Today is the day!
We’re approaching the final quarter of 2014, and this new series will show you how to get more sales for your coaching, consulting, or information product business.
I’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started.
When I pored through 5,000+ survey responses, 1000s of blog comments, and a countless number of emails, I noticed that business owners of all types all needed one thing:
MORE SALES.
And as I shared last week, sales are the lifeblood of every business.
You see, some people think it’s all about “quality products,” “being passionate,” and/or “doing what you love,” but I’m the loud New Yorker who will give it to you straight:
In 2014, quality products, being passionate, and doing what you love, is the COST OF ENTRY. That lets you get your skin in the game…
…but knowing how to make more sales, systematically, without being salesy, is how you win the game.
And even if you’re not looking to win anything, the additional revenue and income that comes from more sales makes business – and life – so much better.
On the one hand, you can splurge on life experiences that matter to you.
Earlier this year, a friend hit me up, and asked, “Do you and your lady want to come to Switzerland?” And I responded instantly with a “heck yes!” He said, “No problem, we’ll put it all on our credit card and we’ll settle up after the trip is over.”
And that was that.
I didn’t know how much it was going to cost, or even what days they were planning to go, but it didn’t matter. The cost and time was a mere triviality. I run my own business, set my own vacation times, and I was going to go no matter what. I was going to splurge.
On the other hand, you can reinvest the additional revenue back into your business, to keep your customers happy, to eliminate stress from your life, and more.
Back when I started, I was officially a bootstrapper.
Sure, I bought training courses, books, and attended conferences, but when it came time to doing things for my business, I did everything myself because I didn’t have a lot of money to spend.
When I wanted to create my first videos, I filmed them myself (even if it took me 18 hours, and it sure did). When I wanted headshots, I took them myself (I spent 45 minutes figuring out how to do one of those “delayed photos,” and ran into place and “hoped” for the best). When I needed a new web design, a new ebook design, transcriptions of videos, and more, I did ALL OF THAT myself too. And I couldn’t help but think, “it sure would be nice to hire experts to handle all of this for me.”
Sound familiar?
Fast forward to today, I now have a professional video team for my videos, and even though they cost about $1,000 per video to produce, I can still give them away each week because I’ve got a system in place that generates sales. I can also happily hire expert web designers, professional photographers, developers, and more, all because I have the balance sheet to support it.
So, have you ever heard that question, “What would you do if money didn’t matter?”
Well, when you’ve got profitable sales coming in, day in and day out, like clockwork, you’re no longer thinking about a “what if” fantasy. You’re living it.
The question is, “How can you generate these sales for your coaching, consulting, or information product business?”
That’s where this new series comes in.
As you know, I’m Derek Halpern, and I started Social Triggers a little more than 3 years ago. And since then, it grew from scratch to a large profitable business. Here’s a quick screenshot:
With growth like this, I learned a few things about building a large profitable online business that sells coaching, consulting, and information products…
…and for the first time, I’m going to take you behind the scenes and show you how I did it.
So let’s dive in.
Here Are 3 Big Problems Business Owners Face When Growing Their Online Business
Business growth, I believe, comes down to solving three big problems. And they are:
Problem #1: “How do I find more people who are interested in buying what I sell?”
Whether you’re just getting started, or you’ve been at it a while, your revenue is tied directly to the number of people you reach who are interested in what you’re selling.
And you can trust me on this: if you reach more of the right people, you will get more clients, customers, and sales.
I’ll show you how in a second. First, let’s talk about the second problem.
Problem #2: “How do I make people genuinely interested in buying (without being salesy)?
This should be self-explanatory, but once you’re reaching the right people, you need to make them genuinely interested in buying what you’re selling.
And, ideally, you should do it without being salesy, pushy, or sleazy.
It’s the right thing to do. And soon you’ll see that it WORKS BETTER than those old hard-nosed sales tactics you see other people using and pushing.
And finally…
Problem #3: “How can I do it again and again so that I can build a 5, 6, or 7 figure business?”
This is the clincher.
You see, once you get started on this path of finding the right people, and enticing them to buy, the real growth comes when you can scale it.
Now I will show you how to to solve these 3 problems throughout this entire series.
Because I believe doing that is the secret to building a large and profitable business.
And I believe this because, unlike so many other people who are “faking it til they make it,” I actually did it.
But for right now, I want to show you how solve the first big problem. How do you get people interested in what you do in the first place?
I’ll show you both the RIGHT and WRONG way to do it.
Let me set the stage.
You’ve heard people tell you that if you want to grow your business, you need to promote your business. It was probably me who said it, and it made sense, right?
If people don’t know what you do, they aren’t in the position to pay you for what you do. So you must let people KNOW what you do.
The problem is, people have NO IDEA how to do that. They either sell themselves short, and struggle for sales. Or they’re obnoxious and piss people off.
Here’s one BAD example…
As you know, when you have a community as large as Social Triggers, you tend to get a lot of comments on blog posts. And that’s when this started happening:
What’s going on here? People visit my comments, see people commenting, visit their websites, and then SPAM them.
