Ask Us Anything: Karen and Kathleen Answer Your Questions

Ask Us Anything: Karen and Kathleen Answer Your Questions

by | Mar 25, 2024

Ask Us Anything: Karen and Kathleen Answer Your Questions​

We haven’t done an Ask Us Anything episode in a while, so we thought this would be a good time to bring it back. This is where we answer questions health coaches either asked in our Facebook groups, posted on social media or emailed us about. 

We have 3 questions we’re answering today including how much content to share without giving away everything for free, how we work as business partners when it comes to sharing income and expenses, and lastly, is it better to offer a free or paid in-person workshop. 

Our first question is from Patty:

“I struggle with how much content to share without giving away the farm so to speak.

Do you have any tips on how much to share so I don’t feel like I’m giving away all the content from my paid program for free?”

This is a great question because you want to share helpful and valuable information, but you also don’t want to feel like you’re giving away your whole system – which honestly, is kind of hard to do when you’re sharing small nuggets of information.  We have an entire lesson about this inside our Wellness Business Accelerator program, and we’ll be opening the doors with a very special announcement in a couple of weeks. 

The best approach for not giving away the farm is to share content that teaches about the “what & why” about your area of expertise and not so much of the “how”. For example, if your niche includes women in menopause, you could discuss why women get menopausal symptoms, what they are, how one symptom can trigger another, etc. but save the info about how to fix it for your paid program. OR you can share an occasional “how” but just one step of it and not the whole process.

Another example would be that if your niche is helping women balance their blood sugar through whole foods and lifestyle, you can focus much of your content on the types of foods that elevate blood sugar, why managing blood sugar is so important, stats and data about how different type of exercise can help, general tips on types of food that slow sugar absorption when you eat. You can even do occasional healthy food swaps where you showcase a healthier option for a common food that is high in sugar. People love food swaps. You’re not giving them a plan to follow but it’s more like leaving breadcrumbs of tips to follow and then in your paid program, you give them the complete “how to”.

Also remember to sprinkle in client success stories and testimonials in your content, because that helps your audience imagine what’s possible for them if they work with you. 

Question #2 is from Michelle.

She’s teaming up with another wellness coach to provide online programs and eventually retreats. She wants to know how we divvy up income that is generated from our joint ventures.  Is it split 50/50 or do you track the clients we bring in separately? 

I love this question, and this is something we just figured out on our own in a way that works really well for the both of us for the past 7 years since starting this podcast and then eventually the Wellness Business Accelerator.

Karen has an accounting degree, so I really lucked out with that because I am not a numbers person by nature.  We keep track of all income and expenses for our joint ventures –we track them for the podcast, and then separately for the Wellness Business Accelerator (WBA), so we know what expenses we have, where it’s coming from and where it’s going out.  We have a Google sheet for the podcast and one for the WBA where we list everything by date. You can decide how often you want to settle expenses, distributions, but we do it every 2 months, and everything is split 50/50 which keeps it simple. 

Our 3rd and final question is from Julie:

“I want to host a workshop at a local restaurant that offers a room free of charge for the community. My goal is to educate, gain email subscribers, customers and health coaching clients. Should I offer it free or charge a small fee? If I charge, what do you think is a fair amount?”

This can be tricky to decide and there isn’t one right way to do it, so it may involve some testing to see what gets the best results.  Generally, if your main goal is to grow your email list and get clients, a free workshop works well.  Karen did many free workshops at local gyms and it was a great way to get clients.  A free workshop is typically covering the WHAT and the WHY of the topic and you’re laying the groundwork for how your program is the solution to the problem they have or the goal they want to achieve.

A paid workshop would include more of the HOW because people are paying to get information they can leave with and implement.  That doesn’t mean you’re giving the whole solution in 45- 60 minutes, but the content of a paid workshop will be more robust than a free workshop, so keep that in mind too – expectations are going to be higher when people pay.

So, either way can work, but if you’re starting out, testing it by offering it for free can be the way to go.  When you get clients from a free workshop, you’re earning income to also help pay for any expenses you incur. If the restaurant location is free, that’s amazing and one less thing you have to pay for.

If you do decide you want to charge and provide more in-depth workshop content, you can start out as low as $15 and you can even do a promotion where if you bring a friend, the friend can come for free. This is free marketing for you if people bring a guest, so that’s a win-win too!

Either way you decide to go, you will be getting in front of new people with the opportunity to get new clients.

