Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

Are you a bit of a perfectionist? A little bit of perfectionism can be a good thing. It can help you strive towards creating the very best content and value for your members.

But too much can be a big problem. In fact, perfectionism can kill progress.

If perfectionism is holding you back from launching your membership or taking it to the next level, this episode is for you.

We’ll be discussing how perfectionism can hold you back, why it’s virtually impossible to achieve in the membership space, and why holding yourself back can rob you of the very things you need to improve – feedback, experience, and data.

Essential Learning Points:

• How perfectionism gets in the way of progress
• Why perfectionism is impossible in an ever-changing membership
• The importance of feedback and data in improving your membership

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy

Key Quotes:

“Perfection kills progress.”

“Perfection is unattainable because memberships are always evolving. When you build a membership, you're not creating a finished or complete product.”

“If you're holding back on launching because you want to get it right, you are preventing access to the very thing that will help you to get it right. And that is experience feedback and data.”

Is your membership not attracting enough members? Are you wondering where you’re going wrong?

In this episode, we cover nine of the most common reasons why people don’t sign up for a membership site. There might be something you haven’t thought of yet, so this episode should give you some food for thought.

Tune in to see if you’re guilty of any of these mistakes and find out ways to fix them. Find out whether your membership struggles are down to market need, lack of research, competition or pricing.

Essential Learning Points:        

• The importance of directly asking for the sale
• Why you need to ensure your membership is valuable and needed
• Why thorough research is the bedrock of any successful membership
• Niching down vs. being too broad
• Why trust is so important in memberships

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy      
• Why Membership Site Owners Need to Niche Down (And STAY Niched)

Key Quotes:

“People don't join memberships to stand still. They join because they have a result they want to achieve. They have a transformation they want to undergo and a goal they want to hit. So, you need to break it down as clearly as possible, how your membership will help them.”

“If you're not established, if you don't have a body of work, some content they can read or listen to, recommendations, or social proof, then your audience might be more hesitant to do business with you.”

“Trust is everything in business, especially with a membership site, because they're not just buying one thing from you today. They are entering into an ongoing relationship with you.”

Are you ready to build your email list? Do you already have one but you’re not sure how to get the most value out of it?

Whether you’re starting from scratch or are revamping your email series, this episode is for you. We cover five great email types to send your new subscribers to entice them into signing up to your membership site.

These are simple yet effective ways to give people a taste of what your membership is like, how it can help them, and the value they could be getting from you.

Essential Learning Points:

• Why creating an email series is so important for new subscribers
• What to include in a welcome email
• The best ways to create an email sales pitch for new subscribers
• How a case study can effectively sell your membership
• Why you should send value-driven emails as well as sales pitches

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys   
• Membership Academy

Key Quotes:

“Choose a single success story from your member base to write a mini case study around. This should be a story that shows people what's possible by being a member of your site.”

“Memberships are pretty abstract products. They're typically made up of many different elements, so it can be challenging to concisely describe them. So being able to show as well as tell can be a real advantage.”

“A way to over-deliver is to give them an extra surprise freebie, an eBook, a cheat sheet, a free workshop, something along those lines that they weren't expecting.”

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a membership?

Maybe you’ve considered joining one in the past but just have no idea what to expect. Does your audience feel the same way about your membership?

Hopefully not, but if you’re looking for a way to bring some transparency, trust, and a behind-the-scenes look into your membership, then this episode is for you.

I go into four simple yet effective ways to give your members a sneak peek behind the curtain at what goes on in your membership.

The benefits of this marketing tactic are incredible, so tune in today to hear our ideas, how they could help, and how we use them in our own content to promote Membership Academy.

Essential Learning Points: 

• Transparency can build trust, so take members behind-the-scenes
• How to use screen capture footage as a simple piece of marketing content
• How to use social media Stories to give insights into your day-to-day life
• Why you should create content that focuses on your journey
• Why you should showcase your members and their successes

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• Behind the Membership podcast

Key Quotes:

“Not everyone

knows what an online membership is like. If you're in an industry where online

memberships aren’t particularly prolific, yours might be the very first

membership that your customers are encountering.”

“In the online

world, it can be difficult to trust. There are too many cases of people paying

for something that ultimately either just didn't get delivered or was nothing

like what was promised. When you have something like a behind-the-scenes video,

you're showing proof that your product exists.”

“Transparency can

be very appealing to people. A lot of people these days feel like they need

that connection with the people they choose to do business with. So

transparency can go such a long way.”

Are you comfortable talking about money?

