Last Week in AT Success - Facebook Posts

It's the crazy season, but that does not stop my members from continuing to work on their Alexander Technique teaching success. While a lot of people are off to a party, they are here pursuing their passion to stay awake and realise a dream. It's a big purpose, and I am privileged to be learning from them all. On Needing A Presence on The Web By "presence" I mean a place people can go to learn more from you. It may be a busy FaceBook page like ATSuccess, a regular blog or a website with changing information, or even an email list that is delivers links to new content. This "activity" is your "presence" on the web. On Using Testimonials The other factor here - you can use testimonials about YOU, not about the course, to sell the 1Day if that is your intention. Go to students who already know you - ask them to write about what they learnt, how it was better than other things they had tried, the actual benefits that accrued to them as a result of your work. That will sell your 1-Day intensive. The intensive is the Product, and you want them to value your service through a product that fits their situation. On Videoing Your Lessons One way to collect that video material is to offer it to those who are financially challenged. It gives you more of a constructive plan for helping both of you. On Using Pinterest As A Marketing Tool This is outside my domain of knowledge - have not researched or read up on the effectiveness of Pinterest as a marketing tool. My youngest daughter loves it - I know that! Do Radiographers go there? How will you track how effective it is? Can you move people from Pinterest to your mailing list? These are my basic questions. [NOTE: This second half of my blog is a paid area describing practical ways to implement what has been described above in a Facebook group with 47 other teachers and students. You can join anytime to be part of their discussions.]

*On Moving Towards Or Moving Away in Marketing Messaging - A Dialogue Q:The "moving away" you suggest we include in the marketing message, do you mean something like "leaving daily back and shoulder pain behind"? A:yes - talking about getting away from the thing you don't want, rather than talking about the change that would replace it. Q:weaving the "moving away" into my story would look something like: "10 am Monday morning, treating my second patient and my left shoulder was already burning with pain and my lower back was uncomfortably stiff. I wondered how I was going to get through the day ......let alone the rest of the week." Is that what you are suggesting so that my niche feels I understand what they are going through and letting them know I have been there? A:Yes Aniko - beautifully written. In a good sales letter (like in any good relationship) you first establish empathy and affinity with the other person. Show them you really "get it" so then they are eager to find out WHAT YOU DID to get out. It really works. *On Feeling Desperate I know how desperate it can feel to consider leaving your home Annie. Help is right here for the biz side of things - there is nowhere else to look - but you gotta 1. Decide on a niche (you haven't) and 2. Stick with it (how can you when you don't know who they are?). I thought the choir people was a real possibility? What happened there? However, the bad news is it could take 6 months before even one student comes, and I get that your situation is quite on the edge. But money doesn't flow to need, just as love doesn't flow to neediness. You need clarity, persistence and patience with one proven strategy, not a dozen. I trust you will find the hope to save you on the other side of things. You've made it this far - that's the evidence. *On Providing Proof In Sales Copy This is for everyone: when you make any claim, follow it immediately with proof. Each claim needs it's own proof. It does not need to be scientific (although if you can, and it's credible, that's best) but it does need to be plausible. A testimonial from a named radiographer saying how (s)he benefited in the specific way you just claimed will work as proof. Your copy at the moment is full of claims, with nothing to back it up. Social proof is also OK: "15% of these people study this" kind of thing. It's better to have ONE well-backed, credible and established claim, than a string of unproven ones. *On Under Subscribed Groups Remember the back-up plan for undersubscribed groups Susannah - give them a call, and let them know you are offering a 2 for 1 deal: they can bring a friend within a single fee. I suggested this to Lucy when she first joined us, and I think it worked out well. Lucy? *On Going Deeper Into Your Niche Dana - you're moving in great direction, I agree with Veronique. Now go into specifity - you are still too wide. Dancers is too wide. Try Ballet, Hulu, Bellydancing, Tango, Ballroom, modern Jazz - get the idea? Each of those groups is huge, and each have their OWN UNIQUE CHALLENGES. When you can drill to that level, find their unique problem that stays around as a legend, AND figure out a simple way to fix it - you're on the home run. Go deeper. *On Getting A Blog While Still A Student Dentists are going to start looking for you, you need an online presence. Not a website - a relationship-building presence. It means a blog followed by an emailing list, so you keep a conversation going all the time. Start collecting emails and building your list. The biggest asset of your business will be your list. The earlier you start to build it, the stronger your business will become. I want you walking out of graduation into a full-time practice with a waiting list. It can be done, and you are a candidate to inspire us all in achieving it. *On Marketing To Dancing Teachers Well - you came a full circle there Dana. First that you would sell to the instructors through to you would piss them off! I loved that. In fact, they are REALLY hard to sell to, and make lousy pupils (usually). There is always a gem or two - so if you can find them, do. But in my experience you are right in your second part - they can feel threatened when you say you can do what they claim from their side. I am blogging about this whole issue this month, so bear with it... *On Discounting A Workshop In Exchange for Something We do discounted at BodyChance: we offer "10 Trainee Lessons" at a low rate, but require that the person delivers a report of their 10 lessons in exchange, so I think the idea is doable, but I would require that any participants who get a special deal , do not reveal/brag about this to others. People get sensitive when they think they have been tricked into paying more than anyone else. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ATCSProMembers/