Want to increase your sales BEFORE you launch your product or service? The following are some of the most effective ways to do just that:
1. Use Social Proof
What is “social proof”? Simply put, we are all conditioned to watch what others are doing and follow along (think teenagers). Using social proof in your marketing helps you to influence your customers to purchase your products/services, get new prospects to sign-up for your list, and get people talking about you and your offering – and that’s just the start.
So, how do you use this psychological trigger in your marketing?
One way is to use results-based testimonials. Ask your current customers or clients to give you results-based testimonials. They literally say, “I used this product and these are the results I got.” Having celebrities give these to you is great, but make sure you have testimonials from REAL people. Those are the ones that are really going to cement the idea in your potential buyer’s mind that they can do it, too.
2. Answer your prospects #1 objection
To take “social proof” to a deeper lever, anyone who is buying anything almost always has this #1 objection: “Sure, you can do it, but can I do it?”
In addition to using yourself as an example (if appropriate) as evidence that what you are offering does what you say it will, it’s also important to make sure you get “social proof” from people in your client/customer’s peer group. Then your potential buyer sees people like themselves and understands that “Hey, it worked for them, it can work for me, too.”
3. Use a time limit
Creating a sense of urgency around your product or service will make it that much more enticing to potential buyers. For example, offer special pricing for one week only and tell your buyers that after that week, the price will go up. You don’t even have to say by how much (but DO raise it if you say you will). Just knowing that there’s only have one week to buy at a lower price creates that sense of urgency.
4. Use a limited quantity
If you are selling a physical product and you are only having 100 produced, then use that information to create the same sense of urgency you would with a time limit. Use a countdown on your website to further create the feeling that if your potential buyers don’t buy now, they may miss out.
5. Use a time or quantity limit on bonuses
Additionally, you could offer bonuses for a certain length of time (first week only) or for a certain number of products sold. For example, the first 30 buyers would get an additional special report (valued at $XX).
The last three strategies also help your buyers feel like they are part of your “club” when they join by purchasing your product or service.
Obviously, you can use these tactics unscrupulously, and I’m sure you’ve seen it or experienced it yourself. But if you want your business to truly be successful, in all the ways that are important and meaningful to you, then you must only use these strategies with integrity and honesty.
If you really are only going to print 100 copies of a physical product, then only print 100 copies. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do another print run. It just means that you tell your market that you’re only going to print 100 now, and if you do decide to do another run, then they will have to wait before they can get their copy.
If you really are going to raise your price after a certain date, or after a certain number of items are sold, then you must follow through. You can give your current base a chance to buy at the “original” price before you raise it, but you still must raise your price if you say you will.
Your integrity using these strategies will create more sales for you than ever before. Choose one to try and enjoy your results!
Are you ready to learn how to “Launch Your Products, Programs, and Services to Instant Success”?
In my brand-new L.E.A.P.™ GOLD* program, Once your product or program or service is complete and you’re ready to offer it to your market, if you don’t know how to effectively launch it, you’re leaving a ton of money on the table. There is a science to it and I’m going to teach you the precise steps to take, pre-launch, during the launch, and post-launch to guarantee you get the biggest return on your investment in your time, energy and money.
Most entrepreneurs simply don’t know how to offer their products, programs and services to make the most of them in sales and clients. It’s a simple process that you’ll learn from me (the first launch I did using this formula converted 40% of my list from potential buyers to paying customers (many of whom turned into clients as well) – that’s unheard of in the industry).
To make it even easier for you to follow this process, I’m including the same checklist we use in my business every time we launch something new.
Interested? Reserve one of the *very* limited seats TODAY
I’d love to hear which of these tactics you’re going to try and what your results are. Feel free to share with me below.
Do you get discouraged or stuck in building your business because you think there’s too many others to compete against in your niche?
A lot of entrepreneurs feel this way, especially when they’re first starting out. I don’t want you to give up before you really get started, so I’d like you to consider thinking about your competition in a different way.
1. There’s an abundance of clients and customers for everyone.
2. Your competitors are potential collaborators and strategic alliances for you.
3. The better you come to know your competitors, the more you will become aware of the uniqueness of your own message and your own offerings.
