How to Sell Advice

Are you thinking about getting into an industry or niche but aren't sure if there's enough money in it to sustain your business? This episode is based on a question that came in regarding the home care industry. Some research showed people don't spend much money on marketing relative to their revenue. Does that mean it's a dead end? Not so fast, I say.  Yours, —k

Do you ever wonder if your prices are too high or low?  Feel like you're shooting in the dark? Is $2,000 expensive or cheap? The question comes down to the value of your work and your ability to articulate it. In this session, I break down a question from a writer in this group about how I would go about the process of pricing and explaining the value to a client. You'll also hear an idea for how...

Testimonials are a powerful way to convey quality to your prospective clients.  There's nothing like your clients' words when it comes to articulating the value and experience of your services. And while there are lots of ways to do this, the main job of testimonials are to: 1. Articulate the transformation (before/after) 2. Help overcome objections your prospects may have The best testimonials ar...

Do your clients want quick results?  Here's the truth... it's a myth. Marketing is the slow road. Sure, you can get some numbers quickly. But like all things, if you want lasting, sustainable growth, it takes time. Think of it like your health. You can lose 10 lbs by starving yourself for a few days and taking extreme measures. Fighters do it all the time. But if you want to be healthy and have an...

This idea won't make sense for all situations. But it will for many. The general idea is this: take your clients' best customer (or multiple) and analyze a typical day in their life.  Actually interview them and ask them to walk you through what happens from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep, including how and when their products or services are consumed. What you're looking f...

Your job as a marketer is to grow your clients' business so you can actually get results. It doesn't matter how good you are at the tactics, if you don't know exactly who buys your clients' products and services and why, you won't get the best possible results. When I work with a client, I often spend a lot of time up front doing research.  Things like researching the industry and the competitive...

If you're like most freelancers and consultants, you run your sales process much like a typical scoping project. You try to figure out what the client wants you to do and you then nail down what the scope will be.  But that's a problem.  The clients aren't actually hiring you because of what you can do. They're hiring you because of where you can take them. If you go back to the earlier post, "How...

Michelle asked a great question that I think applies to most people in this group. She asked: “Do I need to know the ins and outs of PPC advertising or can i get away with knowing when and how to figure out if it's the best marketing strategy for my client? I'm a big hands on learner person. I love learning all I can. Thoughts?” My answer? No. You shouldn't (and can't) learn everything about every...

The secret sauce to advising your clients is to act as if they were your own family. Here's how I approach my work and how you can do the same, even if you're just getting started in a strategy role.  Yours, —k

I had a good question from Taylor, who does content marketing and copywriting.  He asks : When I was in the PR world, I understood exactly the relationship between myself, the ad agencies, the media buyers, etc. And even though there was some (aka a ton) of overlap and grey area, I understood how to approach it as far as which aspects should really be handled by me even though the others technical...

In response to my last post on how to sell advisory retainers , Michelle asked: How do you price the extra implementation work?  I get into trouble [because I] end up doing a lot of the work and in the long run the advising and strategy are where I make my most money. I think it's harder with Brand than simply Marketing alone.  I usually do a brand and marketing audit and then build in workshops f...

Here's a response to a question from a new member of the group about how to research and choose a niche. She's got a Fractional CMO positioning and not getting enough traction. Chances are, I told her, it's because it doesn't speak to a specific enough market vertical.  So, she's asked a few questions about how to find, research, and select a niche (and some stuff about SEO work she's currently do...

Ever since I started specializing in a market vertical (coworking) I've been able to really start systemizing and productizing my work. It's had a massive impact, both for me and my clients. Not only does it allow me to be more efficient, I also get to work with more clients and produce a consistent result for them time after time.  Everything from how I package, sell, onboard, and run my client e...

Want to leave your job and get started in freelancing or consulting?  Well, I've got some advice for you. Yours, —k

I've never hard to rely on outreach to get clients. But I do spend a lot of time creating content, so that could be why. Although, sometimes it can be necessary—especially when you're just getting started. But you don't want to rely on it.  Here are some thoughts on how to use outreach to get new clients (if that's what you need to do). Cheers! —k

Thinking of selling one to many offers?  Subscriptions, memberships, and group coaching are great ways to generate income on your path towards more leverage.  But if you don't plan the business model right, you could end up with a model that isn't aligned with your members/clients. In this episode, I chat about some of the distinct elements of each and how to price them so they make sense for ever...

Sukiyabashi Jiro is a 10-seat restaurant located underground next to the entrance of a train station. And yet, this is one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary about sushi chef, Jiro Ono, and his Michelin three-star restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Listen to this post to see how it inspired me to...

What if you could buy an air conditioner/furnace from someone who only made money on the service, not the actual unit. As it stands, HVAC providers sell the furnace AND installation. And that puts you, the buyer, at odds with their interest. They want to sell you the most expensive unit. What if, instead, they carried a wide range of options and didn't limit themselves to a few available options....

Most people start off selling implementation work before being able to sell advice. If that's you, I recommend one of these two options if you wish to transition into selling advice. 1. Offer it as a tier of service in your proposals 2. Offer a fractional CMO/managed marketing service The second one will severely limit you in terms of how many clients you can take on, but at least you can begin to...

This is a follow up episode from two days ago. I want you to listen to this and empathize with your clients' inner world when faced with the decisions you help them make.  To summarize, I'm finally ready to buy a new AC machine. It's been an interesting experience navigating a world I have no knowledge or experience about.  Luckily, I have a friend who is an HVAC expert. He's been my trusted advis...

Clients will come to you and prescribe a solution to their problem. But that doesn't mean you need to listen to them.  In fact, you need to do your own investigation first.  You need to diagnose their situation, find out what future state they're looking for, why it matters, what the financial impact will be, and only THEN do you decide how to get there and what it should cost. Not only does this...

My air conditioner broke in the middle of a heatwave. Someone came to look at it and told me it needs to be replaced. They also recommended I replace my furnace at the same time.  How do I know if what they're saying is true? I trust them, but my guard is up.  Now, imagine I had to make decisions like this every single day. Complicated choices with financial impact on things I have no expertise in...

There's a funny phenomenon I noticed when it comes to any kind of success in marketing.  You can apply it to almost anything you do and get greater success.  The phenomenon is this: go two levels deep.  Give this a listen and hit the like button or reply with your thoughts! Yours, —k

The problem with not knowing who you're trying to target with your marketing is that you end up not getting anyone interested enough to reach out. To succeed as a marketer, you need to have a target and then put the right things in the right places at the right time.  Listen to this strategy and tell me what you think. Yours, —k

Want to sell advice for a living? Well, there are at least two ways you can do it. But only one of them will get you real success.  Listen in to the differences between a fiduciary standard and suitability standard of advice, and why the fiduciary standard is the only one to aim for. If you want to learn more, here's a link to an article explaining the differences applied to the financial advisor...