[00:18:36] April Beach: To see how much the money that they will actually spend on, on the right types of programs. So that’s awesome. Okay. Uh, and then number five, what is the last one?
[00:18:46] Emily Hall: The fifth industry is actually healthcare. Healthcare is massive and there are so many different segments of it, and they have money to spend, they tend to be more heavily regulated.
[00:18:58] Emily Hall: So you are, [00:19:00] depending on your program, it may have to be compliant with certain things. Um, but healthcare organizations have. They have a mission, they have things that they’re trying to accomplish. They need to take care of their patients. They need to take care of their staff. So if your program helps them to deliver better care, keep their staff happy, save them money in the long term, they’re willing to spend that money to save that money in the long term, especially on the scale that most healthcare or healthcare organizations operate at.
[00:19:24] Emily Hall: Being able to see that, um, that really high r o ROI on the, that return on their investment in your program. They’re, it’s worth it to them. It really is. And so being able to, you know, help in any one of those areas, increase that quality of care, increase their patient outcomes, help their staff be more engaged, help with their retention, help with their success, um, and then ultimately save them money through either one of those things or just money saving efforts in general.
[00:19:52] Emily Hall: That’s going to be, It’s, it’s a really, really great place to be, and once you get into healthcare, it’s easier to go into other areas of healthcare. So that’s also a [00:20:00] really nice part of it. It’s very similar to government and education that way. Um, it’s a, it’s a, they tend to be a tighter, um, industry and so it’s, it’s easier to roll that into referrals with other organizations.
[00:20:11] April Beach: Yeah, that’s fascinating. And I remember my first program, my first big program that I ever sold, um, all my whole package and course and content and everything to, um, was to, was to a healthcare corporation, um, which was actually to a hospital. And interestingly enough, their desire to buy it was marketing.
[00:20:31] April Beach: Um, they, you know, cause they were, they were patient fo facing classes and courses and content that I was selling. And this hospital wanted to compete so badly and they wanted to be the go-to hospital in their city. And that was really valuable to them to bring in all of my trainings and programs and content.
[00:20:52] April Beach: In a way that they had exclusivity to it and they paid me for that exclusivity that nobody else had it. And they really [00:21:00] wanted to increase the number of patients that were going to their hospital for a specific reason. And I remember actually being really quite surprised at that. So also, you guys, if you have programs that could be patient facing as well.
[00:21:14] April Beach: Um, for, for healthcare, uh, certainly that’s another opportunity for, for, for you guys as well. And I can speak from experience. So let’s kind of do a quick recap. So the whole entire purpose of this episode, and we’re doing some mini episodes here to really help people get great information fast. So the whole purpose of this episode is really identifying who do you sell your licensed program to, who do you sell your training program to?
[00:21:41] April Beach: And you talked about obviously making sure that. Our listeners understand the benefit in who really benefits, whether it’s internally and externally. And then you talked about definitely the path of lease resistance is going to people you already know your network, you already know who do you know, who have you worked with in the [00:22:00] past?
[00:22:00] April Beach: Who do you know that maybe in a C-suite level? Um, so certainly that is the fastest way. If, however, you’re honestly like a lot of our clients who haven’t worked in, in C-suite. And they want to sell their programs. You just went through the top five industries and the types of programs they buy all the time in what they’re looking for.
[00:22:24] April Beach: And you said, um, you covered number one, financial tech and, and just overall corporations. You talked about what they were looking for, their drivers and what type of programs. They’re constantly on the hunt and they’re constantly purchasing. And then you went in to talk about. Government and education.
[00:22:41] April Beach: And again, we have a lot of clients with programs in government education and who are building programs for government and education. And to me, that whole thing is so fascinating. I’ll share one case study really quick that a few years ago we had a client that taught, um, how to do, uh, how to create great videos on social [00:23:00] media.
[00:23:00] April Beach: And she literally taught how to do reels. And it was fantastic. And her program was actually licensed by two different universities in their marketing departments. And it was so specific and it was so niche, but those universities only taught like macro marketing. They weren’t talking about like micro marketing on a certain platform level in her program was really valuable.
[00:23:22] April Beach: And so those are, you don’t have to have something that is more traditional, but we see very niche specific programs being licensed by. Universities and organizations. Y you know, it’s just, it’s fascinating to see what they’re looking for and they’re constantly trying to innovate. You talked about number three, you covered startups, um, funding.
[00:23:42] April Beach: That was just brilliant. Number four, you covered nonprofits, and number five, you covered healthcare. What is like a final closing thought that you want our listeners to. Walk away with when it comes to who to approach, who to sell your program to. [00:24:00] Any final last words of wisdom on this?
[00:24:03] Emily Hall: I would say never underestimate who’s around you in your life. So if you’re planning on licensing your program, start talking about it. You never know who. Knows somebody who knows somebody who’s neighbors with somebody else that can get you an introduction. It happens all the time, and it’s so surprising, and it’s such an untapped resource, just being able to talk about it.
[00:24:25] Emily Hall: The more you talk about it, the more you’re on people’s minds, the more you might get, you know, you, you’re. Office neighbor, if you are in kind of a, a more general, i, I work in a, um, a, like an executive suite situation. So my, all my office neighbors run their own businesses and we talk about things all the time and they’re all constantly like, oh, how you’re working on this?
[00:24:45] Emily Hall: Or You have a client, this, I have an introduction here. I know this person. I can, I know the head of this organization, or I worked with this nonprofit a year ago. You never know who knows who. So being able to just keep talking about it and. Keep, really keep yourself top of mind. You just never know what’s going to [00:25:00] come of it. So never underestimate those initial conversations.
[00:25:03] April Beach: Oh my gosh. That is great advice. Um, and just to put a bow on that, that it’s not just theory. Uh, one of our clients, she went for a walk with her neighbor, told her neighbor what she was doing, and he was the one that created the introduction for a contract she has on the table for 1.5 million.
[00:25:22] April Beach: Right. Yeah. So I mean, literally this guy she’s lived across the street from for 20 years, she really didn’t know exactly what he did and they started talking and that was where that conversation led to. So that is awesome and hopefully super inspirational for our listeners. Um, thank you so much for tuning into this show, you guys. Emily, thank you so much for being here, and let’s go and dive into the next episode.
[00:25:50] April Beach: Okay, what a great episode. So this is our implementation time. Now you heard from Emily about what the industries are buying, and you also heard me [00:26:00] unpack for those of you guys that might not have any corporate connections, like I didn’t have any corporate connections and frankly, the.
[00:26:05] April Beach: A lot of our clients don’t have corporate connections. Maybe you have never worked in a corporation before like me, and so when you go to start selling your trainings and programs to other businesses, perhaps in other industries that you haven’t worked in, I understand there may be some intimidation with that in this entire episode.
[00:26:22] April Beach: Was giving you the confidence to let you know, listen, if I could do it, believe me, anybody can do it, and we are here to help you do it, and it’s not as big and hard and as intimidating as you think. So choose one thing to take action on from this episode. First of all, if you haven’t gone back and listened to the previous episodes, 290, 289, 288, you know, really back in the episodes of what is Licensing, how to Package your course, in your training program to sell it to other entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofits.
[00:26:52] April Beach: Then maybe that is your action item, or if you’re ready to take to the next step and build your first licensing [00:27:00] action plan. Cruise over to licensing launchpad.com. Dive into that little mini training where we’re gonna take you through the steps of understanding what you have to license, what is valuable, the street value of that.
[00:27:14] April Beach: And we’re gonna unpack for you the top 10 industries and all the programs that they are buying in addition to who exactly to reach out to in each company to start the sales process with. So we’ve done all that work already for you, and you can cruise over to licensing launchpad. Dot com and get access to that.
[00:27:33] April Beach: And of course, if you are ready to dive into licensing, you can also apply to work with us where you can actually work with Emily as well, where she comes in and works with our clients in making sure your whole entire sales process is ready to go. Cruise over to sweet life co.com and you’ll find where you can apply to work with us in Amplify, which is our licensing accelerator.
[00:27:57] April Beach: And I would love to meet you over there as well. All [00:28:00] right, so again, this is episode number 291. In next week’s episode, we are diving into actually how to, how to hold the conversations with what we call that internal champion, what exactly to say in your first outreach with a company. And we’re unpacking all of that for you on next week’s episode.
[00:28:20] April Beach: So make sure that you click some. Please share this with your friends. We really appreciate it.
How To Sell Your Programs Through Speaking with April Beach and Heather Sager (Episode 290)
- —being a paid speaker and using speaking engagements to sell programs. Understand which model aligns with your goals and strategies.
- Step-by-Step Guide: Follow the step-by-step process shared in the episode to effectively use speaking engagements to market and sell your programs. Explore communication techniques and approaches for building partnerships with companies and organizations.
- Selling and Licensing Programs: Explore the potential of using speaking engagements to sell and license programs, such as courses, consulting services, and certification programs. Discover how this method can help you expand your reach and generate revenue by collaborating with other entities.
Tune in to this podcast episode and gain valuable insights from Heather Sager, an industry expert, on using speaking engagements to successfully sell your programs. Unlock the secrets of leveraging stages to grow your business and reach more people interested in your offerings!
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Full Show Transcript:
290
[00:00:45] April: Hi guys. This is episode number 290 and we’re diving into the business model of. Speaking, my very good friend, and I’m so grateful to say that she’s also an expert that comes into our ecosystem and works with our clients. Heather Sager is back on the [00:01:00] podcast again, and if you’ve ever wondered how to actually use stages to sell your programs on the backside, This is a very important episode for you to tune into.
[00:01:11] April: As you know, you can be a paid speaker. That is a different type of business model. We are not talking about that today. We are also not talking about being a speaker on podcasts, and we’re not talking about being a speaker on summits. That is not what we’re talking about here today. So I wanna make sure that you’re not showing up and being like, oh, I know this already. I give a free opt-in. That is not at all what we’re saying on this show.
[00:01:34] April: In this particular episode, we are diving into the framework of how to get booked to speak and actually close deals in the process of communications with companies to sell your program on the backside of speaking, whether you’re paid to speak or not. It’s a really powerful episode. It’s actually so powerful. And the framework that we’re talking about scratches the surface of what Heather comes in and works with [00:02:00] our clients on, especially our clients that have million dollar programs in our content, in our licensing, their programs to companies and organizations.
[00:02:09] April: This is one of the powerful ways that we use to sell and license their programs to other companies, nonprofits, and even other businesses. So if you’ve been listening to the last couple episodes on licensing, you also should be listening to this because it’s one of the methods we use to sell your licensed program.
[00:02:29] April: Again, Heather’s absolutely amazing. I can’t wait for you to get to know her if you’ve never met her before. At the end of this, you’re gonna know the two different types of speaking business models. And you’re gonna know the three steps and what you need to do to use the model that we’re talking about here to sell your programs on the backside.
[00:02:46] April: It could be your course, could be your consulting, and it could be your licensed program or certification program. It’s a powerful episode. Tune in with us and let’s go ahead and dive in. All right, [00:03:00] everybody. Welcome back with my friend Heather Sager. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you know that Heather is one of my favorite people to bring in here because we unpack strategies that you can instantly take to the bank of which means taking to your business first, especially in regards to speaking.
[00:03:17] April: And so, Heather, it’s been a bit. Since you’ve been on the show, but give every everybody a quick update about what you’ve been up to in your business lately and all of the amazing action your clients are taking.
[00:03:28] Heather: Yeah. Thanks for having me on the show. April. So the, the biggest new thing in my business, I think last time I was here, I had had my podcast go in for like a year and a half, and we just had a wonderful pivot.
[00:03:40] Heather: The new name of my podcast is now Hint of Hustle, and what I really focus on with entrepreneurs teaching them with speaking is I’m a huge believer that the time you spend on stage. Should give you more freedom and flexibility offstage. So I’m on a mission to help more entrepreneurs who are personal brands, trying to make money with their information products, how [00:04:00] to leverage stages so they get their time back. And that’s what my podcast is all
[00:04:04] April: Oh, I love it. I love it. And that’s why we we’re saying, you know, we’re a match made in heaven for, for what we do. And it’s really interesting because before we dive into what we’re gonna say here in a minute, I hear from so many entrepreneurs say they want to speak.
[00:04:17] April: But it just sounds so exhausting traveling around being on this speaking quote unquote circuit, if you will, and that really isn’t what they want in their business. So I’m very glad that, that we’re talking about this today. So let’s talk about the business of speaking, the business model of speaking. As we dive into today’s show.
[00:04:37] April: What should our listeners know about that?
[00:04:40] Heather: Yeah, so exactly what you just said is a lot of people go on this path thinking, oh, speaking means I travel to conferences or organizations and I deliver keynotes, and I could get paid very well for it, which is very true. That’s actually how I started full-time in my business.
[00:04:55] Heather: I jumped from the corporate space where I was planning multimillion dollar events, bringing in the world’s [00:05:00] best speakers for my conferences, and I love what they were doing. And I knew I was really good on stages, so I thought I could do what they do. I, I, I decided I’m gonna go out and become a professional speaker, and that’s how I started.
[00:05:11] Heather: And very quickly I realized that the professional speaker route was not giving me my time back because I was committed to organizations. A year, 18 months out for these contracts. Like my time was being booked even further out and I had multiple bosses versus just my old former boss. So I thought like, hold on.
[00:05:31] Heather: I love being on stages. I’m really good at it and I have really good messages to share. So there has to be a different way. So when it comes to speaking, I think most people think when they think professional speaking, they think professional means I’m gonna get paid for my time on stage. Which is that traditional speaking model, which most people end up hiring or bringing on like an agent or a speaker’s bureau to have them book on their behalf to get on stages, which is really great [00:06:00] when you wanna get paid for your time on stage.
[00:06:02] Heather: So that is a very relevant business model. It’s very profitable because the margins are low. You don’t have to have a big team. A lot of professional speakers have a part-time assistant. And really what you need is a damn good talk and a system to book stages that that is what you need now to get started.
[00:06:20] Heather: Like there’s some other things with it, but that’s one model. My clients that I work with, we operate, offer a different business model, and that is the, the model where instead of speaking, being the product. You’re using speaking to grow your products. So this is for, if you’re a coach, you’re an entrepreneur who has digital courses, membership consulting, um, you do any of those types of things with information products and you wanna make money offstage, we have to look at a different business model and that’s where.
[00:06:47] Heather: You can still get paid to speak on stage, but that moment on stage opens far more opportunities both with the organizations and with the audience. Yeah, and,
[00:06:57] April: and that’s exactly what we talk about behind the [00:07:00] scenes. Uh, as some of you guys know, Heather is one of our experts that comes in and, and works with our clients at the Sweet Life Company because we’re selling these game-changing very valuable offers in.
[00:07:11] April: There’s no better way to get in front of a perfect audience than using stages to sell those programs, sell those offers on the backside. So I’m super, super excited to dive into that second business model, selling programs, selling your intellectual property on the backside of stages. So how does somebody get started with this process if they’re like, yes, this is totally what I was looking for, but I didn’t actually know how to go
[00:07:39] Heather: about doing that.
[00:07:41] Heather: Yeah, I, I love this topic so much because a lot of times I’m focused with people just on their talks and we don’t even get to the point of them making the business on the back end. So this, I’m gonna geek out with you today. So you know how I mentioned in a professional speaking model, you really need two things, the damn good talk.
[00:07:54] Heather: You need the system to book the stages. So when you’re leveraging those stage opportunities, and let [00:08:00] me just clarify. When I say a speaking opportunity or a stage opportunity, it could be you being paid to speak at a conference. It could be you coming into an organization teaching a workshop. It also could be you speaking virtually, maybe for an organization, but also you might be going direct to your ideal clients and speaking at virtual summits.
[00:08:18] Heather: Or hosting your own events. A stage is simply a platform to share your message, so you have a lot of opportunities available for you, but to you speaking as a way to grow your business, you actually need three things in this business model number one. It’s not just good enough to have a damn good talk.
[00:08:35] Heather: It doesn’t matter if you’re charismatic or you’re a great storyteller. You have to have an effective talk, which means not only do you wow your audience and the client who booked you, but you have to ensure that you’re driving demand and desire for your offers. So that’s why you have to have an effective talk.
[00:08:54] Heather: That is number one. That’s what I spend most of my type. Time helping clients with, because most entrepreneurs, we [00:09:00] believe were really, really great speakers, but we’re really good at getting praise. We’re not good at organically driving sales from our messages. Right? And I teach people how to be persuasive without being schmucky.
[00:09:11] Heather: I love that. Number one, effective talk. Number two, of course, you have to have a system to book talks. It’s the same on both ends, but who you’re booking, you’re being a little bit more csy. Mm-hmm. And more intentional with the types of clients you’re after. But then number three, you have to have a system on the back end for how you make money after your talk.
[00:09:31] Heather: Because it’s not just about your time on stage, it’s what’s happened next. And part of that is what happens next for the audience. But a big part about speaking when you’re an expert is you can make money through consulting, booking additional gigs. There are so many opportunities on the backend when you’re booking corporate and organizations.
[00:09:50] Heather: Yes, yes,
[00:09:50] April: yes. And licensing. And that’s what we love to talk about, right? It’s just selling your program. Selling your consulting to the organization. So let me just repeat for our [00:10:00] listeners, what I just heard you say is that, There are really two audiences that you actually get to sell to in business model of speaking.
[00:10:09] April: Number two, first of all, the audience, and second the company that you’re speaking for. And how powerful is that? So you really have two people that you can serve. So how, if somebody really wants to get started with this, what are some of the steps? To build, first of all, the effective talk. So my question for you is, how important do you believe is it that their effective talk connects with the solution they provide in the offers that they’re selling on the backside?
[00:10:43] Heather: If you wanna be effective in your selling, you want it to be very closely aligned. The, the more distant your, uh, stage topic is from your offer, the harder the hill you have to climb with your audience. And the longer the nurture window and the more connection you have to create in terms of connecting [00:11:00] the dots for them.
[00:11:00] Heather: But the closer aligned your solution is to what you’re speaking about. The closer you are to your audience with them being aware of their problem. So I like to align those things. It’s why what we do to build an effective talk for the majority of my clients, we build something called a Signature Talk, which very much coordinates with what you teach in your signature method.
[00:11:20] Heather: So what we do is we focus on how do we create the context for the signature solution so that people are excited about it. And that’s what we do inside my program called the Signature Talk Accelerator. Where we geek out over that, we obsess over it and say, how do you build the narrative in a way that gets people excited and you’re able to pitch it to organizations so that they see the benefit for them too.
[00:11:42] April:
[00:11:42] April: Right, And it’s so fascinating. I mean, when I talk to clients, I think there is so much confusion around people thinking, oh, I need that motivational talk. I need the one that feels so super good. And I really do think there’s a disconnect between what you’re saying, between an [00:12:00] effective talk. And not that it’s not motivational, not that it’s not inspiring, of course it encompasses all those things, but you’re bringing somebody through, would you call it, that framework and you’re saying in their method of what they teach in that process.
[00:12:16] April: And I really think that it’s just, ,muddied waters a bit for people that just don’t understand that if they do not have that framework. Extracted from their offer as part of their talk. They’re working against themselves. I was actually just working with a client. I need her, I need to send her over to you.
[00:12:37] April: As I’m saying this, I’m realizing, oh my gosh, I need to make sure she’s getting introduced to Heather. Um, and she has an amazing program she’s working through at a certification program. She’s booked all the time on stages and the talk that she has been given, giving for years. Now that we have this program that we’ve built for her, right?
[00:12:58] April: It’s totally the wrong talk. [00:13:00] It’s a great talk. She’s known for this talk. She’s getting booked for this talk, but now she really needs to pivot that.
[00:13:07] Heather: Yeah, and she could probably keep it. So one of the things I talk about with my clients is you’re gonna have a speaking ecosystem. So your signature talk is the one that is most directly aligned, aligned with your offer, right?
[00:13:18] Heather: So that one there, and that’s why I help clients. We start there because if you have a method or if you have a program, and if you don’t have a method, see April, right? She helps with that. This is what you do is, uh, we wanna align those. A lot of people go, oh, I’m gonna start with my signature talk and then I’m gonna figure out what to sell.
[00:13:34] Heather: It’s kind of ass backwards. I mean, you could do that, but you’re gonna be far more, again, the word is effective. Mm-hmm. If we start with what is the goal, what ultimately is the offer you wanna be known for? What is the thing that you wanna sell? And then we build your signature story and all of the messaging around that.
[00:13:51] Heather: But you also will have other talks. So for me, I’m still a professional speaker. That is part of the revenue in my business. I love speaking. I don’t think that’s ever [00:14:00] gonna go away. I have a variety of keynotes and workshops that I deliver that are not my signature. Now, the majority of them are connected back in some way to my signature talk because I wanna be known for something.
[00:14:13] Heather: But let me give you an example here. I specifically work with entrepreneurs who have. Mostly online programs, so again, experts, co coaches, consultants, educators. Now with this type of business, I’m very specific in what I teach on speaking. However, when I work with organizations, I’m hired a lot by companies to come in to train their sales team, to hire, um, to come in and train their executives on more effective communication.
[00:14:39] Heather: Now, communication, giving presentations. That’s really not the same for sales, like a sales force or an executive, right? But the principles of effective communication, they transfer. So I have talks that are modified that aren’t completely different than what I do, but the point is you can have multiple talks, but you wanna know which ones are gonna be the best money makers [00:15:00] for your business on and off stage.
[00:15:02] April: Fabulous. I love the ecosystem language around that, as you know. That’s just awesome. Okay, so they have their talk, they have their framework, they have their outline of what they’re gonna speak on, and then the next step, you said that it, you need something after that. What comes after that, after you’ve booked that talk?
[00:15:23] April: What? What happens on the backside to actually sell the programs? What does that usually look like in your experience?
[00:15:31] Heather: Well, a lot of times this starts actually well before the engagement itself. So we, we create our talk I recommend for my clients is we practice, uh, we, we book some low stakes talk that are not your ideal client that you’re after.
[00:15:43] Heather: So we can, uh, hammer out the, the weird parts of your talk. People struggle with transitions, the stories, right? We have all that done. But let’s say that you’ve booked. An epic stage talk and now you’re going, how do I make money on the backend? Well, the reality is most organizations when you come in or conferences you speak [00:16:00] at, they are not gonna be a fan or allowed to any capacity of you saying, here’s my program, here’s my offer.
[00:16:07] Heather: Selling from the stage is, is a very unique thing. And what I’m finding with today’s consumers, most people are turned off by it. And what you’ll hear oftentimes is people are like, but it’s so effective. And it is. But what we also find is consumers who purchase from those selling from the stage moments they buy despite feeling kind of yucky about it.
[00:16:27] Heather: Mm-hmm. There is a high pressure stakes piece of it. So yes is effective. I’ve done it before and multiple people have done it before, but you go with it knowing that it might not be the best experience for the audience. Now I say that, I know a lot of people disagree with me, that’s totally fine. But what I find with most of my clients is it works.
[00:16:45] Heather: And it’s not always the most positive experience. Sometimes it is. There’s like people like Brennan Burchard, he’s phenomenal at it. Mm-hmm. Um, however, I bought a 10 K BN Burchard offer once, and I remember feeling like this was not, I don’t feel great about it anyways, so, but I love the offer. [00:17:00] Um, I, I digress here, but going to the back end.
[00:17:03] Heather: Your back end selling starts before the talk. So we talked about you have two audiences. You have the ultimate for the, for the client audience or the people in there. And then you also have the client who booked you. So what I like to start out with is if you’re having a pre-call with an organization, you’re scoping.
[00:17:22] Heather: What they’re looking for, and I’ve taught your group this before April, around how to lead these calls around how you actually start gathering information for your client to understand. She’s so
[00:17:31] April: good at this, you guys. It’s ridiculous. I’m very, it’s like ninja skills. It’s insane. Sorry, go ahead.
[00:17:38] Heather: Yes. Is where, no, it’s great.
[00:17:39] Heather: Thank you. You can say more nicely. All time. Like she’s incredible at it.
[00:17:42] April: It’s crazy. My clients are so powered
[00:17:44] Heather: up. Oh yeah. Most people, they go into these inquiry calls like thinking like, I wanna, I wanna get the information so I can pitch. I wanna understand the scope and the context so I can offer a bigger transformation.
[00:17:57] Heather: Mm-hmm. That’s how I go through it. So I ask the [00:18:00] questions I need for my specific talk, but I’m also asking rooted questions around what is the overall impact in this organization? What is the bigger picture for the people in the audience? I wanna know context, because context allows me. To paint a bigger picture for them because nine times outta 10, well probably 10, 10 times outta 10 most meeting organization, uh, organizers or HR professionals, when they book you, they’re filling a spot for a conference, right?
[00:18:25] Heather: They’re not thinking, oh, your program would be amazing for our fleet of salespeople. Like they’re not really thinking there. Job, their scope is the meeting planner or the HR person to bring in people for this one training event. That’s like point blank. That’s what they are focused on. However, if you have a conversation with them and even nod the fact that this goes in alignment with your program, and in fact most of your clients you work with, you end up working with them on a more long-term basis through consulting or through your program licensed [00:19:00] out for them.
[00:19:01] Heather: You can drop these breadcrumbs in your planning conversations with them on a very soft nod. And you normalize it by saying how you typically work with clients, which opens up the door often when you’re on site with them at an event. This is how I used to book speakers. We’d bring them in because we were auditioning them and we had spots to fill, but the ones who, our audiences went bananas over that we, you better believe I took them to lunch.
[00:19:26] Heather: Ask more follow-up questions, and those often led to multiple six-figure contracts for those people consulting in an organization. So you never know what a lead, but you do not wait until that you step off stage to start selling. It starts way at the beginning, at the start of the relationship.
[00:19:41] April:
[00:19:41] April: Oh this is so powerful. And it, it’s a different thought process. It’s about being very proactive and not shooting from the hip and being in incre incredibly strategic about the steps in the time that you take in every moment that you have with a potential [00:20:00] organization, a potential buyer. A potential client, which again, Is of course the, the audience that’s listening.
[00:20:08] April: But I really love in this conversation here, we’re honing in on the company side of it. And one of the things that you have said when you, you’ve come in and work with our clients that are licensing their products and selling their programs to companies, Is being a great listener, and this is not what we’re talking about on this show, but the feedback that our clients when they leave one of your master teachings in our ecosystem is, wow, I’m not being a good enough listener.
[00:20:39] April: I haven’t been a good enough listener, or I haven’t really, like you were saying, understand what their bigger picture is. What words did you say? I think you said under. Understanding the greater mission of the organization, not just the micro mission of the spot they are trying to [00:21:00] fill as a speaker. I think that’s so powerful.
[00:21:04] Heather: It, it’s critical, and I think this is the, there’s a lot of things that go into this, but one of the mis biggest misconceptions people have with speaking is that it’s your responsibility to stand up on a stage and grab the mic, and it’s your moment to share whatever’s on your heart. Whatever message, what do you wanna know?
[00:21:20] Heather: And that works if you’re trying to become a motivational or inspirational speaker or there’s a lot of very successful. Athletes. Yeah. Or celebrities with a story. They have a story to share and that’s great, but again, we’re not speaking for just monetizing that time on stage. We’re business owners and there is a bigger mission we have, and it’s not just about making money.
[00:21:40] Heather: I think this is the critical takeaway here to connect back with listening. The people that I work with, they genuinely. Want to help solve the problems they were put on this earth to solve. Yes, they know that what they have to do, there are people who need it, and they feel the sense of duty to teach it in a way that are gonna reach these people.
[00:21:58] Heather: Now, the the [00:22:00] dichotomy that we have here is because we have to play expert role. We think that we have to know everything and therefore share everything with a prospect in front of us or people on stage. But your most powerful connection and sales tool. Is to listen. You need to understand what types of questions should you be asking so that people open up to you.
[00:22:19] Heather: One of the most important parts of sales calls, whether it’s booking for a stage or you’re selling your licensing deal, is you need to understand what questions you can ask to help the person in front of you. Better understand their own problem. And if you take anything away from this interview, remind back that 10 seconds.
[00:22:37] Heather: Because if you can learn how to do that, which is what I do all the time, that right there it become, you become the linchpin for that organization where they’re like, oh, you ha like we, you’re pointing out things that we weren’t even aware of, but yes. Organizations, they want to pay to solve the immediate pain, but what they really want is they want to solve the root problems.
[00:22:59] Heather: The [00:23:00] problem is they do not understand what those are, and that’s where you come in.
[00:23:03] April: Powerful. That is something that people don’t talk about enough and. I know that we’re, we’re super lucky to tap into your genius at our company and, uh, now our listeners can tap into you again. So, in summary, there are two types of speaking business models.
[00:23:20] April: Number one, it’s the business of being a speaker, getting paid to. Speak very well known people understand this business model. I think people are scared of this business model and frankly, uh, that business model personally to me doesn’t sound great at all. That sounds not, especially as you were explaining how far in advance you were booked to speak.
[00:23:40] April: My goodness. I, you know, for people that are really looking for, Time control and time freedom. That is not an ideal business model. And then we have this other one, which is the ecosystem of speaking and the offers that you sell on the backside. And you said the importance of having, not necessarily a [00:24:00] heartfelt motivational, the type of a talk, but an effective talk that’s connected to the offers and the solutions that you provide on the backside.
[00:24:09] April: And then the process. This is so powerful you guys. Seriously, like you should re, you should rewind this and, and please share this episode on social media with you, with your friends. Maybe don’t share it with your, don’t share it with your competition. Just share it with your friends. Is. Listening in these conversations.
[00:24:30] April: And can you say that one more time before we end? When, when you help them understand, finish
[00:24:37] Heather: that for me. Can you understand the, the context of their problem? If you help them start seeing really what the environment is around their product and not just sitting in the pain of the annoyance. You, it’s a game changer because they start trusting you.
[00:24:51] Heather: Because here’s what other people, here’s what your competition does is they go through and they ask the generic questions to unearth the, oh yeah, oh, you’re struggling with this. Yep. [00:25:00] Check the box. Oh yeah, you want this? Yep. Okay. Check. I have pain check, I have desire check. I have like ultimate timeframe.
[00:25:07] Heather: Check. I have budget. So then they pitch back. Okay, cool. You said this, I, I think this, here’s what we should do. Point and done. But when you get good at asking questions, when you ask them some more contextual things, and I’m not saying go into their life story, like we’re not gonna go into their childhood trauma and like understand this, but they’re very pointed, intentional questions that I teach my clients.
[00:25:28] Heather: It’s what we’re doing is we’re raising their level of awareness. To their own problem. And when you do that, you instantly put yourself in a different category from your competitor cuz they see you not as someone who’s just a wham bam, thank you ma’am speaker, where you’re coming in for a paid gig to get in and get out.
[00:25:46] Heather: You actually care about the results and the impact your message has for their clients, their audience, their uh, employees, whoever their group is. When you demonstrate that by taking the time to ask pointed questions, [00:26:00] you become more valuable. Boom, mic
[00:26:02] April: drop right there. Thank you so much for being back again on the show and for, uh, your giving first and all the ways that you do that, not only in our community, but I know in so many places that you do that online.
[00:26:15] April: If you guys are not following Heather, please make sure that you are following her. And Cruz over to heather sager.com. Heather, how are you working with clients right now? Outta curiosity, but if you’re listening to this in two years, guys, it might not be the same.
[00:26:31] Heather: Go. The website’s the best place to keep up to date that you get the podcast, the hint of hustle.
[00:26:35] Heather: That’s a great place to go right now if you’re like, Ooh, I like her fire. I’m like this every week on my show. Cheers. So hint of hustle where you can find me. Um, but I’m working with clients these days have really honed in and I focus primarily with the starting point for every successful speaking business, right?
[00:26:49] Heather: Making money through speaking is having a damn good signature talk. So I’ve taken all of my training that I’ve been doing for the last five years plus, um, I’ve been speaking on stages for the last 20 years. But I’ve [00:27:00] taken all of my programs and have actually simplified it into one three Day Accelerator to help experts get their story, get their effective message, get everything out of their head into what we call a shitty rough draft.
[00:27:12] Heather: So you have that version we can work from, you go deliver a beta talk. We get feedback, we work on it together. Um, but that is the best way, my favorite way that I’m working with clients right now. So you can find all about that on my website to see when the next time is coming up. And if we’re not teaching that live, there’ll be an alternative for that.
[00:27:27] Heather: Yeah. But getting your signature talk down. That is the place to start.
[00:27:30] April: You know, when you, uh, texted me that three day, day accelerator, I was like, oh my gosh, this is fire. That’s what all of us want. Right? To get solutions fast. Uh, so yes, I I I don’t have it. It makes me wanna have a three day accelerator.
[00:27:44] April: Now I’m
[00:27:45] Heather: gonna, it blew my mind. The, we just taught it a couple months ago and the, like it within a number of hours. We were getting posts from people that they were already having wins. They were already booking talks just from the micro time we had spent [00:28:00] together. It blew my mind. I’ve been working with clients for years, and the volume of transformations we’ve gotten out of this three day accelerator is just.
[00:28:07] Heather: I’m like, all right, rinse and repeat. We’re just gonna keep doing it this way. Ah,
[00:28:10] April: love it, love it, love it. Well, thank you so much for just being so rad and just being who you are and bringing all your smarts from all of your decades of experience in sales and working with companies and consulting companies, and teaching people how to kill it from the stage and build a profitable business on the backside.
[00:28:26] April: We absolutely love you and appreciate you again. Um, all of the show notes will be found over sweetlifeco.com. We will include all of the links for this episode so you guys can connect with Heather. Thank you so much, my friend.
[00:28:39] April: All right, you guys, let’s wrap up this episode here. Isn’t Heather awesome? Again, cruise over to heathersager.com. We are big fans and, and as you know, I bring Heather in to work with our clients who are licensing their programs and trying to sell their courses to companies, organizations, and other small businesses. So, What are [00:29:00] your action items here? After this, what is the first thing you’re gonna do?
[00:29:02] April: Oftentimes you can listen to a podcast episode and there’s so many great things and you’re not really sure where to start. So let’s start by asking yourself, this is this business model, so the speaking to sell your program’s model one that you’re interested in, one that you’ve been looking for the solution to.
[00:29:20] April: You’ve been looking for for a while. If that answer is yes, then hey, let’s go ahead and take it to the next step. Do we have your products created? Do we have your courses, your trainings created in a way that they give people guaranteed transformation? So if you don’t, then you can cruise over to where we are@sweetlifeco.com and we will help you build your transformational million dollar programs.
[00:29:43] April: And then the third part of that is, If you are really interested in diving into learning this business model of speaking, unpacking your ideas outta your head, I don’t know about you, but I can help other people unpack their ideas. But when it comes to my own, especially when it comes to [00:30:00] my signature talk, it’s really hard for me to see it.
[00:30:04] April: It’s like a lot of smoke in the air. It’s always harder for me to see my own things than it is. So I go to people like Heather. For help in this area. So Heather’s amazing and you can find her programs over at Heather Sager. It’s S A G E R@heathersager.com. And of course, we will give all of the resources on the show notes for that and they can be found sweetlifeco.com.
[00:30:28] April: This is episode number 290 and as we mentioned, it is a perfect pair with licensing your program to other companies and one of the many powerful tools that we have to sell your programs. So if that’s what you’re interested in, you are certainly in the right place. Thank you so much for tuning into this show.
[00:30:49] April: I hope you got as much out of this as I know that I did. I always have notes after I leave listening to Heather speak. She is just a rockstar, as I’m sure you can tell. And, [00:31:00] cruza over on social media and. Tell Heather hello as well, assuring this episode. We’d really appreciate that. All right, you guys have an awesome week. I will talk to you next week. Cruise over on YouTube and you can see our video podcast as well now. Talk to you soon. Bye-bye.
How To Sell Your Online Courses B2B with April Beach (Episode 289)
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Full Show Transcript:
289
[00:00:45] Hi guys, and welcome back to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast. I’m Beach and I am excited about this episode. We are continuing to dive into the power of selling your trainings, your courses, your programs, your [00:01:00] frameworks, and your content to corporations, organizations, other entrepreneurs, agencies, even educational institutions. This is a nexts level business move. In the last five episodes on this podcast have been completely dedicated to unpacking the steps.
[00:01:17] To help you move forward in this area. So if you are an established coach, consultant, speaker, subject matter expert, if you are a trainer, if you have a proven process and you have been selling your proven process with the results one-on-one, even if you deliver it in a group format and you’re ready to bring your business and your profit to the next level.
[00:01:42] Licensing is the fastest way to do that. I can personally speak to that and I do unpack a lot of stories here on the Sweet Life Podcast about how I have changed my business and my life, and I’ve been coaching other entrepreneurs to do it for 10 years through licensing.
[00:01:55] So you are getting trusted, proven, true take it [00:02:00] to the bank business consulting here on the show, and this episode is like all of the others. All of the resources you can find for this episode can be found by visiting sweet life co.com. Click on the podcast and this is episode number 289. In addition to this, we have tons of actual, actual actionable resources for you to start moving in the direction of licensing.
[00:02:27] So if you aren’t even sure what licensing is and you just want to dip your toe in, we have videos that you can watch. We have resources that you can download. If you’re ready to get started, but you’re not really even sure you wanna commit to it, please cruise over to licensing launchpad.com where I will bring you up to the launchpad of licensing and help you determine if this is a good move for your business or if you are ready to totally dive into licensing or if you have had a business already approach you.
[00:02:56] Who wants to license your program? You don’t know how to price it, you [00:03:00] don’t know how to release it. You’re not exactly sure how to navigate this. Cruise over to sweet life clo.com and apply to work with us in our licensing accelerator or with me privately, and I will take you through the finish line here on this podcast.
[00:03:14] We are diving into the five most common ways. To package and release your license material, your license program. There are tons of questions regarding licenses and certifications and train the trainer programs, and we’re breaking those apart here on the show. Some of you might be thinking, Hey, you know, I kind of wanna do a certification, but what does that relate to a license?
[00:03:39] And what if I wanna other, you know, certify other people in my method? And what about a Train the trainer program? Those questions should be clarified for you today on this show to help you be able to move forward and determine which one is best for you in your particular business situation. So if that’s what you’re here for, if that sounds good.
[00:03:57] That’s what we’re downloading on the show. [00:04:00] So let’s go ahead and dive right on in. There are five common ways that our clients typically. Package up their courses, trainings, and materials, and license them to other companies. By the way, a little sidebar here, if you don’t actually know what licensing is, let me tell you.
[00:04:18] It’s like renting your programs for other companies to use internally or client facing. And definitely go back and listen to all the other podcast episodes that I have recorded for you on this. You can even cruise a to our website and there are tracks on licensing where you can binge how to get started with licensing.
[00:04:36] So let me make sure I created that, that foundational understanding for you here. So when we’re talking about taking your programs and you’re thinking, well, how do I do this? What, what, what does this actually look like? Here are the five most common ways, and granted, we can create anything, but I’m just covering the five most common ways here.
[00:04:52] The first one is what we call straight As. It is licensing. It’s just a straight license. What that means is that [00:05:00] you take, we’re gonna take an example. If you have a course that you have created and you are ready to add a lot of zeros behind what you’ve been selling that course for, we can literally allow for other organizations to distribute your course.
[00:05:15] And so what that is, is it’s literally packaging up your material and allowing other organizations to access it. They may want to deliver it in their own learning management system. A lot of our clients work with big corporations and they have their own LMS. They have their own internal learning systems where they wanna bring your content in, or you may end up hosting it yourself, but either way, how it works is you have an awesome program you have an awesome course, a company. Once they’re people getting those results, you sign a contract, you agree upon the number of users and the some parameters about that, and I talked about parameters in other episodes, and you take the money and you move on. And what’s so beautiful about a straight license [00:06:00] agreement is that then they come back to renew it and after the content is delivered, you literally get to walk away.
[00:06:06] So lemme give you a case study of that. My trainings and my programs are literally licensed by other entrepreneurs in small businesses in 13 countries. They line up once a year. I have a waiting list and I approve or disapprove. People to license my courses. I have eight to different courses and I license.
[00:06:26] I approve them or disapprove them to license my courses. I send them a bill. I take the money and I don’t see them again for another two years until it’s time to license that renew their license. That’s how it works for me. So think about that and think about that case study and how that could work for you.
[00:06:44] The second way where you can release and model and package your training for licensing is a license plus consulting. This is really beautiful, as long as it works with your life, that’s where we do exactly as I said, it’s the license release [00:07:00] of the materials. But you are the expert and a lot of companies want you to help their people facilitate the expertise that they are learning from you in the license program.
[00:07:12] So adding consulting or workshops or facilitating groups may be something that you may also wanna choose to add on top of licensing your training program. What’s so powerful about that is that. It really helps for organizations to get even better use out of your content. Now, one of the things that we always tell our clients is that you don’t have to do this in the license term for their content.
[00:07:38] For the content usually lasts longer than your agreement to consult, so just make sure that you are creating a consulting agreement. Where other people can actually come in and consult for you. It doesn’t always have to be just you. We wanna build your teams and scale you and that it is not un, it is not just ever ending, right?
[00:07:58] The consulting contract and the [00:08:00] licensing agreement are usually two separate agreements. So the second way you could release your training and course for licensing is the license of the material, but then adding on some consulting and workshops on top of it. The third way that you may choose to do this is again, starting with just the licensing of the material.
[00:08:19] But then also creating what we call Train the Trainer program, where you may then level up their own team members to facilitate and deliver your training. It’s not a certification, but you can create a Train the trainer guide to guide their. Leaders to guide people through your trainings. It can be just a delivery of the guide, or you can add in some consulting and coaching and some support for their leaders.
[00:08:45] So the third way that you can package your material is the course, is the content or the material plus some form of a train the trainer. The fourth way where you can package up your programmer course for [00:09:00] licensing is with the license, like I talked about for the material and. A certification on top of that.
[00:09:07] So a certification is where we certify that people understand how to seamlessly execute your methodology, and you validate that, and you verify that. So it’s a step above that. Train the trainer. It still starts with the licensing of the content, but then you may want to certify individuals within their organization.
[00:09:30] Or within a group or a business who you actually say, Hey, this person is absolutely excellent and understands the processes in which to keep people, get people results according to my training. And you actually certify that. You can even add continuing education onto that and build a certification bigger, which we’ll talk about here in a second.
[00:09:52] But that fourth way of releasing your program for licensing can be. The license of the training program and then [00:10:00] adding a certification program for either leaders or individuals that actually complete your training program. And the fifth way, and I don’t want you to get confused, we’re gonna flip those two words, whereas number four is the licensing is the bulk, the primary product and the certification would be secondary in number five.
[00:10:19] The certification is primary and the licensing is secondary. Now, let me explain this to you in the best way possible that I can do here on this podcast. What it means that your primary product is a certification program in your course, in your training, in your method that you’re teaching. That is the primary product you’re selling.
[00:10:41] And then those individuals who are certified in your method then may have the ability to use your training. And so we’d license your training to them with your product. So hopefully that made sense. I obviously consult people on this [00:11:00] in much more details when we’re building this in your business, but I, I’m trying to simplify this for you.
[00:11:05] Number four, option is we start with the licensing first. Usually releasing it to a corporation, an organization, university’s agencies, and we may certify individuals that are their employees. In your process. Whereas the fifth way is we first certify the in, certify the individuals, and then we allow for those certified individuals to license your content and deliver it within their services.
[00:11:34] So the fifth way and the fourth way that they seem the same, but they they are not the same. They’re two separate business models. One is primary and one is secondary. So I wanted to record this show for you because out of all the questions I answer about licensing, number one, everybody wants to know how to price it, and I’ve talked about it in the other episodes, exactly the steps that we lead up to in understanding how to price your program.
[00:11:57] This one is, How do I actually [00:12:00] package it? What? What am I giving them? What does that look like? And so let me recap the five most common ways. Now, there are many decisions within each one of these methods that we can not get into in today’s show. If you would like cruise over to sweet life co.com, jump into our programs that I will tell you about all those other intricacies and help you get clear on them.
[00:12:22] But for today, We are just recapping the five most common ways for you to get your wheels spinning on how you can release your content. Number one is the content itself straightaway license your content. Thank you. See you later. Bye. I’ll see you in whatever timeframe when you wanna renew it, and it is a beautiful thing.
[00:12:41] The second way is licensing your content, but including consulting or support or facilitation, whether it’s for you from you directly. Or one of your team members. The third way is the licensing of the program or the process, and then building Train the trainer support on [00:13:00] top of that for people that may be facilitating that within a larger organization.
[00:13:04] The fourth way is licensing your content. You’re training your course to a company and then certifying people who have completed that training within the organization. And then the fifth way is building the certification first. So first we certify people in the method, in your course, in your process, and then on the backside of that, we give those individuals the ability to license out your training because they are certified in your amazing genius method because you’re so amazing.
[00:13:39] Ah, that is the summary of today’s show. I’ve tried to keep these shows very short and simple for you. I would love to help you move into the n Nick’s phase of adding ones and twos and zeros behind your sales on your established courses. Trainings, programs, [00:14:00] processes and methods through licensing it to other organizations, companies, small businesses, large businesses, mid-size businesses, agencies, nonprofit organizations.
[00:14:13] I think I already said that the sky is the limit. Basically, what I want you to realize in the summary of all of this is there’s a lot of businesses out there that don’t have what you’ve created. Most people don’t know the value of their content and their trainings in companies. They don’t wanna create these themselves.
[00:14:31] It costs them money, and it takes them time to try to create things that you have already had, that you’ve already created and built, and you’ve already tested your systems. It saves companies money to buy what you have rather than build it themselves, and that is the shift I want you to understand with the potential of where we can take your consulting coaching business to the next level through licensing.
[00:14:58] It’s perfect for those of you guys who are [00:15:00] speakers, your advi, your advisors, or your subject matter experts as well. If you want more information on this, Cruise over to sweet life co.com. Just click on the licensing button and we have tons of resources there for you. And if you just wanna jump into licensing launchpad, you can do that right now by visiting licensinglaunchpad.Com and I will be there with three short videos at totals like 43 minutes max.
[00:15:27] And the worksheets to unpack your, your genius out of your brain and move you forward into licensing. This is episode number 289 here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, and we have some amazing experts coming up in the next few weeks on the show. I’m so excited to bring in these powerful people.
[00:15:45] We’re talking about selling licensing programs, creating sales pitches, sales deck, how to close million dollar licensing deals, and then we’re diving into brand new series with. Other amazing well vetted experts here coming up on the show. So please [00:16:00] make sure you click subscribe and you share the show with your friends. We really appreciate you for, for you for being here, and I will talk to you guys next week. Bye-bye for now.
Course Licensing Made Simple: A Guide for Consultants, Speakers and Coaches with April Beach (Episode 288)
At the end of this episode, you’ll walk away with:
Apply to work with us specifically for Licensing, visit https://www.sweetlifeco.com/amplify-approved
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Full Show Transcript:
288
[00:00:45] Hi everybody, and welcome back to another episode here on the Sweetlife Entrepreneur and Business podcast. I’m April Beach, your host. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today. This is episode number 288 and it is jam packed with [00:01:00] insights for you to make strategic decisions for your business and your future.
[00:01:05] Today we are talking about licensing made simple, and we’re diving into how you as an expert, can actually scale your business exponentially by taking the courses and the trainings that you have already created and licensing them to corporations, organizations, and other entrepreneurs. But we’ve been talking about this for a couple weeks here on the show.
[00:01:27] As you know, if you’ve listened to other episodes, I started licensing my own training 14 years ago. I’ve been teaching entrepreneurs how to license their trainings for the last 10 years, but even before that, I started teaching coaches, consultants, and experts how to create their online courses way back in 2006, 7 and 8.
[00:01:48] And so this topic that we’re talking about is not new, even though it seems to becoming new because it’s so oversaturated. Meaning course creation. Course creation coaches, [00:02:00] because it is a profitable way to build your business. Courses in trainings, in extracting your expertise from your brain and scaling your business through these types of business models is a very powerful way.
[00:02:14] We all know that you have done the work, you have created the outlines. You’ve created your method. You have created your courses. You have taught people in your framework. And now what? What is that next step for you? That next step is content licensing. That is allowing other businesses to distribute your trainings and utilize your programs, but is that really the right fit for you?
[00:02:40] And as I mentioned, we’ve been talking about this a lot here on the show. We’ve talked about the steps to licensure program, strategies for licensing, strategies for pricing, and as a side note, All of the resources we have for you are available wherever you are in this licensing process cruise over to sweet life [00:03:00] co.com and you can tap into all of our licensing resources and use them for yourself.
[00:03:06] But in this show, I wanted to have a little bit of a fireside chat with you about who this is really for, who is in a position for licensing, because this is a big choice. I was just meeting with a new client yesterday. And talking to her about the process that we take businesses through to, to have them licensed in, in seller training courses to corporations.
[00:03:31] And she said to me, she said, what if I changed my mind? And that is a really, really great question because unlike when you may have launched a course and you realize you might not wanna do it anymore, you can just stop selling that course. When we talk about licensing, We are delivering your intellectual property, your content, your trainings to other corporations to use, and you can’t take it back.
[00:03:56] And besides licensing a course [00:04:00] creation, if you and I have hung out any virtual time together, you know, I am a second generation lifestyle entrepreneur, which means that I design companies around lifestyle, not lifestyle around companies. And so it’s important just as if we’re talking about any other business model.
[00:04:17] That we have this conversation about what licensing will actually look like for you and your lifestyle and for your business moving forward. So in this episode, we’re making licensing very simple, and we’re coming back to the first and foremost important questions that you should be answering for yourself is, is licensing the right choice for your business?
[00:04:42] And so if you’re ready for that, That’s what we’re gonna go ahead and dive into. I’m gonna share with you the pros and cons of licensing. I’m gonna tell you what your life looks like in having a productive, profitable licensing business model, and I wanna help you unpack whether or not you are ready to move forward into this.[00:05:00]
[00:05:00] Licensing is not new. It’s been around forever, lot longer than the whole online course creation boom. But if you are. A keynote speaker, if you are a corporate consultant, if you are a subject matter expert and you have processes that you have taught people, and especially for those of you that already have relationships with established businesses, Licensing is a very powerful way to utilize the content and the trainings that you have already created and not have to sell them to one person, but sell them to one company, and that company distributes them a hundred times or a thousand times.
[00:05:42] Imagine the profit piece in that for you. One sale for a thousand seats. Instead of having to sell your training a thousand times for that same amount of money, that’s what we’re diving into today. So if you’re ready for that, let’s go ahead and do it. You can find all of the show notes by visiting sweet life [00:06:00] co.com.
[00:06:00] Again, this is more of a casual fireside chat, and you can always message us your questions by connecting with me on LinkedIn at April Beach. Okay, let’s talk about. What does it look like when you are licensing your courses and trainings? What does that, operational, agenda look like for you on a weekly basis?
[00:06:20] So the first consideration I want you to think about is selling direct versus licensing. So the difference is currently if you are a course creator, if you are a consultant or a strategist, you are probably selling your programs one-to-one. Now I’m not talking about delivering your programs one-to-one.
[00:06:39] You know, I teach and we talk about how to create programs at scale here all the time on the show and in the Sweet Life company we’re talking about, it’s still an individual sale. You may be delivering it group, but you’re still selling it to one person at a time. Even if it’s on a webinar and there’s a hundred people there, even if you are [00:07:00] speaking from a stage and there’s a thousand people there, even if you are running ads and you’re hitting 10,000 people, you’re still only selling to one person at a time.
[00:07:09] One person has to go through the process to put in their credit card information and pay you. And so that is the current state of a scaling company that’s serving individuals. You, again, may be serving them in a group atmosphere, but you’re still selling to them one-on-one. And so the question that we bring up and why licensing is so powerful is because.
[00:07:34] We can change that. We can take you out of that launch mode if you had been in there with that enrollment, those sales closers, and we can move you into a place where we’re actually selling the same program, but more people are accessing it within each transaction. A few episodes ago, I made a statement and I’ve received actually so many comments [00:08:00] about this statement, and I wanna, so I wanna say it again because I think that this simplifies the licensing process, and that’s what we’re talking about here.
[00:08:08] Licensing made simple. So when we talk about licensing and releasing your training, we are taught, we are not changing the product, okay? So we don’t change the product. We change the buyer. Let me say that again. The product or the training of the course doesn’t change. The buyer does. That’s the pivot in licensing.
[00:08:29] It’s a very, very simple pivot. So the first consideration I want you to think about for yourself is how do you love your current business operations? Do you love the way you sell? Do you still want to work with people in your group consulting program, in your mastermind, in your courses? You can still totally do this.
[00:08:48] And still license your trainings, but that’s the difference of the sales process. So the selling process of licensing versus selling to individuals is a [00:09:00] big differentiating factor in what I want you to consider. The next consideration that I wanna review with you is your work life. I hate the word balance, so I’m not gonna use that.
[00:09:11] We’ll call it work life flow. Work life cadence. What does that look like to you? So currently, as you are working with your clients, What does a typical week look like to you? Are you still consulting people? Do you love consulting people? I was just meeting with a client who is joining one of our accelerators here soon, and she was very honest and I loved this, and she said, you know, I just really don’t love coaching.
[00:09:41] I’m very good at what I do. I’m very good at my area of expertise. I love teaching. I love implementing systems into other businesses, but I just really don’t love coaching. And you know what? I think there are a lot of course graders and coaches out there that actually just really don’t love coaching.
[00:09:58] Some of them do, [00:10:00] some of them don’t. So I wanted to bring that up because it was pretty fresh when somebody said that to me, and I think there may be some of you who could relate to that, or I wanted to at least pose that question. Do you love the way that you are working with your clients, whether it’s one-on-one or whether it’s in a group setting?
[00:10:18] And if you have on-demand programs, do you love that cadence of selling one-to-one? Especially with Evergreen programs, we can sell them to companies and just change your weekly cadence. So the first question is, is are you utilizing your strengths as an individual? Some of you love to teach, some of you love to speak, some of you love to be more hands-on in the trenches with clients.
[00:10:47] What does your strength align with best? Because when we’re working in the scale side of working with clients, offering group programs, those [00:11:00] strengths are utilized. But when we’re working in the licensing side, it can actually make it totally hands off. So I wanted to give you some case studies here about how this can apply to your business.
[00:11:12] I’m gonna share with you my very own case study. So with, I have a few different programs that I license with my easiest, most simple licensing package. This is how I do it. I have a series of eight online courses that are available. And companies line up. I only release them one month out of the year. I have a wait list.
[00:11:34] They get the programs, they get the trainings. I package them up, deliver them the trainings. They pay me my money, they sign their contract, and I don’t see them again until it’s time to renew. It is really hands off for me. I only work at that one month a year, and even within that month, it’s the month of November and I usually take off the third and fourth week for the holidays here.
[00:11:55] So it’s very, very little work for me, and I’ve designed it that way [00:12:00] strategically. So what does that look like for you? How do you want your work life to flow? What do you want that cadence to be for the next five or 10 years of your life? What does that look like to you? Consideration. Number three I want you to think about is your pricing and revenue model.
[00:12:17] Okay? So although we all love what we do, I know we all love it. We’re not in business as a hobby. We need to be profitable. How profitable is based on your own personal and professional and business goals. But when we are moving from a course individual sales model to a licensing bottle, you need to ask yourself your level of readiness for that.
[00:12:40] Have you created the structures in place to deliver programs in bulk? That is really, really important. Some very specific case studies. The average first sale contract for my clients, we’re talking first. Licensing contract sale is anywhere from 30 to $80,000, so it [00:13:00] comes out to like $56,000 is the average.
[00:13:03] And when you were getting a check from somebody for $56,000 for the same modules in the same course that you were selling to individuals for maybe 500 bucks, there is a, there’s a greater level of responsibility, let’s just be honest, right? So there’s more money on the table, there’s more responsibility.
[00:13:21] And is that something that you’re okay with? Listen, I have the bestest friends. That’s improper English I know that have the most simple lives. And they make like 80,000 bucks a year, and they’re as happy as claims because they live a very simple life. Money doesn’t buy happiness. I know I might get some comments from you guys about that.
[00:13:45] That’s not what buys happiness, right? What buys happiness is you taking a second. To ask yourself, what feeds your soul? Where do you wanna be? Who do you wanna be there with? What do you wanna be doing? What do you want that cadence to flow like [00:14:00] if selling a half a million dollar program in having sales conversations and closing deals, Makes you uncomfortable.
[00:14:10] You will never sell your license program. The thing about licensing is you have to have a level of confidence in humble ego. You have to know that you are really good at what you do, and you have to know that the results that you deliver are gonna be awesome for the licensee and their end user. If you’re not sure of that, you could go down the road and work really hard to try to license your programs.
[00:14:38] But if your mindset isn’t right, if you don’t know and believe that your program can change something within their organization or help their customers or help their students, or help their clients, You are never going to sell it. And I, you know, I’m not here to sell you on the, the business model of licensing.
[00:14:56] I mean, the, the numbers are enticing [00:15:00] enough. The case studies of my clients who’ve had successful licensing programs, they’re the, they speak for themselves. It’s no sweat off my back if you don’t license your things or not. My job, my conviction as a business mentor and leader. Is to open up the possibilities for you so that you can make the best choices for yourself.
[00:15:22] So I wanna be really honest when we’re talking about a revenue model, are you ready to walk into closing million dollar deals? I have a client right now who has an A $1.5 million deal that she has been negotiating, and that is for an eight module course. Okay, so you need to decide if that’s something that totally lights you up and you’re like, yes, let’s go for it.
[00:15:47] This is gonna be amazing. That is you and only you that can decide that. So that’s consideration number three. And then consideration number four is who do you wanna work with? So it’s, it’s networking, it’s [00:16:00] collaborating. What type of people do you want in your sphere? Because when we move into licensing, we’re moving into much more of a networking and a partnership type of a business model We are having.
[00:16:12] You go to incredible events. And shake hands and meet just amazing people who are part of these organizations that you can create great change for. Do you wanna connect with those people? Do you wanna hang out with those people? Are they people that would light you up, that can bring you up to the next level?
[00:16:31] Are they the type of people that you wanna spend your business time with? Because. The significance of these strong partnerships is very important when we’re talking about licensing. Your network plays a very powerful role in selling your programs, and so we want to make sure that you have, the confidence in the joy to spend time with those people.
[00:16:57] Tell me if you’ve ever had this happen to [00:17:00] you, where a client really, really wants to work with you and they’re willing to pay you whatever it is that you ask, but your personalities just don’t jive. And you know that if you take this client’s 10, 20, $50,000, that you’re pretty much gonna be stuck with them and they’re a big pain in the ass.
[00:17:22] Okay? Just be honest. I keep it real here on the show. If working with companies and organizations and corporations are not the people that you wanna work with, I’m not saying they’re a pain in the ass. I was just using that as an example. Don’t send me a message about that. But if they aren’t the people that really light you up, Then this might not be the right fit for you.
[00:17:43] So I wanted to share that example with you so that you can really think about this. So let’s kind of do a little bit of a recap. This is just a shorter fireside chat conversation between you and me. And again, we have a million resources for you. You can get started and just dive in with [00:18:00] no commitment at all to our licensing launchpad.
[00:18:03] Where I’ll take you through the first steps of deciding how you wanna licensing and who you wanna sell it to. It’s a powerful new little training program that we have and, and you’re not gonna get stuck there. And if you’re thinking about it at all, I would highly recommend moving into licensing launch pattern that direction so that you can start filling out these waters.
[00:18:24] But between me and you, I wanna be really honest about what this. Lifestyle looks like. It’s very, very, very easy for me. I love the way I set up my licensing programs. My clients love the way they have set up their licensing programs, but the thing about licensing that I mentioned in the beginning is once you release it, You can’t take it back.
[00:18:47] And so I wanna make sure, like with any business model we talk about here on the show, whether it’s an MRR or a Mastermind or a hybrid program or a course or a membership, you know, especially in membership, cuz you get stuck in those [00:19:00] babies for a long time. I wanna make sure licensing is, is really gonna float your boat, right?
[00:19:04] And you might not know it until you dive into it, so feel free to take. The next couple of steps here and dive into licensing with us. We have all of the resources available for you sweetlifeco.com. You can click on licensing, and we have everything from a beginner licensing training called Licensing Launchpad to a free 45 minute in depth, like unpacking your licensing ideas and sharing with you the ways that you can package your program.
[00:19:35] All the way to working with me privately in applying to work in our accelerator where we even give you everything down to the templates and contract. Wherever you are in this process, I’m a big advocate for it because I love it, but I will never be one of those business coaches that tells you what you should do.
[00:19:51] Nobody should be telling you that. So this particular episode, I really wanted to record for us so that you and I can have this kind of behind the [00:20:00] scenes chat. Because we have done so many episodes on how to license, who to sell to, how to price it, all these things, right? And I never wanted to come across here on the show where I’m saying, you have to do this because that is not the case.
[00:20:12] You don’t have to do anything. You can create any business model. You can create any offer. You can work with anybody you want. You can create whatever change of whatever life you want. This is just another option that is the most profitable. I will say that it’s the most profitable and it scales experts faster than any other way I’ve ever seen, but it doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
[00:20:34] So I wanted to sit here and create this little fireside chat message with you and introduce you to the concept of licensing, but also have a real come to Jesus together on whether or not this is the right fit for you and who thrives in a licensing environment and, and who, who might actually struggle.
[00:20:51] If you don’t know that, you know that the program that you have created is absolutely amazing, then maybe we need to take a couple of steps [00:21:00] back. We need to maybe apply. The process of transformational program design that we teach to create your courses. Maybe we need to take a few steps back, and if that’s where you are, that’s awesome.
[00:21:12] But if you know you have amazing programs or if you’re already consulting corporations, or if you’re already a speaker, licensing is a beautiful next step. For exponential profitability that is just sitting there on the table for the taking. And so that is our little fireside chat today. Feel free to message me on LinkedIn with any questions you have about this.
[00:21:34] I have a live show over there as well, and we talk about licensing all the time. I’m at April Beach on LinkedIn. And you can also check us out on our new YouTube podcast and see behind the scenes. I do a lot of talking with my hands here in all my podcast notes, which is so funny on my, on my chicken scratch paper here next to me.
[00:21:57] But, I’m so glad you’re here and I really appreciate you, [00:22:00] and I hope you felt like, although it wasn’t a step-by-step training that I usually do, I hope you felt like this was informative. My goal was to help you determine whether or not this is a good avenue for you to dive into and to share with you the resources when you’re ready.
[00:22:15] Again, those can be sweetlifeco.com or you can dive right into licensinglaunchpad.com and I will be waiting in there for you with worksheets and a step-by-step guide to get you started. Thank you so much for tuning into today’s show, and I will talk to you next week where I will be unpacking the five ways.
[00:22:36] To package your license program. We’ll be talking about licenses and certifications and train the trainer programs. We’re kind of getting into some really cool dorky licensing scaling stuff next week. So if you’re interested in that, listen to that episode too. All right, I’ll talk to you soon. Bye-bye.[00:23:00]
6 Steps To License Your Course, Training, Program to Companies with April Beach (Episode 287)
At the end of this episode, you will:
Also referenced in this weeks episode is last weeks episode -Unlock the Power of Licensing Your Course, Training or Content To Companies
– https://sweetlifepodcast.com/286
– https://sweetlifepodcast.com/286
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Full Show Transcript:
287
[00:00:45] Hi everybody, and welcome back to the show. This is episode number 287 and we’re continuing our teachings and strategy and conversations on licensing. We’ve been diving in for the last couple of weeks on how to take the [00:01:00] programs you’ve already created, how to make more money with the trainings and frameworks and methods and systems and processes that you have already worked hard and invested your time and money to create into scale your reach and your profit.
[00:01:14] Absolutely exponentially blow you out of the water. Content licensing is a way to do it. It’s a way I’ve done it. I’ve licensed my courses and programs to businesses in 13 countries starting in 2009, and I’ve been teaching other entrepreneurs and experts to do it for over a decade. In fact, we have a complete licensing step-by-step project plan.
[00:01:34] And we work with our clients very personally, including giving them all of the contracts, all of this sales processes, and everything they need to license their program successfully. If you would like to apply to work with us, cruise over to sweetlifeco.com. Click on licensing and you can apply to work with us in Amplify.
[00:01:54] Amplify is our accelerator. We work with experts just like you to speed up the process [00:02:00] and get your content licensed to other companies as fast as possible so you can receive all the benefits that we talked about in last week’s episode 286.
[00:02:10] If you’re not really sure and you’re not totally ready to dive into licensing yet, maybe you came across this episode and you haven’t even heard of licensing before. We have a great starting place for you. It’s called Licensing launchpad. You can go to licensing launchpad.com. It is a short and powerful training that’s gonna take you for the, through the first three steps of licensing your program, understanding what you have, understanding the value of it, and we’re actually giving you an entire cheat sheet of what the top 10 industries are looking for right now in exact programs like yours. So you can grab that by going over to licensing launchpad.com.
[00:02:52] All right, so as I said, we’re talking about licensing. Let me give you a brief definition of what it is. Licensing is [00:03:00] like renting your programs, trainings, processes, methods, and frameworks to other companies to use. Okay, so a couple of things. Let me make sure that I am clarifying. Number one, it doesn’t have to be this totally done program. You don’t have to have a built in, have a bow on it in Kajabi or some other online portal somewhere. It can just be your outline of your process and your training from a group coaching program, from things that you’ve been doing with maybe other businesses or other people one-on-one.
[00:03:31] It doesn’t have to be an online course. It can absolutely be an online course, an online training, an established certification. There are so many things that we can license, but I want you, if you haven’t ever thought about this, to think about all the trainings and processes and programs that you’ve created that other companies can benefit from using, they may even be your competition. Licensing is a way where we can move you from B2C into b2b, and we can turn your competition into your [00:04:00] clients. It’s a beautiful thing in whatever your objective for licensing is. So I wanna let you know that that is the gist of what we’re talking about.
[00:04:08] We’re talking about renting it to other companies and renting it for two uses. Number one, they might wanna use it as an internal training for their teams. Maybe you’re a sales expert or a marketing expert. Maybe you’re a communication specialist and you teach teams how to communicate. Maybe you teach equity, diversity, and inclusion, and you can help HR departments.
[00:04:27] Maybe you just teach employees to think entrepreneurially. Okay, so we use them for internal benefits in leveling up of skills. We also love programs. We, I should say, companies also love programs that lend to the quality of life, lend to health and wellness. So if you teach meditation or weight loss, or how to reduce anxiety or how to communicate with your spouse, Those are also great programs to tee up for licensing, and companies are also looking for client [00:05:00] facing programs so they can actually sell with their own programs or augment their own programs, so hopefully that gets your wheels spinning.
[00:05:06] Again, we have so many resources for you wherever you’re at in this process, if you’re just learning about it. If you’ve been trying to work on this. Or if you’ve already had a company that’s approached you and want to license your content, you are absolutely in the right place and we are here to link arms with you and equip you. So again, go to sweetlifeco.com, click on the tab for licensing and all the resources for wherever you are are there.
[00:05:30] Now let’s go ahead and dive into the six steps to actually license your program. Now we have an entire project plan and obviously, Okay, this is like Captain obvious. There are numerous steps under these steps, but the purpose of this is to give you a high level understanding of the process of actually going through and identifying your content and actually releasing it for license.
[00:05:55] All right, so if you’re ready for that, again, this is episode number 287. All of the show [00:06:00] notes can also be found by visiting our website. Let’s dive in. Step number one is to do exactly like I had just explained in that intro. I want you to identify your unique intellectual property and what you already have to sell.
[00:06:14] This could be lessons, videos, quizzes, systems, processes, methods, SOPs. It could be short trainings, it could be written content, it could be an entire program. Many of our clients will license out an entire eight module program or a series of trainings or courses for other companies to use. What do you have that’s unique to you that has been proven to get people results in the past?
[00:06:47] That’s step number one. And with that, within step number one, I want you to ask yourself, what do I wanna do with my business future? The reason why I want you to ask this is because I want you to [00:07:00] understand how you wanna work with clients in the future. Are these things that you plan to still deliver directly through your own business?
[00:07:07] Or are you willing to totally give these away for exclusivity for another company to distribute? Guess what? You can do whatever you want. You can still license and them to other companies and continue to sell products on your own. There are some things we wanna talk about with that as far as ethics and integrity that we are not getting into, but you get to choose your own adventure.
[00:07:29] So step number one is identifying what you have. And it doesn’t have to be a big program, it can be a smaller training. And, and then step number two is identify what you want to be known for in the future and what you wanna do with that. That’s step number one. Step number two is you need to protect your ip.
[00:07:48] All right? We need to make sure that your intellectual property, your processes, your thoughts, everything is copyright protected, your trademark protected, and you wanna go through and make sure you’re getting the legal protection for [00:08:00] your course, for your trainings. It’s very important that we protect your content and we don’t wanna license your content until that is done.
[00:08:10] So step number two is making sure everything is buttoned up the way it should be to protect your ip. Step number three, you get to decide what I call the parameters of release. Okay. These are like your rules for how you wanna allow another company or an organization to share and distribute your materials, including how long do they get it for?
[00:08:34] How many people have access to it, what are the fees? Are you gonna collect royalties? What is the actual rule on the distribution of your training? Does a company have exclusivity to it or not? Is it branded or is it white labeled? Step number three is deciding what with this program or multiple programs, what the parameters are in, in what you’re okay with in [00:09:00] the distribution of it.
[00:09:01] And if you see the process I’m taking you through, you’re gonna get much more clarity on making the decisions in step number three, after you’ve decided in step one how, how much you wanna keep distributing this for yourself, right? If you wanna keep it exclusively in, you know, sell it also, then you’re gonna have tighter parameters on what you allow other companies to do.
[00:09:23] But if you are, like in one of my instances, I white label. The sky’s the limit. I let companies make as much money as they can off it because I no longer license those or sell those programs myself. Right, so you get to think about what you want for the future regarding a particular product or program that you’re considering as we go through this.
[00:09:45] So again, step number one, identify what you have and identify your long-term business goals. Step number two, make sure they’re protected and you’re covering your legal ars. Step number three is identifying the parameters around relief. Step number four is actually [00:10:00] selling it. So going out there promoting your course or training program to potential licensees in various marketing channels like networking, like speaking at events.
[00:10:11] Many of our clients, the primary way that is so powerful to sell is. Presenting and being a speaker in, in meeting with other businesses and being in masterminds and collaborating with other companies. So these industry specific events to create awareness and social marketing channels like LinkedIn.
[00:10:30] Also, I want you to identify that in this selling process that you have decided your parameters, which we talked about, and that’s what we call your licensing program out of the box. But with this being said, you can also choose that after you have a discussion with a potential buyer about your parameters that you may also want to consider.
[00:10:57] Altering some of it or adding some other [00:11:00] things to it to meet that company’s needs. So I’m always a big advocate of listening to what the company wants in terms of the solution that you deliver, understanding what their needs are and what the end of their results and mission is and what. That company is really looking for as far as a benefit from your program.
[00:11:19] And then you may be willing to be outside of the box, may be willing to edit some of your parameters to help them meet their needs. And then the third part of the selling is signing the agreement and collecting your money. So the sales process is totally different than the overkill of massive funnels and online marketing that you’re probably used to.
[00:11:39] It’s actually very simple. And so this process, after you’ve identified your parameters, you can choose if you wanna just sell it as it is, you’re not willing to do any edits or altering, or if you want to even increase the value of your program, maybe by adding some consulting or coaching with your licensed product as well.
[00:11:58] Step number, I’m going through my, [00:12:00] my list here. Step number five is actually onboarding and delivering your program. So you need to have a really great system for doing this, and I want you to think about going through the process of just creating a seamless system and communication channels. So when you give this program to another company to distribute, it is off and away like a bird flying away.
[00:12:20] You have your money, they are a happy company, and deciding whether or not you’re gonna continue to provide ongoing consulting or support. So step number five is the onboarding and delivery of your program. If your program is still housed in your L M S, so if you have your program still in your kajabi and you’re licensing it, but you’re still housing it, or if they are completely taking it and distributing it in their own channels, that is gonna change your step number five delivery method.
[00:12:52] And then step number six is compliance and monitoring. Okay, so each of you have a different brand integrity and [00:13:00] you may find that you wanna update your materials, you may wanna add to it. And so compliance or updating or continuing to provide them with, with marketing support and marketing, swipe copy, those are all things that fit into step number six, as well as renewing the license agreement for ongoing.
[00:13:19] Opportunities for you to make more money. So let me go through these five steps of actually licensing and releasing your program. Excuse me, six steps. We usually have more, but I really wanna simplify this here for you. Step number one is identifying what you have in order to, align with your future.
[00:13:41] Step number two is protecting your ideas, making sure that your legal abduction in a row. Step number three is deciding the parameters of release. How long did they get it for? Is it exclusive? Where does it live? Like is it in your LMS or their lms? What is the branding? Are you taking royalties? All of those things are actually seven different [00:14:00] levers, so we work with our clients to determine the pricing.
[00:14:03] Step number three for you here is just understanding. What that kind of outside of the box program is that you wanna start with in the parameters of that. Step number four is selling it, promoting it, connecting with people, signing the contract, and being willing to maybe even listen if they want you to add coaching or consulting on top of that and adding it to, to another agreement where you can support this company.
[00:14:24] And then step number five is the actual delivery and onboarding, which will be dictated by where the program lives in step number six or renewals in continuing to support the clients as far as getting them to resign the license agreement. But also you are gonna wanna make sure that you have any sort of check points in place if you need to update the content for any sort of reason.
[00:14:49] And this is actually a very simple process, especially if you already have established trainings and programs that you have created before. It seems a [00:15:00] little overwhelming because I, I know you haven’t been here before. I know you haven’t done this before and that’s why you’re here listening to me and watching me talk with my hands on the video.
[00:15:12] I have done this before, but I’ve also been in the place where I did it the first time and I had no freaking clue what I was doing. I know what it feels like to be on the other end of a sales call with a corporation that wants to license your material and feel like you’re a total fish out of the water and that you don’t deserve to be there.
[00:15:33] But I figured that out and I created a step-by-step process that I’ve been teaching for over a decade. Companies like you, and I’m telling you as a girl that did not receive a college degree, okay, that has lived on my own since I was 13, who has started over seven different companies, never having any idea what I was doing with any of them.
[00:15:56] I am telling you that if I can do this, You [00:16:00] can do this, I promise you that process is not that difficult and companies are out there right now looking for programs like yours to help increase the skills in the systems, in the sales, and even provide SOPs that provide seamless scalability to increase time and also to pour into their clients for benefits and lifestyle and wellness.
[00:16:27] As well as they’re constantly looking for programs to augment their other forward facing programs. An example of that is if you are a marketing expert and there’s a branding company out there that might not be as great at teaching video marketing as you are. Great. They’re the first ones to reach out to license your expert.
[00:16:48] How to make great marketing videos to a branding agency that isn’t an expert at that. It’s in their benefit. And I want you to hear me on this because this is a mindset shift. It [00:17:00] is in a company’s benefit to pay you for what you’ve created over taking the time and spending the money to try to create it themself.
[00:17:10] Okay. Especially if you are licensing to smaller established businesses and, and these are businesses with under a hundred employees, right? They don’t want to spend the time to try to, to have an employee be leveled up on something to create an expert training that they could never compete with. Your area of expertise on that.
[00:17:29] They want yours and it’s a smart business decision for them to get yours. And so don’t think that maybe you haven’t done this before and you can’t do this. This is a simple process. We’ve introduced you to the first six steps here, very high level, and I would obviously love to invite you to dive in more.
[00:17:47] I, this has personally changed my life. When I had a company approach me to license my courses, I literally had three little boys, my ba, my three baby boys working from home, which I [00:18:00] still work from home. They were around my ankles. I had no childcare. I had an international business consulting firm at the time, and I was working my ass off.
[00:18:10] And a company approached me because they wanted my courses, they wanted my content and they wanted me to consult them. And this wasn’t a little company. This was a huge healthcare corporation. And I remember feeling like, wow, I’m so, I can’t believe I’m here. But I also remember realizing. Wow. They really want this because it’s something that they could never recreate the way that I have done it on my own for them, and it’s in their benefit to pay me.
[00:18:40] To take what I’ve done to make themselves look better, be more efficient, make more money, and in this case, you know, lead, lead in the marketing race that they, that they were trying to lead in in that particular case way back when. So I wanna encourage you that they’re out there looking for your program.
[00:18:58] Right now, whether [00:19:00] it’s client facing or internal, whether it is something that can be measured through increase in sales, or it’s something that it’s kind of tough to measure through reducing anxiety or helping people sleep better. I promise you that your genius is more valuable than you have even tapped into yet, and this is the place for you to start.
[00:19:22] We are so happy to be able to support you in this. So to move forward and actually work on implementing, like I said, we have a ton of resources for you. You can cruise over to sweet life co.com. And click on licensing. You can get started just at the beginning with our licensing launchpad. You can listen to our free licensing Foundations video.
[00:19:43] You can take one of our workshops, which is a live workshop where I get to work with you, or you can join our accelerator where you get all of our project plans, including our license contract, which I paid $14,000 for way back when. We just give it all to our clients. [00:20:00] So whatever you are looking for, we would love to be that go-to place that you trust, and it is such a reward for me to be able to see you guys.
[00:20:08] Actually reach exponential, like massive explosion with your genius because frankly, we, we work with companies that you guys really care about what you do, and you’re really interested in impacting companies and people with your good work, and that’s what this is all about.
[00:20:28] All right, I’m gonna wrap this up. Almost to 20 minutes here. This is episode number 287. Thank you for listening to this podcast we’ve been producing for over six years. If this benefited you, bless you, please share this. I have refused advertisers forever. I hate freaking advertising on podcasts, so we really rely on our listeners to share this episode and I would really appreciate it if you did that.
[00:20:51] Okay. You guys have an awesome. Day, thanks for being here, and I look forward to hearing from you and how we can support you in the future. Bye-bye for now.[00:21:00]
Unlock the Power of Licensing Your Course, Training or Content To Companies with April Beach (Episode 286)
At the end of this episode, you will:
Also referenced in this weeks episode is last weeks episode – How to Sell Your $99 Course for $99K – https://sweetlifepodcast.com/285
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Full Show Transcript:
286
[00:00:45] Hi everybody. If you are watching on the video stream of this episode, and welcome to the Listening Stream. I’m April Beach and you are tuned in to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast. This is episode number 286, and I [00:01:00] want you to know that there are a couple bonuses that are really powerful that go along with this episode to help you further implement what we are talking about here in this show.