We hope one of these questions were on your mind too or maybe it will help you in the future with some of your plans as you create content to share, run workshops or possibly from some sort of collaboration or partnership down the road.   

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

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Let's Connect on Facebook:

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Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

Best Of: 3 Things to Focus on Before Your Next Launch to Increase Sales

Best Of: 3 Things to Focus on Before Your Next Launch to Increase Sales

by | Dec 26, 2022

Best Of: 3 Things to Focus on Before Your Next Launch to Increase Sales

We’re bringing back an episode that will help you know where to focus your time and effort before your next launch, so you can increase sales.  We’re covering 3 specific things you want to do, before your launch, so you can warm up your audience and create interest and demand for your offer.

This topic is important because the success of your promotion or launch greatly depends on what you do 30-60 days beforehand – it’s not just what you do during your promotion that will make sales.  The period before your launch or promotion is considered your pre-launch period and this is important because it’s where you can really warm up your audience and subscribers, build trust and gain interest in your upcoming offer.

Plan out at least 30 days for this if possible. If you only have 2-3 weeks for this, do what you can.

We are covering 3 specific things to focus on before your next promotion to increase sales and enrollment in your programs.

You’ll discover:

  • How to show up consistently for your audience to warm them up and create curiosity about your program before you launch
  • 5 ways to show up consistently
  • When to focus on building your email list
  • The benefits of growing your Facebook group prior to promoting your offer

The success of your promotion or launch greatly depends on what you do 30-60 days beforehand – it’s not just what you do during your promotion that will make sales.  The period before your launch or promotion is considered your pre-launch period and this is important because it’s where you can really warm up your audience and subscribers, build trust and gain interest in your upcoming offer.

We are going to cover 3 specific things to focus on before your next promotion to increase sales and enrollment in your programs.

It makes sense if you think about it and if you observe what some other people do as a pre-launch warm up strategy, you’ll see this in action. The more your audience knows you, the more likely they are to invest in what you have to offer and the more they are warmed up to the topic you are talking about, the more they will be ready to sign up even before you go to promote your program.

Plan out at least 30 days for this if possible (45 days is even better, but 30 is a good place to start).

1. Show up consistently.   What 2 platforms can you go all in on?

If you’re only on one social media platform right now, start where you are.

Decide where you are going to show up to deliver value and helpful content to your audience and commit to it – at least weekly.  Pick two to start with if you are on more than one.  The goal with this is to share content that is directly related to the program you are launching while also allowing your audience to get to know you. When you do this, you are educating and inspiring your audience and your community around a certain theme or topic.

One way to do this is to look at common questions you get or questions you see on social media that are related to your niche and the program you will be promoting and use that as inspiration for topics to cover.   

You can also pick topics from your program and share one quick tip about it. Another idea is to address common myths and/or misconceptions. For example, if your program is about intermittent fasting, a common misconception (or even an objection) might be that it sounds complicated and they may be worried they will feel hungry during the day. How can you bust those myths or objections and put people at ease, so they are curious and want to learn more?  You can focus on the benefits and client success stories too to mix things up.

Here are 5 simple ways you can show up consistently:

  • Livestream video – on your page, in your group. Where does it make the most sense for you to go live and how often can you do it?  The more you live video you do, the better, so decide what works for you at this time.
  • Stay in touch with your email subscribers weekly. You can repurpose content by using the livestream topic for your email and invite people to watch the livestream or replay. Let your subscribers know you are working something exciting for them that you will be sharing more about soon.
  • Social media – you can use a mix of static image posts, video, carousels, stories and reels. Pick 2-3 and go all in.  Not every post needs to be about your program topic, but a majority of them should be.
  • Blog posts – share your post on social media and via email. Your blog post content can be used for livestreams too, so one topic can be used in multiple ways. If you are doing weekly blog posts, each one should tie into your paid program since you will only have time for 4 of them if you have 30 days.
  • Guest opportunities for blog posts, livestreams, podcasts or in their group. This is a great way to get in front of new people, grow your audience and sometimes, also build your email list. Do as many as you can (weekly would be ideal).

Which of these 5 can you commit to doing at least 30 days before your launch?

  • Livestream video
  • Emailing your subscribers at least once a week
  • Social media posts
  • Blog Posts
  • Guest opportunities

2. Build your email list

One of the biggest indicators of the success of your promotion or launch is directly tied to the size and quality of your email list. Are you focusing on list growth before you launch and between launches? This should be an ongoing strategy each and every week.   Some people wait until right before their launch to grow their email list, but when you focus on this on an ongoing basis, you will have new subscribers each and every week, and over time, they really get to know you.   

