Profitable Launches: What Does It Really Take?

I’m blessed to coach a lot of women and study with a lot of mentors.  And there’s something I’ve noticed…

Spirit-rich women entrepreneurs are really confused about what it really takes to have a profitable launch!

Why?  One reason is they check out what “the big gals” are doing and try to model them.

While there is a lot to be learned from studying what successful people and adapt it to your situation, in the case of launches, it can also lead you astray (think: wasting lots of time).  There’s a lot going on that you probably won’t notice unless you know what to look for, and even more going on behind the scenes.

I’ve discovered that way the big gals make launches work just isn’t something that most coaches, consultants and healers can make work for them.  So what do “the rest of us” really need to do to successfully fill a new program?

There are 3 essential skill sets you must have to profitably launch any new program, product or service, no matter what the price point:

1. A proven, step-by-step and day-by-day launch plan. You’ve probably discovered that unveiling your new program with a flourish and a “Ta Da!” doesn’t work.  What does work is an ordered sequence that is specifically designed to create momentum, create sales, and keep the sales going.

I’ve found that you can create that momentum in as little as 2 weeks.  (In fact, contrary to what you may think, when it comes to launches that make money, shorter is better.)

Your launch plan includes a launch calendar that tells you exactly what to do to, each day, including which email to send, important deadlines such as when the price goes up and when bonuses go away, and more.

2. A simple strategy for having value-rich conversations that turn into clients or purchasers of your new product or program.  Here’s a little-known secret that nobody talks about: Unless you have a huge list that is trained to buy from you, you’ll need to include OFFLINE methods in your launch – that is, conversations that turn into clients.

It takes personal connection to run a successful business. Every uber-successful mentor I know has someone in their organization who is on the phone with potential clients.  (One of my mentors, Kendall SummerHawk is a great example. Her hubby and biz partner Richard, spends all day every day connecting with clients.  Think that may have had a little something to do with the fact that they crossed the 2-million dollar mark last year?  You bet it did!)

It’s important to understand that there is NO “hard selling” in these conversations!  You’re simply helping your clients get clear and present to the problem, and inviting them to make a different choice – your solution, if it’s right for them.

When you combine these kinds of authentic conversations with your online marketing, you’ll create incredible results – for you AND the people you help.

3. A simple strategy for giving a passionate, profitable preview call that gets clients lining up to work with you.  Ever experience this scenario?  You craft a knockout call, give away a ton of information and get great feedback (“I loved your call!”)… but nobody buys. What’s the problem?

The problem is that there is a structure to a preview call that delivers a lot of value AND creates sales!

In your call you want to help your clients get present to their problem, showing them there IS a solution, getting them started by giving them a few tips, and letting them know where they can get more – ie., how they can invest in what you offer.

Your preview call is really an authentic selling conversation, delivered 1-to-many instead of just 1-to-1.  When you think of them that way, and structure them accordingly (instead of trying to solve the problem IN the call), you’ll dramatically improve your results.

These 3 skills combine specific planning with the 2 all-important authentic “selling conversations” that cover BOTH scenarios in which you’ll be working – online and offline. Master them all, and you’ll always be able to put together a plan to fill your programs…  no matter what your list size, experience in what you do, or what you’re offering.

Ready to master these 3 skills?  I’ll be teaching them all in my upcoming Spirit Rich Launch Secrets workshop, along with handing you a generous collection of templates, scripts, and sample copy that you can use to make filling your programs easy.  Register by WEDNESDAY, March 24 at midnight to nab your seat at the lowest investment ever!  Register here: http://www.SpiritRichLaunchSecrets.com

© 2010 Elizabeth Genco Purvis.  All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article on your website, blog or in your own ezine? No problem! But here’s what you MUST include:

Elizabeth Genco Purvis, “The Marketing Goddess” teaches spirited solo business owners and conscious entrepreneurs how to attract an abundance of clients, income, freedom and satisfaction in their business while staying true to their values.  Visit MarketingGoddess.com to claim your copy of “Grow Your Business With Spirit And Soul,” a 7-part audio workshop with everything you need to begin attracting more clients right away.

How To Earn More In 1 Day Than You Used To Earn In A Month

In last week’s article, I shared another common pitfall that plagues many soul-based business owners when designing their programs and packages: giving too much away. This week, I’d like to share a format for your streamlining your service that’s simple, fun and oh-so-gratifying to deliver: The VIP consulting day.

(Or a VIP coaching day, if you’re a coach. Or a VIP [insert-what-you-do-here] day. My work is a combination of coaching AND consulting, so I flip-flop in what I call them.)