[00:01:09] First and foremost, cruise over to licensing launchpad.com. It is our newest training to get you to the starting gate. To package your intellectual property, package, your course, and really even understand the potential ahead of you that can be had through content licensing. It’s truly my pleasure to unlock the licensing world to you.
[00:01:33] Let me give you a little bit of a backstory. I started licensing my own online courses. Back in 2009, I absolutely had no clue what I was doing at the time, but since then, I’ve gone on to license my own trainings and programs to businesses in 13 different countries and coach other consultants and experts on how to do this as well for over a decade.
[00:01:57] And so this particular series that [00:02:00] we’re doing here on the show, And a lot of the focus of our show is helping you establish coaches, consultants, experts, scale your business, and I wanna introduce you to this world of licensing your course or training or method or process. And so in this particular episode, we’re actually just talking about the benefits of licensing.
[00:02:19] I want to help you to understand whether or not this is something that it’s a good idea for you. If you’ve been listening to me for any period of time, you know that I am a lifestyle entrepreneur. What does that mean? It means I’m a life first entrepreneur. It means that just because there’s a great business model doesn’t mean it’s a great business model for me, and I believe that for you as well.
[00:02:40] And so I wanna introduce you to the option of licensing. Just like we’ve introduced you to the option of creating courses and doing masterminds and doing MRIs and doing memberships and doing V I P days. We talk a lot about building million dollar programs and million dollar offer suite [00:03:00] ecosystems here on this show because that’s what we do.
[00:03:03] At the Sweet Life Company, we help establish coaches, consultants, speakers, authors, and experts, extract your genius and build your million dollar product ecosystem. But how you release your programs, whether it is through a group coaching program, whether you are consulting individuals or individual companies, whether you dive into the opportunity to license your training or program, that’s up to you.
[00:03:28] My job here is to open up the options for you so that you can make the best decisions for. For yourself. So welcome to the show. If you’ve ever listened to us before, if you’ve never listened to us before, it’s so great to be connected with you. So couple of resources we have. First of all, go over to licensing launchpad.com.
[00:03:46] It is a really powerful like 45 minute five part video training. I know you’re a busy C E O. You can plow through it and get a massive amount of information. We’re even giving you the entire cheat sheet of what the top 10 [00:04:00] industries are buying right now in terms of programs just like yours. So go to licensing launchpad.com to grab that and for all the show notes, if you wanna apply to work with us or join any of our other workshops or masterclass, you can cruise over to SweetLifeCo.com.
[00:04:16] This is episode number 286. Okay, so let’s talk about actually who this is for. So it’s for those of you guys who are established and you want to understand the steps to successfully. License your courses, trainings, and the opportunities ahead of you. So we’re gonna actually dive into the process of the benefits of licensing and it is really, really important because again, I want to open up the opportunity for you to understand whether or not this is actually something that is, is a good use of your time, resources, and your brain power.
[00:04:59] All right, let’s go [00:05:00] ahead and dive right on in. Let’s talk about the benefits of licensing, but let me start with a basic description. If you actually don’t even know what licensing is, so licensing is like taking your course or your training, your material, your framework, your process of getting people results and renting it to other companies.
[00:05:19] Okay? So when we say sell your course to other companies, we actually don’t mean selling it. Selling it would mean they own all the rights. And all the interest to your intellectual property. When we license it, it’s like renting it. So it’s allowing other companies to use your intellectual property, your genius that you’ve created in the form that you have created in.
[00:05:43] For their own benefits. Now, let’s talk about the form that you have created in. It could be a totally done course. Maybe it’s a course you haven’t even built yet. But if you have a proven process, method, or framework that you’ve been teaching that you know gets people results, that’s of interest to other companies because [00:06:00] other companies don’t want to take the time and spend the money on the resources to develop a solution for something they can just frankly license from you.
[00:06:10] And so it’s beneficial to them and it’s beneficial for you, so it doesn’t even have to be a co totally completed course. Here are the two prerequisites that we love to tell people. You have to be good at what you do. We don’t wanna license out a program that, you know, you’re just kind of winging it. So we need to make sure you’re established.
[00:06:27] You are very well versed in, and the second thing is that you have gotten people results using this method, framework, or training before in another capacity. So you’re an established business. You’ve been using this process, even if it’s in another delivery method to get people results, and you deliver predictable results with the amazing framework in IP and training or course that you have created.
[00:06:51] That’s the prerequisite here. So what we’re talking about is why would you wanna do this? What is the benefit to this? And, and as I mentioned, [00:07:00] I, I value time over money and I want any time that you put into your business to give you the outcome that you want. Obviously a great financial outcome is fantastic too, but I have to admit, I’m also the girl that would love to like camp with a campfire and van life and just.
[00:07:19] Surf all day, and I would probably be just as happy barefoot on the beach with no money in my pocket. I say the word probably, I really do like having money, but Sounds good. So whatever that is for you, I wanna honor that. If we’re talking about the benefits of licensing, so you get paid up front. So in the past, In the marketing online business space, right?
[00:07:40] When we’re doing this launch mode, we wanna reach so many people in order to convert your sales at a certain rate. So let’s say we want a hundred people on your webinar to try to convert it at, you know, over 50%. So we don’t have to do that. We have licensing. You sell it once to one buyer, but you sell more seats with it so you [00:08:00] get paid up front.
[00:08:00] So benefit number one is taking that same training that you’ve already created and instead of having to sell it, A hundred times. You get to sell it once and go back and listen to the last week’s episode where I broke down the steps to get started where I talk about turning a $99 course into a $99,000 sale without changing the course at all.
[00:08:20] Okay? Today I just really want to unpack whether or not this is a great option for you to move forward. Number two, it helps you to expand fast. So if you want to. Grow quickly. If you wanna reach more people, grow your business seriously faster than you ever thought possible. Especially if you are a small micro entrepreneur.
[00:08:41] I mean, that’s what I’m called. We have less than seven people on our team. We aren’t even like categorized as a small business. We’re like micros sized businesses. If you’re like us and you wanna grow fast, licensing is a great way to do it because we can scale people, okay? We scale your. Reach, we [00:09:00] scale your people, meaning we don’t need more people.
[00:09:02] Actually did an episode a few episodes a ago called The difference between Growth and scaling. Growth is where we spend more to make more. Scaling is where we don’t spend more to make more. Licensing is a straight scale play. And it’s super powerful because of that. So benefit number two is if you wanna expand your business fast licensing is a great opportunity for you.
[00:09:23] Number three, it’s gonna save you time and money. Okay? So you don’t need a bunch of extra people, you don’t need extra staff members, you don’t have to hire sales closers, you don’t have to, you know, hire people to do all these different things. We can actually build systems within the teams. You already have the process of.
[00:09:43] Selling and actually delivering your license programs is so much more simple when we just do it to one buyer. All right? So the nu the third benefit is saving you time and saving you money and saving you teams, and it’s really powerful. The fourth [00:10:00] benefit to licensing is absolute non-stop promotion.
[00:10:03] Okay? So imagine this, you are playing with your kids at the park, or you are at a movie with your significant other, or your traveling or wherever. In the meantime, there’s hundreds, maybe thousands of people accessing your training in your program. You’re just hands off. It is absolute madness in the best way.
[00:10:24] Okay, so it’s nonstop promotion for you because your licensees are continuing to promote it, whether it’s internally to their teams or externally, because they may be using your training or program as something they’re delivering that could be even client facing. They’re gonna keep promoting it for you because.
[00:10:43] They invested in it and they wanted to work great. So it actually takes you outta the place of needing to. Even market it from a client standpoint, out, out, out to the world. It’s an incredibly powerful thing, especially for people like me that frankly [00:11:00] I don’t, I don’t love social media and I don’t wanna hang out there all day.
[00:11:03] And so if you’re like me, I. Then licensing is a good opportunity for you. Number five, it’s gonna scale your revenue. Okay? This is seriously, again, go back to last week’s episode where we talked about taking a $99 course into selling it for 99,000. The important thing that you need to understand is that in most cases, we don’t have to change the training at all.
[00:11:24] We don’t change the product, we change the buyer. So you’re going from selling it to a hundred people. For $1 amount goal to selling it to one company for that same dollar amount goal, if not more. So when we talk about scaling your revenue, there is nothing that I have experienced. I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life.
[00:11:47] I’ve been coaching. Coaches for 27 years. Okay, let, let’s sink in. You’re right, it’s swear I don’t look old enough to be doing that, but I started when I was 20 years old, coaching [00:12:00] coaches. Okay, so I want you to understand that never even being a pioneer in the online coaching space has I. Have I ever experienced a way to scale your genius as FAST is releasing your program or training through licensing and.
[00:12:17] Again, I have personally done this myself. Um, number six, it really levels up your brand, so it’s gonna level up your thought leadership in your space. Even if you wanna keep selling your training directly and give different people an opportunity to license it as well, it’s gonna level up your brand. Not only within that B2B space, but it’s also gonna level up your thought leadership and your leadership and your niche, um, even to your established clients.
[00:12:45] So even if they aren’t the ones that are licensing it, I, I would literally have clients say to me, oh my gosh, really? Other companies license your content. And it just levels up their trust and confidence in, in my consulting with them. And it’s gonna do the [00:13:00] same thing for you. So really levels up your brand and your recognition and your thought leadership in your space.
[00:13:06] Number seven, licensing is usually a very fast setup. So again, you don’t have to think of all the things you’ve probably been working really hard to do. Online funnels, online marketing, webinars, live virtual events, challenges, summits, ads, all these other things. When it comes to licensing, we sell them very differently.
[00:13:29] The sale of licens programs is very, very simple. And it doesn’t require fancy funnels or a ton of automation and all of these things that frankly, most experts don’t come outta the box. Knowing you guys and me when I first started, you know, we’re experts in the thing we do. It doesn’t mean that I’m an expert funnel builder.
[00:13:55] I feel, I feel like I am now because I learned how to over the [00:14:00] years, but man, Imagine if you could avoid all of that, or you didn’t have to pay the money to have somebody to build all that out for you. So it’s a really fast setup about packaging your content and actually getting it released to license super fast setup.
[00:14:14] It’s not as complicated as it as it may seem. It’s actually so simple that I, I think that some of our clients even just like. Have trouble wrapping their head around the fact, like, wow, okay. That’s what I do. Like I, I, I need to meet with them and, and present my program and listen to what they need and tell them how I can solve their problem and sign a contract and take my money.
[00:14:35] Mm-hmm. Yeah. It’s that simple. Okay. Number. Eight. I’m gonna keep track. I’m look at my notes here for you. Number eight is reoccurring revenue. So it’s ultimate passive income when you license your product and there’s usually a licensed term, so there is a renewal fee. It’s an amazing thing. So you’re not only getting the upfront money for licensing, you may even be [00:15:00] getting residuals.
[00:15:02] So what I mean by that is you may even be getting commissions and percentage of sales on when other people sell your programs. That’s a whole nother episode. We’re not diving into that right now, but they’re a reoccurring fees for your renewals. So on top of the initial fee, they’re gonna pay you when that renewal comes up as well.
[00:15:22] If obviously you’ve created a a great program, they wanna bring it back again, especially if they’ve worked hard to market that program as part of their business. Number nine, stay with me here. Uh, you can find great partners. So if you want to open the door to other levels of personal branding, personal leadership.
[00:15:43] Say you wanna write a book or you want to start speaking on stages, or you wanna build affiliate relationships for other parts of your company. Licensing is an amazing way to do it. It helps you find amazing great partners where you can collaborate with them. I’m a big advocate. I believe that the [00:16:00] future of business is collaboration and linking arms with other businesses that you serve the same audience or you serve the same mission or you serve the same purpose.
[00:16:09] I, I really, truly believe that is the future and the strength of where we’re going in the world of online business. And so licensing is a really, Important way to be able to step in to that, to have something valuable to give, and of course to be able to create, amazing, powerful relationships with other businesses that are like-minded.
[00:16:29] Number 10, licensing. You get to use what you already have. If you created a course or a training, like pretty much everybody and their cousin has done, especially since Covid, maybe that coarser training is collecting dust on a shelf. Okay, If it’s sitting there and you thought you were gonna sell it, and then you’re like, oh my gosh, this is for the birds.
[00:16:52] But you’re an expert in your space and you’ve worked so hard. If you’re like me, you probably have. Stacks and stacks of trainings. [00:17:00] At one point in time, we had 56 online courses that were Evergreen courses. All right? So if you’ve been doing what you’ve been doing, you have things that are just sitting there collecting dust.
[00:17:10] Licensing is beautiful because we can take what you have already created and make a lot of money for you off of it. Number 11, you actually get to work less with your operations, with your delivery and your management in most simple licensed terms. When you, it’s like. Set it and forget it. It actually reminds me of like the good old days of the first like wave of on online evergreen courses where y we would like actually set them and forget them.
[00:17:36] This is like 2012, 2013 people would enroll and you’d click a button, you’d put it for sale. You’d have hundreds of people come in there and it was like a dream come true. Uh, courses don’t do that anymore in most cases, by the way, you guys, that that’s very 10 years ago. Um, but licensing does because. It’s not like you’re just forgetting it.
[00:17:56] There’s some company that’s actively continuing to take it [00:18:00] from you. It’s like a relay race. They’re taking the baton and they’re running it around the track with their teams to all of their people. What does that mean for you? It means you have very little operational overhead, very little team overhead.
[00:18:13] You want to make sure that you are validating that everything is going as contracted term. And you wanna provide support to your licensees. Some of your licensees may ask you to add consulting, coaching, actually live support in addition to licensing your program. That’s another episode. We’re not talking about that right now.
[00:18:34] It’s just straight licensing agreement is really less work, less operational costs, less management management for you. And so it’s less overhead, more profit, and more lifestyle freedom. And then number 12, and I’m gonna recap all these, number 12 is that you actually get to reach more people if you have created a process and a method that you are really passionate about, maybe it’s your life, li Life’s work.
[00:18:58] Like some of our clients, there [00:19:00] are programs that we partner with them to license. We help, we teach them to help them license. It is literally their life’s work, you guys. And if that’s like you, You’re just one person and there is a line between where is the quality of life for you and where is the expansion of your reach, right?
[00:19:19] You may find, oh my gosh, I could get this work and this important process, life changing, business changing process into the hands of more people. If I only had more time, team resources and money, well, licensing is how we do that. So imagine taking this work that you. Truly are an expert in that you created that you can do and deliver and teach in a way that nobody else can in getting it in the hands of so many more people and businesses to do good things in the world.
[00:19:49] That is what licensing does. And so it might sound complicated, but trust me, it’s not as industry leading coaches that teach. Other leaders how to [00:20:00] license their content. I can tell you every single business comes into me and they’re like, oh my gosh, I don’t know what I don’t know. This seems so scary.
[00:20:07] This seems like so big. It is not, it’s, it’s actually so simple. It just absolutely blows your mind at the process of all of the things that are complicated, all of the letters, we strip out everything and we go back to business basics in delivering programs to give great results and allowing other companies to benefit from that.
[00:20:28] That is licensing. So let me go over those benefits. And I want you to identify to yourself which one is the most important for you. And once you, oh, I’m gonna list them. Once you identify the most important one, I just want you to ask yourself, how important is this to me? How important is this to me to solve right now?
[00:20:49] Is this part of our primary strategic objective as a company for for this year? Okay. And that will help you kind of stay grounded in this. This is not [00:21:00] one of those shiny object episodes that I want you to go chase. I don’t ever want you chasing any of those shiny objects. There’s so many distractions when it comes to how you can build your business.
[00:21:10] I’m here to give you the options. I’m here to open up the opportunities for you, for you to choose. And so I’m gonna go through this list of 12, and after I go through this list, I want you to pick the number one most important thing to you. And then you ask yourself, how important is it to fix? And how fast do we want to have this as a benefit to our company?
[00:21:31] Okay, so here we go. Number one benefit. Getting paid upfront and early.
[00:21:35] Number two, expanding your business and your reach and helping more people faster.
[00:21:41] Number three, it’s gonna save you time and money.
[00:21:44] Number four, it’s nonstop promotion for your company.
[00:21:49] Number five, it’s scaling your revenue. Okay. Massive revenue increase through scalability.
[00:21:56] Number six, it’s leveling up your brand in the recognition of [00:22:00] your thought leadership and your brand in your space.
[00:22:02] Number seven, it’s a quick setup. It’s quick to build and package and sell.
[00:22:07] Number eight, you have reoccurring revenue for years to come.
[00:22:12] Number nine, you get to find great partners and other businesses to collaborate with.
[00:22:18] Number 10, you get to use what you have already created without having to start from scratch.
[00:22:24] Number 11, it’s less work, less operations, and less management for you.
[00:22:29] In number 12, you get to reach more people with the genius that God has given you or whatever you believe to do more good in the world.
[00:22:37] Those are the 12 benefits of licensing. There are so many more, but those are the 12, and I wanna be respectful of your time, so I frankly I just cut it at 12. Now, what’s that number one? What was that first thing that was most important for you? I want you to again, ask yourself, how quickly do we want to solve this?
[00:22:54] How important is this to my business, my bottom line, my team, and my life? Okay. [00:23:00] Once you decide that, then you can decide how quickly you wanna move forward into this. We do have a resource for you. We have tons of resources on licensing. First of all, you can go to our website and you can find licensing playlists from the podcast here, licensing articles.
[00:23:15] I have a huge licensing 1 0 1 foundation video training you can watch, and we have our newest training called Licensing Launchpad, which actually takes you through the step-by-step process to move into licensing. That’s also the one that has all of the cheat sheets of what companies are buying right now.
[00:23:34] So we’re gonna drop all the resources here for you. If you’re really ready to move forward fast, you can always apply to work with us and join our licensing accelerator where we give you everything and of course all of the contracts and you get to team up with our, with legal and it’s just really fantastic.
[00:23:50] But this, the ball is in your court now, you know? You can’t unlearn what you’ve just learned. This is taking a program training method or framework that you’ve already [00:24:00] created and exponentially scaling it with less work in the than you’ve ever done before. If that’s what you want, then this is could be a great option for you.
[00:24:08] Okay. The resources, again, this is episode number 286, and so therefore, everything, all the show notes can be found by visiting sweet life co.com. Click on the podcast. This is episode number 286. We also talked about digging into licensing launchpad.com. So you can do that. And of course you can just text the word license to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0, and we’ll text you a link to all these resources as well.
[00:24:42] Or because I’ve given you way too many calls to action here. Totally. Don’t do this on your own podcast. I’ve given you way too many options. Just go to sweet life co.com and you can find all the resources. Under how to scale your reach through licensing there on the website. And if you’ve enjoyed this show, please [00:25:00] share it with a friend.
[00:25:00] This is really, it’s not new knowledge. Licensing is an old thing that’s been done for years, but so few people know about it. And it’s really my mission to help as many businesses like our clients and frankly like myself, scale their reach exponentially and actually, build a quality of life through expanding the use of your genius. All right, you guys have an awesome day. I’ll talk to you next week. Thank you so much for listening.
How to Sell Your $99 Course for $99K with April Beach (Episode 285)
At the end of this episode, you will:
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
285
[00:00:46] Hey you guys, and welcome to another episode here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur. Podcast if you’re watching the video episode behind the scenes, welcome to my podcast recording studio here at the beach house. [00:01:00] This is episode number 285, and so everything we’re talking about can be found by visiting our website, sweetlifeco.com. Cruising over to the podcast in searching for number 285. It is a super powerful episode.
[00:01:14] At the end of this, you are going to know how the power of moving from B to C to B to B can affect your business. We are diving in and we are unpacking how to actually take a $99 course and sell it for 99,000. And this is not pie in the sky, nothing here that we talk about or teach or deliver.
[00:01:37] On this show is in theory, these are all proven business strategies that have been accomplished before, and so that’s why I wanna bring you into this world. If you and I don’t know each other yet. I’m April Beach CEO of the Sweet Life Company, multiple company owners, and my area of expertise is helping establish subject matter experts, speaker authors, coaches, [00:02:00] and consultants.
[00:02:00] Scale your business by building million. Programs and content licensing programs and specif specifically, that’s what we are diving into today. So I have something very important I wanna give you, and it’s timely. Here’s one of the benefits, if you are an actual subscriber to this podcast. When you’re a subscriber, we drop the shows as soon as they come out.
[00:02:22] So the recording of this show, the drop date of this show, let me look at my calendar, is going to be April 24th, 2023. So if you were listening to the show, it’s April 24th, 2023, and you are a very, very timely person. I want you to go because I’m giving you something free, but you have to get it before April 30th, 2023.
[00:02:46] Okay, so let me say that clear. If you are here right now at the live drop or within the first week, this show dropped. If you’re a subscriber of this show, this is a reward for you for constantly listening to these episodes. We are gonna give you a free [00:03:00] gift. It is completely free access to my newest training called Licensing Launchpad, where I take you in depth through all the things I’m talking about today, and I give you the worksheets and the step by step process to accomplish it, and I’m actually giving you that to you totally free.
[00:03:17] But here’s the deal. You have to go grab it before April 30th, 2023. You can go to licensing launchpad.com to download that right now. If you’re here after April 30th, it is a really jam-packed, powerful, valuable training, and so you should still go grab it and pay the market value for it because holy moly, it is.
[00:03:40] Okay, so let’s talk about what we’re actually talking about here today. The end result of what we’re doing here today is setting you up, getting you to the launchpad to be able to license your programs, but most people don’t even know what that actually means. And so I’m gonna simplify these terms and I’m gonna explain to you how you.[00:04:00]
[00:04:00] Can absolutely do this, and you don’t need to be some business ninja to do it. At the end of this episode, you are gonna understand how you can actually go from selling to individuals, to selling to companies. What I mean by that is you’re gonna understand the value of your training and you are gonna understand how you can get maybe finally out of the rat race of, of social marketing and social selling, and having to build funnels and having to post every darn day on social media.
[00:04:30] To selling your very val valuable training to companies that have funding to buy. So if you’re ready for that and you’re ready for the three steps to do this, come on this little short journey with me and let’s go ahead and let’s dive in. Again, go grab the free tool or the very low cost tool if you’re listening to this by visiting licensing launchpad.com, and it’s gonna help you even more implement what we talk about today.
[00:04:58] Okay, so [00:05:00] who is this for? Here’s the deal. If you are like many people, many coaches, consultants, expert speakers who entered the online business space in the last couple years, maybe you entered it with C O V I D, you came into online consulting, you took your area of expertise and maybe you took a course on how to create courses, and you’ve come into this online world, well, There are two brick walls that people are really hitting when they get into this online space.
[00:05:30] Number one, not generating enough sales, and number two, not actually realizing how much marketing skill that you may have needed to make all of your hard work of developing those courses, trainings, and programs successful in order to be a successful scaling coach, consultant, speaker, author, you typically need to understand funnels and social selling and online marketing, and many experts who’ve come into this space in the [00:06:00] last three to five years.
[00:06:01] Either weren’t prepared for the knowledge they needed to have to be successful in the marketing space, or it didn’t come equipped to hire that out. Okay. And so what we have is we have ama, we have a bundle. Tell me if this is you. Send me a social message. If this is you. We have a bundle of incredible established experts.
[00:06:25] You guys are really good at what you do. You have taken the time, you have put in the effort, you have built the courses, you have built the trainings, you have built your framework. You have built your methodology, and then maybe it’s just sitting on the shelf collecting dust. Maybe it, it hasn’t sold for the volume that you wanted it to sell for, but that, here, let me just speak to you really.
[00:06:49] That does not take away from how amazing you are. It doesn’t take away from how great you are at your area of expertise, right at [00:07:00] teaching what only you can teach because of your years or decades of experience and your knowledge to get where you could be to develop that amazing course or training program.
[00:07:13] And so first, I, I wanna say that. Not maybe understanding or executing online marketing or the fact that you might not have a huge social following or whatever that is, is not a reflection of how awesome you are. And how great your program is. So just let that soak in if you’re listening and, and maybe you haven’t accomplished all you wanted to from a sales standpoint.
[00:07:36] Okay, and now let’s talk about what we can do about that. I wanna talk to you about how we take, and this is in theory, 99 to 99. You know, it’s a cool play on words. Basically what I’m saying is how we take your course that’s individually priced at, let’s say 99 bucks or $999, and we [00:08:00] actually sell it for 99,000 or a million dollars.
[00:08:03] This is what we can do when we change who you are selling it to instead of selling it in bulk like or two in two individuals in the masses. We sell it once with a bulk number of seats or tickets to one buyer. So let me say that again cuz I kind of messed it up and didn’t say it as clearly as I wanted to the first time.
[00:08:30] Instead of taking your course or training and having to sell it to a bunch of people instead, I want you to understand how you can take that same training that might be collecting dust and sell it to one person for 10 times more. Does that make sense to you? Okay. So this is a process that’s called content licensing or IP licensing or licensing your training or licensing your [00:09:00] course.
[00:09:01] And there’s a lot of legal lingo in here that most people don’t understand, as a matter of fact. Interesting, fun fact, a lot of companies that wanna license your program don’t even realize that these are the terms for this type of arrangement. You might have even been approached by a company that wants to bring in your course or training, and they don’t even know that this is the actual legal structure of what we’re talking about.
[00:09:22] So I wanna equip you to know that so you can move forward in this. So, We’re gonna dive into three steps here for you to move forward in this direction. And again d dig into licensing Launchpad. It is a short 45 minute five part video training that’s gonna take you through every one of these steps with some amazing worksheets and just like so much gold in there.
[00:09:47] So go over to licensing launch. Dot com and grab that too. But here’s, here’s high level as an introduction for you and I just sitting here hanging out today. So the very first thing I want you to do is I want you to do what I call conduct an [00:10:00] asset inventory. So I want you to go back and I want you to look at all of the trainings that you’ve created.
[00:10:07] Hey, maybe it’s just one course you’ve built or one training. It also. Doesn’t have to be a finished product course. That’s really important. I want you to understand this. If you have developed a method or a framework, or a system or a process that gets people results, I don’t care if you turned it into a course with all the, the whistles and bells and videos, that doesn’t matter.
[00:10:34] What, what I’m saying to you is if you have created a process, And other people can follow that process and get results. It could be a completely finished course or program. It could be perhaps the outline of what you have taught to individuals one-on-one. It could be the outline of a group poaching program that you created.
[00:10:55] Could be maybe the agenda for a mastermind or a retreat. [00:11:00] Basically, if you have taken your expertise in your skills and you have turned it into a process that gets predictable, repeatable, uh, you know, expected results for people, that is very, very valuable. Okay, so valuable. We’re gonna be digging into the actual value of that here in a minute, but I want you to realize that that is gold.
[00:11:20] And there are two different types of business building that we teach at this sweet Life company and that we can just talk about in general, right? There’s, there’s selling B2C and there’s selling b2b. Now, even if your buyers are actual businesses too, I, I wanna just try to simplify this for you. You’re either selling it one off.
[00:11:42] To individuals like you’re enrolling people one at a time in your launch strategy, or you’re enrolling them one at a time through your webinar or whatever. That’s what I call b2c, or you are selling it in bulk, okay? And that means where you sell it one time and a bunch of people get access rather [00:12:00] than selling it a million times to each individual to get access.
[00:12:05] And so if you have been kind of in that individual selling place before, that’s also a great place to be. Again, we work with experts, coaches, and consultants all the time to build their million dollar programs. For that be to individual side. But today I wanna talk to you about moving from that side to a much simpler way of selling your program or your outline, your system, your framework, or your method to businesses.
[00:12:34] Have the funding to invest in the solution that you deliver. And the one amazing thing about this is that when you develop a predictable system, there are always people that want to get it from you and buy it from you. Okay? So step number one is just pause here for a minute and I want you to think. All of the things that you have created that meet that [00:13:00] result.
[00:13:01] So have you have built a total course? Did you build a training program? Do you have a process or a method or a framework or an outline that gets people results? If you have that, you have met the criteria to move forward, yay. You can, you know, passco and collect a hundred dollars. Now one of the things we wanna talk about, as somebody actually messaged me on social media a couple weeks ago and they said, you know, April, how do I know if, like, if I’m ready to do this?
[00:13:29] So you need to have an established process that gets people results. And let me just be really honest with you. You have to be good at what you do. Okay, let me say that again. You need to have an established process that gets people results and you gotta be good at what you do. You know, licensing is not for, people that are new, that are, you’re just testing your process, right?
[00:13:51] Because we’re giving another company the ability to, to implement it. So we need to, we need to make sure it works. And, and a few other [00:14:00] things like protecting your intellectual property with copyright protection and trademark. But I’m not gonna get into that in this episode. I have other episodes about that.
[00:14:09] So step number one is I want you to go through and I want you to understand the value of what you have to other companies. Step number two is, let’s actually dive into the, the value of what, what is valuable actually to other companies. So first of all, that blanket term, other companies can be referred to huge corpor.
[00:14:32] Uh, big international nonprofits, small, teeny, tiny little nonprofits, smaller corporations. It also refers to other companies that are just like mom and pops. Agencies, tech companies, big and small. I don’t care the size of the company. And in this episode, we are not gonna unpack the value of selling to different size companies.
[00:14:59] Those are things that [00:15:00] we work on with our clients and, and just how to price that. But just for the purpose of right now, I just want you to generally to know when I say, you know, license your course or sell your course to other companies, it can be anything. We can be talking about universities, smaller, smaller school districts.
[00:15:15] We can talk about selling your program to companies just like. Imagine turning your competition into your clients by giving your technical competition the ability to distribute your course to their users. And guess what? You just get to sit back and you just get to take the money for that. That’s a great option, especially if you’re burned out on online marketing, isn’t it?
[00:15:38] So what are, what are companies looking. Companies are looking for content that accomplishes a couple of different results. They’re looking for skills and up-leveling their teams. So let’s talk about programs companies are looking for internally. So if what you do teaches a skill or teaches, leveling up of awareness or [00:16:00] knowledge, or teaches a strategy, , teaches leadership teaches communi.
[00:16:04] Teaches, , you know, people how to present themselves more confidently, teaches them how to increase their sales or even close sales calls, create marketing strategies. Companies are always looking to buy programs that level up their skills. As a matter of fact, I have, I have a statistic, and I’ll make sure I put, I source this in the show notes for you.
[00:16:28] I don’t have it here in my little notes for this episode, but statistics show that when a company invests $1,500 in skills training per employee, it increases their revenue by 24%. Let me say that again. When a company invests only $1,500 per employee in increasing their skills, so let’s say what you teach, um, helps a company to level up one of those skills, like it, you know, closing sales deals or communicating in, you know, in [00:17:00] something internally or understanding, a process or how to implement something, or maybe even you have that.
[00:17:09] Maybe what you do delivers better SOPs and streamlined systems within a company. When a company invests $1,500 in a program on average, it increases that company’s sales by on average 24%. And I will get that source code for you. I plugged it into our private client community. Um, and I’ll make sure I put it here in the show notes for you as well so you can immediately go to that research for yourself cuz it’s gold.
[00:17:33] So I want you to understand that if your program is valuable to a company in levels of skills, we’re talking almost direct ROI and it’s very valuable. But I also want you to know if you have a program that might not be so tangible, let’s say you work on mindset. Or peak performance or reducing anxiety or your program deals with mental health or communications, or maybe it’s something that is what I call a lifestyle enrichment [00:18:00] program.
[00:18:00] So maybe what you do is teaching people to sleep better or eat better, or lose weight or know how to write a book. Um, even. Know how to think entrepreneurially. Okay. Lemme say that there are companies out there that are looking for programs to teach their employees to think like entrepreneurs. I know it sounds a little dangerous cuz that, you know, that employee could bolt.
[00:18:23] But what it does is it really benefits the company to help that employee lend to the, a creativity in the future innovation of that. So whether you have a direct skills training that is incredibly valuable, and if you have an intangible training that it’s just confidence or lifestyle, those programs are also very valuable to companies.
[00:18:45] So that’s part one. So I want you to think about, as I’m going through this, I want you to think about what’s in your head. If you grab licensing launchpad.com, we give you a complete list of over 50 different outcomes that companies are looking. In [00:19:00] the value to companies, and you can Dr. You can literally go through our list and circle which ones apply to your training, and then you know exactly what to put in your sales pitches.
[00:19:09] Now, the other thing I want you to know is that if you have a program, it can be internally facing only for the employees of the company, or we can actually license your program for companies to distribute to their customers. Companies aren’t just looking for internal programs, they’re looking for external programs that they can actually turn around and sell or add to their existing programs that they have.
[00:19:33] So take a pause here. This is step number two and fully understand the value of your training. It’s gonna be the same value that it was when you were selling your training. To individuals, but now imagine the scale of having so many people within one organization have that same benefit at the same time together.
[00:19:53] I mean, that just gets me excited for them about your stuff. And it should make you really excited too, and companies are looking to [00:20:00] invest in that, those results. Okay? And then the third step here is calculating the street value of what it took you to develop your program. This is really important. This is the first step before we would get into actually understanding, hey, you know, what, are we gonna charge a a company for this?
[00:20:20] I want you to understand what I call the street. Okay. The street value is quantified by two different groups of numbers. I hope you guys are geeking out on this like I do, and hopefully I’m explaining it in a simple way. The first number I want you to quantify is how much did you spend to invest in building that program?
[00:20:44] Dollar amount. Hard dollars. Okay. Did you pay for coaching? Did you join an online coaching program or join a mastermind? Did you buy software? Did you pay to have videos recorded? Did you hire a copywriter? [00:21:00] Did you, I don’t know, download a million books from Audible? How much and hard dollars did you spend to develop that?
[00:21:10] How much did you pay team members? Did you, if you have a team member and you delegated things out, how much did it actually cost you? To develop that training, even if it isn’t fully built out in a video training or, or in a course somewhere. How much and hard dollars did that cost you? So that’s street value number one.
[00:21:30] Street value number two is, now I want you to quantify the amount of time. That it took you to be in a position so that you actually could develop it. Now, I am not just talking about the amount of time that it actually took you from saying, Hmm, I think I wanna launch a course on productivity and now I’m gonna outline it.
[00:21:51] Now I’m gonna build it. No, no, no. I want you to also include all of the years before that, that made you qualified [00:22:00] to even create a COR course on productivity. So you’re gonna end up with two numbers. You’re gonna end up with hard cost numbers, and you’re gonna end up with this time number. Many of you that are listening to this, you guys have been in the trenches to learn your area of expertise for years, decades.
[00:22:20] We work with clients, so we actually are working on helping them to distribute their life’s work. Imagine that. So you’re gonna end up with two numbers. And those two numbers are the amount of money you spent to invest in this and the amount of time. Most of you guys, if you continue to just sell to individuals like that B2C side, like you don’t wanna look at this number.
[00:22:44] Most of you guys are like, oh my gosh, it is taken me a million freaking years to build this and I’ve only generated 50,000 on something that probably took me, you know, a hundred thousand dollars to build. I understand. But it’s really important that you [00:23:00] quantified the street value because we not only want to get you back the street, r o i for that, right?
[00:23:06] We want to have you profit from that. Okay? And here’s one more thing I’m gonna leave you with and then I’ll recap those three steps for you. I want you to know something. I want you to know that companies don’t want to spend the time and the money that it took you to develop your. That is not a good business decision for them.
[00:23:27] That is not in their best interest. What you do, your subject matter expert genius space is not theirs. And frankly, they usually don’t wanna be experts in that. That’s why they are always out there constantly right now while you’re listening to this, looking for programs to buy like yours to fix that problem because they don’t have the time or the money, and they don’t, they don’t care enough about building it.
[00:23:56] They’re not gonna try to rip off your course. They just wanna buy it so they can be better [00:24:00] from it. And I want you to understand that that mindset, Okay. They need your training. They need your methods, they need your frameworks because they know that it’s probably not their primary area of expertise, and they only care about the end result solution that you are gonna provide, whether that’s to their employees or whether it’s to their customers.
[00:24:21] And whether it is a hard skill result or we can measure ROI or whether it is a more of a intangible that increases confidence or something that is more of a lifestyle result. These things are very valuable to companies and licensing has been around forever. You guys, this isn’t new. This isn’t a new concept.
[00:24:41] What’s different about this is. Nobody out there except for us that we understand is actually teaching you how to license your trainings and your courses and your programs and package them with their, in your intellectual property in a way that is going to help you scale your business [00:25:00] and is good for you and it’s good for the company.
[00:25:02] And so that’s what I want you to wrap your head around today. So in conclusion, I promised you today I was gonna tell you how to take and how to sell your 99 or your $999 course for a million, or sell your $99 course for 9,000. We don’t change the course, we change the. So let me, let me say that again. To sell your $99 course for 99,000, we don’t change the course, we change the buyer.
[00:25:35] And I want you to sit with that for a minute, and I want you to know that it is very simple process and it’s not as hard as you think. And today we talked about the three steps to actually start doing this. The first one is doing an inventory, figuring out what you have that’s ready to go, and knowing it doesn’t have to be a finalized training program or product.
[00:25:53] It can be a framework or a method or a system, you know, SOPs, processes that you’ve deliver. Number two, [00:26:00] what is the value of that to companies? Definitely, I can’t emphasize it enough. Go grab licensing launchpad training. I’m giving you a complete database of the value in programs that companies are buying right now.
[00:26:15] And then on top of that, this is gonna blow your mind. It’s seriously, I can’t even believe we’re, we’re giving this away. On top of that, we’re giving you a list of what the top 10 industries are buying right now in programs. We break it down from agencies to small businesses, to education, to government, to, huge corporations.
[00:26:40] Just so on and so forth. There’s 10 different industries. This list was created by our experts that come in, our sales experts that work with our clients. It is absolutely mind blowing, and I’m giving you that totally, that list totally for free. So with, if you download licensing launchpad by April [00:27:00] 30th, 2023, otherwise you need to go grab it and it’s gonna be a really small price.
[00:27:05] It’s gonna be worth your time. So I want you to understand the value, and I want you to know what companies are buying. And then the last thing we talked about is calculating the actual street value of what it took you to develop this program. It’s incredibly important for you to know that because that is the baseline of where we start your pricing to generate a return on your investment, both in time and tangible dollars.
[00:27:31] This is much more simple than it seems, and it is a super big secret that our mission is to let, as many established experts know that this is possible and this is waiting for you to do, and it’s actually quite simple. In all of your years of genius in all of your time developing your programs, we can quite simply pivot you by selling, by changing who you’re selling it to.
[00:27:56] We don’t have to change the program. We change the. [00:28:00] And that’s what we’re talking about here today. So thanks for hanging out with me. I had actually planned on having this be a very short episode, but I went longer because I elaborated more than expected. Go figure. I tend to do that. Um, but I love hanging out with you.
[00:28:14] I love teaching on this, and I love introducing and opening up these concepts for you. If you have any questions at all or if you wanna get started on this, Do cruise over to licensing launchpad.com. It’s the first step in this process. It’s amazing, powerful training that we have on tap for you. Or you can just cruise over to sweet life co.com and you can apply to work with us and we’ll give you all the contracts.
[00:28:37] We’ll give you all the templates, we’ll give you all this and get you on your way to start licensing your amazing program out there and, and frankly, probably finally, Finally recuperating some of the ROI value that it took you to develop it. So it’s awesome. We’re excited, we’re excited to introduce this to you.
[00:28:56] I’ve done this personally myself. Oh gosh, it’s been 14 years I’ve [00:29:00] licensed my courses and I can’t wait to talk to you more about doing it as well. Um, subscribe to this show. Please share this show, hang out with me. Uh, we on our new YouTube channel. Comment on YouTube if you’re watching video behind the scenes and hanging out here with me at the beach.
[00:29:13] And again, all of the show notes are sweetlifeco.com. You can cruise over to the podcast. This is episode number 285, and of course, don’t forget to go grab licensing launchpad.com. You’ll be so super glad you did. I’m glad you’re here, and I’ll talk to you guys next week. Bye for now.
Growth vs Scale: What’s The Difference and Why Is It Important with April Beach (Episode 284)
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Full Show Transcript:
284
[00:00:45] Hi you guys. Welcome to episode number 284. Wow. We are coming up on episode number 300, and I appreciate. Being a listener of this show, some of you guys listening, been listening to this show for like six years, so thank you so much for your support. I’m [00:01:00] April Beach. If we do not know each other yet, I’m an online business architect and I’m an offer engineer, and I help coaches, experts, consultants, SMEs, and speakers scale their program past a million dollars for deep impact and lifestyle freedom.
[00:01:17] So if that’s what you’re looking for, Everything we do over at the Sweet Life Company and they are, good themes for the shows that you’re gonna get here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. Between me and our amazing guests that we bring here for you, we’ve worked very hard for six years to only bring you the top notch vetted guests in the industry. And, you should just go binge all the shows we have for you over at sweetlifepodcast.com.
[00:01:43] But today is more of a fireside business coaching chat between. And you. And today we are diving into the difference between growing and scaling. And here’s a little backstory in why I thought this was important. So I speak on a lot of summits on a lot of [00:02:00] stages, and I often am asked to speak at events where there’s some use of the word scale or scaling in that event.
[00:02:09] And if you haven’t noticed yet, scaling is a. Buzzword, it’s almost like the way that we used authenticity. You know how like authenticity got overused. Um, that’s kind of how I’m seeing the word scaling. And what I find is that most people actually don’t understand the difference between growing and scaling, and it’s important.
[00:02:31] For you to understand the difference because there are different activities and there’s a different objective in your business in what’s happening if you are in a growth phase, and if you are in a scale phase. So I realize that this was probably a very important show to do. I’ve actually spoken on this topic before and that’s why I’m bringing you this episode today.
[00:02:50] So, at the end of this show, you will know the difference between growing and scaling. You’ll be able to identify activities that you’re working [00:03:00] on in your business, and you’re gonna be able to identify, Hey, listen, are we in a growth phase right now, or are we in a scale phase? And the fact of the matter is, uh, most companies dance between the two.
[00:03:11] And, based on, of course, the objectives and we’re gonna dive into that, you’re also gonna be able to look at your budget. This is really important based on whether or not you are in growing or scaling, it’s going to affect your money. And so that is a very important thing that we are diving into today, and you’re gonna be able to identify what current projects you’re working on in your business.
[00:03:33] Maybe you’re doing some scaling and some growth, maybe we kind of need to help you to fine tune your activity and your focus a little bit so you can actually be more efficient. In whichever phase you’re in, growth or scaling. So, you know, overall in the coaching industry, the term scale is really often misunderstood.
[00:03:51] And so I wanna share the true definition between growing and scaling here for you so that you can make smart choices for your business. [00:04:00] This is, this particular episode is for those of you guys who are established business owners, so this really applies to those of you that are making consist. Over 10K a month, then we can have a conversation about scaling.
[00:04:15] Oftentimes people wanna have a conversation about scaling or about, you know, how to scale and how to expand your reach before 10K. But usually in order to get to 10 K, there are some growing operational systems we have to really fine tune and get into place. So I just wanna be honest about who is going to definitely benefit from this.
[00:04:34] It’s really for those of you guys who have been in business for a while, your established coaches, and that you have reached a, you know, a consistent 10 K months. If you aren’t there, please still know that you’re welcome to listen, but I just wanna make sure that I’m being very honest about who’s best gonna benefit FI from this episode.
[00:04:52] So, if you’re ready to dive into this, all of the show notes and everything we can share here with you is going to be [00:05:00] found@sweetlifepodcast.com, episode number 2 84. All right. With that being said, this episode is brought to you by Licensed To Scale. Licensed to scale is our workshop for experts, coaches, and consultants that want to take your course and license it to other companies.
[00:05:19] It is a powerful, amazing one day event where we take you through and teach you how to package up your course and how to actually present your program to license it to organizations, other companies, even other entrepreneurs. So if you were interested in. Cruise over to sweet life co.com. In this show, we do little sponsorships here, even though we really don’t have advertisers just to highlight some of the current things we’re working on with our clients right now.
[00:05:44] So if that’s where you are, please visit licensed and then the number two scale.com or just visit the show notes or our company page and we’ll make sure you can find the resources and how to join. All right, so let’s go ahead and dive into our [00:06:00] objective of what we’re talking about today and start out with the nitty gritty.
[00:06:03] What is the difference between growing and scaling? So growing is when we are actually making things in your business bigger. We are increasing. A very simple DES definition of growing is we are usually increasing costs. We’re usually spending more money to, to increase the size. Something Now that could be spending more money on advertising to reach more clients, it could be spending more money on team members.
[00:06:30] So we may be hiring people to join your team. So in the growing phase, and I’m gonna give you examples, I’m gonna break down. So I’m gonna make a really simple for you. I’m gonna give you seven examples of what a business is doing when it’s growing, and seven examples of what a business is doing when it’s scaling.
[00:06:45] But just to start out really higher level here for you. Growing is when we are spending more money to increase versus scaling is when we’re not spending more, we are not spending more money and we’re, we’re technically not [00:07:00] spending more time, but we’re increasing the number of people you reach and therefore also increasing your revenue.
[00:07:08] So growing is spending more to make more or reach more, versus scaling is not spending more, not spending more money or time, but yet we want to reach. So that is a basic separation of differences there. And as I dive in, you’re gonna realize that, okay, I might be doing some growth, some scaling activities in my business and, and that’s really common.
[00:07:32] But if you’re going to attend an event that has to do with scaling, then you should know that. These activities really should be correctly falling in that event versus a a difference between a business growth event. So let’s go ahead and dive in. What are seven examples of what a growing business could be doing?
[00:07:52] Number one is marketing and advertising. When you’re in the growth space, you’re usually spending money on marketing. You’re usually spending money on [00:08:00] advertising, so you’re usually putting more money out to have a greater input. So you’re putting something out for a greater. Number two is networking.
[00:08:10] This is your time. When you’re in a growing phase of your business, you’re shaking hands, kissing babies, attending the events, attending the conferences, meeting people, hanging out with people. That’s your time. You wanna grow your business. You wanna expand the awareness of your brand, and you want people to know who you are and what you do and why you’re awesome and all those things.
[00:08:28] So networking is a great example of something you may be doing when you’re in the growing phase. Another example is expanding your offer. So we’re gonna talk about scaling offers here in the scaling phase, but this just means when you’re in the growing phase, you’re adding more offers, you’re adding more programs.
[00:08:47] You’re adding more, um, types of ways and services that you can work with people. That’s something that you would do in a growing phase. Also, in a growing phase, it would be taking the time to build strategic [00:09:00] partnerships, so alliances and affiliates. That would be something that you would take time to do during a growing phase of your business.
[00:09:08] Again, it’s taking your time. Your time. You know, I’ll always say this, I think it’s actually more valuable than money and your time matters. So in a growing phase, if you’re building strategic partnerships, that’s Ty. A type of work activity that you would be in when you’re in a growing phase. Also in a growing phase.
[00:09:27] So five of the seven I’m gonna share with you is improving your online presence. So let’s say you wanna work on updating your website or changing from one platform to the next. That would be an activity that you would be doing and you would have a team focused in on, or you’d hire out yet again, spending money to do something that needs to be done in the growing phase.
[00:09:48] So increasing your online present. Rebranding could also fall in under that. And that wasn’t even one of the examples I had here, but when you haven’t been in, when you have been in business for a [00:10:00] while, you wanna go through a brand refreshening. And so rebranding is something really, um, that is, is reminiscent of what we may be doing in a growing phase.
[00:10:08] Number six is building your email list. All right, so we’re growing, right? So you’re gonna spend time, maybe you’re gonna spend advertising dollars. We’re physically growing the number of people in your network in that, in that email list, that’s an example of working on your email list is something that we would do in a growing phase.
[00:10:27] And another in the last, the seventh example of what you would do in a growing phase is spending money on personal development or professional training for. So if you are investing in mentorship, if you are investing in coaching or consulting, if you are, uh, attending events, if you are buying tickets to something that’s gonna fill you up as a leader.
[00:10:51] If you are investing in professional personal development, then that falls into the growing phase. So hopefully you can see the common thread there is [00:11:00] in a growing phase, you are spending money or you’re spending time in order to increase. So again, growing is where we’re spending more money, spending more resources in order to gain more.
[00:11:13] All right, so take a second with that list. Let me give it to you again and kind of identify maybe some of the activities you’re working on right now. So, marketing and advertising, networking, adding more offers, strategic partnerships, improving your online presence, um, building your email list or generating more leads, uh, in, in investing in your.
[00:11:36] Okay, are you with me? All right, now let’s switch over to scaling. Scaling is where we are not spending more time, spending more money. Some of the little activities we’ll do to get scaling in place, that’s gonna take a little bit of time, right? But the purpose is it’s not something that’s ongoing. So scaling is where we’re not spending more money.
[00:11:57] We’re not spending more time, but we are [00:12:00] increasing the number of people you reach and increasing the money that we bring into your business. So examples of scaling are number one, streamlining your processes, taking a good hard look at your oper operational processes and finding out where you can be more efficient, where you can.
[00:12:16] Um, create more, um, seamless flow maybe amongst your team, maybe amongst your clients to your team. So that’s a really big activity we do in scaling, scaling companies. We’re always looking at operational processes. How can we streamline our processes? How can you streamline your systems? That’s what we need to be working on with the scaling company.
[00:12:36] Number two is automation, especially with ai, with all the amazing software that we have out there available to us. You know, what are you doing that we can actually put on automation now that actually aligns with your company? Maybe you haven’t done that in the past. So if you are looking to scale, it’s where we’re gonna decrease the amount of manpower for a certain activity that could have [00:13:00] been done, maybe longhand before.
[00:13:02] And we’re gonna look at how we can automate that, how we can actually scale your people. It’s a big, big, big theme. We’re talking about scaling people. I was actually, uh, was able to attend Abundance 360 with Peter Dia. A couple weeks ago, all on AI and everything that everybody’s talking about is scaling people, but it, what I really wanna hone in on this, for us, I mean, we are not just small businesses.
[00:13:28] Most of my clients here, and most of you guys were considered micro businesses. We have teams of less than 20 people, you know, 20. Big size team for, you know, a any of the listeners here on this show. So scaling is really important for us because, you know, we wanna look at these places where we can increase the output for each one of the people that are on our team.
[00:13:50] And so number two is what can we automate? Number three are adding more platforms. Okay? So, That means let, let’s take this example. This podcast is an [00:14:00] example. This podcast, we have it on audio now. We’ve expanded our platform and now you can see me sitting here chatting with you and using all my hands cuz I’m a hand talker on YouTube and all the places where we’re putting out the video.
[00:14:12] So it’s actually adding more platforms to reach more people. But I’m still only recording this podcast one time. So content repurposing really fits into adding more platforms. You could even consider how you can add more platforms to your offers. The fourth activity, and this is our area of expertise at the Sweet Life Company, that is in creating scalable programs.
[00:14:35] So that would be from taking a business from one-on-one to group coaching that would also be taking a course. To in turning it into a licensed program to companies or organizations. So there’s a bunch of different ways that you can actually scale your offer. You can go from one-on-one or even group coaching, and now you may expand it in a different way and create a hybrid program.
[00:14:59] Or [00:15:00] you can go and we can take your training and your method and we can license it to other companies, so you’re not even the one selling it anymore. So a great example. What we love and geek out on talking about is how to scale your offers. So that’s a fourth example of some activity that you would be working on if you’re in scaling.
[00:15:17] The fifth one is training and developing other coaches to work under you. So this isn’t hiring more coaches, this is training more people on your existing team. Or even elevating some of your clients to be able to provide some of the expertise that you maybe have been the one to do. That is a big part of what we wanna do in scaling, is utilize the people and the resources we already have.
[00:15:40] Level them up, equip them more, and help them just say, help them to help you just disseminate the information and really serve your. So that’s another example of what we could be working on within scaling. Again, we’re now spending more money, we aren’t increasing time. We’re using the assets we have and the resources we [00:16:00] have to expand your reach.
[00:16:01] Number six is leveraging tech. Again, we talked a little bit about ai, but don’t sleep on this guys. Um, the latest stats we have is by 2028. AI is gonna be equal to human understanding. By 2030, it is going to be considered superhuman. Granted, there’s a bunch of conversations around that and a potential even moratorium on that with the recording of this show.
[00:16:25] But regardless, it is going to be moving forward and so you should be taking a second and understanding. How can we even leverage technology in your business to even streamline your processes and your systems to help you not have to hire other people and just help you to actually run more efficiently and scale.
[00:16:44] And then the seventh one is actually systemizing your methodology and your process that gets people results. So when is the last time. You looked at the process of your expertise, your co, [00:17:00] your consulting, your coaching, your training, your program. When is the last time you actually looked at that and you thought, Hey, how can I even systematize how I’m getting my clients’ results?
[00:17:10] How can I even get my clients’ greater results in less time? And let’s go down memory lane here for a second. For those people who’ve been in the coaching industry like I have forever versus maybe some of you guys don’t know this, that have only been in the coaching industry the last five to seven years.
[00:17:27] So in the beginning of when we first started creating online courses and back in 2011 and 12, and they’re getting so popular, we’d build these huge courses, you guys, and they would go 12 weeks and there were these grand things and. People and all these assets and all these things, right? Well, what has happened to those big programs?
[00:17:49] People are really not digging, spending forever in a day absorbing all of the content in the world. No. Now people want that high value and shorter time. [00:18:00] So what can you do with your way of coaching, your way of how you’re delivering your expertise, your method, your process to actually streamline that and systematize it more?
[00:18:09] That would also fall under scale. So let’s kind of review some of the examples I’ve given here for scaling. You’re in a scaling phase if you are streamlining your processes, adding automation, adding more platforms or repurposing content, creating scalable programs or taking your existing programs to make them more scalable.
[00:18:28] Again, one-to-one, to one to group or group to even a mastermind hybrid type of a field, or courses to licensing or courses to a certification program. All ways of scaling your programs. Also, if you’re in scaling, you’re developing other coaches underneath you and you’re duplicating yourself. You are leveraging technology and you’re systematizing your intellectual property.
[00:18:53] So let’s kind of talk about this summary. So in growing, like we’ve talked about, right? [00:19:00] In growing. If we’re advertising and spending your time to go to networking and building strategic partnerships and redoing your website and all these other things, these things cost time and money. If you’re scaling, we are doing things that are.
[00:19:15] Streamlining the process you already have to increase. So again, growing is where we’re spending more time or money to increase. Scaling is where we’re not spending more time or money, except for the initial setup of what we need to do to scale the initial scale work. And we are still increasing. So I think this is important for us to talk about, just kind of wrapping this up here for you, I think it’s really important for us to talk about, because your company is gonna dance between a time of when you’re in a growth phase and when you’re in a scale phase.
[00:19:46] But I think the word scale is totally incorrectly used, and I, and I know that most consultants and coaches are, are wanting to really hone in and you want to be effective in your time. But when that [00:20:00] word is being so frankly, Used incorrectly. And most people don’t understand the difference between growth and scaling.
[00:20:06] It can be confusing to where you should be focusing your time and attention and money. So the whole purpose of this show is because I wanted to help you identify, first of all, no, I love leveling up IQ of entrepreneurs, right? So obviously that’s what I wanted to do here. But now to take it a step further and help you to identify, are we really in a growth phase in our business?
[00:20:27] Are we in a scaling phase? Because in a scaling phase, we’re gonna be actually be able to save you. In a growing phase, you can expect to be spending a lot more time and money. Where are you in your business right now? What is more important right now for your company? Do you have money to invest in maybe some of the growth projects that you wanted to do or do we need to actually stop and look at all the things you’ve already done in really determine how much better we can scale those processes?
[00:20:55] How much better we can duplicate your people, how we can actually expand your reach? [00:21:00] Spending more money, and that’s what we are here to help you with. As a matter of fact, in the Sweet Life Company here, we have a program called Wavemaker, and there is an entire group in that program that is called Scale.
[00:21:12] All we do is we help experts, coaches, and consultants scale. So if that’s where you are and you want us to dive in with you, I would love to work with you and roll up my sleeves. You can visit sweet life co.com and find out more about how you can apply for Wavemaker to be in. Otherwise, go and be blessed.
[00:21:34] Take this information. Know that there is a difference between growing and scaling. Tell your friends if you weren’t aware of that, and think about where you are in this and actually what you need as a company if you have money to invest. Which of the growth projects is the most important for you to lean in and invest in if you do not have money to invest right now?
[00:21:53] And we really wanna make great use of the hard work and the ip, you’ve already. Then let’s [00:22:00] go ahead and figure out how we can scale your systems and expand your reach. All right. I hope that helps you guys. This was episode number 284 here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast. All of the show notes can be found by visiting 284.
[00:22:17] If you cruise over to our website at Sweet Life Co, you can find all the resources that I shared with you and just really appreciate you guys sharing this show with your friends, hanging out here with me and listening. And if you haven’t subscribed yet to YouTube, come hang out with me on YouTube. You can see all my notes.
[00:22:33] I have like all these crazy notes behind the scenes and, and how I record these shows and how I make sure we’re doing our due diligence and even research and all of our show notes so that we’re always delivering you proven a trusted business strategies that other coaches have a tendency to charge you thousands for. That’s what we’re known here for. So thanks for listening. Love you guys and I will talk to you next week. Bye for now.[00:23:00]
6 Must-Have Components of a Strong Coaching Offer with April Beach (Episode 283)
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283
00:00:46] Hi you guys. Welcome back to another episode here. This is episode number 283, and I’m April Beach, the host here at the Sweet Life Entrepreneur in Business Podcast. Founder and CEO of the Sweet Life Company, and I’m so [00:01:00] glad that you have joined us for this episode. We talk a lot about offer engineering here on this podcast because of a couple of different reasons.
[00:01:08] First of all, your offer is the most important part of your business. All of the most amazing marketing and branding in the world can’t save a business whose actual product. Is lacking. And so your offer is engineered out of your genius, and we want your offer to scale and reach millions of people and millions of dollars.
[00:01:28] And so you’ll find here on the show that that’s a lot about what we talk about. So if that’s what you’re looking for, then this podcast is a good place for you to be. In addition to all the other amazing outside ex experts we bring in for you, we have just wrapped up a whole series with a bunch of incredible experts, everything from AI to marketing, and now we’re diving into a conversation, just a little intimate fireside chat between just me and you.
[00:01:54] If you aren’t watching us now, this is on YouTube as well, so you can listen to us on all of your favorite [00:02:00] podcast listening apps or cruise over to YouTube and we can hang out together and you can see me here and going over all my show notes I have for you. I’m really excited to dive in with you today.
[00:02:10] This show is brought to you by Offer Engineer. The Offer Engineer is a masterclass workshop that we host here at the Sweet Life Company that helps those of you who are established subject matter experts, coaches and consultants, speakers and authors to level up your offers and get them to the next level. It’s a very powerful workshop. You can find information on that by visiting the Offerengineer.com.
[00:02:34] Okay, so let’s go ahead and dive into what we are talking about today. Today we’re actually unpacking a framework that we teach here at the Sweet Life Company. This is proprietary to us, but I wanted to share it here with you on the show. I share a lot of our frameworks here publicly on the podcast, and we’re talking about the six components of building a strong, scalable program. Now this could be a coaching program, a consulting program. It could be [00:03:00] a technical program where you’re teaching or guiding somebody else through this. What’s beautiful about what we’re gonna talk about today is it actually applies to any type of business model that you were building.
[00:03:10] And what I have found over the years, I’ve been consulting experts to extract their genius and engineer their leading programs for 27 years. You guys, I know, it seems like a really, really long time, 17 years. Specifically with online business experts, and what I’ve found in helping to build the frameworks behind so many programs is there are six components that every single program needs to have, and that’s what we’re talking about here on the show today.
[00:03:36] I’m gonna give you all six and I’m gonna help you go through the process of actually unpacking these and considering these for one or, or possibly even many of your programs in offer. So we’re diving into how strong is. Coaching program or your consulting program or offer, and we’re gonna dive into all six of these components.
[00:03:57] At the end of this show, you are gonna know what [00:04:00] all six of these components are, and so you’re very mindful about this and how to apply it to your business. You’re also gonna have a very quick view of how well you are doing and fulfilling each one of these components in any of your offers. So this is gonna give you a very fast snapshot.
[00:04:15] So you can take it away and run with it of what part of your offer you may need to level up or upgrade and you’re gonna know how to optimize your program fast. This offer engineering, you can use it to either build a program from scratch, but I find this audit is truly best. For those of you who’ve been doing what you’ve been doing for a while, we wanna take another second glance at it and make sure that it’s optimized and.
[00:04:40] All of the show notes, everything that we’re talking about can be found by visiting Sweetlifepodcast.com/ 283. This is episode number 283, and I have a tool for you today. So grab this tool, everything we’re talking about, I have a complete. Offer Audit worksheet for you to go along with [00:05:00] this episode, we’ll make sure that the link to that offer audit worksheet, you can download it just by going over to the show notes again at sweetlifepodcast.com/283 and it’s our offer audit worksheet and everything we’re talking about, I actually go into more detail for you and help you actually audit your own offers based on these components.
[00:05:19] So if that is what you’re ready for, if that sounds like what you signed up for. Then let’s go ahead and dive in. So let’s talk about this first. How strong is your coaching offer? How strong actually is your product? You know, one of the things that you guys might not know is that I own multiple companies and my husband owns multiple, multiple companies.
[00:05:41] And in the company is that he collectively, there are five businesses between the two of us right now, and some of the companies that he owns are physical product C. And the difference is in a physical product company, the very first thing we build is the actual product, right? If you don’t have a product, you don’t have a business.
[00:05:58] But what’s different [00:06:00] about online business, because there are so many shiny marketing funnels and all these things you can do and reels, and you guys know exactly what I’m talking about, right? The difference is that you actually do see businesses. Build on online business that might have a terrible product.
[00:06:18] It doesn’t hinge on the product. Whereas physical product businesses or software businesses, everything hinges on how well we’ve engineered the actual product. Online business coaching and consulting comes out of your expertise. So if your expertise is not engineered correctly, if your program isn’t structured correctly to give people guaranteed results, you can still come across businesses who failed at that.
[00:06:41] Business may look amazing. They may have bought followers or whatever that is, and their product actually sucks. And so we’re on a mission here to make sure every True Experts program is engineered correctly. So why is this important to do so doing a program audit isn’t being. Is important because we need to [00:07:00] identify areas of improvement, right?
[00:07:01] We wanna con, continually optimize your program. We wanna continually make sure that you are always ahead of the game, ahead of your competition. Another reason is to make sure that your clients are really satisfied, and I always love to go be above and beyond that. We wanna say that we want your clients transformed.
[00:07:17] Nobody needs more content. They just need a transformation and they are hiring us to deliver that transformation. And then the third reason why we wanna make sure that we’re doing an audit is to make sure that you also are still happy with the program that you’re delivering. Your happiness as a leader can’t be underestimated.
[00:07:36] I wanna make sure that you love what you’re doing. And sometimes when we stop and we look at what we’ve been doing, maybe for so long, we realize, hey, you know, that isn’t the way I wanna live my life or flow through my cadence of my work. And so it’s important that you give yourself an opportunity to stop and do an offer audit for all of those reasons.
[00:07:53] It’s not just about money. It’s not just about clients being satisfied, but it’s also about you being happy. I’m a [00:08:00] really big advocate for that, as you probably know. As you’ve probably been listening to this show for years, and so what happens if we don’t do this? Okay? What happens if we don’t stop and do an offer audit?
[00:08:11] You are gonna find some stagnant stagnation in why I can’t even say that. Stagnation. In your program, you are gonna find that, you know, it’s just kind of getting dull or boring, or maybe you’re getting bored with it. That’s what’s gonna happen if we don’t stop and do that. Also, if we don’t stop and audit the systems and operations of your offer every once in a.
[00:08:31] It could become very inefficient. So some of the things that you built in the beginning of delivering your program and your offer probably worked great then. But now are there different tools? Tools and software and technology that we can actually upgrade that particular offer, offer to, to actually save you time and money?
[00:08:48] And then last but not least, is if you don’t take a pause to audit your offer, and we’re gonna talk about the six components of offers and how to do that here in a sec, then what’s gonna happen [00:09:00] is your competition is gonna surge above you because especially the competition that you need to really pay attention to the true business builders, they stop and they.
[00:09:11] And so I wanna make sure that everybody is stopping and doing this and that. My responsibility here, you know, on the show is I always wanna just pour into you and keep you the tip of the sword in your niche. And so that’s why we’re talking about this today. Okay? So let’s go ahead and dive into what are actually the six pillars of a strong scalable coaching program.
[00:09:32] So these are not in any particular order, and again, as I said, it doesn’t actually matter what type of program you. These pillars can apply to a mastermind. They can apply to a v i P day. They can apply to, um, an r r, they can apply to a course or a membership. They can apply to your content licensed program or your certification program.
[00:09:56] It doesn’t matter what type of program you’re building. That’s really important [00:10:00] to understand and because when. We look at true program success, it needs to have all these six components. Okay? So that’s rule number one. However, the reason why as I go through these, they aren’t in any particular order, is because your program is beautifully different than mine.
[00:10:17] Everybody’s program is, and frankly should be engineered uniquely and differently. And so what may be a really important component or a c pillar of my program just might not actually be so important to you. So that’s why there is no hierarchy in each one of these pillars except for here is rule number one.
[00:10:35] The very first pillar I’m gonna share with you is the most important and without, and then they can come in any order you want. Without this first pillar built strongly in your program, you have no program. So let’s go ahead and dive into that first. The very first component or pillar of a strong, scalable coaching program is your intellectual property.
[00:10:57] It’s your assets. It’s your [00:11:00] genius. It’s the most important part of everything that you’re building around there. It’s your method, it’s your framework, your method or your process of getting people results, your framework of getting people results. It’s your genius curriculum. And when that is curated correctly, when it’s extracted out of your brain and built into a framework.
[00:11:22] Our framework we teach is called transformational program design. It works with any program out there, and it’s guaranteed to organize your thoughts and expertise into a transformational program, but for you, Not, but by the way, you can tap into that. You know where to find us if you wanna tap into that.
[00:11:40] For right now. For the purpose of this podcast, I want you to know the pillar number one is your IP and assets. And so I want you to take a pause for a second here as I’m speaking through this, and ask yourself, this is where the auditing comes in. And again, grab our worksheet to do a full audit. Super fun, but just ask yourself and pause for a [00:12:00] second.
[00:12:00] How well do you think that you’ve done extracting and engineering your own genius? How clear are your own thoughts about the expertise you’re teaching? The flow in which you’re teaching is your transformation guaranteed not only in the whole program, but in each one of the benchmarks? And so give yourself a little grade there.
[00:12:17] Say, Hey, listen, I, you can do like a red, green, or yellow sometimes. We, we do that grading system when we’re doing this in a live. We host this fun event called Offer Audit Live. You guys should definitely join in on that sometime. It’s totally free to join in on, but we, I ask people, Hey, listen, you know, give yourself like a, a signal.
[00:12:36] Give yourself a red, greener yellow on how well you have done engineering your IP and your assets. And so give yourself a red, greener a yellow on that right now. And it, and uh, or if you haven’t even started, if you’re listening to this and you’re considering building a new offer, then that’s where you wanna start.
[00:12:51] Pillar number two is your model. Okay, so let’s talk about what a business model is. People get confused all the time. A business model is how you work with your [00:13:00] clients and how you actually deliver your services. So this is the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your. All right. So is it a course? Is it a hybrid program? Is it a mastermind? Is it an MRR, which is a monthly reoccurring revenue program, but it’s different than a membership. Is it a content or a course for packaging up for licensing? How well is this model crafted and how well is it working for both you and your clients? That is the second component. I want you to give yourself a second here and give yourself a, just a brief pause and say, Hey, you know, what is that a red?
[00:13:38] Like, do I really need to take a look at this? Is it a yellow, ah, it’s okay. Or is it a green? Hey, we’ve nailed this Pillar. Component number three are your client systems. So client systems are, these are the, these are the things you guys. Your clients rave about, these are the things they actually tell their friends about.
[00:13:58] It’s how they [00:14:00] felt when they were part of your ecosystem, when they were part of your program. It’s the things that you did to keep them moving forward. It might be a gift in the mail or a handwritten card or you know, sending them something they didn’t expect. What about, you know, what, as far as client experience systems have you done to engineer into this?
[00:14:18] And that is component number three of a strong program. You need to have client exer experience systems built into your program. I, in relation to whatever it is your program does, right. Um, as it applies to what you do, how well have you done with that? Or is that an area you wanna improve on?
[00:14:36] Component number four are your operational systems. These are all the things behind the scenes, right? How does your program run like clockwork? This is scheduling. These are the systems to actually make sure that your team is tracking everybody and where they are. This is everything that actually makes the program become effective.
[00:14:57] How well have you done [00:15:00] engineering your operat? Systems, how well is your team if you’re working with a team, executing things that need to be done within your offer? Red, green or yellow there. Just kind of give yourself a a little rating. The fifth pillar is money. The fifth pillar is are you reaching your financial benchmarks?
[00:15:17] Are you hitting your profit benchmarks for this program? That’s one area that fits under the component of money, but there’s so much more than that. In addition to just understanding and judging about how well you’ve done there, I want you to think. What about, how’s your pricing? How is your pricing actually structured?
[00:15:36] Are you taking into consideration a guaranteed ROI for the investment? How well have you priced your program? There’s so much out there. You hear me talking about it all the time and, and you know, it might seem like I’m bashing it, but. I’m a, I’m a realist and I’m a business strategist and I’ve been an entrepreneur for a long time.
[00:15:53] So when I see programs out there that are saying, oh, just charge more, charge more, charge more, and just add on all these things [00:16:00] that might be frivolous, that’s not how we build high ticket. That’s unethical. How we build high ticket is building ROI in assets into the program that do equal the value. I mean, I have some pretty dang high ticket programs, right?
[00:16:15] But they weren’t pulled outta blue sky, like little unicorns off of clouds to just come up with a number I wanted to come up with. So how well have you done pulling your assets together and actually evaluating the value of your program?
[00:16:29] And then pillar number six are your sales. Okay, so this is a little bit different than money. This is your actual sales, uh, pipeline and how people come into the journey with you. How well have you done engineering the journey into working with you or using sales calls? Are using webinars? Are you using sell by chat? Are you using referrals or affiliates? Are you, uh, are you out there networking right in, in shaking hands and kissing babies.
[00:16:53] All of your clients come to you through networking and referrals. I will say I love networking and referrals. Uh, [00:17:00] it’s one of the primary ways that we actually here at the Sweet Life Company receive our clients as well too. I was just hosting an office hours for our clients and Wavemaker and. Had three different clients come in there last week and say, oh my gosh, I can’t believe the number of referrals from partners that have come.
[00:17:18] You know, clients of referrals from partners that have come our way. And they were so ecstatic. But the reason for that is because they had engineered this sales process really, really well. So it made it easy for people to refer clients to them. So how well have you done that in your business? How well in, in this particular, How well is that sales journey pipeline engineered into your offer and how well have you done laying out the prerequisites of the benchmarks of worship people are in order to, um, make sure that they’re in the right place to work with you?
[00:17:52] So in summary, Let me go back and recap the six pillars of a strong, scalable, pro encroaching program. First one is your IP. You’re [00:18:00] genius. We have nothing without it. And then the other ones you can dance through them with, uh, strength according to your program. Number two is your model. How well is the model engineered?
[00:18:10] Do you need to upgrade your model? Maybe it’s been a course forever and you wanna move into licensing your course to other companies. And so if you’re thinking about moving your program from a chorus to licensing, go over to sweet life co.com and we have a million resources for you in that. The third component are your client systems.
[00:18:28] The fourth component are your operational systems. The fifth is money, and the sixth is your sales pipeline. And so as an expert, I wanted to record this show for you. It’s something we do internally with our clients. I’ve been hosting these offer audit lives, which are so much fun. We have given, uh, you this entire.
[00:18:47] Coaching offer components Worksheet for you. Again, cruise over to the show notes. This is episode number 283 and you can download the Offer Audit worksheet, but you’re an expert. You’re here because you understand that the [00:19:00] success of your business hinges on your ability to deliver and implement a program that has incredible results.
[00:19:06] And so, because you’ve identified that that’s why you’re here, and that is what I’m here to help you with as an offer engineer and a helper of experts like you. Um, that’s why I wanted to record this show for you guys. So now each of these categories, again, is gonna be measured differently based on where you are in what you’re building in your business.
[00:19:28] Every single component has to be represented in every single offer. It doesn’t matter if, if it’s a free offer and that dollar amount is zero. Every single one of these components is represented in every single offer. So that is how we conduct an offer audit, and those are the six components of a strong, scalable coaching program, consulting, training program, expert program, whatever area of expertise you fall into.
[00:19:56] So again, all of the show notes are found at [00:20:00] Sweetlifepodcast.Com and the download for this particular worksheet. This is episode number 283, and you can go ahead and grab the bonuses and all the show notes from there. All right, you guys, if you love this episode, we would love for you to up arrow and share it.
[00:20:14] It would mean a lot to us. I refuse advertisers and I have for six years on this show because I just wanna make sure you’re getting a hundred percent value. And so we. Appreciate you sharing this show. Thanks so much. I’ll talk to you guys on that next episode.
Harnessing Realistic Testimonials to Boost Your Business – with April Beach and Sarah Allred (Episode 282)
Summary:
At the end of this episode, you will:
To learn more about Sarah Allred https://victressglobal.com/
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Full Show Transcript:
282
[00:00:43] April: Hi guys, and you. Welcome back to another episode here on SweetLife Entrepreneur Business Podcast and today this is a really special treat because we are diving in and talking about completely disrupting marketing in a way that you might not have thought about [00:01:00] before.
[00:01:00] April: So you know about the importance of getting case studies for your business and testimonies, but today’s. Literally unpacks everything you’ve ever known about receiving case studies, receiving testimonies, and using them in a marketing capacity that is gonna make a massive difference in your business immediately.
[00:01:20] April: So here is what you can expect from this episode. First of all, it’s episode number 282. So if you’ve been a listener for years, you know that means you can cruise over to Sweet Life podcast.com. Forward slash 2 82 and dive into all the show notes, all of the resources and everything else we have to share with you here that are bonuses to this show.
[00:01:40] April: And you can also tap into the transcription there if you’d prefer. With that being said, let’s talk about what you can expect. From this episode, we are gonna dive into how to actually use case studies to find the perfect audience, the perfect buyers that are going to absolutely rave [00:02:00] about you forever and come back asking for more, come back, wanting to work with you more.
[00:02:05] April: What’s so interesting is that these are not the case studies that you would expect, and frankly, they’re probably not the case studies that you see on most businesses, sales pages and websites. And so we’re rethinking the whole entire thing. We’re breaking it apart. We are repacking it, and at the end of this episode, you will understand.
[00:02:28] April: Case studies in your business, and it’s in a way that is really gonna benefit you and your clients, you’re gonna know why. Understanding the core results that you deliver in your business is probably one of the most important things that you can do in the formation of these case studies. And you’re gonna know how to curate case studies in a way that are attracting clients.
[00:02:50] April: Always going to win with your service. I’m super excited to dive in with our special guest today and a dear friend, Sarah Allred. [00:03:00] Let me tell you a little bit about Sarah. So she is a marketing guru, but particularly Sarah works with organizations to help them market to women, which particularly that is, I’m gonna get you the number. 72% of buyers in every household of decision makers are the women. And so Sarah’s experience is using strategies that directly go to women that directly speak to the decision makers in the household. And she has been disrupting marketing with her frameworks and how she teaches businesses to do that.
[00:03:34] April: Her brand Victress Marketing addresses these issues and helps companies increase their sales. By how they communicate directly to women. With a top 30 business podcast on Apple’s iTunes, her greatest accomplishment is building her empire while maintaining a strict 12 hour work week that celebrates Fridays off to go swimming with her kids, and you can already know.
[00:03:59] April: That’s why Sarah [00:04:00] and I connect so well. She’s highly sought after as a strategy coach with clients all over the world. In using Sarah’s unique Victress marketing system, clients are able to escape salesy marketing, which you’re really going to hear how to do this on this episode and spend less time on the computer.
[00:04:18] April: Growing their business in a way that lets them fully thrive with the perfect clients that are the right fit for them. So with that being said, let’s go ahead and dive into today’s episode. I’m super excited for you to join and actually tap into this framework and it was awesome. And then after the episode, of course you know where to find all the show notes again by going to sweet life podcast.com/ 282. And we are super glad that you’re.
[00:04:46] April: Hi you guys. I am super stoked to be here with my friend Sarah. And Sarah and I are newer friends in the last couple of years, but I had this amazing opportunity to sit down with her and have dinner in Florida and [00:05:00] just hear about her genius. In how she inserts her genius into businesses. And this genius is something that is really important for all of us to understand.
[00:05:09] April: It’s how to connect with the right buyers in a realistic way that actually creates these loyal fans, repeat buyers. It doesn’t make your business seem like. Pie in the sky, you’re very relatable. And so in preparation for what we are gonna talk about here and what Sarah’s gonna teach you guys, I have a million notes on a piece of paper here, um, to, to help guide this conversation.
[00:05:33] April: But, I just want you to know that this is very important for you all to be here from a marketing standpoint. This is going to be a very good use of your time. We’re gonna give you high value here. Sarah’s just going to walk you through some important practices and, um, and give you a transformation in your business just by hanging out here with us on the show.
[00:05:52] April: So Sarah, I am so glad that you’re here. Um, do you wanna give yourself just a little personal intro and then we can dive right into what you [00:06:00] do and, and why your zone of genius is what it.
[00:06:03] Sarah: Oh, I, I’m so honored to be here and I think back on, I have known you way longer than you have known me, and you were really the one that introduced me that there actually was an art to offer creation.
[00:06:15] Sarah: And I just thought, oh, you mean I don’t just slap a whole bunch of stuff together and like pray? Everybody buys it right. In my early years of business. And so you have really guided me to, um, a mindset. Actually serving your people, like heaven forbid people. Right. Thank you. Like you were kind of the one that Yeah.
[00:06:34] Sarah: That initially introduced me to like, like what would you do differently today if you just wanted to, to really highly provide value for your people? And you’ve continued to do that for years. So this is a dream of mine to be sitting across from you and I’m so grateful. So thank you. Thank you. I didn’t, I didn’t realize that.
