Why I offer free marketing coaching (and everyone thinks I’m nuts)
What the heck are you doing that for?
People will think you’re desperate
You’ll bankrupt yourself
Don’t you value your work?
Are you nuts?
Of all the feedback I received when I mentioned offering free marketing coaching calls, these are my faves!!
Some of this feedback came from respected and successful business coaches, the more strident comments came from friends and family.
All felt afraid for me.
And tbh I was a bit afraid too.
I was going against the grain. Giving my time away for free…..who does that???
We’re conditioned not to give in business.
There is always a transaction, an exchange; a tit for tat; money for ‘something’.
But this felt wholly unsatisfying to me. In my personal life, I was a giver; I was generous with my time, my money, my thoughts. Generosity was and still is one of my highest values.
I desperately wanted my biz to be built on generous foundations AND I desperately wanted (NEEDED) my biz to sustain me and my family.
Was it possible to have both? Hmmm…
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At the start of 2018, I was clueless.
I’d just quit my corporate marketing job and didn’t know what the feck I was doing.
I left a team, mentors, a job I knew inside out, processes, procedures, a comfortable chair, comfortable money, and a comfortable life.
I was on my tod.
I wished with all my being that I had a co-creator, a partner, someone to be clueless at, someone to share the uncomfortable with.
But I couldn’t afford a business coach.
So, like many in the same boat, I totally winged it. (And it was painful, exciting, frustrating, scary, and time-consuming)
The point of this wee flashback is to highlight the why behind offering free sessions.
The reason I offer free coaching to those struggling to market their business is that I want to be for others the person I never had.
(a friendly ear, an advisor, a cheerleader, a lighthouse)
Now, you may well think I’m bonkers offering my time for free, and that’s cool. But to be a success (whatever your definition of success is) you gotta follow your own path.
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So, what to do when you’re torn between the advice offered by someone you trust/respect and your own instinct?
Stop and pause.
Think back to why you started your business. What are the driving forces behind your creation?
Take some time out, go forth, and free-write, using this script.
I didn’t start this business to make money, I started this business for much bigger reasons. I started this business because….
(What are the 2/3 driving forces behind your venture? If you need any prompts, think about the things that piss you off in your industry and the things you want to create counter to that, think about how you want your biz to make a positive impact — for you, the community, the world!)
Now, what do you have? (aside from a scribbled page of notes)
You have the start of your message.
Your message = the emotional force that propels you to show up every day, connect with your inner knowing, take the path that feels right to you and share your work so other people who think as you will find you.
To build a human brand you need to first connect to yourself, get curious about the things that turn you on and off, and get intimate with yourself — it’s all about self-knowledge.
When you’re clear on
- who you are,
- what you care about,
- what you do and
- who you help
you’ll always know the right path to take….even if the rest of the world thinks you’re cuckoo!
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So yeah I offer free marketing coaching sessions
And you know why?
The ROI (Return on Investment) and the JOI (Joy of Investment) is MASSIVE
Every 60-minute session I host:
- shows potential clients that I know my shit
- reminds me that I know my shit (hello confidence!)
- connects me with people around the world
- inspires someone to start talking about (or think differently about) their wonderful work
- gives me ideas for new content
- and brings me new clients (FACT: all my current clients converted after a free session)
Oh, and
- they’re bloody good fun!
So poo poo all you want, but free sessions work for me, and I’ll merrily keep offering them until they don’t.
Click here if you fancy a no-strings, no-hard sell free marketing clarity session. They’re bloody good fun and super useful x
