The Profit Loop With Alisa Conner

You've heard it once, maybe you've heard it multiple times - but without an email list, you don't have control of your marketing. If you don't have control of your marketing it's hard to generate new leads, if not impossible.  If you are generating new leads, well, you aren't generating business.

Here's the deal, in life, in business and anything worth having you have to put some effort and action into attaining it. Does it have to be hard? No. But it does take consistency and commitment. Episode 95 gives you 7 strategies to quickly grow your email list.  I challenge you to pick just one and take action with that choice today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today. Even if it's just a small step. To get all 7 tips as well as some keen examples, listen to the entire episode here.

1. Create an email course. 

This is your opportunity to showcase some of your expertise and teach your audience one thing they are dying to know. Some people worry about giving away the farm, but, if you look at this as giving away a sample of milk so they want to join the milk club - then you're closer to the truth. I give some great examples in the episode, but thinking about one thing that would give your audience a quick win and then breaking it down into steps sent via email is a GREAT way to grow your list. I've done this one and had great results in adding qualified leads to my list.

2. Create a template.

You know you have that one task that you do over and over again. It's repetitive and likely second nature. Well, there is someone out there that would love to know how to do that task and doesn't know where to start. If you created a template for that task and shared it with them, they would love you forever. Or at least enough to want to see what other tips you've picked up along the way. Which they would only learn about by joining your email list.   So think about those things that may make your life and someone else's easier and create a template for that task.

3. Build a quiz.

Alright, everyone loves quizzes.  This is why everyone on Facebook uses one to suck you into watching their commercials in order to get your results.  You've probably taken three already today.  Okay, maybe that's just me. But regardless, quizzes are hot.  People love to take them and as a marketing tool, you couldn't ask for a better data collection device and email segmentation tool. The great thing about quizzes is people don't even realize they are giving you all the data you will ever need to improve your marketing.  I'm trying out some quiz tools so I'll have an update on those in a future update as well as the results from my quiz as I roll it out.

4. Turn your physical book into an ebook or a piece of your book.

Authors do this all the time.  They will often give you the first book in a series for free to get you hooked and then you end up paying for the entire series because you want to know what happened.  Also, this is a great tool to get your material in front of more eyeballs and build your authority. On the backend, you can ask for reviews and feedback and use that to create whatever it is you're going to sell them into. Because the reality is you won't likely make your fortune from book sales. Most published authors are lucky to sell about 30 books.

5. Create a challenge experience.

Just like quizzes, people LOVE challenges.  Why? Because it forces them to take action. Especially if you are engaging, attentive, and offer tons of value.  Similar to running an email campaign, a challenge focuses on one piece of the pie that you offer and helps people overcome a BIG obstacle that they haven't been able to figure out. If you help them solve that mystery, they become your greatest fans.  Especially if they can measure their success in some way.  To add a cherry on top, celebrate their success publicly on your Facebook Page or in your group.

6. Host a webinar.

You may think that webinars are yesterday's news because of COVID and everyone being zoomed out. But, the reality is people still want to learn what you have to teach. A webinar gives them the opportunity not only to absorb knowledge but to ask questions and get real-time answers.  It is THE best way to grow your list and even better convert new audiences into sales.  But, there is a formula to succeeding and it starts with, you probably guessed it, giving your audience value. Don't underestimate the power of a webinar, it can make all the difference between an unengaged list and success.

7. Create a resource list.

This is one of my favorites as it doesn't require you to create a ton of content. You can put together a list of resources regarding a specific topic and provide it to your audience. For example, if you were familiar with all the different CRMs out there but you were not an expert, you could create a roundup of articles about those CRMs and offer the roundup as your download to grow your list.  This can be a little tricky because you definitely want to provide a resource around a topic that your audience is struggling with.  In other words, don't create this unless there is a need for it and then be sure that what you pull together is REALLY good stuff.  You see this often at the end and beginning of the year featuring the best and worst of lists.