[00:06:49] April: Thank you so much. Oh wow. That’s very sweet. Okay, so. You have this amazing ability to help business owners see things that they are not [00:07:00] seen in their own business in order to reach clients in a very realistic way. Tell everybody a little bit, you know, about your family, where you live. Give us a little like behind the scenes of what Sarah does every single week. Um, and then bring us kind of down to where we are here in this conversation..
[00:07:18] Sarah: Totally, totally. So I live in northern Utah. Uh, I love to ski. I’m a Harry Potter fan. I’m a Star Wars fan. Uh, my faith is super important to me. Those are some of my foundational things. I am married to the boy down the street, even though like I was a marching band nerd in high school and he was like an all-American soccer player.
[00:07:36] Sarah: We were on different planets through high school. We certainly reconnected after our schooling and married the boy that literally was down the street from me, which is a conversation for another day. Would we just. Sappy and beautiful. Um, I have four awesome kids ranging from age three to 13. I’ve got a golden doodle that will probably bark in the middle of this interview, so we will welcome his contributions.
[00:07:57] Sarah: Um, and I run a business [00:08:00] and when I originally started my business, um, my biggest, uh, focus had to be that my husband was in the middle of medical school, and so his world and commitments had to take prior. As far as time, and so I feel really grateful. Gosh, hindsight is so 2020 that I was able to build my business, um, to f my first six figures, my second to half a million dollars in 12 hours a week without a team.
[00:08:27] Sarah: That was the goal, and there is no secret sauce. Really to how that happened other than the fact that I had to work it within 12 hours a week. And so hindsight is so beautiful that I feel so grateful to have had that opportunity. Now I’ve got a team, and somehow along the way I was able to find that my gift is really being able to step into people’s businesses and teach them how to attract what I believe is the most powerful consumer on earth, which.
[00:08:58] Sarah: Women. Mm-hmm. So [00:09:00] I focus on one-on-one consultations, group coaching, as well as course material that helps business owners tap into and basically not repel the most powerful consumer, which is women. So that is my specialty. Wow.
[00:09:13] April: Wow. I, I love that you’re here. I, you know, first of all, this is not what this podcast episode particularly is about, but we do talk about this a lot in the show. The systems that you had to create in your business to do what you did in 12 hours a week are like, And you didn’t even realize it right then. Now I didn’t realize it. You’re like, look at what I did. I love that. I love that. And we just do what we have to do, uh, to, to make it work. But it also takes dedication and tenacity and a belief in your genius and what you do. And, and you had that. So, um, congratulations. Oh,
[00:09:45] Sarah: thank you. I mean, it’s an honor and anybody in the room who feels like I don’t have enough time, or I don’t have enough startup costs or whatever, that’s your ticket to the big leagues, like leverage that. That’s where the magical.
[00:09:57] April: Right. Right. You do because you’re doing the important work. [00:10:00] Um, I always, I always say to my team, I’m like, okay, I have a whole day to get work done, which means I’m not gonna get anything done.
[00:10:07] Sarah: Amen. I never have a whole day the Grands Plus ever. Right.
[00:10:11] April: Kids are older now. Right. But I, I remember that in those days. It was like after bedtime and, you know, all these crazy things. But now I have all this time and it, but it doesn’t mean I get more done guys. Um, so I digress. But I love your story and, and I think that that’s why we’re, we’re friends and we connect alot.
[00:10:27] April: So today we are talking about. The difference between sharing marketing content that helps people actually connect with your business versus repelling people because they think it’s ridiculous to pie in the sky.
[00:10:44] April: So at the end of today, our listeners are going to know how to, um, establish their marketing and their messaging in a way based on what you’re teaching that is going to create loyal. Buyers followers, [00:11:00] and so I’m really excited for you to dive into this. Teach us what part of marketing are marketing Are we talking about, um, what’s not working that we need to shine light on and be in? How people rethink, what do we need to rethink in this episode? Oh, I
[00:11:16] Sarah: wanna dive straight in. Okay. Okay, good. What? What we are really going to leverage today is not to help you with lead generation or a front end offer. We are here to leverage a specific part of your marketing and your messaging that will help you build loyalty with existing customers.
[00:11:36] Sarah: We are looking to leverage specifically, K drum roll please. Testimonial. And case studies in order to produce repeat customers second purchases through through third purchases, fourth purchases, fifth purchases. That is what we are aiming to target through the world of testimonials and case studies. That’s what we’re covering. Wow.
[00:11:58] April: Okay. So what’s wrong with [00:12:00] testimonies and case studies right now? Why is this such an issue? Um, and you and I talked about this behind the scenes and it immediately, I was like, of. Of course, but it isn’t something that we’ve, we’ve actually discussed before. So what’s wrong? Why is it working?
[00:12:14] Sarah: Right, so I think the temptation is, is we have combined the purpose of testimonials with what we’ve been taught in traditional marketing about like hooks and headlines and how to make people stop on social media. And what we’ve done is we’ve made testimonials and case studies.
[00:12:32] Sarah: Unrelatable, that’s what’s happened is all of a sudden if you’re, if you’re gonna look at Googling how to make money online from home, everything in the top 10 parts of Google are gonna say, how to make a hundred thousand dollars a month from home, and how this client made $10,000 in their first day, and how this person made a million dollars in an hour.
[00:12:50] Sarah: And what happens is, Is while that person, it will grab their attention and they will say, well, I would love to make an extra $100,000 per month. Is there anyone [00:13:00] listening that would not want that result? Like we would all be in line. Right? Right. And so while that kind of like case study, whatever you wanna call it, testimonial case study, we’ll use those interchangeably in this discussion.
[00:13:12] Sarah: Whether you use that, um, if you just choose to use that as a hook. The reason it doesn’t work is I’m gonna get real blunt with you. The chance of you regularly producing a hundred thousand dollars in revenue for your everyday client that buys your offer is. Right, and because of that, they will come in and buy the initial offer, and then down the road they’re gonna say, I’m stupid.
[00:13:40] Sarah: Her product didn’t work for me. His or her product didn’t work for me. I didn’t get the support that I needed. Nobody wants my product. They get into a world of doubt and they associate the feeling of doubt failure, and that they’re not good enough with your product or business, and they won’t buy again.
[00:13:58] April: Wow. Okay, [00:14:00] so let’s just pause for a minute. So what you are saying is by sharing the highest rarest result in case studies, that it causes people who then purchase based on that result, when in fact that is not a common result that most people achieve to feel like they have failed in your program or they aren’t good enough or your program doesn’t work for them.
[00:14:27] Sarah: Absolutely. So you certainly get the front end purchase, but in the way of April Beach, we are here to actually serve our people with the highest value pod. That’s why I’m on this podcast for crying out loud. Okay. We are here to create intense value. You will get the front end purchase, but then your repeat purchases will go down dramatically, um, because they feel they have failed themselves or you have even failed them in the.
[00:14:55] April: That is so true and it’s an elephant in the room, but [00:15:00] nobody is saying that. Nobody, nobody’s saying that is saying that. This is like, to me like I have chills because I mean, how many of us as business owners, let’s just talk about this, right? How many of us as business owners look at. Competitors or other companies and even look at their case studies and see, oh my gosh, this person, you know, helps their clients, you know, reach eight figures in six months.
[00:15:20] April: This person does this. This person helps their clients gain a hundred thousand Instagram followers based on their method, right? How many of us is leaders even look at those other testimonies that other companies create and share even, you know, as legitimate as they. And feel even. Let’s first talk about our own psyche as a leader, right?
[00:15:42] April: What if we don’t have those high results? What if what we do is amazing, but there isn’t a monetary component, there’s more of a psychological transformation or something else. Or what if we’re really great at what we do? But, you know, and this, I think this is a case with a lot of our [00:16:00] leaders, or a lot of our listeners, a lot of our listeners are really good and they’re really dedicated to serving people.
[00:16:08] April: And I, I think that even before we even dive in, you’re gonna share like a framework to, to build these case studies. But even before we do that, I just wanna take a pause and tell everybody who’s listening that if you have felt like your business or your program or whatever isn’t enough because your competitor is sharing these moonshot testimonies.
[00:16:32] April: Then it’s not true. That isn’t a reflection of it, and that is very uncommon. And like we’re gonna dive in here. There are so many factors. You and I talked about this, you know, behind the scenes before we record it. Like we have clients that license offers, you know, from. 80,000 to 800,000. And we have clients that are working on building their programs to license and they haven’t sold one yet.
[00:16:55] April: You know that that’s the real, there’s so many other factors. So I just wanna pause for a minute [00:17:00] to all of you guys listening and saying that, do not measure how good and dedicated and amazing you are, as long as you’re engineer your program’s, engineered correctly, you know? Mm-hmm. And the results you delivered to your client.
[00:17:12] April: Don’t feel intimidated by these other things because what Sarah is saying here, Actually, those over the Moon case studies and testimonies are potentially hurting the relationships that businesses could have long-term with our clients. Is that right?
[00:17:27] Sarah: You’re so spot on. And I think the temptation is, is everyone is attracted to the sexiness of like overnight success. And so when you get that one client or when you’re aiming to get that one client to that, to that massive result, you get, you get really, really lost in the weeds of being able to play the long-term game of business. We lose sight that like after this launch ends and after all this work is quote unquote done after this [00:18:00] launch.
[00:18:01] Sarah: What, how am I going to keep those people engaged and how am I gonna serve them to continue to serve their life? And so I I echo the, the, the challenge that your coaches and, and the people that you were, your amazing clients that they struggle with in the fact of like, we all want the overnight success, but if you promise the moon and don’t deliver, your business will also be an overnight.
[00:18:26] Sarah: Right when those customers run out. And that’s not why I’m in business. I’m not gonna do that to my family. I’m not gonna do that to my clients. And you’re the same way. Mm-hmm. We’re not in business for the overnight success. Mm-hmm. You
[00:18:39] April: said something really powerful be before, um, we started recording, you said, especially now people Oh, amen.
[00:18:47] April: Don’t want necessarily, they’re not looking for the 10 x, they’re looking for the two x. That was just Amen. Amazing. Cuz you are so right. You know they’re not, [00:19:00] yes, they want the 10 x, they want the four, they want the six, but right now they just want the two. And so even if your company delivers the 10 x and, and you are amazing at that.
[00:19:11] April: What we’re talking about today is we’re talking about creating relatable case studies and testimonies. That speak to the two x because speaking to the two X is, maybe even based on what you’re saying, it appears to be more important than speaking to the 10 X results because a 10 X is a rare result in most consulting businesses cuz there’s so many other factors.
[00:19:37] April: So let’s talk about that for. Can we go into that? Can we go into what are some of the factors in all of your research and all of your work that you find gets in the way of clients actually getting the 10 x? So now we’re removing us as business owners, removing us as the coaches. Let’s talk about what’s going on in the buyers and the consumer’s life.
[00:19:58] April: That even if you are like [00:20:00] the cat’s meow of what you do and your program is engineered, transformationally correctly, all this stuff. What is, what are these factors that we cannot actually. Talk about some of those that you’ve found in
[00:20:13] Sarah: your research. I love this cuz this is like what I’m hired to do.
[00:20:16] Sarah: Mm-hmm. Let’s just bring on the game plan. Okay. So I walk in there and I have my team and we go in and we watch webinars and we watch pitches and we, we go through programs and we do all these things and we like. Audit it. We audit it and we say, what is going on in this buyer’s brain? And can I use my own case studies please to show you how we did this?
[00:20:38] Sarah: And this is actually gonna give your people an assignment, something to be, okay, cool. Actionable to start. Okay. You
[00:20:43] April: guys get pen and paper.
[00:20:44] Sarah: Pen and paper. Pen and paper. So we walked into this company, they are $25 million a year in sales. So you would. They’re, they’re doing just fine. They’ve got a legitimate business, right?
[00:20:54] Sarah: 25 plus, um, million dollars a year. However, 3%, and I specialize in women, but this is [00:21:00] still gonna help you with your sales, with men. Um, they came in and they said, only 3% of our buyers are women. What is going on? 3% of people, right? That’s
[00:21:09] April: insane. Don’t we buy everything?
[00:21:11] Sarah: Don’t really buy everyth. We buy 85% of things by the way we can. That’s a discussion. Let’s for another date. Alright, so I dive in and we are watching their webinar and I am specifically looking for the case studies. Okay? And they owe investment business. They are investment coaches. Okay? What do you do with your money? And they, they target, um, Entrepreneurs.
[00:21:30] Sarah: So we’re sitting there watching, they’re talking about this really unique investment strategy and they’re saying, you know, this is such a successful strategy that look who else is using this same strategy. And then the next picture is Oprah Winfrey and they talk about how she’s using their investment strategy.
[00:21:46] Sarah: And then the next person is Jeff Bezos. Owner of Amazon, and then the next person is Warren Buffett. And my heart is just sinking because I can see all my little [00:22:00] team, my posse of people that I bring in to audit and we’re all going, no, here it is. Here is the unrelated ability. And what I have my team do as we audit and I do it myself, is we get in there and we fill in the blank.
[00:22:14] Sarah: And this is what you need to write down. People are listening.
[00:22:16] April: Okay. You guys ready? Okay. Okay. Yeah.
[00:22:17] Sarah: I even have it written. Good. So when you are going through your testimonials and your case studies, your client is going to say something like that is super cool, but fill in the blank. Okay. I know it’s really simple.
[00:22:33] Sarah: We are playing the most simple game of Madlibs right now. Okay. Okay. So they see Oprah and they will say, that is really cool and I even like her, but she has an entire team of people running her money that I don’t have. Unrelatable. Jeff Omar van, Amazon. Okay. He’s super cool, but he can afford. To totally lose out [00:23:00] on this investment.
[00:23:01] Sarah: He’s one of the richest men in the world. Right? Right. And so do you see how that really, really simple fill in the blank can, can shine a light on the fact that the people that you are using are unrelatable? Now, some of you may say, I am not using Oprah, and I am not using Jeff, and I’m not using Warren Buffett.
[00:23:16] Sarah: And you’re saying I’m, but I am using my most exceptional case studies from my clients. Okay. Welcome to my world. My first webinars, I was taught traditionally to just use those testimonials that make everybody, wow, you’re amazing. And I’m like, this is so ego-driven. Okay? But I use it anyway. And I, this is true story.
[00:23:35] Sarah: I had helped a client with my systems in a year go from four $400 a month in sales to $40,000 a month in one. Okay. A month. Like legit. She lives down the road from me now. Okay. We are dear friends. Yes. Best one. And I was like, oh my gosh, this webinar’s gonna sell. And it did. Boy did it sell. Okay. We converted a huge amount in the [00:24:00] room and everybody kept bringing up this testimonial.
[00:24:03] Sarah: They were like, oh my gosh, this is me, this is my dream. All that kind of stuff. And what happened six months later after the course, I lost, I, I was hemorrhaging clients for the next stage in my business hemorrhaging, and I’m exposing this, okay. I’m not gonna lie. Yeah. About how hard business is. Okay. Thank you.
[00:24:22] Sarah: I was hemorrhaging clients and that was the tipping point for people, is they felt like I didn’t achieve the $40,000 a month, and so therefore it didn’t work. So I’m not ready for the next. Okay. Yeah. So with my own experience and with this, with this other financial company, we went in there and we brought in relatable.
[00:24:42] Sarah: Okay? We brought in relatable testimonials and case studies. We brought in a family of four, right, that lived in an average home in an average neighborhood who maybe went to Hawaii once or twice a. Right. And we talked about how these investments generated an [00:25:00] additional $20,000 of revenue for their life because of these investments.
[00:25:06] Sarah: Okay. And, and we, we took each one of those, like Warren and Oprah and Jeff, and we replaced those with more relatable ones to target different avatars that they were wanting to bring in. And we now have 22% of people that buy on their webinar that are women. Wow. 22%. And we also increase the sales from men.
[00:25:27] Sarah: But there, that was the only thing that we changed. And then we focus in on the next step. And now their next step program, um, is 50 50 men, women, and we’ve increased the amount of people that come in just dramatically. So I don’t, we don’t need to get into all the percentages, but it matters.
[00:25:45] April: Right. So, and I’m, and I’m looking at, you know, my notes that I’m taking here.
[00:25:50] April: And the things that you’re saying in just by changing the relatable story, that’s what you did, is you created your testimony with a relatable story. It wasn’t that [00:26:00] moonshot or that unicorn. And, uh, and you created a relatable story. You t you increased their buyers from three to what, 22%? 22%. That is. And so I, I wonder, you know, for our people, I want you guys just to take a second and do again, do this exercise.
[00:26:19] April: We’re just gonna pause for a minute here that Sarah was talking about when people are looking at your case studies, everything we’re working on is your case studies and your testimonies that you’re sharing at in your sales process. Okay? That’s what we’re working on today. If I didn’t make that clear in the beginning, What are they saying?
[00:26:37] April: This worked for them, but they have more time. They have a team. They have money to invest in their business. What is that? They, they don’t have kids or their kids are older or you know, they don’t work in nine to five, whatever that is. What is it that your people are saying when they read the testimonies that you share that worked for him or that worked for her, [00:27:00] but.
[00:27:01] April: And so when they identify those, uh, the, the reasons that they’re not gonna buy in that, how do we fix that? How do they then communicate or, or, you know, those steps to say, okay, they’re, they’re saying that they can’t do this because of what, how, what, what do we do
[00:27:19] Sarah: next? The next step is to define what we call the core result.
[00:27:26] Sarah: And my question that I would ask you, if you were to hire me to come out to your business and sit with you, I would say, what result can you provide for nearly every client that goes to your program? Wow.
[00:27:43] April: I, we want, yeah, go ahead. Yeah. Okay. What. Let me go back and say that word core result because that’s a big deal.
[00:27:55] April: We’re gonna make a definitely, we’re gonna make a graphic on this [00:28:00] for sure, and get it out there on social media. Um, you know, Sarah said core result. What is the core result? And I just wanna pause for a second and just say, you guys, if you’re listening and you actually don’t know what that core result is, we do need to talk about your offer engineering, um, April girl for sure.
[00:28:17] April: You know, if you’re here and you’re like, oh my gosh, well I can do all these things and they kind of get this and they kind of get that and da, da, da. So we need to identify, but what is that core result? And then what was the next thing you said? What is.
[00:28:29] Sarah: Something, the core result that you can consistently provide for clients that go through your program.
[00:28:36] Sarah: Okay. Yeah. Program offer. We’ll use the word offer. That’s your world. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, the, the key there is, is some people are, are gonna fizzle out, maybe not finish your program or not take action or whatever, whatever. I mean, but what I mean is when people go through your program and finish it, what is the consistent.
[00:28:55] Sarah: Okay. If you were to like go behind the scenes in my own business, you’re gonna laugh at something [00:29:00] because I’m kind of practicing what I preach. Okay. Like you will see that the result that I. Pretty much guarantee for my one-on-one clients and my Mastermind people is that we will double their revenue with the women.
[00:29:13] Sarah: We will two x their revenue. Okay? Have I 10 Xed the revenue of people’s businesses? Absolutely. Okay. Right. Have I eight Xed and six Xed? Absolutely. But what can I consistently provide for those clients? Two x. That’s the core result. I will double your revenue with.
[00:29:33] April: So everybody is absolutely thrilled with you, and then you create these repeat customers that stay with you on a longer term journey because they in fact did accomplish through your teaching and leadership and your frameworks and your coaching, your method, what you said because you led them in with the two X and not the 10 x.
[00:29:54] Sarah: Absolutely. And I dive a little bit April, I, I don’t know, like the specifics about your [00:30:00] coaches or clients. Mm-hmm. And they may not have like a monetary value. Mm-hmm. But I remember working with a couple that they teach, uh, marriage, marriage counseling. Right. Basically is what they teach online. Mm-hmm.
[00:30:09] Sarah: Their marriage coaches. And they had always been using like, We ripped up the, the divorce papers and we renewed our vows, and we have never said a bad word to each other ever again. That was kind of their thing, right? And you’ve got some people coming into their trainings like saying, um, he, we have not like, slept in the same room for five years, like, let alone ripping up divorce papers, right?
[00:30:31] Sarah: And so they started to change their results where it was like, we’re gonna help you start to at least sleep on the same. Right. This person, they started sleeping on the same floor or they started sleeping in the same room or, and I know that that’s like really practical, but that’s an achievement in a marriage.
[00:30:50] Sarah: Marriage, right. That’s an achievement. And while you don’t have this explosive like lead generation, that’s what your hooks are for people, but this explosive lead generation, [00:31:00] they consistently provide that result of getting couples to sleep in the same room by the end of their program. Right. Okay. It’s not the sexiest result, but it’s something they can consistently provide.
[00:31:09] Sarah: And then those clients refer the heck out of their program and that’s how they generate an avalanche of, of loyal customers through testimonials and case studies that are realistic. Go figure.
[00:31:21] April: Go figure. So the rethinking that we’re doing here today, we’re not saying you guys can’t share your, you know, your big pie in the sky testimonies.
[00:31:30] April: We talked a little bit about whether or not you even have them yet as a business. First of all, if you don’t have those yet as a business and you just have the realistic ones, awesome. Great job. Like you’re, you’re doing amazing work for your people if you do. Amen. If you do, is there like a, you know, the mix, I mean, these really like wow testimonies, right?
[00:31:50] April: Is there like a percentage mix that you recommend? Like you could share like one pie in the sky, but how do you then communicate, you know, but this is what is a standard expectation for those people that [00:32:00] go through our program.
[00:32:01] Sarah: Absolutely. Absolutely. So we actually do not recommend on front end offers using the pie in the sky, cuz that is when your clients are most vulnerable.
[00:32:10] Sarah: So we absolutely cut them out. April, you may disagree with me. We cut out the most extreme testimonials on front end offers. We do use them for higher ticket offers, $5,000 and above offers, we will use those. Um, cuz you have to understand who is in the. Okay. Making the extra a hundred thousand dollars when you’re selling a $5 coloring.
[00:32:32] Sarah: Okay. Is real hard for someone to imagine and be relatable. I know. That’s so funny. That’s like a real life customer. Okay.
[00:32:42] Sarah: We’re getting real here. Right? I love it. So we do reserve those high-end ones for actually. Offers that are further up what you offer. Um, and then we just recommend that you have three different relatable testimonials in whatever pitch or webinar [00:33:00] it is that you, um, use for your front end clients.
[00:33:03] April: Amazing. Uh, you’re a genius. This is your area of expertise. So if that’s what Sarah says, then that’s what you guys should be doing. Uh, I don’t know. You know, this, this totally makes sense. Everything we’re talking about is so logical and you know, this process that you’re teaching is helping leaders to rethink how we’re connecting with our audience, helping our listeners, our clients, your clients, you know, everybody who creates a change to communi.
[00:33:30] April: Better and more realistically about the most common, as you said, core result, realistic change that they can make. And yes, it totally makes sense that we would do the more realistic transformations. We call ’em transformations. With the, with the more upfront offers for sure. Um, certainly the, the moonshot results, and you guys should share those, especially if you actually have, if they’re ethical.
[00:33:56] April: We wanna make sure, I think there are a lot of businesses out there that are sharing case studies that [00:34:00] might not necessarily be true and ethical. I’m just gonna say that. It’s easy
[00:34:03] Sarah: to do that in terms, right?
[00:34:05] April: Yeah. Um, so, you know, making sure they’re ethical with these higher ticket offers. Um, but then also saying, and this is a legal thing that I’m not getting into.
[00:34:13] April: I’m not an attorney, but I know that our go-to attorney we refer to who’s been here on the podcast would also say, make sure your contracts say, you know, these results aren’t common, and make sure that your mm-hmm. Terms and terms and agreements are correct as well, but, This mix. Okay, so let’s go back to the mix that you said.
[00:34:30] April: Okay. That is, uh, realistic testimonies on upfront offers about three relatable testimonies, uh, in your conversion event, your live event, your webinar, your sales page, whatever that is. And then reserving some of. Those higher achieving case studies for over 5,000 that you would call like higher ticket, uh mm-hmm.
[00:34:52] April: Or an actual legitimate, you know, 20, 30, 50, a hundred thousand dollars
[00:34:56] Sarah: program. 100%. 100%. If you [00:35:00] are in the long game of business, right. Right. That’s the next, right. The time that we’re recording this, we are at the end of 2022 and, um, the world is nuts right now. Business is nuts. Things are shifting, pivots are happening, and the temptation is going to be to be more extreme and more extreme and more extreme in what you can offer and what you can charge and what you can do.
[00:35:24] Sarah: And the reality is, is you are losing sight of like your greatest clients on. Okay. Don’t underestimate. I remember a time when I was in, my husband was in med school and my business was struggling so much. I was legit making cream of chicken soup from scratch April, because I could not buy the 69 cent can.
[00:35:45] Sarah: Okay. That It was bad. Okay. I had like a neighbor drop off a bread maker cause I couldn’t buy bread. Like it was so bad. We were in so much trouble. And I just remember. What an extra like hundred [00:36:00] dollars a week meant to me, right? Right. Our food budget was $225 a month for a family of four back then, an extra a hundred dollars a week.
[00:36:08] Sarah: And so don’t underestimate the results you are getting for your people. One less fight a day for a married couple is a result, okay? And their first five sales in a business or in a, in a licensing agreement, whatever. It’s a huge deal, and those people will praise the Lord for you. I don’t know if you’re religious or not, but they will be so grateful for you over the long term for those first five.
[00:36:38] Sarah: And for that first, that first hundred dollars that you help them bolster in their business. And so regardless of what spectrum you’re on, as far as coaching and pricing and packages and offers and all that kind of stuff, just don’t let go of the fact that the world is nuts right now. The world is nuts and you producing these incremental 1% [00:37:00] changes in people’s lives are changing lives.
[00:37:02] Sarah: Share it. Share it. There are more people out there that need you than you think, and you’re repelling them by using these astronomical results that you’ve provided once or twice, and you’re missing probably your most effective, um, client that’s out there wanting your services.
[00:37:19] April: Thank you so much for saying all that it needed to be said.
[00:37:23] April: Absolutely. Uh, and, and you know, you guys, this is also a really important time to take a pause and make sure the offers that you have engineered are correct. Amen. That they are, you know, everybody is talking about high ticket, high ticket, high ticket, and I mean, we have very expensive high ticket programs.
[00:37:40] April: Our clients build very expensive high ticket programs, but they’re. Equally valued to the ROI that people receive. You know, if you’re feeling this pressure, there’s a lot of coaches out there that are saying, go high ticket. Go high ticket charge more. And the programs are not engineered correctly to do that.
[00:37:58] April: So I just want [00:38:00] you, if you haven’t yet to take a pause on that overvalued messaging, that it doesn’t mean that high ticket isn’t something that you can or should. Or currently, you know, do engineer, but also to look at your ecosystem of offers in what’s happening in the world and, and just determine if there are other things that you guys can do to create more, um, I call them micro transformations.
[00:38:27] April: They’re micro transformations, right? We can build programs. With micro transformation benchmarks and we actually stop to recognize those micro transformations like Sarah’s talking about. Or you can do individual offers and programs to deliver micro transformations. That all comes down to how you guys wanna live.
[00:38:46] April: You know, your what type of programs you guys wanna engineer, but even if you have these bigger programs, Make sure you are clearly sharing, like Sarah said, the case studies of the micro transformation benchmarks that people are [00:39:00] receiving. And commonly, when does that happen? You know, I had somebody, um, Ask about one of our programs that we, it’s, it’s a six month program, but it goes on for a year and they’re basically like, how long is this gonna take me to do this?
[00:39:15] April: And the answer to that was I shared with her the benchmark she needs to hit. And I also, just like you said, I shared with her the things that get in the way, like time team finances, kids working in nine to five, that either can accelerate that or slow that. And so you guys, in order to share, if you’re struggling with like, I, how do I share what Sarah said, this core result?
[00:39:40] April: If you’re kind of struggling with that, I’m not really sure what that is. Go back and just make sure that you have mapped out those micro transformations in your offer and just speak to the first couple ones, you know, because those might be where people stay for a while depending on those external circumstances that they have.
[00:39:58] April: And so I just, I love this [00:40:00] conversation so much. And it’s so real, and hopefully you guys have enjoyed this as much. So, uh, homework for this is, you know, going back, looking at your case studies and identifying that core result that you can consistently deliver every single time again and again, and using that to be relatable in your marketing and your relationship building with your clients because they’re never gonna be disappointed.
[00:40:22] April: No matter how great they Amen did. Amen. If you sell them the a hundred thousand dollars in 30 days in 99.9% of ’em don’t hit that. They’re gonna think that you have failed them or they have failed themselves. So this is, this is really awesome. Thank you so much. Okay. So how can people connect with you more?
[00:40:41] April: As I’m sitting here thinking I have like 10 people I need to introduce you to. Um, so I’m really excited to do that after this episode. I’m like, you guys, you guys need Sarah in, in, in your business. Uh, so I love that about just our, our circle of community here on the podcast. Um, How can [00:41:00] people connect with you?
[00:41:01] April: What you know, who do you work with actually, who do you really get in there? Who do you work with? How can people be in your life and your ecosystem to learn more about relatable marketing strategies, particularly to women?
[00:41:14] Sarah: Oh, I love it. And what, where I would really encourage people to start with is I wanna have a conversation with them.
[00:41:20] Sarah: And the best way to do that is every single Wednesday, uh, it’s at the same. Time every Wednesday I teach for 45 minutes. Okay. And I teach for 45 minutes. Uh, about a principle s specifically around marketing to women. Okay. That, I mean, that is my zone of genius. And so if you’re kind of like, oh, I’d like need more male customers, well, the secret to that is you actually need to attract.
[00:41:45] Sarah: The females, but that’s a conversation for another day. But show up there. I go live whether there are, there’s one person in the room or whether there’s a hundred people in the room. I teach every single Wednesday for 45 minutes about these principles of marketing to women, and there is always [00:42:00] homework at the end of that.
[00:42:01] Sarah: There’s no pitch. I’m not selling anything. It’s a no pitch training. It’s a no pitch webinar. Totally transparent about that. At the end, however, there is homework and that homework you will share with me and we will. And we will give you that first step forward on what it looks like to start changing that case study or to start changing this thing that’s turning women off or whatever it is.
[00:42:21] Sarah: So it really is you. You’re gonna take a little test at the end of that, you’re gonna get some homework and then there’s a conversation with you and I, and we’ll go ahead and put the link in the show notes and I’ll see you guys on
[00:42:29] April: Wednesday. I love it. Thank you so much for just your service. That’s just such a servant’s heart too, to the people and just helping people to get results and, and you’re just, you’re really amazing.
[00:42:40] April: I’m, I’m very grateful to know you, so thank you so much for being here on the show and pouring into our listeners and just, uh, it is very important information, so we appreciate you so much. Thank you. You’re
[00:42:52] Sarah: the best. April, thank you so much.
[00:42:54] April: Hey, you guys. What an amazing episode with Sarah. It was a little bit longer than most of our shows are, but why would we [00:43:00] stop when she is just pouring her genius into us?
[00:43:03] April: And, and I’m so grateful you made it to the end of the episode. So you are a rockstar. And so let’s talk about how you’re gonna actually implement this. So we’ll make sure that all of the resources that Shera, Sarah, Sarah shared, and of course how to connect with her for that live amazing business strategy and coaching with no pitch that she.
[00:43:21] April: Every single week, we highly recommend that. So please tap into her. Um, particularly if your business, your brand needs to reach more women and you wanna increase and convert your women’s sales. So with that being said, what is the action item after this episode? So let’s go back to, The actual work that Sarah gave on this show today, if we’re only doing an incremental implementation, I wanna always make sure you’re leaving this podcast, implementing something.
[00:43:47] April: Even if you’re writing on the subway or you’re waiting for your kids at the bus stop or whatever it may be, that you can actually receive a micro transformation from this particular episode. So let’s, Sarah said was to [00:44:00] finish this sentence, and this sentence is, when somebody’s reading the case studies on your.
[00:44:07] April: Okay. And they are over the moon. They are saying to themselves, that is great, but. And then there is that blank. And those are all the reasons why they’re saying to themselves that those results cannot work for them because this other person had a different situation. And so Sarah’s recommendation is step number one, fill in that blank.
[00:44:28] April: And then we talked in the episode about what to do next. And you can always go back and replay this episode, but if you haven’t yet, we’re talking about very fast implementation. I just want you to name three. Things that people are saying to themselves as to why they cannot have the same result as one of those moonshot testimonies that you have shared.
[00:44:48] April: And then you can take the next step and adjust your copywriting in your marketing to connect with your audience better. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I love that you guys are here. If you haven’t shared the Sweet Life Entrepreneur [00:45:00] podcast, we would really appreciate it. We love getting this show in the hands of others, and obviously there’s no pitching to you and there’s no advertising here because we wanna give you guys incredibly amazing business value that you can take to the bank. Thank you so much, and I hope you guys have a great day.
How To Start Building An Affiliate Program With High Level Partners – with April Beach and Laura Sprinkle (Episode 281)
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Full Show Transcript:
281
[00:00:43] April: Hi guys, and welcome back to the show. I’m April Beach and I am so glad that you were here.
[00:00:47] April: This is episode number 281, and we have. Favorite people and friends on the show back yet again to talk about how to build high level affiliate programs [00:01:00] with the best partners in the whole entire world. And so this episode is brought to you perfectly timed with our masterclass called the Offer Engineer.
[00:01:10] April: So before we can even build affiliate programs, we need to make sure your offer is ready. We actually talk about that. In this show and the steps to get your offer ready. And so if you need to level up your offers to scale so that you can bring in affiliates, make sure that you are checking out the offer engineer.com.
[00:01:28] April: It’s our latest workshop that helps coaches, consultants, experts, and SME scale. And it is coming up, especially if you’re listening to this show in real time. Definitely head over there so you can take action on what we talk about today. Okay. My good friend Laura Sprinkle is back on the show.
[00:01:47] April: And here is what we were talking about. When you are a coach and an author, a consultant, if you’re a subject matter expert, one of the things we need to do is make sure that we are increasing your sales. And one of the best ways [00:02:00] to increase your sales is to have other people who know you, who love you, who love your work, who love your program, actually refer people personally to you.
[00:02:11] April: I can attest to how good it feels to be introduced with total strangers by a high level colleague or friend of mine who knew my program well enough and knows their client base well enough that they make personal recommendations. It’s like handholding people from one world into your world, and it is the best way, first of all, to have clients that are ready to work with. Number two, increase your sales. Number three, it also levels up your brand. So I want you to think about that. Imagine having high level people tell other people about your program, receiving a personal email invitation, receiving a text intro, or an Instagram chat introduction from one of your very close, [00:03:00] reputable friends in your space that tell somebody else that they need to work with.
[00:03:04] April: And when we build your affiliate program correctly, when the structures are put in place and when you have the right partners, this is exactly what you can expect. And so this is what we’re breaking apart in today’s business coaching show. If you’re new here, Welcome to the show. I’m April Beach. I’m a business strategist and mentor for experts, coaches and consultants, and have been for 27 years.
[00:03:27] April: And the thing that we deliver to you here on this show are trainings and steps and processes that you can bank on that the only people that are in here pouring into you. On the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast are vetted experts who have been in the trenches of online business for years and years and years, and this episode is no different.
[00:03:49] April: So my friend Laura, is absolutely the go-to person for affiliate programs. She is behind the creation of affiliate programs for Amy Porterfield. Todd Herman, Steven [00:04:00] Kotler, Salina Sue. She’s behind our affiliate programs as well, and she has a unique method that we’re gonna talk about here of making sure that you’re choosing the right affiliates.
[00:04:10] April: We don’t want all the affiliates. You’ve seen those launches before. We don’t actually want to go for that in many business cases. And so that’s what we’re talking about here today. She’s gonna break down how to find the right affiliate partners, and she’s gonna help you know where to start in the process, even to different people that you might not be directly connected with.
[00:04:30] April: And at the end of this show, you can expect to know three things you need to have in. For your offer to be ready for affiliates, we are also diving into the percentages of the payouts and what to pay affiliates, and you are going to know the first levels of affiliate partners that we want to go after for your business, your program, and actually how to do that.
[00:04:53] April: So this is episode number 281. All the show notes and all the goodies that we’re talking about here, including that [00:05:00] Offer Engineer workshop, and all of Laura’s rock, your affiliate program information can be found by visiting Sweetlifepodcast.com/281. All right, let’s go. Hey you guys. I am so excited to be back with my friend Laura Sprinkle on the NextGen of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast.
[00:05:22] April: You guys probably remember Laura was here hanging out with me a couple years ago, and she and I met at a mastermind. It was like Selena Suz Master Mastermind in San Diego. Feels like forever in a day ago. , but, and we had known each other before then I think we met in, we got to finally see each other in person then, and it was really, really special.
[00:05:44] April: And the stuff that Laura does in the way she orchestrates relationships are so powerful and the way that she helps us as entrepreneurs. Know how to look at our relationships with other [00:06:00] businesses and how it can be this win-win for everybody is just one of the reasons why I love her so much. Because it’s so genuine.
[00:06:07] April: It’s so real and it’s so mutually beneficial for everybody across the board. The way Laura helps companies grow and, um, you know, not diving into your official bio. But let’s talk a little bit so people know that you are the bee’s knee about , who you have worked with. You know, it’s okay to name drop on here, you know who you’ve worked with in the past to help them build their programs, in this case, their affiliate and referral programs to help them build their programs in how you helped some of these leaders big to small.
[00:06:45] April: Really create, uh, what we call an ecosystem of amazing relationships to grow their business. So welcome back to the show, Laura. I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you. Tell everybody about who you are, what, what lights you up, doesn’t have to be business [00:07:00] related, and who you’ve worked with in the past. And then we’ll dive into what we’re talking about today.
[00:07:04] Laura: I’m so excited. Thank you for having me, and thanks for, for listening. Uh, so who I am, so I am an affiliate program strategist and I have helped clients. My very first client in this realm was Selena Sue, which is how we got connected originally, which is so exciting. Uh, so. Set up programs for Salina Sue, Todd Hermann, Amy Porterfield, um, worked with Kate Northrop, um, heroic and Brian Johnson, Steven Kotler and the Flow Research collective, just a lot a lot of people who are incredible and like I just could talk about them all day long. Like seriously,
[00:07:48] April: they’re so, I remember when you sent out the email that you were doing stuff with Steven Cutler. I’m like, oh my gosh, okay. I’m a huge fan, obviously do a lot of flow state stuff in my kids even read his books as well, [00:08:00] and so I was like, I don’t wanna be a part of anything that this guy is doing.
[00:08:03] April: And I was so excited for you that, that, that. That was such a cool thing that you’re, you’re getting to work with that team as well. Yeah. So you’ve been doing this for a while, so you’ve been helping businesses create, um, really deep, not just surface level, but highly profitable affiliate relationship programs for a a hot minute and you know, some, and what is the number? You dropped it a couple weeks ago when, when we were in like a networking call. Really cool. Laura, by the way, does these amazing networking calls you guys, um, where she just brings together, she’s such a queen at bringing together just cool people who, who wanna connect.
[00:08:41] April: And we’re gonna be talking about that more today. But give us some of the figures of numbers and, and dollar amount of some of the sales that the affiliate programs that you’ve engineered have, have done.
[00:08:51] Laura: Yeah. And I wanna say too, the way that we set up affiliate programs and the way that we. I wanna, I wanna say a [00:09:00] require, but it’s not really a requirement, but the way that we help our clients think about affiliate programs, it’s not like a one and done thing, right?
[00:09:08] Laura: It’s not like, okay, only for your next promotion, only for your next launch. Like we’re gonna 10 x and then we’re gonna call it quits. Like the point is to create that ecosystem that continues to grow with you. So the number I’m gonna share is really like that initial. initial launch and therefore it is actually much bigger because I have been doing this for half a decade and these people have launched many, many times since that original launch with us.
[00:09:34] Laura: Um, but our clients have brought in over 30 million in revenue from their affiliate partner programs. And my favorite part about that number is that win-win that you talk about. We actually call it the quadruple win. So not only are millions of. Being generated for small businesses, but also millions of dollars are more in the hands of other small businesses that are their partners and affiliates that they care about [00:10:00] going to their families.
[00:10:01] Laura: You know, supporting their clients and their teams and their causes that they believe in. And like that is the thing that really lights me up. That’s what you asked about. And yeah, I would say the
[00:10:11] April: quadruple win. So it’s like, yeah, it’s 30 million, but that was only for the initial launch and, and now that has this, Afterburn, you know, snowball effect because these relationships have been built and I, you know, it’s so really important.
[00:10:23] April: If you guys have ever participated in an affiliate program before, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t been an affiliate for somebody, it feels so good because I remember the first time I was an affiliate for somebody, I’m trying to remember, it was like, I think it was Louis House, like back like 2012 or something, a really, really long time ago, and I still remember being part of that and it felt so good to help somebody else do something amazing that they had been worked, they had been working so hard on it.
[00:10:55] April: Felt so good to me to be able to be a part of that. And then like, the [00:11:00] monetary benefits or, or, or just honestly like icing on the cake as well. Um, but just being able to be a part of building somebody else’s a cool thing, um, is just, it’s so rewarding to, to feel like you’re helping with that momentum and you’re helping push that along.
[00:11:14] April: And, and I, and I know intimately the importance of affiliates and we need that. Like we need each other, especially. in an online business space. You know, we don’t have Amy Porterfield’s audience, right. And so, especially in an online business space that is, is so saturated, like relationships, all around relationships.
[00:11:31] April: So, um, I can just say that in going through with your stuff and, and being on the other side too, it’s just, it’s just so powerful. So, Let’s talk about what totally lights you up about the relationship side. So first of all, let me set the framework you guys today we are gonna help you know what you have to do to have in place in order to build your affiliate referral program.
[00:11:55] April: Okay, so in the next 10, 15 minutes, you’re gonna know exactly what you have to have into [00:12:00] place. But you know, unlike a lot of podcasts that we’ll just talk about service things. We also want you to know why these things are important. We’re just not gonna go through and say, Hey, here’s the things you have to do.
[00:12:10] April: We want you to understand the why and the reasoning behind these so that you can independently think through yourself as you’re going through the process of these things as well. First of all, let’s define what type of affiliate referral programs are we talking about that you help people engineer and build?
[00:12:28] Laura: Yeah, such a great question and I think so much of what we talk about in Rock Your Affiliate Program and in how we help clients can help no matter, no matter what kind of partnerships you’re doing. And we specifically love working with course creators and membership creators who want to have multiple people promote their offer at the same time.
[00:12:52] Laura: Like if you have a webinar or a workshop and at the end of that webinar workshop, you’re going to, you know, open the doors for [00:13:00] enrollment for your program and you know, you want 10, a hundred, a thousand. We don’t have a lot of clients that do a thousand. I wouldn’t have recommend different, most people, but you know, you want a few people sharing about your workshops so that you can get, you know, more registrants up.
[00:13:17] Laura: Those are the types of, uh, partnerships that we most frequently do. .
[00:13:22] April: Okay. Awesome. So those of you guys that are doing kind of that, that launch type of strategy, open closed cart type of, uh, a business model is, is what this can work great for what we’re talking about today. And you know, I will also say that there’s so many other things that we’re gonna talk about today that if you are not doing that business model, make sure that you are tapping in here because you’re gonna be.
[00:13:44] April: Deal a lot of these strategies and apply them to your business for incredible results as well. So what does, let’s just go right to the end and reverse engineer it. When somebody wants to actually build this type of a program, how do they start thinking [00:14:00] about how to engineer these, first of all, the relationships and, and who to reach out to and, and why is who they reach out to, um, you know, chosen in a certain way. Take us through that process of thinking.
[00:14:11] Laura: Thinking.
[00:14:12] Laura: Amazing. Yeah. Once you’re ready, and I know we’re gonna reverse engineer of. What does that mean? Once you’re ready, . But once you’re ready, I mean, to me, the thing that’s really, really exciting about partnerships beyond the revenue even is like, we can change the world, right?
[00:14:28] Laura: When I mentioned, you know, millions of dollars in the hands of small business owners that you care about, it’s like growing your business through partnerships means you get to pay people that share your values rather than sending money to corporations like Google and Facebook. And if you. And or you can do both, right?
[00:14:46] Laura: Like you can, you know, tap into pay the ads and also partnerships. Um, so for me that’s number one is do you share values and do they have something genuine to say about your offer? So, [00:15:00] I would recommend that you wait, and we’re gonna talk about this more, but you wait for partnerships until you have actually sold your program and had people go through it.
[00:15:09] Laura: Because some of the best people to promote your offer are your alumni, are the people that have that firsthand, tangible experience with you. Uh, and. Going outside of that circle of people, you’ll wanna start to connect with those who serve your ideal customers in a complimentary way. Like April and I serve in such a complimentary way. Yes. And we also share values. Yeah.
[00:15:32] April: And so let’s like unpack that for you guys. Okay. So first of all, thanks for hanging out with us here today on This Sweet Life podcast. Please like, share this with people because we really want getting, you know, everybody to get the word out about this amazing episode we’re talking about here.
[00:15:45] April: So we wanna unpack and kind of share behind the scenes of how Laura and I work together. So, our expertise, our area of solutions that we provide to clients go so well together, you [00:16:00] guys. And so we want to use us as an example of when you’re looking for great partners. So I help entrepreneurs engineer their leading programs and offers.
[00:16:12] April: You can’t bill the referral program until we have that done. And so I make a perfect prerequisite partner for Laura because people need to go through the process of doing the work and completing their actual structure of engineering their offers with me before we can go into that process of, of then bringing in others to, to market that out.
[00:16:36] April: Think about like, who is a prerequisite for your offer and, and who are the people that you know, need as far as, for what they do is, is delivered better when they’ve completed what you do. Right? I probably did not say that in as well as you could , like
[00:16:55] Laura: you wish that they would take this person’s program. Yeah, before [00:17:00] yours because then they could get just astounding results. Like yeah, if you’ve worked with April before you create a affiliate program, like that’s really like that’s kind of end of episode right there. Like work with April 1st and then come to me and we can get tons of eyeballs on your offer.
[00:17:17] April: We need to, here’s the deal you guys. We need to have a transformational me. Signature program or offer. That’s it. We have to make sure it’s great. And so what Laura was saying is we have to test it, right? So we have to make sure we get people going through it. And so once people ha have clients going through their program, uh, so you’re saying that really is that very first step to go through the engineering of the program and then bringing in the clients and, and having them receive those transformational.
[00:17:48] Laura: yes, you definitely like, wanna make sure you have a solid offer. And, and even beyond that, you also wanna make sure that you have solid messaging around [00:18:00] your launch mechanism. So I mentioned, you know, doing a workshop or a webinar, you’re gonna wanna have some type of marketing, some type of sales mechanism in place because you know you wanna have something that your affiliates and your partners can actually refer to, can actually send people.
[00:18:17] Laura: Right,
[00:18:17] April: right, right. Um, and so just outta curiosity, because we always try to update this show on those latest information, what have you seen in the last year or show is that sales mechanism that seems to be the most popular, that’s working the best. I know this is totally a random question, but I’m sure people are thinking it, so I just wanted to, to ask that what are, what are people that you’re working with most commonly doing?
[00:18:39] April: Is it still webinar? They’re kind of, you know, seeming to get outta date a little bit with certain audiences. Are they live virtual events? What, what are the trends that you’ve seen lately?
[00:18:48] Laura: Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of boot camps and challenges where it’ll be, you know, free to sign up for a certain portion and then it’s like a paid upgrade to stay later or to have coaching involved [00:19:00] as well.
[00:19:00] Laura: There’s a Facebook group involved. Um, so I mean, I would say that that’s like on the high end. Of output and activity and like all the things, and there’s giveaways and pr, you know what I mean? There’s all sorts of stuff happening. So I definitely have seen that and I’ve also seen people go even more low key of like, we’re doing, you know, uh, a low cost paid workshop.
[00:19:21] Laura: Come do this thing. Come hang out with us. Come learn something valuable. And if you wanna take the next step, great. If you don’t, great, you’re gonna get value from it anyway. , you know, I think people are also going back and doing more live events, um, in person, which can also be a launch mechanism, not one that I’m like super savvy on.
[00:19:41] Laura: Um, But people like you will hear all the time like, oh, webinars are dead. Or like, you know, this thing is email’s dead. And at the end of the day it’s like, this stuff has been around, well, email’s not been around forever, obviously, but like direct communication has been around forever. Like it’s not dead, [00:20:00] it’s all still working.
[00:20:02] April: It’s like, know your audience. To know what your audience wants. Right. You know, if your audience isn’t responding to it, then engineer something and tweak it and, and build something distress amazing that your audience totally wants. Okay. So we have to have their program and, and then we have to have a really well-engineered sales.
[00:20:18] April: Process that you can communicate to your partners and say, Hey listen, here’s what we’re doing and this is when we’re doing it and this is where we want you to drive traffic to. This is where please send people here. And I, you know, for me, so we as a company went through Laura’s program. You guys rock your affiliate program a while ago.
[00:20:37] April: Um, and, and we act as affiliates now for Laura. And I remember going through that process and even as a coach who engineers these things and realizing. Wow. This is really the test on how well organized your offer and your sales conversion process is because you are going to be communicating it with others on a really, really, um, detailed, uh, [00:21:00] organizational project plan.
[00:21:01] April: And you better make sure that everything is structured right. So that is a huge prerequisite because here’s the thing with this, you guys, you, anybody that’s representing you, let’s. an affiliate is, is, is sharing how amazing you are. If something goes wrong, no matter what, it’s gonna reflect on them. And so we really wanna make sure that you have these things in place very well because they’re, they’re sticking their nick out to say, Hey, listen, you know, April’s awesome at this, and then they send somebody to my thing and if the whole thing fails, I’m gonna make my affiliate like, Look like shit.
[00:21:38] April: Right? . And so that’s really, you know, we need to honor our affiliates in making sure we’re structuring things really, really well. Um, because, because they’re endorsing us. And, and that’s as a whole across the board, not just with the program, with the, with the sales process
[00:21:53] Laura: too. Yeah, for sure. And it doesn’t mean that it has to be complicated or, or have a bunch of bells and [00:22:00] whistles or, you know, have a hundred thousand dollars affiliate prize.
[00:22:03] Laura: Like some, you know, some big names too. Sure. It doesn’t mean that it does. Like, you know, you wanna have your dates in place and, and stick with them. And I’ve broken my own rules probably more than any of my clients have for sure. Of like, oh, I’m gonna change this thing. And it makes it harder. Right? If someone tells you a date and then they change it on you. Yeah. It’s gonna be harder to share that thing. Right.
[00:22:27] April: Okay. So, uh, our listeners, they have their offer engineered, they have their sales process. Now what. .
[00:22:34] Laura: They are also going to wanna make sure that they have the price point on their offer and know how much they’re really excited about sharing with the affiliate for commission.
[00:22:46] Laura: And people ask me this all the time of like, what’s the general commission? Like what’s best practice? And like there is best practice and there’s also like, you need to know your numbers and you need to know how much delivering your. [00:23:00] Costs. Mm-hmm. , because I would hate for you to get into a scenario where you’re actually going in the negative because you’re using affiliates, right.
[00:23:07] Laura: And. Paying affiliates is not like you’re losing money. It’s not like you’re giving them money. You know? It’s like you’re gaining the revenue from those new clients that you would not have been in front of without your affiliate partners and taking the time, energy, resources to pay ads or to get out there in the world and to meet those customers yourself.
[00:23:30] Laura: That takes, again, time, energy, money, , all those things. So it is definitely worth it and you need to come up with, you know, a percentage. So if you’re in the course space, I typical, I, you know, I hesitate to say typically, but I typically see anywhere between 30 and 50% for courses. .
[00:23:48] April: Mm-hmm. . I love you said that. I love that you said that. Okay, you guys, so know your numbers. Um, and we always like to say, we want you to have at least a 70% profit margin on your offer. [00:24:00] So if you’ve engineered your offer, this is just a side note for tech, like, and we talk about your cost of engineering, your offer and running it on ongoing basis, we want you to have at least a 70% profit margin.
[00:24:09] April: Ideally with online businesses, we want it up to a 90% profit margin and that way. It’s fine for you to then give away 40 or 50% you can afford it because you know that your cost and your profit margin in order to operate it is, you know, besides like a, a boost in ad cost or whatever that would be for you.
[00:24:27] April: Um, so that’s usually kind of the overall profit margin that we want with online programs is 70 to 90% just with your cost to run it. So you guys can take those two numbers, like Laura said. 30 to 50 and then you know, an overall profit margin in of 70 to 90 and kind of tweak your numbers accordingly and just make sure you guys aren’t paying out like online business.
[00:24:47] April: We have very low overhead and we tend to see a lot of extra costs on so many different software that. You know, might be excessive, so you might wanna be able to even take a look at your operational expenses and reduce some [00:25:00] costs so that you can pay your affiliates more like how it would be so much better.
[00:25:04] April: Just like Laura said, rather than paying Google or another software, you might not need to increase the amount of money you can pay out to an affiliate, and that would be super awesome. That would feel a lot better too.
[00:25:14] Laura: Yeah. And it’s like paying, like instead of needing to go create this whole marketing team for your company, it’s like you get to pay, pay your affiliates to spread the word for you.
[00:25:25] Laura: Um, and of course you’re gonna support them and, and you’re gonna have cost associated with that. And. . Yeah, I, I just love it if you can’t tell . But, um, so you’re gonna wanna know, um, that you’re also going to wanna make sure that you have, you know, your tech set up, like you said, in order to get payments. Um, so you wanna be clear on what tech stack you’re using in order to make those sales.
[00:25:48] Laura: You wanna have customers coming through your funnels. You wanna have them loving your program, probably already starting to refer, uh, even before you set up the systems to optimize. Um, with [00:26:00] us and you wanna get excited about what you can do and the possibilities and wanna make sure that you can handle, you know, the volume.
[00:26:09] Laura: You know, if you have 10 partners sending, like if you got, you know, 10 partners sending one additional client your way in the next launch. So 10 additional, like, are you gonna be able to handle that on the back end? Like make sure that you are
[00:26:22] April: right. Right. Oh my gosh. What a wonderful and terrible and super scary problem if you can’t, and that happens. Yes. . It’s like, it’s like, it’s like be careful what you wish for. Um, yes. Okay, so now we have all this like prerequisites in place now. What is, you have the most amazing philosophy on actually the structure of the affiliate program and, and how to reach out to people. We kind of talked about it a little bit in the beginning.
[00:26:49] April: Talk to us about, you know, why relationships are so important to you and, and how you really want entrepreneurs to, to look at this, this network and these, this [00:27:00] beautiful depth of ongoing relat. .
[00:27:02] Laura: Yeah. So I think that you’re referring here to the relationship rings, um, which is one of our beautiful exercises we take our clients through.
[00:27:11] Laura: And for me, again, I do believe that this can, this can change the world if we pay people that we care about. Um, I love sending my affiliates including April money, uh, every month. I love getting it so much fun. Yes. , I’d much rather pay you than corporations I don’t know or care about. Uh, and so we look at it as, You know, the inner ring are the clients that have come through your circle.
[00:27:36] Laura: Um, then we go into your colleagues, people you’ve met in masterminds and such like us. And then when you go out, you start to look at those categories of people. And when we say like, oh, someone who engineer helps engineer an offer will be a great partner for somebody who creates an affiliate program.
[00:27:52] Laura: That’s true. And. Don’t want anybody listening to do because this is a surefire way to break relationships [00:28:00] is start cold pitching and hopping in those dms of like, Hey, I wanna be an affiliate. Yeah, ,
[00:28:08] April: why do we hate? I can’t put my figure on it so bad, but why do we hate that so much?
[00:28:13] Laura: It just feels so. Give something to me, right? It’s not something, it’s not a win-win. It’s not, Hey, let’s connect first on a values basis. It’s like, I don’t even know you and you want me to do something for you. It makes no sense. It feels really icky. And so our thing is like no cold pitching and like real, true, genuine relationships that feel good because the truth is, Partnerships, like let’s say that you sent 200 of those dms and we actually have had clients before working with us do this.
[00:28:49] Laura: Let’s say that you sent 200, you might hear back and get positive results from like two. Okay, great. That’s a 1% conversion rate. And if you wanna play those numbers, you could [00:29:00] totally do that. There are people that teach this, by the way, so you could play those numbers and you can. Those two people are probably not even gonna convert that well.
[00:29:09] Laura: They’re gonna send you crappy customers that you don’t wanna deal with, and it just doesn’t feel good. So not only does building genuine relationships convert better, , it’s also gonna feel better, right? Like I think people try to disassociate of like, you can either do stuff that feels good or you can make money.
[00:29:28] Laura: Mm-hmm. , and I’m like, Hmm, let’s, that’s actually the same. Like, let’s have a party and make a butt ton of money together.
[00:29:37] April: Okay, so, so what, so what do you recommend, how do you want people to really, um, move forward in this? And, and obviously this is what you guys do, um, but, you know, where, what do you recommend as far as somebody saying, okay, I really want to, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve built my signature program.
[00:29:54] April: I know, you know, I know our, our marketing process and our sales processes in place and buttoned up, and I’ve brought people [00:30:00] through what I do and, and I. created raving fans. Now I’m ready to have other people share this. Yeah. What really is that Very first, next step and call to action. .
[00:30:11] Laura: Yeah. Like you said, besides coming and working with me and taking one of our workshops, you should definitely do that.
[00:30:17] Laura: Yes, for sure. But to even get prepared to do that or to come, not even prepared, but like to come ahead of the game. Right. This is like prerequisites, but if you wanna get a step ahead before coming and working with us, I would really start making a list of dream partners. Start giving generously. Like how can you.
[00:30:36] Laura: Uh, you know, share their content, hop on coffee chats with them, you know, move their businesses forward without asking for anything in return. Like give generously, uh, and really just start to build relationships. Hey, I’m, you know, considering creating an affiliate program or interested in partnerships, like start to hop on and just start to orient yourself toward relationship building well before you need [00:31:00] it.
[00:31:00] Laura: Honestly, I would do that even. Right. You have your offer in place, like just start meeting people and networking and not in a networking, like, I need to collect all the names, but like genuine. I wanna know you, I wanna cheer your kids on like, I want to love up on you, like even 10 people. Like start doing that now and you’re gonna be so much further, uh, when you’re ready.
[00:31:24] April: You.
[00:31:24] April: That’s so good. That’s so good. And do you recommend, you know, one last question. Do you recommend people become an affiliate for the people that they, because it is, it is it, is it this feeling of like, Hey, I need you to be an affiliate for me, but then I need to be an affiliate for you? I mean, how does that actually work in the scheme of, of basically marketing and, and how we fit promoting other people’s programs into our market plan as well. Is there an expectation for that that you’ve seen or how do you recommend, um, people people approach
[00:31:57] April: that?
[00:31:58] Laura: I love this question so [00:32:00] much and I have such a different philosophy, I think than than most people talking about partnerships. And I wanna say I love reciprocity. and if I am doing something only to get something in return, that creates a really sticky, yucky energy.
[00:32:18] Laura: And that is like you’re setting yourself up for someone to be disappointed and for a relationship to be broken. I’m not. Yeah, , I am not saying don’t promote people who promote you like I would a hundred percent. I actually, as we’re talking, I was like, oh, I need to send someone, you know, April’s way and like.
[00:32:39] Laura: It’s not that I don’t promote people who promote me cuz I’m like, send everybody my way and I can’t promote you in return. It’s not that at all. It’s whoever you are going to promote. Well, and actually I also wanna separate your question out. Number one, I would definitely recommend becoming an affiliate for people that you care about and you love their programs. It’s a great way to make money. It’s a great way to learn. It’s [00:33:00] fantastic. It’s a great way to
[00:33:00] April: make friends. You guys. I have made so many friends by work I’ve been and Lauras thing of meet the coolest people. .
[00:33:08] Laura: Yeah. Mm-hmm. like you can, you can meet, yeah. All the people, you can win prizes. Like Yeah, it’s a party.
[00:33:13] Laura: It’s, you don’t have to deliver the program. Like it’s great. Yeah. Yes. Become an affiliate and never, well, I’m just gonna say it. Never do it. Only because you want them to promote your thing. Cuz again, you’re just setting yourself up for a sticky situation. Like promote people because you want to promote.
[00:33:34] Laura: And expect that they’re gonna be doing the same for you, and then you’re just energetically clean and it just feels
[00:33:41] April: good. Right. Well, and I think that, I mean, I mean, you know, this is, this is business. You know, we’re, we’re adults, you know, we’re, we’re big girls. We can talk about this, but you guys. If it doesn’t make sense for you to ethically promote somebody else’s program, not ethically meaning like it’s good or bad, but like it doesn’t fit into the, the [00:34:00] things that you talk about with your community, then, I, I don’t feel like there is a way, like when people, when I promote people’s programs, I don’t have any expectation like, oh, they’re gonna now become an affiliate for me at all.
[00:34:13] April: Because talking let’s, you know, as a business strategist, if I asked them to become an affiliate and it doesn’t fit into their content strategy and their messaging. It’s gonna be really weird, and I’m actually putting them in a, and jeopardizing their messaging and their brand. So it doesn’t mean that they still won’t send people to me.
[00:34:32] April: Kind of like one off if, if they know, oh, you know, April can really help you in this area. But I honestly, my personal opinion, I don’t have any expectations on people that, you know, I become an affiliate for them, that they’re gonna turn around and then be an affiliate for me, because I actually think it’s a case by case basis of what fits into the ecosystem.
[00:34:53] April: That each business is creating in their relationships with their audience and what, you know, might be [00:35:00] good for one, just might not necessarily be a fit. And it’s nothing personal. It’s just not necessarily a, a fit. Um, and, and I think that that is, I think I would just encourage people to, you know, be affiliates with other affiliates that are totally cool with that.
[00:35:12] April: They’re like, oh yeah, no, it totally, you know, you can promote my way, but it wouldn’t make sense for me to promote back to you because it isn’t really like what we talk. Totally fine. I mean, this is business, but again, you know, and this is aside from what we’re talking about in building an affiliate program.
[00:35:29] April: But always having like those people’s names and contact information on hand and just sending people’s like, oh, this person’s great at this. So any chance you get, just, just sharing how amazing that other person is, even if it doesn’t fit for you to promote their program is, is, is something that we always wanna do, but I just feel like it, it might not always be a fit and that’s, Right.
[00:35:51] Laura: It could be, again, it doesn’t like the, the ones that are set up where it’s like I have to send five emails and then you’re gonna send five emails. I [00:36:00] think for me, that’s where things get sticky. Um, like it’s more. Like it could be. Yeah. Like I, you know, you’re featured on a podcast here and then they become an affiliate there.
[00:36:12] Laura: It’s like, it doesn’t have to be tit for tat. Like, I’m keeping this spreadsheet score of how many leads you’ve sent and then how many I’ve sent. Like, I think that’s where people just like, yeah. Take it a little overboard on the recipes. .
[00:36:25] April: Doesn’t that sound exhausting? I mean, I can think of so many better things that we could be doing of our, with our time than, than, than tracking that Totally.
[00:36:35] April: Yeah. Okay. I’m so glad we talked about this. We weren’t even planning on talking about this. All right, . So, uh, so today on the show, we helped you guys know what you need to do to prepare to create an affiliate program. Um, that is, that’s most important, that you have your prerequisites checked off. Let’s make sure that you guys are ready to go, um, when you’re ready to work with Laura.
[00:36:56] April: Um, Laura, I’ll make we make sure of. We have all of her [00:37:00] information. If you ever lose her information, send me a DM on Instagram and I will directly send you Laura’s information, right? That’s how it works. You don’t have to join. Clicky link or something. I don’t care what goes wrong comes around. Right. And the thing is, is we just want you guys understanding that, like I think that what Laura has really done a good job leading the way in is that it’s not just about the financial structure and the benefits of affiliate programs, but it’s really about creating ecosystems of relationships with the most amazing humans that all are rallied together for a cause of leveling.
[00:37:34] April: Others towards the same goal. And I, I, I love that that’s how you lead this. I love that. You know, we didn’t spend this whole episode, you know, talking about numbers and structure and, and links and, and money and all those things because the strategy behind it, those are just the details. That’s not the actual strategy. and I love that we got, we gotta talk about that today. .
[00:37:59] Laura: Me too. [00:38:00] Thank you so much. I hope, yeah, I hope it was valuable for everybody last
[00:38:03] April: night. I’m so excited you guys are here. So good. So good. So we will make sure that you guys have links to share , Rock Your Affiliate Program. And I wasn’t even, we weren’t even gonna talk about this on the show, but let me make sure that you guys know.
[00:38:13] April: Rock Your Affiliate Program is, I can tell you this, a step-by-step process that actually Laura and her team actually give you the frameworks and swipe copies and just like, it’s amazing that walks you and your team through the process of building an incredible affiliate program from this strategy into those details and making sure you don’t mess it up.
[00:38:33] April: Okay , making sure that you don’t screw it. All your ducks are in a row. Everything’s, you know,, you know, working the way it should be. , it’s, it’s a really powerful process. And, and we obviously love referring clients over there. Laura, I know that. As we are talking about where we are in the year when this episode drops, you have a couple of workshops coming up. How would somebody find those workshops so [00:39:00] that they can, when they’re ready to move into this process with you?
[00:39:03] Laura: Yeah, for sure. So we’re gonna create a special link, so it’ll be at laurasprinkle.com/sweetlife. So you can, you know, get on the list for the workshops. You can. Come work with me and my team for free to start to put these pieces in place. And if you wanna take the next step in Rock Your Affiliate Program, we would be super happy to have you.
[00:39:24] April: They’re awesome. You guys are gonna love it. You’re gonna love it, and I love that you guys do that, um, prerequisite time for free as well, so you can get into their ecosystem and see what it’s like hanging out with them and learning from them.
[00:39:34] April: And it, it’s really a beautiful place to be. , so thank you so much for being on the show. I can’t wait to see you again in person. I think we’re gonna do that here soon. We have to do that here soon. All right. Yes, please, . Okay. All right. Well, you guys be awesome. Thanks for tuning in and we’ll talk to you next time.[00:40:00]
Leveraging AI-Powered Prompt Generators for High-Impact Content Creation – with April Beach and Bob Dietrich (Episode 280)
Summary:
At the end of this episode, you will:
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Full Show Transcript:
280
[00:00:43] April: Hi guys. Welcome to podcast episode 280 and we are diving back into talking more about AI in your business. Why are we talking about AI and business? Because we are content creators. We are experts, we are leaders, and [00:01:00] we’re all people who lead other people. That’s why you’re listening to this show, and in the process, what we do is creating teachings and training and materials to help other people elevate according to our area of expertise, right?
[00:01:12] April: However, It’s very, very time consuming to do. And historically engineering your offers, your programs, your content, has been one of the longest consuming tasks that we manage as CEOs in our company. Whether you’re still doing it yourself or you have a team that helps you create your content, it’s expensive and is time consuming.
[00:01:34] April: And so with the inception of AI into our business, we can. Become more productive and create more transformational content according to our authentic voice and genius. And so that’s why it’s so important that we are continuing to talk about this because this show is dedicated to helping you level up your business.
[00:01:54] April: And that’s why we’re bringing you more episodes on ai. Here’s what you can expect from this episode. [00:02:00] We are going to talk about how to engineer prompts, how to actually use AI correctly in a way that is going to save you time and still sound exactly the way that you need it to sound so you don’t sound like a robot.
[00:02:13] April: And we’re also talking to today’s guest about the new AI is called Unleashing AI four Business Summit. And by the way, take a second right now. Pause this and go get your free ticket. I will be a speaker at the Unleashing AI for Business Summit coming up here in May of 2023, and I’m gonna be breaking out the framework on how to use AI to engineer transformational programs.
[00:02:39] April: It’s gonna be amazing. You can get your free ticket by going to unleash AI for spelled f o r business.com/. So pauses for a sec. Go grab your ticket, sign up for that, and then come back and listen to the show. At the end of this show, you are gonna know a very [00:03:00] simple, prompt generation acronym that Bob Dietrich, our amazing guest, who is the creator of Unleashed AI for Business Summit, walks you through.
[00:03:09] April: It’s gonna save you hours and hours of creating the output you’re looking for. We’re also talking about the latest in. And Bob uncovers some really cool secret tools that I didn’t even know about that after we recorded this show, I immediately went and tested them on some of the content from this episode.
[00:03:28] April: So if you are ready for all of this, then you are in the right place. You can find all of the show notes, a link to the behind the scenes video. Bob Screen shares in this. If you are not following us on YouTube, make sure you’re following us at Sweet Life Company on YouTube where you can see the behind the scenes.
[00:03:46] April: But all of this will be available right at your hands in our show notes, which can be found by visiting sweet life co.com/podcast. Or you can just go directly to sweet life [00:04:00] podcast.com. This is episode number two 80. Let’s go ahead and dive in. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Online Business podcast.
[00:04:09] April: I am here. A new friend Bob Dietrich, and he has come into our orbit in all things ai. I’m super excited to have been introduced to him from Amy Yamada. You all heard Amy’s episodes a couple of weeks ago, and we are diving in more to AI for content creation. Bob, can you introduce yourself, let our friends know how you got into this world of everything AI over the last couple of months or maybe years. How, how long have you been diving into this?
[00:04:42] Bob: Um, you know what, how long have we all been in it and not known it? Right? Right. That’s a real question because we’ve all been in it for so long and we’ve not known it. Um, everything from our Facebook feeds to the Google searches. I mean, as soon as the internet came out, AI was pretty much invented.
[00:04:56] Bob: So, uh, so we’ve all been in it for a while. Uh, [00:05:00] but today, I mean, Now that we’re in it, now we’re more aware of what we can do and we have things like chat, g p t available. Um, but we got some really important questions like how do we get it to work properly? How do we implement it into our business? Um, I was at a party, uh, last weekend and I’m telling people about chat, G P T, like they should know.
[00:05:18] Bob: And it’s like most people don’t know. I mean, we are literally at the bottom of the upswing of the curve, uh, you know, the bell curve of, of a product’s life, right? And. Just at the beginning, it’s like the.com ages when, you know, dot coms are just about to start. So if you’re watching this, you’re just at the beginning of this huge bell curve that’s happening and it’s very exciting,
[00:05:39] April: What a remarkable actually time in, in the world to live. And I know that there are a lot of people that are scared of it. Uh, in, in our entrepreneur world that we are part of, we tend to be total go-getters. We love the newest things. We love diving into them and. Why what you’re doing is actually so cool because you have [00:06:00] created these amazing summits that are all about unleashing the power of AI for thought leaders, for entrepreneurs. Tell us a little bit about those summits that you have been hosting and, and the ones to the, in the ones that are to come.
[00:06:14] Bob: Yeah. So, um, a summit, if you’re not aware or familiar with them, is basically a group of interviews. A set of interviews anywhere from 10 to 15 to 30. I mean, even 60 interviews, depending on how about how large it is.
[00:06:27] Bob: Uh, ours tend to be about a full day, so about 16 interviews, and we bring on top experts. And our, our strategy is really, To, um, we all know that chat G P T exists. If you’re watching this, you’re probably familiar with that. The question is, how do you make it work the way you want it to and what other AR tools are out there?
[00:06:43] Bob: And so our program, our summit, is designed to bring in business owners and say, Hey, you’re using chat G P T, how are you using it to get. Information out to make your business run more efficiently, to, to reduce your cost, to increase your profits, to gain that competitive [00:07:00] advantage. Um, and also what other tools are you using that also help you, uh, excel in your business.
[00:07:06] Bob: And so it’s been remarkable because each. Person, although, hey, we’re using chat G B T, here’s how I’m using it. And your mind is blown. Just like you first used, you know, first time you saw Jet Chat G v t, it was like, wow, my mind just got blown. Well, get get ready. It’s gonna get blown again and again and again.
[00:07:21] Bob: Every time you see chat, G B T and somebody else use it in a different way, it’s just. It’s phenomenal. It’s, it’s, um, it’s the magic eight ball of the 21st century .
[00:07:30] April: It’s, it’s so funny as you say that, I’m thinking that, uh, my husband and I were talking last week and he was having, um, his bio generated and then he had his bio generated in the Voice of Yoda, and it was absolutely hysterical.
[00:07:42] April: I mean, just these funny things too that you don’t think about. And he goes, this is it. This is what I’m gonna put on my LinkedIn profile. This is it. This is what it’s gonna be. You know, so it it, like you’re saying, I mean, you just don’t even think of some of the things. I was just in a meeting prior to this with somebody who was talking about doing their whole entire task list and actually having [00:08:00] chat actually organize their order of operations of all the things they had to do in a day.
[00:08:03] April: It wasn’t even. Externally facing content. It was literally helping them organize their own thoughts and ideas to be a more productive person. So I agree with you and I can’t wait to be a part of speaking at your upcoming summit that we’re gonna be having here in a couple weeks and, and we’ll be sharing information about that as well.
[00:08:22] April: Me too. So one of the things that I’m most excited to hear about is what also tends to be stumping people, right? I’m of course, excited to learn your solution like all of our listeners are, and that is how do we actually know the correct inputs to get the right outputs for what we need? And. AI to do for us in our business.
[00:08:47] April: And you call that prompt engineering. Can you explain just first of all, high level, what is prompt engineering and why is it so important for our users to under or our listeners to understand?
[00:08:58] Bob: Sure, sure. [00:09:00] So prompt engineering, not my word, not my phrase, but I’m gonna give it to you anyway, because here’s what it means. Prompt engineer engineering basically means the creation of the prompt, the input that goes into an AI so you can get the output. Right. So that is the input, the prompt is the input, whatever you’re inputting in there. And, uh, if you input, you know, it’s kind of like the first time you, you went to computer class and you started learning about computers.
[00:09:24] Bob: It’s like garbage in, garbage out. That was like one of the first thing you learned. And so if you put garbage into the chat, cheap pt, guess what? It’s not magic. It’s not gonna spit out good stuff. It’s gonna give you garbage out, right? So you have to give it, um, the right input, the right prompt to. Pull out the stuff.
[00:09:39] Bob: When you pull out the inform information you want, when you give it the right prompt, it’ll blow your mind, right? And that, and if you don’t give it the right, uh, right prompt, uh, it’ll be a big disappointment. . Right.
[00:09:50] April: Just, just can create more content. Yeah. And I would say nobody needs more content. Right? We need a transformation or, or what is the clear outcome of what we’re looking for.
[00:09:58] April: Exactly. Uh, [00:10:00] really great to know about prompt engineering, and you actually have a very special formula that you guide people through in order to understand how to create prompts. Can you tell us a little bit about.
[00:10:12] Bob: and, yeah. And it, and it’s not a hard, fast rule, um, but it is something that, uh, that I think it, it’ll be a good guide. So let, let’s go through it. Um, I’ve created this acronym. It’s not a pretty acronym, but it’s something you can remember. and I, I like acronyms because every letter stands for something, right? And so the word is Cats Paww, right? Uh, Cats Paww. Right, right. And so Cat, if you reme can remember Cats Paww, then you can probably remember every step here.
[00:10:39] Bob: So let’s go through the, what is Cats Paww? So the first thing you wanna do when you’re generating a, a command, and probably by the way, I’ll probably get Cats Paww replaced with something cool. But for now, , I actually think
[00:10:49] April: that’s, I, I remember it already. Right. There’s nothing in the coaching space that’s called Cats Paww, so nobody’s gonna go
[00:10:55] Bob: forget that .There we go. All right. So, uh, so the first thing in the C [00:11:00] stands for command, right? You want to give it a command, like, write this or write code for this, or Correct this, or explain this or analyze this, right? So, A command, right? So C is the command. Um, a is the adjective. Write this emotional or compelling, or outrageous or thrilling or heartbreaking or whatever, right?
[00:11:19] Bob: So write this adjective, right? So ca a is for adjective, right? Um, T is for tone. . So write this adjective in the tone of, right, and this is kind of your writing voice, right? This is it, the flavor of the, of the, uh, of the conversation. So you’re gonna write an email, uh, that is compelling in the tone of, um, a casual tone or a, uh, perspective tone.
[00:11:42] Bob: Um, inter perspective or passionate tone. Or enthusiastic tone, right? So T is for tone. So it’s c a t s is for the subject. What is the subject, right? Um, write this adjective. Uh, write this emotional, enthusiastic sales letter [00:12:00] or email or subject or landing page, right? So s is for the subject. What is the subject?
[00:12:05] Bob: What are you gonna gonna have it, uh, produce, right? Um, and then you wanna say, uh, from the perspective of. Who, the customer, the product, the competitor, the ex, you know, the storyteller, uh, the advocate, the influencer. The performer. Right? Who’s, who’s it in the perspective of, right? So now we’re at the P. So let’s go to the A.
[00:12:26] Bob: So Katz, Paul A is for, uh, uh, the A and K Paul. And, uh, and then we’re saying what’s the, the ambition or the goal, right? Mm-hmm. . . And so the g the ambition or goal is to, uh, to have it sell or have it to maybe reverse the risk or make it easy to buy or make it impossible to say no or, or give it a sense of urgency or a sense of scarcity maybe, or, um, offer a guarantee or, you know, what’s the goal of the.
[00:12:56] Bob: um, of the communication of the prompt, right? [00:13:00] Um, then w and w are with and without, right? So with this person, with this thing, with this qualifier, um, or with, and or without it, without being upsetting people, or without being salesy, without being boring, or without being dull, or without being tedious or without offending people or whatever it is.
[00:13:22] Bob: Um, so that’s basically cat’s paw. So let’s go through it again. The command. The adjective, the tone, the subject, like sales letter, email, whatever, the perspective of from who, right? And the perspective of the goal, uh, like, like what do you want it to do? Make a person feel a certain way or produce a certain result. Um, and with or without something, with, with a qualifier and without being, say, salesy or boring or pushy.
[00:13:50] April: Wow. What a framework. Yeah. I see as you, as you are breaking that out. In playing with AI in, in starting to [00:14:00] use it more regularly, I absolutely see the power in your structure and I wish I had had that before I had started playing with it because I think I have spent hundreds of hours just wondering what was coming up from what I was putting in.
[00:14:14] April: So that is really incredibly powerful. What, in your experience do you find that entrepreneurs are using ai. For I, is it email marketing, social marketing article? Like what, what are the trends? I mean, I can’t even say trends. It’s also new, right? Yeah. What are the most common uses of the outputs of the content that you have seen so far?
