Coaching Biz Tips

10 Tips for Growing a Mailing List from Scratch

Just getting started building your mailing list?

Here are ten tips to help you get off to a great start:

1. Do set a goal. Get a particular target in mind (ex.: “500 subscribers by June 1, 2010”) and keep your eye on that target.
2. Don’t make the goal too small or too big. It should be big enough to stretch your creativity, yet not be so big that it shocks you into paralysis. Ask your coach or a colleague to help you find your sweet spot when it comes to setting goals.
3. Do track your results on a regular basis. Your total number of subscribers and rate of increase from the previous month(s) are key performance indicators.
4. Don’t let unsubs distract or dismay you. And don’t take them personally! If your mailing list management system automatically sends you a notice every time someone unsubscribes, turn OFF the notification. Seriously. Turn it off. Stay focused on growing your list; don’t worry about reducing unsubs.
5. Do use a mailing list management system. The most popular online services are AWeber, Constant Contact, and iContact. If you want to integrate a shopping cart with your mailing system, check out 1shoppingcart or WAHMcart .
6. Don’t use a personal email system (like Gmail, Outlook or Outlook Express) to manage your list. You need to manage a business mailing list, not a personal address book. It may be tempting to try and save money by using your personal email system, but in the long run, it’s actually going to save both time and money to get yourself properly set up on a business system ASAP.
7. Do get clear about who your ideal subscribers are. You’re going to be creating content for them, so it’s really important that you have a specific audience in mind. You need to know who they are and be able to describe them so THEY know who they are, too.
8. Don’t automatically add friends and family to your business list. If they want to add themselves, fine – but don’t just import your whole personal address book into your mailing list. For one thing, once they’re on your  list, they’re trapped – because they know YOU’LL know if they unsubscribe! And you really only want qualified prospects on your list anyway – people who are most likely to want to do business with you. Your Aunt Susie is probably more likely to buy stuff FOR you than to buy stuff FROM you.
9. Do learn how to use the basic features of your mailing list system. Even if you’re going to hire a VA to set it up and/or manage the list for you – you should know how the thing works! Your list is a critical tool for building your business; you can’t really use it properly if you’re afraid to even touch it.
10. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. While your list may grow to have hundreds or even thousands of subscribers, you’re the only one who sees them as a group of people. Remember to write your emails as if you’re addressing just one person. Don’t say stuff like “Dear Subscribers” or “Some of you might be interested to know that…”

Email Best Practices: Double vs. Single Opt-in

 I saw something in an article this morning in Mequoda Daily that caught my attention:

Research indicates that the email subscribers who double opt-in have a 17 percent greater lifetime value simply because they double opt-in. The act of getting them to open their email client to look for the confirming email and respond — before they can download your free report — causes those who double opt-in to be worth 17 percent more in customer lifetime value.

Additionally, by using the double opt-in process, you've managed to get many of them to whitelist you with their email provider — another good outcome.

Of 100 people who sign up for your free email newsletter, about 75 percent will double opt-in.

(Read the rest of the article here.)

I've always used single opt-in for my mailing list because it seemed like it would be simpler for my subscribers; less hassle for them.

But judging from the lists I've been joining lately, it seems like double opt-in has become the 'standard', so I've been wondering what benefits double opt-in might offer. Seventeen percent greater lifetime value is not insignificant when you're selling a premium service like coaching!

What are your thoughts/experience on double vs. single opt-in? Leave a comment below!

What Business Are You In? (Hint: It’s Not Coaching)

I've been a little obsessed with this question for a couple of weeks now (if it's possible to be "a little" obsessed):

What business am I in?

Like Goldilocks—a girl after my own heart, who knew what she wanted and wouldn't settle for anything less--I've explored and discarded several options:

• The obvious-easy-answer version: "Duh -- coaching, of course!" Yawn.
• The just-like-every-other-coach version: "I'm in the business of making a difference." Yep. Here's your t-shirt, go stand in line.
• The logical-Mr. Spock version: "I'm in the business of helping coaches get more clients." More yawning.
• The quirky-woo-woo-non-conformist version: "I'm not in a business, my business is in me." Muffled snickering.
• The impressively-marketingish-and-tongue-twisty version: "I'm in the business of making, monetizing & marketing a signature coaching system." Zzzzzzzzzzzz…
• etc.

I'm already IN this business, whatever it is. I've got clients, and they're loving what they're getting. It's not like I don't know my business! (I just don't know WHAT business...)

