How to Sell Advice

Michelle worked with a client for 9 months, did a TON of work, provided a LOT of value, but the client didn't fulfill their end of the bargain by properly tracking leads.Now she's wondering how to salvage a case study without having all the results-based data.In this episode, I talk about how you can create a case study based on the work you did and some of the results you got (i.e. more traffic), but obviously it won't be as strong as a financial outcome-focused case study.I also talk about:How to prevent this from happening againWhat to do when clients don't keep their end of the bargainHow to handle the end of an engagement that doesn't feel like a home run for the clientAnd more ideas related to situations like these—kP.S. Got questions or challenges you're facing in your freelance/agency/coaching/consulting business? Feel free to DM or reply to any of these posts. If you'd rather remain anonymous, just say the words and I'll keep my recorded response general/anonymous.  

I had someone reach out to me on Clarity.fm today (I had set up an account a long time ago but never used it). We booked a call to talk about how he can sell his India-based business outsourcing services into Canada/US.All of his questions were tactical. Things like, "how do I get more US and Canadian traffic to his site, how many keywords this, how many backlinks that."The main problem, however, wasn't the tactics. It was his positioning. He sold everything to everyone.There's no way someone so broadly positioned would ever be able to build a predictable flywheel of leads being so broadly positioned unless they built it slowly over time.So we balanced the conversation between strategy (things like focus and specialization) and tactics (some education on how SEO works, some website tips, etc.)New prospects almost always come to you with tactical problems and ideas. But the solutions really lie in creating a strategy around getting a result first. The tactics become obvious once you nail the strategy.  Do you notice the same thing when prospects come to you? How do you handle it?Yours,—k

I had a great question from Michelle on how to know what content to give away free vs. paid when you sell a premium content subscription. My response includes an example I heard from Josh Spector, who believes paid content should be different than the free content, not just more of the same. His subscription outlines his exact processes for doing what he does, and his free content includes more general advice and curated links.The differences may seem subtle, but the content style is sufficiently different and valuable, which makes it easy for him to know what to share when. This approach also allows him to talk about the same ideas but in a different, more valuable format for his paid subscribers.I also talk about how Stratechery does the "more of the same content" model but also sells the audio recordings via private podcast, making the paid version that much more valuable to those who prefer to listen. Lastly, I talk about how this group is a different format (audio) than my free stuff (text and a free interview podcast coming soon). I also explain how it's different from a typical subscription in that it has community and resources, making it more of a membership.Anyway - hope this helps if you're thinking of starting your own subscription.Yours,—k

A lot of folks joined this group with an interest or desire in staring a membership, mentorship, or other form of subscription program.But the biggest issue (aside from picking just one idea) is knowing where to start. And the ideas of creating content in advance is daunting—especially if you don't even know whether people will buy it.My advice? Create a landing page and outline of what is going to be included in the membership and just launch it. I talk more about how to create this outline in this episode.And if you have an email list, you should be able to get some interested parties if your idea is compelling. If not, you may have a positioning or value proposition issue. Once you get started, you can systematically create the content each week or month depending on what you promised until it's completed. You don't need to have it all created in advance.The bigger problem is how to create that initial landing page (and the value proposition to go with it). I'll talk more about that in the next episode.Yours,—k

Choosing a niche is hard. Or, it's scary, I should say.It feels like the more you focus down, the less opportunity you'll have. And even if you think you know where you want to specialize, knowing what steps to take first can be daunting.Michelle reached out with this exact conundrum, so I thought it would be good to jump on a coaching call with her and share the conversation with you all (with her permission).In this call, we talk about ways she can go about identifying her best opportunities and then what to do first.She is considering one of several niches:Entrepreneurial womenHome care agenciesB2B professional servicesPrint and promotions industryNon-profitsBy the end, we narrow it down to two options and I give her some tips on the first steps to take to see if it helps her make a decision.Here's the thing... when you pick a niche, the best way to do it (or, this is what I did) is to do it on the side. Start a blog, do a ton of industry-landscape research, build relationships, add a services page,  and see if you can get some traction while you keep your current business running.Some people will try to add multiple specializations to their main site, which can work, but it significantly waters down the messaging and makes you look less compelling. When you go all-in on a separate site, every word, post, service, and detail is tailored to a specific audience. And when someone refers you or if you speak to someone, they see your site and it feels like it was made entirely for them. Because it is. Give this a listen and see what you think.Are you still trying to hone in on your niche? Let me know in the comments where you're stuck.I'll be doing 30-minute coaching calls again in the future, so if you want to participate, send me a DM!Yours,—k

