The IM Inside Track

As a coach, you want your clients to be as successful as possible. The more successful your clients are, the more successful you will be. Not only will you earn more as a coach, there’s also a wonderful feeling that comes along with truly helping someone.

You’ll be asking your coaching clients a lot of questions throughout your time coaching them. Some of these questions will be standard – questions that you ask all of your coaching clients, no matter who they are. Other questions will be more ‘of the moment’ – questions that you ask spontaneously, or only of specific coaching clients.

What follows are 10 questions to give you some great ideas to start with. These 10 questions tend to get to the heart of the matter. These questions can get your clients thinking and help them inevitably become more successful.

Question #1:

What is the number one thing you’re worried about right now?

This question is important because it gets to the heart of what might be holding your client back. Many people will have an answer that’s related to financial concerns. Financial worries hold people back in so many ways – whether you are a coach for business or life coaching or whatever it is.

If people have financial worries, then it affects their health, their ability to work, their happiness, their drive, their motivation – everything. So, if you can figure out what the number one thing someone is worried about – whether it’s finances or something else, then you can often get to what is holding them back overall.

This may or may not be something that would come up anyway. However, if the number one thing someone is worried about is their finances but you are a business coach, it may be the case that the person is too embarrassed to talk about their financial concerns. That may not be the case – but you also might be surprised.

By asking this question directly, you are more likely to get a direct answer and you can then help your client move forward and go through their thoughts and possible solutions to the problems that face them.

Question #2:

What is your top accomplishment in life?

It doesn’t matter who you’re coaching – they should have an answer to this question. It might take them some time to think about, but they should have an answer. The answer can be very revealing. If they can tell you what their top accomplishment is and what they are proud of, it can give you some insight into who they are, where they’ve been, and where they want to go. It gives you a sense of the value they place on certain accomplishments.

Question #3:

What is your number one goal?

Goal setting is very important – that’s something you know as a coach. But, many people don’t pay any attention at all to goal setting. Even if they know it’s important, they don’t do it. They don’t regularly set goals or think about setting goals… and that’s something that sets successful people apart from those who are not successful.

By asking this question, you force people to think about their goals. Not only that, but you also force them to sort their goals and think about what’s actually most important to them. This can be a very valuable exercise. Make sure their goals are very specific and include a deadline to work toward.

Question #4:

What’s the most important thing you do in the morning?

Your coaching clients will often struggle with their daily routines and schedules. They feel like they’ve wasted full days or that they are not making progress toward their goals (which you’ve now helped them set). By focusing in on the most important thing they do in the morning, you can help them think about their daily routine and the things they do.

If they know already what the most important thing they do is, then that is a good thing. But if they’re fuzzy on this and if they don’t know if they do anything important at all as part of their morning routine, then that’s something to think about.

Question #5:

No matter how experienced you are in marketing or driving traffic, I have no doubt that you’ve seen some new ideas in what you’ve read in this book. But, I’m not done yet! I want to give you some additional, out-of-the-box ideas for driving traffic.

These ideas can absolutely work for you. Approach them with an attitude of creativity. Use these as the starting point for coming up with your own great ideas. Driving traffic is about connecting with an audience. You need to put yourself in front of the flow of traffic that is already there and people won’t be able to help themselves in visiting your sites and joining your list.

Be Creative and Keep With the Times

It’s so important to be creative in business. You can’t do the same things everyone else is doing. That’s definitely not how you stand out. If you want to stand out, you need to brainstorm and form new connections.

They say that there are no new ideas out there. That’s probably true. What they’re really saying, though, is that the pieces of the puzzle are already there. You just have to connect the ideas that are already out there to form something completely beautiful and new.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t be afraid to take some time off so you have time to be creative. Some of your best ideas will come in the shower, when you’re driving, or even in the middle of the night. Write down new ideas for generating traffic as they come to you.

Open up mind mapping software and let your mind run wild. Don’t edit yourself as you brainstorm. No idea is too silly. You’ll be amazed at how many incredible ideas you come up with when you let your mind roam freely.