Like a fish that can't see the water it's swimming in, I'm having a hard time seeing the true essence of it. The "eau d'eau", if you don't mind a really bad french phrase.

The Mr. Spock version was technically correct, but energizing? Not so much.

I mean, I spend most of my waking hours immersed in this business. I've sunk a lot of time, money and sweat into it; I'm really, really committed to it. I'm in love with it, for Pete's sake! The mere thought NOT being in this business (whatever it is) makes me feel like my heart might just break into a gazillion pieces, you know?

Surely the answer to this question of what business I'm in will hit me like a lightening bolt when I finally figure it out!

So I tried sleeping on it, I wrote in my journal, I meditated--I did all the usual things a person does to try and force an epiphany. Thinking that maybe I was trying too hard, I then tried to forget it by remembering not to think about it. (You know what I mean!)

Nope. No lightening bolts. Not even a mild static electric shock from shuffling across the rug in my socks.

So I did what any good coach would do: I gave the question to some of my clients and sat back to see how they'd answer it.

Of course, they were brilliant. They knocked it out of the park like it was a tennis ball.

"I'm in the business of fulfillment."

"I'm in the business of empowered connection."

"I'm in the business of delight."

"I'm in the business of creating families."

Elegant, heartfelt, uniquely and unquestionably THEM, every single one. It took some discussion, of course; no one had it on the tip of their tongue. It just emerged as they talked about what they cared about, what they were most committed to in life. They thanked me for asking the question. The clearer they got, the more energized and animated they sounded.

Inspired by my clients, I stumbled onward, hopefully towards my own elegant, heartfelt, unique answer, but the lighting bolt of clarity stubbornly stonewalled me.

And then I happened across something Naomi Dunford wrote recently about her own business:

What if we turned our secret mission — getting people out of the crazy ass rat race of doom and death — into our not-so-secret mission.

Now, if you just look casually at her site, you might assume she's in the business of helping people create a home business. I mean, it sort of says that all over the place (her business is called "Ittybiz").

But that's just the store front. She's REALLY in the business of getting people out of the crazy ass rat race of doom and death. Every time she gets an email from a client saying "My own business is doing so great that I quit my crazy ass job!", Naomi gleefully rejoices.

And suddenly, the lightening bolt hit and my Spock ears burst into flames. I realized what the problem was: I needed to come out of the closet about my secret mission and start doing my gleeful rejoicing in public.

What if MY secret mission—getting people into high gear about stuff that matters to them—is the business I'm really in?

From the street, it might look like I'm in the business of helping coaches get more clients with signature products and programs, but in the back room, it's the morning after the long, dark night of the soul, and folks are waking up, jumping out of their comfort zone and going for it, Big Time.

I know this is it, because every time I hear from a client that THEIR clients are getting into high gear, I do a happy dance. Just thinking about it puts a grin on my face.

So let it be known: I'm officially in the business of getting people into high gear about stuff that matters to them!

Now - what business are YOU in?

 

A Super Tip for Researching Your Coaching Niche

How do you view niche research -- is it a one-time event ("Whew! Glad that's done; now on to the next thing...") or is it an ongoing process?

If niche research is something you did once and thought you were done with, you're missing the boat, big time!

Customer needs can evolve and shift over time as factors like technology, the economy or industry,  cultural and political circumstances change. The recent shift in the global economy is a good example.

When I first started in coaching, there weren’t that many coaches out there and only a very small number had any business experience to begin with, so there was a real demand for basic marketing coaching. A few years later, my niche expanded as more and more coaches explored using the internet to crank up their marketing system.

Lately, as the coaching field becomes more crowded and sophisticated about marketing, my clients have been more concerned with standing out in some unique way and figuring out how to expand their revenue streams beyond individual or group coaching.

Two research tools that I’ve found invaluable are eyes and ears – not just my own, but those of my target market, as well. Finding and staying plugged in to your target market is essential. Ask questions, listen carefully and look for trends and patterns.

A super tip for researching your coaching niche is to keep an eye on the best-selling books written for and about your niche. Books are often the first thing people invest in when they're looking to make a change. Don’t just read the book, though – check out any resources mentioned in the book and keep tabs on what’s new at the author’s website if they have one. It’s a great way to keep pace with the leading edge for your niche.

Keep your eyes and ears on your niche and let it lead you towards new paths for success.

Websites: Form over Function?

