The Amy Porterfield Show

Welcome to the second half of our intensive "refocus on your list" training!

I hope you completed the short questionnaire from last week, because this week we're really building off those questions to get where we need to go. If you haven't done it yet, click here to download it and take just 10 minutes to complete it. (It's only 3 questions--super easy.) I promise, it will free you up and cultivate the right mindset to accomplish the goal for today's episode, which is ...

For those of you who might be new to the show, lead magnets are any free, valuable giveaway that you offer your audience in exchange for their email address.

To create a good lead magnet, of course, you need to know what your tribe wants and needs from you. Having it be a decent trade-off for the email address is just not going to cut it. You want your audience gasping "Wow! I can't believe he/she is giving this away for free!"

Let me say this loud and clear: Do not be scared of giving away your best stuff for free.

I give away my best information all the time! (I'm doing it right now, as you might have noticed...and I give away even more on the full episode of today's podcast.) It doesn't hurt my bottom line at all, because in my paid products and programs, I dive much deeper and train much more specifically on those topics.

If you want to go deeper into today's topic, click here to listen to the full episode. I'm going to teach a three-part strategy to help you build your list. And our goal is not conservative, folks! This strategy is designed to get you 75 new leads per week.

I've also created a great free download for you: it's a cheat-sheet with 17 stellar examples of different kinds of lead magnets. Not only does it give some great inspiration for how to model your own giveaways, but it shows you where to place the opt-in boxes on your website for optimal conversion. Get it here.

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For the last several podcast episodes, we've been covering all manner of marketing tactics. Creating webinars, building urgency, writing copy. And we've taken a deep soul-searching dive into the personal "why's" and "how's" of online entrepreneurship.

This week, we're bringing it all back home. It's time to refocus on the foundation of every successful online business:

Your email list.

This week and next week, I'm devoting the podcast to some list-building straight talk.

And if you're thinking "Come on, Amy--I want the black-belt stuff that will take my business to the next level!" ... then this episode might be especially for you.

Here's how you know if you need this episode:

If you answered yes to any of those things, here's the first thing I want you to do after listening to today's episode. Download the short one-page inquiry that I created just for you. It's going to help you sort through the obstacles that are holding you back from building a healthy, growing list.

EPISODE FREEBIE Get Amy's Cheat Sheet: "Uncover Your List Building Obstacles"

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Let me say at the outset that, for all my talk about the crucial importance of list-building, I truly understand the difficulty involved. When you're in the beginning days and months of your business, it feels like every opportunity is more important than the simple, daily effort of building your email list.

But I learned from the sad experience of my very first product launch just how essential the list really is. Listen to the podcast episode for the full story--it's eye-opening. For now, let's just say that with all the bells and whistles of my program design and the sparkle of my marketing strategy, the promotion totally tanked.

The reason? I had a weak email list.

I couldn't understand it. I'd been networking with all the right people, even getting invited to speaking engagements and guest blog spots, and I'd spared no effort to create an amazing product.

But because I was not actively focused on list building, I wasn't able to build the business that I really wanted.

(By the way, when I say “actively” focusing on it, I mean that I would think about my list every day...but it was that horrible “I should be doing this, I’m far behind, I know I need a list" kind of thinking.)

Everything else about my business just seemed more important, in those stressful early days.

That's why I've created this download for you--to help you think through what is pulling your attention away from the cornerstone of building your business. Once you understand why it's so easy to focus on other things, you'll be able to turn the trend around and start seeing the results you want.

EPISODE FREEBIE Get Amy's Cheat Sheet: "Uncover Your List Building Obstacles"

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Listen to today's episode first--it will really help you with the mindset around list-building, and allow you to process the questions honestly.

And when you're done, drop me a comment to let me know what you're thinking! What is your mindset when it comes to building your list? How are your efforts coming along?

Hey there! I have a fun topic to cover in today's episode:

The Online Entrepreneur's Worst Nightmare. (Cue spooky music.)