[00:14:38] Bob: Okay, so, um, uh, I’m gonna answer that before I do I wanna say, Most business owners are not using it, right? So this is your advantage right now if you’re watching it, right? Most businesses aren’t using it. The ones that are aware of it, maybe half of ’em are using it, maybe less than that. Um, and they’re not, so they’re not using it properly.
[00:14:55] Bob: They haven’t figured it out. Some business owners are using it. So let’s talk about those people. [00:15:00] Who are you, who’s using it? How are they using it? Um, so those people who are using Chat G P T, most people are using, you know, uh, some form of it in Google and whatever, but when you really talk about, say, chat, G P T or some of the audio or video programs out there, um, they’re using Chat G P T for, you know, things like emails, things like sales letters, um, but you know what really is cool? Totally overlooked is the research. Um, do we have the ability to do screen share anything here? Um, yeah,
[00:15:30] April: absolutely. Okay. We, we love, uh, let me make sure that you have power. Yeah. Can you, can you power it up from below?
[00:15:37] Bob: I certainly
[00:15:38] April: can. Awesome. And we’ll make sure this is on YouTube for you guys. Those of you’re listening in audio, make sure that you cruise over to YouTube and we’ll put a link to that in the show notes.
[00:15:48] Bob: Okay. So I’m just gonna find the, uh, Uh, the entire screen. There we
[00:15:52] April: go. Oh, this is so cool. This is so cool. Okay.
[00:15:56] Bob: So, um, I am going to share my screen and what I wanna show you here [00:16:00] is, can you see my screen right now with chat g p t up? Yep, sure can. Okay. So I was working with somebody, uh, earlier and she was saying she wanted to create her program.
[00:16:09] Bob: She’s, uh, she’s working with. People in recovery who want something more out of life, uh, to stay sober. Like they’re, in other words, they’re sober already. They’ve gone through the process of, of being through a rehab and now they wanna get really jump into life, right. Um, and really make something outta life.
[00:16:25] Bob: So she’s doing a next level course. It’s like after you’ve conquered. Recovery, what do you do now? And so we put in something saying, uh, you know, that said, I’m working with people in recovery, want something more out of life now that they’re sober. Please write, uh, what people in recovery are most interested in.
[00:16:40] Bob: And so what it does is it puts all the information out. This is what they’re all interested in, right? These are what they’re interested in after recovery. It’s like, okay, great. So please gimme some statistics around this. Right? And so what it did was it spit out all these statistics. I just did this this morning.
[00:16:54] Bob: So this is fresh information. Um, so it says, okay, uh, 88% [00:17:00] of people, uh, reported making positive changes in their personal life since becoming sober, right? 62% uh, said that they pursued a new career. 67% said they had made new friends after becoming sober, 72% re reported spirituality or faith was improved.
[00:17:16] Bob: Um, 80% of the people reported that they had positive changes in their diet, so on and on, and. . Um, you can use this if you’re building a recovery program to show people, Hey, you guys have a very, very good chance of succeeding if the right things are in place. So now the next problem is prompt, is what are some things that will help people be successful to continue their recovery and help them, you know, to help them become successful?
[00:17:40] Bob: And so what it does is here are some things that individuals in recovery. Be successful and maintain their sobriety over the long term. So they need a strong support system. They need healthy coping mechanisms. They need a sense of purpose. They need avoiding triggers and accountability. I mean, that sounds like everybody, but especially people in [00:18:00] recovery, right?
[00:18:00] Bob: Because without some of these things, they may go back to, you know, drinking or taking drugs or alcohol or whatever. Right? So, . So this is, this is where they focus, so this is what her course should be focusing on, right? And then we said, okay, well what are the pain points they’re experiencing? Well, they’re, the pain points are cravings.
[00:18:17] Bob: Oh my gosh. Social isolations, financial and legal issues. Mental health issues, right? So mind blowing already, right? This is, and so, okay.
[00:18:26] April: Right. So keep
[00:18:26] Bob: going, keep going. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it’s like, okay, so now create an outline for a program called Next Level Recovery. That’s her program. Right? So look for it.
[00:18:34] Bob: It’s coming. It’s coming soon. It’s coming. It’s coming. And so it says, here’s the outline for your program based on everything we just talked about, right? And so it basically flows this outline, it gives you seven points to it. It’s like, you know what? We want a little bit longer, add three more modules to this outline.
[00:18:49] Bob: And so now it’s 10 modules long and it spits out 10 modules of, of. Of, of, you know, her program based on what we, what we wanted to do. Now. She said, well, I wanna start, you know, [00:19:00] nurturing my email list before I start getting out there. I said, okay, well let’s do this. Um, but this is an email, uh, by the way, uh, I, I asked that, write me an email to potential expert speakings, inviting them to speak on a summit for this.
[00:19:13] Bob: Product. So, or for this, uh, for a program about recovery. So, so we said, okay, make an announcement for this event and rewrote the announcement. And then we said, okay, write 20 subjects I can email to my audience in recovery in the next 10 weeks. You know, that would kind of, kind of get the email list warmed up a little bit.
[00:19:29] Bob: Mm-hmm. , and it gives me these 10, uh, these 20 different, um, subjects that I could be talking about. And I, and I took the first one, the power of gratitude. I said, write me a, a blog PO. A 10 point blog. , right? You have 10 benefits of the power of, of gratitude in recovery and how they can implement these principles and it produces this blog post.
[00:19:49] Bob: Now I can cut and paste this into my email and start warming up my list right away while I’m building out my program, right? And I did all this in about 10 or 20 minutes, right? And then, [00:20:00] um, and then, I mean, it goes on and on, so, so, Yeah, that’s, that’s what I wanted
[00:20:05] to
[00:20:05] April: show my mind is just absolutely blown.
[00:20:07] April: I hope you guys are watching this video. If you’re listening to the audio, make sure you also watch the video replay of this. What a, as you were saying this, cuz what I’m gonna be speaking at, on, at your summit is offer engineering and how we actually extract genius to, to create methodologies and transformational programs.
[00:20:26] April: I’m really excited to talk about that and mm-hmm. , we’ve been testing that a lot and, but what. made me think of was earlier today I was in with a group of businesses, so just kind of another use case where we are licensing their courses to corporations and our goal this morning was to come up with the sales deck and part of coming up the sales deck are coming up with statistics.
[00:20:50] April: And numbers and pain points for the organization or corporation. And that was a, a real sticking point that has always in the past required a lot [00:21:00] of exhausting research. And I never once in this whole entire morning, so now based on this, I need to go back and tell all of our clients, you need to input this into chat G P T, because exactly.
[00:21:11] April: We were struggling with coming up today is exactly what you just showed. Mind blown, absolutely
[00:21:17] Bob: amazing. And so when I say research, it’s like start from the beginning. Start from your, you know, what are you, who is it that you’re wanting to talk to? What are their pain points? What are their, their, what are they looking for?
[00:21:28] Bob: What you know, and where do you want to take? Them and what’s the name of your program? And insert all this information in, in a, in a, in kind of a, a logical chronological flow. And it’ll start to, you know, build it for you cuz it’s remembering what you just input. It’s remembering what, it just outputted based on all the information inputs that it got.
[00:21:45] Bob: And then it, it kind of builds on itself. Builds on itself, builds on itself.
[00:21:49] April: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Um mm-hmm. , I’m literally, I am speechless. And this episode is dropping right away and even eight weeks from now [00:22:00] after. , there’ll be, there’ll be so many more use cases. And so I’m excited to be here talking to you and experiencing these things and learning from you and learning from the other experts you bring in.
[00:22:12] April: And then hoping to, to spread the word on how we all can use this before we wrap up. And we’re gonna make sure you guys know how to get access to Bob’s Unleashing the Power of AI Summit. We need to make sure you guys get in there. Uh, they’re, I mean, I’m just so excited to be part of just. An incredible group of people that are spearheading this and we wanna make sure you guys are involved.
[00:22:36] April: Can you share with us what are, what are just, we always talk about chat g P two, we’ve been talking about that a lot. But what are the other hot AI tools that are, are on the rise and people are using in addition to, um, hoping to ai.
[00:22:50] Bob: Okay, so, so this is really, uh, fun to talk about because, uh, chat g p t I mean, I, I, I can tell you that, that without a doubt, somebody’s gonna [00:23:00] come up with this party game, uh, for chat G P T and you, and you just, you know, maybe you pull a card or something and then you type it into chat G P t and you know it does something, right?
[00:23:08] Bob: Yeah. And it’s Cards Against Humanity on chapter media or something like that, right? Uh, although it won’t give you any information like that. So I don’t know exactly what it’s gonna be, but if it’ll be very fun. Anyway, so, um, some of the, um, , I know the idea right there. That’s funny, right? Yeah. So, uh, some of the things that, that you’ve seen out there, that I’ve seen out there, I mean, descript is, is popular if you’re not using descript and you haven’t looked it up, D e s c r i p t descript.com.
[00:23:36] Bob: It, it is amazing. It’ll take your videos, right? It’ll pull it up into the system, it’ll cut out all the ums and ahs in, you knows, and whatever all the filler words if, if. It’ll transcribe everything. And if you didn’t like something you said, you can take it out. And if you wanna say something different because you misspoke, you said, oh, it’s on April 15th, when you meant April 27th.
[00:23:59] Bob: You can take the [00:24:00] 15th out, put the 27th in and it will change the video and it’ll change, even change your mouth a little bit. Look, you make it look like you said the 27th, right? And so, um, it is a super cool tool. For editing. Uh, it’s editing on steroids. It’s editing for a, you know, with ai. Oh my goodness.
[00:24:17] Bob: And it’s super cool. So, . Yeah, it’s, it’s makes editing a lot more fun. And that’s kind of their theme. Um, I could even show you a, a link to a video, two minute video that’ll show you what, uh, what it does. Uh, even the video’s fun. Um, there’s another tool that I really like, Otter ai. Some of you have probably used it, but, um, and I have, I’m not using it yet.
[00:24:37] Bob: This is like, I’m super excited to unwrap this. Christmas present. So Otter AI is basically a transcription tool where you put it on your computer and you, you flip it on and it’s on all the time. It’s transcribing everything, right? If I had it on right now, I’d be transcribing this, and when we’re done, I can go back and take what we just talked about and create a video on it, create a little excerpt on it, you know, whatever I want.
[00:24:59] Bob: But it’s all [00:25:00] on. It’s all recorded audio and transcription on auto ai. So that’s another tool that’s pretty cool. Um, one of my favorites though is called Video ai. Now, video ai. If I was recording this, for example, what I would do is I could take this, uh, conversation, upload it onto video ai, and what it will do is it will cut it down into like small 32nd.
[00:25:23] Bob: Reels. Now I can post those reels on Instagram and it, it, it’s already got an algorithm in there to say, Hey, what’s the, what’s the, uh, most interesting points of the conversation between April and Bob? And it’ll give me a little highlight reel and then I post it on, on Instagram and I don’t really need to do much of anything.
[00:25:40] Bob: It’ll tell to give 10 of ’em. It’ll take 10 of ’em and it’ll just post it. It won’t post it for you, but you know, you do it yourself, but still it’s creating these. , these little video clips. And, uh, it is, it is super cool. And, you know, other people talk about like synthia and these other, uh, avatar things where you can get this, you know, animated looking [00:26:00] version of you to start speaking like, uh, like you.
[00:26:03] Bob: Um, but that’s not quite there yet. And it’s kind of a little creepy and people don’t really want, that’s too comfortable with it. You know, . And so, uh, it’s like, yeah, okay. Um, it’s like the max head max headroom of, of 2023. Right?
[00:26:18] April: Oh my gosh. How funny. Remember that? You have to, you have to be a certain age to remember that.
[00:26:22] April: Yes, I remember that. Our, our listeners are of the age they remember, they remember Max Headroom. That’s so funny. Right. Um, you know, I’m gonna go to video AI after this and upload all this there, and Please do. I’m going to, and we don’t ever do this for the podcast, you guys. , but we will put these clips and then we’ll put it in the show notes of like what we came up with. Just playing with that. I totally am excited to do. Yeah. How amazing. ,
[00:26:47] Bob: yeah. Yeah, do that and send them to me. Please tag me if you put ’em on Instagram or Facebook. I would love to see those. And, um, uh, and the more you know, the more I find out, the more I’ll be sharing with you. And that’s the beauty, by the way, of these events.
[00:26:59] Bob: Unleash [00:27:00] ai for business.com. Go there. You can register now. Um, and even though the summit’s over, you can still buy the summit for 27 bucks. I mean, it’s a, it’s a deal for that. And then you. Uh, you’ll be on the list to receive the invite for the next free summit and the free one after that, and the free one after that.
[00:27:16] Bob: The more people I interview, the more applications I see. The more AI tools that come out, the better they get. I mean, by the time May tw, May 9th comes out, oh, let me tell you this. So we had it scheduled for May 9th, right? That was our original scheduled date. Mm-hmm. for a, uh, unleash ai. And this was in February.
[00:27:32] Bob: And, and things were moving so fast and so many people were coming up and saying, Hey, I got this tool, I got this tool, I got this and that. We said, we gotta do it faster. So we moved it up to April and. And it was still like, April’s like a month, you know, a month and a half away. Let’s move this up to March now.
[00:27:47] Bob: March was very ambitious and it still turned out killer. It was so good and, uh, and, and I’m kind of glad we did now that it’s over because, you know, it was a lot of work to produce it, but, um, it’s so. [00:28:00] Poignant right now, it’s so on target and it’s gonna change. And by May or yeah, by May 9th, it’ll things, some things will be different.
[00:28:07] Bob: And by August or July some things will be different, right? So it’s moving that quickly. Things are moving so fast and things are changing so fast that um, you know, you wanna get it now and, but you know, things are gonna change. The rest of the world’s gonna catch up, then you’re gonna be ahead. Ahead of the curve, you know, in front of the wave. Right, right,
[00:28:24] April: right. And I mean, and just the productivity for our team alone has just been incredible. Mm-hmm. , I’m the, the person where it, it will have taken me two hours to write an email. I’m just not naturally a writer and mm-hmm. . So some of these tools just in productivity and business are just gonna get so much faster and learning how to make it very authentic to who we are and not robotic and true to our brand voice and our, our leadership voice and our personality.
[00:28:48] April: It. Absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to be a part of your upcoming summit and speak at your summit. And I know that I’m so excited about the other speakers you have there that I can’t [00:29:00] wait to learn from as well. It’s just gonna absolutely be epic and um, thank you so much for coming on the show and yeah, I’m so glad we get.
[00:29:07] April: Get this in here while we’re talking about AI on the show, and of course unleash, unleash AI for business coming up slash April. We can get you guys that ticket signed up. And uh, Bob, thank you so much. This has been awesome. I can’t
[00:29:22] Bob: wait to much. You’re very welcome. I, I’ll see you guys all on Unleash AI four, not the number four, but f o r business.com.
[00:29:29] Bob: Sounds
[00:29:29] April: good. Thanks. Sure. What an amazing time talking to Bob. I learned so much and I already opened up some of the tools we talked about on this show to play with in order to produce this show for you guys. So here are your action items at the end of this episode. First of all, go get your free ticket.
[00:29:47] April: I would love to pour into you as I’m going to be a speaker at the Unleash AI for Business Summit coming up here. I want you to get your free ticket to that, and I’m gonna teach you how to embark on offer engineering [00:30:00] using ai. Super cool. Grab your free ticket to the next summit by visiting Unleash AI for business.
[00:30:07] April: Spelled out.com/april, and we’re gonna make sure you get that free ticket and dive into all the things Bob talked about on today’s show. Play with them. Go to the show notes@sweetlifepodcast.com slash two 80 and we’re gonna have a recap of all this, including links to all the resources Bob talked about.
[00:30:27] April: So I hope you do those two things. I hope you. Free ticket to this. This is new to me. This is new to you, but we’ve been playing with it a lot and we’re getting amazing results. Engineering transformational coaching programs and offers with the help of ai, and I can’t wait to show you that, and so I can’t wait to see you at the upcoming summit as well.
[00:30:46] April: Again, unleash AI for business.com/april. No, I don’t make money from this. I just want you to be part of it. I can’t wait to see you there. Hope you guys have an awesome day.[00:31:00]
How Web3 and NFTs Can Grow Your Coaching Business and Build Loyal Fans – with April Beach and Brain Fanzo (Episode 279)
Summary:
At the end of this episode, you will:
Listen to the episode where Brian walks through the different terms:
Listen about NFTs from the beginning:
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Full Show Transcript:
279
[00:00:44] April: Hi you guys, and welcome to episode 279 on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. All the show notes and everything we talk about can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com.
[00:00:56] April: Click on the podcast and we have a really cool show [00:01:00] in store for you today. We’re kind of wrapping. Three show series on AI and how to use these things to build and grow and scale your coaching business. If you don’t know me, I’m April Beach. I’m an online business architect and I’m an offer engineer, and I help coaches as consultants, authors, speakers, and experts scale their business online by creating million dollar programs, courses, trainings, content licensing, certifications, retreats, and VIP..
[00:01:27] April: So everything we talk about here in the show is always gonna be driven back to creating your genius creating world-class programs so that you can surpass seven figures and grow your business. Now, today’s episode is really, really cool. We’re talking with a friend of mine, Brian Fanzo. He’s been on this show before.
[00:01:46] April: All right. But we’re bringing Brian back, especially around these episodes that we’re diving in with chat, G P T and AI, because I wanted to talk about NFTs in web three for your coaching business. [00:02:00] So in this show, we dive into how you can actually. Build super fans by using NFTs. We know Web three, we’ve talked about this before and I am sure that you’ve heard about this before.
[00:02:12] April: We’ve spoken about it in the past, but in this show, Brian actually goes into the use of NFTs to grow your consulting business to. Build superfans in a community and we talk about how to engineer offers or engineer a community of followers. If you have a podcast as an example, where you can actually create superfans and give them extra access by creating a custom N F T.
[00:02:40] April: So at the end of this episode, you’re gonna have a hundred ideas. Probably way too many. I know we’re entrepreneurs. We never have a shortage of ideas, do we? Uh, you’re gonna have a hundred ideas for creating your own N F T. You’re gonna know where to start with Web 3.0 to get your feet wet. It’s really web three.
[00:02:58] April: not Web 3.0, web three, [00:03:00] to get your feet wet. Clearly, I need to be getting my feet wet a little bit more, and you are gonna know how NFTs enable your movement, your message, your people to actually join you in your mission to grow and scale your coaching business more. So all of this is coming up here with my friend Brian Fanzo on the show, and I’m so excited for you to dive in with.
[00:03:23] April: and all the show notes and everything that we talked about can be found again by visiting sweet life co.com. Click on the podcast, and this is episode number 279. All right, let’s do. All right, you guys. Well, my friend Brian is back on the show again. I think the last time he was here was about, oh gosh, like four or five years ago.
[00:03:41] April: And Brian is, is really, truly always the tip of the sword when it comes to, um, the future of work in a way that. Actually matters. And so I’m super excited to have him back on the show this week as we dive into the next gen of the podcast, talking all about NFTs and, and what [00:04:00] they mean for us as creators.
[00:04:02] April: And so first of all, I know you’re super busy and your girls are growing up and, and life is spinning. So thank you so much for hanging out with me again for a little bit here on this show. Let’s dive right in today and talk about. For those listeners that still don’t know how to wrap their head around it, actually, what is an N F T and why should they care about this in their business?
[00:04:24] Brain: Excited to be back. Uh, you know, it was great to hang out again. Um, I’ll say, you know, like, you know, a year and a half ago I had no care or interest in NFTs or cryptocurrency. It felt very Ponzi scheme ish. It felt very like Crypto bros. So I just put that out there as like, if it’s foreign or you’re kind of polarized by it.
[00:04:43] Brain: I understand I was in that same boat, uh, not too long ago. But for me, one of the things that I’ve always looked at was, How do we, how can we, you know, really grow a community where there is a shared ownership between us as either creators, entrepreneurs, authors, [00:05:00] speakers, with those that are our audience, right?
[00:05:02] Brain: The, that whole a thousand True Fan, uh, essay by, you know, Kevin Cruz, I think that’s like one that we’ve all referenced, but in a weird space digitally. We didn’t really have a way other than like maybe we were monetizing, giving them early access to something. And so NFTs to. Of course it stands for non fungible token, but in, in the bigger sense of this, it allows us to have digital ownership in, in, in things that, that are, we traditionally wouldn’t have.
[00:05:30] Brain: And, and I, most people are like, well, what does that even mean? Because. We haven’t had ownership of anything, of data or information or products or services online, but we have offline, right? Like if you own a car, you know that you own the car, you have the keys, you have the deed to the car, you, you know that it’s sitting in your, in your driveway.
[00:05:50] Brain: But if you think about it digitally, what have we, what do we even own? Like. One could even argue we don’t own our website, we don’t own our email addresses, right? Like we are technically like [00:06:00] leasing them from Google. We are, we own a domain for a certain amount of years and we’re using, you know, and so this idea of ownership, the underlying technology and the technology won’t matter in a couple years, is kind of like cell phone towers.
[00:06:14] Brain: Like we don’t care the techno, we don’t care if it’s 5g, LTE. We just want the fastest service we can get and we want it to be everywhere and not to. That’s what this all is. The blockchain is technically the, the underlying technology. But for those that are interested in NFTs, what NFTs mean to me is it’s proof of ownership online.
[00:06:34] Brain: That is, it cannot be disputed. And what, and the beauty of that is when an NF. When an NFT is created, it’s, it’s, it’s put onto the blockchain and everyone can see it, and nobody can edit it. Nobody can delete it. Nobody can. And so there’s an element of like kind of transparency and ownership online that we’ve never had before.
[00:06:55] Brain: Now the question becomes what do you do with that? How do you use them? What are do they kind of [00:07:00] represent? And I’ll just say for those that you know, you might have heard about like bored apes or crypto punks or some of these ones, like Jimmy Fallon has one and all. Those are like kind of like 1% of what the value of NFTs are.
[00:07:13] Brain: That is much more in the collectible space, but where we’re moving is community ownership, and it’s really valuable when it comes to like personal branding and that kind of space. Yeah.
[00:07:24] April: Thank you for explaining all that. And that’s a perfect transition for people to understand, cuz they do, they see those and they’re like, why, you know, why do I need to own a collectible piece of art in, what does that have to do with my course or my mastermind or my book that I’m writing?
[00:07:38] April: And, and what does that actually have to do with that is totally irrelevant. So thank you for, uh, creating that, you know, separation in that. So when we talk about community ownership, and of course every single leader. Entrepreneur, um, service-based professional, like we [00:08:00] want our people to grow as we grow, and the goal is to create this long-term journey so clients continue to grow with us.
[00:08:07] April: They continue to be a part of what we’re doing, and we can create that journey, obviously with our offers and our programs. But what you’re explaining in this kind of all hands in village, Ownership is, I don’t thi think people have really have ever thought about this if they have not already been listening to your podcast every single day, which by the way, you guys, you need to make sure that you’re tuning into Brian’s podcast, , because this is where we learn, me and my boys, we binge Brian’s podcast to learn all about this.
[00:08:40] April: But let’s talk about what, what do you mean by community ownership and, and why should we care about that as, as leaders?
[00:08:49] Brain: Well, yeah. No, I think, I mean, it’s, it’s a beautiful thing. There wasn’t really a reason to care about it previously because we kind of separated online and offline. But if you think about it, like I’ll, I’ll use the [00:09:00] reference of the car and then I’ll tie it to the Mastermind, but there, there’s a reason that the emblem of our car is on the front of the car.
[00:09:06] Brain: It says the name of the car that we own in the back, right? Like we we’re technically marketing for Mercedes, for Lexus, for Tesla. Every time we pull up. And part of that is because it’s like, Hey, we’re proud of what we own. Right. It’s a little bit of peacocking and like the, you pull in, you’re like, I’m, I’m a Jeep guy.
[00:09:22] Brain: Right. Anyone that has a Jeep. Yeah. I like, it’s like a family. Like we feel like we’re that world, but interestingly enough, The things we own digitally. Where do we like peacock? How do we show up? If someone has followed you for all these years, how do they know what masterminds you belong to? How do they know what books you’ve bought?
[00:09:40] Brain: How do they like, other than like someone coming in my house and seeing all these books in my bookshelf, there’s really no way for us to show well, who we belong to, what are the things that we’re about? And so what NFTs do in in one beautiful way, Is it turns word of mouth marketing into an actual powerful thing digitally.
[00:09:59] Brain: Because [00:10:00] I, I use this example all the time. You know, I’m part of the National Speakers Association. I will walk into rooms with, you know, at an event, 500, you know, a thousand people. I have no idea of anyone in there, is part of the National Speakers Association. I can show up in a Facebook. Engaged for a year, have no idea of anyone else in there.
[00:10:20] Brain: Is part of the National Speakers Association. Maybe they put it in their bio, maybe it’s a logo on their website. But imagine if you had a representation of that on your profile photo or in your digital wallet where I said, Hey, I’m gonna go check what April belongs to. And all of the things that you belong to are represented there.
[00:10:40] Brain: and the proof of ownership exists because, let’s face it, I don’t believe everything I read on LinkedIn, right? Like there’s a lot of people that graduated from Harvard. I don’t believe they graduated from Harvard, right? , because how? How do we prove that they did? Like you literally just put in the years and the thing in the LinkedIn, like we don’t have to submit something, but imagine, and this is where we’re going.[00:11:00]
[00:11:00] Brain: When we, in, let’s just say three to five years, every single thing, every time we, we, we finish, uh, a training. Every time. Let’s say you finish your master’s degree, you’re gonna get an N F T into your wallet that says, on this date, this person, we verify. And the beautiful thing about that is it’s on the blockchain.
[00:11:19] Brain: Nobody can edit it. It shows that this university gave it to you in your wallet. And so now like proof of experience, proof of what we’re doing. And that’s gonna go into things like an author, right? Like we’ve seen, you know, people that make claims. Like I’m a, you know, ti you know, I’m a New York Times bestselling author.
[00:11:37] Brain: Like how do we even prove that, right? Like, I mean like right. You know, if someone does pretty good content marketing, you can pretty much make all the Google results. Say that I’m the bestselling author, but imagine if when you became a New York Times bestselling author, they gave you an N F T that represented and proved that you did that.
[00:11:55] Brain: That’s where we’re moving this. And so the things that we’re hearing right now, a lot of it’s collectibles, a [00:12:00] lot of it is like this kind of investment strategy, but where we’re moving that matters for the audience is that if you. Good person doing good things, and you want to have proof of all of the good things you’ve done.
[00:12:12] Brain: NFTs and the blockchain are gonna make that possible.
[00:12:16] April: Oh my gosh. As an entrepreneur, I have a, now, based on what you just said, I have a hundred different NFTs. I wanna create for our people. Yeah. Uh, this, this is, and again, you know, we actually as a team have been talking about this for a long time when we took our break on the podcast, is that, you know, there’s these people that are like these sweet.
[00:12:37] April: Business engineers that we would love to identify who they are that have been listening to this show forever, because they believe in what they’re doing and in our relationship with them and helping them do that. And so, uh, of course, I know our listeners now have so many ideas. They’re like, oh, I, I wanna create this for my really cool, you know, retreat that I’m doing to identify the people that are gonna go in there, go there.[00:13:00]
[00:13:00] April: First of all, I’ve, I have a million questions, but I think the first two most important questions are where does somebody display their NFTs? Like it, do they get, obviously they get something to put on their website, because you’re right, we’re trained to go to the website and look at their bio page, but like, where, where do we put them to display?
[00:13:21] April: Where could I go to check out your, like what you own and, and what identifies you as a person?
[00:13:29] Brain: Yeah, so like, and this is, you know, this is where one of those things like the technology’s kind of keeping up with us as we go, and you know, just for context as well, like, you know, Starbucks just announced that they’re moving their entire reward system.
[00:13:40] Brain: They, they’ve added on an N F T component. They call ’em, they call ’em digital stamps. Those are NFTs. Um, on Instagram, they’re calling ’em digital collectibles at the moment, so I can post my digital collectible on, actually, if you go to my Instagram account, my last three posts, two of them are actually NFTs that are verified.
[00:13:59] Brain: So you can click [00:14:00] on the photo, it’ll pop up and tell you what the photo is. But if you say, I wanna more information, you’ll click a button and it’s gonna open up a marketplace that’s called open. And so right now open c.io is the most popular marketplace. But I want you to think of opens. See, kind of like Amazon, where Amazon doesn’t really own any of the products that we, we go to Amazon for.
[00:14:23] Brain: They’re owned, they’re somewhere else, but it’s like kind of like that display dashboard front door. But the ownership component is a tied to what we are, what is referred to as a digital wallet. And this is where right now on like I, I tell people a lot of times, I want you thinking about the use cases and thinking about the value and start building, okay, how do we, how do we get this to our audience?
[00:14:45] Brain: What, who are the people that we would want to create? But some of the technology is still a little bit hard. The barrier to e entry is a little high because there’s this wallet that you know that it most people know. The wallet’s called Meta Mask is the name of the wallet that is most. [00:15:00] But the thing about meta mask wallet is that like I could, I could technically send you to a, a, a portfolio landing page and you could see everything that is in my meta mask, but it would feel very like disconnected cuz you would see like a picture of a monkey.
[00:15:15] Brain: You’d see some of my own art. You’d see art that I’ve bought. From like a collector. And so where we’re moving is that we are going to be able to display these in a more transparent way. And some of the tech is coming, like right now, like even Instagram, when I open Instagram to post my digital collectible, it says Connect your wallet.
[00:15:34] Brain: I collect that, it, it opens up a pop-up and says, do you wanna authenticate like your wallet to Instagram? Which is what I’m doing technically in that, like posting there to Instagram. But that’s where things get a little bit overwhelming because it’s like, well, how do I see someone else’s? How do I, you know, get some on my own?
[00:15:51] Brain: And then I, I know the question that comes afterwards is like, well, how do I create my own NFTs? Right? Like, now I wanna, I wanna create like that, that same piece. And [00:16:00] the beauty of it. There’s lots of different options and ways to do it. Just recently, just this week, Reddit, which is, you know, Reddit is one of the largest social communities in the world.
[00:16:11] Brain: They just rolled out NFTs over the last three months that they deal it all natively in the Reddit platform. So if you’re a Reddit user, you could click on your avatar and say, I wanna create a digital collect. That represents me and they would actually allow you to buy it. You could buy it with us dollars, you know, and they were ranging from like 15 to a hundred dollars.
[00:16:31] Brain: Now it feels weird cuz you’re like, wait, why am I buying my avatar? But we also have to remember our kids are buying Roblox skins and, you know, halo, uh, avatars and I mean, everything Yeah. In this world is very digital skin. Like, and I will just tell anyone, once you do it, once you’re kind of. Oh, I kind of like that I get to purchase and own something that represents me, right?
[00:16:55] Brain: Because like if someone went to my Twitter account route right now, you’ll see that like my [00:17:00] Twitter account is a, is a, my photo is an octagon, not a circle. The reason that is, is because I’ve verified that what I’m displaying is an N F T that I own. And so it’s actually built into Twitter as well right now.
[00:17:13] Brain: But I think the bigger picture of this is where we’re going is eventually digital wallet. Will be the new single sign on for everything. So rather than saying, do you wanna log in with your email, your Facebook, or your Gmail, what it’ll say is, do you wanna log in with your Facebook, your email, or your digital wallet?
[00:17:31] Brain: And what the beauty of that digital wallet is, which is different than Facebook, different than Google is, I own the wallet. No one has the keys to it. Now here’s the downside of. I, if I lose the password, I lose access to my wallet cuz I, I own it, right? There’s no like, there’s no digital place that I can call up and say, can you reset my password?
[00:17:52] Brain: It’s like I am the owner of it. And so we’re moving toward the, the framework of this is called decentralization, but we’re not there and like, [00:18:00] That’s where I think everyone can get very overwhelmed. I, I’m not like a crypto, like massive crypto fan. Like I look at cryptocurrencies as kinda like investing, like kind of stock market investing.
[00:18:09] Brain: But I don’t look at crypto in the same way that I look at NFTs for entrepreneurs. So for those that are thinking about this, I always say, like, my number one tagline is, I got lots of taglines. That’s kinda what we do. But, um, the, the one that I always say is, you wanna be a collector. Before you’re a creator, and that’s very hard for someone that preaches, press the damn button.
[00:18:28] Brain: Like I, I will promise you, once you buy your first N F T and like Starbucks is rolling it out here in the United States over the next two months, all of a sudden you’re gonna be like, oh, I can buy this in Starbucks. It’s gonna give me a discount, and I’m also gonna have a chance to be sent. To Peru on this exclusive, you know, expedition to share how Starbucks does their copy process.
[00:18:50] Brain: Like that’s how they’re kind of doing it. So we’re seeing the onboarding coming in lots of different ways. But yeah, it’s a very, um, the tech, the tech simplifying the technology is where [00:19:00] we’re at right now in this onboarding, you know, kind of N F T world.
[00:19:04] April: That explains so much. Um, can you share a little bit about your process in going through, in creating your A D H D coin?
[00:19:13] April: Can you talk a little bit about like the learning curve that you went through? Um, share with everybody what that coin is and you know, the. How you came to decide that that was what you wanted to do, and really just H how did you actually do that? I know we don’t have a ton of time, but kind of high level so people at least understand it’s like we don’t know what we don’t know, and so I think that would be really helpful.
[00:19:35] Brain: Yeah, so there’s so NFTs. Technically, if you think about it this way, it’s a token that has a piece of art that is the front door, like the demonstration of it, right? So if you think about that non fungible token, well, there’s also tokens that are creator coins that allow you to create your own economy.
[00:19:52] Brain: And so I was actually looking at Patreon. I’m a huge fan of Patreon. Love what Patreon can represent. I’m a big fan of like Mighty [00:20:00] Networks and a lot of these, uh, you know, really nice, uh, communities that we can build the problem, become. When you’re monetizing or you’re creating some kind of, you know, uh, economy there, you’re attached to the platform, right?
[00:20:12] Brain: So like, if you’re building on Patreon, someone’s, it’s a subscription model. Well, goes back to my first comment on like, I wanna reward my super fans and I don’t want it to be just pay to play. And so in the, what I created, uh, a little over, uh, 19 months ago, 20 months ago, was a crater coin. Now I will tell you, I was gonna launch on Patreon and someone presented this option of a coin and I was like, I’ll try it.
[00:20:36] Brain: I’ll, I’ll sure, I’ll, I’ll see if that works. Um, it took me eight months of trying it to figure out like what the hell this whole thing is, but what is beautiful about it? Different than what? Like a traditional subscription model is, is I have a coin that is backed by a 16 z, one of the largest venture capital companies in the world.
[00:20:56] Brain: And what the beauty of that is, it allows people to [00:21:00] buy and sell coin. Kind of like, if you think about it, it’s investing in, in the community that I am building, but you don’t actually have to buy or sell to, to benefit from it. So here’s the examples that I would use is, If you engage in our discord, which is where our community hangs out, or if you listen to our podcast, I will often give away coins and, and reward people for saying, Hey, what anyone that clicks on this link, you’re gonna get five d h ADHD coins.
[00:21:28] Brain: Now, A D H D just happens to be the name that I use. The coin could be named anything. But what works out really neat on this is that there are people in my community that have spent $0. On my coin, but they’ve been actively engaged supporting me and they’ve, they’ve been rewarded with coin and they’ve been able to get to a certain level of coin and based on what they’re holding, it unlocks certain things.
[00:21:53] Brain: So, and this is where it’s like a real big difference between subscription and non-subscription is that you don’t send me the coin. [00:22:00] To partake in the things that you get. So one of the examples is, uh, every Friday I do a co a call for those that hold 93 coin or more. 93 happen to be my hockey number. So I just use that as the benchmark.
[00:22:12] Brain: And the beauty of it is I have people that join that call. They have spent $0. On the coin, but they’ve been active in my commuting. I have others that joined the call that found out about it a week ago, and they said, Brian, um, I wanna get on that call, but I don’t, I’m not gonna spend months going in your discord.
[00:22:29] Brain: I don’t got time for that. I’m like, okay, well, you can buy 93 coins. Now, the beauty of it is all you have to do is hold them. You don’t send them to me as a, as the entrepreneur, as the creator. Now you might be saying, well, well Brian, how do, how do you get rewarded? Like, how do I benefit from that? Well, I hold.
[00:22:46] Brain: Over 50% of the coin. And the more people that hold the coin, the more the coin’s value goes up. Now, on top of the fact that I can transact in it, actually anyone can transact in it. So I had someone in my community that said, [00:23:00] Hey, I just brought some brand new LeBron James sneakers and I would love to trade them for a D H D coin because I wanna join that call.
[00:23:09] Brain: But I don’t have a financial means. Well, they happen to be my size, but it could have been anyone. And I said, okay, I will send you a certain amount of a D H D coin. He sent me those sneakers. He’s now able to participate on the call and join. And the beauty of it is if he no longer wants to be a part of my community, he can actually sell those coins and move forward.
[00:23:30] Brain: And so, like unlike what you know, like I, I think of it like from like a gym membership or even like your favorite online course, we’ve all bought online courses. We we’re about 30% complete and we’re like, you know what? I no longer need this, or I’ve changed, or I, my life is gone. The, the hardest part of that is you kind of felt like it’s a waste, right?
[00:23:48] Brain: Like I bought it, it’s over, but what if you owned one of those limited seats or a certain amount of coin? Got you. That access, well, now there’s like that ownership exchange, which is that same ownership that exists in aee, [00:24:00] so the crater coins is, I would. There’s a few, there’s not many of us that have it.
[00:24:04] Brain: Uh, one of the better use cases out there is Joe Peli, who’s kind of known as the godfather of content marketing. Um, he does it to where if you, if you share his newsletter, he’ll give you $20 of the coin for every person that signs up. And then if you have a hundred of his coin, You get free merchandise and you get access to an exclusive chat that he replies to on a regular basis.
[00:24:28] Brain: For him, he’s using it as affiliate marketing, uh, play, but rather than just giving someone dollars that they can go spend somewhere, he’s giving them like investment into his brand, the tilt coin. And so those are like, to me, the tilt coin. It’s probably the best use case other than myself and, and Joe and I have worked together on kind of building our arenas, but these are the things that are moving forward.
[00:24:48] Brain: And if it sounds a little foreign and complex, it is, but we are moving to a world where much like Patreon or membership sites seem very foreign for many years. Eventually [00:25:00] it’ll become the native piece that says, you know what? I wanna, I wanna be a part of the Sweet Life community. I wanna hold the sweet life coin and I want to, I wanna invest in what we’re building as a whole.
[00:25:10] Brain: And the beauty of it for us as entrepreneurs is you don’t need thousands and thousands and thousands of people. It’s really just your core group of people that are allowing you, kind of explore and grow from, you know, your coin. That is so
[00:25:21] April: fascinating and I, uh, great examples. Thank you for putting them in a way that helps for us to understand.
[00:25:27] April: And I know that immediately our, our listeners are going, okay, well what do I currently have? What value am I creating? How well am I doing, bringing in community? Uh, and it’s really a good almost. Check for how we are as businesses saying are, are we continuing to create things that are community driven?
[00:25:46] April: Are we, you know, crowdsourcing type of things that we’re doing? Are we caring about those people that did buy that course and that didn’t finish it? Cuz 98% of people don’t finish ’em anymore. And, you know, are we actually caring about [00:26:00] what’s happening with our content and making sure that our content and our teachings are, are actually being immersed into the world in a way where other people can.
[00:26:09] April: Participate in it. Thank you for sharing your experience in this. And I also, I mean, that is exactly what you were saying. So it’s important, it’s important for our listeners to know that immediately people are like, oh my gosh, I wanna create my own thing. Right? But I don’t hold any coin. And I was even confused when you were saying, because I, like, I have my Coinbase wallet where like my, my Bitcoin and you know, my Ethereum and stuff is, but that’s not even what we’re talking about here.
[00:26:35] April: Right. And so, So many different, I think that a glossary. Um, do you have a glossary of terms ?
[00:26:42] Brain: I I have a podcast. One of the, one of the episodes that’s super popular is it’s 41 terms of web three that everyone should know. And I literally go through all 41 terms. There’s, there’s a YouTube video on it as well.
[00:26:52] Brain: I’ll send you the link so you can put it, uh, in the show notes for anyone that wants cuz it trust me. Okay. The terms are as just as Confus like I worked in the government [00:27:00] and everything has an acronym and was confusing in terms and when I got in this space, I was. What is like, I was like, I need a wallet.
[00:27:06] Brain: And then what’s the difference between a coin and a crypto and is it exchange the same thing as a, it, it, it blew my mind. So I did an entire episode, uh, you know, and I’ll give you that link so you guys can share that out as well.
[00:27:18] April: Okay. For sure. So we’re gonna share that one, and then I’m also gonna share your very first, your very first, you know, n F T 365 podcast episode that you dropped.
[00:27:26] April: I mean, li I, Sam, my youngest and I listened to it all the way, driving down from the mountains and we kept like hitting pause and then rewinding it and we’re like, wait, wait, wait. Let me hear that again. Let me hear it again. And by the time we got down the mountain, we totally understood the importance of our brand identity.
[00:27:42] April: In these NFTs and it was, it was so cool and it was just so, it was just such a great way to understand and wrap our head around it. So yes, the glossary one, we’ll make sure all of you guys have it in the show notes. And just if you aren’t really sure where to start, then just start at the beginning and just go with Brian and [00:28:00] grow with Brian.
[00:28:01] April: Um, thank you so, so, so much. And is that the best place for people to connect with you and follow what you’re doing here because you truly are a thought leader in this space. So how is the
[00:28:10] Brain: best way. Twitter is like my, you know, my favorite. I’m active everywhere. So literally wherever your favorite platform is, they can find me.
[00:28:16] Brain: Um, but, you know, I did, I have done a daily podcast now, 300 and today’s date, 346. So 346 days in a row out, missing a day. But that’s a lot of content, right? And so I always tell people, you know, starting at the beginning, I’ve purposely made it evergreen. I purpose. It’s not news heavy, it’s not crypto bro heavy.
[00:28:33] Brain: It’s not like my goal is to t. What is going on? And so, you know, start at the beginning and then you can kind of pick and choose, like kind of going through the, the titles of the episodes. The podcast is in every platform. We also do it if you’re not like a, uh, if you wanna like learn with some visual represe.
[00:28:50] Brain: Representation. Uh, we also have the YouTube, uh, as well that I do a video. Some of them I put like, you know, video with like, you know, a lot of instruction on the screen. Others, I just kind of [00:29:00] try to talk through things at, at, at that level. But yeah. Uh, NFT 365 is the, is the podcast and we’re counting down, we’re almost to a a year.
[00:29:08] Brain: Uh, and that’s where the 365 came from is, uh, I. I blindly thought, well, what if I did a daily show and I didn’t think I could do it? But now we’re close to the finish line and, uh, I kind of proving myself wrong, but yeah, NFT 365 is the best place for sure.
[00:29:21] April: Are you gonna stop on 360 6? So are you gonna take a day
[00:29:25] Brain: off?
[00:29:25] Brain: Off?
[00:29:25] Brain: Off
[00:29:26] Brain: So there will be an episode on day 360 6, but I, I am not continuing every day. The, the podcast will continue. We’ll have a couple episodes a week, kind of as we move into season two. Um, but yeah, I can never do, uh, it, it’s the, it’s the craziest, most exciting, most overwhelming, most sacrifice I’ve ever had to do for any content.
[00:29:45] Brain: But, um, great. I, yeah, I’m very glad that, uh, season one will be coming to our finale Very.
[00:29:51] April: Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure. I’m sure you did. You did more than what I’ve done in five years and in a year. It’s crazy. And I needed a year off from that. [00:30:00] Right. So I can only imagine. Thank you so much for creating all that though, because that’s where I learn and that, I mean, that’s where all of us learn is you forging the way and making it in a way that’s easier for us to understand.
[00:30:10] April: Because you came from this space too. Like you have the ability to explain it to, you know, the, the knowledge, the. Economy as well and being in, you know, the, the, the, also like the government background and the speaker and the millennial stuff and you just have the ability to just bring it all the, be together and explain it in a way that actually makes sense to us.
[00:30:30] April: And I appreciate you so much for that. Thank you so much for being back here on the show and we will be following along and tapping into all of your faucet of wisdom more and more. Thank you. I appreciate you.
How To Personalize ChatGPT AI To Create Authentic Content To Grow Your Coaching Business – with April Beach and Amy Yamada (Episode 278)
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Full Show Transcript:
278
[00:00:45] April: Hi you guys. Welcome to episode number 278 here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, founder of the Sweet Life Company, host here on this. Sweetlife podcast, and we are known for delivering business trainings and coaching that you would [00:01:00] pay thousands for if you went to buy them somewhere else. If you and I have never met before, I’m an online business architect and an offer engineer, and I help experts, coaches, consultants, authors, and speakers scale your business past a million dollars by creating million dollar programs, courses, training programs, retreats, as well as content licensing and certification programs for high profit, deep impact lifestyle freedom.
[00:01:26] April: So if you’re ready to level up your business and build your next level of your offer ecosystem and your million dollar genius programs, you are in the right place. And this episode is brought to you by our complete online guide. Two engineering million dollar online offers.
[00:01:44] April: You can download the guide completely free by texting the word guide to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0, or simply by going to [00:02:00] sweetlifeco.com/onlinebusinessguide. Welcome to the show. This is part two. Like, I’m gonna whisper . We had an amazing episode last week with our guest, and so frankly, if you’re here and you’re dropping in and you didn’t listen to episode number 277, you should actually take a second and go listen to that because last week. On the show, we dove into all of the foundational very important things that coaches and consultants and service-based providers should know about using Chat G P T to scale your systems and create authentic content.
[00:02:36] April: This part two, and I’m so excited about having our guest, Amy Yamada back here on the show. If you do not know Amy, she’s a seasons business coach who empowers established coaches to grow their business in a way that is fully aligned with their authenticity and their desired lifestyle. And she has been doing this for 11 years.
[00:02:58] April: What makes Amy so [00:03:00] special besides all the other things that she does, is she has, she has this model, okay, you’re going to hear about this today. She has a method, a proven method. You know, we talk about creating proven methods all the time. Here on the podcast. Amy has one, and her proven method helps coaches and consultants really develop a brand of authentic.
[00:03:20] April: That that is lives its fullest, right? What is interesting, what we’re talking about here in the show is she is turned that framework of hers into using artificial intelligence, which frankly, you and I both know, we don’t have to say it here. That’s one of our concerns about AI is how do you make it authentic?
[00:03:39] April: How do you make it unique to you? How do you keep it in your voice? And those are all of the things that we are talking about here on today. So I’m gonna stop talking so we can get right to Amy. Again, thank you so much for being here. This is one of those great episodes we would really, really love for you to share.
[00:03:56] April: We don’t have any advertising on here. I have refused advertisers for six [00:04:00] years on this show, frankly, cuz they annoy me when I’m listening to podcasts. But we really rely on you guys to up arrow and share this episode on LinkedIn and Instagram. Please tag Amy, tag me and use the hashtag Sweet Life podcast because this show. Is a game changer and it would really mean a lot to us if you took a second to share it. Okay, we’re gonna dive in episode number 278 with Amy Yamada. All about getting started in setting up chat G P T to be your authentic voice. Let’s dive in.
[00:04:34] April: All right, you guys, we are back for part two. This is episode number 278. I wrote down 288 on my notes, so sorry if I confuse you guys in the last episode, but this is episode number 278 with my friend Amy Yamada, who is a ushering us into the world of AI content creation and using, uh, Chat GPT. And listen, guys, frankly, I’m so new to this, I [00:05:00] was calling it chat like G B T for at least three weeks, and one of my kids had to correct me.
[00:05:05] April: So, um, if you’re like me and you are as new to this as I am, then you’re definitely in the right place. If you missed last week, All right, so last week’s show we talked with Amy about what is this tool, um, special use cases right now for coaches, consultants, and service-based experts, what to be ready for, uh, the importance of, of, as Amy says, bringing.
[00:05:30] April: Um, the human voice into AI, but, so we do want you to go back and listen to last week’s show, but we’re just gonna do a little catch up here and I want my friend, Amy to introduce herself again and share with you about what we’re diving into here on this show. Yeah.
[00:05:45] Amy: Thank you for having me back for this second episode. I’m super excited about today’s episode. Um, uh, as I mentioned last time, I’ve been a business coach for the past 11 years and my, the core elements of what I’ve taught over the last 11 years have been all. Your authentic [00:06:00] voice, deep connection, and really having a message that is from your heart to your ideal client’s heart.
[00:06:05] Amy: So I’m just all about the human element of being a, uh, of being a coach, a mentor and expert influencer. And what, cause I would notice that even when humans were writing their own copy or creating their own content, I would look at it, I’m like, wait, like you’re not connecting deeply enough. So I always love to bring in this deep connection element, like bring in who you are.
[00:06:23] Amy: So when AI came to be what it is today with all the rage on Chat G P T. I initially was resistant to it. I’m like, this is artificial, right? It’s like this little robot that has no heart about, hold on. What if I was open to this technology and brought in everything that I’ve been teaching for the last 11 years, and bring in the messaging, the authenticity, the humanizing elements into this tool, and my mind was literally blown over and over and over again, and still is to this day.
[00:06:52] Amy: So I am taking a stand. Ironically, humanizing ai, bringing in our authentic voice and knowing how to use this tool so [00:07:00] that we’re optimizing the input. And for those of you haven’t used it yet, don’t worry, you’ll get there in order to get the most quality output from the tool. So I’m excited to dive in today.
[00:07:10] April: Uh, I’m excited too. So, and, and this is so important because. Of be besides the obvious, uh, a use case for me is when, uh, the very first time I tried to use it, before I started learning from you, I think I plugged in something like write me, uh, an article on licensing content. Right. And it, I mean the, the quality, the information in there was good.
[00:07:31] April: But it would never be in a voice I used. And I thought, I, I said, my people would immediately know that that was never me that wrote that. I would never say it that way. It, this is absolutely not gonna work. And so I stopped and I was like, I’m not using this thing, this thing that’s never gonna work for me because it’s clearly actually not me.
[00:07:48] April: And, and then you came along and, and you were talking about No, no, no. I’m gonna actually show you how to use it and have it really truly become your authentic voice. And that’s what we’re diving [00:08:00] into to today. Yes. Which I’m so excited about . So you know, which is also why, you know, my kids can’t use it to write their school papers cuz they’re teachers would be like you.
[00:08:09] April: I know you don’t know that word. You really don’t know that word, right? , you know, so, so let’s go ahead. Let’s talk about what we’re gonna talk about today. Today. It’s super exciting. We’re talking about getting started with chat G P T in the way that Amy helps you humanize it and make it sound like you.
[00:08:28] April: And by the way, before we get started, you all listen to me here. Look at me. If you’re watching this video. Pause this for a second and go download the guide. Okay. So if you haven’t yet downloaded Amy’s ultimate Guide to Chat GPT, you’re gonna want it because it’s gonna be important to combine what we’re learning about today with that guide, and it’s just gonna explode your results with this.
[00:08:50] April: So you can text ChatGPT to 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0 or you guys can go to [00:09:00] where the show notes are for the show@sweetlifepodcast.com slash 278, and you can download it right there. And it’s, believe me, it’s worth your time to pause us and then come back to us. So let’s imagine you just did that. All right, carry on, Amy. Let’s talk about W what are, how do we get started with this? You know where you’re in there and you’re looking at this prompt. I, it’s just like, and I, you know, it’s kind of this blank, what do I do now?
[00:09:24] Amy: And that’s, that’s, that’s how I initially used it. I think that’s how most people initially used it. They put in some like, quick prompt and then what it, what it creates is like not us at all, and truly sounds like a robot because it is. And, uh, and so one, once I got really deep into this, I, I really thought about, okay, how can we make sure that it sounds like us? And so, just like anything in life, what you get out of it is truly what you put into it.
[00:09:51] Amy: It’s a reflection, it’s a direct re reflection. And so ultimately, uh, I designed what I call the Heart speech model. And that’s all [00:10:00] outlined in the ultimate guide to Chat GPT for online coaches, which all of you now have access to. And um, and so I’m not gonna go into the all of it cuz we would need like a full day, but I’m gonna give you the highlight reel of what I consider the most important elements, uh, three elements that I’m gonna go through. So,
[00:10:14] April: yeah, and it is important. So if you guys, if please, if you have the guide, make sure you have it handy. Otherwise, just pause and take notes while Amy’s taking you through this, because this is, this is direct implementation. Yes.
[00:10:26] Amy: Yes. So, so the the, what we really wanna do is have ChatGPT get to know you. Okay. And you know what’s funny? When, when you were talking about even having a hard time, like saying Chat GPT or saying it, Uh, when I was doing a little voice transcription, I said it so quickly that the way it was transcribed was Chachi Petite . So ever since then, my community and I have nicknamed Chat GPT, Chachi
[00:10:53] April: That’s why I’ve heard you say that. I like why they come up with it. That’s awesome.
[00:10:57] Amy: Yeah. And so now I think of ch actually, [00:11:00] I, I think there’s like a deeper meaning. I would say there’s a deep meaning to. I’m like, oh, maybe I, it accidentally happened that way so I could already humanize this thing. So it has a name, right?
[00:11:09] Amy: And so I like to lovely call it Chachi. And I imagine this cute little robot that sits on my desk and it’s like, and it has a little heart. It’s so cute. So Chachi, so hear me say Chachi. It’s ChatGPT, it’s the same thing. Um, so the first thing we wanna do is have Chachi get to know you. And one way that it can get to know you is to have interview.
[00:11:28] Amy: So there is a section of the guide that’s called the bio generator where it’s going to write your bio and there’s a specific prompt in the guide where you are telling Chat GPT, Chachi, that you are an expert interviewer. I don’t have it in front of me, but it’s basically saying interview. Interview me with one question at a time about my business until you have enough information to write a Forbes profile on me like a Forbes level profile.
[00:11:55] April: Yeah. So you’re basically sitting there telling Chachi that he or [00:12:00] she or it or whatever you all want your Chachi to be. Yep. Um, is, is is an expert interviewer. Yep. And then asking him to interview you. That’s right. Or to interview you. Fascinating.
[00:12:11] Amy: Exactly. Mm-hmm. , and think of it this way, if you were to work with a human copywriter, for example, right? Yeah. If you, if I said to a co, like if I say I had a copywriter, Her name was Lisa, and I said, okay, Lisa, you’re my new copywriter. Um, I have a workshop coming up. Write some copy about it. I’ll see you later. She’d be like, hold up, . Right, right. Like, I don’t know you. Right. So a great copywriter would sit down with me like at least initially to interview me, get to know me, get to know my voice, my tone, my style, my point of view.
[00:12:41] Amy: What, who am I, what’s my story, right? She would get to know me. And then she’d wanna know more specifically about the workshop and what is it about, what are we, what are the benefits to the audience? Who is the audience, right? So all these elements like you, you can also do with with Chachi. So the first thing I, I would have it do is just go to the bio generator [00:13:00] section.
[00:13:00] Amy: You’ll see the exact prompt that you can then put into chat G P T, so it can interview one question at a time and you just answer it. You don’t have to be the nice thing, okay? The nice thing is you do not need to be polished in your. It is not here to judge you. It’s here to support you. So just be messy with it, right?
[00:13:17] Amy: Just answer the questions to your best of your ability, and then as soon as it has, usually it’s like seven questions or so that you answer, and then it’s, I’ll say, thank you for answering my questions. Um, here is your bio, and boom, it’ll write a bio based on your answers to it. Now, the bio itself may not be in your voice, and that’s.
[00:13:36] Amy: It’s just one element for chat PT to get to know you. It might be a little bit more too, like too formal or bland or whatever, but it will have like the essence of like who you are, what you’re about, how you got to be in business, right? So that’s, that’s one of the steps for chat PT to get to know you, have it, interview you.
[00:13:53] April: Mm. Okay. So, and, and I was always wondering why you led with that first, cuz I’ve heard you say that [00:14:00] before and now it completely makes sense. Mm-hmm. , so the tool itself remembers the user. So let’s talk about that a little bit and about how that works for people that might not be familiar with that.
[00:14:11] Amy: Yeah, totally. So, um, well it, it remembers you. If you’re using the same chat, so this will make sense for those of you who are using it. And if you have it, just you know how it is. Like anything else, it’s once you start playing with it, you’ll get to know it better. But on the left column, you’ll start to see, anytime you start a new chat, it’ll create its own title of that chat.
[00:14:32] Amy: So if you have put your bio in a chat, then it’ll remember you. Otherwise, I would say save it, like copy and paste it into another document. We actually have created a tool called the Prompt Generator. There’s one section of it, one tab of it, that’s called personalized, and it’s where you create what I call your authenticity assets.
[00:14:50] Amy: So your bio, your VO here are the four assets. Your bio, your voice, which is your writing style. Mm-hmm. , your target audience, and then your products, [00:15:00] which could be whether they’re free offers or paid offers. So once, once you save these different elements that I call your authenticity assets. Now we’ve also added this, the heart speech to that section as well.
[00:15:11] Amy: I’ll get into that. But now you’ve got this, this great place. Whether or not you have the prompt generator, it’s not the point. But if you have one document that you paste, like copy and paste from, Chat GPT into this document that has starting off with your bio, then you can bring it into any prompt that you do when needed.
[00:15:28] April: Wow. Wow. And so it’s already there in the way you’ve set this up, the way you’re guiding like a self, like I said, myself and my team to go through this and, and guys we’re learning at this, and I’m nowhere as far a advance in, into this as I wish that I was at the recording of this. Um, usually when we drop this, I will be though promising you and promising me, um, that we will be further into this practice.
[00:15:49] April: Okay? So that fir the bio generator is really important. So once we have the bio generator and you have. Set up then you talked about, uh, [00:16:00] finding the, the writing style, like finding that actual writing style that is ours. What, what does that look like? What’s that step two?
[00:16:07] Amy: Yeah, totally. So that, that section is called, uh, finding your Voice, which is identifying your writing style. So this is where, again, in the guide, there’s a specific prompt. and what you’re gonna tell Chachi, again, you’re, you’re telling Chachi who it is, right? Saying, okay, you are an expert writing style analyzer. Right? And then, and then you can tell it using the sample below. Describe my writing style, something like that, right?
[00:16:33] Amy: And so what you do is you put in this prompt and then you, you copy and paste something you’ve written that sounds like you, right? So whether it’s an email, a blog, a social media post, something that you’ve written that sounds like you. So you put in this, this prompt plus. This writing sample, and then you push enter, and then it’ll, it’ll then re respond to you saying your writing style is, uh, has enthusiasm and, and is very personable and you use, it writes a little paragraph [00:17:00] that summarizes your writing style based on what you’ve shared.
[00:17:04] Amy: Got it. Fabulous. It’s been fabulous. Like it’s plus don’t we all like learning about ourselves, it’s kinda like, right, what’s my horoscope today? Right? It’s like, you know, like, you know when you see those little quizzes on
[00:17:13] April: like, I was gonna say, that’s we’re all addicted to the Facebook quizzes.
[00:17:16] Amy: Click bait
[00:17:17] April: wait, what friend’s character am I?
[00:17:20] Amy: Exactly right.
[00:17:22] April: This is so cool. I mean, come on you guys, this is so cool. And, and let me remind you when she says in the. That’s the guide that she’s giving you for free with this episode, . So let see how important it is for you to have that, um, at least have access to it. And then you can listen to this episode again with the guide by your side.
[00:17:40] April: Uh, so very, very important. Okay? So it knows. Who we are. Yeah. It knows our, our bio at this point. Yeah. It knows what our, our writing style that, that authentic voice. Uh, so that, you know, I, I won’t put out content that my audience knows. Certainly did not come from me. Right. And then what is that third [00:18:00] important step that you wanna bring us through today? Yeah. To help our listeners get set up.
[00:18:03] Amy: Yeah. This is my favorite part, . Selfishly, it’s the heart speech, so, This to me is the juice. This is my secret sauce that I’m so excited to share with. , which is to truly bring your heart into Chat GPT. And the way that that I came up with this was something that I’ve done with my clients for years, which is when whenever I’d say, well, tell me what it is that you do, they would give me their like elevator pitch version that was so bland and not their heart, right?
[00:18:35] Amy: And so I’d say, okay, let’s just set aside marketing and messaging and sales and scale. Let’s just set aside all that stuff. And from one human to another, I would take them through an exercise and close your eyes. drop into your heart, like really connected on an intimate level and think about what do you really wanna say about this topic?
[00:18:54] Amy: If your, if your soul could speak, if your, the deepest part of your being could speak and share your point of [00:19:00] view about this topic. What do you really wanna say without editing yourself? And I mean, there have been moments when I, myself, have been brought to tears to hear what someone’s true, authentic voice is.
[00:19:12] Amy: And so now the way we brought it into AI ChatGPT is. Transcribing your voice. Now there are extensions you can use online, but just to keep it super simple, I just have used either the notes section on my phone or Otter, you know, the app Otter that transcribes what you say. And so I just always recommend, I’m like, just connect in like, and it can feel in so what you’re by yourself, whatever connecting like.
[00:19:36] Amy: Just say like, start recording. What I really wanna say is, and just go there and think about what’s a topic that is relevant to what you’re doing. So for example, with me, I’m speaking into humanizing AI authenticity, deep connection ChatGPT. So I can easily go there, right? Drop in. Like, you know what I really wanna say is I am such a stand for your authentic voice and being who you are and bringing your [00:20:00] gift into the world and the way to use this tool.
[00:20:02] Amy: And I go on and on, right? And say my truth without editing myself. Then you’ve got the transcription copy and paste it into Chat GPT and then give it ano a prompt of what you want it to do with it. Right? So I can say, write a social media post about my upcoming workshop using my voice. That
[00:20:22] April: is that to me, and it remembers that. Like, I mean, this is mind blowing. Okay. . I don’t, I wanna make sure our listeners picked up on something. Yeah. This is Amy’s method. This is her Heart Speech Method. This is her proprietary method that she’s used with her clients for years. Yeah. To go deeper, to have them step into the leadership that they have in their spaces.
[00:20:43] April: So what she’s taught, and she has figured out how to put this into ChatGPT guys, this is, this is not something she just came up with. This is something that’s proven. That has been used in coaching and consulting businesses that has catapulted businesses that you know Amy is [00:21:00] known for, and she has now created that framework to bring into this, which is exactly what all of us want, which is exactly what all of us need in order to actually keep using it and or even try to use it because there is that fear.
[00:21:16] April: Of us being, you know, like thinking that’s, everybody knows it’s not gonna be me or I don’t really wanna fall into AI. I love, I love writing my own stuff. Well, you are. Yeah. And I just, I see. I just, this is so powerful. So. Let me understand this because I haven’t gotten this far yet, admittedly. Yep. In your, in your, in your program. That, that I’m super excited to be in. So when I do this, when I insert this, it actually saves that like as a file, like my authentic voice is how does that, what’s the text side of it? Yes. Help me understand this.
[00:21:50] Amy: Yes. So the tech side of it is, it, it will save it in a chat that you’ve already done. So you can pull up an old chat that has it. What I [00:22:00] recommend is to also have it in a separate document outside of Chat G P T. So again, in our program we have the prompt generator and we have a tab for it. But even if you don’t have the program, you can just have a Google doc, have some doc right where you save it just so you have one place you’re not having to dig through.
[00:22:16] Amy: I’m sure as it evolves you’ll be able to just do a quick search for it and the, you know, and I know there’s other AI platforms, Jasper and whatnot, but for now, to keep it simple, I would say just have another doc that you. These elements also, uh, I know we’re, we’re focusing on these three, but there’s of course the ideal client avatar.
[00:22:33] Amy: You know, so you’re identifying that as well. But once you have your authenticity assets saved, then you can pull it into a new chat, pull whatever part of your authenticity assets into a new chat and just, and then tell it what you want it to do for you. Yep. Oh, I can’t hear you. Are you muted for
[00:22:50] April: a second? Yes. Uhhuh. . Yeah, I was. I was, my dogs were barking. Oh my God, this is great. Uh, my little chihuahua, he wants to do, he wants to do chat. I wonder what his voice would be.[00:23:00]
[00:23:03] Amy: at this, this AI round table that I was at recently, there has been ai, like these people are like, again, these are genius. There is AI that has, has been able to understand the language of bees and bats. What, so what, what’s doing is it’s because there’s patterns that they notice in the language. Like, so for bees, for example, I was like, are you kidding me right now? That sounds fake, but he’s like, no. They notice the patterns and what, what bees often say to each other are stop or shush.
[00:23:37] April: That is, yes.
[00:23:38] Amy: Bizarre. And then with bats, bats have, um, baby talk, like when they’re talking to the baby bat and they have names for each other. I was like, this, this has to be like, I’m pretty gullible. But like, no, cuz it’s, and it makes sense. It’s noticing patterns. And the renewable conversation about whales and patterns with the whale community..
[00:23:54] April: I, I know I was thinking dolphins, dolphin. I can’t wait to understand. You know, I, I think there might be some of that already. I mean, this [00:24:00] is, this is amazing. Well, my chihuahua is saying that I want treats, or you have to get off this podcast cuz I have to go outside and go. Totally is saying right now, just keeping it real here.
[00:24:12] April: Uh, so this, this is, this is just mind blowing. I mean, the whole entire idea. Um, as, as a content creator for me, I, I love creating content, but I’m not fast at it. It’s never been something that has been speedy for me. I can’t just sit down and, you know, type out some stuff unless I’m really in flow state and I really have something to say and I’m really fired up about it.
[00:24:38] April: Right. It, it’s not very common, but yet content like here on the show and everything that we do is. Is the centerpiece of what we do as a company. And so being able to learn how to use this tool to create it authentically for, for my voice and for what our clients really connect with. And then our, [00:25:00] our established area of expertise is I can’t wait.
[00:25:02] April: Uh, and I know that our listeners can’t either, and that’s why they are here listening to this episode. Um, so let’s talk about next steps. If you guys haven’t downloaded the tool, make sure that you do that. Again you can text Chat GPT to 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0. You can go to the show notes for this episode at sweetlifepodcast.com/278, and you also can go to Amy’s website because I think it’s really important.
[00:25:34] April: One thing that we know is that, frankly, what we’re talking about here on this show, uh, Is going to change drastically in the next couple of months. So I want you guys to be following along with Amy. So as we continue to evolve into this and there’s more use cases and mu you know, more streamlined processes, I know Amy and her team are gonna be on top of that. So how can, uh, how can people follow you and make [00:26:00] sure they’re connecting with you? Yeah,
[00:26:01] Amy: so just very simply, just go to amyyamada.com. and every social media platform that I’m on is just my name. So if you just look me up at Amy Yamada on your favorite platform, it’s likely that I’m there . So, perfect. There’s anything that I dunno about, but . Yeah.
[00:26:14] April: So perfect. Uh, and then I will also say, you know, I, I invested my team and I invested in Amy into her program to, to help us utilize this and we’ll make sure. The, the links to actually join Amy in her programs to accelerate your teams. It’s really what it is.
[00:26:30] April: It’s an acceleration into this in the most wonderful way. Um, we’ll be in our show notes as well and we’ll make sure that that information is provided for you guys too, and certainly an investment that I was really excited to make. So, I think it, I think it’s good for all of us. Amy, thank you so much for being on the show.
[00:26:45] April: If you’re watching on YouTube, she has this beautiful Puget Sound Ocean behind her.
[00:26:51] Amy: It’s actually a nice day, day in Seattle. So ,
[00:26:53] April: it’s a beautiful day in Seattle. Yeah, I know. It’s . It’s probably rare. This it [00:27:00]
[00:27:00] Amy: Sunshine .
[00:27:02] April: All right. Well you guys, thank you for hanging out. Please share this episode with your friends. Um, tag Amy in this. If you share this, make sure you tag Amy. You can use the hashtag Suite Life podcast to expand the reach of this as well. And we really appreciate your help getting this information out. Have a great day. Thank you so much.
Getting Started with ChatGPT AI To Scale Your Coaching Business- with April Beach and Amy Yamada (Episode 277)
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Full Show Transcript:
277
[00:00:45] April: Hi everybody. Welcome to episode number 277. This is the Next Generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, and you are in the right place if you’re interested in knowing how to use AI to create content and scale your [00:01:00] business. This particular episode is brought to you by the Ultimate Guide to Building Million Dollar Online offers, which is a huge 20 page guide that downloads every single online offer and how to customize it for your business to scale your business in profit past a million dollars. It’s an amazing tool. If you have not grabbed it yet, go to sweetlifeco.com/onlinebusinessguide, or you can simply text the word guide to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0 and download this incredible tool. If you’re new here to the show. We don’t have any commercials. We dive right into the business training and the coaching that we have delivered here for now six years, and we are very, very glad that you are here. I’m April Beach. I’m the founder of the Sweet Life Company.
[00:01:50] April: I’ve been a business coach and strategist for 27 years, and I am an offer engineer and a business architect, which means I help coaches, consultants, expert [00:02:00] speakers, and authors, scale their business by creating million dollar programs, courses, trainings, license programs, certification programs, and an offer ecosystem that gives you the life that you want. If you’d like to apply to work with us, you can do so by visiting sweet life co.com.
[00:02:18] April: Okay, let’s dive into what you can expect from today’s show. So we’re talking all about ChatGPT let me give you a little behind the scenes. I’ve heard about this from my kids. You know, maybe you heard about from your kids too. That really wanted to use ChatGPT for school and then of course that was just, just nix right away as technically it should be. But you may have heard about using chat G P T or Jasper or another chat tool for a while and you know it’s coming, but you don’t actually know how to dive into it or what to do with it.
[00:02:51] April: Well, that was a place that I was at. And finally, about a month ago, I dove in with our guest today, Amy Yamada. You are gonna absolutely love [00:03:00] her, and started exploring the world of AI. So in this episode, we are opening up to the, the beginnings of this. So we wanna make sure we’re having a great foundational entry point.
[00:03:11] April: In this show, it’s an excellent episode for those of you guys who have an established business and you’re scaling. Okay? So we want to streamline your systems. You’re, you’re good at what you do, you’re a coach, you’re a consultant. You’re already very good at what you do, and we wanna utilize AI tools to help streamline your systems.
[00:03:27] April: This episode is for you. We’re gonna dive into what chat G P T is, use cases for chat, G P T. And even the futures. I asked Amy about the futures and what we need to be ready for as an industry. We, in this show, at the end of this show, you are going to understand how you can use it in your business. You are going to definitely know whether or not now is the time for you to dive into using Chat GPT in your business, and you’re gonna hear some really powerful use cases on how other coaches and [00:04:00] consultants are using this.
[00:04:02] April: If you don’t know Amy, she is absolutely a gem. She’s been a business coach for 11 years, as you’ll hear in her gold that she brings, is teaching entrepreneurs how to find their authentic voice. And so that’s why this is so special when we’re talking about using artificial intelligence with finding your authentic voice because n nobody actually could teach this, I think, as well as Amy, because that’s really her mission. And you also get to hear about that here. Uh, with years of experience in the industry and a reputation for excellence, Amy is a highly sought after coach known for her ability to help our clients achieve their fullest potential and live the life that they truly desire.
[00:04:41] April: And so all of the show notes can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com.277, including. And let me pause here. This is not like a hiccup in the recording, including the tool, the actual ultimate guide for using [00:05:00] chat GPT that Amy is giving you with this episode. And frankly, you need to grab it to utilize these, this episode
[00:05:08] April: I usually don’t tell you guys what to do. Uh, I usually say, oh, and it’s your choice, you know, but if you’re gonna take the time to invest and listen to this episode, uh, and in future episodes on this, You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t download this guide, so that can be found in the show notes by visiting sweet life code.com/ 2 77, and let’s go ahead and dive in with Amy right now.
[00:05:31] April: All right, you guys, I’m so glad that you’re here with us. This is episode number 277. And my friend Amy Yamada, is here and we are diving into probably the hottest topic. Actually, I was just telling Amy before we started recording that we literally moved around our content calendar here for this podcast so that we could talk to Amy about what we’re talking about here on this show.
[00:05:55] April: So it’s really, really important. We’re so glad you guys are here joining [00:06:00] us today. So, Amy, You and I, we actually met joining a mastermind. I think we actually joined a mastermind at the same time, in the same month. A couple years ago. Yeah. But since then I’ve been paying attention and I’ve been following everything you’re doing and you’re leading with the one and only Chat G P T. Welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast. We’re so glad that you’re here. Tell everybody a little bit about yourself, your business, what you do, and then we’re gonna dive into this very, very hot topic.
[00:06:28] Amy: Yeah, definitely. Thanks for having me. And you know, it’s so funny. Had we been talking just a few months ago, I would not be talking about Chat GPT. Right. Like I, this wasn’t even right. I mean, I, of course, I’d been hearing about AI, AI’s coming, the future’s coming, and I was just, you know, doing my own thing with my business, coaching business and, uh, really focusing on, on helping entrepreneurs, primarily coaches, established coaches and, and, uh, scaling their businesses and focusing on VIP days, lifestyle experiences, destination retreats, cuz I love all that in-person, deeply connected [00:07:00] stuff, right?
[00:07:00] Amy: It just lights me up and um, and then here comes AI. And, and I was looking at it, I was like, wow. My, honestly, my initial, uh, feeling was resistance, right? I was like, I don’t know about this thing, because even AI right, artificial right artificial intelligence, like this feels fake and I’m all about authenticity and being real.
[00:07:18] Amy: And so I was like, I don’t know about this. And I, I started to play with it and I just was like, ah, like this isn’t really doing it for me. But then I thought, okay, I’m gonna be open to. And I’m gonna bring in all of my, my passion around messaging, deep connection and really being your authentic self with everything you do and see how I can use it with this tool.
[00:07:35] Amy: And everything changed. So , so I’ve been, uh, doing this, you know, business coaching for the last 11 years. I wouldn’t change it for anything. I love speaking and coaching and. And really at the end of the day, I love connecting with awesome people, finding out what their true gift is and making sure they’re getting it out into the world and, and having fun with, with it along the way. So…
[00:07:54] April: uh, well, I think that’s so important that you said that because, and you’re, and you’re so good at what you do, [00:08:00] and then, that is why, that actually is one of the reasons why it makes you the perfect person to talk about and actually teach AI and AI content creation because you are known for helping people find their authentic voice.
[00:08:14] April: And then you do exactly like I said, and then you look at something that is, that is artificial, uh, you know, software out there that is frankly, smart enough that it passed the bar exam for heaven’s sakes, you know, . Um, and, and, and how, and how do, how do we do that? How do we make it ours. And you know, a bigger question, which we probably should not dive into first, cuz it’ll just crash the whole entire episode.
[00:08:36] April: But the bigger question is, is how do we differentiate between now you know, businesses that actually are established are expert businesses and those that aren’t. That are tapping into ChatGPT in other sort of software to create content that they frankly, actually aren’t even qualified to teach themselves.
[00:08:54] April: There’s a whole, there’s a lot of ethical things around that. I mean, see what I mean? I’m like, we can crash this whole entire episode right now, [00:09:00] just going down that road. But let, let’s kind of talk about the basics. Let’s do an introduction to ChatGPT um, talk to us about like, first of all, explain to our audience. What is this thing?
[00:09:11] Amy: What is it? Yeah, what is it? Uh, the, the, the, the most simplified version I can say is that it is a tool , like, just think of it as this emerging revolutionary technology. It is a tool that you can use in your business, in your life to streamline and simplify things. So technically it’s a, a type of artificial intelligence, you know, AI system.
[00:09:35] Amy: Uh, if you look up the definition, you’ll see things like it’s a language model. What does this mean? So the, the way that I like to think of it is, This is a tool that all of us have access to. There still is a free version now. There’s a paid version for $20 a month. And it is, it is the wave of the future. I mean, it really is. And it’s here and it’s now, and I haven’t seen something as revolutionary as this since the invention [00:10:00] of our cell phones and then smartphones. Right. And before that, the internet. So it’s not some flash in the pan like buzzword, you know, that’s just like here temporarily. Like there will be early adopters and there’ll be late adopters and there might be someone like my friend’s dad who just decided I’m never getting a cell phone.
[00:10:16] Amy: Right. , that’s very rare. . Right, right. Just like refused. Yeah. So anyway, but my point is, This is something that I, I truly can already see how it is changing the world, and it’s not here to overwhelm you. It’s a tool, just like the internet was probably overwhelming. I mean, it’s so hard, hard to remember what it was like without it, but I, I am dating myself, of course.
[00:10:37] Amy: Right? I, I’ve been here. I remember. Yeah, I remember. I remember when email, when I first had an email, like I was in college and I was like, what is this email thing? Like, what? Right. , it’s just one another, another tool that we all have access to. And it’s incredible that now can do so much for you. And it’s beyond like using Google, right? It’s, it’s beyond that. So it’s, [00:11:00] it’s an AI tool that is designed to understand and generate or, and to understand, generate natural language. And then we’ll get into what that means. Yeah, yeah,
[00:11:08] April: yeah. Okay. So a absolutely, and, and I agree with that. And, you know, we actually own multiple businesses and we do a, we do a lot with AI and, um, data kind of farming in, in one of our other companies. And it was really interesting because when I mentioned this to my kids in college and my kids on high school, they’re like, just a couple months ago, like you, they’re like, oh, yeah, yeah, we know about that. We’re not allowed to use that. It’s really, it’s really what they. Um, but it, it is interesting. I mean, these, these things have been slowly merging.
[00:11:39] April: AI has been slowly coming, well, I can’t say slowly, it’s probably really fast, but, uh, you know, people like me have just really come to notice it. Um, and, and it is this wave that has definitely dropped into. Um, especially the coaching and consulting space. Just this week since we booked this show and Amy’s coming in to [00:12:00] work with our clients next week, you guys, and our intensive, I’m so excited about this, but since, since we actually plan this show, you know, I saw something, Kajabi has an AI thing and Discord has an AI thing, and you know, there’s all these, there’s all these things that are, that are happening, and so I’m like, okay.
[00:12:16] April: I need to understand this. My team needs to understand us. We’re actually in one of your programs right now learning how to understand this. Mm-hmm. , but it is something that, you’re right, it is here to stay and it’s going to change the way that we do business. Mm-hmm. and change the way that we create content. So let’s actually go to that. Um, how, how are people using this tool? What, what are a couple of the, the use cases for ChatGPT
[00:12:40] Amy: Yeah. Great question. One way that people are using it, especially in the coaching and consulting world, is for content creation. So think email, copywriting, social media posts, um, it can create like an outline of your workshop or if you wanna create a workbook for your workshop or worksheets for your workshop.
