Kick Ass Marketing Mentoring

Embrace Your Failures

admin — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:20:05 +0000

This weekend, Michele wrote a remarkable post about her book tour.

While she titled it “Failure, and What I Did About It,” it is full of advice about marketing success.

An excerpt:

“Guess what? I’m a winner. That’s right, a winner. Who has just canceled her fall book tour. Yep, the tour you all have been hearing so much about. And this winner is telling the whole world the honest truth – that she canceled the fall book tour because not enough people signed up.

A real winner, huh?

But according to writer Seth Godin, ‘Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny majority with the guts to quit early and refocus their efforts on something new.’ “

When you can examine your marketing results with openness and honesty and share learning from your mistakes, it goes a long way to building a strong, real relationship with your market.

So if you feel really bad thinking that you only got 2 subscribers to your blog last month, or didn’t sell any of the e-books that you worked so hard on, or had to cancel a workshop due to low enrollment — welcome to the club.

Successful coaches fail, many times over, even when they have thriving practices.

The key is to examine your unsuccessful results with a critical eye, learn from the mistakes, and change your course of action next time.

Success comes to those who are not afraid to fail.

Create a Holiday PR Schedule

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:11:52 +0000

We hope you got a nice stretch of relaxation during the last official weekend of summer (or winter for you lower hemisphere folks!).

Today’s tip will require you to get out an annual calendar that contains local and global holidays.

Getting print or online press from a mainstream publication is a key part of an effective marketing strategy for your coaching business.

But don’t sit back and wait for journalists to call you — know the stories that you would be a perfect reference for, and pitch stories to them.

One way to do this is to evaluate all the local and global holidays that relate to your coaching specialty.

Career coaches can play off of Labor Day
Weight loss coaches can play off of New Year
Parent coaches can play off of June 21, the first day of summer, when many families struggle to adjust to a different schedule
Relationship coaches can play off of February 14, Valentine’s Day

This is just a start — you could just as well do the “anti-calendar” approach, to do a story in mid-June about how to keep weight off when the New Year resolutions are long-gone, or November to talk about how to keep love alive during the holidays.

The key is to know the times when journalists are looking to fill pages with unique angles to common holidays.

Once you build your list of holidays that apply to your business:

Make a list of publications you would like to be featured in, along with contact information for the reporters who cover the section you want coverage in.
Get your press page together — look at Pam’s example here for the format. And remember when I started the page, I didn’t have any press mentions, just bio and interview questions!
Pitch stories to magazines at least 3 months in advance, and newspapers a month in advance. Some may require a bit shorter or longer advance time — check it out for each publication. I like to start a pitch something like “I know you do a Valentine’s feature in your paper each year, and I had an idea for a unique angle …” Describe the idea succinctly, and include your cell phone and email for follow up.
Make sure in your pitch that it is not all about you — find an angle that would be really useful to the readers, and make clear that you can share tips, get sources for quotes and research.
Don’t worry if it doesn’t take — the important thing is to be a useful resource for the journalist. Once they know about you, they may call on you for other stories in your area of expertise.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and New Year are right around the corner — what’s your hook?

Don’t Ask for a Handout, Ask About the Process

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:27:13 +0000

Whew, summer is almost over, and not a moment too soon for us here in Arizona!

Michele is still cavorting with her wonderful kids in Europe. Look for pictures of gelato, and stories of illicit encounters with Javier Bardem soon (wait, maybe that was MY fantasy trip to Spain!)

We are working on a really cool new offering for the Fall. Stay tuned in the next couple of days for more information.

For now, here is one of my favorite marketing tips:

I will never forget a casual conversation I had about five years ago with my coach mentor Martha Beck.

She was describing a very awkward moment at a cocktail party where an author cornered her, put a book in her hand and asked “Could you give this to Oprah?”

“She asked the wrong question,” said Martha. “Instead of asking me to give her book to Oprah (which would never happen), she should have asked me ‘What is the process to prepare yourself to be a guest on Oprah?‘”

This struck me right between the eyes.

Instead of relying on the kindness of a connected person to make an introduction for you (which can feel awkward for both of you), learn as much as you can about the steps involved in your major marketing or business goals. Ask things like:

What are the steps involved in becoming a professional, paid public speaker?
What are the steps involved in creating a thriving online product line?
What are the steps involved in creating a successful retreat?
What are the steps involved in landing a book deal?
What are the steps involved in being a trusted source for journalists?
What are the steps involved in landing your own talk show?
What are the steps involved in meeting Javier Bardem when Penelope Cruz is out of town?
Oops — just wanted to make sure you were still reading.

By learning about the process, instead of just asking someone to make something happen for you, you will feel more in control, and will be more likely to succeed.

There are no “right” answers to any of the above questions — just ask a bunch of people who have done it successfully what they recommend, and you will soon form your own theory, and plan of attack.

