Hi
Are you selling your time or are you selling
products?
It may not seem important or relevant to you but
the distinction is the difference
between one that has a limit on what it can make
and one that doesn't. I talk about this at www.coaching-coaches.com
The thing about executive coaching and coaching coaches
is that it can be quite lucrative. It's true that selling your time can make
a lot of money. But those who earn a living doing so
have a high rate of burnout and low job satisfaction.
The problem is there are only so many hours in the day.
You can't bill for more hours than there are.
By selling products you can half the time you
put into your business and remove all limits
on your profits. Don't think your services can
be made into products? Think again!
See the difference?
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Coaches Online
Coaches Online
As with many other knowledge professionals, executive coaches are increasingly selling their knowledge and services on line in various forms. This is certainly true in executive coaching and coaching coaches. I don’t want to talk about these various forms however, but do want to make some general comments about presenting yourself on line. What are the best ways to do this? There are a number of points to make but what is clear is the importance of website design.
It has been proven and shown over and over again that non-pretty but basic, functional websites sell better than fancy sites with all the bells and whistles. In fact my site www.coaching-coaches.com follows this formula. Some of the most popular ecommerce sites: eBay, Amazon and Skype, are not that strong on fancy design. They are simple and clear.
So forget about flashy introductions and all these are just distracting your customers. When someone comes to your site you don't need to get their attention because you ALREADY have it. Rather you want to offer them attention by answering the questions they came online looking for your information in the first place.
People come online with an aim. You need to have a site that helps them in the accomplishment of that aim. So, if you are promising a free article or report then show them CLEARLY how they can easily get it.
Also, most surfers are impatient. If your site does not immediately answer the aim the surfer is seeking to satisfy they will ‘bounce’ away.
Here are some ways in which you can design a website that's functional:
1. Make your navigation system as easy and intuitive as you can. Don’t force your visitors to have to look hard for things.
2. Make sure that the design of the text is readable and grammatically correct. Don’t use too many dense paragraphs and make sure you have plenty white space.
3. Make your main headlines stand out by using a larger font and
A different colour from the rest of the text.
4. Help the visitor to accomplish their task. What's obvious to you may not be obvious to a new user.
5. Label your ‘action’ buttons appropriately, such as: "Click Here To Buy","Click Here To View!" Click here to …”
Evidence shows that 'marked up' salescopy like yellow
highlighting, underlining, and bolding, etc. have a higher response than standard text. Long sales copy sells better than short sales copy. And only one thing sells better than long sales copy and that’s even longer sales copy!
Colleagues who say to you that your website looks "pretty" or “nice” tend not to buy from such sites. "Does this site look good?" is a wasted question. The real question is "Would this site sell?
Don't be flattered by those who say how “nice” your site looks. Go for the site that will sell!!
As with many other knowledge professionals, executive coaches are increasingly selling their knowledge and services on line in various forms. This is certainly true in executive coaching and coaching coaches. I don’t want to talk about these various forms however, but do want to make some general comments about presenting yourself on line. What are the best ways to do this? There are a number of points to make but what is clear is the importance of website design.
It has been proven and shown over and over again that non-pretty but basic, functional websites sell better than fancy sites with all the bells and whistles. In fact my site www.coaching-coaches.com follows this formula. Some of the most popular ecommerce sites: eBay, Amazon and Skype, are not that strong on fancy design. They are simple and clear.
So forget about flashy introductions and all these are just distracting your customers. When someone comes to your site you don't need to get their attention because you ALREADY have it. Rather you want to offer them attention by answering the questions they came online looking for your information in the first place.
People come online with an aim. You need to have a site that helps them in the accomplishment of that aim. So, if you are promising a free article or report then show them CLEARLY how they can easily get it.
Also, most surfers are impatient. If your site does not immediately answer the aim the surfer is seeking to satisfy they will ‘bounce’ away.
Here are some ways in which you can design a website that's functional:
1. Make your navigation system as easy and intuitive as you can. Don’t force your visitors to have to look hard for things.
2. Make sure that the design of the text is readable and grammatically correct. Don’t use too many dense paragraphs and make sure you have plenty white space.
3. Make your main headlines stand out by using a larger font and
A different colour from the rest of the text.
4. Help the visitor to accomplish their task. What's obvious to you may not be obvious to a new user.
5. Label your ‘action’ buttons appropriately, such as: "Click Here To Buy","Click Here To View!" Click here to …”
Evidence shows that 'marked up' salescopy like yellow
highlighting, underlining, and bolding, etc. have a higher response than standard text. Long sales copy sells better than short sales copy. And only one thing sells better than long sales copy and that’s even longer sales copy!
Colleagues who say to you that your website looks "pretty" or “nice” tend not to buy from such sites. "Does this site look good?" is a wasted question. The real question is "Would this site sell?
Don't be flattered by those who say how “nice” your site looks. Go for the site that will sell!!
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