[00:12:56] Amy: So it’s, it’s content creation. So [00:13:00] imagine going in, like, I know there’s people that are tuning in that have been using it, some that haven’t. So whether you’ve been using it or not using it, it’s all good. Just imagine being able to go onto a web page. And to type in and say, you know, I am a business coach and my ideal clients are established coaches, consultant, speakers, experts, and I am teaching them ChatGPT..
[00:13:20] Amy: Uh, create an outline of a workshop that is about how to use ChatGPT to sound like your authentic voice. And boom, within seconds it will create a workshop outline that I can use and I can, of course, I can give it more in the initial prompt of what I want. So it’s, it’s more authentically me, but what it has access to is 175 billion parameters a database.
[00:13:45] Amy: Billion with a B, right? 175 billion. And it’s, I mean, just imagine how, how resourceful this tool is to be able to bring in like what is going to be best for you and your ideal client for the outline of this workshop. Now [00:14:00] you can of course use and not use whatever you decide cuz I’m, the piece that is missing is authenticity, right?
[00:14:06] Amy: The emotional right human element of it. And that’s where I come in with my heart speech model. But just imagine being able to use this tool if you haven’t used it yet, and say, Hey, I want this thing. And within seconds it creates it for you. Or then say, oh, now I would like for you to write a promotional email or a series of promotional emails for me leading up to this workshop.
[00:14:24] Amy: Boom, it’ll create it for you. And then you give, if you give it more specifics in your prompts, it’ll be more aligned with your authentic voice. The, the, the list goes on. Blogs, people have used it even to write books. Um, it won’t write a book immediately for you, but it will, you know, if you say write a table of contents on this topic, it can do that. So there’s, it just is endless. But these are some initial ways that they can use it when it comes to content creation.
[00:14:49] April: Yeah. Yeah. And again, I was just, um, getting ready to dive into something that Angela Laurie was doing about chat with book writing. Yeah. And I just wanna immerse myself in all of this. I [00:15:00] mean, because exactly like you said, and especially those of us that have been creating programs and trainings for decades, there are, these things took us months.
[00:15:09] April: I mean, they’ve taken us forever to actually generate content. As a matter of fact, I just heard a statistic that it takes. I wanna, I’m sure I’m gonna butcher it, but it, you’ll get the point. It’s like 36 hours of work to generate. 20 minutes of teaching in a slide. You know, for, for us in the past it was just a statistic.
[00:15:33] April: This, this company dropped it. Uh, and, and I was thinking, oh my gosh, this, but not anymore. Not anymore. This is, this is not the, not anymore. This is actually, this is actually not the case anymore. So, um, it’s certainly. , of course, my interest level being an offer engineer is it’s going to streamline the way that we’re teaching the world to engineer transformational offers and programs.
[00:15:53] April: And so I’m very interested in, in, in hearing more about this and obviously diving in with your leadership and, and [00:16:00] having my team dive in as well, so, Now let’s talk about what do you think that those are amazing use cases. I’m sure everybody already is like, oh my gosh, how, how do I actually do this? How do I, and we’re gonna tell you guys how you can start with Amy and she has this amazing ultimate guide to get started that we’re gonna share with you guys.
[00:16:17] April: So, um, what do you think that we. as entrepreneurs, as content creators, as thought leaders, what do you think we need to be ready for in the future? Now that we have AI tools like this? Yeah. Coming in and helping us, but maybe there is some little bit of competition with that as well.
[00:16:36] April: For
[00:16:36] Amy: sure. Just the sheer volume of content that’s going to be shared is going to to grow. I don’t have the statistics in front of me. Because people will have access to the efficiency and resourcefulness of this tool and be able to write content with within seconds, um, and repurpose it there. I mean, there’s so much you can do. So the volume of content is going to be [00:17:00] significantly increased to what it is now.
[00:17:02] Amy: And recently I was, um, sitting at a, a round table, intimate circle of round table. Like people who are, who’ve been deep in AI way longer than I have. I mean, these, these men, I was the only woman there by the way. That was an interesting thing. I was like, yes, women in tech. Right? And so, but I was like, I can sit at this table.
[00:17:19] Amy: And the thing that one of them shared was that, um, there is this statistic that says that in the near future, 90% of content that is out there will be AI generat. And so of course that can bring up something for all of us. Yeah. It’s like, well, what does that mean? And it, from my point of view, I, I know that there will be these elements that are like this content that is completely generated by ai.
[00:17:44] Amy: And, and the, the, the negative side can be about uh, whether like there might be people that become fake experts. You know? Like I remember having a client of mine who just for fun, she tested, couldn’t write a book for me on this type of medical procedure. And she’s not even in the [00:18:00] medical world, but she was curious about right.
[00:18:01] Amy: A friend that was dealing with this health issue. and she had to write a table of content. She’s like, okay, now tell me more about chapter one and chapter two and chapter. And sure enough, ul ultimately, kinda like what Angela, Laurie, I’m sure is speaking to, but with integrity, right? , um, it was able to like spit out ultimately a book that if my client Nancy decided, Hey, I’m gonna call myself Dr. Nancy, right? So there may be some, you know, some fake experts out there because, and it’s not that the content isn’t real, but who it’s coming from is not. There, there’s gonna be some of there. I’m sure there’ll be some of that. Um, and also like from my heart, the part that hurts my heart is that the piece that is most valuable from my point of view is the human being element.
[00:18:43] Amy: So I am personally taking a sand for ironically, Humanizing AI and bringing in your authentic voice into it. I’ve been teaching authenticity and your authentic voice for over a decade, with your message, with your marketing, like being who you actually are, especially in the coaching and consulting [00:19:00] industry. Um, so that it we’re in a relationship based industry. So what’s most important Relationship? It’s trust, it’s honesty, it’s love, it’s compassion. Being real. And so this is the piece that I’m like, I want to help as many people that also care about authenticity to bring this into it. So, uh, so it is the, the world is changing.
[00:19:21] Amy: I mean, not just in our industry, like truly the world. I mean, even, even like, Um, speeches are being written by AI, right? There’s, there’s so much, right? So it is something to, to keep an eye on, but I, I think that, you know, we’re standing for the good guys, right? The good guys who are gonna bring the authentic voice into it. They’re not saying, oh, the robots are taking over. It’s like, no. It’s a tool that we get to use just like we use the internet. So,
[00:19:42] April: yeah. And, and I’m just taking notes as you’re saying this and, and humanizing AI and. That’s exactly why I wanted you on the show, and that’s exactly why I’m following your lead in this. And, and I’ve paid to have my team and, you know, learn how to use this. Yeah. And so this actually brings me [00:20:00] to, um, something else that I didn’t prepare you, I was gonna ask you, but That’s okay. Uh, but I, but I’m, but I’m sure you can answer it, or at least as, as much as you can project yet.
[00:20:11] April: We talk about scaling companies, right? But you and I both do that. We teach coaches and consultants how to scale and a lot, a big part of that is our systems, our internal systems, our marketing systems. How do you see the activity and the roles within our internal teams changing? What roles have you had to like pivot some of your people to saying, Hey, listen. You know, chat, G p T is creating this for us. Yeah. And now we need to, you know, turn it into actual worksheets. It could be design or go back and, you know, plug it into our, our newsletter systems and our email marketing. How have you kind of had to rotate your team a little bit? Yeah. Frankly, to. I, I just feel like corral all this amazing content.
[00:20:53] April: Yeah. And then we, in our company, we call it our content quarterback. Our quarterback takes our content [00:21:00] and, and she literally quarterbacks it out, right? Yeah. Like this goes to this, this goes to this, this goes to this. This is an event and this is a video. Right? And it’s a very important part of what we do. How have you seen your own team kind of changing in their activity in order to, to try to harness and, and frankly just get a grip on all of that? Could be, yeah.
[00:21:19] Amy: Well, I like, I, you know, I’m, I’m, I’m very much glass half full , you know, kind of perspective. It’s like we can be that much more efficient with what we’re doing and so we can move faster and make a bigger difference. And I love. Um, now, uh, I’ll, I’ll do just a slight tangent in that, something that just as a, as a growing scaling entrepreneur myself with a team, something I learned over time was that, um, when it comes to managing money, you know, it’s, it’s about contract labor and I will just be vulnerable here. I learned over time that my contract labor percentage was too high for the size of business that I had.
[00:21:54] Amy: So I had already started looking at that last year, reassessing my team, who I love and seeing [00:22:00] like what, what is it that I need to do to truly like lean out the team? So I just wanna share that because I know that, again, we’re about all about being real. Um, right. And then with chat, G P T and AI, it, you know, I know that there’s a also a fear around like AI is replacing jobs.
[00:22:15] Amy: In some ways it is, you know, it can replace some jobs, but for those who are in fear of it, why not see the opportunity in it? So, for example, right, um, copywriters like I, as I started posting about chat, GPT, I literally have had copywriters messaging me like, Amy, you’re killing me. Right? Like, like, I’m like, I’m just one person.
[00:22:33] Amy: Chat C PT is gonna be there whether I talk about it or not, but their fear has been this tool is taking over my job. And the way I like I respond to ’em is like, this is your time. Why? Mm-hmm. , because you can leverage this. So when it comes to team members, I would say to any team, anyone who is a team member, I would say leverage it and go to the person that you’re contracting for or working for and saying, Hey, I know we, this ChatGPT AI thing has become a [00:23:00] big deal.
[00:23:01] Amy: I can see where you might think my job is replaceable. Here’s how I’m going to even bring more value to you because I know how to use it and to create a higher level of efficiency with what I do. So there’s just, yeah, these different ways to look at it, to use it.
[00:23:14] April: Um, absolutely.
[00:23:16] Amy: And uh, and really to me it’s like we can work so much faster. Create more time for other things. I mean, it’s, it’s just incredible what it can do.
[00:23:25] April: Right. And I mean, we’re entrepreneurs, we’re gonna fill that time. It’s not like we, we create a chasm of time and we’re like, oh, all this time now we’re just gonna sit here , we’re gonna figure out something else to create and do with that time. For sure.
[00:23:37] Amy: You know? Totally. Not like on vacation now, but, but I, but I love what I do, you know what I mean? Like, Isn’t this life about like finding what you love to do, whatever that is and just being mm-hmm. creating a life where you can just do it all the time. Like, why not? So I hear you. Absolutely. That’s so true. A
[00:23:54] April: a absolutely yes. Like for me, I just travel more with my kids, you know? Just add on another month, you [00:24:00] know? I mean that, because that’s what we do, right? So it’s incredible. Alright, you guys. Okay. , Amy, first of all, well, we have a surprise for you guys. We’re actually recording two episodes here, so this is episode number 278.
[00:24:15] April: Next week is episode number 279, and everything that we’re gonna be talking around here is going to be utilizing Amy’s ultimate guide to chat, G P t that she’s totally giving you for free, and it shouldn’t be free by the. With this show. Okay, so here, here’s one of the implementation steps. You guys know we always do implementation at the end of every show.
[00:24:40] April: Go to the show notes on this page and you guys download it. And the shortcut, as you all know, to find the show notes is sweet life podcast.com/our episode number 2 77. Or you guys can text Chat G P T to 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 [00:25:00] 8 8 0 and we’re gonna include Amy’s link where you can just download this ultimate guide.
[00:25:05] April: So that is job number. If you’re serious about this, okay? Even if it’s the only thing you do, even if you don’t share this episode, which we want you to, and you should cuz it’s amazing. Um, but you, you have to go download this because next week we are going to be, and Amy and I are right now, y’all know how this works.
[00:25:22] April: You get to hear next week Amy’s going to be. Walking you through how to get started with chat, g p t, how to humanize this AI to sound like you. And it’s amazing what she’s gonna be bringing you through, but you, you really need to have the download tool for it to even, even make it more worthwhile, um, in the meantime.
[00:25:42] April: So you guys all go grab that again. It’s episode 2 77, suite life podcast.com/ 2 77. Or you can text it like we said. Um, in the meantime. I really would love for people to follow what you’re doing, hang out with you, whether it’s Instagram, LinkedIn, and, and [00:26:00] please let Amy know you heard this episode so that she can connect with you even more here as well.
[00:26:05] April: How can people connect with you to go deeper like we have as a company?
[00:26:09] Amy: Yeah, and keep it so simple. Just go to amy yamada.com. Just go to my website and, uh, and of course, you know, when you receive the ultimate guide to chat G b t for online coaches, um, you will then receive emails from me. You can unsubscribe at any time.
[00:26:24] Amy: Um, and then if you wanna look me up online, everything is under my name. So just use my name for Facebook and . Instagram, I don’t really use Twitter, but I do have a Twitter around, you know, LinkedIn. Everything is under my name, so I kept it really simple. Okay.
[00:26:38] April: Super cool. All right. Thank you so much. I can’t wait for part two.
[00:26:42] April: Sorry you guys, you have to wait till next week. But, but go grab the guide and uh, and, and we’re gonna dive in further. Um, but you don’t, you don’t have to wait until next week to connect with Amy, so. Alright. Thank you so much and, uh, let’s, let’s do it again. Seafood.[00:27:00]
(Becoming Known) The In Person Networking System To Grow Your Online Business – with Elizabeth McFadden (Episode 276)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Summary:
At the end of this episode you will:
Novella Brandhouse – https://www.youtube.com/@novellabrandhouse5934
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
276
(Becoming Known) The Secret Framework To Build A Million Dollar Talk That Moves People To Action – with Eileen Wilder Part 2 (Episode 275)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Who is this episode for:
Summary:
At the end of this episode you will:
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
275
[00:00:44] April: All right, so you guys are back for more. I don’t blame you. This is the part two of our teaching with Eileen Wilder. On how to establish yourself as a thought leader and truly grow and scale your company by using. , and if you didn’t yet, [00:01:00] please go back and listen to episode number 274, which was the beginning of this.
[00:01:05] April: Our guest expert is so powerful and she has so much to teach you that we actually broke this up into two separate episodes, and I wanna make sure that you don’t miss this in addition to that. These episodes come with a ton of free bonuses and including a free copy of Eileen’s book and how to tap into her frameworks and get free trainings on the things we’re talking about in the show even more. And I don’t want you to miss that. So make sure that you are cruising over to the show notes for both of these episodes by going to SweetLifepodcast.com/275.
[00:01:40] April: Now every single thing we talk about is in here. We’re gonna give you the details and how to get all of this. And not only that, both of these shows are video recorded. If you haven’t checked out our video yet on YouTube, cruise over and follow our YouTube channel as well, because Eileen is actually whiteboarding for you guys as she’s going [00:02:00] through the framework, and I don’t want you to miss it.
[00:02:02] April: Again, welcome back to part two of our two part little mini series. Which just so happens to be part of another miniseries that we are doing on becoming known with the one and only Eileen Wilder. So let’s go ahead and dive right back in.
[00:02:17] Eileen: So say, say you’ve got your signature message. Now there’s obviously, um, you know, when I, when I’m teaching my students, so the crash course, there’s gonna be an intro, then there’s gonna be your story, which comprises of the problem, the solution, and the payoff.
[00:02:32] Eileen: And then there’s gonna be what we call your in. So without going too deep, there is like an a a way to begin and a way to end this message. But let me give you the meat of how to make the crowd super engaged. Yes. And uh, and then if I have time, I’ll do like how to start and how to end. Okay. Yes. Okay, awesome.
[00:02:54] Eileen: So, okay, my business partner and I studied over [00:03:00] 500 hours of the best speaker. that have all exists throughout all time. Jfk, Dr. Martin Luther King. We’ve studied mega pastors who get people voluntarily showing up every week, um, and get the crowd crazy excited. Now, I will give this to you guys free, this book free.
[00:03:18] Eileen: It goes much deeper. It’s, it’s a, um, like a, it’ll be a digital ebook, but it’ll be worth going into these principles cuz if you do them like these famous pants speakers, you’ll be invited on the biggest stages. on the internet and in the world. And I’ve had the privilege of being a part of some of them.
[00:03:38] Eileen: And I know you will too. Mm-hmm. . So here is the framework. Huge gift. Thank you. So as we, we watched all these videos, we found that these speakers were doing a pattern. Okay. Wow. And the pattern, when we start, we were like, are they doing this? And we’re like, oh my gosh. They’re all doing the same speaking framework pattern.
[00:03:57] Eileen: And as they do it, the [00:04:00] audience starts, Like, um, just more and more engaged. So much so that some of the audiences are like talking back to the speaker. You know, it’s, it’s getting like, kind of like excited. It’s on. If you’ve ever been to like a Tony Robinson, you see how it’s like, it’s not quiet anymore.
[00:04:15] Eileen: It’s like, it’s like, Well, we’re like having a lot of fun, right? Um, my business partner likes to call it like, black church, white church. Like, have you’ve ever been to a white church? Like, like I have and Uhhuh , you’ve ever been to a black church, which is, I actually grew up in a black church, so it’s like so much more fun.
[00:04:32] Eileen: It’s so much more fun. So much more fun. . So here is the framework so you can implement it inside your signature message. All right, so. So when you’re telling your story and when you’re speaking, um, in front of podcasts or big crowds, or even if you’re talking to a person, one other person, consider using some of these techniques.
[00:04:54] Eileen: So let’s go. Okay. The framework starts first. [00:05:00] In first person, I, I was here, I was in this place and I was doing this thing. You’re in first person, okay? Very quickly. within maybe 60 seconds or less. You wanna switch in your story to you, you second person. Hmm. Let me give you an example. I was in this apartment at three small kids.
[00:05:28] Eileen: I felt overwhelmed and like I was never going to figure out how to make money, how to ever buy a house, how to ever have my dreams. Have you ever been in a place where life was turning out differently than you thought it was gonna turn out? Have you ever experienced overwhelming disappointment? At where you are.
[00:05:56] Eileen: Like you’re older than you thought you would be to, you thought you’d [00:06:00] achieve more dreams, more goals by now, and there’s kind of a quiet desperation, simmering inside of you that makes you feel like you barely want to get out of bed in the morning. Cuz why? Right? So, so you’re first person. and then you’re into you.
[00:06:19] Eileen: Have you ever? I’m immediately now. Cause you’re not there for you, right? Mm-hmm. , you’re not there to tell your story. You’re there to tell their story. Have you ever felt like B B B B You can do? Sometimes they call it the rule of three in speaking. So have you ever felt like this and felt like this and felt like this?
[00:06:36] Eileen: And the minute you do that, watch this. When you do it, you’ll see the audience leans in.
[00:06:44] April: I mean, like I’m sitting here, even as you’re saying it, responding to even you teaching us how to do this. And I know, and I know that what you’re doing, . Yeah. You know what I’m doing.
[00:06:54] Eileen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m like, yes. And, and now that you know, you’ll see what everybody else is doing too.
[00:06:58] Eileen: When you see them speak [00:07:00] so lot like professionals, they know how to do this, so and so, you’ll actually, what you will see as well as the audience will start nodding their head, they’ll start out loud, effortlessly, they’ll start going, mm. , it’ll be a verbal. Now in contrast, speakers who don’t know how to do this, it’s quiet.
[00:07:19] Eileen: Yeah. And people start tuning out. You know what I’m talking about? Like, have you ever seen a boring speaker, right? Yes.
[00:07:25] April: Yes, yes. And I fear, Lord, please help me, Nina, not be that speaker when I’m on stage. is when
[00:07:32] Eileen: From Gods lips to your ear. Exactly. So I to you. . Mm-hmm. , Heidi, have you ever mm-hmm. , here’s another prompt.
[00:07:41] Eileen: You know, when you, you know, when you’re in a place and you’ve tried everything the gurus told you to do, you’ve tried this, you’ve tried that, you’ve tried, and it’s not working. So you, you have, you ever, and you know, when, you know, when you, you, you, is the unlock for the audience to go [00:08:00] into the movie. So cool.
[00:08:03] Eileen: I, okay, so that’s, so it goes, I. to you. Mm-hmm. so important. Just do that. If you’re listening, you’ll be a better speaker. Great. Next level. IU point. IU point. Extract the lesson from the story that, that they can apply now. Doesn’t like, so. . Let me give you some examples of this. The point doesn’t need to rhyme, doesn’t need to be fancy pants.
[00:08:35] Eileen: What it kind of, what it needs to do is to introduce almost a contrarian idea or something for them to think about. Okay. Got it. Let give you some examples. So, mm-hmm. , IU point, very speakers don’t have, like, they’re not clear in what they’re trying to say. And if you just think about your problem, okay. You could introduce a point such as, I [00:09:00] didn’t know that.
[00:09:04] Eileen: Let me, let me, hold on. Pause. Let me go. I didn’t know that. No, I’m gonna go, I’m gonna do a different point. I didn’t know that doing everything the system would tell me to do, going to school, going to college, and getting a job, I didn’t know that that pathway wouldn’t lead to wealth. that wasn’t as good. So I, I, so I’m, I’m
[00:09:29] April: like a little No, that’s a great one though. No, no, no, no. Yeah. I’m sharing absolutely. Mm-hmm. , just think about
[00:09:35] Eileen: an idea. Mm-hmm. , think about an idea for your problem that like, you could present as like, I didn’t know that this, and so it could be a lesson that they could apply. Let’s think about another lesson perhaps that you could be having as in your problem.
[00:09:49] Eileen: Perhaps your problem is, I didn’t know that eating keto. would cause me to hold onto weight, not to release weight. Now, I, I have [00:10:00] no, I don’t even know anything about keto. I’m just making full , like I didn’t know this and there’s a point inside the problem. Okay. I you point, it doesn’t need to be fancy. It needs to be something where the audience will go.
[00:10:13] Eileen: Hmm. .
[00:10:14] April: So we want them to rethink. We want them to rethink something that they have thought is what I’m getting from what you’re saying. Yeah. We want them to rethink a problem based on the story in your journey of what’s happened.
[00:10:26] Eileen: Mm-hmm. . Yep. Just kind of a clear one sentence articulating perhaps a false limiting belief that you had.
[00:10:33] Eileen: Mm-hmm. that they maybe hadn’t thought about recently. Okay. Got in another bit that I have. One of my points is, . I didn’t, I thought that working hard equaled wealth. Hmm. And I didn’t realize that it’s not about working harder, it’s about working. . Mm. And then I explain, then I go and explains. But that’s my point in that session.
[00:10:54] Eileen: Mm-hmm. . So it’s like, I didn’t realize Clear point. Mm-hmm. , when you have a clear point inside your story, [00:11:00] the audience will most likely write it down. You’ll see them start writing it down. Now they’re in the movie, they’re like, oh my gosh, I think that Right. I believe
[00:11:06] April: that. Right. I have a million things flying through my head right now. Okay. Yes. This is, this is so good. So, you know, people could say, I didn’t know that. Even if after I. All the social media strategy and all of the things that it, it actually wouldn’t equal dollars in my pocket. But then I realized that doing this one thing, was what I really needed. And I think that might apply to our, a lot of our listeners or I didn’t know that if I just launched an online course like everybody else, that they, that they wouldn’t come.
[00:11:41] April: That I, and I realized that I needed, or, you know, wanted to do this. And once I learned this, or once I did this mm-hmm. , it was the difference. Granted, I’m falling all over my words and I’m taking too many words
[00:11:54] Eileen: as you want. Me too. I mean, I know, I’m kind of thinking of stuff off the cuff too, but that, that’s the idea though.
[00:11:59] Eileen: What’s a, [00:12:00] what’s like a, a clear one liner lesson from what you were experiencing Right. In this problem. Right. Because most likely they’re ha they’re thinking that same thing. Like, wait, I thought that working hard world wealth. Like, what are you saying? What? Right. So it, it creates intrigue, curiosity. In fact, the best speaker that I’ve studied in making a clear point is Joel Osteen.
[00:12:20] Eileen: Oh
[00:12:21] April: yeah. Who was scared to death to speak in the beginning.
[00:12:24] Eileen: So he a point. So don’t everyone here don’t, don’t have to be like super fancy pants. He doesn’t need to rhyme. Just state a one-liner. That was something you were thinking and it’s clear from your, from your story. Got it. Yes. I U point now. Oh, this is my favorite part.
[00:12:42] Eileen: I’ll go quick. IU point. You can go back into iu. Sometimes it’s little of a dance. So there I was in the apartment, da da da da. So, but, so we call that the IU dance, but if we go straight through the framework, IU point, they, they, they [00:13:00] is the, Now, let me articulate. There’s a, a quote from Winston Churchill that said, nothing unites at people more than having a common enemy.
[00:13:09] Eileen: Yes. Okay. So here is the moment that you can get the crowd the most engaged, because if you can identify an enemy, that’s also their enemy, bring their awareness to the enemy and be like, Everything in your life that’s gone wrong has been kinda like a result of this enemy. Like this is actually who you’re actually fighting.
[00:13:35] Eileen: You’re not fighting yourself and you’re not fighting, um, your mom and dad. You’re not fighting who like these phantom, like this is actually, uh, you who’s is an enemy set against you. Okay? And when that happens, there’s something inside of us as humans and, uh, men and women we like are we want to. . Mm-hmm.
[00:13:57] Eileen: We wanna fight and we want, we wanna [00:14:00] win . So we do. So we’re like, um, like think about just football and sports. It’s like we we’re programmed to be like us, be them, us for them, right? So give your audience someone to fight. Wow. Now what, what two things will happen here? , high emotions, sometimes anger, which is really great.
[00:14:20] Eileen: Like if you can get the crowd like in a good way, in a good way, I’ll show you, I’ll show you. Get the crowd angry in a good way. Now they’re united against this enemy and now the crowd is united in and amongst themselves. So now they’re like, the crowd now becomes a un unified tribe. Okay? Right? Mm-hmm. . And so it’s, it’s like this is the best part when you can do this in the audience.
[00:14:41] Eileen: Oh, so an enemy. So it’s a they So IU point, they Mm, they, mm. So, alright. This is so fun because what you wanna be thinking here is like, who is who was, [00:15:00] or is your they. Hmm. Let me give you some examples. When I was speaking at FHL a couple years ago, I did a they, which was, uh, the enemy in your mind. Now in church they use the devil a lot.
[00:15:20] Eileen: So I was kind of playing off this idea cause it’s an external character that I was like, some people call it the devil. Some people call it um, uh, Satan. Some people call it the adversary. I don’t care what you call it. How many of you, okay, now I’m back to you have heard a voice in your mind that pulls you.
[00:15:37] Eileen: from what you know that you are called to create, how many of you mm-hmm. have had that? Mm-hmm. , how many of you have felt, uh, resistance to publishing what you know you’re born to publish? How many of you had that? Uh, and I’m, I’m going back to you, you hear me going back into you? Mm-hmm. . Um, and then I go, I go one more.
[00:15:57] Eileen: So now I’m doing what’s called the rule of three. How many of [00:16:00] you have felt, uh, I don’t know what I said. Uh, like. . I don’t know, just something pulling you back from the calling that you know you are meant to step into. How many of you, how many of you ever heard a voice like this? See now I’m doing crowd.
[00:16:14] Eileen: Now I’ll show you. Crowd engagement. And by that time, the audience, every time I’m saying that is seeing them in the movie, they’re like, I’ve had the wait. There’s an enemy. Mm-hmm. in my, in my thoughts. Okay. . Now they’re starting to get like white hot and heated and this is what I want you guys to do. I make a they.
[00:16:34] Eileen: Another speech I did. I was like, the system told you right. , go to school. Right? Go to college, get a job, and you’ll be wealthy. Right? How many of you grew up here in that lie? Mm-hmm. . So now, now I’m, I’m, I’m, uh, putting words in the enemy’s mouth. Okay. I hope this is making sense.
[00:16:52] April: This makes, okay. Perfect sense.
[00:16:54] Eileen: Okay. All right. So then the, the capital off, but the, they is my favorite part, and that’s where you, you can get [00:17:00] ’em on their feet and like, they’re just, they’re just like, what? . Okay. And so, so they’re, they’ve got this, they, and then in the middle of the, they drop a sound bite, so in the middle. So you’ve got the, they, they’re freaking out.
[00:17:17] Eileen: They’re like, I am Wonder Woman, and I am about to take the enemy down. That’s like how your audience is feeling right there, and you’re like, take ’em. Yeah, like go like now you’re just like, they’re in their story, they’re in their movie, and they are at war with this enemy, and you’re just. . Like, like what the, the guy in the back Go, go.
[00:17:40] Eileen: Yeah, go. Just go. So then when, so in the middle of this white, hot, emotional heat, if you drop a sound bite, which is like a point, but it rhymes. Okay. They will go
[00:17:53] April: crazy like
[00:17:55] Eileen: bananas. Like, but like running around like, like screaming, like, [00:18:00] like what? Like say that again. You know, they’re writing it down as fast as they’re tweeting it out.
[00:18:04] Eileen: Like it’s like taking screenshots of the thing. It’s like, it’s like, it’s like this is what the pattern was. Do they, all these speakers are, they’re doing this pattern in these speeches and you’re just like, and, and I, so, okay, so this is it. So then people are like, oh my gosh, how do I make a sound bite?
[00:18:25] Eileen: And I’m like, okay, okay, . You’re like, oh my gosh. So I have a favorite secret cool website that musicians use, and it’s called rhyme zone.com. And take some of your ideas, your points, things you say, go in there. have some fun with some alliteration. Uh, I’ll give you an example of one of mine. I actually love to do this ninja thing. Now. You guys know all my secrets.
[00:18:53] April: All of your secrets. , you could call a sound. You’re
[00:18:55] Eileen: amazing stack. So a soundbite stack is like where you use a quote of a famous [00:19:00] person, another quote from a famous person, and then you drop your quote. Sound bites.
[00:19:06] April: Oh yeah. That’s
[00:19:07] Eileen: so good. So, uh, let’s see. One soundbite stack is,
[00:19:12] Eileen: So I’ll say something about like w Clemon stone. I’m like, uh, because w clemen stone, the number one enemy of wealth. I have this whole bit. And then I say, w clemen stone understood the number one enemy of wealth isn’t mindset, it’s delay. Hmm. How many of you have been delay how You see, I’m going back into the, how many of you have been delaying some things in your life?
[00:19:33] Eileen: Napoleon Hill says it like this, that successful people make decisions quickly. and change their mind slowly. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and change their mind often and quickly. Mm-hmm. , I like to say it like this. Procrastination is the assassination of your destination. and when boom, I do that, then it’s like, yeah.
[00:19:54] Eileen: So yeah, it’s like boom, boom, boom. And then soundbites stack. But you [00:20:00] can come up with your own soundbites. Mm-hmm. , it’s super fun. Think of yourself like a rapper or a songwriter or someone very creative and that you’ll see that the great speakers, it’s, it’s more like music. Mm-hmm. . So if you’ll do your signature story using this speaking framework, I guarantee.
[00:20:21] Eileen: I just like, I, I could like bet money in it. People will come up to you and be like, that message changed my life.
[00:20:29] April: Wow. This podcast is going to change people’s lives and businesses. Wow. . So, okay, so I have questions. So first the delivering the framework and then you usually go over this, the iu them at, at the end.
[00:20:48] April: That’s, that’s when after that, After the entire signature framework that you go through? Well, well,
[00:20:54] Eileen: what I’ll do is like, I’ll have people introduce the message and then while they’re telling their story, their [00:21:00] problems, which pay off, they do it in this way. Got
[00:21:03] April: it,
[00:21:03] Eileen: got it, got it. The idea, a way to always talk or a way to always, um, tell a story or a way to just communicate that’s very helpful for people, God, Eileen, because it’s clear.
[00:21:17] Eileen: Um, You’re using a speaking tech technique called just high contrast. When you have the enemy now they’re like, they do it this way, but we do it like this. So you’re, you’re employing very helpful communication success habits when you, when you talk like this. So we’ll have them tell their story like that.
[00:21:39] Eileen: Now we do a lot of role playing on. Give feedback cuz you know, pe you know, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. . And
[00:21:45] April: it takes a, this, this whole entire process. First of all, um, thank you for taking the time to study all the people that you have done and then be so giving. In everything that you do, giving away the book for free.
[00:21:59] April: Mm-hmm. , you [00:22:00] guys, I, I have read this is really incredible. Um, and in speaking and teaching us so freely and then obviously being here on the show, just pouring into us, we’re gonna, we’re gonna turn this into two podcast episodes, is so good. One, your ability to see these, this pattern and understand this, and then turn around and teach it, is an incredible gift.
[00:22:20] April: Oh, thanks. So thank you for paying attention to your gift and then turning around and teaching it to. Hmm. I, I think that there are, obviously, there are so many different ways to, uh, to give a talk and give a teaching, but what you are teaching us is how to move people. Mm-hmm. . And that is, I believe, the missing component that many of our listeners have had.
[00:22:46] April: in their becoming known strategy. Yeah. It’s, it’s, and even you guys, it doesn’t have to be a million people that you’re known with. It can be a hundred people that know you and you change, you change their lives. [00:23:00] This strategy that you talked about, this way of storytelling, Hmm. Truly moves people to action in.
[00:23:08] April: What is so powerful about the way that you teach this and, and all of your ninja skills that you do with your clients, is that, It really does remove the speaker from being the spotlight. Yeah, and like I said in the beginning, I think there’s a lot of people that are hesitant to step into the quote unquote spotlight because they don’t wanna be in the spotlight, they want.
[00:23:32] April: Their methodology or their change or whatever, whatever transformation they deliver to be the highlight. They don’t want to be that front person, but they do want to create change. And so there’s been some hesitation. I know, and I’ve talked to a lot of clients where there has been a significant level of hesitation because they wanna figure out another way to do it without having it for them to be the one standing up there.
[00:23:54] April: What would you say to those people who. Are what they know. [00:24:00] They feel that pole. We talked about it. Mm-hmm. , you teach on it. You speak on it, that know that they are supposed to do this and their feet are stuck in cement. What, what would you say to that person who’s listening?
[00:24:14] Eileen: Yeah, I love that. Um, well, I think one thought that can be incredibly motivating and incredibly.
[00:24:23] Eileen: um, energizing, making you want to do this more or, you know, speak on stages and podcasts and do all this stuff, is thinking about all of the people that don’t know what you know, right? They don’t know this tips, like they don’t have the steps, they don’t know the information and because they don’t have that information, to some degree.
[00:24:48] Eileen: You’re experiencing what the Bible talks about, like, which is like people perish for their lack of knowledge. Mm-hmm. . So it’s, it means like there’s some part of their life that isn’t in fullness, isn’t in abundance, [00:25:00] isn’t in the kind of increase that they could be experiencing if they just knew like one or two things that, you know, and we discount and discredit our personal story because it’s so per, so unique to us.
[00:25:16] Eileen: right? Yeah. Like this is my thing. I don’t even know if this would like even really help anybody, but when you start opening your mouth and taking, being vulnerable and taking that courageous step forward, and you start seeing that your story is the linchpin for thousands, maybe if not millions of people to experience greatness, which is kind of crazy.
[00:25:42] Eileen: I mean, it’s not like, not to be like heaviness or. . There’s a heaviness to that, but it’s like an excitement. One person said it to me like this, and I’ll toss it back to you, April. They said, stop focusing on you. And what, you [00:26:00] know, what you, you keeping your story quiet? They said, start focusing on the prison that everyone else is in tormented because they haven’t heard what you.
[00:26:12] Eileen: right? So it’s that calling toward contribution that I feel can unlock for people. Like just, uh, people need. People need, they need what you have. They need your story. And that’s, uh, it can be just like a never ending amazing addiction is just people coming up to you being like, thank you for ch thank you for that message.
[00:26:35] Eileen: Thank you for changing my life. That’s what happens. right when you decided to speaker. Wow. Wow,
[00:26:41] April: wow. Um. , there’s so many responses I wanna say right now. Uh, I think that it’s important for our listeners, again, because I unpack everything. This show is not about me at all. Um, but I want to share with you guys something that happened to me in [00:27:00] this case.
[00:27:01] April: and actually it was at a funnel hacking live. And I mean, all transparently. I don’t use ClickFunnel. Sorry, Russell. I mean, I just don’t, I just go and my friends are there. You’re there. You know, it’s, it’s great leadership. I love learning there. It’s just an amazing place to be. Anyways, my first year, there was only a couple years ago, two years ago, I think it was, you were speaking and I remember being there in the a.
[00:27:25] April: I was actually standing behind you, I think, and Garrett White was speaking. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was like going to church in there. Yeah. Um, but anyway, and I remember in that moment, hearing that you have to stop keeping it to yourself. And it was such a, it was such a moving event. I was actually bawling crying you guys in this conference around people I didn’t even really know.
[00:27:51] April: Yeah. Um, actually I hardly knew any of ’em. Mm-hmm. and uh, and I was just this bawling, crying hot mess because I learned in that [00:28:00] moment that I could no longer sit on what I. Wow. And granted, I’ve had this podcast for five years, six years there. There’s a different level that I have been supposed to walk into, and so I remember that moment, right?
[00:28:13] April: And I share that with you guys. I ended up sending out to my whole email list about how I ugly cried and Funnel Hagging live, and this is what I learned. I actually got more responses to that email than any other email I’ve ever sent out. But the, the message was that if once you feel that. You guys can’t go back.
[00:28:34] April: I haven’t able to go back since once I knew and I heard that. I mean, to me it came from God, but whatever you guys believe, and we have listeners of all faith in here and you know, whatever that is, whatever that intuition is inside of you that says that, like Eileen saying, if you guys have heard this, th that is why I binge everything that Eileen puts out.
[00:28:57] April: Because I know she’s feeding me [00:29:00] to the next level that I’m supposed to be at. That’s why I’m so excited about her being here on this show, because I can personally attest to what I learned, and I’m not even in Eileen’s paid programs yet. I mean, just the amount of information that I learn. So I, I share that story with you guys.
[00:29:18] April: Because I want you guys to take a moment and tap into when that was for you. You’re sitting here listening to this episode. You already know that you’re supposed to be speaking and otherwise you wouldn’t have made it to the end of this episode. This wasn’t, this wouldn’t be a valuable use of your time.
[00:29:36] April: Oh, and, and really hear what Eileen is saying and utilize this framework that you’ve learned here on this show to move forward and start taking action. And if you’re listening and you haven’t heard that yet, then maybe it’s time to press in. Whatever that looks like for you, and get really clear on whether or not this is an action you should take.
[00:29:58] April: This isn’t for [00:30:00] everybody. We we’re, we’re not sitting here saying that everybody needs to be, you know, this amazing world game changing speaker, but we are saying for those of you who haven’t experienced it yet or aren’t sure, or you just feel stuck, you can’t move into that place where you know that you should be creating change based on the business that you have.
[00:30:22] April: Then consider what Eileen is saying to you here. Tap into her ecosystem as we have. Wow. And, and learn from this wisdom. Hmm. Yeah. Because it will serve you
[00:30:37] Eileen: well. Yeah. Speaking is just the best feeling in the world, and also will help you give and contribute like you never have. and then you’ll also be crazy pants shocked at how much business you’ll start doing when you decide to take that step forward.
[00:30:57] Eileen: That’s so good. April.
[00:30:58] April: Wow. [00:31:00] Super. Oops. It’s super good everything you’re saying. I was so excited about this episode. Yeah. Uh, these two episodes now, we’re gonna break ’em up for you guys. Okay. In summary, we have talked about the importance of using your voice to create change and to become known. We’ve talked about how to tap in and Eileen has given you the framework to craft your signature story.
[00:31:25] April: Uh, holy moly. I mean, this is just amazing that what you guys have received here, and you should see my notes. I actually have front and back pages of notes, uh, and I can’t wait to, to get this out and transcribe this whole. You have that storytelling framework, and then on top of that you have the, the secret sauce that Eileen teaches to her exclusive clients on the iu, them punchline, and the three parts that she dropped for you on how to use [00:32:00] quotes from leaders.
[00:32:01] April: Very, very sneakily in a perfect way. Put your little rhyming quote in there. If you’re like me, I have three teenage boys. I’m gonna give this to them to figure, to figure out my, my, my, my rhyme rap for whatever that’s gonna be. Um, or you can go to the web website that Eileen mentioned here. Um, I, I really can’t, words don’t even cover my gratitude for you being here on the show and sharing all of this wisdom.
[00:32:26] April: Mm-hmm. with, with our listeners. Thank. so much. Oh, so fun. How can people connect with you and be part of your ecosystem? Like we.
[00:32:36] Eileen: Yes, I would love to stay in touch with all of you listening because I love April and I love like her people. I know, I’m sure you are amazing listening to this. So you can go to become a paid speaker.com, you can access a training that I have.
[00:32:50] Eileen: I go a little bit deeper in how to, I know, make the relationships to get on stages and connect with people who will invite you to even bigger stages. And that training is [00:33:00] super, uh, high value. And I also, if you want our. I’ll give you our free Yes. You want her book ? Um, find me on Instagram and message. My assistant will deliver it to you.
[00:33:11] Eileen: Just pick, maybe just be like, April Beach, you’ll just message me. April Beach I’ll know. And then my assistant will send you. The book will be so helpful in helping you think through iu. They IU point a sound bite and then. Keep, keep me in touch. Let me know how you crush it
[00:33:29] April: up there. Mm. You can find her at Eileen Wilder on Instagram, guys.
[00:33:33] April: Oh
[00:33:33] Eileen: yes. Sorry, Eileen Wild, my bad. Eagle. Eileen.
[00:33:36] April: Eileen Wild on Instagram at Eileen Wild. Yes. Perfect. Okay, and we’ll make sure all those links for you guys are in the show notes. Thank you so much again. Yes. I appreciate all of your time. I adore you. And just keep, keep letting them up. That’s great. Thank you.
[00:33:51] April: Thank. Hey friends. All right. We are wrapping up. This is episode number 275 in both episode 2 74, and this [00:34:00] episode are with the One and only Eileen Wilder. This is part of a series that we’ve been delivering to you here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast called Becoming Known. And in these two episodes, Eileen unpacked these secrets that are proven ways where she and her students and the speakers she’s studied move audiences to take action.
[00:34:23] April: And so if you are in that place, and I shared a little bit of my story of being moved to action and when I knew and I felt that calling, if you are in that place where you know you need to step out and speak for whatever reason that your feet. Felt like they were in quicksand for a while. Now maybe is the time to take that action as we are here.
[00:34:44] April: You’re listening to this episode and it’s not by accident, and I want you to take action in implementing. So we did talk about a lot of things at the end of shows where we have guests, I love to work with you and help. Pinpoint, what is that one action step from [00:35:00] all the things that Eileen talked about that is going to help you move forward in this direction?
[00:35:05] April: Many people don’t take action and inaction causes a failure before they’ve even tried. And I don’t want that to be you guys. I don’t want that to be our listeners. Okay, so step number one, obviously the super easy action you can take is to go to become a paid speaker.com and connect with Eileen and download all the resources she has there.
[00:35:25] April: If that’s the only thing you do, start there. Alright. Become a paid speaker.com. Go connect with Eileen and her team and just be part of their family and their ecosystem, and it’s just an amazing business community over there. Number two. Eileen was really generous in giving you guys a free copy of her book, million Dollar Speaker.
[00:35:44] April: I have this book. I’m reading this book. I’ve binged this book. I have notes all over this book. I want you to have this book too. She was generous enough to give you guys a free copy. But I want you to grab it in a timely manner. So connect with Eileen on Instagram to get a free copy of her book. [00:36:00] You can follow her at Eileen Wild and all you have to do is DM her my name and then her assistant will know what that is and send out a free copy of the book.
[00:36:08] April: So just DM her April Beach and they will n and then her team will send you, um, how to get a free copy of that. Okay. Those are two easy action steps. Now let’s get into, um, more of the thought process where a lot of people get stuck in their brain, uh, because we can’t decide on, on what we should do first.
[00:36:28] April: The first thing that I recommend you do is think about that story like Eileen taught, like unpacking the Pixar methodology of storytelling picture. You see yourself even. It like a third person aerial view like you’re an angel flying over the situation, and there you are. Go back to the beginning of the story that you want to tell.
[00:36:51] April: And of course I want that story to relate to the offer that you are engineering, the product that we’re selling. So [00:37:00] please make sure that you are very clear on the product that you were selling at the end of your campaign of becoming known through speaking. We need to make sure we have that engineered first, so, Think and make sure that you’re very clear on what you wanna become known for through your speaking.
[00:37:18] April: What product or program that you have engineered or you’re in the process of engineering to, to drive people to take action about. And then picture that story in your mind of when that story began to unfold in how you came to the solution of creating that product or program or solution that you. So those are three action steps.
[00:37:41] April: Number one, go to become a paid speaker.com to dm. I lean steam and get a free copy of the book. And then the third thing is to be very clear about what you’re selling if you aren’t clear about your offer. That is what we do here at the Sweet Life Company. We help you engineer transformational offers and programs, courses, masterminds, [00:38:00] licensed programs.
[00:38:00] April: We help. Build your certification programs. We help you build your genius product and your intellectual property to scale your business exponentially if you’re stuck there. Of course, cruise over to sweet life co.com and that’s what we will help you with. But this show is all about your next step actions that you do after that in making sure that we’re very clear on what you wanna become known for.
[00:38:24] April: And, and I’m just so grateful to Eileen in all the time that she spent with all of us here. Um, she is truly one of the greats and, um, I’m very, very, very happy that you are here at the end of this show. And, It is not, as I said by accident that you are. So this is episode number 275 here at the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast.
[00:38:47] April: We have kicked off the next gen of the podcast. This is year six, and we are so grateful that you are here. Please take a moment to share this show. We do not have our advertising on this show intentionally because that would drive me crazy as a [00:39:00] listener, so we don’t advertise. We really rely on you guys to share these episodes and I appreciate you doing so and all of the show.
[00:39:06] April: All of the resources, all of the links, all the instructions on how to get the free book and details about what Eileen talked about can be found by vi, by visiting suite life podcast.com/ 2 75. Again, suite life podcast.com/ 2 75. And if you forget everything else, you can just go there and we’ll make it easier for you and you can click on the links to connect with Eileen further.
[00:39:31] April: All right, have an awesome day. I’m so glad that you guys are here. Thanks for listening.
(Becoming Known) The Secret Framework To Build A Million Dollar Talk That Moves People To Action – with Eileen Wilder Part 1 (Episode 274)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
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Full Show Transcript:
274
[00:00:45] April: Hi guys. Welcome back to another episode here at the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I am so glad you’re here. You are definitely not here by accident. This show and the one after it, it, it is one of these divine moments where you may be moved to action that could change your [00:01:00] business forever and in six years. I’ve never actually told you that before, any episode. So listen up. Here’s what you can expect.
[00:01:07] April: First of all, it was so good. That our guest expert poured so much into us. In this show, we actually broke it up into two episodes, so this is part one of part two. But all of these episodes happening right now. We now have a collection of six episodes are all part of our becoming known series. So the series of episodes running from 2 71 all the way up through these episodes.
[00:01:29] April: And beyond are all about helping you establish your strategy to become known. And today’s expert is a one and only Eileen Wilder. If you don’t know her, she’s gonna share her story with you on this show. So I’m not gonna do that right now, but I want you to know that you’re in the presence truly of one of the greats.
[00:01:44] April: She is known as the Queen of Stages. She is spoken with Tony Robinson, Russell Branson, Kevin Harrington, Dan Kennedy, and. As you hear her teach and the way she is going to take you through what is a true workshop here setting on this show, you’re gonna [00:02:00] understand that she is unlike any other, and I’m so glad you’re here, and I know she is so incredibly glad that you’re here as well.
[00:02:08] April: So this is who this show is for, and this is how to prepare. This is for those of you who are established coaches, consultants, and experts, and you’re ready to scale your business up. You’re ready to step into thought leadership. You have a proven offer, methodology, framework, and strategy that we already know we have in place that we wanna sell on the backside of speaking.
[00:02:28] April: If you don’t have that, Still listen to this show, but cruise over to sweet life co.com and we will help you engineer your industry leading transformational programs and offers, license programs or certification programs. That’s what we do here. As many of you know, I just wanna make sure that you have that in place.
[00:02:44] April: So as we’re diving into what we’re implementing here on the show, We know what you’re speaking towards and about. You have to have your offer. We need to know what you’re selling right in, in order to best utilize and implement what Eileen is teaching us here. [00:03:00] So again, this is for those of you guys who are established, and Eileen is gonna deliver a step-by-step workshop style that we’ve broken up into two episodes where she is gonna deliver you her winning frameworks for not only crafting your signature.
[00:03:13] April: But how to deliver it, which is the goal. Like that’s where I feel like I get stuck. Like I can, you know, I’m up there and I speak and I talk, but I don’t know about you. My greatest fear is having people leave unchanged. So whatever that is for you, whatever cement you’ve been carrying in your feet, uh, regarding speaking on, on big stages and changing lives, you are in the right place.
[00:03:38] April: All of the show notes for this show can be found by visiting suite life podcast.com/ 2 74. And this is what you can expect at the end of these two shows, you’re gonna have your storyboard and you’re gonna understand how to set the scene for your signature talk, you are gonna know and have full awareness of Eileen’s super powerful signature [00:04:00] talk framework, as well as her secret framework of how to deliver your signature talk to move audiences.
[00:04:06] April: A k a move mountain. So if that is what you were looking for, you were truly in the right place. If you’re new to the Sweet Life Podcast, welcome to our listener family. I’m so glad you’re here. We don’t have advertising on this show. We never have. We want you to be able to dive into these business trainings that you would pay thousands of dollars elsewhere for. So please, we ask that you do share this and Eileen has led with incredible giving. And I would want, I would love to have you help us get this episode into more and more people’s hands and spread her work that she’s continuing to do in helping all of us be able to spread our work that we do. What an amazing, give, give ecosystem here. And I am very, very glad that you’re here. So if you’re ready, let’s go ahead and dive into this show.
[00:04:52] April: All right, you guys. I am very excited to be joined by my friend Eileen, and I’ve been wanting to bring [00:05:00] Eileen before you here on this show for a long time because what she speaks about is something that I’m personally working on and looking to achieve.
[00:05:09] April: And all you guys know, I share all the behind the scenes of the things I’m trying to do. But it’s very, very important for all of us, and that is using our voice in speaking to create change for other people. To serve other people, to help other people. And the approach that Eileen uses as she does this is so genuine.
[00:05:32] April: It’s so, um, uh, absorbable. , it’s so when you’re sitting in the audience and Eileen speaking, she moves you, you know, uh, to action and levels up your IQ and, and helps you move in a way that maybe you didn’t necessarily have what it took to move before then. And so that’s why I’m really excited to have her on the podcast. So welcome to the Sweet Life Podcast, Eileen. I’m so glad that you’re [00:06:00] here.
[00:06:00] Eileen: Hi April. So pumped to be here. Yeah, I
[00:06:02] April: know. Really, really exciting. So today we’re talking about how to use your voice to become known, to establish thought leadership and how to do that through speaking, how to expand your work through speaking.
[00:06:17] April: Can you give a little bit of a background story about how you got here, why you are the bees knee of teaching people how to do this now? , um, I, I hold up your. We’ll put it back in the, yeah. Hold up. Eileen’s book. I have a copy too sitting here, but there you go. How to become a million dollar speaker. There you go.
[00:06:35] April: It’s awesome. All right, so share, share with our listeners. Mm-hmm. , how you got here and why. This is so important, uh, in, in your business and how you help others.
[00:06:48] Eileen: Oh my gosh, yes. Absolutely. Well, thanks again April. This is so cool getting to hang. So I got into, um, helping people become million dollar speakers just like two and a half years ago.
[00:06:58] Eileen: So I actually was a [00:07:00] ministry for 18 years. I was a pastor, so I was a speaker. Uh, but I didn’t really iden, I identified more of a pa being a pastor and, and making no money. Particularly I was in nonprofit ministry. My husband was actually an Uber driver to support us in our nonprofit salary, which is literally nonprofit.
[00:07:18] Eileen: But it was great because we, uh, we loved serving people. So many of our friends that, um, we’ve gotten to meet over the years are people that. Really want, they really want to make an impact, like a legitimate, I really want to leave this planet changing as many lives as possible. And that’s where I was. I was like, I mean, but then I found out through coming to a conference called Funnel Hacking Live, that I could, I could not only have a huge impact, but I could also make money as a speaker.
[00:07:53] Eileen: So at that conference is where I got the strategy for how to do that. And in kind of less than a couple [00:08:00] years, we started doing multiple millions of dollars and now our clients do multiple millions of dollars using speaking as the primary way to get their voice and their message out to as literally as many people as possible.
[00:08:13] Eileen: But at the same time, massive profit. So that’s what my passion is now, is releasing people into their calling. So if you’re listening, if you’ve like felt that thing, you know, you feel it. It’s almost an uncomfortability inside where you can’t, almost like you’re like, I have to get this out. , I have to get this message out.
[00:08:32] Eileen: I have to get this book out. I have to get this story out. Um, so there’s a, we love to help people craft their signature message, which is what I’d love to do with you in the next couple minutes. I would love that by crafting their signature message and their signature story, it can transform the audience while you give it.
[00:08:50] Eileen: So it’s, it’s just incredibly fulfilling work. Not scary at all, but it, and then to see. , we, we love to see table rushes at the end of our [00:09:00] signature message. We can cause a table rush to happen. Where people now they’re taking that next step with you and in your business and it’s just kind of like, I laid down last night and I was like, I like can’t believe this is my life now.
[00:09:11] Eileen: Mm-hmm. like, it really wasn’t that long. Sometimes I tell, I tell my friend Russell, I was like, how was Uber driving? Like, Like, my husband was Uber driving. It was like two and a half years ago, right? Like that was like not that. Now we’re in this like, huge expansion. It’s like, I don’t know, 1.5 million. I never thought I could do something like that.
[00:09:28] Eileen: So it’s just kind of crazy town. April, the opportunity that, uh, is there for somebody who wants to step forward and use their voice. Mm-hmm.
[00:09:38] April: told you guys, I’m sure many of you already know Eileen. Uh, if you don. . Well, now you’ve met and now you know why I love her. So, uh, for those of you who are listening, and you have been in the online coaching and consulting space and you’ve been doing the rat race and you’ve been chasing the things, and you’ve been trying to do all the things to get your work [00:10:00] to the surface, to get the, the transformation that you deliver to your clients, to the surface, And you have not really been able to do it.
[00:10:09] April: You may be getting tired. Most of our listeners have been in business for a really long time and you guys are like the best kept secret and you may be getting tired. Look at what Eileen just said to you. Look at this case study. It’s been two years, two years ago. The rest of us in this space, we’re still using these old tactics and here comes Eileen, this fresh eyes, and she just goes for it cuz she sees this pathway that’s laid out before her.
[00:10:31] April: So it’s really important that I really want. Like I am here taking notes, you guys. I have all my notes here as you know. I do, and we have guests on this show that to, to stop for a second wherever you are, or positive episode, or make sure you come back and listen to it because the steps we’re gonna talk about here are really, really powerful and these are proven.
[00:10:50] April: So let’s go ahead and dive into that. Yeah. Thank you so much. I’m very excited about this. as people are considering, what the heck am I gonna say? Like, I [00:11:00] think I know what I’m gonna do. Or why does anybody care what I have to say? I just want them to buy my program or buy my product or whatever. You know what I mean?
[00:11:08] April: Why do they need to know me? How do I present myself in a way that I’m relatable? Um, help our listeners go through that process of crafting that communication strategy. Yeah.
[00:11:19] Eileen: So good. A hundred percent. So, so the big thing is kind of recognizing. Like, your story is so powerful. Like if you’re listening to this, like the story of how you like, um, birthed the company that you have or created the product or the certification or the coaching program, like the story surrounding the origin story is like, Uh, is very, very important.
[00:11:41] Eileen: And many people, just after hearing that story, uh, could they, they normally, they’re just like, oh my gosh, I want that . I want that . That’s like how it was when I first met April. I was like, I wanna know all the things that April knows and I want to buy all the things that [00:12:00] April has. Like, you know what I’m saying?
[00:12:02] Eileen: So every one of you. So it’s kind of recognizing how do I, how do I articulate and unpack that story? So my favorite. , um, organization to study this for is actually Pixar because Pixar, every Pixar movie I have little kids, but they, every movie they release is like a blockbuster. and they’ve just crushed this formula for a story.
[00:12:22] Eileen: So as you’re, as I go through this formula, think about your story because this is the nucleus of your signature message, is what I’m about to show you right now. The nucleus is pen your story. Okay? And what’s cool about the way I’m gonna teach it is what you’re gonna do as you tell your story is as you tell your story, the audience is gonna see the.
[00:12:43] Eileen: Inside your story because the purpose of when you’re speaking to an audience is not to share, just not to talk about yourself, right? It’s to talk about their story. So you know that feeling when you’re in a movie, a really good one, and you’re just lost, like, [00:13:00] and you, you forget that you’re in this like dark room with other people, or you’re just literally captivated the entire time.
[00:13:08] Eileen: If you do this, like, I’ll show you here. This is where the audience will get like swept up into hu as you’re sharing your story. They’re gonna be like having their own internal movie and epiphany happening, which is what causes such an emotional swell, which I’ll teach you in this training too. It causes such a, uh, Almost the audience starts in, in, when I’m speaking, they start erupting emotionally.
[00:13:34] Eileen: Like the other day, April, I was at the biggest conference and um, and in eight minutes I short, I stared, I shared a short story. The audience jumped up, started jumping up on their feet. First it was a couple trickle, and then there was a couple little pocket, and then everyone, like it actually got, I’ve, I got outta control, like actually, so the audience starts shouting back at me like, Like, like a [00:14:00] really cool church service.
[00:14:01] Eileen: And I was like, I actually was like, I had a moment before I was like, I literally don’t know what to do right now.
[00:14:07] April: Like, you’re turning around. Goodness, there’s something behind me that I don’t,
[00:14:11] Eileen: so, so it was so, but like the, if you can, you know’s the power of a story, the power of your story, it, your story has all the ingredient. to impact people in a sniper way. So let’s dive in. Okay. Let’s, yeah.
[00:14:26] April: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, and yes, you’re right. I Pi Pixar method. Yeah.
[00:14:30] Eileen: Yeah. Okay, so I have this awesome glare, so I’m, so I’m gonna say it out loud. So the Pixar method is, what was the problem that you had? Like what was the problem? The drama.
[00:14:46] Eileen: what was the challenge you were facing? Uh, so as an example, my challenge was I was in a small two bedroom apartment with three kids and my husband’s Uber driving to support us. [00:15:00] Okay. So what was the problem? That was my problem. And how did it make you feel? Hmm. . Hmm. So as an example, so if you’re, I kind of use these as like prompts.
[00:15:10] Eileen: So some people like, pause me and like, so what was the problem? What did it, when you’re describing the problem, you wanna make it like a scene, like, I was here in this place doing this thing and I felt like, I felt like I was a total failure and I was never gonna figure this out. And I, I felt terrified.
[00:15:33] Eileen: Here’s another, so you wanna use emotional? I felt terrified that my three kids would grow up in an apartment without a home and without grass. Like, I can still think about how, yeah. Frightening that was for me. April, like, I was like, oh my gosh, they’re never gonna be like able to play lacrosse out front or like, like, like they’re gonna grow up in this tiny apartment.
[00:15:54] Eileen: uh, and I will also go insane because they’re so loud and like, it’s like [00:16:00] there’s, anyway, so the scene, what was the problem? What was the scene? How did you feel?
[00:16:06] April: All right. So you guys yeah. Be thinking about as Eileen’s guiding us through this. We’re using this as a workshop like we do here on this. . And so really be th saying it out loud, if you’re on the subway or you’re driving your car, you’re in the carpool lane.
[00:16:20] April: Wherever you are, you’re listening to this. If you’re at the gym, picture this. Take a moment and yeah. So we can actually do this work together here on this show as Eileen’s guiding us.
[00:16:30] Eileen: Yeah. Yeah. So fun. So fun to think about, like what was, what was the problem? Like what was the scene and then how’d you feel?
[00:16:37] Eileen: And then what is the story of the. , so there’s a solution that you found and describe what that looked like. Many times people have sometimes an aha moment when they’re reading something, or sometimes it’s perhaps something a mentor said, [00:17:00] or maybe you figured out like a system and you were like, oh my gosh, like if I just did this and this and this.
[00:17:10] Eileen: So some, maybe sometimes it’s like a guide or a mentor showed you, but maybe you just like figured, stumbled across something happened. So you wanna think back like what happened? Like I walked into Funnel Hacky Live and I heard Russell talk about how I could impact the world and make money. And he taught me at the event how to make an offer, how to have like a.
[00:17:29] Eileen: Something I could sell. And I was like, what? In the, what? I was like, I never thought, I dunno, I dunno why that had never crossed my mind, but it had, so I walked out and I was like, oh my gosh. Like I can make money, um, as like a coach. Like I ne that. So what happened for you though? That was like the pivotal moment.
[00:17:50] Eileen: Okay. So there’s a solution that you found. So the problem, so. , and then you kind of wanna talk about it as like, almost like [00:18:00] this, like, and then one day or like suddenly or, but then I found a coach or a mentor and he said, so you wanna describe it almost similarly like a scene because people think in pictures, right?
[00:18:14] Eileen: So they’re thinking, okay, so their solution now, oh, I, okay, I have, so, I’m so excited. I have so much. Okay, so now after, after the. , then you’re gonna, then you’re gonna do the payoff. Okay? Now the payoff is what showed up for you after you implemented the solution. It’s like, uh, and then I did this, and then, and you wanna describe it like first outwardly outward payoff, so it could look like, and then, , I set up the system like April, talk April.
[00:18:51] Eileen: So April told me this and I set up the system and suddenly I’m working half as much, making three times as more. [00:19:00]
[00:19:00] April: So you wanna focus on the deliverables, like the tangible deliverables of that solution. I, I have my, my muted while you’re talking because my dog, my dogs are so excited about this. They’re, they’re barking.
[00:19:12] April: So hearing Eileen talk, um, , uh, the tangible solutions is Nick. So that payoff first you’re saying we talk about those tangible solutions or that people can, people can measure and they can be like, oh my gosh, I only did this, or whatever. Yeah, yeah. Okay.
[00:19:28] Eileen: So, good. And then, um, and so kinda like, so what I like to say is like, what showed up for you in your outward, outward world?
[00:19:37] Eileen: Like, did your business start experiencing some, some, some breakthroughs maybe. You know, some people I work with have a relationship offer and they like found the love of their life or you know, maybe their harmony in their home. You know, it could look like their blood pressure, whatever the results look like.
[00:19:54] Eileen: Right? Right. And then people, so immediately right there, the audience is like, whoa. . I [00:20:00] want that. Now. They’re very, now that you’ve actually created desire for the solution, inadvertently, but then talk about the payoff that shows up internally. So this would be like, uh, the hero’s journey. Mm-hmm. in a, this is like for real people, hero’s journey for like real people payoff.
[00:20:16] Eileen: Like, so did you have more peace? I re um, I remember April the day that somebody bought my first coaching program. , I think I sold it for like $297 , and I almost fell off my chair. I’m not kidding. I can still remember it. I was like, she was like, yeah, I, I’m in, I’m like, wait,
[00:20:38] April: what? What? What did you just say?
[00:20:39] April: You are, are you sure? I was like, and it was
[00:20:41] Eileen: like the, the, like the, the, I don’t know, just the mind shift that somebody was gonna pay me money for the knowledge that was in my head. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . And when that happened, so now it’s outward payoff. This incredible sense of peace [00:21:00] came over me because now I felt like I had found a system.
[00:21:06] Eileen: Hmm. Like a thing that I could rely on. I could do it again, right? And bring income in for my family. So this incredible piece, so this internal pay. Could free, could be incredible confidence, incredible sense of command, authority. It could be a number of emotional, like the internal result that you started experiencing, and that actually is what the audience wants more than the external payoff, right?
[00:21:39] Eileen: Right. We actually want that more, right? So when you start talking about that, you’re increasing the tempera. Of desire. Let me bounce that back to you April and then I’ll talk about how to get the crowd prompt.
[00:21:48] April: Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is, this is so good. What The first thing I was actually thinking about as you were saying it, cuz this is something as you know I’ve been working on for a long time, is that,
[00:21:58] April: When [00:22:00] people hear signature talk, signature story, sometimes they think that that has to cover a, a longer period of time. But as you were going through this framework here, which is genius is amazing. You’re genius as you know, I love you so much. Mm-hmm. , I’m going through and saying, wow, you know, I could craft this whole entire story for just one solution.
[00:22:21] April: That’s a really powerful solution, and. , super honest, where I feel like one of the areas that I, and I have my signature talks and I, I speak, but. When we’re talking about really creating change through a powerful signature talk that you can become known for. Yeah. Like the series of podcast episodes we’re doing here right now, I’m realizing for myself, and hopefully you guys who are listening can take this from me, that it doesn’t have to be my story.
[00:22:48] April: Since I was 13. We can talk about what just happened in a moment like Eileen shared, of where she was before this event, this hap that happened in where she is now. And [00:23:00] I think personally for me, I’ve been trying to fit too darn much in it. And as you’re saying this, it would be like Pixar covering all of the stories of all of the characters, of all of their journeys, rather.
[00:23:12] April: One little dude who had a problem and he created this solution in one movie. Yeah, that’s what I’m getting from This is actual a pure simplification of understanding that you guys, you don’t have to share. everything in, in a bag of chips, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. , we can share one thing about one problem, about one solution as long as it relates to the product and program you’re selling, right?
[00:23:41] April: Absolutely. That’s what I’m pulling from this right now. I’m saying, wow. You know, I think that, I think I’ve overcrowded my signature talk probably for years. .
[00:23:52] Eileen: Wow. That, yeah, it’s so, um, and you got yeah. Simple, simple, simple, right? And it, and it’s amazing how a quick story, [00:24:00] now you can take the story and make it short and make it long, but the streamlined method of the, how Pixar does it starts to really engage the audience at all the lo all the levels.
[00:24:11] Eileen: Because now they’re starting to, they’re seeing, I’ll, I’ll show you how to get them to see their story inside of it, but it’s like, it’s very clear. And the more important thing is it’s now, it’s created. Internal desire and what we like, like buyer’s momentum for what you’re gonna offer.
[00:24:26] April: Amazing. I absolutely love this. Okay, so we have this, we have this framework. Obviously this will all be in the show notes for you guys Well, and hit replay and, and played in slow motion. Yeah. And all this stuff. So now what do we do next? We’ve crafted the story. Where do we go?
[00:24:41] April: Alright, friends. Well, I am going to stop this show right here because what you don’t know. Is Eileen stayed with us for another 40 minutes, giving her entire behind the scenes framework of what to do in the process of delivering your signature talk and. [00:25:00] It will absolutely blow your socks off, and I wanted to make sure that we were giving you ample time to do the work that she already talked about in the higher level.
[00:25:10] April: Signature message crafting and the next episode that we’re gonna break up for you. So part one and part two, this is all part of our becoming known series. Is going to take you through serious, very, very serious. I have three pages of notes here. Uh, . Very, very, um, tangible, actionable ways that you can deliver your talk.
[00:25:35] April: And not only that, Eileen gives you information on how to get a free copy of her book and so many other resources and how to connect with her on Instagram. Um, I will drop this for you guys right now to get a free copy of Eileen’s book. Connect with her on Instagram. It’s at Eileen Wild. And DM her my name, DM her April Beach, and her assistant will know exactly what that [00:26:00] means.
[00:26:00] April: And they’re gonna drop a copy for you, a link for you to grab a free copy of her book. Million Dollar Speaker. I am currently reading this book. It is amazing. It reveals in more, even more in depth, um, some of the secrets that Eileen teaches. And I wanna make sure you guys get that. action Item four right now is replay this episode on the importance of your signature story and how Eileen broke out the processes of how to craft your signature story and then grab her book in the meantime.
[00:26:30] April: Again, at Eileen Wild on Instagram, DM her my name, April Beach, and they will send you a free copy of her book. Next week’s show is part two, where we’re gonna unpack the how to actually go about doing this, and we have so many more resources for you as well. Thank you so much for being a listener of this show.
[00:26:49] April: Please show Eileen love and gratitude for all the information that she dropped here. Find her on Instagram. Share this podcast episode on your Instagram, on your LinkedIn, on your Facebook, wherever you [00:27:00] do. Um, she’s really, really pouring so much into all of us here in these episodes, and I, I won’t want to make sure that we continue to help her expand her reach and the work that she’s doing.
[00:27:10] April: Alright you guys, this is episode number 274. All of the show notes can be found by going to sweet life podcast.com/two seven. Four. I’ll see you next week.
Podcast Guesting Strategies To Establish Thought Leadership – with Angie Trueblood and April Beach (Episode 273)
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Full Show Transcript:
273
[00:00:45] April: Hi you guys. Welcome to episode number 273. I am excited to bring this show particularly, It disrupts the way that most people are taught about podcast guesting.
[00:00:59] April: So we’ve talked about [00:01:00] podcast guesting a lot here on this show, but this is for those of you that are really, uh, interested in working intentionally to use podcast guesting to become known. This is for those of you who are either new in business, but really this is primarily for those of you guys who are scaling companies.
[00:01:16] April: All right? This show we talk about strategies to become known and establish yourself as a thought leader, not just to go on shows that have a ton of listeners, and, uh, hopefully get a couple of downloads of your PDF freebie. We’re beyond that and we’re talking about the Nick’s level of using podcast guesting for thought leadership and become known.
[00:01:37] April: On this show. So if you are an established business, you’re in the process of scaling, you’re a coach, an author, a speaker, a consultant, a a niche service expert, and you want to make sure everybody knows that you are the the leader of a different way of thinking in a different space, or you have a methodology or you have a program that’s really leading [00:02:00] the way.
[00:02:00] April: If you still feel like perhaps you’re that best kept secret, this is the show for you to listen. At the end of this show, you are gonna be given very specific implementation steps. We actually have an implementation section at the end of that, so make sure you hang out for that and you’re gonna know which shows are the right ones for you.
[00:02:18] April: You’re even gonna rethink your podcast pitching topics, and we’re gonna talk about the power of networking and where to look for the right host. And the right shows for you. My guest today is a very good friend. We’ve been friends for quite a few years now. Since I’ve had this Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast.
[00:02:38] April: She has truly sent us the best guests that are, are just ready to deliver you guys gold. As a matter of fact, have you’ve been a listener for years? Quite a few of our amazing guests have come from this incredible woman and her team. This is Angie Trueblood that’s chatting with you here today on the show.
[00:02:53] April: She’s the founder of the pod group and host of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast, and she uses her entrepreneurial [00:03:00] spirit, innovative thinking, and super connector powers to deeply support business owners who are using podcast guesting as the core. Of their business growth. Now, Angie, on a personal side, is super passionate about normalizing the voices of women in leadership positions, which she feels privileged to play an active role in through her work and kind of a funny little thing, Angie and I are both like, Bird watching dorks.
[00:03:28] April: So over Christmas we were like sending each other these pictures of these like bird feeders that have cameras in them that you can like identify the kind of bird that’s eating on your bird feeder. Uh, so there’s just a little bit behind the scenes of, of how much we geek out. When we talk, whether it’s about ridiculous, uh, bird feeders or finding you guys the right shows to become known.
[00:03:49] April: So if this is what you’re looking for, I promise you I don’t talk about bird feeders with her on this show. Just sharing a little behind the scenes with you guys, uh, then we’re gonna dive into it today. All of the [00:04:00] show notes can be found by visiting sweet life podcast.com/ 2 73. This is episode number 273.
[00:04:08] April: The show notes will contain the transcription. All of the downloads, the links to connect with Angie and the summary of what we talked about. So they are pretty valuable. If you haven’t been to our show notes, uh, it’s, it’s kind of a, a hidden patch of gold if you haven’t tapped into that. All right, so if you guys are ready, let’s go ahead and dive in with Angie Trueblood.
[00:04:30] April: Hey you guys. I’m so glad that you’re here. I am here with my friend Angie Trueblood. And Angie has really been, uh, the guide for us in podcast guesting, as well as her company actually sends the best, my favorite podcast guest over, over to us. Anytime we get something from Angie and her team saying, Hey, listen, you know, you, you should really, I.
[00:04:53] April: Person. We stop everything that we’re doing and we check it out. So today we’re talking about, and we’re continuing our [00:05:00] series on becoming known. This is episode number 273, and we are diving into the very specifics of why podcast guesting and how podcast guesting can advance your mission to become known.
[00:05:14] April: And what we’re really gonna dive into today are some things that you probably don’t hear on most shows. How to be a podcast guest or expand your reach through podcast casting. So we’re gonna pull back the curtain, especially for those of you guys that are a bit more advanced in entrepreneurship and help you understand how do you po use podcast guesting to scale your company.
[00:05:36] April: Angie, welcome. Thank you so much for being
[00:05:38] Angie: here. Thank you, friend. It’s so good to see you.
[00:05:41] April: I know, I know. We’re on video now, you guys Yeah, if you, if you aren’t watching us on video, I, I, as I said to Angie, we’re doing video, but we actually don’t have it up yet. , uh, we will by then, this will be on YouTube, so you should check it out on YouTube as well.
[00:05:54] April: So, Angie, you know, when we talk about podcast guesting, it’s. obviously not a big secret. [00:06:00] The podcast guesting, there’s a great opportunity to become known. Mm-hmm. , but what, what are people not being told? What, what is the flow of the masses and what do we wanna talk about to dis today in a way to not necessarily disrupt that, but help our listeners to rethink and maybe catapult above the masses who, who are trying to be podcast.
[00:06:23] Angie: Yeah, I think it’s a great question. Um, I think the primary thing that we see not happening in the industry is not enough focus being spent on being strategic with who people are pitching, and there’s a myriad of things within the pitches, but I think from a higher level business growth perspective, Really identifying the types of audiences that are going to move your business forward.
[00:06:50] Angie: Also, identifying the types of hosts that are gonna help you be known and become an authority in a particular space are really important [00:07:00] pieces that I don’t always see happening out there in the podcast. Pitching and guesting conversations. Right.
[00:07:07] April: There’s so much pressure to, you know, be on EO Fire or you know, be on, um, online marketing Made Easy and be on these huge shows, and PR coaches teach you to work your way up to those shows.
[00:07:21] April: But I love the conversations that you and I have about the fact that those shows aren’t really the winning places for many people who need to become known in established thought leaderships. What? You know, why is that? .
[00:07:36] Angie: Well, it’s interesting, um, a lot of the bigger shows candidly, are changing their model.
[00:07:43] Angie: I mean, we could go on about this forever, um, but some of the sh show, the shows are charging to have guests come on. And to me that kind of shifts the intent of the podcast from getting in front of audiences to it being more of like a sponsored collaboration. So that [00:08:00] to me, for some of the bigger shows, is a whole different ball of wax.
[00:08:05] Angie: I mean, I would say the niche piece of it, and that’s what we do really well. And I think it’s because internally I am a very big nerd. I love research. My background is in science. I just hired someone. She’s from a PR firm. They serve tech companies. So we’re a little nerdy over here at the Budweis Group
[00:08:23] Angie: But really digging in and seeing. , what are some of these shows that might not have millions of downloads, but have a really engaged audience in a particular vertical? So for me, I even, I almost shift my verticals of who we positioned me as a guest on, like who we outwardly reach out to. Last year I had a big focus.
[00:08:46] Angie: I wanted to guest on shows that were hosted by podcast producers so that I would have a relationship with producers so they could refer their clients. To us. It has worked in the sense that I’ve created [00:09:00] relationships with a lot of producers, but I’ve also found that a lot of people who have their own podcasts are a little cash strapped, especially if they have a producer and they’re not always willing to come up off of it, you know, to have another level of service provider.
[00:09:17] Angie: But it was a great mm-hmm. experimentation for us. Um, where I see the best benefit is really identifying these niche. Complimentary service providers, so for your listeners who are scaling, they know who they serve, they know what they do for them. Finding people who serve that same audience but in a different way is really key to getting in front of an audience and actually having a really good shot of having your pitch accepted.
[00:09:45] April: Right. . It’s a such an interesting strategy. And, and, and I think that there, there, like I said, there’s so much pressure about wanting to be on these really big shows, but what you’re saying and what we talk about is [00:10:00] the gold, like, you know, they, for that, like the riches are in the niches. Well, the podcast is actually, is the same thing and I love that, that.
[00:10:06] April: I love that you’re talking about that. So our listeners really need to establish their goals in who the decision makers are. So as you guys are listening to this and, and trying to identify how to apply this to your business, I want you to think of your buyer. I want you to think of the person that is going to be making a decision.
[00:10:26] April: About whether or not they buy your services. If you guys are listening and you’re still in what we call that scale level where you’re selling your coaching and your programs to other individuals, then where are they and where are they not being inundated in, you know, fire hose with people just like you, right?
[00:10:47] April: Let’s
[00:10:47] Angie: talk about that. Yeah. I mean, a great exercise for your listener to do is make a list of the clients that you’ve coached before. I’m sure many are in the hundreds, so the ones that really [00:11:00] stand out in your mind that you were really successful, you saw breakthroughs. And you also enjoyed it. Also, if they send referrals your way, that’s a bonus too.
[00:11:10] Angie: So make a list of those clients that you’ve had before and then really describe their industry. That’s one thing we do with all of our clients on our intake call is tell, I don’t wanna know that they’re 25 to 35 years old and interested in wellness. Like that’s cool, but tell me. If it’s a b2b, cuz we work with a lot of B2B clients.
[00:11:33] Angie: Who are they? Like describe them, what industry are they in? Are they copywriters? Did you have this one client who was a Facebook ad strategist? And whatever you did for them was amazing. . Then we wanna find niche shows that are possibly talking to Facebook ad strategists or service providers, like virtual assistants, or, we have a client right now and she helps C-Suite leaders really kind of take [00:12:00] their style and use it as an asset to showing up authentically.
[00:12:04] Angie: She works with hospital CEOs and law firm partners, so. Finding shows that are talking to attorneys and women in non-traditional spaces, really. So you gotta figure out who are the people that you love working with? Let’s start there because you obviously connect with them. So showing up on a show that is speaking to an audience of those people, they’re gonna pick up on your energy and then when they come to chat with you, you’re both gonna have that.