I first heard of the VIP day format from my colleague and friend, Helen Graves of Crackerjack Online Marketing. Helen specializes in helping heart-centered entrepreneurs sell more of their products and services with grace and authenticity. (You’ll be hearing more about Helen very soon – she graciously agreed to do a special call for you on her signature program, “What To Say If You Hate To Sell^TM“.)

When I heard that Helen was offering an all-day VIP coaching experience to teach her clients how to master sales conversations with clients-to-be, I thought, “Brilliant!” I knew I had to try it.

In a VIP day, you come together with your client in a very focused fashion to support them with a particular challenge or problem. Instead of spreading out your coaching or consulting time over a matter of weeks or months, you “go deep” over a period of a single day.

Your clients get your focused, personalized attention for a generous amount of time. At the end of the day, they walk away with a breakthrough in the area of the problem (thanks to your coaching) and a system or strategy for getting the results that they want (thanks to your information).

The VIP day is a tremendous opportunity to serve your clients at a higher level. They are also a great way to deliver a great deal of VALUE without a lot of your time. That means you can charge a healthy fee while staying firmly in your integrity.

Best of all, clients love VIP days. Because you’re focusing on a single problem in a single day, you can go really deep with your clients. And if you design your VIP day in the right way, your clients can get results very quickly, leaving them thrilled with you and likely to return for more of your help.

Here are 4 tips for designing your VIP days:

1. Select one topic, outcome and/or result. Remember, simplicity and focused attention will create a better experience for your clients and support them in getting the result that they want. You’re also not “giving away the farm” by overloading your packages with extras you should be charging for. (Remember, overstuffing your packages is a form of discounting – you have to value your services before your clients will.)

2. Select a topic that your clients can take action NOW. Call it stalling, procrastination, “sitting on the fence,” resistance – one of the biggest problems clients face is inaction. Similarly, as a coach, consultant and accountability partner, one of the things clients are investing in when they work with you is the future action they will take. You want to help make that first step an easy one. Help them experience what it’s like to finally get moving and get some results – they will love you for it (and come back for more).

3. Don’t undercharge your VIP offering. Because you’re handling the problem in “only” one day, you may be tempted to discount your VIP package. Resist that urge! Remember to set your price based on results, not time. (Think about it: should you really penalize yourself because you got the job done quicker? Ridiculous.)

A deeper, richer experience (with more of your focused, personalized attention, and quicker results) is actually more valuable to your clients, not less. When you design your package correctly, your investment should be several times more than the monthly fee you’re probably charging your clients now (hence the title of this article).

4. Give your clients everything they need to repeat their results. Your VIP day offering will likely include some form of teaching and instruction as well as coaching and mentoring. Make sure to give your clients this system in a way that they can refer back to – and repeat! – again and again. You can do this by including materials such as an ebook, audios, worksheets, etc.

© 2009 Elizabeth Genco Purvis. All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article on your website, blog or in your own ezine? No problem! But here’s what you MUST include:

Elizabeth Genco Purvis, “The Marketing Goddess” teaches spirited solo business owners and conscious entrepreneurs how to attract an abundance of clients, income, freedom and satisfaction in their business while staying true to their values. Visit MarketingGoddess.com to claim your copy of “Grow Your Business With Spirit And Soul,” a 7-part audio workshop with everything you need to begin attracting more clients right away.

Next Up in NYC: “10+ Cash Flow Opportunities For Service-Based Entrepreneurs”

Next LIVE Workshop in NYC….

“10+ Cash Flow Opportunities For Service-Based Entrepreneurs”

*** THIS workshop is canceled! (Yes, it WILL be rescheduled, just not sure when) ***

Strapped for cash in your business right now? Getting burnt out on 1-on-1 work and want more leveraged ways to bring in extra income (and quickly)?  Opportunities to increase your cash flow are all around you!  Elizabeth will share over 10 proven strategies for creating more cash in your business.  Here’s just some of what you’ll learn…

• The easiest, quickest and most highly leveraged way to create cash possible (even if you’re just starting out)

• The hidden opportunities that exist in your business right now that you’re probably not using

• Tips on creating “passive cash” with teleseminars and information products

Elizabeth will also talk about the other side of the cash flow coin that most entrepreneurs neglect: plugging your cash flow leaks! Marketing, operations, and yes, your own “inner game” are all places where cash flow leaks can occur.   You’ll get practical tips in all 3 areas so you can keep more of what you make.  Pre-registration is only $25; register here: http://budurl.com/b8zd

WHEN: Canceled
WHERE: In Good Company Workplaces, 16 W. 23rd Street 4th Floor, NYC
COST: $25 pre-registration, $35 at the door
HOST: Elizabeth Genco Purvis
REGISTER: http://budurl.com/b8zd

How To Create Packages That Sell Themselves

One of the first things my new coaching clients always ask is for feedback on their website… especially the page where they describe their service packages.  In almost every case, their offerings include some variation of the following:

• A single session, for X price
• A “medium” package, consisting of a few sessions or months (usually 3 months), for Y price
• A “large” package, usually consisting of twice the amount of time or sessions as the medium package, for Z price

Almost always, nobody is buying. To shed some light on why, I like to ask, “If you were a client, which one would you choose, and why?” (The actual service doesn’t really matter here.)

