This Week in ATSuccess

It's been about a lot of different things this week, not just my Facebook series. Alexander Technique teachers making their practices work - that's what this week and every week is about. All available for less than the price of a Alexander lesson once a month. Click here now and join us all. Some comments this week come from an alternative closed group I set up for members of my recent London workshop - so you may all be reading these for the first time. If you were in my London workshop, and missed out, drop me a line and I'll put you in. *** On How To Use and Find Your USP (Unique Selling Point) You write about three things you offer, does that match the three things they want? Remember the mantra - it's about them, not us. It's about what they want, not what I want. Of course you am doing what you want, but your message needs to be spoken into their needs, what will resonate with them? Do they even know what "hands-on" means? Your USP is about them: "Free yourself from physical and mental obstacles to artistic excellence..." Good, that's about them, but not really a USP yet. I think there must be lots of people who believe they offer that, even in our group. So: why would they go to you instead of anyone else for that? If you can answer that question, THAT'S your USP. More along the lines of: "…a professional player who knows what it means... etc." Get the idea? Not everyone is a professional player. THAT singles you out from the crowd. So what else? On Dancers As A Niche Dancers are a tough niche as they don't all have much money. On the flip side of that, many of them are rabid, and will spend whatever they have if they think it will improve their art. You need to start off by choosing 1. What you know best; and 2. The most passionate group. Do you get any matches? Then, research. Do they have a magazine? If they don't, they are almost certainly too small for you to make a living. Start gain. Do they meet at a conference? Have they got lots of blogs? Are they gathered together on FaceBook? Making sure it is easy and free (money wise) to make contact with a group is a major priority for a resourced-challenged Alexander Technique teacher. Time is what you have, right? Start spending that. On the Decline of Facebook You know something is hugely successful when it's decline become a newsworthy item. I would put all my money into FaceBook shares right now. They are sitting at $50-60, but in two years I bet they will be more like $200+. Don't worry about FaceBook going away - the big corporates will keep it fat and healthy as long as we keep checking our FaceBook profiles. And we keep checking our Facebook profiles. One day it might end, but not soon. On Head Being Released by Gravity This whole thing about gravity working to release the head is a bit wonky, and questionable physiologically. How can that be true of an Olympic gymnast swinging around a bar? It's a static view of co-ordination which discounts many factors that contribute to our ability to navigate about successfully. However, you can use it as it is a simplistic way to sway people into thinking differently. Just appreciate it's inaccuracy for the better informed. This opinion I am expressing about the inaccuracy of the head-tipping-forward-by-gravity-triggers-postural-mechanisms comes from T. M. Roberts' "Understanding Balance" if anyone wants to follow up. On Making Money That was a big reformation in my own biz development. I love the way it is posed in this dialogue: could you live on what you charge? But I do wonder - what are you living on if not your AT lessons? I personally didn't have a choice - but before I married, I did get income occasionally from acting and Direction Journal. Maybe this is a better topic for March than Time? It's huge. On Building B2B Biz Relationship With A Gym Selling to any business means asking this question: how can I help them? Seriously - how can you do that? Answer this question, and you then know how to start the conversation with them. For example - Gyms are always wanting to get new members. So they may be interested in creating a special event where current members can bring along a friend (that they can enroll to the Gym) to attend a free/paid introductory talk on.... Your Thing. (aka Alexander Technique, but give it a more catchy title!). So they get to use you to bring in new people to the gym. Their happy. You get to: 1. Show the gym that people are interested in Your Thing; 2. Get their permission to build your own mail list from people who attend; 3. Open the door to doing more with them if the event goes well. The strategy for any B2B business is looking out for them as much as you are looking out for you. On Who To Approach I'd add to Kevin's comments: choose a boutique gym rather than a chain. They have more control over their own fate, and they often seek "outliers" to distinguish their service from the chains. You'll be heard better. On An Effective USP As a USP your sentence offers a clearly defined benefit in a concise and memorable way. Top marks. I have no idea if it is an effective USP, as I don't know your students and what they truly want. On the Demise Of Facebook He's pointing out basically the same thing I have been posting this month - Pages are out unless you pay, your Newsfeed is up for sale. He's absolutely right about newsfeed not being seen if they are not liked - but we knew that didn't we? Facebook's newsfeed is SEO in another context, that's all. It's incredibly competitive, and you better have all the right pieces in play: a rabid niche audience and a USP that grabs them - then FaceBook is brilliant. Without that, FaceBook is an endless headache. My guess, if you stick with his videos, is that he is selling a YouTube service of some kind, but he's got to talk you out of FaceBook first. He does a good job at that. I think YouTube can be brilliant - Peter selling his videos there makes a lot of sense - but my approach is to become a Master of one thing at a time. At the moment - for me - that's FaceBook. How about you? Personal Facebook Group Messages [NOTE: The remaining posts contain personal or specific information that participants feel is inappropriate for public scrutiny. You can join the group by becoming a member. One aspect of our Facebook group is that participants express things they would not share on a public Facebook group. Privacy and trust create the right conditions to take risks.]