[00:12:34] April: right. What a great example and thank you for sharing about your client and this triggers me to wanna share with you guys. So one of the things that the Pod Wise group helped us with is making a list of shows where people who want to license their content, In or create a certification program are listening.
[00:12:56] April: And so these other shows, it’s not all online business. I have an [00:13:00] online business podcast. Right. Like Yeah. You know, pitching me on another podcast. It’s kind of a lot like mine doesn’t Yeah. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. Right. But where are those other places? What are those other podcasts or what are those other genres, if you will?
[00:13:15] April: Mm-hmm. that, uh, that my higher level clients that are moving. Licensing content to companies and other businesses, um, might be listening. and they might not even be in the online business space. Yeah. And so that was a really good exercise for us to go to. They could be corporate consultants, you know, that, that want to do this.
[00:13:37] April: So that was a really good exercise. And so that’s, go through that process like Angie said, and really identify and kind of break that mold that you’ve been told in. You know, just pitch to the big ones. Do the, what is it called? Like the PR ladder where you get bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And although that’s, , but sometimes the gold and we’re, we’re seeing this kind [00:14:00] of across the board.
[00:14:00] April: It’s been a trend for the last eight 18 months that the bigger shows, the bigger programs, so that, you know, people just don’t really wanna be there anymore. They wanna be known. They wanna be in spaces where their people are, where they don’t feel like just a drop of water in the ocean. And so this totally aligns with that.
[00:14:16] April: Okay. So let’s kind of switch. Yeah,
[00:14:18] Angie: go ahead. Well, a lot of the well known shows are catering to beginning business owners. So depending on what your service is, they’re not at a point unless you have a DIY offering. They’re not at a point they will. I mean, rightly so. I did it when I was new in business, but they are there to get as much free content as they can while they’re getting everything lined up.
[00:14:41] Angie: But if you have packages that are multi thousands of dollars, you, I. I mean people that are business owners like you and I and your listeners, like, think of the shows that you are listening to. Are you listening to online marketing Made Easy? Maybe, but I’m not Anyone. Not anymore. . [00:15:00] Yeah. So you wanna, that’s why the niche piece is so incredible, because no matter what stage of business you’re in, who doesn’t wanna listen to a podcast that’s telling the ins and outs of your specific industry?
[00:15:14] April: Right. Right, right, right. Yeah. Okay. So hopefully we have you guys rethinking what shows you’re pitching. Angie, I wanna I want you to speak, um, for a minute. You talked about it a little bit before about networking, but when, when we’re talking about becoming known, which is the purpose of this series, how can we use networking through podcasting to become known, uh, you know, regardless of of where the show is Now, let’s kind of switch gears a little bit into, to, to.
[00:15:43] April: Area of gold that I don’t think that people talk about often enough.
[00:15:46] Angie: Yeah, I mean, it is one of my primary networking tools. I am currently most active on other people’s podcasts and LinkedIn, and it really just has to do with you seeing these interviews as an [00:16:00] opportunity to develop a relationship with a host that exists after.
[00:16:05] Angie: The podcast interview goes live. So that’s the first piece of it is, and it comes back again to strategically choosing the types of shows you’re gonna be on. Maybe the show that you’re pitching is not hosted by, uh, someone that has a giant audience, but if, you know, they’re super connector. We’ve pitched shows recently to where the show is really not that big, but they, the host has a massive LinkedIn following, and so, That’s awesome.
[00:16:34] Angie: Like let’s get connected with that person because you can interact with them and their network. So the host is one piece of it, and then you can drive listeners to actually connect with you, right? So I think that’s the beauty of podcast guesting and one way to stand out is to show up as a human, to show up as craving relationships and wanting to connect with others and guiding people, like at [00:17:00] this point in the interview.
[00:17:01] Angie: Your listener knows that I’m active on LinkedIn, right? So it would be a natural thing after this interview, like connect with me on LinkedIn, send me a DM if you have a question about what we’re talking about. So that’s really two pieces, is encourage the listener and talk to the listener. Have them being active, participant in the conversation.
[00:17:21] Angie: And then, I mean, the host is just priceless.
[00:17:25] April: Right. Oh my gosh. That is so smart. And I feel like, um, especially just a side note with LinkedIn and how active you have been on LinkedIn. I have, I have seen your networking on LinkedIn and how much you’re doing on there and it’s just, it’s just been a real game changer for you and I know a lot of other people as well.
[00:17:43] April: So, um, definitely do connect with, with Angie on LinkedIn. We’ll make sure her LinkedIn profile information is in the show notes. Okay, so today we’ve talked about rethinking, becoming known through podcasting. We have talked about rethinking what everybody’s [00:18:00] saying about wanting to be on the big shows and really hunting for the gold in specific areas, specific niches.
[00:18:06] April: And you talked about doing so in such a way that establish. Thought leadership in a space. Mm-hmm. . Um, how would you help our listeners understand or define thought leadership is defined in so many different ways. Um, but is there a specific strategy or a specific, how do I wanna ask this question? So it’s useful for our users.
[00:18:30] April: If somebody says, I wanna be known as the x Y. Yeah. As a person who helps them connect to the right podcasts, what are your first steps to help them accomplish that goal?
[00:18:45] Angie: A lot of times what we do is elevate the talk topics that they typically. Bring to us. Uh, we recently had a jumpstart client where we create the strategy, the pitch list, the template, everything, and hand it over to them for their team to pitch.[00:19:00]
[00:19:00] Angie: And she came in, so she’s an operations consultant and she came in and had previously pitched herself occasionally. And there was a ton of how-to topics. And I went through and I was like, Nope, you’re not at this level anymore. Nope. The people you wanna work with don’t want to know this stuff. . So a lot of it is about up-leveling.
[00:19:20] Angie: When I started pitching myself, it was all how to mm-hmm. , here’s like the five things to include in a pitch. It was very how to now we’re elevating into what’s the impact that guesting can have? How can you repurpose and not work yourself to death creating content? So think about to be a thought leader.
[00:19:41] Angie: It really does. Revolve around having a different idea of your industry or a unique perspective that others don’t have. For us, it’s all about the relationships and the long-term impact it can have. Um, so I would encourage you listener, as you’re especially looking in the scale [00:20:00] phase and looking to connect with pretty high level decision makers.
[00:20:04] Angie: Get yourself out of the how-to topics, like get yourself into the, this is what’s going on in our industry. This is the impact that the work that I do can have, and this is how we can impact your business, your company, your clients. Wow.
[00:20:20] April: That was. everything right there. Um, , I think if it, if you guys are here and you need to hit rewind and re go back 15 seconds, like three times and listen to what Angie just said because now we have wrapped it together in, in a very powerful fireball for you is change the shows you’re looking to pitch yourself on.
[00:20:42] April: If you’ve been going after the masses. Look for hosts that are very industry specific and where your decision makers are, where your buyers. Know your buyers know if you’re going from the newbie buyer to the advanced [00:21:00] buyer. And finally, and this is gold. Seriously, this is amazing. Thank you for sharing that.
[00:21:07] April: Change the topics that you are pitching. If you wanna level yourself up as a thought leader in your space. Get away from the basic how-tos, which might be. Um, what do they, what do you call it? Click bait, , you know? Yeah. Might be click bait ways, three
[00:21:22] Angie: topics to pitch a podcast . Right, right, right.
[00:21:24] April: Uh, and instead talk about things kind of like we’re talking about here in this show.
[00:21:29] April: This show is not titled How to, how to Grow Whatever Your Business Through Podcast Casting. We did those shows four years ago. Right. Yeah. Now we’re talking about how to rethink podcast guesting and what people aren’t telling you about podcast guesting to truly establish thought leadership in your space and become known.
[00:21:48] April: And Angie is our go-to person. I think I’ve made that really clear. Um, just really appreciate her work. Um, it, I also will say this, if your business is to the level where you have [00:22:00] teams pitching, Angie’s company is really great with that . Okay? So also if you’re listening, if you’re self pitching, that’s awesome.
[00:22:08] April: Like keep it up, keep, keep up the work. Make sure that you’re being mindful about your pitching, and we’re gonna connect you with Angie and resources to do this if you’re to that place where you have your other, your teams. Pitching and you’re building teams to pitch you. Um, that’s really what we lean on a lot for Angie, and a lot of our higher level clients do that as well.
[00:22:29] April: So, okay. Let’s, let’s wrap this all up. What, uh, what did I not ask you in this consideration of, of using podcast guesting to become known at a higher level that maybe I should have? Was there something that I didn’t cover that we would, we would be doing our listeners a disservice if, if we didn’t quickly hit.
[00:22:47] Angie: I mean, I think a lot of it is then you get the interview and you show up to record. How can you stand out? How can people who are listening develop an understanding of who you are and how you serve? [00:23:00] And it is about storytelling. It is about sharing some of the specific examples that I shared today about the operations client, about the client that has, you know, working with attorneys.
[00:23:12] Angie: Get a couple of those. Like I took notes before we popped on live because I knew the angle and the direction that our conversation was gonna take, and so you need to be prepared to create some depth to your stories because just sharing what you think. It doesn’t trigger the audience to picture you as a thought leader, but when I have clients that serve CEOs of hospital systems, that seems to elevate what I do and who I do it for.
[00:23:44] Angie: So, especially as you’re stepping into thought leadership, have some higher level stories, higher level examples, kind of on cue in order to give more descriptors to your answers of question.
[00:23:58] April: Great, great. And, and people [00:24:00] connect so much better through stories as for sure as well. And, uh, and you. More credible for sure, even though we know you’re already credible.
[00:24:08] April: Otherwise you wouldn’t be here listening to this show and figuring out how to do this. So we, we all know the three of us know you are super credible. We just wanna make sure everybody else that hears you knows that, that you’re super credible and you’ve helped other people before.
[00:24:20] Angie: Um, yeah, well, and stories.
[00:24:22] Angie: I mean, that’s what I wanna listen to when I listen to a podcast. I don’t, I don’t need another how to at the moment. I need like, just gimme examples. I wanna hear what other people are doing.
[00:24:31] April: Right. I love that. I love that. All right, well thank you so much for being on the show today. Okay, so implementation.
[00:24:37] April: Next steps. How do people connect with you? What, what is the best way? And guys, we will drop this in the show notes as well, but take a pause here for a second and go and connect with Angie where she’s about to
[00:24:51] Angie: tell you too. Yeah. How is that the best place to. Any way to connect with me is over on the website, the pod wise group.com.
[00:24:59] Angie: It’s pod [00:25:00] wise, with a z slash hi there, and there will be links to learning about our services. We have them if you want us to pitch you, if you want us to prep what you or your team. Pitch you and we even have strategy sessions. Um, for those of you who are looking for like the actual pitch, because I know that is always a question I get even though we were not talking about it.
[00:25:22] Angie: Um, there’s a download there so you can see pitches that my team and I have actually sent and my links for LinkedIn are there as well. So all the places that you might wanna connect depending on where you are in your journey is at the pod wises group.com/hi.
[00:25:37] April: resources of gold. You guys, . All right, Angie, thank you so much.
[00:25:41] April: Thank you for being my friend and somebody I know always tells me the truth about anything that we’re talking about in podcasting. Thank you for sending us some of the top notch best guests who have been here on this show. And thank you for pouring out so much gold to our listeners and always just freely giving first, and I just really
[00:25:59] Angie: appreciate [00:26:00] you for that.
[00:26:00] Angie: Yeah, same too, friend. Thanks for having.
[00:26:03] April: Of course. All right guys, well, there you have it from the insider herself, Angie Trueblood with the pod Wise group. So let’s talk really quick about your implementation steps. First of all, I use Angie. I love her. Obviously she didn’t pay to be on this show. I asked her to come on here and be part of this becoming known series because I know she’s so incredibly valuable for you as.
[00:26:25] April: Been for us. So definitely check out what they are doing over there, whether or not you’re in a position to work with them, get in their ecosystem because you’re gonna be glad you did. So let’s talk about your implementation steps after this show. What are we gonna do to implement? So here’s really quick wrap up for you.
[00:26:44] April: This was a big concept we. It was a change of thinking to what you might have done before regarding podcast guesting. So pick one thing that you are going to do or think about or strategize from what we [00:27:00] talked about in this show. I can tell you right now as a team, we’re gonna be going back and making sure the titles of the shows that I am speaking on, the titles of the topics are, are, are not these basic topics.
[00:27:12] April: based on our audiences that we work with. Now we’re gonna revisit our topics, which of course Angie and our team help us do as well. I think that that was a, a huge piece of gold in this show, but it depends on who you guys are trying to reach, right? So if you’re trying to reach those people that are new to your space, whatever it is you do, then those how-tos are amazing.
[00:27:36] April: If you’re trying to use this show to establish thought leadership for yourself, then let’s rethink the topic. So you are pitching in what you’re saying on the, on the shows that you become a guest on. Let’s help you to make sure that you are helping others rethink, and therefore that’s gonna level you up more towards thought leadership in your space.
[00:27:57] April: And of course, solve the, uh, [00:28:00] the, the goal that we’re talking about here, which is becoming. So if that, if you’re good to go and you think your titles are great, what else can you do? You can start researching shows that are very niche specific, very, uh, not necessarily very smaller shows, but smaller shows that have a good engagement.
[00:28:19] April: Check out their social media handles. Check out, their LinkedIn. LinkedIn has just been so hot, especially for the last couple of of months, especially the last 18 months. So find out how much interaction is happening with those shows. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have a gazillion downloads, if they have an interactive audience in, like Angie said, a host that has a bigger following that has a relationship with our listeners.
[00:28:42] April: That could be the, the gold target that you’re going after as far as podcast guesting. That’s your implementation wrap up. Thank you so much for listening to this show. I’m April Beach. If we don’t know each other, it’s so great to meet you. Uh, you can find all the information that we shared from this [00:29:00] episode by going to SweetLifepodcast.com/273.
[00:29:05] April: This is episode number 273. And all the other resources we have for you are at sweetlifeco.com. All right, you guys have a fantastic day. Talk to you soon.
(Becoming Known) How To Build A Press Worthy Personal Brand – with Brielle Cotterman (Episode 272)
 
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Who is this episode for:
This episode is incredible for entrepreneurs who are ready to scale by gaining media attention.
Summary:
If you’re looking to grow your personal brand and increase sales then using press is a smart avenue. There are many ways to approach and land proper publicity. In this episode we talked to Brielle Cotterman about how to build a foundation of celebrity and a press worthy personal brand through crafting stories.
Brielle breaks down her profitable storytelling framework and you will walk away from this episode knowing the three stories every entrepreneur must have in their bank to grow your business through press, and gain attention of highly sought after media.In this show we also break down the foundation of celebrity and the aspects of your business that you want to have designed and structured before you move into the strategies here.
This is an excellent episode for entrepreneurs who are ready to scale by gaining media attention. In order to leverage the
training taught in this episode you must have your online offers engineered that are ready to scale and a complete client journey laid out and ready to go. If you don’t have those things in place yet visit www.sweetlifeco.com
At the end of this episode you will:
- Know the Foundations of Celebrity
Brielle Cotterman’s Website www.briellecotterman.com
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
272
[00:00:44] April: Hi you guys. Welcome back to the show. I’m so glad you’re here for the NextGen of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur in Business Podcast and all the shows that I have lined up for you for the next five years. All of everything we’re gonna be talking about today can be found at [00:01:00] sweetlifeco.com. And all of our faithful listeners, you guys know that this is where you come to for business coaching and strategy that other coaches will charge you thousands for.
[00:01:09] April: Today’s episode is very powerful. My friend Brielle Cotterman is here and we’re gonna talk about how to create a press worthy personal brand. Who is this for? This is for those of you guys who are scaling your business. So we’ve already done a good job creating your offers. We have the client journey engineered. We know what’s gonna happen to all of the people we’re bringing into your business, after you earn media and press attention, after you speak on stages, that part is ready to go.
[00:01:35] April: And now we’re talking about how to actually get you onto those stages, how to actually earn that media attention and what you’re gonna say in those, opportunities. You know, today, Brielle’s gonna break down her entire framework for the stories that you tell from stages. And this is a different approach to getting media in earning press like we’ve talked about here on this show.
[00:01:56] April: And my other friends teach that we’ve actually had guests on this [00:02:00] show. Totally different approach. And what we’re talking about today, in my opinion, is really a prerequisite to the work you would do when you start the actual pitching process. Very, very, very important foundational work, so I’m very glad that you guys are here.
[00:02:14] April: If we don’t know each other yet, I’m April Beach. I am the host here on the show and founder of the Sweet Life Company. And I’m a business architect and offer engineer, so I help experts, coaches, consultants, authors, and speakers scale their business online by creating million dollar programs, courses, trainings, license programs, and certification programs that lead them to high profit. Deep impact in the work they’re doing with the lifestyle freedom that they want. And I am so very glad that you’re here. You can always apply to work with us by cruising over to sweetlifeco.com.
[00:02:48] April: So let me tell you about our amazing, amazing guest today, Brielle Cotterman. She’s actually been in our community and in top our clients and worked with our clients. She’s actually gonna share one of our shared [00:03:00] clients that we have here. We’re gonna share some of the numbers here on this show about the impressions and the exposure that this client received because they have the things in place that we’re talking about here on this show. So we’re gonna give you some case studies from an actual client that. Is currently in the process of working with both of us.
[00:03:17] April: Brielle, for the record, is a TEDx speaker, a publicity experts and celebrity maker. She’s been the better part of the last decade helping clients craft and scale dream careers to seven figures and beyond by leveraging their personal stories and passions in order to create speaking, speaking tours. Author, award-winning books, procure media placements, and inspire millions of people, millions of people that need to hear their story. She’s a survivor of attempted murder and domestic violence and advocate for a world where intimate partner abuse is not tolerated, and survivors are met with empathy,
[00:03:51] April: On the business side again, her are regularly featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Martha Stewart Living. She just [00:04:00] got one of our clients in, Cosmo, in GQ. It’s not in her bio, but that just happened. Um, and I’m sure she’s done that before too. NBC, CBS, In Style Magazine and so many other, media and press publications and it’s because of her fantastic approach that you’re gonna hear here today. Hear, here, today on the show, she’s been married for just over a year to the love of her life, and they live on a horse boarding farm, uh, which is amazing. Absolutely gorgeous with three children and many, many animals. So they’re very, very excited about their life. They, they’re truly living the. I can’t wait for you to get to know Brielle today on the show if you don’t, and to hear and implement what she says. So again, all the show notes can be found by going to sweetlifeco.com. Click on the podcast and this is episode number 272. So let’s dive into the show.
[00:04:52] April: Hello Friends, it is 2023 when we are recording this show and this is a Next Gen of the Sweet Left Entrepreneur [00:05:00] Podcast and there was no better person who I have been wanting and needing to record a podcast episode honestly for a very long time with then my friend Braille Cotterman, who is here today. And I just wanna kick off the year right, kick off the year strong, and dive in with Brielle and welcome you to the Sweet Life family.
[00:05:19] April: We’re really kind of a family of listeners here, of entrepreneurs that grow together by listening to amazing experts in applying what you teach us on the show. So welcome here to the show. Give everybody a short introduction of yourself and, and why you are in this place to lead other women.
[00:05:36] Brielle: Thank you, April. I appreciate it. As you know, I am honored and always super excited to be a part of anything that you’re doing. So it’s lovely to be here with you today. So I am a publicity expert and a celebrity maker. I’m a TEDx speaker. I’ve been in the PR world for more than a decade, and prior to that I was in C-suite level sales and marketing.
[00:05:59] Brielle: [00:06:00] Uh, I’ve been a professional speaker on behalf of charitable organizations, and before that I competed in the Miss America Organization. So combine all of these talents, experiences, this unique skillset that I have, compiled along the way, and that’s what puts me in the position to help women and men like yourself, you know, incredible entrepreneurs with a cause step onto the world stage and share their story, not only to impact the world, but also their bottom line.
[00:06:35] April: Wow. I love that. And I, I can’t wait to dive into what we’re gonna unpack here today. So today we’re talking about building a press worthy personal brand. And before we actually dive into how to go about doing this, and, and the reasoning behind it, which I can’t wait for people to hear, what you’re gonna talk about today is, can we talk about some of the mindset issues where maybe some leaders.
[00:06:59] April: Aren’t [00:07:00] necessarily leaning into this, do they? Do people not believe that they, that their story is valuable? Or what are some of those blocks for any of our listeners that are thinking, wow, I’d love to do that, but I can’t because of what are maybe some of those lies or blocks that people may be telling themselves, so we can just get those out of the way before we even dive into nailing this objective.
[00:07:19] Brielle: Yeah, so absolutely what I see all the time in April. So many people who are kind of like nose to the grindstone, building their business, creating their brand, and then they look up one day and they realize, if I wanna get where I really want to be, I have to have a personal brand that supports what I’m doing because people now care about me because I am the CEO O or I’m the founder, or you know, I’m in this place.
[00:07:43] Brielle: And so with that, like you said, comes a whole host of mindset things, and that can be as much as. Not wanting your whole life to be public, not wanting, um, you know, to air your dirty laundry, so to speak. But there are [00:08:00] ways of sharing and telling stories that don’t include all of the details that are very inspirational and.
[00:08:07] Brielle: You know, it also, a part of that is stepping onto the world stage means something different for everyone. That doesn’t necessarily mean that people are going to recognize you when you walk down the street, but what it does mean is you are taking advantage of the opportunities that we have right now in the world.
[00:08:26] Brielle: Whether that’s media, whether it’s podcasting. Speaking, you know, whatever that piece might look like for you. And we are using that as this really phenomenal marketing tool to be able to leverage who you are and what you stand for. And in doing so, support the ultimate success of your business. So there are mindset issues around that, and I think that that’s the, the one that I hear the most.
[00:08:49] Brielle: You know, when it comes to story, it’s either, oh, I have so many stories, I don’t know where to begin. Or, the other camp is, I don’t know that my story is, would even matter to.
[00:08:59] April: [00:09:00] Right, right, right. I can resonate with both of those sides.
[00:09:03] Brielle: Yeah.
[00:09:03] April: Just so you know, I, I have thought both of those things and, um, so I’m very excited and, and grateful for your leadership for, for me as well. Okay. So today diving into building a press worthy personal brand, what actually is a press worthy personal brand? Let’s start there.
[00:09:20] Brielle: Yeah. So when you think about organizations, it’s very important to remember that information that is shared by an individual converts seven times faster than information that’s shared from a corporation or an organization. And what that means is if you are the ceo, you are the face of your organization, you are a leader, and you are sharing content, information that it’s, it doesn’t have to be exactly the same as what your organization shares, but it’s in support of it. So basically, you think. That press worthy personal brand is the brand that is an authentic representation of who you are and what you stand for, what makes you [00:10:00] unique, and it allows you to intersect with the values, mission, and vision of your organization.
[00:10:06] Brielle: So really a personal brand. Everybody has one. I always say that some people, you know, they’re like, oh, well I haven’t taken the time to create it. Well, you have one. It’s just whether or not you are curating that personal brand, and we always say that a personal brand is how you leave people feeling how they feel after they’ve had an interaction with you.
[00:10:27] Brielle: Maybe they see you speak on the stage, or maybe they listen to your podcast or check out your website or your social media, or maybe they read an article that you’ve written, and chances are there is not a cohesive lens there. That’s what I run into most of the time with people who are really successful leaders, advocates, entrepreneurs.
[00:10:45] Brielle: And even in the C-Suite. And of course, we want that sort of information that’s coming from you, who you are, what you stand for, what makes you unique to be a true representation of your heart. [00:11:00]
[00:11:00] April: Hmm. Wow. Okay. So I think all of our listeners right now are saying, yes, I, I, that’s what I want. And that’s different than maybe what that I, I thought that it was mm-hmm. and I, I feel like even the way that you explained it takes a lot of pressure off of some people that feel like it’s really all about them. It’s actually not all about them. It’s really just about, like you said, how they make people feel and how that resonates in their, with their work in the mission that they’re doing and and forwarding the work of their company and obviously building relationships as well.
[00:11:33] April: And so you said, so what you see. Is it, it’s not cohesive across all of those outlets. Is that usually the case in when people come to you and they’re saying they might have this per, they might give this sort of impression off in, in this place and this and this place is, do you find that people are inconsistent with their brand across platforms?
[00:11:55] Brielle: Absolutely. And well, not just their, uh, I’m with their [00:12:00] personal brand. The thing that I find the most is that people don’t understand how they are interpreted, perceived, or recieved so.
[00:12:09] April: Got it.
[00:12:09] Brielle: We hear all the time. Share stories. Share stories, you know, I mean, it’s constant. Um, one, I see a lot of people not sharing the right stories, and two, I see them not sharing stories in a way that our minds easily comprehend, recall, and can share. So anytime we share a statement or a fact, when we wrap that in a story, it’s more than 70 times as likely to be remembered.
[00:12:40] April: That’s amazing. I love that stat. Okay, . It just blows my mind every single time, but it’s also not surprising. So let’s talk about, what do you mean when you say foundation of celebrity? We haven’t brought it up here yet in this podcast and, and I’d love to dive into that first. You speak all the time and you help entrepreneurs and leaders all the time [00:13:00] establish their foundation of celebrity. What actually is that?
[00:13:04] Brielle: So basically that is a thorough examination. My personal brand, how does my personal brand support, uh, what it is that I’m doing professionally or with my advocacy or that my organization is doing?
[00:13:18] Brielle: And then, , the, not only the stories that go along with that, but making sure you have a sound business. You know, honestly, you help clients and people to develop a large portion of that foundation of celebrity. Because here’s the deal. When we talk about a press worthy brand, what is a press worthy brand?
[00:13:36] Brielle: It’s going to capture attention. Okay? It’s going to get GQ and Cosmo and Forbes and Business Insider to say yes. But if we get all of those incredible, publications to say yes, what’s going to happen if we have nowhere to push them? We have nowhere for those people to go or when they get there. It’s confusing.
[00:13:56] Brielle: We want people to be able to take one step closer to you in a [00:14:00] way that is easeful and makes total sense. For your ideal client and really for who your ideal client hopes to be. And that’s something you know that you and I share from our perception of who are we speaking to when it comes to marketing, and that’s definitely what we look at.
[00:14:16] Brielle: So foundation of celebrity, you’ve gotta have a sound business, you’ve gotta have that client journey. When the different points of entry, when they come into your space, how are they going to take one step closer to you? It’s phenomenal to get GQ and Cosmo. But if we get GQ and Cosmo and people come to your site and then they’re struggling, like, what, what do I do next? You know, people, we, we lose them and that’s not at all what we wanna do. So, um, having that foundation of celebrity looks a, it’s a lot more complex than just being able to give a really incredible interview and knowing how to show up on television, what to say and how to say it. But it’s the behind the scenes that really matters when it comes to making an impact on your bottom [00:15:00] line.
[00:15:01] April: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and I, I believe that there are so many people that do actually put themselves out there that don’t have those business structures in place. And that’s exactly what you’re saying that you see as well.
[00:15:12] Brielle: Absolutely.
[00:15:12] April: All everybody, so foundation of celebrity, you guys, when you get out there and, and we want you out there. We want you telling your story, which we’re gonna dive into next. We want you to have this. Amazing personal brand, but let’s also make sure that the rest of your business is in place and ready for the attention, and really like a sponge to be able to absorb that work that you do when you put yourself out there, when you earn press and, and you speak on stages.
[00:15:38] April: So now that we have the foundation lead, foundation of celebrity, the reason why you need a personal brand, all of these things. Something you said earlier really hit home for me, and it’s something that I’ve struggled with for years, is how to actually take my experiences and turn them into stories where, people [00:16:00] understand it’s not about me or even my story so much, but how do we make it so that other people can see themselves in our stories and then take that next step with us?
[00:16:11] April: And it is something I am the first one to admit. I’ve struggled with this. For years and years and years. And so I would love for you to help all of us just really understand how to move into this direction. You have an amazing framework. I know, but let’s talk about stories a little bit. What do we say We got up there on stage. What? And then what do we say?
[00:16:31] Brielle: So, you know, we all know stories are memorable. That’s the way we’ve been teaching since the beginning of time. Our. Human brains are really literally hardwired to learn through story. And story does two things. It creates connection and it inspires action. And those are only stories that are told. Well, April. And so that’s the thing. It’s. You know, most of us, by the time we are in a place where people begin to, and when I say people, I mean [00:17:00] like press and like, you know, those massive numbers like we, we were talking about before, 85 and a hundred million people that are consuming content of our clients.
[00:17:10] Brielle: They begin to care about our stories when we’ve lived a lot of life typically. And so sorting out what are the stories to tell. Doing that from the perspective of I wanna tell a story that’s gonna create connection and inspire action, and I wanna inspire the right action. Um, you know, you mentioned earlier it’s not just about pitching.
[00:17:31] Brielle: So it’s not just about pitching the media, it’s not just about getting the win, it’s about being prepared and knowing. When I do get this media win, am I going to do myself more good than harm by telling the right stories and having that foundation of celebrities. So that’s a big piece. You know, taking your own experiences and looking for moments in time that are transformational.
[00:17:54] Brielle: So that’s my. That’s always my best advice when you begin to break down, and we have three [00:18:00] stories that we recommend everyone tell, but you know when you begin to assess and you look at that, we want to show people who you are through your story rather than tell them so. That’s the, that’s one of the biggest mistakes I see people make all of the time.
[00:18:16] Brielle: They wanna list their whole resume. You know, they wanna go through this whole laundry list of, well, I’ve done this and I’ve accomplished that, and blah, blah, blah. And really, at the end of the day, your consumers and your media decision makers, they don’t care. They wanna, they want a real person. Yeah. They wanna create connection.
[00:18:33] Brielle: Mm-hmm. , um, you know, we talk about no, like, and trust and more than it’s, these are new numbers too. Um, more than 86% of all consumers say a brand’s authenticity is one of their, the reasons for their major, major decision making when it comes to buying or not buying. .
[00:18:54] April: Wow. Wow. So when we talk about these stories and [00:19:00] we get up on stage, whether it’s an online stage or an offline stage, or somebody is writing an article about us and um, In a magazine, um, or, or even when somebody’s talking about us or a, a business partner is talking about us and saying, Hey, you should really go to Brielle or whoever.
[00:19:17] April: Um, how do we craft these stories so that people remember how do we actually build these stories? You have this amazing framework. I know that you’ve taught our clients in, in one of our private settings before, and it’s just so powerful, and I can’t wait for our listeners to hear this. You call it the profitable storytelling framework. Is that correct?
[00:19:37] Brielle: Yeah, yeah. So our profitable storytelling format, but, and there’s three stories that we ask every brand to be telling, because most of us have a million stories, and I love to ask people to create a story bank. Once you master the profitable storytelling format, you’re gonna have three foundational stories to your personal brand.
[00:19:54] Brielle: But beyond that, develop a story bank because you are going to have opportunities with social, [00:20:00] you’re gonna have opportunity for your email list, for articles. You know, you’re gonna be able to pull some of those additional stories. And once you really master the format, then you should be able to keep this log, develop this bank.
[00:20:12] Brielle: Just make a a Google Doc and just drop them in there. And, and not only will you. You know, does it make this incredible piece of kind of like your media playbook, but it also is inspiring. so when you think about story, we talk about a breakthrough story. So, We call it that because it helps you to break through the noise, but it’s typically based around a major breakthrough of transformation.
[00:20:36] Brielle: And then we also ask for you to tell a business zone of genius story. Why are you the very best at what it is that you’re doing? And then we ask you to tell your passion story and just one caveat there. , 99% of all entrepreneurs, when we ask what their passion is, they say what it is that they do, um, with their work, and we ask you to choose something different.
[00:20:59] Brielle: [00:21:00] So I’m a wild friend, champion equestrian. I live on a farm. I know you are passionate, you love the ocean and the beach and all of those things. And so telling a story that allows people to create there because where those three stories intersect. , that’s really where your soulmate level clients live, and that’s, you know, we all wanna be working with the people who inspire us and light us up. So that profitable storytelling format helps us to do that, and it makes it super simple.
[00:21:27] April: Okay, so three stories were the breakthrough story, the zone of genius story, and the passion story.
[00:21:33] Brielle: Yes.
[00:21:34] April: That is so powerful. And are these big huge stories or are these just little moments in time? That or, or doesn’t matter Is really, is, is what we’re looking at here.
[00:21:44] Brielle: So the way we ask our clients to do that is we ask you to take the three stories and distill them down to three bullet. So, you know, if you are in a format where you have a 45 minute podcast interview, or you’re giving a keynote, [00:22:00] potentially you can bring in a lot more details, a lot more of the rise intention in the story, so to speak.
[00:22:07] Brielle: Um, But really you should be able to distill it down to its simplest format because I can’t tell you April how many times I have had people booked for a five minute television segment and then breaking news happens, and then their segment gets cut down to a minute and 45. So the simplistic storytelling format that I’m getting ready to share really seems so simple, but it is how our brains are hardwired to interpret and remember and share stories.
[00:22:41] Brielle: So it is using what we know from a psychological perspective and leveraging that it’s using the information that we have learned. You know, centuries of teaching, communicating, marketing, all of the things that humans are doing with [00:23:00] stories. So use what we know and leverage that instead of working against it.
[00:23:05] April: Wow. All right. So hopefully your wheels are spinning you guys, and if you’re taking notes listening to this, uh, you’re, you’re a smart cookie , you can always come back and replay it again. Um, so let’s dive into that storytelling format. , what does this actually look like and how do you guide entrepreneurs through this process?
[00:23:22] Brielle: So anytime we’re talking about, um, our profitable storytelling format, we look at three pieces to every story. Like I mentioned earlier with the breakthrough story. We wanna begin with what is that transformational moment? So what is the climax of the story? Take us to that moment in time. I did a workshop recently live, um, with an incredible group of women in Nashville and called one of them up onto the stage and we were able to workshop some of her stories and, you know, cuz she was one of those girls that was like, I don’t, I don’t have a story. I don’t know, you know, I’m great at what I do, but I, my story’s not gonna affect [00:24:00] anyone. Um, there’s two things to remember.
[00:24:03] Brielle: One, your story does not have to be filled with drama and trauma to make a difference. And to make an impact and to inspire. It does not have to be that sell everything and move to Bali moment. You know? Um, just your story and the authentic interpretation and conveyance of that story really can inspire action and allow people to take ownership of their own story as well.
[00:24:29] Brielle: And then two, you know, this is a woman who I was workshopping with who has accomplished incredible things in her lifetime, created amazing foundations and organizations and sh we can, through telling a story, we don’t have to say. she’s tenacious, she is creative, she’s accomplished all of these things. We can show people that through a very well told story, and that’s what the profitable storytelling format does.
[00:24:59] Brielle: So you [00:25:00] begin dissecting your stories, thinking of what are transformational moments in time? What is a moment in time that I can take people to, that’s the climax. So that’s the second piece of the story. And then just very simpl. Who was I before and who was I after? So who was I before? That’s the exposition. The start of the story. This is going back to like 10th grade literature, you know, English composition. How should a story arc be created? Who were you before the tension rises?
[00:25:29] Brielle: Then there’s the climax or the major transformation in the story, and as the tension. you, it is, you are sharing your rise. And then the climax, you know, the, the tension falls after the climax because here you are now. And so every story, each one of those three foundational stories for your brand should be told using your profitable storytelling format. So who are you before major transformation or climax? Take us to that moment in time, and then who are you [00:26:00] after?
[00:26:01] April: Mm. And with that format, is there usually, um, you know, some time and break. It obviously depends on the different venue. If, if somebody’s being interviewed on the Today Show, there isn’t gonna be that back and forth conversation, but is in some settings, do we craft that story as well for people who are the listeners who are the audience to have a moment to relate or resonate or absorb in the actual delivery of these stories.
[00:26:26] April: And, and have them even workshop internally. Is that part of something that you feel like is important, is finding those break points where the listeners to the stories can, I don’t even know if it’s actually like a break point in the speaking, but do you, is that actually really identified through the whole entire story, or are there periods of time in which maybe there will be trigger where it’s like, does this relate to you or do you, do you see this happening in you?
[00:26:50] April: I don’t necessarily ask questions like that. I think it depends on who your audience is. Here’s one thing that you have to remember, and I love that you used this example. When you see people on [00:27:00] Good Morning America, when you see people on Jimmy Kimmel Live, you have to understand that their foundation of celebrity is strong.
[00:27:08] Brielle: Okay? This did not just happen on accident. They do not show up looking like a million bucks, knowing how to sit, how to speak, what stories to. How to get a laugh. They do not just show up this way. There is a lot of preparation and a lot of work that goes into ensuring that they are going to have. That, you know, knock it out of the park moment when they’re on Good Morning America and on Jimmy Kimmel Alive and a story that is told well, does not require us to ask our audience to reflect story that is told, well, touches that person in their heart and creates a connection.
[00:27:47] Brielle: And then you don’t have to ask them to please remember this or you know, this is how the, when you think of me think of the story, you don’t even have to make that ask because you’re just one human being speaking to another. I. [00:28:00]
[00:28:00] April: That’s fantastic and your framework is so powerful and you guys listening to this, our clients have taken Brielle’s framework and we have a shared client that Brielle said that Brielle has just gotten on crazy press in and this woman knows how to tell her story. And she is absolutely amazing at it Exactly because of, of the guidance that she’s received in this process of training to do it. And so when we’re talking to people who aren’t that far along, let’s talk about people who are just starting out. Um, W and you said it’s really important to have the most, you know, at least one of these stories, the zone of genius story. Um, you know, the breakthrough story. Which one do you feel like is the most important as it relates back to their business for them to craft first? Is it dependent on the entrepreneur or is, do you find one across the board for the, that’s the best one for them to lean into?
[00:28:54] Brielle: The breakthrough story is the most important.
[00:28:57] April: Okay. All right. Makes sense.
[00:28:58] Brielle: Because like I said, whether [00:29:00] you are, you know, a C-suite executive and you are crafting your fir, your personal brand for the first time because you’re getting attention and you realize now that’s important. Or you are an entrepreneur who has built this business and you look up and you’re like, okay, well if I wanna scale to the next level, I have to kind of step up behind the curtains and I’m gonna have to do some media.
[00:29:21] Brielle: I’m gonna have to do some podcasts. I’m gonna have to go on some stages. Regardless of where you are, the breakthrough story is really what allows people to know who you are and what you stand for. Think of the breakthrough story as the story of your why. And that’s kind of, you know, that hot button word, uh, question. Tell us about your why. You know, all of those things. We can all rattle off a long list of the reasons why we do things or don’t do things or things are important to us. But imagine if you can share that in a story.
[00:29:54] Brielle: There again, that becomes 70 times more memorable and we’re thinking about in this contemporary [00:30:00] world where there is so much noise in the marketplace, there are so many different things that you can buy, product services, people out there. And what we are really doing is we are helping people to create that contemporary word of mouth. So thinking back to, you know, when I was, when I was growing up, if I wanted to buy. anything. You know, if I wanted to buy a new sweater, I would wanna call up one of my girlfriends or my cousin and say, you know, where did you get that? That’s so cute. And they would ra make a recommendation? Oh, we’ll go down to the square and that sort of thing.
[00:30:38] Brielle: You know, cuz we were all buying things in person and mm-hmm. now we have this incredible ability to create that. Level of top of mind marketing and that same level of word of mouth endorsement and third party verification by being featured in the publications [00:31:00] that are ideal consumer and who they hope to be, where they are consuming their content. So if they are a devout reader of Business Insider and Business Insider chooses to feature you and they could have chosen anyone.
[00:31:13] Brielle: You are literally putting yourself in that exact same position, so they are now giving you that endorsement. Just like when I used to call up my cousin and ask her what I should go by.
[00:31:23] April: I love that. All right, and so what are the next steps for our listeners? They are gonna go through and see this in the show notes, and obviously we’ll make sure that they can connect with you as well, but they’ve gone through this process. They’ve, first of all made a. Is this important to them? Is this something that they have maybe dragged their feet on for one of those mindset issues or the, the lack of confidence in the beginning that we talked about In this show, you’ve brought them very clearly through understanding why everybody needs to pay attention to their personal brand,
[00:31:54] April: not why everybody needs a personal brand. I love that you’ve. Love that you said that too, because we all do have a [00:32:00] personal brand. I even remember talking to my, my three little boys going to elementary school and when they’re, you know, the kids that they hang out with and the clothes that they wear, that’s like, you know, their little brand and that affects us and we’ve all been doing it. We all are aware of, of how we come across and how we make each other feel. I, and I was just recalling a conversation actually last week with one of my kids about this new kid in school and that every, everybody was being mean and he had a choice of of who he is gonna be.
[00:32:29] April: Right. And that’s the brand of who he is. That’s what he’s known for. And it’s so interesting how we don’t even identify that as a young age, but we’re all quite aware that how we show up and the stories we tell and who we are to other people and the influence that we have in any situation, whether it’s a large situation or a small situation, really does affect our lives and our businesses.
[00:32:52] April: And so, uh, you teach. Getting pressed different than anybody I know. All right, I’m gonna say this [00:33:00] here. So the way that Brielle does this, you guys, and we’ve done tons of episodes and I have lots of friends that talk about how to land big press deals, and there are ways that we can talk about pitching press and doing media kits and all these things.
[00:33:15] April: None of that can be talked about until we have mastered and done what Brielle is talking about here. Because that is the action of, of going out when there’s so much more from a foundational level that needs to be discussed and decided upon. And you as a leader, and I’m saying this to me too, you know, and, and I have received a lot of press in the past and I knew none of this.
[00:33:42] April: And so I feel like. , this process was a huge missing link in my history of understanding. And that there, that my impact on the exposure that I had received in the past could have been [00:34:00] so much better, so much greater. I mean, and this is a long time ago, guys. This is like 12 years ago. Okay? So I’m gonna now age myself.
[00:34:07] April: You know, when I first really started receiving big press, right? But now it’s different. Now it’s even more important because it’s so noisy and it’s so loud and everybody’s out there screaming me, me, me. But those that are able to craft these powerful stories and to create this celebrity foundation, like Brielle is saying, here are the ones that it’s, it’s like we’re gonna be separating oil from water.
[00:34:35] April: We’re talking a lot about that. I really feel like that’s gonna be the theme of 2023 is separating those who are just out there doing it from those that are committed to the way they’re going about running their businesses. Um, and so I, I really love and appreciate this conversation so much, Brielle, and I know our listeners are gonna love us too.
[00:34:54] April: And what a great way to kick off the year. It doesn’t matter when you’re listening to this, um, but, you know, kick off the [00:35:00] year and really roll forward in our commitment to ourselves in. in our calling, if that’s kind of like a cheesy word, our calling. But really I believe that this is an important conversation to have in that journey to gaining media attention and and being on podcast. So what else did I not ask that I need to be asking for people to be able to take action from this show?
[00:35:22] Brielle: Well, one of the things that I wanna touch on real quickly, April, is what you just said, what you just pointed out. That’s the reason why people traditionally. Upset with their PR firms. We’re not a traditional PR firm.
[00:35:36] Brielle: We’re more like an executive level finishing school, coupled with a. PR agency that gets you those incredible opportunities to use as a marketing tool. So, you know, we look at everything from personal brand through how do we incorporate and really fuse that marketing plan with a strategic PR campaign and.
[00:35:59] Brielle: You [00:36:00] know, it’s exactly what you said. There are ways to pitch the media. There are ways to go out there and get featured, but if you don’t have a strong foundation, if you’re not doing you’re, you could be doing yourself more harm than good . And so, you know, there are so many different pieces from image all the way through to how do you leverage that media, and I think really every single person who has an interest in pursuing media and whether or not you have an interest or you just recognize the importance of it, is starting to dissect and refine and define those three foundational stories.
[00:36:36] Brielle: Because if you begin telling those, you are going to begin to create consistency, even if there hasn’t been consistency in your own personal. Once you identify those three stories and you can begin to tell them, I think that’s the very first important strong step towards standing out and creating that press worthy personal brand.
[00:36:59] April: thank you. [00:37:00] Thank you so much. Thank you for your leadership here and your leadership to my clients and in our programs, and how much you, um, give your time to come in and work with our clients too as well. So for people to find you. And move forward. You guys have the Celebrity Incubator coming up, but people are gonna, you know, people listen to podcasts forever.
[00:37:19] April: So if you’re listening to this in the beginning of 2023, you guys have Celebrity Incubator, so let’s talk about how they can find you as far as, um, you know, are evergreen links, so they always are able to access you and learn more about what’s going.
[00:37:34] Brielle: Yes, it’s always my name. It’s my name. It’s Brielle Cotterman, B R I E L L E, and it’s Cotterman, C O T T E R M A N, on Insta, on LinkedIn, on Facebook, and that is our actual U R L.
[00:37:49] Brielle: So that is always the best way to find us and what’s going on with our agency and all the incredible things that our clients are doing in the world as. [00:38:00]
[00:38:00] April: Thank you so much, Brielle. So glad you’re here.
[00:38:03] Brielle: Likewise. Thank you my friend.
[00:38:05] April: Okay guys, great show with Brielle. Now we have 60 seconds to implement. What is one thing that you’re gonna take from this show and start and do today? So whether it is, do you remember those three stories? She said that everybody needs to have the breakthrough story, the zone of genius story or the passion story. Which one of those do you already? And if you don’t have one, maybe your call to action for yourself today is just to create and determine what that breakthrough story is going to be. All right? So I know sometimes you can’t do all the things we talk about on the show, but I want you to walk away and I want you to take action on one thing so that we can always keep moving your business forward. Again, all the show notes are sweetlifeco.com.
[00:38:44] April: If you find yourself in a place where you’re not ready for this, because we haven’t engineered your offer ecosystem in the client journey and your actual programs yet, then you can also find out how you can apply to work with us so we can get you ready to then apply what we’re talking about on today’s show. All right, you guys be. [00:39:00] And I’ll see you next week.
(Becoming Known) How To Expand Your Reach, Increase Sales and Become a Thought Leader (Episode 271)
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This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Who is this episode for/Summary:
8 Steps to Create Your Signature Process, Coaching Method, or Framework – https://www.sweetlifeco.com/method
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
271
[00:00:00] You are listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast with business mentor and entrepreneur activator April Beach, connecting great people with great people to do great things. That is dope. Today I’m giving you a framework. I love you. This transformation process, you say, here you go. Yes, this is it.
[00:00:26] Everything you just said, April, wow, that is the best business architecture and business engineering. I’ve never really thought of it like that, but right away when you said that, Thank you, April. I appreciate you, dude. Yeah.
[00:00:44] Hi you guys, and welcome to the kickoff episode of a new mini-series we’re doing called Becoming Known. You are in the right place if you’re an established coach or a consultant and you have used a lot of these PR and influence and awareness [00:01:00] strategies in the past. But now it’s time to move up. Not only move on with your business, but move up. So let me explain to you exactly what we were talking about in this show.
[00:01:10] This is the kickoff of our little mini-series called Becoming Known. We have some powerful treats coming up for you in addition to what we’re talking about here today. In the future, you are going to hear from the greats like Eileen Wilder. We have two episodes where Eileen breaks down her entire million dollar speaking framework in a workshop format for you that is coming.
[00:01:33] You also get to hear from Angie Trueblood, which she is, in my opinion, the number one podcast guest placement strategist. She’s absolutely amazing, and Brielle Cotterman, who is a PR, an influence strategist, is gonna be here as well. All of these. Are partnering here with us on the Sweet Life Podcast throughout this little miniseries to help you have strategies that you can take to the bank to become known [00:02:00] and expand your reach and increase your sales and become a thought leader in your space.
[00:02:04] You’re gonna hear my little dog barking. He’s not feeling well next to me, so welcome to behind the scenes of. The Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. This is episode number 271. And so all of the show notes that we’re talking about can be found by visiting sweet life co.com. Click on our podcast button and this is episode number 271 where we’re gonna detail every single thing we are talking about here for you on the show.
[00:02:29] Now, who is this episode four and who is this series for? Let me make sure you’re in the right place. We have a lot of shows for beginning business owners, but that is not who this series is for. This is for those of you who are established coaches, established consultants. You’ve been doing what you’ve been doing for a while, and it’s time to move you up to higher levels, higher levels of influence, higher levels of impact, higher levels income.
[00:02:57] The strategies that we’re talking about in this [00:03:00] becoming known series are not the basics, like how to pitch yourself to be a podcast guest. We have those episodes here for you, though you can just very easily search how to, how to become a podcast guest and tap into those shows. These are for those of you guys that are ready for higher levels in more income, and what does this actually look like for you?
[00:03:20] It looks like you are now at this place where you find in your professional life where it’s time for us to engineer that next level of your business. That next business model that you want to take you into the next 3, 5, 10 years. This show in this series, and really everything we’re doing on the next gen of the Sweet Life Podcast here as we move into your number six is for you.
[00:03:43] This is a kickoff episode, and in this episode we’re gonna talk about all the things that you need to have in place in order to implement the episodes in this series. Follow it. So I’m gonna give you a breakdown and actually a checklist of what we already have to have in place and what you already need to have decided from a [00:04:00] strategy standpoint in order to implement the series that we’re talking about here and all of the workshops that our guest experts are delivering to you.
[00:04:08] So at the end of this show, you’re gonna have a punch list of things that you need to make sure are in place in order for you to utilize the becoming known series. You’re also gonna have clarity, okay? So I want you to have clarity on your becoming known strategies. We’re using this episode here. Number 2 71 is a place where you and I can get together and just really kind of unpack your strategy.
[00:04:35] What you wanna be known for moving forward and how it fits into your bigger business. B. , that’s what we’re talking about today on this show, and we are going to plot your becoming known course. So who do you wanna be known to? Why should they know you? And are we even in a process of leveling up and perhaps even finding a different audience and building a separate division of your company?
[00:04:59] Those are [00:05:00] all the things that we’re talking about on today’s show. So if that’s what you’re in for, then you’re in the right place. Again, all the show. All the bonuses we have for you can be found by visiting sweet life co.com. Head over to the podcast cabinets there for you. If as you’re listening to this, you wanna make sure you’re not missing any of it, make sure you click subscribe and please share this show with your friends.
[00:05:21] We don’t have advertising in the show. Never have, never will, because I hate listening to ads on shows. I’m just gonna be really honest, and I don’t really think you like it either. So we really rely on you guys sharing the show organically with your friends across social media, and we’d really appreciate you doing that.
[00:05:35] All right. You. Let’s go. Okay, you guys, we are diving into how to become known, how to establish your authority and your space. And in this show, I’m helping you prepare and strategize and position yourself so that we can do that and utilize the upcoming episodes. So first things first, let’s pause for a second and I want you to ask yourself those question, what do you wanna become known?
[00:05:59] Just [00:06:00] actually take a minute. Those of us who have been in business and have been entrepreneurs for decades, this has changed over the years. We grow into different things, so please take a moment and ask yourself, what is your strategic objective? That is the end result of the strategy we’re about to apply.
[00:06:19] Are you moving from perhaps what has been a solo entrepreneur or a small team role more into a c e O role? Are we finding you a new audience? What is the, what is the strategy of why you’re tapping into this show and really, why do we need to do this for you? Why is it important? Do you feel like you’re that best kept secret?
[00:06:42] Um, have you had your head down for so many years working with the clients and giving amazing results that you haven’t really paid a lot of attention to? Make sure everybody knows who you are, because frankly, it doesn’t really matter to you, but maybe just maybe [00:07:00] you’ve now realized that it’s the time to step forward and step in the spotlight.
[00:07:06] for all of the amazing transformation and golden work that you have been doing for such a long time. So I want you to give yourself a second here to ask yourself why now? Why is this different than you tapping into maybe a handful of podcast episodes on how to speak from stages and, and how to become a podcast?
[00:07:31] Because your answer to why, why now is going to be what we use to craft the path that you’re gonna utilize these workshop trainings to make sure that we’re actually pointing your ship in the right direction of where you wanna go for the next 3, 5, 5, and 10 years of your business. So why is this important?
[00:07:49] What do you want this leverage and this influence to deliver to you in your business and in your personal life? That’s the first thing. I want you to [00:08:00] stop and take a minute to decide. Now a couple of you guys and, and I was just actually on calls with a few new clients that are, are working with us this year, are moving from a place where you really need to step into that c e O leadership role and other people are running your systems, running your programs, working your business for you.
[00:08:20] And so now we get to. Pluck you out of that and share your message to then of course drive more profit and income back to your programs, but it’s in a different way. You’re maybe no longer the the worker bee and you’re the leader. And so that is another reason why I want you to be really strategic and think about why you’re utilizing these strategies.
[00:08:44] We’re here talking on. So what is the strategy? What is the reason for you becoming known in this next generation of you? And stop for a minute. And now I want you to think about what have you been known [00:09:00] for in the past? Because we could be trying to land if you will nail a new objective for something that’s a pivot.
[00:09:11] Maybe You have been known for building yoga studios. And now you wanna be known for something totally different. So, you know, a case study, it’s really interesting. Many of you guys may know, uh, the story of Rachel Cook. I love Rachel Cook. She’s one of the people that I learned from all the time, and I admire her strategy and her wisdom.
[00:09:30] She’s been a guest here on the podcast and she’s one of our experts that comes in and teaches our clients and our Wavemaker ecosystem. Rachel Cook is. Seriously, one of the greatest minds in operational systems business, Rachel started out by building, helping entrepreneurs build yoga studios. You would never know that.
[00:09:52] So I share that story with you because if you’re to that place where if you’re ready to pivot from one area to another, . Now, let’s make [00:10:00] that decision together here on this podcast. I mean, it’s your decision, not mine. I’m just here triggering you and telling you, Hey, make the decision now. What does that look like?
[00:10:09] Because decision is that first step. And as you’ll hear in the upcoming episodes, as I, Eileen Wilder says, you know, fast decision, slow to change your mind is what creates the most impact in your business. So let’s go ahead and make a decision. But make sure it’s a strategic decision of, of now what is the reasoning for this?
[00:10:29] Is this maybe something new that you wanna be known for? And then who do you need to be known to? This is the next thing I want you to identify, and there is no worksheet for this guys. This one doesn’t come with a download. These are questions that I would love for you to pause and answer and speak out loud wherever you are as you’re listening to.
[00:10:51] Who do you want to become known to and why are you trying to reach a [00:11:00] new audience? Do we need to get you in front of more people? So here’s your choices. We either need to have you become known to people who don’t know you yet, or we need to pour on the gas to increase the awareness with an established audience.
[00:11:17] It’s pretty much two choices. They either don’t know you or they already know you, and more of them need to know you. What does that look like for you? If, and I’m just gonna kind of talk you through this here as you’re thinking, as I’m speaking. If we are building a B to B side of your business, and in the past you’ve always sold to maybe individuals, and now we are building next level programs, particularly for those of you guys that are building, uh, bigger, higher level group programs or masterminds.
[00:11:50] Especially for those of you guys who are building license programs. If you’re licensing your IP or you’re building certification programs, you know this is the podcast [00:12:00] and we at the Sweet Life Company are ready and waiting to help you do that. That’s actually a different audience, guys, because when we are selling to companies, we’re no longer making you known to the end user.
[00:12:13] We might have to find that middleman, what I call that bridge buyer. to be aware of you and the solutions you provide because then they wanna bring that program in for their people or their staff or their benefits or their organization or whatever that is. So perhaps you may be already really well known to that individual audience at B2C audience, but it’s time for us to introduce you to a whole nother audience, even though it’s the same product, if you will.
[00:12:46] Because we have a different buyer, perhaps that’s what we’re doing. So I want you to think about who do you need to become known to, and are we adding more gravity, more fire to an [00:13:00] established audience, and increasing that and raising you up to the top of a swimming pool of a thousand water droplets. And we want you to be that wave on the top.
[00:13:09] Or are we putting you in a totally different ocean where nobody knows who you are and we need to introduce you from scratch? So let me repeat those three strategic questions that I want you to think about before we dive into this becoming known series. Number one, what do you wanna become known for?
[00:13:28] What does this next level of your business look like? How do you play a role in that? Number two, why? What is the strategy behind this? What are we trying to accomplish here within your next level, becoming known strategy? And number three, who do you need to become known to? , is it the same audience and we wanna increase it, or are we introducing you to a totally new audience and nobody knows who you are?
[00:13:57] And we are kind of starting from scratch, [00:14:00] which those of you guys have been in business for a while, that that feels a little exciting. It’s almost like being back at the very beginning. It’s not, it’s actually really level. But there are some new challenges that certainly come along with that, that we’re gonna be dressing here in the next couple of episodes in this series.
[00:14:17] So once you’ve answered those three questions, I’m gonna give you a really quick punch list and then we’re gonna wrap up this episode because you know, qual quality doesn’t equal quantity. I wanna give you exactly what you need and get you outta here so you can be working on these things cuz we have some big time episodes coming up.
[00:14:33] I want to make sure I’m saving your time and your energy for, so here’s a punch list of things that you should have in place before we enter into a becoming known campaign. All right. The first thing is, is you need to have an established method, framework, or process where you know that you deliver people predictable, transformational, measurable results.
[00:14:56] You guys hear me say that exact statement like a million times on this [00:15:00] show, right? So you have to be very good at what you do. You need to have gotten people results in the. And you need to have your frameworks in place in order to do that. If you’re struggling with that, one of the bonuses we have here for you is access to how to create your frameworks and access to our Offer Engineer, which is part of our Signature Offer masterclass series.
[00:15:22] We’ll help you do that. That’s what we do as a company. We extract your genius and build it into industry leading programs. , you guys have to make sure you have your offer in place, or at least we know the offer you’re building or the direction you’re going. If you are building a whole new ecosystem of higher level offers, like you’re moving from that B to C side, you’ve, you’ve had programs, you’ve been a coach for a long time, and now we’re moving you into licensing or creating a certification program.
[00:15:52] as long as we know that that’s where you’re going, that’s enough for you to move forward in this. But please, we need to know what you’re selling and who [00:16:00] you’re selling it to. Number three in this. So first one is method of framework. Second one is your offer is in place and your programs are in place.
[00:16:07] Number three, please make sure your bios are updated. I know this kind of seems super basic, but I’m giving you this checklist. When is actually the last time you updated your bio or your photos or the messaging about who you are in your. . Those are things we do in the very beginning and if you go back and you read some of your bios, it, they’re probably a little out of date, especially for those of you guys who have been around for a while.
[00:16:32] So please make sure your bios and even the imagery of you. I was using this one headshot, which is so funny. Uh, my teenager took of me. I loved, it wasn’t even a headshot cuz I don’t like professional head shots. It was more of like a lifestyle shot that I used for everything. And it had been this kind of poster of me and finally I realized I was like 20 pounds less and way less wrinkles.
[00:16:56] And I remember seeing that picture and thinking to myself, [00:17:00] holy moly, if somebody saw me now, they would be sorely disappointed if that’s, if that’s who they thought they were meeting. You know, I mean, I’m just keeping it real. Make sure your photos are updated. Make sure that how you present yourself represents who you are and your personality and your strength and, and shoot even your weaknesses.
[00:17:20] If you’re like me, I just try to air out all of our dirty laundry so you can, so you can learn from my mistakes. Don’t, don’t use a very, very old headshot from when you were super skinny and a bikini when you were 18. If you are 55 years old, all right. Okay. So make sure those things are updated. Uh, and number four, let’s make sure you have a full media kit.
[00:17:39] Okay. There’s a couple things that I want you guys to have in place. We aren’t even talking about these. This triggers me to maybe do a podcast episode on how to create a media kit. But a media kit are multiple pages that break down who you are, the, the areas you speak to, your areas of expertise, but then they also break down your audiences and who you reach and [00:18:00] the different media platforms you’ve been featured on.
[00:18:03] A media kit also, uh, breaks down the brands that you’ve partnered with. So Media Kit is, is actually a full kit and it can be multiple pages with, you know, your story on one page of bio on another page, case studies on another page, audience reach and breakdown on another page, brands you’ve partnered with on another page.
[00:18:23] We use media kits in some instances, and those instances moving forward, uh, will arise here on the podcast. As we are moving into a becoming known series, I just wanna mention to you that you should have, especially those of you leaders who have been doing what you’ve been doing for a long time, you should have a full media kit in place it, and then at the least, you should have a one pager on who you are, especially for speaking.
[00:18:49] We’re also not breaking down how to do that in the show. Usually might have a different one pager for podcast casting, speaking on stages, teaching locally, we wanna curate your. [00:19:00] To the audience. We don’t want generic assets. You’re gonna send everybody the same dang one pager. That’s probably not gonna land you what you want, especially in a very competitive space.
[00:19:09] We want you to stand out and be thoughtfully disruptive. So just make sure your one pagers, your media kits so they are curated and crafted towards your audience. Okay? And then in that you can also do, you know, your client case studies and testimonies. Other assets that are really important for you to have in place are, please make sure your update, your website is updated.
[00:19:31] Funny thing, those of us again, who have been here for a while, like sometimes. We’re so busy doing the work, uh, we kind of forget to go back and have a powwow with our team that maybe that is out of date. Just make sure your, your website is up to date. Your social media is up to date. Uh, the content that you’re sharing is up to date and the data that you’re sharing is up to date.
[00:19:53] All of those things, please make sure that they’re in place. So that you can utilize what we’re talking [00:20:00] about here on the next coming episodes. This mini-series is all about becoming known, and we’re bringing you experts and pulling back behind the curtains about different strategies that are cherry picked to help you make these decisions for yourself so you can hit the ground running with trusted implementation steps.
[00:20:21] And that is what we’re doing here, and that’s our objective for you as we move into this next series. I hope that sounds great. I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait for you to hear what’s coming from these leaders. There are some huge, huge, valuable, very expensive bombs that are dropped on these upcoming episodes, so please share this and get ready because we’re about to dive into our series on becoming.
[00:20:49] If you are new here, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m April Beach. I help experts, coaches, consultants, speakers, and authors extract your genius and build transformational next [00:21:00] level programs to scale your business past millions courses, masterminds, retreats, licensing programs and certification programs. So if you’re stuck on.
[00:21:12] And you want somebody to help you engineer your next level, offer ecosystem, extract your thoughts, help you organize it, and build it into next level programs. Cruise over to sweet life co.com and you can apply to work with us. Otherwise, all of the resources that we are talking about here on this show, in the past episodes and the upcoming episodes are found sweetlifeco.com. Simply click on the podcast. This is episode number 2 71, and I can’t wait for the next couple weeks. Please share this with your friends. It would really mean a great deal to us. All right, see all soon. Bye.[00:22:00]
How to License your IP and Scale your Coaching Business – with April Beach (Episode 270)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Who is this episode for?
Established entrepreneurs with proven methods and coaching programs who are ready to go from selling to individuals to selling to companies through bulk access deals
This Episode is Great For:
This is a great show for established entrepreneurs who are interested in learning how to scale your business exponentiallythrough licensing your content, course or program.
Summary:
If you’re an established entrepreneurs with a proven programs, courses, or content, and you’re looking to grow exponentially, then this episode is for you. By creating content to license you can demonstrate thought leadership in your space, increase credibility across your audience, expand your business to B2B or create a dual business model.
This an intro to licensing for entrepreneurs those want to know how content licensing works, those who want to demonstrate thought leadership in your space through Licensing, those interested in transitioning from B2C to B2B in some capacity. This show will give you a good foundation and knowledge base to consider your options.
At the end of this episode you will:
- know what licensing is and how to make money doing it
- know the business model of licensing and if it’s right for you
- know the prerequisites to license your content
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
270
[00:00:44] Hi friends, and welcome back to the show. This is episode number 270 and you are listening to the Sweet Life Podcast in April Beach, and we are gonna dive into a really hot topic.
[00:00:56] I feel like this is really hot topic because I received literally hundreds of phone [00:01:00] calls a year about how to do what we’re gonna talk. On today’s show today we are talking about how to license your IP to scale your coaching business. And as a little bit of a background, if this is totally new to you, just pause here and go back and listen to Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, episode number 230.
[00:01:23] Five, because in episode number 2 35, I talked about licensing 1 0 1 in some of the basics of licensing. And so that’s actually where you should start. And then you can come back to this episode two 70. So if you’re here and you have somewhat of, of an idea of what licensing is and you’re wondering how to take these next steps in, what to do, in how to strategically think about licensing, and maybe you’re just wondering whether or not this is even a good option for you, I’m gonna unpack that for you.
[00:01:50] Today’s show. As always, I do have a ton of resources for you to help you implement what we’re talking about today. So let me give you where you can go grab those [00:02:00] resources first. The first thing is you can text the word license to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0 and in there it will give you a download of all the things that you can grab or take action on when it comes to licensing.
[00:02:17] So that’s first and foremost. Lemme make sure that you have those resources and we’re gonna talk about some of those resources here in the show and how you can actually squeeze out the golden, those resources for your business. Also, of course, you can always listen to the. Of this episode by going to sweet life co.com.
[00:02:33] Simply click on our podcast link and this is episode number 270, and we have articles about this and resources. If you’re interested in licensing to scale your coaching business, you are certainly in the right place. That’s what we help clients to do. So now let’s talk about who this episode is actually for in, I hate to use the word qualified, but I’m gonna use the word qualified.
[00:02:56] If you’ve been listening to this show long enough, you know, I don’t beat around the bush. There are some [00:03:00] people who are ready to talk about licensing and there are some people that maybe that they just aren’t there yet. My job in this is to help everybody who chooses to move forward in this direction.
[00:03:10] Take another step, whether that’s the first step or whether that’s your 50th step towards license. So that’s what we’re gonna do today. So in today’s show, this is for those of you guys who are ready to take maybe step number 5 67. Again, if you were totally new to licensing, go back and listen to episode number 235.
[00:03:30] So if you have thought about licensing, you think this is a good idea, but maybe you’re not even exactly sure what this is. This show is for you. So this show is for entrepreneurs who are coaches, consultants, or experts. For those of you guys who. Proven methodologies, proven frameworks, proven courses and trainings in programs that have gotten people results.
[00:03:55] If you haven’t done that yet, then that’s where I actually want you to start. If you [00:04:00] haven’t created a transformational course or a transformational training program yet, I can also help you with that. That’s what we help businesses do to take this longer term business journey. So just cruise over to sweet life co.com and we can hook you up with how to build a transformational online course and training program.
[00:04:17] But this show is for those of you guys who have already done that, you know that you’re good at what you do, you are super confident it your ability of getting people results, and if you feel like you are in this place, You’re kind of tired of online marketing. Some, I mean, some people love online marketing.
[00:04:35] If you’re feeling like I’m a little tired of online marketing, I’m, I’m a little tired of selling, uh, individual, two individuals, one-to-one. Uh, I’m a little tired of launches. Um, little, little sick and tired of funnels. Shh. We’ll whisper that quietly. , actually, I think, I think there’s a lot of people that are, we’re ready to just like cut the funnel in a million pieces and shorten it as much as possible.
[00:04:56] Then you’re in the right place. So [00:05:00] if you are in that stage where you have had a coaching and consulting business, you’re an expert, you’re a teacher, you’re an author, Speaker and you have been serving individuals or even smaller groups, and now you want to change the way you do business. So you want to not have to hustle so much to sell your training or your course, or your program, or your mastermind or whatever it is to individuals.
[00:05:23] And instead we wanna sell it in one bulk swoop. Times a hundred bulk swos, then content licensing, program licensing could be a good option for you. So let’s first of all dive into what you can expect at the end of this episode. So if this is for you and you’re ready to dive into this, lemme tell you what you can expect at the end.
[00:05:45] At the end of this episode, you are gonna know exactly what course or content or IP licensing. . It’s different than licensing photographs for photographers, right? So you’re gonna know exactly what this is. You are gonna know the business model [00:06:00] of licensing in whether or not this is a road that you wanna walk down.
[00:06:04] But unlike episode 2 35, where we really go in depth about those in this show, I’m also helping you guys know. Five things that you have to figure out in your business to move forward in licensing. So we’re gonna go even deeper in this, and these are decisions that you need to make in your business in order to move forward and build your first licensing package.
[00:06:26] So we’re gonna, we’re gonna go a bit deeper in here for you, so if that sounds good, then stay here. We’re in the right place. So first of all, let’s talk about what actually is content licensing. So content licensing is allowing other c. To utilize your training, your program, your course, your systems, and to distribute it to their people.
[00:06:50] Okay, so let me say it again. Allowing other companies or organizations, nonprofits can be huge corporations, it can be even smaller businesses to [00:07:00] utilize your trainings to distribute to their people. It this enables them to make more. because they can increase what they charge because they’ve increased the value of what they do for businesses, that that applies to, uh, provide better services.
[00:07:16] So for corporations, for example, if your training helps somebody level up a skill, they can provide better training services to their employees or provide better employee benefits to the people that they wanna take care of. And even. Top talent to their business and it can help them to deliver superior content.
[00:07:37] So licensing is a win-win, especially for the businesses that are looking. And there are, I will tell you, there are businesses out there that are constantly searching for great programs like yours because it makes what they do even better, easier. It makes what they. , uh, emphasizes what they already do. It helps people to be more [00:08:00] successful at what they want people to be successful at, and frankly, you can make a lot of money on it.
[00:08:06] So those are the things that we’re gonna dive in today, that is the end result of what you can expect today. But the true legal definition of licensing is not selling your course. Okay. So when we license, And by the way, I’m gonna say this as a disclaimer. I am not an attorney, but I’ve licensed my own content for over 13 years now.
[00:08:27] And so we talk about this a lot when we talk about licensing. It’s the legal structures of it. It’s allowing somebody else to like rent your training. It’s like renting your content, having access to your genius, your frameworks, what you’ve been teaching. Probably for a really long time and allowing them to distribute it so you’re giving them a pass for a certain period of time.
[00:08:52] we’re gonna dive into that today. You’re giving them a pass for a certain period of time to distribute your training, and it’s a beautiful thing when [00:09:00] you do that. So again, let me just make sure I’m being really, really clear that licensing does not mean that you are selling your content. You still own a hundred percent of the rights to that content, and that’s a really important thing.
[00:09:11] One of the things that we do run into with our clients as people come to us for help with licensing, I’m just gonna tell you up front, so please don’t make this mistake. Oftentimes a company will approach you and they will love your stuff. Maybe they hear you speaking on stage. This is literally true story times three that’s happened to people who’ve come to us, they’ve spoken on a stage, somebody in that audience loves what they have to say.
[00:09:36] That executive comes up to them and says, Hey, listen, we really want you to come and bring your program. into our ecosystem in, into our corporation, and it’s really flattering and super exciting, especially if you haven’t thought about this before. When companies approach you and you start talking about what that could look like, cuz you’re excited about it and they’re excited about it, and nobody realizes that maybe in those [00:10:00] conversations, w we’re kind of giving them your stuff and you don’t mean.
[00:10:06] So what I mean by that is if you have been approached by a company who’s super excited about what you’re doing and they wanna bring you in, it’s really important that we take a pause and make sure it doesn’t become what we call, you know, work made for a hire where you’re creating a program for them instead.
[00:10:22] And why you’re here is I wanna help you structure your program so that not just one company can. So that tons of companies can have it and you can make a lot of money and be a lot, a huge blessing to all these companies to get access to your program. These are true things that happen. The other thing I wanna say is at beginning to what we’re about to talk about, Because I really love to tell you guys everything in a very short period of time on these podcast episodes is that if you are here, and you’ve already started down the road of talking to a company about licensing and maybe you didn’t realize that you needed to have some certain legal protections in place, it’s okay.[00:11:00]
[00:11:00] About 80% of clients come to us after they’ve already started talking to a company about licensing, or they’ve already been down the road and they’re really excited about the conversation and they just come to us because the only question they know to ask is, how do I price this? And what I’m gonna explain to you here is the answer to pricing is five steps into our project plan of licensing.
[00:11:22] We can’t even answer that question until we build the parameters on the package of what you’re giving. . So please don’t make a mistake and quote a price until you’ve had an opportunity to gain wisdom on what the value of your program is, and that comes with, yay, what we’re talking about here today. So let’s go ahead and dive into it.
[00:11:40] So as we are talking about the benefits of licensing, if you are not familiar, again, go back and listen to episode number 235, but this can really move you forward to that next level of, of, of your business. This is getting you into that thought leadership space. and it also helps us to move you from [00:12:00] that B2C, if you will, type of business.
[00:12:02] Even if you were selling to other businesses, we’ll call it business to individual sales, um, to to business, to on a grander scale, right? So we’re selling, the way we are selling your program is different, so we kind of end up with two different branches of your business. Some of our clients actually create a whole different sub-brand for the licensing side of their business, and that works really well too.
[00:12:25] Let’s go ahead and talk about these decisions that need to be made as you are going through the licensing process. So as you were working towards packaging it, a couple of things you need to think about and this leads us to you selling your program. This leads us to you pricing your program. The first one is brand.
[00:12:47] What do I mean by branding? There are three different ways that we can release your training to another company for licensing. The first one is As is as your content. So it’s your logo all over [00:13:00] it. It’s your name all over it. You’re branding colors. They’re just literally taking what you’ve already done in your course, in your training program, and they’re just putting it into their lms, some.
[00:13:13] Okay. That is super easy. It works really well. Number two is co-branding. Co-branding is probably the most popular way that our clients license their content. So co-branding is where we can have your logo on it, but also their information as well. So it could be April Beach’s licensing course for Comcast Cable or whatever it is.
[00:13:34] So we can use the name of your program and bring it in with theirs and they can actually co-brand it and co-branding works really well for you, and I like it for you. I’m protective of you guys. As you know, those of you guys have been listening to the show for freaking six years. I’m really protective of you.
[00:13:51] The reason why I like this is because I still want people to know who you are, especially if where we’re going in the future requires you [00:14:00] to be a thought leader in your space. So that’s why co-branding or having it branded as your own is a really great idea. The third is called white labeling. White labeling.
[00:14:09] Nobody knows who the heck you are. It doesn’t matter that you created this program. Nobody is going to know that it came from you. Now, the levels of branding. Match how much value your program can be licensed. . All right, so they’re gonna pay you more money to white label it and call it their own than they would to have it just as your brand.
[00:14:32] But the question that I ask our clients is, is it worth it? In most cases it’s not. Now, I have eight online courses that I have licensed since 2009, but they’re in my parent coaching industry. You guys, I could care. Anybody realizes that I created the parent coaching industry, I’m totally in a whole different generation, decades later.
[00:14:56] It’s ridiculous, right? So I could care less if [00:15:00] anybody knows they’re my classes, because that’s not what my business is. That’s, that’s literally, it’s an entirely separate company than what I operate in now. So think about that for you when we’re thinking about white labeling, but they will pay you more money.
[00:15:15] So question number one. and just be thinking about this to yourself is how do you wanna brand it? What is important to you in the delivery of the way this program looks? Number two is reach. Reach is really important, and you might not know the answer to this upfront. Oftentimes we talk about reach when we’re in sales.
[00:15:37] Conversations with companies reaches how many people are gonna have access. All right. How many people in a certain geographic area are gonna have access to it? Or even how many people within a certain niche. So for example, if a company wants to license your training, but they don’t want you to turn around and license it to any of their competitors, That’s [00:16:00] reach, that’s how far your program can reach, and so your pricing is going to match accordingly.
[00:16:08] So first one was branding, second one was reach. The third one is, the third one is length of time. How long do they get to access your training? How long do they get to distribute your training? How long do they have to actually utilize your training as part of their program? And so length of time is number three.
[00:16:32] And then the fourth one is I want you to think about whether or not you are interested in or willing to provide updates. Does that apply to what you’re doing? Some of our programs, you guys, we have to provide updates, especially if it’s something that might be more technical or even medical. There are some things we constantly have to update in order to keep that program accurate.
[00:16:56] Or what you also can do is you also can send [00:17:00] updates to the licensee and require them to update the program. Are you gonna deliver this beautifully packaged thing with a silver bow on it every time an update comes? Is that included in the price that you are giving them? Now, let’s kind of pause for a second.
[00:17:16] Have a little sidebar over here. I want you guys to create your curriculum for longevity . I really don’t want you building licensed curriculum. Then we’re gonna have to go back and record all the time. All right, so how we package your licensed curriculum? how we extract the content from your license curriculum, from your course.
[00:17:40] What we choose to take out of a course you’ve already had is dependent on your long-term goals on how we want to move forward with licensing. . There is no right or wrong way, and I say this to our clients all the time. They come to us and they’re like, April, just tell me what to do. Listen, I have [00:18:00] no problem telling you guys what to do.
[00:18:01] I actually do that all the time with our clients. But my job is to present the options to you and to help you understand how the decisions that you make, they’re not my decisions, they’re yours. How you guys make these decisions are going to affect your business and your profit and your. Okay. And so there are no right 10 steps to license your stuff.
[00:18:24] I mean, you see those articles, places, we even have articles written on our website. And here I am recording this podcast teaching guys how to license your stuff. But I wanna be honest with you that in each one of these decisions is a choose your own adventure. On what you want this to look like. There is no cookie cutter way to do this because a licensed package, although it comes from a framework, a course, a program, although we have a systematic project plan to release it to every company.
[00:18:58] When it comes down to [00:19:00] how you do that, how much you include in it, how many people have access to it, how it’s branded, how, how long they have access, That is totally up to you, and you have the power to make that choice, and there is no right or wrong way. So our goal here today is for me to talk about these things that I want you guys thinking about.
[00:19:23] Okay? Now let me unpack totally behind the scenes of the Sweet Life Company now, and I’m gonna be really, really, really honest with you guys. I want to help people license their content. I get paid a lot of money to coach entrepreneurs how to license their content, but when people first come to me, they usually aren’t ready to have that conversation.
[00:19:45] So part of my goal in this podcast is to help you guys get ready so that I can work with you, so that I can help you in getting your business, not even like to the finish line we’re talking about here, getting [00:20:00] your business to the starting line. For us to be able to have a project plan and walk you through these strategic decisions.
[00:20:09] That’s the point of this show because you guys, this is a hidden secret. I, I’m not everywhere on social media. You guys know who you follow me? I’m on Instagram. I’m like posting pictures of my kids. I’m not some big online social media influencer. So I’m not out there screaming from the top of the mountains how profitable and simple the business model of licensing is.
[00:20:32] And I want to be able to do that for you. I want to be able to share this with you and give you guys this secret. And so this show in my goal here is getting you to that place where I can have a conversation with you again. Say, here you go. Here’s our project plan. Let’s start checking. And that’s what we’re talking about here tonight, today in this show, whenever you’re listening to it.