I, of course, would hear about it, and I’d feel like Will Ferrell from Zoolander:
Was I annoyed?
Yes.
Is it rude to go into someone elses’ house and “set up shop?”
Yes.
Is this borderline spam?
ABSOLUTELY.
Here’s the thing though:
I don’t think that person knew that he was acting a fool. And while it bothers me, it’s clear that he (and others) don’t know another way to do it. Because if they did, they wouldn’t even ATTEMPT this. Partly because it’s wrong. And partly because it’s never going to work.
Do you know how people respond when they see something like this?
Here’s a screenshot of what one of my readers sent back to one of the people who spammed her:
Do you see what happened here?
When you try to get attention the wrong way, you may land a few sales, but you’re burning bridges with everyone else… FOR LIFE.
And this is the problem.
People don’t know how to promote themselves the right way, and when they “try” to do it, they do it wrong and get a response like this.
It’s no wonder people are scared to promote themselves, right?
But what went wrong here?
When he reached out to promote his productivity book, he said, “I’m starting a productivity book business and thought you’d be interested.”
It wasn’t based on anything. He didn’t see that person complaining on Twitter about being unproductive. He didn’t see them write a blog post about their quest for getting more productive. He SPAMMED them. And that’s why people responded negatively.
So how can you get attention from the right people the right way?
Here’s what you need to do…
Step #1: Find A Big Problem People Will Pay To Fix…
Step #2: …And Get Paid To Fix It
If you’re in business for years, or you’re just getting started, the key to your success is based on this one simple idea…
Find a big problem people will pay to fix, and then get paid to fix it.
I know it sounds like I’m oversimplifying here, so let’s unpack that statement a little bit.
First, you need to “Find a big problem.”
Why start with the bad?
Because when there’s a problem in someones life, and it hurts bad enough, they’re going to want to change it.
And that’s the key.
Many people try to convince others to buy their products and services, and they get responses like, “I’m not interested” or “That sounds nice, but not for right now.”
The only reason why they hear those types of responses is because they’re not starting with a big problem. If they did, their customer would already want to change it. They wouldn’t need to convince them of anything…
I mean, think back to the productivity book example. If he saw that person complaining on Twitter about being unproductive, and then reached out, do you think they’d have been more receptive?
Absolutely. Because they already clarified they had the problem, and they weren’t spamming, but instead, offering a solution.
(Note: don’t just start pitching random people all the time. That’s not the answer either).
Then, notice how I said “People Will Pay To Fix”
And that’s also key.
You see, people often create solutions to problems that people have no interest in paying to solve. Or worse, they don’t have the money to pay to solve.
And guess what:
If that’s the case, you’ll never get a buyer.
As an example, let’s say you want to help non profits market themselves. In theory, it makes sense: they need the help, and you can help them.
Here’s the issue:
Nonprofits don’t have any money. So, while they may have a problem that you can solve, that doesn’t mean they’re able to pay for it.
So, whether you’re already in business, or you’re just getting started, you need to get clear on the problem you can fix… and start telling people you can fix it.
You might think, “but won’t people be concerned that I’m selling something to them?”
I’ve got news for you…
If you’re talking to people who have a problem that you can solve, and they’re able to pay for it, they’re not going to worry about the fact that you’re selling to them. They’re going to imagine how great their life would be when you solve the problem for them.
Moving on…
I know this all seems like common sense. And you might even be thinking, “well no duh,” But nobody does this.
Or if they do, they’re not making it clear. Do you know how many people’s websites I stumble upon that solve problems… but make no mention of the problem they’re solving?
That’s a big mistake. And we should heed the words of the late David Ogilvy. He said, “When you advertise fire-extinguishers, open with the fire”
And you need to do the same thing.
If you’re selling art, show a picture of a room with no art on the walls. And explain how boring, and “cookie cutter” it feels. Then show a room with art on the walls – YOUR ART – and explain how much more homier it looks.
If you’re selling coaching for women who have relationship problems, don’t just talk about how you can solve their problems. Instead, show them an example of a woman who has problems first, and then talk about how you solve them.
So, right now, whether you’re just getting started, or you’ve been at it a while, here’s what I want you to do:
Leave a comment describing the big problem you’re solving for people. And then explain how what you’re selling solves that problem.
Talk about the problem first…
…And then talk about how what you sell solves that problem.
This is your first piece of homework during “More Sales for Your Business Month,” so make sure you do it.
I’ll try to respond to a lot of people leaving comments, and provide feedback. I can’t promise I’ll get to everyone, but I will respond to many of you.
Over the next 3 weeks I’ve got a lot of training material for you. This will include all-new HD videos, webinar trainings, and then, towards the end of the month, I’m announcing a BRAND NEW online course.
If you want to make the most of it, you need to do the work.
We’re approaching the final quarter of 2014, and if you’re not going to hit your sales goals, now’s the time to right the ship.
So leave a comment now…
…and you’ll hear from me more later this week with more training material.