Marketing During the Dog Days of Summer

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:13:11 +0000

We don’t know about you, but August truly is the Dog Days of summer in Washington, DC and Phoenix, AZ. All we want to do is lay somewhere cool, tongue hanging out, panting slightly.

But even though many of your clients and potential clients may be taking time off, your marketing can’t wait. To keep your momentum going through these dog days, consider:

- creating a series of emails that you can load for distribution at a set date in the future – both AWeber and Constant Contact allow you to select a time for publishing. Space out your messages and create the sense that you are still active (even if you are at the beach).

- continue posting on Facebook and Twitter. Engage with your people around interesting articles or connections to cool sites and posts.

- use social occasions to continue to “talk up” your coaching practice. People are often more relaxed at this time of year and might be more interested in listening to what you have to say.

- Read, read, read. Choose coaching-related books or fiction or blog posts or whatever. Everything you read is of value to your clients and fodder for future writing of your own. Plus, staying current on your reading gives you something to talk about when you meet a prospective client. And nearly everyone is a prospective client!

- Plan. Use any downtime to make a strong plan for the fall, and begin to think about what you want for 2011. A handy, free tool is Michele’s Personal Planning Tool, or check out Pam’s Escape From Cubicle Nation book for great exercises.

Make the most of the dog days – and you won’t miss a step come the welcome fall.

Claim Your Support

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:54:39 +0000

We’ve been giving you marketing tips for some time now – we’ve shared what we know works and hope you’ve used them to create a dynamic, productive coaching practice of your own.

But sometimes the best tip of all is pretty obvious.

If you are overwhelmed with the idea of marketing…if your practice isn’t where you want it to be…if you just don’t really know how to get started… now may be the time to join our Kick Ass Mentoring program, currently enrolling for the September 13th start.

We’re not people who do the hard sales pitch, so here’s our soft pitch – we have faith in this program and know what it’s been able to create for those who’ve participated in 2009 and 2010. Here’s one example:

“I invested in Pam & Michele’s mentoring program with one specific goal in mind… to become a consistent blogger who had found her marketing “voice” by the end of the program. What I’m getting is a whole lot more. Within a couple of weeks, one “hot seat” session and some fabulous coaching, I began writing more consistently. In another session, product ideas that had been swirling in my head were visually organized into a clear client purchase path. More enlightening than nudging action steps, though, they have helped me shift my mind set around being an effective coach. As Michele says, there is a big difference between “becoming a coach” and “being a coach.” What Pam and Michele’s Kick Ass Mentoring has done for me, quite simply, is to help shift my “becoming a coach” thinking to be in alignment with my “being a coach” actions. From this place of alignment, marketing is no longer a “forced” or unnatural feeling action. I can feel the “voice” of my personal brand emerging, coupled with a natural marketing plan to make some serious stuff happen. Thanks Pam & Michele! I am grateful.”

-Jennifer Voss, www.litethoughts.com

Please join us for Kick Ass Mentoring. We’ve got a space for you. Claim it. You won’t regret it.

What I like about Michele’s Marketing Edition

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:44:44 +0000

This is Pam, back from a lovely vacation in Northern California with my family. Hence the Wednesday Monday Marketing Tip.

Last week, Michele shared with you her perspective on my marketing approach. Today I am delighted to share you my perspective on hers, and why it is so effective.

Michele is a supreme connector. It is impossible to have a conversation with her without her thinking of a good person (or article, or resource) who could help.

When Michele started her career as a coach, she was transitioning from a successful career which included politics, lobbying, start-ups and corporate marketing. She used the contacts she had made, and nurtured, along the way to build her coaching practice.

Because she had always been a trusted resource and advocate for her network, people were delighted to send work her way.

And the way she communicated to her network was classic Michele — clear, direct and positive. She enthusiastically asked for referrals to her ideal clients, and she got them.

Her network, and openness to new opportunities continue to build her practice and bring amazing opportunities. Just last week, she accepted the position as Executive Director of the bi-partisan Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission. Michele used to work for President Reagan, and was the only person asked to take on this 12-month assignment. She will be leading a team of Senators and Congressmen, and will surely put all her tremendous strengths to work. I am exceptionally proud of her.

Because this is a part-time assignment, she will continue to coach and teach. I cannot wait to see how she uses this opportunity to the benefit of her clients.

If you are starting your coaching practice from an established career in another field, take Michele’s lead, and leverage your network!

Why Pam’s Marketing Works

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:17:27 +0000

Michele had an idea last week to have each of us notice what makes the other’s marketing effective. Today’s tip is written by Michele – Pam will write about Michele next week!

Pam and I teach that marketing is “everything you do to get your phone to ring and your email to ding.”