[00:20:56] So let’s recap. These are the things that I want you to be thinking [00:21:00] about, and you do not have to make these decisions by yourself. You should not make these decisions alone, but you do know that they’re decisions that are going to come. your direction when you work on licensing. So I want you to be thinking about them now.
[00:21:15] These are the things that I work with our clients to make these strategic decisions, and again, it’s different for every one of you. So let’s kind of recap the four decisions that you’re gonna wanna make for us to get you to the starting line. for the licensing process. Number one is decide how you wanna brand this.
[00:21:33] Is it branded as you? Is it co-branded? Is it gonna be white labeled? Do you have other programs that maybe you don’t sell anymore that it doesn’t matter that we totally can white label and we can sell those for more? Think about that. Number two is how much reach, how many people are you comfortable allowing to access your training or your program at a time?
[00:21:54] We have clients that license their program to smaller businesses with only 20, 30 [00:22:00] employees. , and then we have clients that license their program to businesses with over 10,000 employees. And so where’s that comfort level for you and really what does that look like in your parameters of what you’re doing professionally?
[00:22:16] The third thing is length of time. How long can a company have access to your course and your. . And then the fourth one is renewals and updates, right? Are you gonna be willing to do that in, what do we need to do when we look at your curriculum to actually package it for longevity? Or is that something that you can actually charge more because you have such an amazing high level gold standard licensing package?
[00:22:41] What if you drop new content to them and it’s part of your agreement every 90 days or every six? Companies will pay you a lot of money to do that, especially, especially when you do it well. And that’s what we’re talking about here and it’s totally up to you. And let me leave [00:23:00] you with one more thing that I want you guys to think about.
[00:23:02] Again, the goal is getting you to the starting line here so that you can think about whether or not there’s a good option for you to move forward with. The last thing that I want you to think, is understanding what you wanna be known for. So let me clarify that. What do you want people to say about you?
[00:23:24] When somebody is talking about you and they’re saying, Hey, listen, April’s a person to go to for licensing, or Sarah’s a person to go to. , I don’t know, intermittent fasting or meditation or how to generate high value leads from LinkedIn. Whatever it is you guys do. Okay. Do you still wanna be known for that three to five years from now?
[00:23:50] Because when we engineer licensing correctly, you can build your Nick’s level known. On a mountain of licensing, [00:24:00] you can choose what you want people to say about you, what you want that book to be about, what you want that tag talk to be about. And if in particularly if we are doing co-branding or branded as you, you’re gonna wanna think about that.
[00:24:14] If it’s white labeled, and this is totally separate the way I do it. It doesn’t matter, but give yourself permission to actually think about that, to consider what you wanna be known for in the next 2, 3, 5, 10 years, because we can certainly accomplish that when it’s executed correctly through licensing.
[00:24:31] But I want you to think about that ahead of time. So in summary, today we went a little bit deeper on licensing. . The whole purpose of this show is getting you guys to that starting line so that you can be ready to move forward in packaging your license product. And again, you need to think about how do you want it branded?
[00:24:50] How many people have access to it? What is the length of time and will you provide updates? And to wrap it all up together, let’s make sure that the answers to those align with your long-term [00:25:00] goals and what you wanna be known. . And when you are to this place where you’re at least thinking about this, you know, people say to me, April, I just, I don’t know what I don’t know.
[00:25:10] And so my goal here through this podcast is I want you guys to know what you don’t know, and this is where to start. These are the things I want you to start thinking about. And then, We can move forward and craft a custom project plan for you. So let me tell you where those resources are. We have a totally amazing free resource.
[00:25:28] It’s a 40 minute video on foundations of licensing 1 0 1, where it’s much more in depth to what I talked about here today. You can tap into that free video at any point in time. It’s always on demand, and you can access that. We have a one day workshop called License to Scale, where I actually roll up my sleeve with you and help you build your first license package.
[00:25:49] And then of course we have our licensing accelerator, which is called Amplify. Whatever works for you guys, you’re all in a different place. I’m here to serve you in all levels. . So please use this [00:26:00] podcast, share this podcast, take notes on this podcast, shoot, transcribe this podcast. We actually already have it transcribed for you.
[00:26:07] Whatever you need to do, please do it. because this is the hidden secret that not enough people are talking about that scales coaches, business of coaches in Expon exponentially, and I can’t even talk anymore. It’s at the end of the day here. Um, one thing we are not talking about today that we’re gonna be diving into in future episodes is how to combine coaching on top of content licensing.
[00:26:29] That is a different conversation, and I’m not gonna be able to get into it today, but I just wanna let you know that that is. something that you should be thinking about to help companies implement even. All right. Thank you so much for listening to this show. All right, so let’s talk about where you can get these resources and where you can tap into these things.
[00:26:49] First of all, just text the word license to 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0, and then you’re gonna be texted back these three links so you can just pick and [00:27:00] choose whatever you wanna eat up. All right. Number two, go over to our website if you click on sweet life co.com and then click on the podcast button. This is episode number 270, so you can find all of the show notes, the transcription for this, and all the links and all the resources that we’re talking about here.
[00:27:18] If you go to our website, and then if you want to jump in our next workshop, you can very simply just go to license. And then the number two and then the word scale.com. So you can go to license2scale.com when you are ready to dive into that workshop. I teach it three times a year. It is live and live only.
[00:27:40] It’s not something that’s gonna be recorded. I wanna work with you on your first licensing package. Depending on when you’re listening to this, we do have one in January, 2023 coming up. If that’s you, make sure that you go to license2scale.com and you jump in that. Otherwise, you can always send us an email to podcast@sweetlifeco.com and we’d [00:28:00] be happy to redirect you to any of these resources if you forget.
[00:28:03] Okay. Thank you so much for listening to this show. I’m so glad to be back with you guys. This is the second generation of the episode. Your implementation for this is to dive into these five questions that I gave you. Even if you only think of one of them. Give yourself permission to think of one of these branding length of time updates, and you’re already gonna be further than you were when you first started listening to this show.
[00:28:27] I wanna see you guys make progress and I wanna see you make fast progress. That’s the point, guys. All right, you guys be awesome and I’ll talk to you next week.
How to Create an Online Certification Program for Coaches, Consultants, and Experts – with April Beach (Episode 269)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
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Full Show Transcript:
269
[00:00:45] Hi you guys. Welcome back to the show. This is episode 2 69 and of course, all of the show notes and everything that we’re gonna be talking about here can be found by visiting sweet life podcast.com/ 2 69. This episode is really, And the reason why I actually changed our content recording calendar to make sure that you guys had this training was because I have received so many inquiries on how to build a certification program because many of you guys know that’s what I do.
[00:01:17] If we don’t know each other yet, I’m April Beach. I help experts, coaches, and consultants scale their business by building million dollar programs, engineering offers that truly bring in the impact that they’re making into the world while scaling their business in a way that they wanna live their life.
[00:01:33] And so that’s what we’re talking about in this show in very specifically regarding certifications. So again, all of the show notes can be found where I promised you. As well as I have created a checklist for you guys that goes along with this show. This checklist is the how to launch a certification checklist that can be found in the same link to the show notes.
[00:01:56] Again, sweetLifepodcast.com/269, or also by texting the word certify to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0. Okay, so let’s get into it. This is what we’re talking about on this show. If you are not subscribed yet, I would love for you to subscribe to this show and share this with your friends.
[00:02:16] Here we are talking about how to actually build a certification program. First and foremost, who is this for? This show is for established coaches, consultants and experts who are ready to scale their business to the next level. This is for those of you guys that are well-established. You have well-established methods, frameworks, and processes, and you have proven to get other people results through these processes in the past.
[00:02:45] This is not a show for you. If you are not a well established consultant or expert, or teacher or coach, and you haven’t gotten other people results yet. If you’re to that place where we’re just building your first course or your first program, cruise over to sweet life co.com and I will teach you exactly how to launch your first course or your first program that guarantees a transformation.
[00:03:09] But this show is for those of you guys, you’ve already done that, in that we are ready to go to the next level. So if that’s you, stay tuned with me. If it’s not, you go listen to another one of our episodes on how to scale your business with online courses, and we’ll get you to this point.
[00:03:23] I’m committed to get you to this next level. So what we’re talking about here on this show is all about certifications. So we all know certifications are a great way to skill your business. However, most people don’t really know how to do. Don’t really know how to navigate those process of certifications.
[00:03:39] And so in this show, what you can expect at the end of this episode is I’m gonna give you the steps to launch a certification. All right? We are gonna walk away here. You’re gonna have the steps. I’ve already created a checklist for you, so you can take this cheat sheet, you can take notes, you can download it.
[00:03:55] Make sure you do that and be able to implement what we’re talking about today in addition to. We’re also gonna talk about who should and should not create a certification program. We’re gonna talk about the legitimacy of certification programs, and we’re gonna talk about why you may want to create a certification program.
[00:04:14] So if that sounds good to you, let’s go ahead and go. So first and foremost, I wanna talk about the fact that it’s gonna sound terrible. Actually, in the beginning of the show. I’m gonna talk about the fact that there’s a lot of certification programs that mean nothing out there. So let me tell you a little story without naming names.
[00:04:32] Back in 2006, I created the baby planning parent coaching industry . First of all, many of you guys have no idea about that. It’s so fun. Like those of you who’ve been a legacy business mentor and coach, talking about your origin story and where you came from. So I just so happened to be the creator of the scope of practice and the international baby planning and maternity consulting industry years ago.
[00:04:58] With that being said, I was also the co-founder of this international association, and we had a member in this association who was launching her business and her business wasn’t going well. She wasn’t making money, she wasn’t serving clients. As a matter of fact, as far as I understood, she had never actually served a client before, and so she came up with the idea of launching a certification program for baby planners.
[00:05:29] All right, because it was a great business idea, but yet this woman had actually never done that before, and since she has gone on to make a ton of money, because it’s a great business model, certifications are a great business model, and I hate to throw somebody under the bus, but I mean, I’m just calling it like it is here on this podcast. You guys know me. Those people that launched certification programs as a money-making scheme who aren’t actually amazing at what they do, don’t have a proven methodology, haven’t served clients before. They’re full of shit, you guys. Okay? So we have to have a conversation first about the legitimacy of certification programs.
[00:06:04] I mean, my son could create. Dog walking certification and he could teach the other kids in the neighborhood, like his process of walking dogs. That could be so great. Right? And then he could actually make money off referring the local residents here to certified dog walkers. Right. You guys, first and foremost, we really need to have a conversation about the legitimacy of certifications.
[00:06:29] If you are launching a certification in an area that has a whole bunch of certifications, take a look at that, see what’s out there, and see why those things are needed. The fact of the matter is that many certifications, especially those in the online coaching space, are created by people as a genius business.
[00:06:51] I mean, it’s a genius business model. That’s why you’re here. That’s why we’re talking about it. I mean, frankly, That’s why I coach clients to create certifications. But we always wanna first have the conversation of making sure your certification program isn’t total bullshit. Just being honest. Okay, . So let’s talk about what governing bodies are in your niche.
[00:07:14] Niche that oversee the legitimacy of certifications. If you are in an area where there is an established governing body, That oversees this process of this, whatever it is that you do, then I recommend that you first start there and find out what their requirements are to create a certification program to become accredited or to be recognized.
[00:07:43] That’s what I help clients do. I have clients with accredited certification programs and, and it is an amazing way to scale your business, but I really wanted to make sure, as you know, those of you guys have listened to this show before. I’m always gonna keep it real. So on the pro, the pro side of it is building a certification is a very, very smart way to build your business as long as we have a unique method, process, and framework that is.
[00:08:12] Sometimes totally different or it could even be similar to some other things that are out there, but you’re bringing in your genius on the way you’ve done it, the way you’ve proven to get people results, and you’re amazing at it. And now it’s time to certify other people in your process. All right, so I just wanted to get that outta the way at first because I don’t feel like I can dive into this episode of how to create a certification program until we talk about who should not create a certification program.
[00:08:42] The second part, kind of prerequisite here I wanna talk about before we get into these steps is I want you to really think about what a certification program is gonna look like with your life. So if you have not. Grabbed my ultimate guide to online offers and business models. You totally should. It’s like 30 pages that tells you that when you launch a certain type of business model and offer exactly how that’s going to affect your life.
[00:09:10] All right, so you can grab that just by texting guide to that same number, 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0. All right, but in the meantime, let’s kind of dive into that and I’m gonna give you some background. A certification program is not one of these offers that we can launch, that you might just decide like a year from now you don’t want to do anymore.
[00:09:31] This is a longer term business model, and we really need to make sure that it is going to align with your longer term goals for your business. So that’s step number. And there are processes in like the building and the frameworks of that certification that we’ll get into in a second that affect that.
[00:09:48] But I want you to just like take a second here, and just because somebody says it might be a great idea to launch a certification, I want you to understand that just like launching a podcast, a podcast is a long-term game, right? We’ve been doing this for six freaking years, right? What, what is that going to look like for your life. For your teams, for your cadence, and what is launching a certification going to do to elevate your personal professional goals? How is it gonna look like on your time and your life and your travel and your profit?
[00:10:22] If the answers to those questions are like, yes, this is gonna be amazing for me. This is exactly what I want. I’m ready to take leadership and ownership in this. , then you’re in the right place. Okay? If you’re like, gosh, I’m not really sure that I wanna be in a certification for that long, or I, I wanna be responsible for all these people, then definitely you do yourself a favor and take a pause. There are so many coaches out there that tell you guys, you have to launch a course, or you have to launch a mastermind. You have to launch a membership. All these things.
[00:10:52] I’m here to tell you that yes, we can scale your business with all of those, and I will teach you exactly how to do each one. But they will affect your life. And if you’re like me, I travel with my kids six months a year, and my business model is very carefully engineered because I know the outcome of having that offer and what it will do to my time in my life.
[00:11:12] All right, so I got that outta the way. Now you guys ready? Let’s go ahead and dive into the steps of how to create and launch your certification. Again, the checklist that goes along with it is a really important tool for you guys. You can grab by going over to sweetlifepodcast.com/269, or you can text the word certify to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0, and you guys can grab this and you’ll be off and running.
[00:11:44] All right, so step number one, to, creating a certification program, you need to have a unique method, process, or framework that guarantees results. All right? It doesn’t have to be totally different, and I have podcasts for you. We have resources, and I’m here to coach you on how to create a method, process or framework, but that’s not where we’re diving into today.
[00:12:09] First and foremost, we just need to make sure that you have a method or process or framework that has been proven to get people results in the past. That is step number one. All right, so if you pass step number one, great. Let’s go to step number two. Number two, we need to then build out that into a coaching program with your process, your systems, your videos, your downloads, your assets, just like we are building it when we build it into a course.
[00:12:38] So for many of you guys, you already have this built. Okay? We need to clone that because we’re gonna build it for a different audience now, right? So it’s not necessarily going to the end user. Now we’re fitting a middle user in the middle who is becoming your student, who’s becoming certified in your methodology.
[00:12:58] So we wanna clone that because there are other things that we need to add to that, which I’m gonna tell you next. And there are other things that we might actually not include in a certification program based on what it is that you’re teaching and the audience you’re delivering it to.
[00:13:14] So step number one is your method and framework as well established. You are like the bees knees at what you do. You’re amazing. You’ve got people results. Step number two is actually building out that training Now. Again, not getting into the nitty gritty of this, but on a side note, if you are licensing your certification program to another company to deliver for you, there’s gonna be different places where you may build out your program in, it might be in their l m s instead of your database.
[00:13:44] Hit me up if you have questions about that. That’s what I help our clients figure out, but I just wanted to share that with you on a side note. Okay.
[00:13:50] Number three, you need to be sure that you have gotten people results in this course before. I know that I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, but you guys have no idea how many people want to create programs to certify or license that have actually like never sold it before and you know, I just shared with you that story in the beginning, it will blow your mind again, we want your certification program to be like amazing.
[00:14:16] Step number four, consider how this business model is gonna affect your life. Okay, so now let’s kind of get into this a little bit. With certifications, you’re gonna have a choice of how you deliver them. Is it only on demand? Is it on demand with some coaching? And what is the, like, the lifetime of a client or a student? Or a certified person going to look like? And is that something that you want to do and be responsible for? What is the cadence of your week gonna look like? Is this something that is going to fit into your long-term business model?
[00:14:54] And does it elevate all those other things that you wanna do in your business? Or if this is the primary thing you wanna do in your. Awesome. That’s amazing. This is exactly what you should be listening to right now, but if this is just kind of another piece to a whole bunch of other stuff you do, we have to be really careful of what that’s gonna look like and frankly, how well you’re gonna be able to execute that based on your teams and your operations and how we’re scaling your company.
[00:15:22] Number five, you are going to create a trainer guide. Okay, so this kind of Train the Trainer Guide actually teaches your students not only the contents that’s in the program, but then how to turn around and teach it. Most coaches, most people are actually not teachers. They just are great at doing their one area of expertise.
[00:15:46] So it’s really important that you engineer an amazing Train the Trainer guide that teaches people how to deliver your systems, philosophies, and methods and processes to the end user in transformative ways. Nobody needs more content. They need a transformation. And we need to assure that those people that you’re certifying are going to be able to deliver a transformation to the people that they are delivering your processes to.
[00:16:15] And so we have to have very serious conversations about making sure that we are creating and equipping them to do so. And what does that look like to you? You know, how do we get them into your mind? How do we get them into understanding like why you do things a certain way? All of that is within engineering of your program, by the way.
[00:16:35] Number six, determine if you’re gonna give them marketing materials. Okay? So this is like this hidden amazing, like we’re gonna blow your business outta the water. When I talk about the swipe files and the marketing materials that we can give people who are certified in your method, It is so amazing because they’ve gone through the process of getting certified, and now we can create an entire marketing packet where they can share across their social that says, Hey, listen, I’m certified in April’s methodology and da, da da, da.
[00:17:07] And what happens? It elevates your brand, it elevates your legitimacy, and it makes you more money in addition to making them look good. But not every certification program actually needs to include this. So you need to determine number six, if you’re gonna deliver marketing materials, licensing of your logo, your content, your videos, and your IP for them to deliver to their students.
[00:17:29] All right, here’s a little sidebar. Come over here with me for a minute. Licensing and certifications in combination are the number one way that we can scale your business to exponential results and profit faster. But again, it’s not for everybody. If this is you, you wanna hear more about it, send me a message.
[00:17:50] This is what we do again at the Sweet Life Company, but I want you to consider. When you are teaching somebody your method, are you also licensing your content to them? Are you also allowing them to use your materials? What does that look like to you? And we need to make sure that your licensing agreements are in place.
[00:18:10] This is not a show on licensing your ip. I have many more of those, but I just wanna make sure that we’re talking about this in step number six is determining the marketing materials, the content, and the assets you’re gonna give people with a certifiication. This also helps us price your certification.
[00:18:27] Number seven, are you guys with me? Is determining the best way to test for competency? Now let’s talk about that as well. The smartest people in the world. I think the smartest people in the world are terrible. Old school test, take test takers. They’re the people that like bomb the S A T s, and they’re the people that if you sit down and you let them explain exactly their awareness and understanding, they’re just going be amazing at teaching how they understand what you’ve taught them or sharing that.
[00:19:06] So when we’re talking about measuring results, I want you to, I’m not gonna go into this in depth. This is what we do with our clients, but I want you to be okay with being disruptive in how you are measuring the learning based on what works for your program. It can be verbal testing, written testing, video, and audio submissions and more. But I want you to disrupt. The way things are done according to what makes sense for your program and your new certified student.
[00:19:36] Number eight, consider if you will offer continuing education or require it. Not all certifications have to have continuing ed. So I want you to think about what this actually means for your business, and this is going to affect your life. All right, so whatever that looks like for you. Do you have advanced trainings? Can we actually take pieces of your program and offer them as next level certifications? What actually does that look like as far as your overall offer ecosystem?
[00:20:11] And last but not least, what else can we do to scale your business through a certification? What other offers in that ecosystem can we create? Do you wanna build a mastermind? Do you wanna have retreats for your certified people? Do you want to have. Uh, online groups. Do you want to have office hours where you can troubleshoot with them some of the things that might be happening within their clients based on your certification?
[00:20:37] Those are all ways where we continue to scale your business by having additional offers that always go back to support those certified students in your method. And when we as coaches do a really good job supporting our people, it builds their business, which therefore builds our business. Okay, so I hope you guys found this informative.
[00:21:00] I know this is like a full blown crash course. Me just chatting here for 20 minutes with you. I promise you guys in the next generation here at the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, we’re gonna have high value shows in shorter time. So I have to be better at getting to the point for you, and I hope this did the trick.
[00:21:16] In addition, don’t forget to grab that checklist for how to launch your certification program by texting the word certify to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0. And of course you can apply to work with us to build your certification, your content licensing program in your industry, leading courses and programs online by visiting sweet life co.com.
[00:21:40] And last but not least, if you wanna find the exact show notes, the transcription and all the links and everything I said here for you, you can just cruise over to Sweet Life podcast.com/ 2 69. The implementation for this episode is the checklist I gave you. Download that checklist and go through the process and make sure you’ve made strategic decisions in each one of these areas to build your certification program.
[00:22:09] If you’re stuck, you guys can always hit me up online. I’m on LinkedIn and we are on Instagram as well. All right, hope you guys have an awesome day and it’s so good to be here with you again. I love being back and recording shows at year six and I really appreciate you. Have a great day everybody.
10 Foundations of a Million Dollar Online Business – with April Beach (Episode 268)
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268
[00:00:46] Hi guys. Welcome back to the show. This is episode number 268, and I’m so glad that you. With me today, this is the NextGen of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. We are entering year number six, and I am [00:01:00] so excited to be working with you again, thank you to all of our amazing listeners for allowing me to take that year off and just recuperate and, and help to think of the vision and how this show can continue to be of service to you as we move into the next five years. So thank you to all of our amazing listeners and all the messages you guys have sent. I’m super excited about all the shows that we have planned. So this is episode number 268, and in this show I wanted to unpack a strategy that I teach to our private clients only.
[00:01:34] And I felt like it was time to introduce it to you guys here on the show. So we are talking about the 10 foundations of building a million dollar online coaching business. I know that sounds really, really big, but I’m gonna break it down for you today on the show and help you to see this clearly. In your business.
[00:01:54] As always, all of the show notes can by be found by visiting [00:02:00] sweetlifeco.com. Very simply, just click on the podcast and this is episode number 268. All right, if you and I don’t know each other yet, I’m April Beach. I’m an online business architect and I’m an offer engineer, and I help experts, coaches, and authors and speakers scale their business online by creating million dollar programs, courses, trainings, content license programs, and certifications for the purpose of high profit, deep impact lifestyle freedom. So everything you’re gonna get here is proven. It’s not pie in the sky.
[00:02:32] We deliver trainings and strategies, whether it’s through or our amazing dream team of experts to come in and work with you. And so I want to let you know that this is proven. This is not a brand new podcast, and I’ve been doing this with online business expertise for 17 years. You can trust it, you can take it to the bank.
[00:02:49] So let’s go. Number one. We are going to walk away from this episode with you knowing what the 10 foundations are. I created these years back, but I really [00:03:00] felt like it was time to introduce them because a lot of people are missing these. Number two, you’re gonna be able to identify which of these building block foundations you may be missing, or which ones maybe we have spread too thin on in your business. That’ll make sense to you in a second here. And number three, you’re gonna know how to take the first steps to actually fix some of the building blocks and the foundations in your business if you were spread maybe a little bit too. . So if that sounds good to you, let’s go ahead and dive in.
[00:03:29] So the beginning of this is, let’s talk about why we need business foundations. So, Whether you, you’re just trying to hit your first consistent 10 K months. Most of you guys are, are well past that here, that listen to the show now, but it doesn’t really matter what it is as far as how, how well you’re doing financially. Sometimes clients come to me when they had built a business and they, they kind of don’t love it. Or they’re making a lot of money, but maybe they had like a lot of offers cuz they listened to what [00:04:00] everybody told them and they launched all this stuff everywhere and it’s just really not working. Okay. So no matter where, what I’m saying is no matter where you are in business, we need to kind of come back to home base. And it doesn’t matter how much money you’re making in these 10 business foundations, I want you to imagine them like we are building a house. These are the bricks that go underneath your house and there are 10 of them and they have to fit well together. All right. If your bricks don’t fit well together, if they don’t play well together, if the, if the, well, I can’t even imagine to even know masonry words.
[00:04:38] So if the bricks don’t fit, your business is not going to be able to be built up structurally as high as it can be. Oftentimes, there are so many bricks laid in a foundation of a business that it’s spreading you thin as a business leader, and it’s causing you to, um, have things [00:05:00] that aren’t working well and functioning well in your business.
[00:05:02] So today on this show, I’m breaking down all of these 10 bricks, these 10 business foundations. I’m gonna define them for you high level, and the goal is for you to take a pause, listen to each one of these foundational bricks, and to determine whether or not your bricks are fitting together well. Or maybe you have too many bricks and we need to get.
[00:05:24] maybe you’re missing some and we need to pay attention to building some. So the 10 foundations that I have defined for building a million dollar online coaching business are as follows. The first foundation is, Business design. This is a unique term that’s unique to me. It’s unique to the Sweet Life Company.
[00:05:44] We actually call it strategic business design. What this is is awareness of your business model and your ecosystem of offers and how they play together, and how they come together to form [00:06:00] the life. Uh, that you want in your business. So what do I mean by that? We can’t just launch anything. Your business model is what controls your entire business and your life.
[00:06:11] Your business model is how you serve clients and how you make money. So your business model could be a membership, it could be. Uh, uh, a mastermind. It could be a combination of retreats and a subscription model. There are millions of different business models that we can customize for you, but the first foundation that you need to be aware of is the understanding of how to engineer your perfect business model with the culmination of all of your.
[00:06:40] Do they all play well together? And does your business model, is it designed to give you that lifestyle and the profit that you want? This is so incredibly important and that’s why it’s foundation number one. It’s the first thing we do with our clients is unpacking what we want their strategic [00:07:00] business designed to look like.
[00:07:01] Even if we don’t have a built yet, sometimes we’ve gotta tear things down to rebuild. All right, so if this isn’t thought about first, what happens is people just launch a bunch of offers because they could be profitable, and then we end up with a whole bunch of things that aren’t really strategically designed in your business, and that really sometimes maybe you’re overworked, maybe you aren’t making enough money, maybe you have too many teams.
[00:07:25] There’s just, it’s kind of a hot. So the first foundation to building a profitable million dollar online coaching business is understanding how to do and how to conduct strategic business design. But in your mind right now, for the sake of being in this podcast, I want you to think is, are my offers collectively brought together in such a way that is design?
[00:07:47] the business and the life that I want. Am I working the way that I want? Am I getting my time off the way I want? Am I making the profit that I plan to make when I launch that business? That is number one. So always [00:08:00] the first foundation and everything else goes out around that. The second business foundation is the engineering of your offers and your programs and your services.
[00:08:09] So the second. Foundation is making sure that your programs are engineered to give what I call predictable, transformational, measurable results. We have a very, very special proprietary process that we teach businesses called transformational program design. And it’s the process of extracting your genius and making sure that your offers are guaranteed people as long as they follow the steps as you have laid out, are going to achieve the results that you promised.
[00:08:38] So foundation number one is the whole design of your business foundation. Number two is the correct engineering of your offers. Did you just throw something up there, begin? I say this a million times. Nobody needs more content. They need a transformation. As a matter of fact, as we dive into all the shows going in the years to come, we’re really diving into the nitty gritty of offer engineering and how to deliver a [00:09:00] high value result, possibly in less time.
[00:09:03] So I want you to really, really think about that. Foundation. Number three is your branding and your messaging. Once we have your offers. and your business ecosystem is created the way that we want it designed. We need to make sure that you have made a strategic decision of what message are you giving, what are you known for?
[00:09:22] What do you want people to understand about your company? And that obviously holds hands with foundation. Number two, offer engineering. After your offer is engineered and your messaging is very clear, we also wanna talk about your marketing and your content. It’s an extension of making sure your message is clear.
[00:09:42] Many businesses are out there and they’re putting stuff on social media, but they actually haven’t nailed their messaging. Or what they wanna be known for. And so they are constantly posting things across social media that kind of seem like a hot mess because there is zero messaging or known for strategy engineered behind it.
[00:09:58] The marketing [00:10:00] and the content comes after identifying what you wanna be known for. And for some of you guys, this is such a review. I totally know that. Okay. But even those of us have been in business for decades. We come to these points of time where we gotta change up what we wanna do. We’re designing this next level of our business, and sometimes what we were known for before, we don’t really wanna be known for anymore.
[00:10:25] Maybe it’s something new. So stop and take a pause even if you’ve done a really great job of this in the past for where you are professionally and where you are personally. And make sure that your messaging and your marketing aligns with the where you wanna go for the next 10. If that is a review for you.
[00:10:45] The third thing that we wanna review and make sure it’s all aligned is your sales. Now, this is your sales process. This is how you’re bringing people into your ecosystem. There’s many different ways we can sell, right? We can just open up a shopping cart and somebody can buy it. You can hold [00:11:00] an application process.
[00:11:01] You can meet with people even face to face. You know, we’re kind of coming back to more of that personal relationship with people. You know, your sales process. Is a natural extension of your messaging and your marketing and what you wanna be known for and the offer you deliver. So that fifth foundation, your sales foundation should be strategically designed to play well with your marketing and your messaging and your.
[00:11:33] So to recap, we’ve covered five different business foundations that you need to strategize, or again, you’re welcome to apply to work with us. This is what we do strategize to make sure that they are playing well together. Number one is your business design. Number two is your offer engineering. Number three is your branding and messaging.
[00:11:51] Number four is your marketing, and number five is your sales. We’re halfway through. We have half of the foundation of that house that you’re [00:12:00] gonna build up. However big you want it, your house is custom to you. We have half the foundation laid. Now these Knicks five are equally as important, but usually businesses can’t come to the determination of how to execute these until the first five are answered.
[00:12:15] All right, so the next five are, number six is thought leadership and pr. Now, how are you then becoming known as a leader in your space? How are you going and sharing your message in changing the way people think? What sort of disruption of are you causing? We don’t, we don’t ever wanna cause disruption to be disruptive.
[00:12:39] Let me just say that, you know, we hear this like disruption all the time doesn’t mean you’re like some big jerk that’s gonna come out there and just like make everybody upset to get attention. That’s. That’s not you. You’re listening to this show. That’s not you. That’s not me. We all know that, right? But we want to challenge the way people are thinking because the way that you teach [00:13:00] is maybe better, more innovative.
[00:13:03] You know, we work with clients at the Sweet Life Company that are doing things that nobody’s done before or they’re changing the way things. , and those are also our podcast listeners, right? So I already know that because you’re listening to this show, you are challenging the way things have been done, or you wanna improve it or you want it to be better.
[00:13:23] You know, you have a methodology or a process that is totally different than what other people have, right? You don’t fit into that copy cat cookie cutter stuff. . So when we’re going back to your business foundations, how are we making sure that the world knows that and that six foundation, that thought leadership PR goes hand in hand?
[00:13:45] The strategy we use for that to get you out there goes hand in hand with the offers that we’ve engineered for you and the messaging and the sales process in your marketing foundation. Number seven is your tech stack. Okay? Here’s the. [00:14:00] Everybody loves their tech, but they love their tech that they know and they love.
[00:14:03] We don’t endorse any one tech stack, right? So I don’t kid your, I don’t care if it’s Cajabi or ClickFunnels or go high level or whatever it is. How you communicate, how you deliver your. Services in the, in the experience that you create for your clients should be a custom engineered tech stack to you and to your business.
[00:14:25] And just because something works for somebody else doesn’t mean it’s gonna work for you. So that Seventh Business Foundation is the strategy of building a tech stack that aligns with the experience that you wanna give people, what you wanna be known for, how your offers are engineer. And just aligns and, and speaks to your whole business culture.
[00:14:48] And by the way, it’s totally okay if you are not super techy. Not everybody has to have an app. You know, one of the trends that we’ve seen, especially over the last three years, cuz everybody and their cousin [00:15:00] has now decided they’re an online business coach, right, is that people are paying for more personal curated experiences.
[00:15:09] So maybe your tech stack is figuring out how to have a more personal curated experience. Foundation number seven is taking a look back at your tech stack and making sure it’s it’s laid out correctly. Two, accomplish what we’ve set out to do in business design, offer engineering, branding, and messaging, marketing, sales, and thought leadership.
[00:15:29] See how they all stack on each other and these bricks are fitting together underneath your house. The eighth Business Foundation is teams. Now with scaling businesses, usually we see around $30,000 a month when businesses hit that $30,000 a month kind of threshold, anywhere from 20 to 40. So we call it 30 in the middle, is that if we don’t have our teams in place and we don’t know how to delegate, we start running into some bottlenecks.
[00:15:59] I can [00:16:00] personally say that you guys, and I’ve said this a bunch, um, on the show in the past, I am not naturally a good. I suck at it. Okay. Let’s just be really, really honest. It is something that I’ve had to diligently work at stopping and thinking and, and deciding what I want things to look like before delegating it out to my team.
[00:16:22] So entrepreneurs, you know, we’re kind of control freaks. We kinda like having control, but when you get to that 20, 30, 40 K a month reoccurring revenue, if you do not have teams in place and you don’t know how to step into a leadership role, in a leader role, instead of a doer role, we’re gonna run into problems.
[00:16:45] So wherever you are in your business, we wanna have an assessment of that foundation, your team foundation, which is foundation number eight. And making sure that you have teams in place that are the right teams to start getting things off your plate. [00:17:00] Frankly, people that are better than I am at doing certain things, I should not keep things to myself, right?
[00:17:07] There are a lot of people that are much better than I am at doing things in in you, and that’s what leadership is. Foundation number nine, amla Air are your. . Okay. Do we correctly have your operational systems, your client onboardings, your client experience, your billing systems, your client off onboarding systems, your marketing systems, you know your bill paying systems, your financial systems are your systems in place to get your business to a million dollars?
[00:17:37] what systems are you missing? Literally, like systems are everything in your business. We have systems for everything. We literally have onboarding and off onboarding, podcast production systems, content marketing systems, coaching systems. Your systems are also part of. How you teach people to do what you teach them how to [00:18:00] do, or your strategy or consulting.
[00:18:02] So how well are your systems engineered and are they in place? And then the last foundation I do not teach on, but you need to have, and the last foundation of a million dollar online coaching or consulting business is lifestyle. That is the, in my opinion, one of the most important bricks, and you can only decide what that looks like.
[00:18:22] We talked about business design in the beginning of being the summary, the culmination of all of your products and services that you sell, working in a way that is, is going to get you what you want in your business. But the 10th Foundation lifestyle, this is all about. This is about making sure that you are continuing to grow as a leader.
[00:18:44] Are you getting fed? Are you getting mentorship? Are you getting coaching? Is your body well and healthy? You are the greatest asset in your company. Are you taking care of yourself? Are you getting sleep? Have you pushed yourself to physical limits in the most amazing [00:19:00] way? Are you in flow state? Are you adventuring?
[00:19:04] Are you spending time with people that light you up? That is lifestyle, and we have to very carefully make sure that your lifestyle is one of those 10 different business foundations. Otherwise, what we’ve done is we have built a business that might make a ton of money, but at the end of the day, the end of the day, Is that the way you really wanted to live your life?
[00:19:27] And so that 10th Business Foundation is not less important than marketing. It’s not less important than offer engineering. It’s just one of the foundations that you need to strategize. So let’s recap the 10 foundations of building a million dollar business. Number one is business design. Number two is offer engineering.
[00:19:44] Number three is messaging and marketing. Number four is, excuse me. Number three is branding and messaging. Number four is then the marketing of that. Number five is your sales, your sales processes. Six is thought leadership and pr. Seven is tech. Eight is teams, [00:20:00] nine is systems, and 10 is lifestyle. Now, what do we do with these things?
[00:20:05] You’re like, okay, bro, this is great. These are all good to know. So I want you to write each one of these down, and I want you to make sure that each one is playing well with the other. If you have a marketing campaign that is not an extension of your messaging, then something’s wrong. If you have messaging that is not an extension of communicating well, what you deliver in your programs or your.
[00:20:29] you’re gonna have trouble selling it. If your programs and your offers are just like a shot in the dark, cuz somebody told you you should, I don’t know, launch a certification program or whatever it is, and they haven’t truly been engineered as part of an overall business design ecosystem that’s gonna get you what you want in your life.
[00:20:46] You’re not gonna be very happy. Even if you make a million dollars, well maybe you’ll be happier for a little bit. . But again, where did that time go? The one thing that we really, really, really can’t buy is reversal of time. And so time in my [00:21:00] opinion is more valuable than all the money you can pay me, and I think that’s probably the same for you.
[00:21:07] So with that being said, all of these 10 business foundations have to fit together like a perfect puzzle to build. The ultimate million dollar online service consulting or coaching business. Can we build it other ways? Sure. But if one of the foundations isn’t well considered and strategically planned to fit well with the other one.
[00:21:33] If you haven’t really given yourself permission to unpack what you’ve done and what you wanna do and what you wanna be known for, if you’re to that place where you are designing the next level of your business, the next ecosystem of offers. That next level of who you wanna be in your space and to yourself and to your family, and to the world, then now is the time to stop and do that.
[00:21:59] I wanna [00:22:00] encourage you to do that because when these 10 business foundations are engineered to play well together, and they all are a function of the overall creation of a profitable, thriving, purpose-driven online business. I promise you, then you are finally going to be able to get exactly what you wanted when you first launched this baby.
[00:22:23] Okay? And this is how we do it, and I’m so excited to be able to unpack this for you guys. So if you found this podcast helpful, please share it. I decided to, like, again, I, this is what I’ve been coaching. Clients privately on for over a decade, and I felt like it was really time to bring this out here into the podcast to share it with you.
[00:22:43] If you’re at this place and you’re ready for next level business strategy and consulting, you can apply to work with us. You can go over to sweetlifeco.com, or you can visit the show notes for this episode by visiting sweetlifeco.com, clicking on the podcast, and this is episode number [00:23:00] 268. Or you can just very simply, Text the word apply to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0 and we’ll send you over an application and jump on the phone with you and chat a little bit more about this.
[00:23:17] Regardless of what you do with this, the awareness of the 10 business foundations should hopefully, Give you an opportunity to now assess where you are and make sure each one of the bricks lays well together so we can build your house up instead of spreading new thing. I hope this was helpful. Thanks again for tuning into the show and I’ll talk to you next.
Plan Your Online Business Calendar for Profit and Purpose – with April Beach (Episode 267)
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267
[00:00:46] Hey. Hey, you guys. Welcome back to the show. You are listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast as our intro said, and I’m super glad that you’re here. I’m April Beach Show host. And I can’t wait to dive into today’s topic with you. This [00:01:00] is what you can expect from today’s show. At the end of this episode, you are gonna know exactly my process that I have used now for 12 years to lay out my entire calendar year for my online business that has freed me up to, in this past year, have six.
[00:01:16] Months of travel time with my family and with my kids. You know, we always hear that there’s this pie in the sky or like design your life through entrepreneurship and these kind of fufu unicorn things out there we see on marketing all the time. But here in this show, and what I do is I give you the exact strategy to actually make it happen.
[00:01:37] And there is some strategy, there are some building blocks that we’re gonna talk about in this show that if you do not have them in. You’re not gonna be able to do this. And so I’m gonna break down the processes in which we go through every single year. And actually I just took a group of clients to Florida for a week to lay out their whole entire business for the year to come.
[00:01:55] And I’m gonna unpack this process here for you on this show today. At [00:02:00] the end of this episode, you are gonna know this process and you’re gonna know everything you have to have in place to be able to complete this process. And I’m gonna share with. a little bit more of my strategy, some personal behind the scene things, and what we do here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast as well in the process of laying out our year.
[00:02:20] So all of the show notes can be found by going to sweet life co.com. This is episode number 267. So first of all, I wanna give you a bonus with this. I have created the ultimate Guide to online offers. Now, let me explain why this is not just some freebie you download. So I have successfully had multiple different online offers, everything from MRIs to retreats to courses, and all these different type of offers that you can do, and I’m sure you guys.
[00:02:53] Often told, you know, from other people, launch a course or launch a membership. So many people love to insert their opinion [00:03:00] in what they think we should do. , have you experienced that also? Uh, but the reality is, is each one of those business offers is going to affect your life. So in order to be successful in what we’re talking about here on the show, you need to.
[00:03:14] How offering certain programs in your business is going to affect your time and your work cadence, and your family, and even your profit. So to really apply what we’re gonna talk about on this show, go grab the Ultimate Guide to online offers, and you can get that by going to sweet life co.com. Click in on the podcast and you can just search.
[00:03:36] This is episode number 267, or you can very simply text the word. To the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0 and you can download it from there. Okay, so this show is for those of you guys that truly wanna make sure that the business you’re building is going to give you the time and life freedom that you’ve been looking [00:04:00] for.
[00:04:00] Many of you may have very profitable businesses, may. Programs that you have been running a, a variety of offers in your suite, but your world is not functioning the way you want it to, maybe you feel a little bit trapped. So that’s why you’re here listening to this show. I’m gonna break down this step-by-step process that we use to lay out our entire calendar year with you.
[00:04:25] You ready? Okay, here we go. So the first thing is that if you have a old school calendar in front of you, I’m, I’m 46, I’m a big advocate of old school things. If you have an old school calendar in front of you, bust it out, get it someplace down on a piece of paper, cuz I’m actually gonna take you through this step-by-step process.
[00:04:45] And having an old school calendar is really, really helpful. Um, even with post-it notes where we can actually go. Move along our Post-It notes, um, based on what dates that you’re looking at. So step number one, the very first [00:05:00] thing that I do when I lay out my entire calendar. I do this towards the end of one year for the upcoming next year, but I don’t care when you’re listening to this show.
[00:05:08] You can do this whenever you want. Is I block my time off. It’s the very first thing that I do. I block off my travel and my adventures and my time with my kids and my project time. So step number one is to look at your calendar, look at your personal life lifestyle calendar, and I want you to block off and fiercely protect your travel time.
[00:05:31] This is very, very important. If you do not do it first, you’re never gonna get it. . Okay, so if you’re not really sure what that time is, I want you to go through and I want you to block off. Hey, I, I think I wanna take a trip sometime in August. Great. We are gonna block that off. Now here’s the thing about this, guys.
[00:05:49] These things are non-negotiable. Are non-negotiable times off. This is how I approach this. My life always comes first. I learned how to design [00:06:00] businesses from my parents. If you’ve ever heard my story, we have a very long history of a family, of lifestyle entrepreneurs. What does that mean? It means we design our business around our lifestyle.
[00:06:11] These are not hopeful things. We’re not gonna hope that you’re taking time off. You are going to take this time off. My time off when I block it out. Is absolutely end all, be all non-negotiable. And for me, like this past summer, I was back east with my youngest son at lacrosse recruiting. Years before that, I lived in Los Angeles with my middle son, who was a professional hip hop dancer.
[00:06:34] Years before that, I traveled with my oldest son in lacrosse recruiting. So these were actually hard dates, so they actually helped me out because I can actually look at the calendar and say, Hey, listen, okay, we’re gonna be at these tournaments, these. And so it does help if you actually have solid dates regardless.
[00:06:51] Step number one is you need to approach this in a way that is non-negotiable. Mark, off your time, that girl’s trip you wanted to [00:07:00] take, whatever that is, that gets blocked off on your calendar for the entire year First. And it’s like we’re gonna put those big rocks in your jar first. I know you guys have heard this, you know, analogy of, of filling up a jar with your year.
[00:07:12] The biggest rocks go first. Those big rocks are not how we’re making money. They’re not our marketing, they’re your life. Step number one. Step number two, what you’re gonna do then is you are going to block off your business project time. Remember that book that you know that you really have been wanting to work on.
[00:07:32] Maybe it’s a second or a third book you’re getting out there. Maybe you want to go on a speaking tour. Um, actually just got off a, a call with a client and she and her whole entire family are going on a month long speaking tour back east to promote her program. So exciting. , right? We have to plan for that.
[00:07:48] We have to know that’s coming. So whatever project time, as far as work goes, that you need to block that off. That is the second thing you block off your calendar and here is what is gonna happen, [00:08:00] okay? After you’ve blocked off your family time, especially if you’re like me and then you’ve blocked off your project time.
[00:08:06] There isn’t a lot of landscape like the geography is taken up. We’re looking at a calendar that doesn’t quite have a lot of space left to actually work. Praise the Lord . Okay, so what we do next is now we’re gonna take an inventory of your offers. If you know me, I’m an offer engineer. I help businesses build industry leading programs and offers at scale.
[00:08:30] So the next thing and how it ties into. Episode bonus that I told you about of the guide of online offers is we need to take an inventory of your online offers, and you should know, number one, what is the most profitable offer that you have? Number one, what is your most profitable offer? Number two, what is the offer that’s most aligned with your life?
[00:08:53] Basically, which one do you really wanna? , which one do you really wanna put your time into? Which one are you really fired up [00:09:00] about? What people do you really wanna work with? What is the one that like you would do it for free. You love it so much, even though, don’t worry, we are not doing that here. That is what I want you to do.
[00:09:11] So we need to inventory your offers and you need to determine which ones you are going to sell for the year or the months to come, however long you’re planning this. Okay? Based on number one, which one is going to make enough money? for you to then take that other time off. And number two, which ones do you actually love to do?
[00:09:32] Now, we’re not getting into this in this episode, but this is all the answers to these questions align around how you’re engineering your offers and the model and the delivery of it. And then the third thing you’re gonna do is you are literally going to plot out on your calendar your sales and promotion dates for your most profitable offer first.
[00:09:54] Okay? That’s rule number one. Many of you guys have a variety of offers, but [00:10:00] we’re gonna plot out the most profitable one first. Nuro Uno, okay? And you’re gonna plot on your calendar, even if you sell it all year long. We still need to treat that offer as if we were having kind of a launch campaign around it.
[00:10:18] So even things that are available all the time, anybody can join into them. We still need to plot on your calendar when the promotional times around that particular offer are going to. . So you’re going to now block off the calendar those promotional times. Now, if you’re like me, we don’t really have any promo times in June and July.
[00:10:37] You know, like I said, I’m back east on a lacrosse field right now. So because of that, we have to make sure that we plot out our promotional times for people to come work with us other months out of the year. So what does that look like for you? Block off those promotional periods for your primary offer First.
[00:10:56] The next step is to block off your promotional [00:11:00] periods for your secondary offers. So what other offers or programs? Maybe you have like mini master classes, maybe you have, uh, a retreat that you may do once a year or a couple times in a year that fill in around that primary offer, that primary program that you were.
[00:11:20] And then the next step is you are going to block out the sales campaigns at times around each. So I know we’re sitting here if you’re watching this on YouTube or if you’re watching the video version of it. Awesome. I’m very handy. I use a lot of my hands in the air, but what I’m saying to you here is step number one, let’s.
[00:11:40] You’re going to block off your personal travel time. Step number two, your business project time. Step number three, your primary offer. Step number four, your secondary offers, and then you’re gonna fill up the sales and marketing campaign times around them. What do I mean by that? I mean, are you having a a three week launch campaign?
[00:11:58] Do we need to have [00:12:00] webinars? Do we need to build other things around that that are going to require your. And this is an overview of my yearly planning system. I promise you, when you go in this order and when you answer these questions for yourself, again, personal time off business, project time, primary offers, secondary offers, and then the sales campaigns around them.
[00:12:22] Honestly, number one, you’re probably not gonna have that much time to sell. You know, we always talk about the fact that we probably don’t make enough offers, just hear. We talk often that if a business is having trouble selling something, it’s probably cuz they aren’t offering their services enough, they aren’t making enough offers.
[00:12:41] And we see that extreme that we aren’t making enough offers. But then the other side of that is that, There’s some people selling stuff all the time. Nobody wants to buy your shit all the time. Mine either, , okay. Nobody wants that, right? So when [00:13:00] we lay out in the calendar of when we have these promotional times where somebody can pay you all the money for the amazing service that you deliver.
[00:13:09] The other times, what it does usually when you’re traveling is that gives us that time to build relationships with your audience. And so when we look at this calendar, we’re actually gonna see that there’s probably a lot of consolidated sales times and a lot of consolidated relationship building times.
[00:13:28] And that is amazing. If you’re looking at your calendar and you’re thinking, I don’t have enough time to, to sell things, I’m traveling all the time, and whatever that. No problem. Download that online Guide to the Guide, the Ultimate Guide to online offers, and you can create your own custom programming of offers, what I call your own offer ecosystem to actually fill that up.
[00:13:53] You don’t have to have one primary offer that you sell all the time and, and then a secondary and a third. [00:14:00] You can engineer your ecosystem of offers according to what you need for your business and your life, as long as, here’s the rule, as long as that offer is guaranteed to be engineered, to deliver your client’s predictable, transformational, measurable results.
[00:14:16] If you’re not sure about that, then we need to talk about that as. So let me recap the steps here. Number one, in order to lay out your entire year, your entire online business calendar for lifestyle first to actually get that. We have to block off the times that you’re taking personally and professionally off.
[00:14:36] Then what it’s gonna do is going to give, give us a very sobering look at the months we are selling and the benchmarks we need to hit financially for you, and make sure that you have the right offers that are built and being delivered at the other times throughout the year to actually make sure that the whole entire year is covered.
[00:14:55] That’s what we need to do, and that is this process. And then we drill down even deeper [00:15:00] into your content marketing calendar, and we plot out all of your marketing campaigns, all of your content marketing communications around, guess what? Your life and your business and your profit and your offers first.
[00:15:16] And I promise you, when you do it in this order like me, you will get actually more and more time off. Now here, here’s the real truth. The first time I did this, It was really messy. It was back in 2012 and my kids were younger and, um, actually I was planning time off in my offers because my kids, when they were young had a lot of medical needs.
[00:15:38] It wasn’t like I was taken off to Hawaii all the time. Um, and some, and most people actually don’t even know. That’s how I learned to engineer online business. Was because of my kids’ medical needs at first, and they’re totally healed and they’re awesome and praise God for that. But when you have these things that are non-negotiables in your life, believe me, you will build your business in the profit around [00:16:00] it.
[00:16:01] So whether, whatever it is, hopefully your kids are super healthy or whatever that is, you’re designing your, your next generation business for, you know, over 50 or whatever this is for you, you, as long as you see it this time off, this way of engineering your business as a non-negotiable. It’s not flexible.
[00:16:22] We can’t hopefully take this time off. As long as you see this as a non-negotiable, your time off and the offers you need to sell, and when you need to sell them, I promise you, you’ll nail it. It’s when we give ourself space to question whether or not we can do it, that we fail. If you in your mind know that the process of engineering, your offers around your profit and your life are in non-negotiable, I promise you, you will nail it,
[00:16:55] But like I said, the first time I did it, I really didn’t even nail it. I got like three weeks off a [00:17:00] year, and then the next year we got more and more and more. So it has taken me a long time to do this practice. For now over a decade to get more and more time off each year. Each time you do this, you’re gonna get better at it.
[00:17:12] But this process is the number one way. I own multiple companies and now have complete LA lifestyle and location and travel freedom with my family, and I want you to have that same thing. Even if you have a brick and mortar, there’s nothing more powerful than being able to just jump on a plane because you want.
[00:17:33] and or because something cool is happening that you wanna attend or you wanna support a friend. It’s an amazing thing and this is how you do it. Okay, so to recap, in this episode, we talked about how to plan your entire online business calendar for profit and purpose, whatever that profit and purpose is for.
[00:17:53] Awesome. I have given you a tool that you can download again. You can text the word [00:18:00] guide to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0. You can download my, I think it’s now, it’s like 30 pages, ultimate guide. It breaks down every single online business offer from courses tos, even to podcasting as a business model.
[00:18:13] To masterminds and retreats and hybrid program design to licensing and certification programs. And I’m gonna break down for you the type of model, and I’m gonna tell you exactly how that model will affect your life. Make sure you grab that, or you can very simply just go to sweetlifeco.com, click on the podcast.
[00:18:31] This is episode number 267, and there will be a link for you to download and grab that guide and the show notes are in here as well, so that you can revisit what we talked about on today’s. I hope you found that super helpful. I promise you, if you follow these order op of operations and these steps, then you will in fact no longer have a pie in the sky.
[00:18:53] I hope my business is designed for lifestyle freedom, uh, hope and a dream instead. It is a [00:19:00] strategy and it is a proven strategy that you can bank on, and I can’t wait to hear how it goes if we’re not connected. Please follow me on LinkedIn and over on Instagram so that I can hear about how you are doing in your process of designing your life for high profit, deep impact, lifestyle, lifestyle freedom. Thanks so much for listening to the show and I will talk to you guys next week.
Next Gen. Kick Off: Preview of New Shows, Guests, and More! – with April Beach (Episode 266)
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Full Show Transcript:
266
[00:00:45] Hey you guys, we are back. Welcome back to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast. Year six. I absolutely cannot believe it. Uh, first of all, thank you so much to our amazing listeners who have been sending me messages for the last year [00:01:00] where I took a little bit of a break. And if you are a listener to this show, you know, I share with you all behind the scenes.
[00:01:06] So I’m gonna catch you up on what’s been happening and I am gonna let you know. All the amazing things that we have in store for you coming in the next year for the next five years of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. But step number one, if you have not subscribed to this show, please click the subscribe button wherever you are listening.
[00:01:26] If you have been a previous subscriber, you’re gonna have to resubscribe because Apple loves to boot us out of shows we haven’t listened to in a bit. And so that would be really appreciated, um, to make sure that you’re also not missing out on all of the things that we have. If you and I do not know each other yet, I’m April Beach.
[00:01:43] I have been the host here on this show for five years I’ve been coaching businesses. I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs and mentoring businesses online for lifestyle entrepreneurship for high profit and deep impact and deep purpose for a total of 26 years, you guys . [00:02:00] It’s been a really, really long time.
[00:02:01] With an expertise in online business scaling for the last 17. So you are truly in the right place if you are looking for trusted strategies that you can apply to your business. I’m an online business architect and I’m an offer engineer, so what that means is I help coaches and consultants and authors and speakers scale their business online by creating million dollar programs.
[00:02:24] Courses, trainings, as well as licensed package programs and certification programs for high profit, deep impact lifestyle freedom. So let’s talk a little bit about that. And first of all, I just wanna say thank you guys so much. As you know, I took a little bit of a break after having Covid in the beginning of this past year, and it had a little break.
[00:02:45] Turned out to be, uh, a year. So let’s get very real for a minute. I was, Totally burned out on being here every single week. I can be real honest with you guys. And so the first [00:03:00] thing that I want you to do is think about things in your business that used to just totally light you up. And you may be doing them and you may be feeling a little bit burned out on them.
[00:03:08] And I want you to think about what that could be in your business. And I want you to clean house a little bit, just like I. Because when we set out to do things that fire us up in the beginning and it feels like a job at the end, then that gives us pause to stop it and just decide maybe we need to take a little bit of a break.
[00:03:27] So my little break turned into a long break, which was a beautiful time, as you guys know, because I share a lot of behind the scenes. I travel five to six months a year with my kids. I did that again this year. My kids are. You guys are not even gonna believe it, especially those of you who’ve been listening to this show forever.
[00:03:43] They are 20, 18 and 16 now, so time does fly and uh, it was just really a beautiful opportunity for me to reset and think about what this show actually means to the online business space, what it means to me as a leader in a mentor and a teacher, [00:04:00] but most importantly, what this show is delivering to you and why.
[00:04:05] We want to keep producing this show. I, uh, always say nobody needs more content. They need a transformation. And so before I dove back into committing to do the next generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, I really needed some time and space to find what I felt like I wanted to bring to the table for you guys this year as well as, and the years to come, as well as the things that I felt were important.
[00:04:34] For you. And so let’s go back and do a little bit of a history for those of you who’ve been listening to the show for a while. In the beginning we started out and every single thing was get your business online, building your first funnels, launching courses, I mean, just amazing online business foundations.
[00:04:53] and that was way back in 2017, right? So in the beginning we started talking about those things, but now your [00:05:00] businesses have grown. So for the next generation of the Sweet Life Podcast, we are gonna be focusing on scaling companies online, scaling entrepreneurs, those of you guys that. Are not only hitting consistent con 10 K months, but we’re actually working on building programs where we can license them to other companies and other businesses for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
[00:05:21] And having an ecosystem of offers that surpasses seven figures in your business. So for you, the next generation of the show is gonna be completely dedicated to scaling companies online. If you are here and you’re still in that launch phase. Please go back and utilize and listen, the 250 episodes that we dropped in this show for the last five years that are all about leveling you up to get you to this place.
[00:05:49] Because those are amazing and they’re powerful, they’re trusted, and they’re proven, and they are for you to eat up and utilize. And for those of you guys who are scaling your business, I’m so excited to move forward with you [00:06:00] into the next generation of the show and continue to help you level up your.
[00:06:05] And your decision making, creating a business that truly leads to the life that you want while you’re making the impact. And of course, extracting your genius to create results for other people. So this is a little preview for you of what’s to come. First of all, everything, all of the show notes, all the amazing tools we give here on this.
[00:06:26] Can still be found by visiting sweet life co.com and simply click on the podcast. Previous listeners, you guys know that with some of the shows, we actually drop totally free masterclass with certain episodes when you opt into them that week. We have given away thousand dollars masterclass to our listeners that subscribe when they opt in the week of that show.
[00:06:50] So we’re really known. Dropping information for you to actually implement the things we’re talking about each week. So make sure that you’ve subscribed and make sure that you click over [00:07:00] to sweetlifeco.com for all the show notes, all the places to opt in, and of course, getting text messages, updates as well.
[00:07:07] So let me give you a little sneak peek into what’s to come. As I thought about. How best to support you. I wanted to make sure that we’re consolidating our work here together on this show. So we are going to continue to deliver high value, but shorter time episodes. That’s the first change you’re gonna see here on the show.
[00:07:29] The second is that we are grouping together our shows into series. So if you’re working on something in particular or you have an objective, I have already laid out the entire. Content show plan for the entire year, you guys, and I wanna give you a sneak peek of what’s to come for the first episodes.
[00:07:48] After these new ones drop, we are leading into completely helping you become known. We’re talking about becoming known with your method and your frameworks and your value positions. Pitching, [00:08:00] pr, pitching, large scale media to help you become known. Podcast guesting stages and speaking local events. We’re even talking about how to network in your local area to become known after becoming known.
[00:08:14] Then we are diving into million dollar offers, and I have a whole entire series plan for you on how to build a million dollar business with an ecosystem of offers that works for you, including how to do the math and make sure that you are assessing the profitable offers that you actually want to do versus what people out there are just saying, you know, you hear all the time, like lunch of course, or do a membership.
[00:08:39] That doesn’t work for everybody, right? So we’re gonna be diving back into business models online offers in the series we actually did, going even deeper, right before I took a pause in this show, all about million dollar offers. It’s an entire million dollar offer and million dollar business model series, including masterminds, retreats, hybrid programs, content licensing, [00:09:00] certification programs, signature offer engineering, even low ticket offers, and so much more.
[00:09:06] that is going to bring us through weeks and weeks of value that you’re gonna immediately be able to take into your business and apply. And I can’t wait for you to do it. So I promise to be quick. So I’m gonna be quick. Thank you so much for listening to this show. Again, this is just a hello and I missed you.
[00:09:23] and message from me letting you know, first of all, thank you for giving me the time and the space that I needed to really assess this show and what, what it meant to me so that it could mean a lot to you. And I just appreciate you guys more than you know I missed you , and uh, that is, it’s been a real pleasure being able to take time off and have that space.
[00:09:46] But I am super stoked to be back. You here. We have a new intro for you and, uh, this. New Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast should bring another level of energy and profit to your business. [00:10:00] That is my commitment to you, and thank you so much for being here. I’ll see you in the next episode.
The Ultimate Guide To Design Your Perfect Coaching Business – with April Beach (Episode 265)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Resources Mentioned:
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Full Show Transcript:
265
[00:00:00] Hi you guys and welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and I am so glad you’re here. You have tapped into one of our best of episodes. These episodes are cherry picked from our most popular episodes with the most downloads with the most comments. So these are the ones where whether it’s in a speaking engagement, or whether it’s by writing to us or sending us messages on social media where you guys have reached out and said, Hey, listen, this episode you did was really powerful for me. Thank you so much.
[00:00:30] And they’re also the other episodes that we believe are the most important as we move into the next year for the online business landscape that we are going into for coaches and consultants and experts and speakers and authors. And so this episode is absolutely amazing, though it’s previously recorded, all of the resources can be found by clicking on sweetlifeco.com.
[00:00:54] You can visit us online and just very simply select the podcast and you’ll find all of the show notes [00:01:00] in there, for you with up to date links, making sure that you’re getting to the right place. If you’re looking for a resource. Now special message to those of you guys that have been waiting for this show to come back.
[00:01:15] I am so excited to announce that the next generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast is dropping the week after Christmas, before New Year’s as we roll into the new year, going from 20 to 23, and I can’t thank you guys enough. If you are a new listener to the show, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but after five years of faithfully dropping a business training or recording, a strategy for you every single week and winning awards for this show, I needed to step back and take a break. And you guys have been so gracious in actually encouraging me to do that.
[00:01:51] What turned out to be one month off, turned out to be about a year off of recording this show, but the reality is, is that we have [00:02:00] been producing so many business trainings, hundreds and hundreds of them for five years, that entrepreneurs have relied on. I needed to take a step back and get a perspective of what you guys really needed for the next generation of the show.
[00:02:15] How should this show actually help you to continue to grow your businesses? And many of your businesses have significantly grown since we first started this show. And you are growing and we’re growing and what does that actually look like?
[00:02:27] So I have had the gift of spending almost a year to build the entire next generation of the Sweet Life Podcast for you, and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. I’m so excited. So the wait is almost over and I wanted to send you a message about it. Thank you for the emails and the comments on social media encouraging me to enjoy my time off. But April, please come back. I need your show to grow my business.
[00:02:50] You guys are amazing and you have really been the fuel to the fire. That has helped me see clearly, clearly of where this show is gonna go in the next gen. It’s gonna sound a little bit [00:03:00] different, but it will continue to be the place where you can come for true proven business trainings that are transformational for your company. That is business coaching that isn’t pulled out of thin air from experts, delivered to you in such a way that you can implement it. That’s why this show has been so popular. Over the years, and that’s what we will continue to do for you.
[00:03:25] I can’t wait for you to hear what we have planned. The first series we’re kicking off is called Becoming Known and the Experts, so we have in here that are teaching you these proven business trainings, without a hook to sell you something. They’re just coming in here to pour into you, are absolutely epic. I can’t wait.
[00:03:42] So if you haven’t yet subscribe to the show, please click subscribe. Please share this with your friends. Please resubscribe in case that you were unsubscribed during my little hiatus. And I just love you guys so much, and I’m so excited to be back here. I can’t wait to drop the whole entire NextGen of the show and [00:04:00] the episode’s coming for you. And in the meantime, enjoy this best of it is very powerful and it’s been chosen for you for a reason. I’ll talk to you guys soon.
[00:04:13] You’re listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast. Simplified strategies to grow your service business and launch a life you love faster with business mentor and entrepreneur activator, April Beach.
[00:04:32] Hi guys. I’m so excited to talk to you today. This is one of my favorite topics, actually. We’re gonna be moving into my favorite topic for the next couple of weeks on the show. We are kicking off a series here on the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast that is all geared towards helping you make sure that you are designing your offers and your business structure and your business model correctly in a way that works for you.
[00:04:57] And this is such an important time to do it. It’s the [00:05:00] end of the year. We’re about to roll over into 2022, and so I wanna make sure that you’re fully equipped. To see the business model, the offer structure, and the business design that’s going to equal that lifestyle and the profit that you want moving forward.
[00:05:13] And so the next couple of shows are totally dedicated to helping you tap into the ultimate guide, the ultimate database for you to design your perfect business model. And so that’s what we’re talking about, kicking off today’s show. This is episode number 250 here on the podcast. And I’m April Beach host of this show.
[00:05:36] Thank you so much for being a listener to us. We’re gonna be rolling on five years of producing here in just a couple of months, and I just appreciate you guys so much. So first of all, I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all of your listenership over the last four and a half years to this show, sharing this show with your friends.
[00:05:53] We don’t have any advertising here intentionally. On the Sweet Life Podcast. I hate listening to podcasts and [00:06:00] they’re like, hang on just a second. Let me share somebody else’s unrelated message so I can make more money. Totally drives me crazy. Um, and so we intentionally have refused advertisers here on this show, and we’ll continue to do that because our goal is giving you business trainings and coaching that you can take to the bank.
[00:06:19] And we would really appreciate if you’d share this show with your friends. And if you have never done so before, if you could just please leave us a review on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts, that would just really mean a lot to us. So thank you so much for tuning in. I’m April Beach, as I said here at the, the host of this show and founder of the SweetLife Company.
[00:06:40] And everything we do as a company is working with entrepreneurs like you to design your business, your suite of offers, your customer journey roadmap, your leading offers in your programs to deliver high profit deep impact lifestyle freedom. So if you would like to work with us to apply to join our business growth programs, please cruise over to [00:07:00] sweetlifeco.com, and I would love to personally meet with you. Okay.
[00:07:04] Back to today’s show. Here is what you can expect. Again, this is episode number 250, and there is a very important tool that goes along with this episode in the next couple of episodes. That tool is an 18 page, totally free 18 page ultimate guide to online business models. And so before we get started, you can grab that guide in two different very easy ways.
[00:07:28] First of all, you can go to. SweetLifeco.com. Click on the podcast and go to this episode. It’s right there. Number 250, and there will be a link for you to download the Ultimate Guide, totally free. Grab that or if you’re on the go, you can text the word guide. Very simple, just lowercase the word guide and you wanna text it to this number.
[00:07:51] That number is 8 0 5 2 4 5 0 8 8 0. So just text the word [00:08:00] guide to that number and I’ll send you a link so you can go download it there. Okay. This is gonna be an important tool moving forward because the ultimate guide summarizes all of the business models, the most common business models for coaches and consultants and experts and service based businesses in the online space.
[00:08:18] And why this is so important is I’m literally saving you 20 years of time by giving you this guide. I have ran a business model in every single one of these most common ways, and so I break down in this guide the structure of that business model, everything from courses to masterminds, to live events, to membership communities, to group coaching programs.
[00:08:40] I break it all down for you, but then I also tell you exactly how it’s gonna affect your life. because it’s all fine and good and dandy, right, when we see it, you know, structurally on paper. But in the end of the day, I’m a lifestyle business designer, and you went into entrepreneurship to change your life. So let’s make sure that the business model you’re choosing is in fact gonna [00:09:00] equal that lifestyle that you want.
[00:09:02] So I literally drop in 20 years of online business experience. To you in this one ultimate guide so you can see the structure of the business model and I’ll tell you exactly what it’s gonna look like for your life. Here on the next couple of shows, we’re gonna be really diving in more to specific business models and having a conversation about them in depth.
[00:09:21] So again, go grab that ultimate guide. It’s totally there for you and hitting you, not it will save you decades of time. That’s why I created it. Okay, so in this episode, this is what you can expect. This is a great show for those of you guys who wanna level up and stop copying what others are doing.
[00:09:37] Maybe you’ve joined a lot of programs. You have somebody said, oh, you should launch a course. Or, oh, you should host a membership community and it’s not really worked out for you. Or you have thought about doing those things, but you’re not exactly sure whether or not that’s gonna be the right solution for your business. So when you tap into this show, You are gonna get this formula specifically here on this one episode for [00:10:00] how to choose a perfect online business, offers courses and masterminds, and I actually give you my seven questions to ask yourself that lead to your perfect business model and offer types.
[00:10:12] So I’m gonna tell you those seven questions to ask yourself as well, to get even more clarity, and I’m gonna dive into some of the actual workshopping that we do inside the Ultimate Guide. So if you’re ready for that, let’s go ahead and dive in together.
[00:10:33] Okay guys. So here we go. Episode number 250. This episode kicks off a series called The Ultimate Guide to your Perfect Business Model for coaches, experts, and consultants. And these next couple shows unpack the process of intentional business design. Offer engineering and business architecture to build a business for high profit, deep impact lifestyle results.
[00:10:55] And so let’s go ahead and kick off this series together and let’s start with just the [00:11:00] basics. Okay. So the first question we’re gonna talk about and answer is, what is a business model? I was just speaking and teaching at a retreat in Costa Rica last week, and I was teaching on business model. Business design, and I asked the women in the room, you know, who can explain to me what a business model is?
[00:11:18] And nobody could answer that question. And so if you’re sitting here and you’re listening and you’re thinking, oh gosh, I don’t really know what a business model is, you’re not alone. Right. So let’s kind of start at the basics, and it’s actually not as overwhelming and complicated as it may seem. So the term business model refers to your plan for making a profit by the types of products and services that you sell. Also known as your business model is the way that you serve your clients and make money.
[00:11:48] So examples of common business models for coaches and consultants and service based providers and experts are coaching one on one, group coaching, [00:12:00] online courses, membership communities, masterminds, retreats, live virtual events, and more.
[00:12:08] Those are types of business models. So as we dive in, especially over the next couple of weeks when I’m talking about, Hey, how to find your perfect business model, what I’m really saying is, should you launch a course? Should you launch a membership community? Should you have a mastermind? Should you be doing live virtual events? Should you have a retreat? Those are all the questions that I would love for you to have more information to answer for yourself, and that’s why we’re doing this series. So if that sounds good, let’s keep going.
[00:12:36] So the next topic that I wanna talk about regarding business modeling is the power and the importance, and the depth of how your business model affects your life. And if you know me, this is not a surprise. If you don’t know me, let me make it really, really clear. I am a life first business designer. That means that for my own companies, and for [00:13:00] people that I work with, the very, very most important thing is like saying, Hey, listen.
[00:13:04] This is all great to make money, but money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness, so let’s make sure the business we’re engineering is in fact gonna give you that lifestyle that you want. And that’s my superpower. That’s my area of expertise. I want you to know that your business model is a primary driver to the life you wanna have. But the reality is, you guys, very few entrepreneurs are actually aware of that. They just think, I’m gonna be happy when I, when I launch a course and sell a thousand seats, or I’m gonna be happy when I have a successful mentorship program. That’s not it at all. The way to happiness is business model design. Then we reverse engineer it into high sales. But it really starts with picking the right business model. If you do not have the right business model for your life, you are not gonna find that happiness that you hoped to find in entrepreneurship.
[00:13:55] And this is for you if you’re brand new in business. But I’ll be honest, the majority of clients I [00:14:00] work with have been in business for years and years, and they’re ready to scale their business and they really wanna intentionally make sure the programs they’re building in the future. Are done really well and mindfully and are gonna give them the results they want.
[00:14:11] So whether you’re new or you’ve been doing this for 10 years, this is something that I wanna make sure that you’re aware of the power and the importance of this. Your business model directs the cadence of your year, your quarter, your month, your week, and your day. So your business model is going to determine how you flow through your year and your quarter, and your week and your day, and your months and your time, and all the things it drives, what you do, who you do it for, and how you do it.
[00:14:43] And so let’s make sure you really, really love those things. And then it also drives your time and your schedule and the expectations that others have of. Those are all the things that your business model does. And so it’s incredibly important that we’re picking the right one for [00:15:00] you. So designing that perfect business model is our superpower, and that’s why I’m gonna geek out on this over the next couple of weeks because it’s pretty much the primary gem and jewel that we start working with clients on when they come into our business growth and mentorship programs.
[00:15:16] And so I wanna make sure that you are tapping into this as. Okay. And then the next question that we need to answer is, what business models are available to you? The most common business models for coaches, consultants, mentors, experts, especially over the last 17 years, are online and virtual coaching and consulting, whether that’s one on one or one on group.
[00:15:40] We also have online courses. And those courses are either evergreen, which means they’re available at any point in time. They’re prerecorded or they can be taught live. We also have memberships and communities masterminds, low ticket item grabs, and that business model we’re gonna dive into. And I’m [00:16:00] really excited to unpack that business model where everything is just like a, a smaller mini offer and a mini price.
[00:16:06] And then of course, our also live virtual events and in-person retreats or in-person. Product based business models, which we are not. Just so you know, really clear up front, we are not diving into product based business models because this podcast is strictly designed for service based entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and experts.
[00:16:25] But we are gonna be talking a little bit about products within the business models. And so those are the most common online business models and they are constantly evolving and as they evolve, one of the things that’s happened over the last couple of years is the business models we’re now designing with our clients are hybrid offers.
[00:16:44] Starting in around 2016, we started designing what’s called hybrid models, so it’s a combination of some of these primary models that we talked about, and we’re also gonna be talking about hybrid offers and really how to engineer the perfect hybrid offer [00:17:00] here on the show in the series as. So those, those are the business models that are most common.
[00:17:05] Now. There are so many cool outside of the boxings that are happening, and as things like virtual reality come into play and different technologies, these are gonna continue to grow. But here on the show, we’re gonna start with the core business models for online coaches, consultants, and service base providers.
[00:17:21] So you can consider those and how they would scale with your business. And so the next question is really to ask yourself what’s happening right now in your sapce. You are an expert in your field or you’re becoming an expert in your field. And so what is available? What are people commonly buying or what are, how are the ways services are being delivered in your field right now?
[00:17:43] And so first of all, I want you just to take a second and do like a mental inventory of how other people are buying your type of services currently in your area of experise and whether or not they have, or maybe they don’t have [00:18:00] a type of business model that you might want to create for yourself. Just because it doesn’t exist doesn’t mean that you can’t create it.
[00:18:06] So I wanna encourage you in that. So what business models are available to you truly depends on, first of all, the content that you’re delivering. So your content is going to dictate your business model. That’s rule number one. And that’s also the number one mistake of not doing that that coaches and consultants make, is not letting the content drive the model, what you’re doing, what you’re teaching is gonna dictate the best way to deliver that to people.
[00:18:33] So the formula, and this is the formula I teach and it’s so fun to teach it. The formula is connecting the way you want your lifestyle to function and your area of expertise in your content, and that’s gonna give us your perfect business model. And so let’s go ahead and move forward a little bit. How is it then that we take this business model and really start designing it for you?
[00:18:57] So your business model. [00:19:00] Can be one way for one product or service that you offer, and you can have a suite of offers in your business, so a collection of services and programs in your business, and each of them can have totally a different business model. You don’t have to just have one. So we’re talking about business modeling and we’re relating this to one program or one offer, one leading offer, which I love to teach on, as you guys know, leading offers and leading program.
[00:19:29] Or you can have one business model for all of your offers. And if your offers or your coaching programs take people through a long term journey of progression in working with you, you can have one business model that’s actually broken up into different phases of growth that people would continue to grow with you.
[00:19:51] That’s how our programs work. And that’s some of the ways that we’ve been engineering our programs for and with our clients. And it’s really powerful because when [00:20:00] we’re doing that, we’re creating a long term roadmap and a client journey that keeps clients with you for years and years and years. So we have a ton of clients that have worked with us for over 10 years.
[00:20:11] The reason why is cuz we’re constantly developing a different step to keep them growing more and more and more. And you can have one business model that is all of the steps in a long term journey. Or we can just talk about one business model for one offer of yours. So I wanna make sure I’m sharing that distinction for you.
[00:20:29] If you’re thinking, wow, is this business model just for one program or one coaching program or one offer, or is it for everything? You choose? It can be either. So here are some questions and I want you to break down these questions and I want you to think about them. And this is how we’re gonna end this week’s episode.
[00:20:45] Just processing these. These questions are also put in a worksheet for you in the ultimate Guide to business model, so make sure you download that, but I’m gonna share them with you so your brain can start processing them right now as we wrap up this week’s show. So I want [00:21:00] you to answer these questions as if it were five years from now.
[00:21:03] If you can’t figure out five years from now, go to. If you can’t figure out three years from now, I want you to go to the next 18 months, okay? But start out as far as you can, and I want you to imagine yourself there. And if you’re building a business with intention for time freedom, geographic freedom and freedom to scale your services in a way that’s really gonna make you happy, these are important questions to ask yourself.
[00:21:27] Question number one, how many hours per week do I like to? So again, try to focus five years from now, maybe three. You have to come in close enough. Then you can do 18 months. How many hours per week do you really like to work? How many do you want to be working in the future? How do you really love to serve your clients?
[00:21:49] So I want you to ask yourself, how do I really love to serve my clients? Do you like meeting with them one on one? Do you like coaching in groups? What really fires you? [00:22:00] How do others love working with me? So do you have a team working with you in the future or is it only a solo gig? That’s question number three.
[00:22:12] Question number four, do you move and travel or do you stay in one place? Again, this is in the future. Question number five, do you work at home or do you work in an office? What does that really look like to you? Lesson number 6. What are you really good at? We need to ask yourself, what am I really, really good at?
[00:22:32] And what content are you delivering in your leading program or your leading offer? And then of course you need to ask yourself, what does my perfect client actually really need from me? So how do they need me to work with them? How do they need me to show up for them?
[00:22:50] And those are seven key question. Of starting the process of business model design, and there is an eighth question in there that is the most qu, most important question of all, [00:23:00] and that question is in the worksheet for you. So make sure you go ahead and download that. Now, like I talked about, over the next couple weeks, we’re gonna be diving into this entire series all about business modeling, all about business architecture and design.
[00:23:15] I love this. We have done a ton of shows on this over the last five years because this is my area of expertise, but I’m super excited to do them in a series for you so you can go through and follow with me and process them as we go. And each episode’s gonna focus on one business model type, and I’m gonna give you the pros and the cons of that business model type.
[00:23:35] And I’m gonna tell you the lifestyle result of that particular business model and whether help you figure out whether or not you’re, you would love that. So my goal is to save you literally at least five years of time launching the wrong kind of offer in this show. And you’re gonna be able to go through and choose which one’s gonna be right for you, so you can stop copying what others are doing, and truly design a business that’s gonna give you the profit and the life that you want.
[00:23:58] And the reality is this, though. [00:24:00] Your business is totally gonna change just as you change. So by fully considering your long-term business model, revisiting it and revising it as needed for your life, and as your life changes and taking control of the circumstances by pre-planning and building services that can scale, you’ll always have a business that’s built around your life, not your life around your business.