If you want ideas on how and where to promote your freebie to grow your email list, check out episode 138 where we covered 5 FREE Ways to Promote Your Free Offer to Grow Your Email List.   

3. Grow your Facebook Group

A free Facebook group can be a great step in the customer journey because when people join your group, they see you on video, they also see you as a leader in the group and that starts to build trust right away. The people in your Facebook group get to know you pretty quickly, even more so than through email since they get to interact with you in real time.  Growing your group on a continuous basis will be a big help between launches.  Your group is also a great way to grow your email list, so the two work very well together as part of the customer journey.

For more on how to grow your email list through your group, check out episode 239 where we covered:  How to Use Your Facebook Group to Grow an Email List Full of Warm Leads.

What is one thing you can start with now that will help people get to know you and feel connected to you, so when you go to invite them to your program, they know you are the right person to help them?

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

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Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

90 Day Goal Setting – Why This Cycle Makes You More Productive & Profitable

90 Day Goal Setting – Why This Cycle Makes You More Productive & Profitable

by | Jun 20, 2022

90 Day Goal Setting – Why This Cycle Makes You More Productive & Profitable

If you want to become more productive and profitable, using 90-Day goal setting framework can help.

When you plan in 90-day chunks of time, it is much more manageable and works in your favor to avoid the revenue highs and lows that often come with trying to plan 12 months at a time at the beginning of each year.

In this episode of The Wellness Business Podcast, we’re sharing how to leverage your time and energy to build your business in a way that results in more profits and the healthiest version of you as a business owner.

In this episode you’ll discover:

  • Why working in 90-day cycles to complete your goals makes you more productive and profitable
  • A sample 12-week project plan for hosting a wellness workshop for client enrollment
  • Why planning a 12-month calendar for your business can lead to feelings of failure and burnout

Today we’re going to teach you how to leverage your time and energy to build your business in a way that results in more profits and the healthiest version of you as a business owner.

Okay let’s dive in!

If you’ve ever tried to plan out a year at a time in your business you’ve likely discovered that it’s almost impossible to stay on track for the entire 12-month period.

Things come up and life happens, and once you get off track from your 12-month master plan, it’s can be hard to rally your mindset back to feeling like you’ll accomplish everything you want for that year. Getting off track can happen in month 2, 5, 7. Whenever it happens, it feels like a failure which isn’t good for your productivity or mindset. Believe me I know because that has happened to me lots of times.

The flip side of this is when you work in 90 day cycles you can plan for success milestones in a more reasonable chunk of time.

In each 90-day cycle you’ll focus on…

  • One major revenue goal
  • One brand awareness goal, (summit, challenge, workshop)
  • One list-building goal
  • Social media growth goal, (FB, IG, Groups)
  • Optional: New project goal

In reality, many of these goals will work synergistically. For instance, hosting a workshop can grow your email list while also helping you make sales.

Once you’ve identified your specific goals are in the upcoming quarter you can begin to break each goal down into smaller weekly chunks over the next 12 weeks.

As an example, let’s say that you want to deliver a high-value workshop as a list-building opportunity as a way to sell your program. You’ve scheduled it for week 10 of the 12-week cycle.

Here’s how it might break down in your goal setting plan.

Week 1: Map out tasks and due dates

Week 2: Hire any outside contractors that you’ll need for graphics creation, video editing, etc.

Weeks 3 – 7: Write, develop, create all necessary content, (slide deck, social media graphics, social media posts, promotional emails, bonus content, etc.)

Weeks 8 – 9: Send out promotional emails, deliver stories and live video promoting the workshop, post on social, answer questions your followers have. Week 10 – Deliver the workshop & open cart

Week 11 – Close cart / Welcome new clients

Week 12 – Collect data / Crunch numbers / Analyze information

You can outline each goal that you want to achieve in the next 12 weeks in the exact same way. Many of those items will have sub-tasks but you get the idea.

One of the easiest ways to stay on track with your 90-day goals is to use a project management system that allows you to set due dates. Two of our favorites are Trello and ClickUp. Taking the time to determine tasks and map out due dates is the backbone to reaching your goals and objectives.   