If your packages aren’t being snapped up from your website (or you’re not being flooded with inquiries), I invite you to think of your own packages and ask yourself the same question.  Chances are, your packages contain nothing that communicates what sets you or your services apart. So your client has no idea what to choose, or why. (Even worse, the only thing that’s really different in each case is time, which will always lead your clients to undervalue what you do.)

The fix for this common problem is simple: Create packages based on outcomes.

Here’s a real-life example from a spirit-rich entrepreneur I connected with recently.  Like so many of us, she is amazing at what she does – in this case, she helps small business owners create time and money in their business by creating streamlined systems and teams that actually LOVE what they’re doing (as opposed to just “phoning in” hours for dollars).

Sounds pretty valuable, right?  Yet she had been working herself to the bone… with not enough clients or income to show for it.  (Indeed, one of her longest clients was actually haggling with her to lower her rate – yuck!)

A quick look at her packages showed that she had placed all her focus on TIME: her rate was hourly, with the only difference in packages being the number of hours – no wonder her clients were so focused on time!  Her new packages look like this:

• “Diagnostic” solution to quickly uncover the bottlenecks and broken systems that are costing them time and money (1day)
• “Designed for you” solution specifically tailored for the client (3 months)
• “Done for you” solution, designed and implemented for the client (6 months)

You can clearly see the difference between each package here.  Each one is VERY client-attractive. And because each is based on results and provides a solution her clients want, she can charge a LOT more for them. (To arrive at her new price, she simply added a zero to the old prices… and believe me, at that investment, they’re a steal.)

Going back to our original question, if you were a stressed out, overworked business owner, which one would YOU want?  Hello, done-for-you, hello!  The most expensive package is also the most valuable… and it practically sells itself.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that one of my favorite refrains is “Results, results, results!” Your clients want to know what’s in it for them, and in order for them to say YES to your services, they must know what transformation will occur as a result.  The transformation you provide must be CLEARLY reflected in your packages.

My coach’s request to you is to take a look at your packages. Are they based on time, or results?  If it’s the former, it’s time (pardon the pun) to shift your focus to results.  Yes, even if you’re a healer, coach, or transformation professional, you CAN do this!  Chances are, you don’t have to completely change what you’re already doing, you just have to get clear on the results.  Make sure each package or program has a clear outcome, and update your website copy to reflect that outcome.  Be sure to clearly communicate those outcomes in your next client conversation, too.

Want more support designing packages based on outcomes?  The Abundant Business Homestudy System contains a step-by-step formula for designing results-driven programs and packages your clients can’t resist, even if your service is “fuzzy”. Get yours here.

7 Steps For Building A Brand That Matters

As promised, here are Tony Hsieh’s 7 steps for building a brand that matters, from his talk at ERS (Tony = CEO of Zappos.com):

1. Decide. Building a long-term sustainable brand requires more patience with revenue & profits in order to lay the proper foundation.  Decide sooner rather than later.

2. Figure out your values and culture. Again, the earlier the better.  What are your personal core values?  What are the core values of your practice?  When your personal values are aligned with your business and everyone supporting you lives by them, things are so much easier.  Also: You must be willing to hire & fire based on your core values.

3. Commit to transparency. “Be real and you have nothing to fear,” says Tony.  Zappos’ tools for transparency include an extranet for vendors, tours & reporter visits, and (of course!) their very active presence on Twitter.

4. Whatever you’re thinking, think BIGGER. One of Tony’s favorite sayings is “Chase the vision, not the money.”  Does your vision have meaning?  Tony’s vision of “Delivering Happiness” became meaningful to employees.  They all got behind something much bigger than themselves.  Result?  Explosive growth for Zappos.com.

Focus on “the greater purpose behind the profits.”  If you’re doing something you’re passionate about, everyone will see it.  And the money will follow.

5. Build relationships. Be interested rather than try to be interesting.  There is something interesting about everyone you meet.  (Tony also pointed out how even the briefest connections can blossom into something great, even 2 or 3 years down the line.)

6. Build your team. “If you want to go quickly, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb quoted by Al Gore.  Hire your support staff slowly, fire quickly.  (If that sounds harsh, think of all the people you DON’T get to serve and support because of a poor hiring decision.)

7. Think long-term. It all gets down to repeat clients & customer service.  There is no “get rich quick” formula and “overnight successes” are years in the making.  It’s all part of your path, both personally and in business.

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