[00:24:25] And of course, because you know me, I’m always on a plane. I love to travel. If you’re like me or if you want to be like me, if you’re building a business with the, with the intention of time freedom, geographic freedom and freedom to scale your services in a way that makes you happy, then these are the episodes to make sure you’re tuning into.
[00:24:42] And frankly, that’s what our business growth programs are designed for. So if you’d love to work with us, then you are more than welcome to apply. You can cruise over to SweetLifeco.Com and you can check out our Wavemaker program, our offer engineer masterclass, and our business launch programs as [00:25:00] well.
[00:25:00] We would love to hear from you and connect with you. Really work through the process as to whether or not working with us is the right fit. And of course, you have these podcast episodes to eat up and take to the bank. Thank you so much for tuning in with us this week. This is Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast, episode number 250, and all the show notes. Can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com. Simply click on podcast and that is also where you can download the ultimate Guide to Business Models. And last thing, again, if you want to get it by text, just simply text the word guide to the number 8 0 5. 2, 5, 4, 0, 8, 8 0. Okay, that’s it for today. Have an awesome week, and I will talk to you soon.
Using White Board Sessions To Increase Sales – with April Beach (Episode 264)
This episode is for those in Phase 2 – 4 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
Resources Mentioned:
SweetLife Podcast™ Love:
Need faster business growth?
Schedule a complimentary business triage call here.
Full Show Transcript:
264
[00:00:00] Hi you guys and welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and I am so glad you’re here. You have tapped into one of our best of episodes. These episodes are cherry picked from our most popular episodes with the most downloads with the most comments. So these are the ones where whether it’s in a speaking engagement, or whether it’s by writing to us or sending us messages on social media where you guys have reached out and said, Hey, listen, this episode you did was really powerful for me. Thank you so much. And they’re also the other episodes that we believe are the most important as we move into the next year for the online business landscape that we are going into, for coaches and consultants and experts and speakers, and authors.
[00:00:43] And so this episode is absolutely amazing, though it’s previously recorded, all of the resources can be found by clicking on sweetlifeco.com. You can visit us online and just very simply select the podcast and you’ll find all of the show notes [00:01:00] in there for you, with up to date links, making sure that you’re getting to the right place if you’re looking for a resource.
[00:01:08] Now special message to those of you guys that have been waiting for this show to come back. I am so excited to announce that the next generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast is dropping the week after Christmas, before New Year’s. As we roll into the new year, going from 22 to 23, and I can’t thank you guys enough.
[00:01:30] If you are a new listener to the show, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but after five years of faithfully dropping a business training, a recording a strategy for you every single week in winning awards for this show. I needed to step back and take a break, and you guys have been so gracious in actually encouraging me to do that. So what turned out to be one month off turned out to be about a year off of recording this show, but the reality is, is that we [00:02:00] have been producing so many business trainings, hundreds and hundreds of them for five years, that entrepreneurs have relied on. I needed to take a step. And get a perspective of what you guys really needed for the next generation of the show.
[00:02:15] How should this show actually help you to continue to grow your businesses? And many of your businesses have significantly grown since we first started this show. And you’re growing and we’re growing and what does that actually look like? So I have had the gift of spending almost a year to build the entire next generation of the Sweet Life Podcast for you, and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. I’m so excited.
[00:02:37] So the wait is almost over and I wanted to send you a message about it. Thank you for the emails and the comments on social media encouraging me to enjoy my time off. But April, please come back. I need your show to grow my business. You guys are amazing and you have really been the fuel to the fire. That has helped me see clearly, clearly of where this show is gonna go in the next gen.
[00:02:58] It’s gonna sound a little bit [00:03:00] different, but it will continue to be the place where you can come to for true proven business trainings that are transformational for your company. That is business coaching that isn’t pulled out of thin air from experts delivered to you in such a way that you can implement it. That’s why this show has been so popular over the years, and that’s what we will continue to do for you.
[00:03:25] I can’t wait for you to hear what we have planned. The first series we’re kicking off is called Becoming Known and the Experts, so we have in here that are teaching you these proven business trainings without a hook to sell you something. They’re just coming in here to pour into you, are absolutely epic. I can’t wait.
[00:03:42] So if you haven’t yet subscribe to the show, please click subscribe. Please share this with your friends. Please resubscribe in case that you were unsubscribed during my little hiatus. And I just love you guys so much, and I’m so excited to be back here. I can’t wait to drop the whole entire NextGen of the show and the [00:04:00] episode’s coming for you. And in the meantime, enjoy this best of it is very powerful and it’s been chosen for you for a reason. I’ll talk to you guys soon.
[00:04:13] You’re listening to The Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business, and launch a life you love faster with business mentor and entrepreneur activator April Beach.
[00:04:31] Hey, you guys, on this week’s show, we are talking about a very cool conversion tool, in order to turn those people on your list to buyers that fervently follow every single thing that you do. This is episode number 244 at the SweetLife Entrepreneur and Business Podcast, which means that all of the show notes can be found by visiting our website. Which is sweetlifeco.com. Simply clicking on the podcast, and this is episode number [00:05:00] 244. I’m April Beach, the host here at the show, and we are known for delivering proven business trainings that you can absolutely bank on. That other coaches will charge you thousands for you. Get them all here free. Advertisement free on this show because this podcast is an extension of the outreach that we do as a company. So welcome to the show. If you’re a new listener, I’m super glad to be connected with you.
[00:05:25] So this is what you can expect from today’s episode. First of all, this episode is great for businesses in phases two, three, or four of my business growth roadmap. If you are not sure what business phase that you’re in, please visit sweetlifeco.com/quiz, or you can simply text the word quiz to the number 8, 0 ,5, 2, 5, 4, 0, 8, 8, 0, and you can take a very short self assessment, which will give you a complete breakdown [00:06:00] of all the phases of business growth long term, and tell you exactly what you should be focusing on based on the phase of business that you are in right now.
[00:06:09] So this show is great for people in phases two, three, or four. And it’s really great for those of you guys who want a conversion tool that moves your leads into buyers. So if you’re a coach or a consultant or a niche skill provider, you’re always looking for great ways to position yourself as the perfect solution to those people that you’re in connection with.
[00:06:33] And whiteboard sessions are a great way to do that, and that’s what we’re gonna talk about here on today’s show. I’m gonna unpack how to use whiteboard sessions to further connect with your list and increase your sales. And I’m gonna detail out the eight steps that we use as a company and literally giving you our steps of how we plan and host our whiteboard sessions. And at the end of this episode, you’re gonna know our exact [00:07:00] process and you’re gonna be able to plan for your own whiteboard sessions to turn your leads into buyers. All right? So if you’re ready for that, let’s go ahead and dive into today’s show.
[00:07:19] First of all, let’s go ahead and answer the question. What is a whiteboard session? So a whiteboard session is like a live webinar where you work with your leads, you help them to solve a specific problem, thereby gaining trust and positioning you as the ultimate solution that they were looking for.
[00:07:38] You can host it in Zoom, you can host it in another live streaming platform. But overall, it’s very similar to the webinars of old, but you’re doing it live. It’s not prerecorded where you actually have people show up and you lit, literally get to work their problem with them, and they are an amazing conversion tool. So let’s kind of talk about [00:08:00] that terminology as well. A conversion tool is what we refer to as an event or a way to turn your leads into buyers. So we’re using these whiteboard sessions to turn leads that are already familiar with you into faithful buyers, selling them into your higher ticket programs. Now you can totally use whiteboard sessions to generate new leads as well.
[00:08:24] We, in the past, as a company have primarily used them to take our existing leads, our warm leads, and turn them into buyers. I would love for you to go and test these to cold leads as well, because I’m sure that would actually convert very high as well, because very few people are doing this. So I’m gonna break down the eight steps to host these whiteboard sessions and really just pull back the curtains on what we do as a company and give you this step by step process.
[00:08:50] So let’s go ahead and get started. If you’re taking notes, this is a great episode to take notes. To save it, you can replay it.
[00:08:57] So step number one, I need you to choose a [00:09:00] specific problem that you are solving in your session. So one specific problem that you are going to address in your whiteboard session, your whiteboard session shouldn’t be, you know, let’s go ahead and solve the whole world’s, you know, hunger issue. it should be, let’s talk about one specific problem and let’s go ahead and whiteboard out some potential solutions to.
[00:09:21] And here is a pro tip for those of you that are really interested in being strategic about your business, I want you to make your whiteboard session a piece of the problem that you solve in your leading offer. So hopefully you caught what I just said. Right. So number one, you’re gonna choose one specific problem that you will solve in your whiteboard session, and one only.
[00:09:45] Number two, send out a warmup email to your list, letting them know that you’re aware of the problem that they’re facing and you’re planning something really special for them. It’s like dangling the carrot in front of them. Say, Hey, listen, [00:10:00] you guys, I know that you’re struggling with this. I know that this has been a common issue for many of you, and I just wanted to let you know I’m planning something really special to help you solve that. So stay tuned because I’m gonna tell you what that special thing is that you can be a part of very, very soon. So, step number two is get your list excited about what is to come.
[00:10:22] Step number three is to schedule your session. Now, here’s the deal. I recommend you pick two different times to host your whiteboard session. Usually within the same week, try to do them possibly even in the same day, one in the morning, one in the evening, depending on when your clients are, are most available.
[00:10:39] When your audience is, is most working on the problem that you solve, picking two different sessions gives them an opportunity to say, Hey, yes, I wanna come to session number one or session number two, but make sure that you schedule this in.
[00:10:53] And then step number four is to send out an invite to this session. And when you send that [00:11:00] second email invite out and you’re saying, okay, here it is. This is what I’m doing. Call it a whiteboard session. I’m hosting this whiteboard session and it’s gonna be amazing. But here’s the deal. There are limited seats. Now, one of the things that we are not fully addressing here right now in this show. But if you’re a faithful listener to this podcast for the last four and a half years, you know that you will see these trends, right, where we have gone from these mass programs to boutique, very personalized events and programs and leading offers. People don’t wanna be part of the cattle herd. They don’t wanna be in a cookie cutter thing.
[00:11:37] So when you offer something that’s limited seats, that’s really exclusive, those are the things that people are craving right now at the recording of this in 2021. So just be mindful, mindful for that. So Cindy and I, your invitation and say, Hey, listen, you know, there are limited seats to this. Fyi, make sure you RSVP for your seat right.
[00:11:57] Step number five, get your tech [00:12:00] set up ready. Okay, so when we say a whiteboard session, I actually mean a whiteboard session. So that is usually a combination between an iPad or something that you can cast sketch on and cast it into Zoom. There are so many different tools that you can do this. We use iPad.
[00:12:18] We used to use iPad with Notability, but that kind of broke a little bit. So now some of the solutions that we dive into are EAM mixed with Stream Yard. There are a bunch of different technology setups that you can actually do in order to host and cast your iPad live into a Zoom so people can see you actually sketching your whiteboard session.
[00:12:40] Because this is a true whiteboard session that isn’t like a marketing thing , you’re actually gonna host a whiteboard session and sketch out their results, which I’ll dive into here in just a few minutes. So you need to get your text set up ready.
[00:12:53] So, so far you’ve chosen this specific problem. You’ve sent out an email to your list saying, Hey, listen, I know you’re, you’re having this [00:13:00] problem, something special is coming. You’ve scheduled your session in your own planning calendar, and then you’ve sent out the email to your list saying, Hey, it’s scheduled now. Get on the list right now. You’re filling those seats. Meanwhile, while the seats are filling to your event, get your technology set up, practice it, and get it ready. And that was step number five.
[00:13:21] Step number six is to send reminders out to your list to make sure they fill up those seats. Just cuz people sign up doesn’t mean they show up. So we need to send reminders, send dms. You wanna blanket those people who have registered, letting them know, Hey, you got one of these exclusive seats to this really special whiteboard. Don’t lose it. Like don’t miss it. Don’t miss your seat. This is really, really special. Get them excited about it. Reiterate how exclusive it is and send them tons of reminders so we’re increasing the show up rate for your event.
[00:13:55] And then step number seven is to host this event. And now I’m gonna break it down [00:14:00] into six substeps under the Hosting Your Event. So this is why, if you’re taking notes as a great episode to take notes too. So as you’re hosting your event, I recommend you only do a one hour event, okay? So you’re gonna deliver a lot of value in a very, very short period of time. So you want people wanting more, all right? So in the steps to host your.
[00:14:23] Step number one is start by sharing like your philosophical genius, well rooted view on the problem that you are solving. So start by sharing. Here is a problem, here is why I know this is a problem. Here’s why I’m so well rooted in part of the solution to this problem. And load your view. Load your intro with case studies of how you’ve helped other people solve the problem that you’re helping this group of people whiteboard about. So you open it up, you position yourself as I’m aware of this problem, [00:15:00] I’m part of the solution to this problem. This is what other clients do that we have helped them work through this problem. And hey, now I’m here to work with you. So you’re fully positioning yourself as being completely aware. Being an expert in this space and having helped other people, and that’s how I want you to open up this strategy session, this whiteboard strategy session.
[00:15:22] Step number two is then you open the floor for others to share about their issue with whatever problem it is that you’re solving and why they’re still facing it. What is the problem? What is the struggle? Why are they still here? Why have they not moved forward? What are the other things they’ve. And if you’re a marketer right now in your brain, you’re realizing that these whiteboard sessions are super gold for doing, you know, figuring out what the problem is and doing market research as well.
[00:15:50] Okay, so later we can talk about transcribing this and turning the, the voices and the, the issues people are saying into marketing copy. But right now [00:16:00] you’re hearing your present in this event. And I want you to open up the floor to others to explain those things. This is my problem. This is why I’m still here. This is my frustration. This is what I’ve tried and open the floor to those people that you’re helping in this whiteboard session to share sharing quickly, because we wanna keep the session moving. We wanna keep it fresh. We wanna, we wanna keep everybody engaged and we really do wanna give them a chance to talk, or at least a chance to post into the chat, depending on how many people you’ve allowed in your session.
[00:16:29] And then step number three, you’re going to use your whiteboard to visually represent solutions. Demonstrating what people have said and documenting their comments. And collecting their frustrations. So part of your white boarding can be just writing down on the whiteboard, the words people are using, or a list of the problems, which by the way, you already know their problems.
[00:16:52] But writing down a list. So each time somebody says, oh, this is a problem. Oh, this is a problem. You can be starting to use your whiteboard, [00:17:00] enlist out all of those problem. So you’re gonna document the things that they are saying, and you’re gonna collect it all in this whiteboard session based on what they’re sharing with.
[00:17:11] And then step number four, you’re gonna summarize all of their pains collectively. And you’re gonna say, Hey, listen, I get it. This is what all you guys are saying. And so what we’ve done there in this whiteboard session is we’ve created community, we’ve created camaraderie amongst the people who’ve been there. They don’t feel like they’re alone anymore. They’re in a place where other people are experiencing the same pain. And guess what? You are the king or queen that leads them out of this.
[00:17:36] And so step number six is after you summarize their collective pains, then you start white boarding solutions for them. And this white boarding is gonna look totally different. It’s literally a sketch drawing of how you can take people from one place to one place, or maybe in your white boarding session based on your area of expertise, you can list out key words. Common solutions. [00:18:00] You’re literally going to whiteboard out and draw and draft solutions based on the collective communities problems in your event.
[00:18:09] And if you have time, depending on how many people showed up, I want you to pull a few specific people out and ask them if they would like to have their specific problem solved for them. Right there in detail in the whiteboarding session. And what that has just done is it’s helped this one person, but it’s also shown everybody else your skills and what an amazing coach that you are and how amazing the results you can get people in a very short period of.
[00:18:37] And then at the end of your session, you’re gonna restate why this problem exists and why it’s so hard for them to solve it on their own. And so what you’ve done in this session is you’ve positioned yourself as the perfect painkiller that leads them out of it, letting them know you fully understand what they’re dealing with, and sharing case studies of how you have to help the other clients.
[00:18:58] You’re gonna open the floor for them [00:19:00] to share their collective pains and problems, and then you’re gonna use your whiteboard to visual. Collectively gather together all of their pains and document their comments. The next step is you’re gonna use your whiteboards to start sketching out solutions collectively for the group sharing solutions and doing a short teaching.
[00:19:20] And then if you have time based on how many people show up, you can pick one or two people from your audience and you can actually go through their very hyper niche specific problem. And at the end of it, you’re gonna restate why the problem is big, why it exists, and you’re gonna position yourself as the solution for that which you’ve already done.
[00:19:40] At this point in time, you have already fully established yourself as being not only capable, but the perfect solution to their problem. And so how we end these whiteboard sessions is then you make an offer for your next step to work with. Whatever that looks like. You could use a whiteboard session [00:20:00] as a perfect conversion tool into one of your primary offers, one of your leading offers or your whiteboard session could put them into another funnel that warms them up for maybe a live virtual event, then warms them up to, um, maybe have them apply to work for you, work with you, maybe your program is application based and so it’s continuing to be exclusive to work with you. And so your live whiteboard session could perhaps position them just to apply to work with you or you can sell right into your program, whatever works for you.
[00:20:31] And that is how we use whiteboard sessions, and it’s very, very similar actually. It’s kind of how we use clubhouse rooms, but not as visual, and it doesn’t create such an exclusive community with your group of people that are there. Because when we do this in a whiteboard session, you can see people’s faces.
[00:20:49] You can really get to know them, and you can help them on the next level because you’re not only having a conversation with them, you are giving them the results right there that they can visually see, and they don’t have to. Just [00:21:00] envision. Whiteboard sessions are a powerful, powerful way to turn your list into buyers. Very faithful buyers. And I’m so surprised that more people don’t do them. We’ve been doing them for years and I’m so happy to teach you how to do it here on this show. An insider mastermind who work with our clients very closely to create their whiteboard sessions and really pick out the problem they’re solving in them and how to convert their leads into buyers.
[00:21:28] And so I want you to dive into this. Feel free to put this podcast on replay, share this podcast with your friends, and make sure you’re taking notes, because if you follow the steps that we’ve laid out here, you’ll have the same results that we have in our whiteboard sessions, and they’re hugely successful in order to help people build a closer relationship with us, which then in turn, of course, increase our sales because we’ve done a great job establishing you and establishing ourselves has the perfect solution to their problem.
[00:21:57] Which in the coaching and consulting space, that [00:22:00] is always our number one goal when it comes to marketing. So I hope you found this episode helpful. I feel like I’m losing my voice a little bit here at the end, and I’m so sorry about that. So hope my scratchy voice doesn’t get in the way of your understanding these steps, because I really would love for you to apply them in your business.
[00:22:18] And when you do tag me on, Instagram. Show me, say, Hey April, I am using this whiteboard session strategy. I’m so excited to do it. Here’s what’s happening. Tag me at April Beach Life because I always love seeing how you guys are applying the business training that we give you here on this show, and we’re here to make you more money and of course, help you build predictably the business and life of your dreams.
[00:22:41] Thank you so much for tuning in, sharing this show with your friends and being faithful Listeners here of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast, again, all of the show notes can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com and clicking on podcast and if you’re interested in applying to work with us.
[00:22:58] And have us roll [00:23:00] up our sleeves with you in your business and get very personalized business blueprinting, architecture, and engineering of your leading offers and your entire long-term business plan. You can find us at sweetlifeco.com. That is our superpower, and that is what we love doing. Have a great day.
[00:23:18] I’ll talk to you next week.
How To Disqualify Clients To Grow Your Business – with April Beach (Episode 263)
This episode is for those in Phase 3 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
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263 (245)
[00:00:00] Hi you guys and welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and I am so glad you’re here. You have tapped into one of our best of episodes. These episodes are cherry picked from our most popular episodes, with the most downloads, with the most comments. So these are the ones where whether it’s in a speaking engagement, Or whether it’s by writing to us or sending us messages on social media where you guys have reached out and said, Hey, listen, this episode you did was really powerful for me. Thank you so much.
[00:00:30] And they’re also the other episodes that we believe are the most important as we move into the next year for the online business landscape that we are going into for coaches and consultants and experts and speakers and authors. And so this episode is absolutely amazing. Though it’s previously recorded, all of the resources can be found by clicking on sweetlifeco.com. You can visit us online and just very simply select the podcast and you’ll find all of the show notes [00:01:00] in there for you with up to date links. Making sure that you’re getting to the right place. If you’re looking for resource. Now special message to those of you guys that have been waiting for this show to come back.
[00:01:15] I am so excited to announce that the next generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast is dropping the week after Christmas, before New Year’s, as we roll into the new year, going from 22 to 23, and I can’t thank you guys enough. If you are a new listener to the show, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but after five years of faithfully dropping a business training or recording, a strategy for you every single week and winning awards for this show, I needed to step back and take a break. And you guys have been so gracious in actually encouraging me to do that. What turned out to be one month off, turned out to be about a year off of recording this show, but the reality is, is that we have [00:02:00] been producing so many business trainings, hundreds and hundreds of them for five years, and entrepreneurs have relied on. I needed to take a step back and get a perspective of what you guys really needed for the next generation of the show. How should this show actually help you to continue to grow your businesses? And many of your businesses have significantly grown since we first started this show. And you are growing and we’re growing and what does that actually look like?
[00:02:27] So I have had the gift of spending almost a year to build the entire next generation of the SweetLife podcast for you, and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. I’m so excited. So the wait is almost over and I wanted to send you a message about it. Thank you for the emails and the comments on social media encouraging me to enjoy my time off. But April, please come back. I need your show to grow my business. You guys are amazing and you have really been the fuel to the fire. That has helped me see clearly, clearly of where this show is gonna go in the next gen. It’s gonna sound a little bit [00:03:00] different, but it will continue to be the place where you can come to for true proven business trainings that are transformational for your company.
[00:03:11] That is business coaching that isn’t pulled out of thin air, from experts delivered to you in such a way that you can implement it. That’s why this show has been so popular over the years, and that’s what we will continue to do for you. I can’t wait for you to hear what we have planned.
[00:03:27] The first series we’re kicking off is called Becoming Known and the Experts, so we have in here that are teaching you these proven business trainings without a hook to sell you something, they’re just coming in here to pour into you are absolutely epic. I can’t wait. So if you haven’t yet, subscribe to the show, please click subscribe. Please share this with your friends. Please resubscribe in case that you were unsubscribed during my little hiatus, and I just, Love you guys so much, and I’m so excited to be back here. I can’t wait to drop the whole entire NextGen of the show and the [00:04:00] episodes coming for you.
[00:04:01] And in the meantime, enjoy this. Best of it is very powerful and it’s been chosen for you for a reason. I’ll talk to you guys soon.
[00:04:13] You’re listening to The Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business, and launch a life you love faster with business, mentor and entrepreneur activator, april Beach.
[00:04:31] Hi, you guys. Welcome back to the show. This is week and episode number 245. On the Sweet Life Entrepreneurial Business Podcast and I’m April Beach, host of this show and I’m so glad to talk to you. We are coming up on our fifth year podcast anniversary just in a couple of months, and we just really appreciate all of you guys who’ve listened to this show for so many years, and those of you who share it with your friends, we do not intentionally accept any advertising [00:05:00] on this show. I literally get pitched all the time, every single week from companies that wanna advertise in the show. And I just think that screws up with the flow of this show and our connection and how we really hang out together here. And it’s like you and I are sitting across the table from each other or having to cup of coffee, and we intentionally work hard to give you business trainings and coaching that other coaches charge thousands for. Totally free here on the show. So thank you so much for continuing to tune in.
[00:05:27] As you know, if you’ve been here before, all of the show notes and everything we’re gonna talk about today can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com, and this is episode number 245. So let’s get into what you can expect from hanging out with me here for a few minutes on today’s show.
[00:05:45] Today we’re talking about why disqualifying clients actually helps your business grow. And this is for those of you guys who are in particularly in phase three of business. So this is the scale up phase of your [00:06:00] business. But I will say that I understand that I want you to apply this in the launch phase. There is just a little bit more of a psychological barrier to disqualifying clients when frankly you may not have ever served any before. This show really aligns with those of you who have served clients, you know how great your offer, your program, your solution is. And you’re really looking to scale up your business.
[00:06:22] And one of the best ways we do that is by actually disqualifying or firing clients. So this is what you can expect. This is a great show for those of you guys who believe in your offer, your program and your service. And you know that you know that, you know that it gives people transformational, predictable.
[00:06:42] So if that’s you, if you know what you do is amazing and there is no question whatsoever and how great you are at delivering people those results, then continue listening to this show. If you aren’t really sure, then that means that you should probably check out my [00:07:00] OFFER ENGINEER™ MASTERCLASS, and that’s a totally separate thing to talk about.
[00:07:05] We have literally numerous podcast episodes here about how to create a predictable leading program. But right now, if you are not really sure about the confidence of your program, your course, your membership community, your mastermind, go to theofferengineer.com and there’s a lot of information there to get you started.
[00:07:25] So for those of you who do know that, like you’re the bomb, right? Like you know that what you deliver is amazing, then let’s continue on to what we’re talking about today. We’re talking about the fact that disqualifying clients is an important part of business growth, and I get that this concept seems counterproductive to sales and marketing, and here is why it isn’t.
[00:07:47] When you concentrate your sales and marketing on only the most qualified and the best fit leads for your business, then your sales become more productive and the success from your program [00:08:00] increases. And that’s a really important part of what we’re talking about today, and we’re talking about how to go about the process of disqualifying clients and finding the perfect clients that are really the right fit for what it is that you do.
[00:08:12] So this is not, let me preface this. This is not an ideal client avatar or a niche business coaching podcast training, at all. We’re not talking about ICA development or client profiling. Instead, we’re talking about the questions that nobody tells you, that you really should be asking yourself about who you really want to work with, who you really want your clients to be, and they have to be asked and they have to be asked for, number one, your own happiness. Number two, your client’s happiness. Cuz when you have a great working relationship with your clients, then it’s gonna be much more successful for both of you and therefore for the financial success of both your clients and your company.
[00:08:51] At the end of this episode, you’re gonna know what topics or different areas you should be looking at to qualify and disqualify clients on. [00:09:00] You’re gonna have a list of questions to workshop for yourself. These are tough questions that I’m gonna give you in today’s show, and just run through them in your mind. Ask them in the air or when you’re on the treadmill, wherever you are, ask yourself these questions and come up with the answers to these and get some solid clarity, okay?
[00:09:18] You’re gonna be able to gain confidence in developing your disqualification mindset in your business, and you’re gonna leave this episode looking at your current clients. And you are gonna have an immediate understanding of who’s really a perfect client for you and who might have been somebody that might not have been the right fit for your program.
[00:09:40] Okay? So if you’re ready for that, let’s go ahead and dive into today’s show.
[00:09:53] Okay. Why does qualifying clients helps your business grow? So I totally get, this may sound counterintuitive, but disqualifying clients is an [00:10:00] important part of business growth. I know it sounds scary for those of you guys who are still working to become profitable, but this concept comes from the idea that concentrating your sales and your marketing in only the most qualified and best fit leads is actually more suitable to help your business grow.
[00:10:18] And so the deal first of all, like in most things, it starts with your mindset. So let’s first start there. If you wanna serve everybody, you’re gonna serve nobody. And here is why you’ve probably heard that statement a million times over again from tons of business coaching. It’s because in order to deliver a top notch result, you need to curate and customize your program.
[00:10:43] So lemme say that again. In order to deliver a top notch result for your clients, you need to properly curate and customize your program or your solution. And customize solutions don’t serve everybody, right, or they wouldn’t be [00:11:00] customized. So the first thing that we need to realize it is in order to be really great at what you. You have to customize it for a certain group of people, not for everybody, because it’s not gonna give them amazing results. And then from a marketing standpoint, if you don’t speak to a certain specific audience, your message is just gonna be so broad. It’s gonna be lost in all the noise of, of online marketing and nobody’s gonna resonate with it.
[00:11:23] So let’s get those things out of the way first. Those like negative thoughts outta the way first if, if you might have been having those. And let’s actually dive into the deeper conversation that I wanna have today, which is the point of this show. So we’re talking about disqualifying clients. When you disqualify clients, you make more money because the qualified clients you do accept, number one, have better results with your program.
[00:11:47] And number two, they have a deeper commitment to their own success. And maybe I should’ve flipped those around the other way. it. It really should. They have a deeper commitment to their own success, and therefore they have better [00:12:00] results in your program. So it all starts with a process of determining who wins with your coaching and who actually doesn’t.
[00:12:07] Now, don’t forget the prerequisite to applying this strategy is having a proven leading program that delivers a transformation. So everything we’re talking about today is with the understanding that you’ve already met the prerequisite of understanding that your solution you deliver is full blown, top notch, like the best guaranteed transformation for your people.
[00:12:31] Okay? So it all starts with determining who wins and who doesn’t with that program you’ve already created. All right? So if you’re thinking this ideal client avatar, that’s totally not what I’m talking about. What I’m asking you is this. Do you know where the line in the sand is between the people who are all in for your coaching and service, and those who have one foot in and one foot out? And taking it a step further, [00:13:00] understanding and accepting that only the best clients that are gonna get the best results are the ones who are all in on your program, is what we need to talk about getting to the root of today, and here’s why. Knowing where your clients are psychologically in the belief of themselves and of your services, will affect the results they get with you.
[00:13:23] Okay. So how your clients are mentally entering your service business, your coaching business, is totally gonna affect how great of results they get, regardless of how great your program is. So even if you have this amazing program in course and service and in coaching, and you have gone through all the steps we’re talking about to layout an industry leading program or offer, when it comes down to it, you still have to be able to identify who psychologically is a great fit and who is not a great fit.
[00:13:57] So here’s an example. Let me give you an example of this. You’ve gone through all [00:14:00] the work. You have this amazing leading offer, this amazing program or course, or whatever it is that, that you lead, that your business model within your, in your company, right? So if time or financial commitment is a barrier, a hesitation in somebody who’s having a conversation about working with you, then you have already started out by putting yourself in a bad position that you’re gonna have to handhold them.
[00:14:25] If time or finances or even questioning their own ability to be successful is something they’re already bringing up in the beginning. And these are big red flags, then you’re already starting out by having a struggle to get them results. So these are some of the things that may happen to you. If you’re in a relationship with a client like that.
[00:14:48] You may feel like you need to show up every single day proving yourself again and again as to why you know what the heck you’re doing. You could feel like you’re walking on eggshells. You could have to hold their hand every single day and reassure ’em how great they [00:15:00] are on top of the strategy coaching that you deliver instead of being the expert and coach that they really need a hundred percent. If you are having to show up and, and reconvince, and it’s almost like reselling them on what you do every single day within the process after they’ve already bought, that is a red flag that they are not gonna get great results in your program. And frankly, it has nothing to do with you. It’s the mindset that they had coming into it. So here are six questions to ask yourself to determine who really wins with your coaching.
[00:15:34] Question number one is how committed do they need to be? How committed to themselves, according to your area of expertise and what you teach on, do they need to be to be successful?
[00:15:46] Some of you guys might have a program where you’re building up their self-confidence, and if that’s a case, Then probably not very committed because that’s your area of expertise. If that’s your area of expertise, then it’s gonna be a different degree of [00:16:00] commitment than somebody who may need their clients to show up fully in and vetted already.
[00:16:05] Okay? So this totally is dependent on you and what you deliver in the solution you provide within your offers and program. So question number two is how committed do they need to be? Excuse me. Question number one is how committed do they need to be? Question number two is what time allotment do they need to have?
[00:16:24] If they’re already struggling to find the time to be successful in your program right now, might not be the time for them to join your program. And you should be really honest with them and say, Hey, look it, this is exactly how many hours you need to put into this each, each week, and when you put in this many hours, these are the results you can.
[00:16:43] Those are things you should be able to answer about your leading offer. Okay? And so then you can ask yourself, what time allotment does somebody need to have in order to be super duper successful within the programs that I provide?
[00:16:59] Number three, [00:17:00] what attitude do they need to show up with? So according, again, to you and your expertise in what you do, what is the ideal attitude/ mindset? Of the person who is going to get the very best results with your coaching.
[00:17:17] Number four, what might they need to leave behind? This is a really big deal. So a lot of people, especially people who have bought a ton of courses, they’ve spent literally thousands of dollars on coaches in the past. I hear this all the time, you guys, people come to us and they’re like, oh my gosh, you don’t have any idea. I’ve spent $50,000 on coaches and I still don’t have a result. Right. Well that really sucks for them and that’s really devastating and it shows why you really need to question who you’re receiving coaching from. Again, that’s a totally, another podcast. We should do an episode on that. But if they’re coming to you with that background, [00:18:00] you need to make sure that you’re having a conversation with them about why you’re different, why your solutions are proven, why your transformation in working with you is vetted again and again and again.
[00:18:10] So what might they need to leave behind in past experiences or, you know, bad experiences or good experiences? What preconceived notions or things that don’t serve them might they need to leave behind when they come to work with you?
[00:18:27] Number five, what should they be ready for? Some of you guys deliver insane results within your program. Some results are so good that people are like, oh my gosh, shit, I can’t believe this is, this is so amazing, right? If that’s you and you know you deliver an insane result, what do your clients really need to be ready for in working with you? and what other things do they need to have in place to be ready for that? That is a really big deal. That is definitely something that we vet clients before they come in our OFFER ENGINEER™ [00:19:00] MASTERCLASS. Are they ready for this? And you ask yourself like, are people actually really ready for what I’m about to give them? For this awesome sauce that I’m bringing to the table that I’ve worked so hard to curate for them? Are they actually ready for it? What do they need to do to get ready?
[00:19:14] And then number six, what personality best fits with your program? This is particularly important for those of you guys that have a community within your program. If somebody is like a total B I T C H and you have this amazing community of these sweet people that are in there, I’m telling you what, like that one bad apple can spoil the bunch, right?
[00:19:37] And so your onboarding process, your onboarding presale, pre client acceptance process should include somebody talking and vetting and disqualifying people whose vibe and flow just might not align with the rest of your community. And that’s totally okay. But just be honest with yourself about what personality best fits within your program.[00:20:00]
[00:20:00] So those are six questions, hard questions that you should know the answers to in order to disqualify. And then let’s flip that around. Pre-qualify the perfect people for your program, your service, your solution, your super power. So here are some of the exercises that we can go through to look a little bit deeper to actually make this job of asking yourself these questions a little bit easier for you.
[00:20:27] Number one, what was the mindset? We’re talking about past clients now, what was the mindset of past clients and what was their personality of those that got the best results? So in looking at those people who’ve already been clients in the past, what was their mindset and what was their personality like of the freaking winners? The A gamers, the ones that did everything and they came and they saw and they kicked ass, and then they took names and then they went and they were just absolutely incredible. Shouting from the mountain tops about how amazing your program is, right? [00:21:00] What was their mindset and their personality?
[00:21:02] Also, looking at your past clients, who did you love working? Who was like the best person that when you got on those Zoom calls or when you saw this person on your calendar, you’re like, yay, I get to talk to so and so today. And what was it about them that you loved working with them? Number three, who contributed to others in your course or your community? Again, for those of you guys that have a community base, who was the one that was always cheering other people on?
[00:21:31] Who was the one that was always lifting other people up? Who was like that conversation starter? Who was that cheerleader and what was it about them that made it so amazing when they contributed to that space? Number four, who did the work without question. Like who, no matter what happened, and we all know stuff happens all the time in our life, that’s going to get in the way of some of the things that we’re working on, right?[00:22:00]
[00:22:00] But who did the work, even when all the things got in the way? Who pushed through? Who was super tenacious? Who were the fighters who refused to quit? Number five, who always needed coddling ? Who always showed up and they’re like, oh, well I don’t know. I don’t know how I am today. What do you think? Like, who needed that?
[00:22:24] Is that something that you want to help with? That would not fly so well in some of the programs that I have. Let’s just be honest, right? You can probably tell you, listen to my podcast. Like if somebody showed up every day and they were like having major excuses to why they couldn’t do it, I’d be like, you’re right. You can’t. Cause that’s how you’re showing up here. You know? I mean, are you the same way as I am? Is your program a safe place for people to show up who do need your support, who everything you do is to just to pour into them and you’re [00:23:00] the reminder of how amazing they are because they forgot it or they never were told it in the first place.
[00:23:06] Whatever it is, whatever the degree. Is this, with your past clients who showed up needing that level of support, number six, who complained about the work, the time, or the money. So who complained, if at all? I hope this has never happened to you. I’ve never had this happen to me, but I’m sure this has happened before.
[00:23:25] Like, who was like, oh my gosh, you know, this takes so much time to do That probably means that you didn’t do a good job explaining the commitment in the beginning if that is the case. So certainly look at the structure of your program and, and how you are selling your program. But after you did that, let’s just say like you totally nailed that.
[00:23:42] Who still came complaining about the work, the time and the, or the. Number seven, who questioned your processes? Okay. If you are in a space where you deliver a system, a method, or a framework, like most of our clients do, do [00:24:00] you have people who’ve showed up who’ve always kind of questioned what you do? If that is the case, then take a look at their personality.
[00:24:09] And I’m guessing that that is not the perfect person for your program. Right. Right, and again, this is saying that you’ve gone through the process to develop your leading program in method and framework. That being aside, we’ve established that prerequisite. If people still showed up and they’re like, really?
[00:24:27] Are you assured you really think that’s the way to do it? And they just constantly have a back and forth, I’m guessing that they are not the perfect fit for you. And then number eight, who left and told all of their friends about how amazing you are, who is like, let me give you testimonies. I can’t wait to tell the whole entire world man alive 95. This was the best money I ever spent. Those people, those are the people we wanna go after. Those are the people that are your perfect fit for your program. [00:25:00] So if they are not like those past clients that were doing all the stuff like that in like making a banner because they love you so much, then they probably need to be considered for disqualification.
[00:25:13] So after this episode, I’m about to give you some action steps here and how to apply all this. But after this, Then as you move forward, know that you deserve to be praised for the hard work and the time that you have put in strategically developing a solution for people’s problems. And let’s make sure that you are disqualifying the people that aren’t the perfect recipient of your solution.
[00:25:39] Because when you do this. You’re gonna be able to focus all of your attention, all of your relationship building, all of your actions on those perfect personality mindset, people that are the right fit for your program, and when they are successful, you are successful. Your client’s success. [00:26:00] My client’s success is a direct reflection, A direct correlation to my success. To your success.
[00:26:08] So we wanna pick the people that are the A gamers, right? We wanna pick the ones that we know we’re coming to the table mentally and physically prepared for what it is that you are going to give them solutions in, for your solution. And these are just some of the questions that when we talk about like ideal client avatar and client profiling and customer targeting, nobody’s saying to ask these questions and so I really felt like it was important to talk about this.
[00:26:38] We actually, I actually had this conversation a few weeks ago with a couple of women in our business client family, and this has really come up and I think it’s an important conversation to have and so, Is your action plan moving forward?
[00:26:53] Number one, look at your sales copy and see if it clearly disqualifies the wrong people. [00:27:00] So after you’ve gone through the questions above, now let’s like put it into action, right? We’re gonna say, and how do we do this? We’re gonna take it from high level to eye level. Number one, look at your sales copy, copy, look at your marketing copy, and make sure that you’re clearly disqualifying the people that are not the perfect right fit. For you or your service or your program.
[00:27:21] Number two, add questions to your sales call process to filter those who are not the perfect fit. So if you use sales calls to qualify or disqualify clients, Make sure you’re adding questions in there that correlate with the answers you’re looking for to either qualify or disqualify clients. Make sure you add those into your sales process. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions. Where in this sales call, they might be like, oh wow, yeah, you know what? That’s not me. And that is a great opportunity for you to say, you know what? I am so glad we had this conversation because guess what? [00:28:00] What I have is not the right fit for you. And I don’t want you spending another X, Y, Z amount of money on a program that’s not gonna be the right fit for you. But I have a great friend I can refer you to that might be a better fit, right? These are important things to do in your sales call. You don’t want this person as a client if they do not fit into what you need to deliver the great solutions within your program. And so don’t be afraid to disqualify them right there in the triage call, in the sales. And send them somewhere else. Just bless them to go somewhere else. But you have to make sure you’re adding questions into your sales call process that can give you the answers to that.
[00:28:40] And number three, talk to your team. This is for those of you guys with teams that manage your marketing. Some of you, you know, have people that help you do your sales call, help you do your coaching, talk to them about the importance of positioning your solution and your service as the prize. It’s very, very important that once [00:29:00] you have done the work to create a leading program or course or offer, it is the prize.
[00:29:07] It is the pain killer, as one of my clients calls it, it, it’s like the perfect language. Oh yes, it’s a pain killer. Okay? Make sure that you hold it close to your own confidence level that you worked your booty off to make sure it was a perfect pain killer for them, and that is the prize. And this quote is like one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard from Angela Lauria. She said, ‘the prize never chases’. Let me say that again. The prize never chases, and so here are some final thoughts I wanna leave you with. I totally get that. The thought of disqualifying somebody that comes your way that isn’t the right fit, sounds really scary, especially when you haven’t hit consistent 10 K months or 20 K months, 30 K months, especially when you’re first starting out.
[00:29:59] [00:30:00] And that’s why at the beginning of this episode, I said, if you are in the launch phase and you haven’t served a ton of clients yet. I get and understand that it’s important for us to go through the process to test your solution on different clients, making sure that you are going through the testing and the traction to find the right fit after, of course, doing market research.
[00:30:21] So I understand that if you’re listening to this and you’re in the launch phase, definitely take this with a grain of salt. I’m keeping it real, but never, ever, ever sell your program to somebody that you don’t believe a hundred percent, that you can give them results. That is for sure. I don’t care what business phase you’re in that is aligned, we don’t ever cross.
[00:30:41] If somebody is not a good fit, do not sell to them. Right? But for the rest of you, Don’t be afraid to say no to the money because when you say no to something, you’re opening up your capacity to say yes to more things, and you don’t wanna be [00:31:00] stuck with clients that take a ton of extra time in order to get them results because they didn’t show up with the mindset and the prerequisites in place to get the best results with the service.
[00:31:13] You. The truth is, you should be disqualifying clients to work with you if they don’t come wanting the results you deliver in full force. If their personality won’t jive with others in your community, if they consistently need affirmation that you know what the heck you’re doing, although please make sure that you know what the heck you’re doing and if they’re only partially committed to their own transformation.
[00:31:38] And one last thing I’m gonna leave you with today, stop wondering if you’re good enough. And taking clients that don’t fit the whole bill of what you deliver. When you go through the process to diligently develop your leading offer, stop taking clients that don’t fit the bill for the solution you [00:32:00] provide, because we know that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. And I really, really, really want to remind you to only work with clients that are super duper thirsty.
[00:32:15] Okay, this was episode number 245 here at the SweeLife Entrepreneur Podcast. You can find the show notes and all of the other amazing info that our guests drop in here for free by visiting sweetlifeco.com. And if you are struggling. If you do not know how to turn your ideas into a leading industry, leading course, offer program, mastermind coaching event or retreat, then go to theofferengineer.com. Our OFFER ENGINEER™ MASTERCLASS is reopening in October. We only open this masterclass twice a year.
[00:32:54] That’s it. Only twice a year can you get into this masterclass, and it is opening in [00:33:00] October, 2021. So depending on when you listen to this, that’s an important date to note for your calendar. In the event that you’re not listening to this live, you can also go to theofferengineer.com at any time and be notified when this masterclass opens up again.
[00:33:15] All right, you guys, go grab all the show notes. Thank you so much for staying tuned to this show. I hope you’re having an amazing day, and I truly appreciate your listenership and just being a supporter of this show. Have a great one. Bye-bye.
3 Types Of Content Companies Will Line Up To License From You- with April Beach (Episode 262)
This episode is for those in Phase 3 – 4 – 5 of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Roadmap™
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[00:00:00] Hi you guys and welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and I am so glad you’re here. You have tapped into one of our best of episodes. These episodes are cherry picked from our most popular episodes with the most downloads, with the most comments. So these are the ones where whether it’s in a speaking engagement, or whether it’s by writing to us or sending us messages on social media where you guys have reached out and said, Hey, listen this episode you did was really powerful for me.
[00:00:28] Thank you so much. And they’re also the other episodes that we believe are the most important as we move into the next year for the online business landscape that we are going into for coaches and consultants and experts and speakers and authors. And so this episode is absolutely amazing, though it’s previously recorded, all of the resources can be found by clicking on sweetlifeco.com.
[00:00:54] You can visit us online and just very simply select the podcast and you’ll find all of the show notes in there for you with up to date links, making sure that you’re getting to the right place if you’re looking for a resource. Now special message to those of you guys that have been
[00:01:12] waiting for this show to come back. I am so excited to announce that the next generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast is dropping the week after Christmas, before New Year’s. As we roll into the new year, going from 22 to 23, and I can’t thank you guys enough. If you are a new listener to the show, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but after five years of faithfully dropping a business, training, a recording, a, a strategy for you every single week in winning awards for this show. I needed to step back and take a break, and you guys have been so gracious in actually encouraging me to do that. So what turned out to be one month off turned out to be about a year off of recording this show, but the reality is, is that we have been producing so many business trainings, hundreds and hundreds of them for five years, and entrepreneurs have relied on.
[00:02:06] I needed to take a step back and get a perspective. If what you guys really needed for the next generation of the show, how should this show actually help you to continue to grow your businesses? And many of your businesses have significantly grown since we first started this show. And you are growing and we’re growing and what does that actually look like?
[00:02:27] So I have had the gift of spending almost a year to build the entire next generation of the SweetLife podcast for you and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. I’m so excited. So the wait is almost over and I wanted to send you a message about it. Thank you for the emails and the comments on social media encouraging me to enjoy my time off. But April, please come back. I need your show to grow my business. You guys are amazing and you have really been. The fuel to the fire. That has helped me see clearly, clearly of where this show is gonna go in the next gen. It’s gonna sound a little bit different, but it will continue to be the place where you can come to for true proven business trainings that are transformational for your company.
[00:03:10] That is business coaching that isn’t pulled out of thin air. From experts delivered to you in such a way that you can implement it. That’s why this show has been so popular over the years, and that’s what we will continue to do for you. I can’t wait for you to hear what we have planned.
[00:03:27] The first series we’re kicking off is called Becoming Known in the Experts. So we have in here that are teaching you these proven business trainings without a hook to sell you something. They’re just coming in here to pour into you are Absolut. Epic. I can’t wait. So if you haven’t yet subscribe to the show, please click subscribe. Please share this with your friends. Please resubscribe in case that you were unsubscribed during my little hiatus. And I just love you guys so much, and I’m so excited to be back here. I can’t wait to drop the whole entire NextGen of the show and the episode’s coming for you. And in the meantime, enjoy this best of it is very powerful and it’s been chosen for you for a reason. I’ll talk to you guys soon.
[00:04:13] You’re listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, simplified strategies to grow your service business and launch a life you love faster with business, mentor and entrepreneur activator April Beach.
[00:04:31] Hi guys, and welcome back to this show. I’m April, and I’m so glad to be talking to you. Today’s podcast is an extension of last week’s podcast, episode number 235. Honestly, if you haven’t listened to episode 2 35 yet on licensing 1 0 1, how to license your course and your content to scale your company exponentially, that’s where I would start.
[00:04:53] But if you were with me last week, I’m so glad that you were back here again and I can’t wait unravel this conversation a little bit more today. We’re continuing our conversation by specifically talking about three types of content. Companies will line up to license from you and all the show notes and everything that we’re discussing today can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com.
[00:05:19] You can just click on the podcast and everything is right there for. Now a couple of kind of behind the scenes as I’m recording this for you guys. This morning I took an ice bath. It was the polar plunge, and I still feel like I’m a little bit shaky, but frankly, I feel better than I ever have in my life.
[00:05:38] We were hosting a human performance summit at our lab, and I usually don’t talk about this very much here on the show, but we actually own an entrepreneur lab, which is a place where we help entrepreneurs turn their thoughts into reality in Boulder, Colorado. And we dive into a lot of peak performance things and it’s really amazing. So four 30 this morning I was in an ice bath, completely focused and visualizing what we want our 2022 to look like and um, I just wanted to share that with you first of all, because I get so many comments from you guys about when I share stuff behind the scenes and the fact that you appreciate it.
[00:06:20] But then also to show that it’s so important that we’re always working on ourselves, physically on top of what we’re doing in our business. And all these shows, all these podcast episodes are quote ,unquote business strategies and trainings that you can take to the bank, right? But the truth is, it really does all start with you.
[00:06:40] And so I wanted to bring that up. So before we start diving, How literally you can blow your business up through licensing. I wanted you just to take a pause and just to reflect on what did you do for your physical body and for your mind this week, because that’s where it all starts. And I just wanted to encourage you in that.
[00:07:02] Okay. Squirrel moment over . Let’s go ahead and dive into today’s show. Here is what you can expect by hanging out with me for the next couple of minutes. First of all, this is gonna be a shorter episode because the last couple episodes have been a little lengthy longer than we usually do for the summertime, and I know that you’re busy and out there living the dream or building the dream or both.
[00:07:24] And so I wanna be respectful of your time. This particular episode is for those of you guys who are in business phases three, four, or five. If you don’t know what phase of business you’re in, you can take the quiz by visiting sweet life co.com/quiz. And this is a great show for those of you guys who have an established method, framework or process, and you are ready to scale your business exponentially.
[00:07:51] So here’s the deal. People don’t really talk about licensing. In fact, it’s like a secret weapon that most companies don’t even realize that they can tap into. However, licensing, when it’s done right, can be like the super catalyst for a higher profit than you truly ever dreamed possible because, and if you listen to that last week, you know this.
[00:08:15] Because we are giving other companies the power to distribute your content. It’s not always coming directly from you. And frankly, there isn’t any catch to this. The business model of licensing is really simple, and that’s what we’re talking about even more in depth than last week. So if you didn’t listen to last week’s again, go back and listen to episode number 235.
[00:08:36] At the end of today’s episode, you’re, you are gonna know what makes your content valuable. And whether or not you are ready to license your content and you’re gonna have more information so that you can really lean on and even evaluate the opportunity of licensing. Most companies that we talk to love the idea, but it’s very new to them because frankly, business coaches don’t talk on or teach on this very often. And so I understand this might be a totally new concept to you, and so you’re gonna have more awareness and understanding of whether or not this is a great opportunity for you and your company moving forward. So let’s go ahead and dive into the show.
[00:09:23] Okay, so let’s do a mini recap of last week’s episode. This will not replace listening to last week’s episode, and I really don’t want you to miss out. So this is just kind of a refresher if it’s been a hot minute since you listened to last week’s. First of all, what is licensing? Licensing is creating content for other companies to use so that they can grow faster, they can make more money. Or they can provide better services because of licensing your content.
[00:09:52] The sister, I’ll call it a sister, the twin of licensing, which the process of doing this is almost identical to the process of creating your license material, is training other people in your method. So if you have a signature method or a signature framework or a signature process that you wanna train other people, even if it’s under your brand or they can become certified in your process. It’s the same thing we’re talking about here. So really getting your wheels spinning. Have you been listening maybe the last weeks and you’re like, gosh, you know, I don’t really know if I wanna do this.
[00:10:29] But then when I say, Hey, but what about bring in other people underneath you and training them on your method, just so you know, pretty much the exact same process to get your content. So that’s a little recap of last week. The benefits of licensing are number one, for you to demonstrate thought leadership in your space.
[00:10:48] So when you start licensing your material, all of a sudden people look and they’re like, oh, wow, man, she’s awesome. Look at that. She’s licensing her material that they, you know, other companies or he, you know, number two, increases credibility across your own audience. So even if your audience isn’t the one, Licensing the material from you, they think you’re even more badass because of the fact that you’re licensing your material to other people.
[00:11:14] It certainly helps you exponentially scale because in the process of licensing, we really create something one time and then you can profit through multiple different opportunities and it is a perfect bridge for those of you guys who have been a B to C. Moving over to a B2B or even a B2 G, like a business to government.
[00:11:36] Great opportunity here for those of you guys who are, who are interested in that. So whether or not you are ready to license your programs and you’ve met kind of those prerequisites for licensing, go back and listen to the last week’s episode because we, we dive into that even more in depth. So today we’re talking about the three types of content that companies literally will line up to license from you.
[00:11:59] I have companies line up and join my wait list to license our courses and I release them one month a year, and that has been happening for over 11 years. Actually, probably should look at the date and throw myself a big ass party for that. I think that’s actually more than that. The deal is, is we create something that is amazing, that gives you the advantage that other companies want and they need, and then they literally will line up to license this material.
[00:12:29] Why is it, why do they do that? Why do they pay so much money? Is because you are giving them the ability to profit faster and or you’re making their life easier. And or you are positioning them to be better at the content they’re already delivering. Maybe what you are licensing fits a missing piece to what a company needed, or maybe they’re taking your whole entire program in white labeling it, which we talk about last week. So those are kind of some of the reasons why this is such an incredible opportunity for you.
[00:13:05] So three types of content that companies will line up to license. Number one is actual content itself. So content that people need to fill every distribution channel. Let me say that again. The first type of content that people will line up to license, I say people that companies, organizations, or other entrepreneurs will line up to license from you is content that feeds every distribution channel.
[00:13:32] Examples of that are blogs, articles, newsletters, emails, so written emails, imagesand videos are examples of that type of content. So anything that another company needs to fill their content distribution channels, if you already have great content in that area, believe me, I mean, let’s take another sidebar here for a second.
[00:14:01] You and I both know how tiring and time consuming and exhausting it is sometimes to create content, video content, written content, podcast. Content. Right? Content is king, right? The truth of the matter is, is that if you can speed up that process by delivering amazing content for other companies to distribute on their channels, through their channels, they will line up to license that content from you.
[00:14:29] That’s number one. Number two, type of content that they will line up to license are. Let me give you an example of assets. Assets are anything that these companies need to communicate an end result or to add to their established content or program. So an example of an asset could be, it’s something very workable and usable.
[00:14:54] It’s like a tool. Examples of those could be worksheets or blueprints or templates or forms. Anything that is an asset, that is a tool that they need, that they can add to their established content, that becomes a tool within what they are already delivering. So number one is content to feed their distribution channels.
[00:15:20] Number two are assets. And third, and which is the king of them all are, I call them completes. These are complete package. That companies and other entrepreneurs or organizations need. Here are examples of completes. These could be your complete program or services, your complete courses curriculum, even if it isn’t built into a course yet. Steps of service systems or processes, so these are complete packages that companies can take. It is like full blown turnkey. You already have these complete programs. and you are giving another company, an organization or another business, an opportunity to plug and play where you’ve already created your complete package, your videos, your content, your worksheets.
[00:16:17] It could even include you coming in and teaching some part of that live. And this is when you have the great privilege of creating an amazing custom package. Whatever works out for you and the licensee. Completes are where it is you guys completes, are the ones that companies are really paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for.
[00:16:40] Or you can start really down, and I don’t even mean to say down, but you, you know, it doesn’t have to be licensing your whole program to a corporation org organization. You can start by licensing your content to other small businesses starting at only a couple thousand dollars. Whatever works based on the value of the content that you are delivering.
[00:17:01] But completes are really where it is. And the more complete and the more valuable your program, the more of a transformation you deliver within your program, then the more somebody is going to pay you to use it to license it from you. So let’s go ahead and recap the three types of content that companies line up to license.
[00:17:21] Now, if you’re driving and you can’t take. I wanna invite you to a totally free one hour video. It’s called Content Licensing 1 0 1, where I go even more in depth than all of this, and you guys can tap into that video anytime. I would call it a webinar, but I’m not selling you anything on it, there’s, you know, I’m not like there with you live saying, and now, you know, do this.
[00:17:44] It’s literally a video. For those of you guys who are interested in learning more about content licensing, you can tap into this video anytime by visiting license, and then the number two and then the word scale.com, or by visiting our website sweetlifeco.com. So if you can’t take notes, I break down these three types of content. And I actually show examples of these inside that video, and you’re welcome to tap into that. So let’s do a really quick recap. Number one, content to feed any distribution channel. Number two, any sort of assets or tools. Again, these are worksheets or blueprints or templates or forms. And then number three are completes. These are your curriculum or your course, or your complete program, or your complete service package that’s already done and ready to go. And those are the three types of content that companies, organizations, and corporations and other entrepreneurs will line up to pay you to please let them use it in their content distribution or in their program.
[00:18:48] Please let them sell it, and it’s a win-win for everybody. A couple things moving forward, and I’m not gonna dive into these things in depth because we’ve covered so much over the last two podcast episodes, but I want to make sure I’m at least getting your wheels turning because I want you making more money faster by using the work you’ve already done.
[00:19:10] And so what I want you to do at this point, if you’re thinking about this, definitely cruise over to license2scale.com. Grab the resources we have there for you, but just be thinking right now, what do you already have? What do you already have in your arsenal? What do you already have that you have already created that other companies could use that you see other companies missing? It could be a good opportunity for both you and another company. What do you already have that you can maybe repurpose or tweak? Maybe you just need to scale it up just a little bit and then you can have an opportunity to sell that exponentially. It could be a course or a mini course or a training, written content, programs.
[00:19:54] And don’t forget, going through the process of packaging your material to license to another company is the same process we would take you through if you want to certify or accredit or train others on your method. These are the same steps in the same process. It’s just the distribution and the actual usage.
[00:20:15] The sales side of it looks a little bit different. So licensing your content is the same process that we take clients through as those of you guys who are launching a certification or a train the trainer type program. So if you don’t have assets, then we wanna really think about what are you currently building in your business that we can mindfully in advance, build in a way for part of it to be licensed out.
[00:20:41] And there are a lot of things to consider really, like what is best for your brand. I was in a clubhouse room a couple of months ago and I was talking about licensing and, and somebody asked me, you know, what’s the deal with white labeling? And I answered that question. In last week’s podcast about whether or not white labeling is is right for you. And so again, make sure you tapped into last week’s podcast. And of course I discuss it more in that license to scale video for you as well.
[00:21:09] So other decisions you need to make, and we again talk about it in this video, are, should you license your material only locally to businesses, or are we talking about licensing your content to companies that have a global reach and they’re completely online? Should you geographically bind or restrict the content you license to maybe only a limited number of companies or organizations, either within a certain geographic area or perhaps within a certain niche. Those are all strategic questions that we go through in this video training, but also that those are great things to think about, and I want you to be thinking about how the answers to these affect you and your brand and your leadership first, before we’re thinking about how they affect the end user.
[00:21:57] And then of course, other things like do you license your content as is or are you willing to update. What’s the minimum price? What is the license length? How many people is your licensee allowed to distribute your content to? There’s so many other details frankly, there are questions you didn’t even know you had, but I wanted to hone in on these two podcast episodes and start with the foundations.
[00:22:19] This is content licensing 1 0 1. This is the conversation that is so exciting you guys. This is literally how I brought my first business consulting firm to seven figures and it. Hard work. I’m not gonna lie about that. It was definitely hard work, but it was way easier than I ever expected because I have, and I had something that was incredibly valuable that other companies want.
[00:22:44] If you have something that other companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, want and need, that again makes them make more money faster. It makes them be better at what they do. It can level up their brand and it cuts their time. Then you have just made yourself the most valuable person in the room. I guarantee it, and I’m super excited about talking about this content, this, this topic.
[00:23:10] I geek out on it because I’ve experienced it personally and I’ve seen the opportunities my clients have had when we help them build out their license programs, and I want you to have those opportunities as well. So this is episode number 236 at the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast. I’m April Beach your host.
[00:23:30] Thank you so much for hanging out with me. Happy summertime. I hope you’re doing something that you love that makes you laugh. That’s good for you and good for all the people that you love, and that you get a chance to really spend some quality time. And don’t forget to invest in yourself. You might not wanna jump in an ice bath at 04:30 in the morning like I did, but whatever it is for you, okay, now I’m just gonna do a little, little teeny tangent.
[00:23:55] This is what I learned about myself today. I am way stronger mentally than I even thought I. And I’m really proud of myself for what I did today, and it feels really, really good. And frankly, I was in that ice bath for a really, really long time, and it was unexpected how good not my body did. My brain and my mental toughness surprised me today.
[00:24:21] And that was freaking awesome. And so I just wanna encourage you to push yourself and you will surprise yourself. We are so much more than we even think we are. We have so many more resources and so much more strength that we can tap into. And when we put ourselves in those positions where we have to see what we’re made, You will not only rise to the occasion, you will blow past it.
[00:24:47] I know you will. Whether we’re talking about licensing your content or building funnels or launching your first online course, or your business or mastermind or we’re sitting here and we’re helping you determine how to take a great article you wrote and get it distributed so that you can make thousands of dollars, whatever it is, we’re into holistic business building here, and that is your body, your mind, your family.
[00:25:12] and of course, High profit, deep impact lifestyle for you. Thanks so much for hanging me, hanging out with me today. See, I’m still a little bit shaky here. I’m like drinking my coffee. I really appreciate you guys. I can’t wait to connect with you. Connect with me on Instagram at April Beach life and of course on Clubhouse where I’m there every single week at April Beach, and I would love to hear what you are doing to invest in yourself this summer.
[00:25:39] And I am there to take your licensing questions, especially in Clubhouse. So don’t forget to hit me up with those because that’s what I’m there for, is to support you guys in these business. Okay. Have an awesome day, and I will talk to you next week. Bye-bye for now.
How To License Your Course Content or Program- with April Beach (Episode 261)
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[00:00:00] Hi you guys and welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m April Beach, your host, and I am so glad you’re here. You have tapped into one of our “Best of Episodes”. These episodes are cherry picked from our most popular episodes with the most downloads with the most comments. So these are the ones where whether it’s in a speaking engagement, or whether it’s by writing to us or sending us messages on social media where you guys have reached out and said, Hey, listen, this episode you did was really powerful for me. Thank you so much.
[00:00:30] And they’re also the other episodes that we believe are the most important as we move into the next year for the online business landscape that we are going into for coaches and consultants and experts and speakers and authors. And so this episode is absolutely amazing, though it’s previously recorded, all of the resources can be found by clicking on sweetlifeco.com.
[00:00:54] You can visit us online and just very simply select the podcast and you’ll find all of the show notes in there for you with up to date links, making sure that you’re getting to the right place. If you’re looking for a resource. Now special message to those of you guys that have been
[00:01:12] waiting for this show to come back. I am so excited to announce that the next generation of the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast is dropping the week after Christmas, before New Year’s as we roll into the new year, going from 22 to 23, and I can’t thank you guys enough. If you are a new listener to the show, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about but after five years of faithfully dropping a business training, a recording, a strategy for you every single week, and winning awards for this show, I needed to step back and take a break.
[00:01:46] And you guys have been so gracious in actually encouraging me to do that. What turned out to be one month off, turned out to be about a year off of recording this show, but the reality is, is that we have been producing so many business trainings, hundreds and hundreds of them for five years, that entrepreneurs have relied on.
[00:02:06] I needed to take a step back and get a perspective of what you guys really needed for the next generation of the show. How should this show actually help you to continue to grow your businesses? And many of your businesses have significantly grown since we first started this show. And you are growing and we’re growing and what does that actually look like?
[00:02:27] So I have had the gift of spending almost a year to build the entire next generation of the SweetLife Podcast for you and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. I’m so excited. So the wait is almost over and I wanted to send you a message about it. Thank you for the emails and the comments on social media encouraging me to enjoy my time off.
[00:02:46] But April, please come back. I need your show to grow my business. You guys are amazing and you have really been the fuel to the fire. That has helped me see clearly, clearly of where this show is gonna go in the next gen. It’s gonna sound a little bit different, but it will continue to be the place where you can come to for true, proven business trainings that are transformational.
[00:03:09] For your company, that is business coaching that isn’t pulled out of thin air, from experts delivered to you in such a way that you can implement it. That’s why this show has been so popular over the years, and that’s what we will continue to do for you. I can’t wait for you to hear what we have planned.
[00:03:27] The first series we’re kicking off is called Becoming Known in the Experts. So we have in here that are teaching you these proven business trainings. Without a hook to sell you something, they’re just coming in here to pour into you are absolutely epic. I can’t wait. So if you haven’t yet, subscribe to the show, please click subscribe.
[00:03:45] Please share this with your friends. Please resubscribe in case that you were unsubscribed during my little hiatus, and I just, Love you guys so much, and I’m so excited to be back here. I can’t wait to drop the whole entire NextGen of the show and the episodes coming for you and in the meantime, enjoy this best of, it is very powerful and it’s been chosen for you for a reason.
[00:04:08] I’ll talk to you guys soon.
[00:04:13] You’re listening to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur podcast, Simplified strategies to grow your service business, and launch a life you love faster with business, mentor and entrepreneur activator April Beach.
[00:04:32] Hey guys, and welcome to episode number 235. This one is really juicy. It is jam packed with the secrets to how I grew my first business consulting firm to over seven figures. So I’m super excited to share this with you and all the resources that we have here available for you on the show can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com. And this is episode number 235.
[00:05:00] Welcome to the Sweet Life Entrepreneur and Business Podcast of your new my name’s April Beach. I am the host here of this show. I am a business consultant and strategist that works with entrepreneurs and experts to design, launch, and scale your business in today’s episode is literally a secret weapon.
[00:05:18] If you are listening to this, if you’re a regular subscriber or you just happen to land here, this is something that nobody’s talking about and I’m so excited to share it with you on today’s show. We’re talking about how to license your content to scale your business and increase profit.
[00:05:35] And this particular episode is a best for you, it’s most appropriate for you if you are in phases three, four, or five. Of my entrepreneur roadmap. What that means is that you have to be in a specific phase to be ready for this level of business, scalability and this level of growth. And so if you’re in phases three, four, or five, this is a great episode for you to listen to.
[00:06:00] If you don’t know what phase of business design, growth, scale, and impact you are in. Take a second pause here and cruise over to sweetlifeco.com/quiz and you can take a really short quiz and I’ll tell you exactly where you are in your business and what you should be working on right now. You can also text the word quiz to the number 8 0 5 2 5 4 0 8 8 0.
[00:06:32] So here’s what we have in today’s show. It’s really great for those of you guys who are established entrepreneurs and you’re interested in learning how to scale your business exponentially through licensing your content course or program. If you have a proven program, course or content, and you are looking to see even the greater impact that you can make.
[00:06:55] You’re trying to find even more ways to make more money and to create the impact that you know that your program can, than this episode is for you. And so at the end of this episode, you are gonna know what licensing is and how to make money doing it. You are gonna know the business model of licensing and be able to have insight on whether or not this is even right for you, and you’re gonna know the prerequisites that you need to have in place in order to license your content.
[00:07:24] And there is a super special bonus with today’s episode. If you wanna know more about this, you do not want to miss this bonus. I am giving you a completely free one hour licensing your content, Quick Start video training, and you really don’t wanna miss it. It’s one hour training on the quick start guide of how to prepare and license your content, and you can find that totally free by visiting licensetoscale.com.
[00:07:58] It’s the word license. The number two and then the word scale.com, and I’ll make sure that that is in the show notes for you. So that’s another resource for you to grab here. I love giving you guys awesome very highly valuable stuff here for free that other businesses charge you thousands for. So definitely go grab that.
[00:08:18] Okay, let’s go ahead and dive into today’s episode. This is episode number 235, and so all the show notes can be found by visiting sweetlifeco.com number 235 under podcast.
[00:08:41] Okay, so let’s start out by answering the question. What is licensing? Licensing is creating content for other companies to use. Think of it as renting your content, renting your course, renting your program, so it’s creating content for other companies to use, and they rent it from you and it’s called licensing so that they can grow faster or so that they can make more money or so that they can provide better services or training or support for their people, whoever their people happen to be. And now let me read you the legal definition of licensing. But just so you know, I wanted to make sure I gave you the, the April entrepreneur regular person’s definition of it too. So the legal definition of licensing is content licensing is a legal agreement between two parties known as a licensee and a licensure.
[00:09:38] Licensees can purchase the rights to republish content from a licensor. Licensing is extremely versatile and allows for brands to repackage content in a variety of forms across desktop and mobile platforms. And that official definition came from news cred. So let’s go ahead and dive in a little bit more.
[00:09:59] You have a program or you have a course and you wanna make more money, you want to go from what I call in our business, where we take our clients from scale to amplify. There is a difference between scaling your business and amplifying your business. And this my friends, is how you do it. So the benefits of licensing are really important to think about as you’re considering whether or not you wanna license your program to other companies.
[00:10:28] Here are some of the benefits that you can flow through your mind as I’m saying these to you, and really hold each one up and see if it fits you right. The first one is if you wanna demonstrate thought leadership in your space. If you wanna become a thought leader in your particular niche, your particular area of expertise, then licensing is a benefit in that area.
[00:10:53] Number two, licensing increases credibility across your own audience. So even though you’re creating content that’s used by other companies, when your audience knows that other companies are buying your content, all of a sudden they are really confident in your ability to get them direct results.
[00:11:14] Number three, licensing enables for what I call exponential scalability. So let’s talk about scale for a second. Scale in most cases, as we talk about here on the podcast, and most entrepreneurs and online businesses are familiar with it. In that case, we’re talking about taking a one-on-one service or a one-on-one program and turning it into one on group. We’re creating different business models so that you can reach more people and increase your profit usually in the same amount of time.
[00:11:46] Scaling is a precursor to licensing. Licensing is where you still create that one piece of content and then you’ve tested it in the scale capacity and now you are willing to rent it or allow other companies to borrow it from you called licensing it for them to distribute. So we have gone from scaling you to literally exploding so fast your reach with your content through licens. And then another benefit of licensing is for those of you, if you’re listening to this and you wanna figure out how to go from B to C, so you have a consulting firm or a coaching firm, or you’re a speaker or an author, and you are used to serving one particular client that gets direct results from you and you wanna transition, you wanna start coaching other businesses.
[00:12:39] Licensing is also a really great benefit for you. So there are multiple benefits to licensing your content, if any of those fit into what aligns with your strategic objectives for your life and your brand.
[00:12:53] So really the question that we need to dive into here before I share anything else is, is licensing right for you? But not only that, are you ready to license? I have so many people. Literally, we have a waiting list of entrepreneurs who really want to learn how to license their materials, but they aren’t ready yet. So let’s talk about what is a prerequisite for being. To join my masterclass called License to Scale. To learn how to do this, the prerequisite is that you have to have a proven course or program or content that’s gotten people transformational results in the past.
[00:13:39] So this means if you have never created a course before, or if you do not have a membership community with curriculum, if you have not developed transformational curriculum or a transformational program and you have not tested that, you are not ready for licensing. And so at this point in time, if that is you, of course you’re welcome to sit here and hang out with me for the rest of this episode, but I would put it on pause because we have a program to teach you how to do that.
[00:14:07] You can find that program by visiting theofferengineer.com. And so the process we take companies through is first we help businesses launch, and then the second phase is scale, where entrepreneurs join our transformational program Design masterclass. Again, you can find that at theofferengineer.com if this is where you are.
[00:14:26] And then you can go onto licensing your material. So the prerequisite is you have to have a proven program course or content that’s gotten people results in the past. If you don’t have that, you’re not quite ready for that yet, and that’s okay. This is a very cool episode to know what is the potential for you is in the future.
[00:14:44] So I’m gonna give you guys a peek behind the scenes. I’m pulling back the curtains, and I’m gonna share with you two case studies out of five different case studies in which I have licensed my content for over 12 years, because I want you to get your wheels spinning about what you have or what you can do with your business.
[00:15:02] All five case studies and they’re all different. All five case studies are available by going to licensetoscale.com and joining that licensing 101 webinar. But I’m just for the sake of time and to get your wheels spinning. I’m gonna share with you two here. Okay, so the first case study I wanna share is the fact that I had a collection of courses, a collection of online courses back in 2009.
[00:15:29] I’ve been doing online courses before they were even a thing. You listen to the show, you know that, right? So I had a collection of eight full online courses and there were eight different courses that were for a very specific niche. They were totaled 198 slides, 13 hours of recorded classes, and they came with teacher guides and supplemental worksheets and even project plans.
[00:15:53] I licensed. That collection of courses and I have licensed these collection of eight courses that is currently still to this day, licensed in over 13 countries to other businesses. They included business coaching videos, swipe files, and we licensed it in different formats so that the business could use it in even co-brand it.
[00:16:15] So that is case study number one. So I had a collection of courses that served a specific audience. And people line up, people literally join my waiting list to license my courses. I only release them once a year in the month of November, and they join a waiting list to license my courses once a year.
[00:16:36] And I have been doing that since the beginning of 2009. And so that’s one way. So if you have a collection of courses, not just one. Think about all of the material you have created, all of the mini videos, all the things that you’ve done, that we can package together into a complete package. And I promise you, when it’s done correctly, they will line up to license that from you.
[00:17:01] So I’ve done this for years and I’m still doing this today. So that’s case study number one. And then case study number two is that I have a full coaching program that includes the courses, but it also includes consulting for corporations and content that that corporation can distribute to all of.
[00:17:21] People, in this case it’s a corporate program, and so they wanna take my content and my courses and use my consulting. And that’s another case study. And I first started doing this back in 2010. So these are two case studies and again, I have five some smaller ones for those of you guys that are just getting started.
[00:17:39] And you can see all five by going to the license to scale.com and you can join that information webinar. So hopefully that gets your wheels spinning a little bit about what you already have. We want to dive into your assets, dive into your method, dive into your process and what you’ve already created, and then have a conversation about who can this really benefit so it’ll benefit your business and it’ll benefit their corporation and their company as well.
[00:18:09] The next thing I wanna kind of transition here because I know that for many of you, this is a new conversation. This is a new topic, is sharing with you that there are three primary ways to license your content, and each one of these ways is going to equal the branding and the future goals for you that you have for your.
[00:18:32] So the first way you can license your content is straight as it is with your branding, your logo all over it. So that would be somebody borrows or quote unquote licenses, rents your course or your class, and they plug it into their lms. They plug it into their system or wherever they’re distributing it, but it’s your logo all over it.
[00:18:54] That’s way number. Way number two is co-branded, where you allow for your them to add their name and logo to it. It could be co-presented by, co-branded by, and that’s a really great way for you to retain the ownership and the authority of that content, but also to really help your licensee level up as well.
[00:19:17] And then the third way you can license your content is completely white labeled. White labeled is where nobody even knows it’s yours. Some operations expect that to happen, so some companies will only license your content if it’s completely white labeled. Some companies only wanna license your content if it’s co-branded, and so every single one of the licensees has their own goals for licensing in your content.
[00:19:42] Now let’s like talk about for a second what is really actually good for you, those three levels. Number one, straight As is, is your trademark. Number two, co-branded, or number three, white labeled. They follow the flow of the value, which means that someone will pay you less to take it straight as your own, a little bit more to co-brand it and a little bit more to white label it, or in some cases, a significantly more amount of money to let white label your content.
[00:20:15] But let’s ask the really important question here. Is that right for you? Is it right for you to have no stake and for nobody to know that that was your genius? And out of all the companies and all the entrepreneurs that I coach to license their courses and their content, very, very few of them go with the white label, even though the end user, the licensee, will pay all the tea in China.
[00:20:43] Is that really worth it to not get recognition for your brand? And so those are some things that I just want you to be thinking about. I know this is an intro to licensing conversation, so I wanted to make sure that you knew about those three primary ways to license your content. So as you’re going through, as you’re thinking about what you have that you can license, you’re also thinking about in what capacity that that could work best for you and what you want your brand to be 2, 6, 10 years down the road.
[00:21:14] And then the last question I wanna answer for you today is, who licenses your content? Who should you license it? This is a very common question. I answer this in clubhouse rooms all the time, and I get emails very often, especially when we are leading up to opening up my license to scale masterclass and people are saying, Well, who, who wants this? Who do I sell it to? So let me give you two very clear examples of who should you license your li your content too. The first one is other companies who are not in direct competition with you. But they serve the same audience and they wanna look better or expand their reach, grow their list, increase their sales, and save time.
[00:21:57] The second opportunity for an audience for you are companies that are exactly like yours, but they’re missing something they need, and they want your expert content. They want turnkey offers, so they wanna be able to take your course and just plug it in to their system and sell it right away. And they wanna have faster, instant results.
[00:22:21] So you can license your content to a company whose audience needs it, but the company is not in direct competition with you. Or you can license your content to a company that is just like yours, but perhaps they don’t have as great of content as you do. Perhaps they need some more content to level up what they already have to shore up their offering, and they need your help to do that.
[00:22:44] So those are two general examples of audiences who you could consider licensing your content. So today we’re talking about how to license your content to scale your business and increase profit. And I talked about a lot of things. We talked about what is licensing. We talked about the benefits of licensing.
[00:23:04] We discussed whether or not you’re ready to license. I gave you two of five different case studies of when I have licensed my content. And hopefully in doing so, your wheels are spinning and you’re thinking about what you already have that you can license or how you can package together. Content courses, programs, your framework, your methodology to license to other people.
[00:23:28] We also talked about three primary ways to license your content, and we talked about who should you license your content to. So we discussed a lot, but I’ll be really honest. This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. I have so much more to share with you. So if you are interested in licensing your content or learning more about licensing your content, I highly recommend you join the licensing 1 0 1 training, and it’s totally free where I’m also gonna give you a quick start guide.
[00:24:01] To learn how to get your content licensed faster and to determine if it’s right for you, and you can grab that anytime by visiting license. And then the number two, and then the word scale, S C A L E.com Or of course, all of the show notes will be found in the episode show notes. This is episode number 235.
[00:24:25] And you can visit us at sweetlifeco.com, click on the podcast, and this is number 235. And just so you know, this is part one of a two part podcast episode I’m doing for you. Next week in episode number 236, I’m going to tell you the four types of content that companies line up to license. They will literally line up flood your list, begging for you to license your content to them.
[00:24:56] And there’s four different kinds of content that companies line up to license. We’re talking about that next week on the show. That’s gonna be episode number 236. So thank you so much for joining me. I am very excited to share this. This has been my secret weapon. Many of you might not know. I own two different business consulting firms and this is how my first, very first business consulting firm really broke through that glass ceiling, and I’m so excited to share this with you. It’s been kind of a secret. I’ve been holding in my pocket for quite a few years, and I’ve had the privilege of working with so many businesses, one on one to do this, but we do have our license to scale masterclass.
[00:25:38] Visit licensetoscale.com. If you are ready to take the steps and license your content to hit that amplified level in your business. All right, you guys have an amazing night. Happy July, 2021 when I’m recording this. I hope you’re doing something super fun that you love that really fills you up. I’ll talk to you in another episode soon.