*On Niching Within A Niche Meditation and/or computer work both involve you niching within a niche Jennifer - be aware that is may or may not support your practise. A person with an issue around a computer may or may not be looking for your site, but almost certainly they will not start out looking for computer work/meditation by coming to a site billed as The Art of Freedom that seems related to performing arts. So you are relying on the "interrupt" i.e. you surprise them with an offer they didn't expect. If you pull them in as a performers niche, but then try to convert them to workstation and/or meditation support, you are creating a disqualifying step. If that's not what they want, they go. And maybe that's exactly what you want them to do? Then OK. It's not wrong - performers as a niche is massive and you can shoo some people away and still survive, for sure. The real question is - what is your USP? What pulls people to your site in the first place? And do you deliver on that promise when they come? As I am not sure how to you plan to generate traffic to the site, only you know the answer to this... *On Jennifer's New Website Basically Jennifer's picture could be incorporated into the banner at top - then you have Jennifer and the optin box both showing. Lot of work, but if you want both, that's how. I love "Success Stories" as the link. Please track how many people click on that and go the page. Definitely worth checking. *On Pinterest Now THAT was a great takeaway for me Imogen: "It's where're I find most of the quote images I post on my FB page!" I am guessing this stuff is automatically public domain? Brilliant. Not I have an interest. Thanks. *On A Long-term Vision for Dentists Aniko - looking into the future, after reading your comments to Adrian, I am quite sure you could build an international reputation with dentists if that's where you want to go? And enrolling AT teachers - even AT dentists like the guy in Sydney - by giving them the education, the materials, the confidence and the strategies to get this niche truly converted to Alexander Technique's amazing abilities is a great way to maximize your own career possibilities. Articles written here have many more Journals to publish in. Having the dental profession on our side would be a huge plus in the bigger picture. I am all for it. How about you? *Comments On Adrian's Video Adrian - top marks for getting this done. My comments are guides for your next effort, I understand the constraints with this effort, and within those constraints you did very well, for all the reasons others have already stated above. So. Here goes for the future: you need a relationship with Julie/model. I would even question talking direct to camera - we could learn by watching your lesson with her, she could ask questions and cue you. Work through a script next time, you will get a better result. She became like an "object" and the cues she gave with her movement were often at opposition to your words. She pushed up from the lower back when you were talking about head leading spine. Confusing. (But OK for this one - this is delicate stuff). I would not mention about relaxing the neck - I don't in my own teaching - so my advice is not to add that. I also had Lucy's reaction to your touch before I read Lucy's comment about it. However, all the research shows that people are more likely to watch a "beautiful" person than any other kind, so stay with model type you have, clothes and all. Ask: what is the profile of a typical student? Who would they most like to be watching? I also would not have my hands touching her when she is demonstrating misuse - it almost looks as if you are cuing to move this way. Use this test: does the meaning come across when the sound is turned off? *On Emily Travelling For A Year Once Lost Planet may have wanted reports - today it's all done for free. Who makes money on the road? I don't know, but I bet someone does. I can't imagine it now but I wouldn't give up Emily - there could be something. I certainly think you could use the time to develop writing skills. This is an essential skill for an AT teacher today, so if you finish the year a confident writer, that's huge. Go for that at the very least. Make it appealing - how could you do that for you? *On Designing Service Products Cecile - so MUCH depends on who the participants are. What are they used to? What will be the easiest plan for them to slide into habitually? What do the local Yoga studios offer? Decide these questions by researching your market, we are only guessing like you. What works in Tokyo may not play in Cincinnati (and I know you are not there - I just like the sound of the sentence.) People who join you are two kinds - the lets try it out, and the I've got to do this. I recommend putting your price point higher and offer special deals to entice, rather than a blanket lower price. Expect to convert 20% from the taster class into the course itself. And call it Level 1 whether you intend higher levels or not. Just to be safe. *On Time and Money Yes Constance, you're absolutely right. How strong the habit to divide, even after so long of unity talk! Thanks, I can work up a series of blogs on both in March. Anything to add? A new thread? https://www.facebook.com/groups/ATCSProMembers/