Buy Expired Domain Names

There is no denying that aged domains often rank more easily than brand-new domains. When you’re buying a domain name, check the auctions (such as Go Daddy auctions) to see if you can buy an aged domain name in your niche. You might find something that works. You can also find domain names that have been dropped so you don’t have to pay more than you normally would.

Even if this won’t be your main website, many marketers want to dominate as much of the web as they can, so they have multiple websites. Build on this aged domain and you’ll likely have an easier time of it. Some aged domains already have an extensive link profile and reputation that you can certainly benefit from.

You want to make sure you don’t buy an aged domain that has a bad link profile or that is somehow blacklisted by Google. Check out each domain you’re interested in before you purchase it.

Consider the ways having different domain names can help boost your traffic and your business. You shouldn’t spread yourself too thin, but there’s something to be said for having multiple web properties out there that you own. For instance, why just have one first page spot on Google when you could have multiple first page spots? There’s some food for thought… Now run with it.

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

I mentioned HARO earlier. Now, think of additional ways to use it to generate traffic. First, sign up to HARO as a source or expert. You’ll then start to get emails from people, journalists, and marketers who are looking for a source just like you.

You can respond to these requests with the information they asked for, tips, research you’re aware of, and so on. You can get some great recognition by becoming a featured expert in their projects.

Scoop.It

Scoop.it is just one example of great sites that are popping up that you can take advantage of. People use Scoop.it to curate great content to publish to their social media profiles, blogs, and so on.

If you have great content that you think would fit well on a Scoop.it user’s page, Scoop.it makes it easy for you.

First, do some preliminary research and get an idea of what sells well on Amazon, it's time to choose your topic. Hopefully, you’re feeling pulled toward a particular topic already since you’re fresh off your research.

You may want to double-check yourself, though. Is your chosen topic going to be profitable? Are there plenty of opportunities for you to write additional books related to the topic?

Do you enjoy the topic enough to write about it consistently? If you're passionate about a topic and have some knowledge on the topic even without research, that will shine through in your writing. It will also make it easier and faster for you to write. This is easy for me to write because I enjoy inspiring new writers and because I've written so many books over the years that the process is like second nature to me.

It can also be helpful if the topic you choose can be easily expanded into a series of books. Series books tend to sell well because people feel compelled to buy the next one in the series. At the very least, make sure the topic you choose has room for multiple book releases even if they aren’t in a series.

If you do choose the series route, I do caution you to approach your series with the knowledge that each book should be able to stand on its own. The books should complement one another, but not be incomplete without one another. The book you’re reading right now is part of a series. Each one stands alone yet they pack an even more powerful punch when you read them together.

Also remember to try to be specific with your topic for these shorter books. For example, if your topic is “weight loss,” that's way too broad. You should be focused on finding one problem your audience has and offering one solution or a few solutions for them within your book.

So you might target weight loss but a more specific topic would be getting a flat belly. An even more specific topic would be getting a flat belly by using the Paleo diet. It goes without saying that if you’re in any sort of health niche that you need to pay close attention to the advice you give and whether you’re qualified to give it—the flat belly niche is just an example of how specific you can get within any broader topic.

Focus on a narrow interest, passion, or subcategory. That’s the best way to break through on Amazon as a new author because there is less competition that way. It also makes it easier to write these shorter, yet extremely helpful books. Just make sure there’s a buying audience and similar books that are doing well.

The Brainstorming Stage

You can breathe a sigh of relief now that you've chosen your topic. It may have felt like the decision was a long time coming, but you can rest assured that you’ve chosen the right topic and you're well on your way to releasing a successful book on Kindle.

Now, it's time to brainstorm angles and topics for your book and get your thoughts down on paper. Brainstorming is an extremely valuable yet underrated creative process. Don't think you have to just stick to the same old stuff all the other writers are sticking to when you write. No one wants to buy a dry, copycat of a book. They want something written in a unique voice that helps them or touches them in a way no other book can.