 Here's a great question from one of my subscribers:

Kathy, I am starting out as a life and relationship coach ... Is it worth hiring a web designer who is heavy into SEO if I don't plan on blogging too much? Or would a cheaper designer, who can make a killer looking site only, be a better choice for me?

Reply:

Ideally, your site should both look and work great. But if I had to prioritize one over the other, I’d go for a plain (or even an ugly) site that gets more traffic, over a pretty site that no one knows about.

Luckily, creating an attractive site that gets traffic is not as difficult as it once was – especially if you set up your site on a blogging platform such as WordPress or TypePad. The “pretty” part is handled by the literally hundreds of templates available for either platform; the traffic part is handled by consistently and frequently posting high-quality content.

Before you get too far down the road, though, be sure to put together a solid marketing plan. Going through the process of creating and organizing your objectives, strategies and tactics will help you figure out what you want your website/blog to do as well as what you’ll need to do to get the results you’re after.

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Got a question you'd like to see answered here on the blog? Let me know!

Coaching Biz 911: Getting a Grip on Yourself

Ever have one of those days -- or weeks -- where you feel like you're beating your head against a brick wall? Nothing goes the way you plan; projects crash and burn; even the simplest of tasks turns into a maze of road blocks and speed bumps.

You know you need to get a grip, but HOW?!

Reboot your system. Sometimes a bad day is simply the natural consequence of fatigue, burnout, distraction, etc. Stepping back from your work for a few hours, a few days or even a few weeks (depending on how bad the situation is) often restores clarity.

Get a reality check. If things aren't going well, don't be afraid to ask for some honest, unbiased feedback from a trusted source. Ask them what they think might be causing the problem. Sometimes you just can't see the forest for the trees.

Look for patterns in your stuckness. Step back and take an inventory of the past week. Look for things that tend to take three times longer than necessary because you just don't like doing them.

• What is it that I consistently do not want to do?
• Which tasks seem like a chore every time I do them?
• What do I always put off until the last possible moment?

DELEGATE or ELIMINATE these things! And if you can't bring yourself to delegate or eliminate them, look for ways to AUTOMATE or SYSTEMATIZE your least enjoyable tasks via technology, checklists, worksheets, etc.

Revisit your successes. Something that helps me get back on track is to review past accomplishments and successes. This is a great practice because it not only boosts morale ("I've done well before, I know I can do well again!") but it also gives you the chance to see what worked and why it worked. You might see a solution in a past success that could be applied to the current situation.

Give yourself permission to fail. Remind yourself that it's okay to have bad days, for things to go wrong. I don't know of anyone who hasn't failed, usually over and over again, on the way to success. And there are good lessons in every mistake or failure, too. Look for the pony buried in the pile of poop!

Stop complaining. What you resist persists, and what you pay attention to tends to become more real. So when you complain, you're only reinforcing the negative. Plus, complaining tends to infect others -- and pretty soon, you've got a pity party going on. Try giving yourself three free passes on complaining about an issue, but when you've used up the third pass, it's time to stop complaining and either accept things as they are and move on, OR do something. Anything. Just stop complaining.

Next time you're sick of the day you're having, get a grip!

What are you waiting for?

I’ve been noticing lately how often people get caught up in the argument “I can’t be/do/have __________ until ____________ happens.”

• I can’t tell people about my business until my website is up.
• I can’t relax and enjoy the summer until after my daughter’s wedding.
• I don’t have time to focus on marketing until business slows down a bit.

And it seems like this argument can quickly turn into an endless loop; for example:

• I can’t let go of my old <job/relationship/whatever> until I find a new one.
• I can’t get a new <job/relationship/whatever> until I let go of the old one.

This kind of loopy thinking keeps you feeling stuck and frustrated. And if you examine what you’re saying to yourself more closely, you’ll usually find that it’s not even true!

• It’s possible to tell people about your business (and even get a few clients) even before your website is up. (People DID have customers back in the old days, before the Internet thingy caught on.)
• It’s possible to relax and enjoy the summer before, during AND after your daughter’s wedding.
• It’s possible that you can be busy with clients AND still find time for marketing (AND enjoy the summer, too!).

If you want to unleash your true potential, let go of conditional thinking. YOU’RE the one placing conditions upon your own success, and you may not even realize you’re doing it. Believing that you “can’t until ______” only slows you down and makes you feel resigned to the status quo.

So here's a question to keep you up at night:

“What are YOU waiting for?”