Sorry...I couldn't resist. Blame the post-Halloween sugar overload.

The actual topic is how to keep your Facebook account from getting shut down.

Now, this is a topic that I know truly does scare some of you...maybe you've received warnings from Facebook about your content, or maybe you know somebody whose account has been shut down.

I know how upsetting this can be, not just to the people it occurs to, but to every other online entrepreneur in their community. It's just like that feeling when someone you know gets their house or car broken into. Suddenly it feels like the whole world is out to get you.

I don't want you going through your business day freaking out about this. That's why I'm devoting this episode to defusing the scare out of this "nightmare." Seriously...breathe. It's going to be OK.

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So what is an online entrepreneur to do? Answer: get creative! (Click Here to Listen to the Full Episode!)

As you're reading through the list of ten tips about protecting your Facebook ads account, try to adopt an innovator's perspective. Rather than feeling defeated, think about how you can beat Facebook to the punch by creating content that makes all users feel amazing, hopeful, inspired, uplifted. That's a win for everybody--Facebook, your audience, and you.

Tip #1: Add a privacy policy to your registration page.

Tip #2: Disable all pop-ups on the page where you are sending your ad traffic.

Tip #3: Pay attention to your reputation on Web Of Trust.

Tip #4: Use the Lead Pages plug in on your WordPress site.

Tip #5: Your landing page must accurately reflect what is being promoted in your ad.

Tip #6: Be mindful of your ad copy.

Tip #7: Create a feel-good story.

Tip #8: Stick to your account’s regular activity.

Tip #9: Pay attention to your overall activity because it all adds up.

Tip #10: Focus on the relationship.

Like I said at the beginning, this isn't something to freak out about. I just want you to be informed. Yes, it might take a little time to revamp your approach to ads, but in the long run, it's going to make for much stronger, more effective Facebook advertising for your business.

I first met Lewis Howes back in my days of working with Social Media Examiner. I liked his technique with video interviews, and wrangled up a lot of interviewees for him; he liked my Facebook trainings, and asked me to put together a book. That was not only the beginning of my career in online training courses; it was, as they say in the movies, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

This week, Lewis and I got the chance to reconnect over the topic of "greatness." Sound a little abstract? Let Lewis persuade you otherwise.

Lewis is a true expert in lifestyle entrepreneurship--a business coach with a top-rated podcast, a huge online educational program, earnings in seven figures, and a recognition from President Obama as one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs in the country under age 30. Truly a great example to all of us working on our online businesses!

And you'd better believe Lewis didn't get to this level by aiming for "good enough."

His recent book School of Greatness is all about the importance of striving for greatness--in our personal lives, our health, our relationships and, of course, in our businesses.

What Does "Greatness" Really Mean?

As entrepreneurs, we're a little obsessed with the idea of "success." The symbols are always changing--this year it might be making a decent profit, next year maybe it's hitting six figures, and the year after that, it could be landing a book deal or paying off your house or...who knows?

This is the danger of becoming too obsessed with success--the target is always moving. Which means we run the risk of never being satisfied, no matter how much we accomplish.

But by focusing our sights on greatness, Lewis says, we're able to experience satisfaction with where we are in our business, and so much more besides.

"Greatness is discovering what your greatest gifts are, your talents, what you were born to do, maximizing those gifts, and impacting the maximum amount of people in the world with those gifts."

8 Principles of Greatness

Lewis' book breaks greatness into eight simple steps:

1. Clarifying Your Vision

Before you set out on your personal quest, you have to clearly see the action steps to make it happen.

2. Embracing Adversity

Challenge and struggle are a natural part of growth.

3. Cultivating a Champion's Mindset

You can't guarantee that you'll win every time, but you can always set yourself up for the opportunity to win.

4. Committing to Hustle

A willingness to do whatever it takes will take you where mere talent can't.