Take a look at what other authors are doing and brainstorm ways you can make your book and content unique and different. What unique angle can you take to stand out? Some authors like to brainstorm book titles first as a way of finding a unique angle. This can be a fun and motivating exercise. Get inspired by related book reviews on Amazon, social media chatter, and the questions and things people are talking about on related niche forums.

Go ahead and write down everything related to your topic you think your audience would want to know. Reflect on their problems, passions, and desires.

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There are certain coaches out there that are just so much more effective than others. As a coach yourself, you want to be in the category of those that are most effective. The only problem is, maybe you don’t feel that you are naturally in this categor...

Social media is wonderful for your business. You can gain customers, grow your list, make sales, establish yourself as a leader, and more. The problem is, social media is also an awful lot of fun. It’s easy to get worktime confused as playtime.

People are sharing interesting links all the time, having great discussions, and more. It’s very easy to get distracted. It’s easy to start clicking links and find yourself getting caught in a never-ending rabbit hole. Before long, you can find that you’ve wasted an entire day clicking links on social media. Where does the time go?

Maybe you’ve found yourself in this situation before. You started out your day intending to use social media as a way to boost your business. But, you found that you wasted several hours instead. You have to get a control on this, you realize. But how?

Maybe it’s not even a problem of self-control. Maybe you just find that your social media efforts are not having the effect you want them to have. You’re trying a little of this and a little of that to boost your business and you’re just not seeing the results you thought you would see.

Let’s address both of these issues head-on.

First of all, you have to have a social media plan if you want to be successful with it. If you don’t have a plan, then you’ll just be using social media willy-nilly. It’s no wonder that you won’t have the results you want… you’re effectively aiming at nothing. Give yourself something to aim for.

Take a look at the social media accounts of those who are most successful in your niche. What are they doing on social media? The chances are good that they do have a plan. They use social media in a way they know will have the biggest impact on the market.

It can be helpful to emulate those who are already successful with social media. Are they on social media all day long? Do they seem to be time wasting on social media? Of course not. They have a plan. They likely have goals. They are consistent. Do what you can to follow in those footsteps.

Where Are the People in Your Niche Hanging out Online?

It’s important to figure out where the people of your niche are hanging out online. You don’t want to join every single social media site there is. Sure, you want to show up in many places online. You want people to become familiar with seeing your name and your brand online. With that said, you’ll just be wasting time if you are present everywhere and you don’t need to be because there’s no audience there.

Instead, figure out where your future followers are concentrated and where they are most responsive. The chances are good that Facebook is a good place to start. See if there are active, popular Facebook pages and groups already dedicated to your niche. This is a good sign that this is where you should be as well. You can join these active pages and groups as well as start your own.

You might also check Twitter. Twitter is a great spot for many niches.

Other social media hubs like Instagram and Pinterest are geared toward more visual niches. You can get creative with how you use these. It may be the case that it would be a waste of time for you to join these particular social sites. But maybe not.

You have to do the legwork and do the research ahead of time. You might be wasting your time or you might find that there is a lot of benefit for you in joining these social sites. Do the research and figure this out.

Set Goals for Using Social Media

Now, once you’ve figured out which social sites you’ll be using, set goals. How many followers do you want to have? What sort of results do you want to have from your social media use? If you figure this out, you can make a lot of headway much more quickly.

For example, if you decide that you’d like to start a Facebook group and you aim to get 1,000 members in your group, that’s a great goal to have. You can further decide that you would like to funnel at least 400 of those members onto your email list over time.

Let’s talk about choosing a great niche or topic to write about. I'm not going to spend a huge amount of time on this part. I mention and include this because I would feel remiss if I didn’t.

I feel I should mention niche selection because, while a ...

As a product creator, you want to earn as much money as you can, as easily as you can. The thing is, it's hard to generate new ideas all the time. You have your customers and you have a solid idea of what they need and want. But, you’re constantly trying to figure out what you can do keep them coming back to you time and time again.