That's a wrap for this week.  I would love to hear which of these you are committing to trying in the weeks ahead.  Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

...and maybe you don't. Either way, it takes a lot of time to consistently show up in your audience's inbox. If that time isn't paying off in increased sales, Houston we have a problem! Engagement is key! If your emails aren't engaging people to take the next step in your sales funnel, you can't make sales. No engagement = no $$$ cha-ching.

In Episode 94 I cover the 7 email engagement tips that I use with my clients to achieve success in increasing email engagement. You can listen to the entire episode here.  Even implementing some of these tips will increase engagement, implement them all and your emails will be ON fire. 🔥 🔥 🔥

1. Grab and keep the reader's attention. 

Congratulations! You got them to open your email. That's step one. And it's definitely something worth celebrating. Because as I mention in the episode, average open rates are around 20%. So, getting that baby opened is a victory. But, now we need them to keep reading. One of the ways to do so is through the power of story. I give lots of examples on how to do this in this week's episode, so check it out. The other key strategy is to solve their biggest problem and start creating a relationship with them. Story also helps with that piece.

2. Use one Call To Action (not 5, 10, or more).

I know you're excited about your goods, but a confused mind DOES NOT buy. Nor does it take action. At all. It will be paralyzed by choice and then choose to just move on down the road.  You DON'T want that. This is why it's critical to give your audience one choice. Whatever it may be to propel them forward to doing business with you.  You've got to figure out the funnel first, then lead them through it with breadcrumbs. Give them a solution to the problem you talk about above and then make it SUPER easy for them to make that decision.  Episode 94 gives you the details.

3. Email length is negotiable and needs to be tested.

Nearly everyone I've ever worked with on marketing wants to know "how long should my emails be". The answer is, it depends. Email length really does relate to the objective of the email. If you don't know why you are sending the email, start there. Just as with any marketing activity, the strategy proceeds the action, otherwise you are wasting your time. There is no magic email length recipe. You simply have to understand why you are sending the email, what will engage your audience and test the crapola out of it. Because every email and every audience is different. What works sometimes, won't work other. Testing and retesting is really the best medicine for success.

4. Use those headings (because you've got skimmers)

"More Than 347 Billion Emails Will Be Sent and Received By 2022" according to Statista.  Nobody has time to read every email that comes into their inbox. This means they are ignoring the ones that are irrelevant or don't keep their attention (see #1 on this list). This is where the power of using a header (more training on what that looks like coming on Facebook) in your copy, comes in. When you place strategic headers in your copy you own the ability to draw them in again and grab their focus on what you want them to do. Those headings stop skimmers in their tracks. They are worth GOLD. 🥇 🥇 🥇

5. Create traction with your images.

Adding images is a great way to grab attention. Utilizing those images to get your audience to the next step is even better. First, ensure that your image is relevant to your content, otherwise, it will just come across as slimy and untrustworthy. In marketing, they call it bait and switch. I've succumbed to it in the past, and I'm guessing you have to. It feels gross and it won't win you any awards. Instead, use the image to add depth to your story and if possible, a call to action that takes them to the next step. Images are so impactful, that if done right, they will make or break the chain of continuing to read the email. More details on this in this week's episode.

6. Covertkit Ninja Tip --> Resend to unopened emails.

This little trick you can actually start using today.  If you go into your analytics you will see an option (a great Convertkit function and some other email service providers) called "resend to unopened". This enables you to pull up a list of people who didn't open that email broadcast and change the subject line so that you can try to get it in front of them.  Should you do this every time? Probably not. But if you've got something that's hopping, it doesn't hurt to test it and see how many more people open it up and take action. Give it a try.

7. Use link triggers to segment your audience.

As I was trying to talk you through this component, I thought it would be MUCH easier to just show you. So look for a YouTube training in the coming weeks on how to do this. The quick answer is you can set up a link in your email that will tag someone when they click on it. With that tag, you can indicate their area of interest.  I give really simple examples in the episode to explain what this looks like. The reason this increases engagement so well is it enables you to deliver customized content to those subscribers based on the links they have identified as interest areas. For example, if you had tags set up for strawberry, vanilla or chocolate ice cream and Sally your user clicked on strawberry, it's a pretty good indicator she likes strawberry. So you could then cater your content to send her all things strawberry. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry rhubarb sauce, strawberry pie, you get the idea. Instead of all things chocolate, because she didn't choose chocolate.