5. Mastering Your Health

Your health (emotional, mental and physical) can either hold you back or drive you forward--which way do you choose?

6. Practicing Positive Habits

Without intentional habits, life turns into a nothing but a series of reactions.

7. Realizing You Can't Achieve Greatness Alone

A powerful, reliable team is the key to building something that’s bigger than yourself.

8. Being of Service to Others

The crowning moment of greatness is giving your gift to the world.

This is just a summary of Lewis' eight principles--you need to hear these in detail! So click here now to listen to the full podcast episode.

Going Deeper

My chat with Lewis did more than just outline what it means to be great. It illuminated some of the finer points that past experience had "muddied up" for me.

There's so much in this interview, I hope you'll take the time to listen to it today. But for now, I want to leave you with one final quote from Lewis that I thought was particularly...well, great:

"The biggest impact we can make is when we become a symbol of inspiration because we follow and chase our dreams. It is our greatest gift to follow our dreams...we are robbing ourselves and others around us when we cop out and don’t chase it out of fear."

It's time for another edition of Ask Amy!

Every now and then, no matter how good your business system is, you reach a moment where everything kind of splinters. I'm having one of those moments this week, trying to reassemble my podcasting setup after moving it into a bigger home studio.

While I'm glad to have this bigger space devoted to my podcast, I don't have the acoustics worked out yet--which means I'm a little bit stalled in terms of production. Little issues like this can really bother me, if I let them!

I'm sure you've experienced this, too. Think with me about an area in your business where you feel stuck because something else has to happen before you move forward. Maybe something’s not working properly and you have to figure it out first. Or maybe you’re just not comfortable moving forward and you’re not sure why.

All of today's questions deal with different things, but they all center around this core issue of obstacles holding back the progress of our business.

Let's take a look!

Question #1: How early do you contact affiliates if you want them to work with you to promote your course?

Question #2: Remembering back to the first product you created, what would you tell us now that you wish you would have done differently back then?

Question #3: What do you do when you see another site steal your content and sell it?

Question #4: As an entrepreneur, how do you stay focused on what is at hand and not get distracted with wanting to start new projects, create new things, try a new form of social media? How do you stay focused?

Final Thoughts

A lot of times, those feelings of being held back or stuck are rooted in bigger fears or a lack of confidence we have in our business or message.

The truth is that a lot of the time, if I go ahead and move forward anyway, I'll mess it up once, figure out what went wrong, and now know what to do. I'll also have overcome the fear of failure because guess what? I failed and it didn't ruin my life!

I would rather be making those little mistakes along the way but still be moving forward. When you get the confidence to not really care about those little mistakes, you will usually fix them, keep moving forward and BOOM--you are way ahead of yourself, way more than you thought you would be!

It's a fact. Sometimes people are reluctant to buy from you.

Even when they want your product, even when they’re smitten with your brand, there will be some prospective buyers that seem to have a built-in pause command that holds a their finger poised above the “purchase” button on your website. It's just par for the course when we are doing business online.

There’s nothing wrong with this, until it stands in the way of you making a sale to someone who truly needs what you’re offering.

There is one thing that can overcome this buyers’ reluctance.

The most successful marketers know what it is, and I’m going to share it with you today.

It’s all about adding urgency.

This is something I had to learn for myself, through plenty of trial and error, so I’m thrilled to be able to pass it on to you. It’s going to put you way ahead of your competition.

It starts with recognizing that it’s simply human nature to take our time and stay on the fence as long as we can, until we are pushed one way or the other. That push comes from learning that we must act.

That’s what urgency is: making sure that your audience knows they need to act now.

You want to build urgency into every promotion you create. There are lots of ways to do this, but the best way I’ve found to build it in is with a one-two punch: a combination of bonuses and deadlines.

I'm going to share several of my favorite strategies in this blog post, but this week's free PDF has even more urgency tactics from some of the biggest names in online marketing. Click here to download it now!