The fact of the matter is, no matter how much they enjoy your work and no matter how much they learn from you, they aren’t going to buy every product you come out with. The original product they bought from you may have been light years more relevant than the next product you come out with. Still, you know how important the lifetime value of a customer is. What's the answer? You don't want them to buy just the first product… You want them to buy most, if not all, of the products you release.

The answer to your problem and to making more money with your products is to release info products as part of a series. People will get addicted to your products and want to collect them all.

This works extremely well in the world of fiction, as an example. You've seen fiction authors create a cast of characters and a string of plots that go together perfectly. You buy book after book in this series because you're desperate to know what happens next. It's just the fact that you want to know what happens next, there's also something about collecting all of the items in this series. As humans, we want to get our hands on every part of something that seems to go together.

You can use these elements as part of your marketing as an info marketer as well. You can create a series of info products for your customers. You can create a series of info products based on topics that are so interwoven that your customers will want to buy every part of the series.

They'll want to buy all of your products because they’ll want to explore more about the topic. They’ll also want to buy because of that part of human nature we've already talked about – the fact that as humans we want to get our hands on every part of something that seems to go together.

Think more about what kind of series you could come out with as part of your info marketing.

The first step is, of course, is to figure out what the people of your audience need and want to know. If you haven't yet gotten to know your audience, then you desperately need to do that.

Visit social media groups and pages and get to know your audience. Take a look at the products and info products they're already buying. Figure out what they’re talking about on forums.

What are they most desperate to learn?

Figure out all of the angles to that topic and the desperation or passion that’s there for your customers and future customers. These angles are going to make up the parts of your series.

The first product you create for your series might be more general. You might give people more of an overview in this first book. You also might treat this one as a sort of a loss leader to get people into your funnel.

Then, subsequent books or info products in this funnel might be more specific. You might dive deep into very specific topics that you find your audience members are interested in.

While those who buy your infoproducts can get a great feel for the topic from buying or downloading the first product, they’ll have the best depth of understanding from going through the entire series.

There's also some anticipation there. Once people have bought the first book and you announce the other books, they'll be primed and ready to buy. Every time you release that next book, people have already committed in their minds that they are going to buy it. This can automatically improve your sales.

And every time you release a new book, you will revive sales of your previous books in that series. Because you will be gaining a new audience with the new books who haven't heard of your older books yet. They can stand alone,

A journey starts with a single step. Why not take that first step right now? Go ahead and visualize one of your small goals, right now. What would you like to accomplish today that you’re having a hard time doing? What are you procrastinating about, right now, that you know you really should be paying attention to?

Close your eyes and see yourself going through the motions of getting that task done or accomplishing that goal. Use all of your senses in your vision to really bring it to life. Remember to bring your emotions into it. Bring those happy, confident emotions into play. See yourself smiling and completing the task. Once you’re finished visualizing the task, you’ll instantly feel more ready to do it. You can rinse and repeat this strategy whenever you need to.

Do the same thing for whichever habit you’re trying to implement. See yourself doing it, loving it, and making it a part of your daily life. Repeat your visualization related to that habit every day, and it will become a true habit before you know it.

Visualization can really become a special time for you— very meditative. It can improve your mood and emotions surrounding your goals and habits. It can help center you every day, multiple times a day. I think you’ll find that you can more easily accomplish whatever it is you set out to accomplish. You’ll probably also feel a lot more confident and sure about your path.

This positivity can be a fantastic thing for you. You’ll start to feel better about what you’re doing. Feeling positive and confident can lead to improved habits and feeling strong in other areas. Success and positivity is very catching— this can be the start of a better and happier life all the way around.

It all starts with setting your sights on reaching your goals and developing better habits. Visualization is an excellent tool that can help you do this more quickly than you imagined. It’s a real gift to be able to visualize your way to success. You can use visualization to eliminate bad habits and to develop better habits. It’s time for you to enjoy life on your own terms and start living a life of your own design.

Where to Go From Here

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you read every IMIT article I’ve written on habit-change. These all really work hand in hand, though they also work extremely well on their own.