If you embrace this perspective, you’ll find that those feelings of discouragement and “what’s the point – I can’t compete” will melt away.
1. If you come from the mindset of abundance, you won’t feel discouraged by the competition.
There are more than enough clients and customers for everyone. And if you are building your business online, there is essentially an unlimited audience for your work.
Think about your market for a moment. How many of them do you need to serve to reach whatever your definition of success is? Then think about how many people there are around the globe who are your potential clients or customers. Could you really reach them all, even if you wanted to? 🙂 Of course not.
2. There are several ways that you can collaborate and develop strategic alliances with others in your market.
You could hold a webinar or workshop together. This is particularly helpful if you are new in business and can hook up with someone more seasoned, who already has a ready audience built (an email list). Doing this will also help you gain experience and confidence to hold them on your own.
Or you could offer a free product (a mini e-book, for example) to your strategic alliance’s membership, which is an added benefit to them, while it helps to build your email list.
3. Think about those whom you consider your competitors.
Are you offering similar products and/or services that they are, but to a different target market? Or turn that around: If the market is the same, are you offering different information? Of course you are, because your message, your offerings – and the way you write or speak them – is as unique as you are.
There is a certain segment of the population who can only hear your message from you.
Remember that when you start feeling frustrated, defeated or just plain stuck.
Once you make this shift, you can start seeing your competitors as potential collaborators. You can work together to develop programs, products, or services that will help grow both your businesses. It will also provide added benefits to both your audiences, so it’s a win-win-win!
Do you want to learn how to collaborate and not compete?
If you’ve been around me for awhile, you know that I don’t believe in competition, and since this seems to be a bit of a mind-stretch for many entrepreneurs (and a barrier to reaching the next level in income in their business), I felt it was very important to cover the topic of collaborating with your colleagues – and how to do it with integrity and authenticity – in my brand-new Lively Biz Mastery program.
I can tell you that a major factor in the dramatic increase in my revenues over the years has come from collaborations that I’ve done with people I admire and trust who also serve my market.
Learn how to approach a potential joint venture partner, what to say, how to discuss who does what, how to split the money – every critical factor you need to know in order to come across as a professional and be invited to do more lucrative ventures in the future.
Interested? Get on the VIP waitlist here to find out more
I’d love to hear about successful collaborations you’ve done already, and/or your comments or thoughts about teaming up with other like-minded colleagues. Feel free to share them here.
Do you know that one of the best ways to build a successful online business quickly is through joint ventures?
I know this concept can be a bit hard to grasp to those of us who like being a lone ranger (one of the common traits of being an entrepreneur, right?). But what I know is that since I’ve embraced the “no one reaches success alone” philosophy myself, I’ve enjoyed a huge increase in my business, in terms of clients, customers, revenues and fantastic opportunities that would not have happened otherwise.
To begin, what exactly is a joint venture?
Simple: a joint venture happens when two or more business owners decide to do something together that benefits all parties.
For example, when two authors write a book together. Or when three colleagues produce a live event together. Or when twelve experts come together to hold a telesummit.
The purpose is for each of the business owners to promote the others’ wares. In other words, you tell your list about my stuff and I’ll tell mine about yours. 🙂
Besides the obvious benefit of helping each other build your email list of potential clients and customers, there’s also the added value you give to your own list by introducing them to something that can benefit them in addition to your own offerings.
And you simply make more money!
How? Well, if you’ve been following along with me for awhile, you know that the way to build a successful and sustainable business online is to 1) find out what your niche wants; 2) create it; 3) offer it to them via the list you’ve been building all along.
Because it’s those people on your list who have raised their hand to tell you that they want more information from you. They are the people who will tell you what they want and then buy it from you when you offer it.
Joint venturing can also make the work you do easier, more creative, and more fun simply by sharing the idea and tasks involved.
To get you started, here are some things you should do when considering a joint venture:
1. Get to know your potential partner first.
Sign up for their Free Taste and/or ezine. Do some research and reading to see what they are about and how you can potentially complement each other.
2. Partner with someone who shares the same audience as you.
A great potential joint venture partner is someone who already has an email list whom they’ve developed a relationship with and to whom they can and do make offers to periodically.
