She could have been pissed off at me.

In the beginning it was going that way, but by the end it all made sense to the client.

She was referred to me by the owners of the Big Blend Magazine where I am the Small Business Guru.  (A huge plug for them because it’s a been great way to advertise and get visibility!)

Her focus for buying the strategy session was to have help in creating a membership site.  So I began to ask her questions.  Loads and loads and loads of questions.  I could tell that she was getting a bit frustrated because she wanted to get instruction on how to build the site, but I needed to get the big picture.    That’s how my brain works….

You see, all that she thought of was adding a site onto her existing offerings.  It hadn’t occurred to her that maybe clients would enter at different levels of expertise or want a “do-it-yourself” vs. “done-for-you” option.  She didn’t get that there has to be a way to interlock all the parts in the client journey.

In the end, we came up with a beautiful FULL funnel of how a client could enter, what the special report would be to capture data, different levels the clients could get to, how to market to them, and how to get a whole lot more cash than she had thought of.  Oh, and of course all the mindset stuff that she’d need to pull it off.

As we were processing the session she did admit that in the beginning she was getting really frustrated because she didn’t see how all the pieces fit together as she was so focused on what the thing that she thought needed to be in place should have been.   But she was delighted with how it turned out!

Now for you….are you fixated on that one offering at the expense of the bigger picture?  Ask yourself the same questions I asked this now happy client -

Where do people enter when they work with you?

What skill level do they come with and what can you teach/offer in each level?

Have you surveyed them to see what they want and what they are willing to pay?

Who would you have to become to have a grander vision like this?

What can you outsource – cuz most likely you are the bottle neck?

What is your vision for your business in a year?

Answering those questions will help you take the big view and not get stuck making the mistake of trying to piece things together.

I guess sometimes its a good thing when your coach uses intuition!  Giving someone what they NEED versus what they WANT is often times much more kind in the long run.

Blessings!

p.s.  Feel free to leave a comment about how you take the long view.

Today I don’t have the answers.  I am not going to give you three quick tips or five easy strategies.  I’m sitting in the question.  So today I’m going to pose for you some deep questions that need to be asked.…….

If you read this blog from a couple of days ago, you will remember that I am conducting a survey, asking for people’s opinions about what they would like to see in a marking makeover program.   (The survey is http://bit.ly/8gkwb here by the way if you want to add your two cents)

It’s been really awesome to see the answers as they roll in.  I’m so grateful to all who have participated, but the last response that came in is the one that really struck a cord with me.

This person talked about taking another coaches very high end program.  They got great content, but after it was all over, the person was left feeling like, “Now what?”  The foundation was in place, ideas were generated, but there was no follow system or next steps in place, so after spending tons of money, the writer doesn’t feel like they are moving forward because they need more support.

It got me thinking.  As I work to design my program, what happens three months after the program ends?  What do my clients get if they have a questions down the road?  Am I going to avail myself to them, or will they have to wait till the next program rolls out?  It really is a discussion about what our role as information marketers or service providers is.  When people entrust us with their confidence and make investments in themselves through working with us, how much do we owe them?  I know myself and the folks that I like to hang out with tend to ‘give away the farm’ a bit, but then there are those who you can only get some face time if you are paying BIG BUCKS to.

It’s a tricky question, that’s for sure.  Is there a way to do a 90 day program but then offer three more months of some kind of additional support?  Is that for free, or for a fee?  (Maybe its kinda like the warranty on your car – “six months, six product launches, or 6 sales pages later….here’s what you get…” )

The question becomes when is a program enough?  And when should clients pay to keep getting more of you?

Probably more questions than answers, but I’d love your ideas to how you have handled this situation.

And thanks so much for the writer who shared (anonymously) with me on the survey.  May your words inspire us all to do a better job serving the people we are blessed to serve.

Blessings!