Even through mistakes, there is growth, in some cases, the most significant growth increase comes from some of our biggest mistakes.
You’re doing it! You are an entrepreneur! You are your own boss! With that joyful moment comes the realization that you’re doing it? You are the entrepreneur? You are the boss! With all that comes responsibilities of running your own business crashing down on your shoulders! You are not responsible for paying all the bills, employees, or your online tribes that support your growth.
What happens next? You have a plan; business plans are fantastic! But I bet the first one didn’t work as well as you projected it would? Then you become desperate and start downgrading? Here are the top three mistakes I see new and old online experts making every day!
You are overselling yourself, whether it is a product, your service, or a program you have created.
You forget to express precisely how your product, service, or program will fill the needs of your client. (what do they get out of it, how will it improve their lifestyle?)
Customer service! This is a massive step towards building rapport. If you are building an online business, you have to work twice as hard to fill these shoes. You have twice as much to prove than if they walked into brick and mortar office.
When I see experts posting throughout there social media, tons of info about their upcoming programs, or products, it starts to feel more like a sales pitch and not expert advice. I see seasoned experts who are literally at the top of their game, posting desperately about their program launch, product or filling an hourly time slot.
What does that look like to prospective clients? Desperate? What if, before launching a program, such as a two week cleanse, you spent more time on a campaign, that explains what a cleanse is? Who needs a cleanse? Why should they participate in cleansing? Help your client base see, not only the need for the cleanse but the benefit that they will receive during their time with you.
When you are launching a new program or business, you should double the time it took you in creating your program, and use it creating a campaign that shows your clients why they need it. I’m going to give you a fun example. Have all of you seen the 30-second video that goes all over facebook, where the woman rubs a cream under her eyes, and immediate her under-eye bags disappear? I click that ad every single time? Why? Because I am knocking on the door to 60 and I need it! You should be making the need for your program, that engaging.
If you are showing your target client that they need your program, and you have the solution. They will click the registration! By doing this, you not only take care of mistake #1 by selling less, and educating more but you take care of mistake #2 by expressing precisely the who, why and what of your program and how it will directly benefit your client.
For some reason, mistake #3 should be a no brainer, but it is by far the most overlooked issue in building an online business. Not only do you want satisfied clients, but you want to build long term relationships with these clients. If you set up your customer service side of your online business correctly, you will build long term relationships with your clients.
Long term relationships
Referrals
Repeat business
Social media shares
Testimonials
If you think you already have the customer service side down, you can stop reading now. But that would be a huge mistake, because even if I have nothing new to teach you. The one thing we should always be asking ourselves is, “How Can I Do Better?”
Are your clients getting a monthly or quarterly newsletter from you? Why not? I will be honest with you; I only do a quarterly seasonal newsletter. But it’s fun, each quarter is a new season, with new tips, recipes, articles! I rarely have people drop off email lists from my newsletter, and it is an excellent way for me to keep in touch with my clients.
When your client signs up for your program, do they automatically get a series of emails that will automatically go out to them? When you are bringing on a new client, they should be getting a bare minimum of three emails from you.
Thank you and welcome them into your program. This email should include any links they are going to need. You can consist of a few instructions, maybe like the start date or calendar links if you need it. You don’t want this letter to be too long. Just thank you for jumping into our program you are going to love it!
Just checking in on you: This letter should be a how are you doing? If you have started the program, ask them, are you getting excited? This email should introduce you a little. Who you are, why you love this program, and what it will do for them.
It’s Happening! I love this email. I want them to know it’s happening! They are about to embark on this incredible journey, and it’s basically the first day of the rest of your life! Be sure in this email you are leading them to your social media, blogs, podcasts. Let them know that you want them to have access to you.
They didn’t get into your program for the program; there are in your program because of you! They want more from you! There are literally thousands of other experts online selling them a program, but you are the one they picked!
I work with coaches all the time, helping them get exposure and be seen as a significant influencer in their field. By the way, the only reason I choose to work with them in the first place? They are indeed an expert in their field and already a significant influencer. Their online clients just haven’t picked up on that as of yet.
Building your online business is entirely different than building a brick and mortar business. Yet, oddly enough, it’s very similar. We have to slow down on the sales pitch, show our client the need, and benefit in our service and we have to step up customer service. Kind of similar right?
If you can start to turn around these three mistakes, you will build incredible rapport with your client base. You will increase the conversion rates you are currently looking at, and you will create testimonials that will drive even more business towards YOU!
If you are in the health and wellness business and you would like to work more with me, I would love to have a conversation with you. Because I am working with experts to help them gain exposure and be seen as influencers, I only take on 20 clients each quarter. I do have a waitlist, depending on your field of expertise. I would love to hear from you send me an email to Jana@janashort.com
Thank you Jana!!! This came at just the right time for me, and has helped me refocus my efforts where they should be. I’m glad I didn’t stop reading the blog when you talked about customer service, I needed to hear what you were saying… Thank you again, your blogs are fantastic!!!
I had no idea. Great information I will be sure to incorporate into my business.