3. Pick 1 or 2 potential partners to approach first.
Create a list of 5 or so potential joint venture partners, and pick your top 1 or 2 to approach with an initial “I had an idea of something we could do together that would benefit us both as well as our audiences” email. Be sure to tell them what’s in it for them, but keep this first contact simple and somewhat casual (yet professional) in tone.
Once you do your first successful joint venture, you might find that it was so easy and enjoyable that you’ll start doing more and more of them. I know I will!
Do you want to learn how to “Collaborate, Don’t Compete”?
If you’ve been around me for awhile, you know that I don’t believe in competition, and since this seems to be a bit of a mind-stretch for many entrepreneurs (and a barrier to reaching the next level in income in their business), I felt it was very important to cover the topic of collaborating with your colleagues – and how to do it with integrity and authenticity – in my brand-new L.E.A.P.™ GOLD program.
I can tell you that a major factor in the dramatic increase in my revenues over the last few years has come from joint ventures that I’ve done with people I admire and trust, who also serve my market.
Learn how to approach a potential joint venture partner, what to say, how to discuss who does what, how to split the money – every critical factor you need to know in order to come across as a professional and be invited to do more lucrative ventures in the future.
Interested? Reserve one of the *very* limited seats TODAY
I’d love to hear about successful joint ventures you’ve done already, and/or your comments or thoughts about teaming up with other like-minded colleagues. Feel free to share them with me below.
Basically, there are two things that must be in place before any of your offerings can be successful (read: profitable). One is that it must be designed for a niche. So, there must be a group of people who you are targeted to offer your product/program/service toward.
The other is that is must solve a problem that your niche wants solved. Sounds obvious, yes? But many times, we create what we think our niche NEEDS instead of what it WANTS. It’s critical to know the difference and to use that knowledge to create your offerings.
There are many ways you can find out what it is that your niche wants most so you can create it and offer it to them. One of those ways is to hold a teleseminar that both delivers value to your participants as well as provides you with market research to use to inform your product line.
The best thing is that these types of teleseminars can be easy to fill and fun to host. Here are the steps:
1. Decide on the topic
Your best best is to choose a topic that’s broad in scope, meaning that it discusses a problem that the majority of your niche struggles with and would like help in solving. This will get you more people on the call as well as give you a more diverse group from which to learn from for your own market research purposes.
2. Use a mini-application
When people register for your teleseminar, ask them to fill out a short questionaire. This really begins your market research because you’ll be asking them what it is that they are struggling with specifically in relation to the bigger topic.
For example, if your topic is “How to Balance My Business and My Family and Still Have Time for a Great Life”, one question you may ask in your questionaire is, “What’s the ONE thing you struggle with most when it comes to balancing your business and your family? Please be as specific as possible so I can give you some specific strategies to help!”
You could also ask the question in another way: “What two questions do you have that I must answer on this teleseminar for you to feel it was of value to you?” You may also want to ask where your participant is at present with regard to your topic and where they’d like to be.
Tell them you’ll be answering as many questions as you can on the teleseminar itself, to engage people right from the start when they are registering for the call, as well as encourage them to show up in the first place (this is particularly helpful if this is a fre*e call).
Also, don’t be shy about telling your participants that you’ll be using their comments and feedback as part of growing your own business. For example, if you’re writing a book and you need some more content for a certain section, hold a teleseminar on that topic and share with your teleseminar participants that they may be featured in the book if their comments, suggestions or examples are used. People will jump to sign up for your call!
3. Ask questions
At this point, you have an outline for the call itself, and now you’ve filled it in with more content with the answers to the questions that were submitted when people registered.
The next step is to weave those questions and answers into the conversation on the call itself, and ask if there are MORE questions or comments around them. This will give you more in-depth and insightful information for your purposes, as well as be valuable to those on the call. This is when you really want to give the space and the time for your participants to talk (count 5 Mississippi’s if you have to to stop yourself from filling any silence while people are thinking).
Be sure to record the call so you can listen carefully to the conversation again and take notes about what you hear that your participants are looking for in terms of solutions to their problems.
4. Send a follow-up email
As soon as possible after the call, send a follow-up email thanking your attendees for their time and participation. Include notes from the call that you’ve cleaned up and converted to a neat PDF file for them as well for added value.
