Does it feel like you’re working harder and earning less? If so, I have great news. It doesn’t need to be that way. With the right tools, mindsets, and strategies, you can catapult your coaching business.
You need to continually invest in yourself and your business with great training programs. It’s critical to follow cutting-edge strategies so you can get more clients and more sales more often. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of outdated training programs and methods being sold on the Internet.
For example, I recently reviewed four programs by online marketers. Three were fantastic: cutting-edge, very effective at getting results, and valued at much more than the investment they were asking. One of the four, however, was selling three year old technology and membership site training. It was so outdated, I wouldn’t give it away.
So how can you tell the difference between a great program and a “time waster” so that you know you’re only investing in the best?
Here are 3 easy questions to ask that will assure you that a program is cutting-edge and effective at getting results.
#1 – Was it Created Recently?
Some training is evergreen, meaning that it’s just as good today as it was 5 years ago. Copywriting can fall into that category. But for most of the training programs you’ll consider purchasing, make sure it was created recently.
For example, in 2007 as a favor for a friend, I reviewed a comprehensive eBay course for selling profitably on eBay. On closer examination, I found that the material had been created more than 18 months previously. Many of the hyperlinks went to pages that no longer existed on eBay and there were references to eBay procedures that were either no longer in effect or had changed. The author lost all credibility with an outdated product.
#2 – Are these Strategies Used Today?
Are the strategies, tools, or techniques something the seller is currently using? Or are these methods that worked for them one to five years ago? If they aren’t currently using the strategy, how do you know it still works today?
Marketing strategies, software, and techniques are constantly evolving and being improved on. A marketing method that worked great two years ago may not be as effective when used today.
For example, offering free ebooks used to be a great strategy for building a huge list very quickly. Ebooks had a higher perceive value than a print book and people loved signing up for them. That is no longer the case. Today, most sites can’t give their ebooks away. People are inundated with written information.
#3 – Can You View Recent Data on Results?
If you’re considering a strategy or training that relies on an online company or service, you want to know if it’s been recently tested in the real world. By recently, I mean data that is less than 12 months old.
This is especially important in areas such as Google Adwords, search engine optimization, Facebook or other social media sites, online advertising, etc. The fresher the data, the better for your evaluation will be.
Google is constantly tweaking their algorithm. Facebook always seems to be changing the default settings on my account for me – and I don’t even need to ask! Paypal and 1ShoppingCart constantly tweaking their software. Even WordPress changes slightly with every new version and some versions completely change the look of the dashboard.
For example, when Google came out with their Panda update earlier this year, most article directories took a huge nose dive in rankings. So a 6 month old traffic training program that relied on article directory search engine listings would be virtually useless today. If Facebook or Google suddenly changes their rules about advertising, then associated training programs could be useless until they are updated with the new changes.
Summary
Just because something worked like crazy two years ago, doesn’t mean it works just as well today. This is especially true with search engine marketing techniques and novelty marketing ideas.
Remember the Million Dollar Homepage from 2005? A student earned over $1 Million in four months selling pixels on a webpage for $1 per pixel. Too bad it doesn’t work anymore. As soon as word got out, similar pages started appearing everywhere and the market was flooded with competition.
So look for training programs, methods, and software that are cutting-edge so you can work less, get more clients, and earn more.