Many aren’t and avoid the topic altogether. Others are on the opposite end of the spectrum and will flaunt it all day on social media.

As money isn’t something that we talk a lot about, either here on The Membership Guys or in real life, this episode is a bit of a different one.

In this episode, I explore some financial food for thought about memberships and money in general. I cover things like mental money blocks, the influence of social media, putting money to good use, and scaling your business.

This episode’s a bit of a different one than usual, so tune in for a talk on all things money-related.

Essential Learning Points:

• Why our marketing isn’t money focused
• The common money blocks that hold us back
• Why we shouldn’t compare ourselves to people on social media
• How the membership model is about slow and steady growth
• How to put money to good use in your business
• Working out your effective hourly rate
• How scaling your business is all about mindset

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• The Untold Origin Story of The Membership Guys (Episode 300 Special)
• Superfastbusiness
• Work Less Make More by James Schramko  

Key Quotes:

“The money side of memberships is relatively boring. It's not an exciting roller coaster ride. And so, we need to make sure that we don't get complacent and take it for granted.”

“When you buy cheap, you end up buying twice. And so, you start to recognize the value of investing money.”

“Instead of paying yourself more and taking more per month, pay yourself the same but for doing less work.”

“I love memberships because the output is usually substantially more than the input. I can spend an hour creating a piece of content. And that can help hundreds of people who then refer dozens of people, which makes me X amount of extra money for one hour of my time.”

Are you ready to build your membership website?

Before you get started, there are a few key tech decisions you need to make first. These decisions will influence every element of your membership, so you need to choose wisely!

How you host your website, build it, choose a domain name, and build a community are just some of the most important but tough decisions to make.

In this episode, I cover five tough tech decisions you’ll need to make before you can launch your website. If you’re just getting started and aren’t sure how to get the ball rolling, don’t miss this episode!

Essential Learning Points:

• The differences between self-hosted and using a platform
• When to hire a developer vs. build a website yourself
• What to consider when choosing a domain name
• How to choose the best themes and plugins for your site
• What to consider when building a membership community

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• Should You Build Your Website Yourself or Hire Help – with Martin & Lyndsay from Jammy Digital
• Should I Host My Membership on a Separate Domain Name?
• Why you should add a community to your membership site
• 11 Proven Tactics for Starting a New Membership Community

Key Quotes:

“These are decisions that can have an impact and repercussions on so many different elements of your membership, how you run it, how you grow it, your member experience, and so on.”

“WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world. And a big part of the reason for that is the fact that there are all sorts of add-ons you can install.”

“If you’re cash-rich but time-poor, you're probably going to hire someone. If you're the reverse of that, then the likelihood is you're going to need to build your site yourself.”

Are you considering a switch from a closed to open-door membership? Maybe you’ve heard about all the benefits of open membership models and want to try it out for yourself.

Great! Open memberships can be a fantastic business model. It’s the very same model we use for our own Membership Academy.

But don’t just jump headfirst into the switch! If you’re changing to an open membership model, it’s not as easy as changing your mind and keeping the doors open all year.

There are lots of things to consider and adjustments to make if you make such a big move. You’ll need to think about all sorts of things like marketing, sales figures, how it will affect the community, and much more!

In this episode, I share some things to know about and the best ways to prepare your membership for an enrolment change.

Essential Learning Points:

• Why you need a solid reason for switching membership models
• How your approach to marketing will need to change
• Why you need to change your sales expectations
• The importance of member onboarding with an open-door membership
• How the membership community will change once you switch

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• 5 Reasons Why I Dislike the Closed Door Membership Launch Strategy

Key Quotes:

“An always open membership relies heavily on evergreen marketing, having that marketing machine that works year-round. And the big piece of that is going to be your core sales funnel.”

“Don't start panicking when you have a day where you don't get any sales because it's all about the long term.”

“You can't get away with sloppy onboarding as much in an open membership as you can in a closed membership.”

Are you toying with the idea of switching from an open to a closed-door membership model?

Hold on! Before you make the switch, there are some vital things to consider first. In this episode, I’ll take you through the top things to prepare for, decide on, and consider before switching your enrolment model.

Switching to a closed-door model isn’t a decision to take lightly. It doesn’t just affect your marketing. It can change the whole member experience as well. This episode covers some ways you can weather the storm and make the switch a smooth transition.

Essential Learning Points:

• Why you need a solid reason for changing your enrolment model
• What you need to prepare for and communicate to your members
• How a closed-door model can change the member experience
• What switching to a closed-door model will do for member numbers
• Why you still need to market and keep people engaged throughout the year

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• 6 Situations Where The Closed Door Membership Model Makes Sense

Key Quotes:

“It just stands to reason that, if you have a product, you want to make it available and accessible for people to buy and join when the time is right for them.”