What you’ve done with this is type of ‘Open House’ teleseminar is invited your attendees to ask you anything they want about your area of expertise. With the information you glean, you can easily tailor your next product around the things they most want, which equals a successful offering for you!
I’d love to know your thoughts on hosting your own teleseminars – please feel free to share your comments below.
If you’re reading this ezine, it’s likely that you’ve participated in a teleseminar, whether it be mine or one of my colleagues. You’ve probably been on some that have been very good, where you got tons of really valuable information. And you may have found yourself on a few that were nothing but pitch-fests for the host’s latest product.
But I want to share something with you. Hosting content-rich teleseminars for my target market is some of the quickest and easiest mo^ney I’ve generated in my business.
Holding F.R.E.E. introductory teleseminars are a great way to promote your business, increase your email subscriber list, make more sales on your products, and enable your potential clients another way to connect with you. By being on the phone with you, they get to know you through your voice, adding the human touch that can be so hard to cultivate online.
When I first started building my business, I offered a f.r.e.e. monthly teleseminar that gave people an introduction to what I teach. From each of these calls, I got more ezine subscribers, more members for my group coaching membership, and more sales of my products.
Holding PAID teleseminars helps to promote your business and generate revenues as well. I do 2-4 paid teleseminars a month, each on a different marketing or success topic, and each of these revenue streams generating thousands of dollars.
Another way to offer teleseminars is to do “intensive” or “bootcamp” series of multi-week teleseminars. I’ve offered 8, 10- and 4-week ‘”workgroups” on the topics of listbuilding, creating a successful business online from scratch, and search engine marketing that have been very profitable.
Hosting teleseminars is easy and here’s 4 simple things you need to get started:
1. The Right Target Market and the Right Topic
Here’s the secret for producing and profiting from a teleseminar: It must be designed for a target market AND it must solve a problem that that target market is struggling with. If you have those two keys in place, you’ll be sure to attract enough sign-ups and make money from your topic.
2. A Bridge Line
There are several good no-cost bridge lines available for you to use, but the one I’m currently recommending is NoCostConference.com because you can record the teleseminar for free as well. This is a nice benefit to offer your participants and to anyone who had to miss your teleseminar for any reason. I use it as a back-up recording for all my calls.
3. Recording Service
You’ll need a way to record your teleseminars so you can provide the audio for people to listen to later and for you to make CDs from if you decide to package your teleseminar into a physical product later. I use AudioAcrobat to record all my teleseminars, with NoCostConference.com as a back-up.
4. Automatic Registration
You’ll want to be able to have people sign up for your teleseminar without you having to do a lot of work. I use Aweber for all my teleseminar registrations, but you can also use your shopping cart’s autoresponder service if you have one.
I’d like to invite you to start offering f.r.e.e. teleseminars to promote your business, and once you get more comfortable with both the format and the technology, start offering paid teleseminars. Even if you only have a handful of people on your first call, it’s great practice. And I guarantee your numbers will increase as you continue to build your email list, and you’ll be profiting from teleseminars in no time.
Do you want to Master the Art of Teleseminars to Make Thousands of Dollars?
In my brand-new L.E.A.P.™ GOLD program, we’re going to go well beyond these basics with this topic, including delving into cutting-edge methods and new technologies to ensure your teleseminars are the ones your target market clamors for!
Although there are fancier ways to teach ‘virtually’, teleseminars are still HOT, simple to do, have stood the test of time and, with the methods you’ll learn from me, are proven to make more sales. You can be creative with them, making them more fun for you to host as well as for your attendees, and you can make A LOT of money from just a single hour of work that you can do in your pajamas from your office, back deck, front porch, dock or sailboat (I speak from experience here)… 🙂
We’ll cover both free and paid teleseminars, which to offer and why, what technology to use, pricing, what to do if something goes wrong (it happens to all of us at one time or another), and much, much more. I’m even going to share all my templates and other how-to pieces to model to host your own successful teleseminars.
Interested? Reserve one of the *very* limited seats TODAY
I’d love to know your thoughts on hosting teleseminars – please feel free to share your comments below.
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