We’d like to challenge you to map out your next goal in this way. Even if you feel like 90 days is too much for you at this time then try 30 days. Break down your goals, and then the tasks for each goal, and then due dates for each task.

We can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

How To Use Urgency & Scarcity To Sell More Programs

How To Use Urgency & Scarcity To Sell More Programs

by | Jun 13, 2022

Add Blog Post Title Here

If you want to enroll more clients in your coaching program, adding an element of urgency and scarcity is critical. People need a reason to take action now vs later, and when you add this strategy into your marketing, you’ll see an increase in sales.

In this episode of The Wellness Business Podcast, we’re sharing how to use urgency and scarcity in your next promotion. 

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 3 urgency and scarcity options that will increase the number of people enrolling in your paid program
  • The #1 thing you should NEVER do when using this strategy, (because you could lose all future credibility with your followers)
  • The psychological premise behind this strategy and why it works so well

Tune in to this episode to learn how to boost sales during your next promotion.

To help bring this marketing strategy to life, here’s one example.

Let’s say you’re ready to promote a brand-new program that you’ve just created, and you want to add scarcity and urgency to your marketing message to fill your program. You could do this in several different ways. Today we’re going to share three different options with you.

1. Enrollment into your program is only available for a limited amount of time.

Once the open cart period is over then enrollment is closed until the next time you promote. This comes into play when you run programs that have a set start and end date. For this option we recommend a 5-7-day open cart/promotional period. This will give you enough time to promote the benefits of working with you and also to make sure your followers have a clear understanding that once the cart closes, they no longer can join you in the program.

2. You offer an initial pricing discount based on a certain percentage or dollar amount of the regular price point.

Again, this discount would be for a limited amount of time. This strategy is perfect when launching a brand-new program because you can position it more like a beta launch. In a beta launch, one of your main objectives is to collect testimonials at the end of the program so offering a price discount up front with the clarification that this is a ‘one-time offer’ will give you a greater chance of enrolling more people into your program. Gathering testimonials for the next time you promote will give you significant social proof of how working with you can solve their problem. The discount could be anywhere between 25%-50% off depending on what’s included in the program.

3. You limit the number of people into your program.

This strategy appeals to our mindset that we never want to be left out of something amazing. This marketing technique can be extremely effective and has been proven to convert leads into sales over and over again. When you put a cap on the number of people you’ll allow to enroll in your paid program, (this goes for group programs or one-on-one coaching), you’ll find that people take action more quickly because they don’t want to be left out. Quite often, when there are an unlimited number of spots in a program, you’ll find that people procrastinate and wait until the last minute to join the program. However, when there is a cap on the number of people being accepted, you’ll find that people take action more quickly to guarantee their spot. This strategy also helps people who are chronically indecisive, make decisions more quickly.

The one thing that we want to caution you on is that when you use urgency and scarcity as a marketing strategy it’s important to stick to your guns. In other words…

… if the cart closes at midnight on Tuesday then no one gets in after that time.

… if you are offering a discount, then once that discount expires the pricing returns to normal.

… if you have a cap on the number of people that can join, don’t increase that number once it has been reached.

Incorporate some of these strategies into your next promotion and watch what happens!

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

FREEBIE – 10 Ways to Use Urgency & Scarcity to Make More Sales

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

The Formula for Pricing Your Health Coaching Programs

The Formula for Pricing Your Health Coaching Programs

by | Jun 7, 2022

The Formula for Pricing Your Health Coaching Programs

If you’re a health coach, you have likely wondered how to price your programs.  This can be tricky because there are several options and delivery methods to consider, and it can keep you stuck in analysis paralysis. Because there isn’t one set answer about how to do this, we wanted to share a formula with you to help you make a plan that you feel good about, so you can check this off your to-do list once and for all.    

The 3-part formula we are sharing in this episode, breaks down the following elements of the pricing puzzle: 

  1. What Your Ideal Client Wants
  2. Your Revenue Goals
  3. Pricing and Program Model Options

Once you have these 3 elements figured out, you will feel more confident about what you are charging and the value you are providing to your clients.

Tune in for plenty of ideas and examples, so you can finalize or update your program pricing.

Grab your FREE Guide and Workbook that will help you with this even more:  The Secrets to Pricing and Packaging Health Coaching Programs that Sell.

It’s important to note that how you price your offerings as a new health coach will change and evolve over time as you get experience and help more people. We covered the issue of increasing your coaching rates on episode 226, so be sure to check that out too, so you know how to update your pricing as you go.