“Clear, transparent communication about this change, whether you're going from open to closed or close to open, is key to really nailing this process.”

“Whether your doors are open all the time or closed and only open two or three times a year, you still need to market year-round. You still need to show up in between your launches.”

Good news... it's my birthday!! 

Bad news... I literally NEVER work on my birthday…

It’s one of my rules...

And as much as I love The Membership Guys podcast… 

I can’t break this rule. 

So I’m taking the day off….

And that can mean only one thing... 

CALLIE IS TAKING OVER!

(And I get to eat cake)

Join the other (some would say better) half of The Membership Guys for a very special episode, as Callie shares her top takeaways from season 4 of her podcast, Behind the Membership, and reveals the release date for season 5.

Listen to hear about: 

• The changes membership owners have made to better serve their audiences during the global pandemic. Caryn Liles explains how Covid 19 resulted in her transitioning her well established brick and mortar dog training business to an online membership model, which is now allowing her to provide more in-depth support than before. Katie Wardrobe talks about how she reduced the price of her membership and offered more free content to help teachers adapt to working online, which has increased the growth of her business. 
• How Carole Copeland Thomas’s membership has become more important than ever due to the growing racial tensions across the U.S. 
• Why a one size fits all approach doesn’t work when it comes to memberships. Pamela Mitchell explains how she created a model to suit her needs and Felicia Lo shares the benefits and challenges of running an online membership alongside a well established international yarn business. Steve Pavlina also talks about how he offers a high ticket annual membership that only launches for five days a year. 
• How season 4 reinforced the message that memberships give owners the freedom and flexibility to live life on their own terms. Whether it’s accommodating health issues like in the case of Marisha Mets, building a location independent business enabling family travel like in the case of Trish Blackwell... Or using your membership to reach big goals and eventually give back to underprivileged communities like John Michaloudis. 
• How running memberships can lead to positive change. Warwick Brown explains how leaving his corporate role and launching his membership has led to a happier, more energized life and Warren Mcpherson shares how he reduced his income streams and took ownership of his time so he can spend more of it with his young family.    

Links and Mentions: 

• Behind The Membership podcast 
• Launching Quickly in a Global Crisis with Caryn Liles
• Double your member base during a pandemic with Katie Wardrobe 
• Facilitating Change Through Difficult Conversations with Carole Copeland Thomas
• Creating a High Level Coaching Membership with Coach Pamela Mitchell
• Adding a Membership to a Successful Manufacturing Business with Felicia Lo
• Aligning Your Members to Your Vision with Steve Pavlina
• Creating a Custom Web App for Your Members with Marisha Mets
• Fighting Through a Crisis of Confidence with Trish Blackwell
• Staying Consistent as a One-Man Band with Warwick Brown
• Setting Ambitious Goals for Your Membership with John Michaloudis
• More Time, More Freedom, More Income with Warren Mcpherson

Key Quotes: 

“Memberships are game changers at the best of times, but in 2020 they proved that even more.”

“Everything is possible with a membership model if you focus on what’s going to serve you and your members” 

“There is no right or wrong way when it comes to membership sites, it’s what’s best for you.”

Whether you are new to memberships, thinking about starting one, or have been doing it for years, there are some key things that everyone needs to know.

In this episode, I share some of the admittedly boring yet super important things you need to know about running a membership. This episode covers things like insurance, tax, payments, and copyright laws – all that fun stuff!

To keep your website and business fully protected, give this episode a listen in case there’s anything you’re currently missing.

Essential Learning Points:

• How to cover the legal aspect of running a membership
• Why it’s important to get a hold over your finances and tax
• How to protect your website and content from theft
• What you need to know about insurance and protecting your business

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• Essential Guide to GDPR for Membership Site Owners
• Keeping Your WordPress Membership Site Secure
• What To Do When Someone Steals Your Membership Content
• Should You Allow Competitors to Join Your Membership?
• How to Deal With Payment Disputes in Your Membership
• Suzanne Dibble’s website
• Digital VAT 2015 Facebook group
• TermsFeed
• Termageddon

Key Quotes:

“It’s better to be safe than sorry, and getting professional indemnity insurance generally will not cost much at all.”

“The truth is most security issues for any type of membership, product, or website come from human error. So, you want to make sure that you are clued up.” 

“It’s certainly advisable to get an accountant on board to help you set your membership up correctly and ensure all your tax and reporting obligations are met.”