You can also use what I’ve talked about with visualization in conjunction with any other habit change method or personal success method you’re interested in using right now. This is the secret sauce that can help you take your life wherever you want it to go.

I suggest you develop a game plan for habit change and visualization. It’s not enough to just decide that you’re going to use visualization to change your habits and accomplish your goals. You need to schedule it in and make a note of it until it becomes part of your life and habits. That usually takes around a month. So, decide today that you’re going to spend the next month being very conscious of your visualization.

Remember that this can truly be whatever you want and need it to be. There’s no right or wrong way to use visualization in your life. The only important thing is that you do use it and that you make it a daily habit. Do that, and you’ll develop better habits, accomplish your goals more readily, and be happier and more successful overall.

Now you’re on your own, so get started, enjoy the process, be patient, and I know that success is inevitable for you.

I really want to remind you that you should never feel like you’re doing this wrong. You can’t visualize the wrong way. As long as you’re working hard and doing this in a way you’re comfortable and that works for you, you’re as good as gold.

Maybe you prefer to just close your eyes and visualize. Maybe you can visualize with your eyes wide open, no matter where you are. Maybe you need it to be really quiet in order to visualize.

You've probably noticed something if you've read other books of mine – I am a huge, huge proponent of goal setting. I would feel like I was doing you a disservice if I didn't talk about goal setting when it comes to self publishing. That's because those who set goals are bound to be much more successful than those that don't.

You need a target to shoot for with everything you do. You need to know what you're aiming for, very specifically. Knowing that you want to become "successful by publishing on Kindle" is not nearly enough. You need to define how much you would like to earn, and when. Why do you need or want to earn money by publishing on Kindle? Define that for yourself and use it to help you formulate your goals.

You also need to set goals for yourself when it comes to your work. How many books would you like to have published by the end of this year? How many books would you like to have published by the end of this month? Break it down very specifically like that.

When you set very specific goals, it gives you a roadmap to follow. You'll be able to break down what you need to do and when you need to do it in order to achieve your goals. You’ll also be a whole lot more motivated because you’ll have those other goals to strive for – you'll know that if you work hard and release X number of books over this year, then you’ll probably earn at least X number of dollars, as long as you play your cards right.

Along with setting your goals, you need to have a reason why you're doing this. This is the overarching force that drives you. Have you always wanted to be an author? Why is that? Do you hope publishing on Kindle will lead to a full time income? Why is that? What’s turning you on to this opportunity in the first place? If a genie came to grant you a wish to make your life better, what would it be? How will Kindle publishing help you attain that wish? Do some soul-searching.

What is it that you want more than anything else? For many people, it's stability for themselves and their family members. Maybe you want to get out of debt, create a very stable future for your family, and so on. What you're doing right now, and even the money you're striving to earn, is just a means to an end. Figure out what that “end” is for you. It’s not truly money, so what is it?

Or maybe it’s to build a legacy for yourself so that when your friends, family, and future family look for you online, they’ll find all sorts of excellent material that was created by you and be proud of your contribution to the world.

Go ahead and write your goals down now. Be very specific with these goals. Write down exact figures and timelines. Write down anything that comes out without filtering yourself. You can always edit and choose the exact goals you're working toward later on. But first, it’s important to brainstorm because the best stuff will come out when you least expect it.

Choose your solid goals once you’re finished brainstorming. I also advise you to write your goals down again and again after you’ve decided on them. Many successful people do this is at the start of the day and the end of the day. Keep your goals fresh in your mind as your motivation and part of your driving force.

As we talk about goals, I want to remind you that you probably won't get rich off of one book. Even very established, very wealthy authors tend to consistently release new work. They do this because that's what you need to do to stay relevant and continue making sales.

Every new book you add to your catalog will help boost the sales of your back catalog. So, if you release one book, don't get discouraged if it gets few sales or even no sales. Just keep writing and just keep releasing.

Of course, you have to make sure you've chosen a hot topic that is selling well, especially for self-published authors. If you've released a few of these short books and none are selling at all, it's time to take a look at your niche and topic selection.