When I think about Pam’s marketing approach, the first word that comes to mind is “service”. As in, “how can I serve?” In each and every marketing vehicle she chooses to use – blogging, talking with a journalist, social media, program promotion, speaking, teaching – Pam comes at it from a totally other-oriented, serving stance.

This makes her messaging relevant to her audience and completely non-smarmy.

Which makes her brand relevant and completely non-smarmy.

When people hire Pam for coaching, or to speak to their group, or for teaching, they know Pam will bring a genuine desire to bring clarity, shape vision, forge solutions, make a difference.

How do they know this? Because that’s her consistent marketing message. It’s her permeating promise.

How consistent is your message? How can you serve? What’s your promise?

And if you’re stuck, just ask, “What would Pam do?” Then, go ahead and do that.

Non-attachment Marketing

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:00:04 +0000

I (as in Pam) was teaching a marketing class to a nice group of coaches last week when we stumbled into the concept of “non-attachment marketing.”

It came when I was addressing questions about how not to come across as disingenuous and awkward, clingy or pushy when talking to your market about your programs and services.

Here is what I said:

The paradox of marketing is that you do and should have a great desire to see your programs or products selling like hotcakes. You believe in what you are offering, and know they will solve the problems faced by your ideal clients.

At the same time, the way to have a strong, clear and productive conversation with potential clients is not PUSHING them to buy from you. You are not there to convince, cajole, trick or pressure a sale. You are there to see if you are a right fit for each other, and if you are not, to get them the right resource to solve their problem. In other words, you are not attached to the outcome of the conversation. A win would be buying from you. And a win would be buying from someone else who is a better fit for their needs.

Ready for the dating metaphor?

You would adore being in a loving and supportive relationship. You see the vision of a wonderful man or woman in your life not to complete you (sorry Jerry Maguire), but to bring out the best in you.

The best way to find this person? Spend each new date with zero attachment to the outcome. Get to know your date. Enjoy the conversation. Or realize it is awkward. Trust your gut. Don’t race ahead and wonder how s/he would look in wedding attire, or if s/he would like your parents. Don’t push hard in the first 15 minutes to make sure they sign up for a second date.

As the Brazilians say, “Melhor sozinho que mal acompanhado” – otherwise known as “Better alone than with the wrong person.”

Quiet, clear, non-pushy confidence is the most powerful magnet in the world.

Are you a big stike or incremental process person?

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:12:24 +0000

Seems to me like there are two kinds of people: Big Strike People, and Incremental Progress People.

Or, Hare People and Tortoise People.

Recently, I was talking with Someone Who Shall Remain Nameless, who said, “I envision several $100,000 deals a year.” And I thought, “Good luck with that” because it’s harder to land $100,000 deals than it is to land $1000 deals.

I’m going somewhere with this.

Last week, I had 4 $1000 days. OK, you say. Big deal.

There are roughly 22 working days in a month. Let’s say you made $1000 each day. That means you’d make $22,000. Times 12 and you’ve got an annual income of $264,000. Schweet, no?

Let’s say you’re after the $100K deals. From experience, I can tell you that these can take months – MONTHS – to land. Meanwhile, $1000 days are ticking by.

I am content with 15 $1000 days a month. Fifteen. That means I earn $180,000/yr. That also means I have seven other days a month to create, fool around, garden, loaf. Not counting weekends.

When my children learned to read, they learned by chunking up the words and pronouncing the chunks.

What I’m suggesting is that you chunk up your income goals – how much do you need to make a month? How many $500 days does that mean? How many $250 days?

Finally, consider the findings of The Millionaire Next Door. How did the majority of millionaires get that way? Not by looking for The Big Strike. Not by being the Hare. But by being the Tortoise – in Seth Godin’s term – shipping, every single day.

So, given this train of thought, what are your goals? How can you achieve them? What does your pricing need to be to get you there? Where does your head need to be?

Hmmm?

Action Doesn’t Equal Progress

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:07:50 +0000

How do you know when the actions you’re taking are really paying off?

Should be an easy question – but once you really think about it, it gets a little harder.

The five hours you spent on Facebook yesterday…

The three hours on Twitter…

The two hours talking with your coach-friend…

Sounds like a really full day.

But, as Seth Godin might say: “Did you ship?”

Because action does not always equal progress.

Sometimes action is more about side-to-side movement, or creating a dust storm (a la Charlie Brown’s friend Pigpen) than actually doing anything.

If you’re not mindful of message and brand while on social media or while networking, it’s purpose-less action that doesn’t get you anywhere.

Sure, there’s such a thing as relationship building, which is an important marketing tactic – but if your business is not growing, take a hard look at the actions you’re taking and ask yourself: “Am I making progress? Am I shipping?”

And if not, start today.

***

If you want more on marketing, watch Michele’s recent presentation on 5 Ways to Reduce Marketing Overwhelm, on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/ MicheleWoodward/5-ways-to- reduce-marketing-overwhelm