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Bonuses

Believe it or not, I’ve actually had people buy my programs just for the bonuses! While you definitely want to spend the bulk of your time crafting a great core offer, bonuses can sometimes make or break the offer by pushing people just a little bit further to finally say, “Yes, I want this.”

Now, it’s important to note that not all bonus offers have urgency attached. Sometimes you’ll create a bonus add-on to your core offer just to sweeten the deal.

Urgency bonuses are the ones that show up later in the promotion. They come in different “flavors. You do not need to do them all. You can mix and match them, based on what feels best for your offer.

1. Timely bonus

2. Fast action bonus 

3. The sweeten-the-pot bonus

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main places to showcase urgency is in your emails. Once I attract people to a webinar, I follow up that webinar with some really strategic email marketing. I work really hard on those emails to craft not just a compelling sales message, but to help my new audience to understand why this program is so valuable and why they need it.

But sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why I love using the countdown timer.

As you are reading my email, the timer at the very top of the email is actively ticking away. When it comes to human instincts, the only thing strong enough to beat the buyer's resistance is being able to see time running out, second by second!

Finally, there is the “limited spots available” tactic. If you have a more exclusive version of your product (a special edition, a higher tier, etc.), it creates the perfect opportunity to email your list about the short supply of opportunities. Even if they weren't planning to buy in at this level, hearing the words "limited availability" again creates the urgency that you're looking for.

These are my favorite tools to create urgency. You'll learn about so many more when you download my free PDF for this week! Click here to get it now.

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In the process of building my business, I’ve made more than my share of mistakes. The silver lining is that I get to pass the wisdom I’ve learned on to you. It’s always easier to do something right when you’ve got someone guiding you past the ways it can go wrong.

However, today’s post is all about something that recently worked really well in my business. It’s something you can apply quickly to your next promotion.

Ready? Let’s talk about upsells!

What Is an Upsell?

First, let’s get our definitions straight.

Say someone buys a program or product from you online. They fill in all the credit card details and finish the transaction completely. They are officially now a member of your program.

Before you take them to the purchase thank-you page that’s when you can offer an upsell. You are giving your new purchaser one more opportunity to buy from you within the same interaction.

Pretty cool, right?

Putting Together Your Upsell Offer

Three vital things to consider when doing upsells:

I’m no expert in upsells. I’ve been in business a while, and just recently started using them.

But the success I’ve experienced has shown me that there’s a certain flow that’s really important to the overall strategy of your upsell.

An Example from My Promotion

In my most recent promotion, Webinars That Convert, I welcomed over 1,000 new members into the program in just under two weeks! That alone was awesome…but even more awesome was the fact that 58% of those new members purchased the upsell I offered! That generated an extra $170k in revenue!

Here’s how I designed that upsell—both the product and the process.

I put together a product that perfectly complemented the program I was selling. In this case, it was a pack of 5 slide deck templates. You need a slide deck for your webinar, and these templates gave purchasers five unique, polished looks for their presentation. They also made the setup process a lot simpler.

I had the template pack price fixed, BUT I offered buyers three different options. They could purchase the pack in one fell swoop, they could split up the purchase into two payments, or they could purchase a “lite” pack of just two templates.

I structured the upsell offer with a great deal of strategy. Here’s how it worked: if someone saw the offer and bought the five decks at full price, they would never see the two-pay offer or the lite version. You wouldn’t see the lite version unless you declined the first two offers. See how it works based on the potential buyer’s behavior? It also allowed me to learn more about the segments of my audience.

I go through a lot more the details of how to create your upsell (with ideas you’re welcome to steal!) and structure your offer in the podcast. Also, there is ONE THING you do NOT want to do when creating an upsell. I share the "don't do this" details in my podcast as well. Click here to listen to it now!

For this week’s free download, I’ve included the actual upsell page I used in this promotion, so you can see exactly what I did and make it your own.

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