Here's a question with a lot of moving parts.One of our members asks:Have client who wants advisory, 1 hour a week. I’m skeptical they’ll want to pay my £200/hr rate. Pre A round. What would you do/suggest?Some highlights of my response include:Don't let clients prescribe solutions/scope/how you deliver your workYou want to create solutions based on their goals—which are determined by your ability to deliver on it and the value of that outcomeWhatever you do, don't sell by the hourBake in a few other pieces of value so they can't take your rate and divide it by a number of hoursConsider a few options: one-off strategy calls, productized services, custom, group coachingGive it a listen, I cover lots more examples.Yours,—k

How do you know what information you can share about past clients and the work you do?Personally, I use a pretty simple philosophy: if it's public, it's fair game. But if you're in doubt—get permission.Hiring an advisor requires utmost trust and confidentiality. You need to know all the private details of your clients' business if you have any hope of helping them. And  this is especially true when you specialize (like I do). I've often worked with clients in the same market at the same time (although they were sufficiently different and I disclosed it to all parties). But trust and confidentiality are key components to this. And you need to be diligent about not spilling the beans. Which means you need a simple way to think about it. Here's how I break it down:Share only what is publicly visible informationWebsitesSocial mediaEmail newslettersAdsetc.2. Don't share things like:RevenueStrategy Learnings and experiencesThought processesHolistic marketing plans3. Share only what your client gives you permission to shareWhen in doubt—ask if you can share it!Do a case study after, if you can, and get their written approval to publish it.Talk about what you did and the results you got using real measurable numbers—things like ROI, revenue, profit, growth in MRR, occupancy, etc. Don't just focus on projects or tasks you did. Focus on results (but do share outcomes).4. Demonstrate and articulate to your clients and prospects how you handle confidentialityExplain how you work at various stages of the engagement, including the sales process (more important if you specialize in an industry).Actually demonstrate it when it comes up by saying what you can and can't share about a past client experience.Use general principles when advising a client using information you are privy to due to your past engagements.Trust is your biggest asset. Don't mess with it—especially if you specialize. When in doubt, share less. Yours, —k

Here's a question from Oren:What’s the difference between group coaching and this Patreon model? This particular Patreon model is what I consider a "subscription". It's access to content for a small monthly fee. However, and I don't mention this in the recording until the very end, but the community and resources add-on features make this group more like a membership model. It includes the content (subscription) plus the other things that create a multi-faceted membership. For more on this topic, check out the earlier recording on August 3rd, "The difference between subscription, membership, and group coaching business models".Yours,—k

Have you ever wanted to create a low-tier consulting service? Something your smaller clients could afford that delivers lots of value, gets results, and is profitable for you?Oren has a great question around just this topic. I've been evaluating doing a low tier, like $750/mo for unlimited slack messages (no phone calls). Like a light weight version pre your advisor tier. Concern is massive energy-drain potentially. Multiple businesses pinging lots of questions over all day long. A fair few businesses I talk to have circa 10k a month to spend on marketing. So eating up 2,5k is too big a chunk which is why I lose them. I've tried before to sell low-price offers which include a call per month then unlimited Slack access. Nobody bought it.But then I introduced group coaching. It flew off the shelves and performs really well.In this episode, I talk about all of that, as well as some tactics and strategies for making it work. It includes things like:Why group coaching is actually better for your clients (more 1:1 live help)How groups lead to better accountability (from you and their peers)Why you want to have at least a 6-month commitmentWhy it's not really a hassle if you do it rightWhy you want to package and deliver content in addition to the coachingAnd why specializing makes the whole thing more compelling and valuable to your clientsHow to promote it using the 5130 method by Taki MooreOren also mentioned:Everything I read points to niching down further. What's less clear to me is the process for doing this successfully.  Also kinda tricky to do when I’m currently getting leads and closing more business.It's a great point and I talk about this towards the end of the recording. I will do more content on this soon because it's not perfectly intuitive and it's really valuable if you can do it (specialize).That's all for now, have a great weekend!Yours, —k

Do you take inventory of the client's key performance indicators when you first start working with them? Personally, I didn't do this for a long time. And it became really hard to:a) prove your results down the lineb) write a case studyIn this recording, I talk about some of the KPIs I track early and why they matter later on.If you are clear about your client goals from the beginning, you can break them down into sub-goals that allow you show progress during and after your engagement.For reference, you can see an example of a case study I produced here: https://everspaces.com/iq/It's not perfect but it is highly specific about what results I was able to help my client accomplish. Prospects read it and it definitely helps during the sales process.Got a neat tip or trick? I'd love to hear it!DM or hit reply below to share.Yours,—k