Let’s dive in!

1. Know What Your Ideal Client Wants

The first step to pricing and packaging your coaching programs is to find out what your ideal client wants and needs so you can present the perfect solution. A coaching program that is general or vague will be hard to sell because people are looking for help with a specific issue, goal or challenge.

Here’s what you want to get clear about:

What specific problems or struggles are they facing right now elated to your niche?

How are they feeling about their current situation now, and what outcome or result do they want?

Here are a few ways you can find out your ideal client’s struggles and desires:

  • Survey your audience – doing polls/questions on social media can be a great way to do this.
  • Be observant of what people are posting on social media and in Facebook groups.  You can check out similar social media pages and profiles to see what people are posting, commenting about and asking that relate to your niche.
  • Look at the questions you see or hear the most from your past or current clients.
  • Pay close attention to what people are saying during your discovery calls.
  • Listen to podcasts related to your area of interest and expertise to get some insights about where your potential clients need help.

Now that you have some good insights and information, what do you do with it?   

You will use this information in places such as your sales pages, social media content, blog content, livestreams, recorded video, your promotional emails, etc.  When you can convey that you understand your ideal client and how you can help them, the right people will be drawn to you and they will want to find out more. Using the exact wording and verbiage of your ideal clients is very powerful because they instantly feel like you get them.

2. Know Your Revenue Goals – This is very important, but it’s often overlooked.  If you want to have a business instead of a hobby, being clear on the revenue you want to earn is part of being a business owner.

  • How much income do you want to earn? Be specific so you know what goal you want to achieve.
  • Set short-term and long-term goals (30 days, 90 days, 1 year)
  • Once you know your revenue goals, it will be easier to figure out how you’re going to achieve them, and we’ll be covering more on this in a bit.

Consider how many hours you have each month to dedicate to coaching clients. If you are working a part time or full-time job already, you will have fewer hours to dedicate to your business and that’s totally fine. The key is to figure out how to make it work for you where you are right now.

If your initial goal is to earn $2,000 per month, there are different ways to get there, and here are just a few examples.

  1. 10 one-on-one clients at $200 per month (if you see clients twice per month for 60 minutes, that’s 20 hours of coaching time each month).
  2. 20 one-on-one clients at $100 per month (double the time as the first example). If you see clients twice per month for 60 minutes, that’s 40 hours of coaching each month.
  3. 20 online group members at $100 per month (this format does not involve any one-on-one time with clients, but you could do weekly or bi-weekly livestreams or recorded videos).
  4. 5 one-on-one clients at $200 per month and 10 in an online group program at $100 per month.
  5. A monthly membership/continuity program at $47 per month with 43 members.

So, there are many ways to reach your revenue goals to fit into your life and your preferred way of working with people. Introverts will likely enjoy the online group format the most and introverts will likely crave some one-on-one interaction, so that’s something to keep in mind too.

3. Pricing and Program Model Options

There are several ways to price your coaching programs, and one thing to keep in mind is that the more specific your solution, the more you can charge (one more great reason to go all in on a niche).

Here are a few pricing options:

  • Per session (generally not recommended but if you do this, you want to charge a higher rate for each session vs your other coaching options)
  • Per month (if so, how many sessions per month?)
  • Per package (example: 3 or 6 months)
  • An online group program with a set start/end date that includes your support in a forum such as a FB group
  • An online group membership/continuity program – low monthly fee ($29 – $47) with no set end date – recurring revenue with more people

Online group coaching programs are typically priced one half to two-thirds of your one-on-one program because it takes up less of your time, and people are not receiving individualized attention. Pricing will depend on your niche and what you include in your program (resources, how much support, etc.).

Other things you want to keep in mind as you decide on pricing is incorporating bonuses that can add more value to the program and make it seem like more of a no-brainer decision.

I hope you found these ideas and examples helpful.

I cover this and a few suggestions you can use in my free guide Secrets to Pricing and Packaging Health Coaching Programs that Sell, so be sure to grab that while it’s available. You’ll also learn some of the most common mistakes to avoid when it comes to pricing and packaging your programs, so you know what to do instead.   

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Free Guide and Workbook: The Secrets to Pricing and Packaging Health Coaching Programs that Sell

Episode 226:  How Often Should You Raise Your 1-On-1Coaching Rates

Wellness Business Accelerator

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Let's Connect on Facebook:

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Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!