That's a wrap for this week.  I would love to hear which of these you try and what your success looks like.  Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

Keeping your boundaries can be at the least challenging.  Especially if you aren't practiced at it.  Holy shmoly people, the world can be a crazy place. Especially this year. But let down your boundaries or let people push you past those you have set and it could be like the initial scene of the Wizard of Oz.

This is why I decided to focus the podcast this week on lessons learned from keeping and not keeping my boundaries.  In hopes that some of my less than success opportunities will help you.  Click here to listen to the entire episode.  I have seven tips that I took away from recent boundary lessons to share with you, as well as some symptoms of being boundaryless at the end.

1. Boundaries help you realize what you do and don't want. 

I give multiple examples of what this looks like in the episode, but without boundaries, you are pushed here and there with no direction and it's easy to lose track of what you were originally aiming for, making it nearly impossible to attain your goals and desires. If your boundaries are being circumvented, I found that its a great time to take stock of what is happening in your world.  See the symptoms below.

2. Holding your boundaries helps you reestablish and reconnect with your goals.

It's easy as a business owner to just jump in and power through. But if all that effort isn't moving toward an end result, or you've lost sight of what the end result is, then reaching the finish line will be impossible.  More often than not, if someone pushes your boundary it makes you aware that something is off-kilter. It is a warning shot per se to reconnect with where you are going and what you are trying to accomplish, which typically requires you to enforce a boundary.  Funny how that works, eh?

3. Saying yes means saying no to something else. What do you REALLY want and need to say yes to?

Episode 93 has many examples of what this looks like. But, simply when you say yes to something as simple as ice cream after dinner - you are saying no to things like your diet, vegging out on the couch later, one flavor over another. A simple decision really is complex. This is why when you say yes to things in business, like working with that high-maintenance client, you can easily be tilted off-track pushing you further and further off course. When I evaluate what saying yes means, it ensures that I am empowering myself to follow that decision through.  I chose to hire a cleaning lady, there are a lot of inside details about this situation in the episode. Hiring this company empowered me to say no to feeling guilty about the house being dirty, spending my time on a chore when I would rather be doing something else, and most importantly family disputes every weekend on who would be doing what.

4. Take 100% radical responsibility for you and only you.

That seems easy enough, but 100% responsibility requires extreme effort and practice.  Notice that end piece, for only you.  I talk a bit more about that below - but you are not responsible for other people.  It's easy to pick up their projects (especially mental projects) which is why in the episode I share this important tip: "I'm sure you'll figure that out!"  Listen here to hear the entire story and know why it works to keep you in your responsibility lane protecting your time and energy.

5. There is no point in trying to fix other people.

First, you can't fix them. They can only fix themselves.  I shared this Julia Roberts quote, which I am seriously thinking of making my mantra.  Swap out man for client, child, or whatever fits for you.  Listen to the entire scoop on not "saving" others here.

"Women, you are not rehabilitation centers for badly raised men. It's not your job to fix him, change him, parent, or raise him. You want a partner not a project." - Julie Roberts

6. Take time to Reflect, Recharge & Reevaluate (the triple R).

When confronted with your boundaries, you are also confronted with an opportunity for choice and change. Sometimes you need to take a deep breath and reflect on what is going on. Why you are feeling the way you are. Is it because you're tired, stressed out, or something else.  Taking a few minutes to connect to your gut and ask yourself what is coming up helps you recharge and then you can reevaluate what you want to do next. Helping you to act with precision and confidence as you move forward.

7. You only get one shot. Today.

I butchered the "today is a present" saying, but I know you've heard it. I also know that it is true. This is why I give you some important questions to ask before you answer "yes" or "no" to decisions that impact your boundaries and your sanity. Because tomorrow is a new day, you have an opportunity. But sometimes that can fluster our decision making. I came up with these simple questions to help you determine whether you say yes or no.

1. What will "yes" mean tomorrow?

The same questions can be used for "no". You can hear some specific examples of how this scenario looks by listening to the episode here.

• You feel worn out all the time.  More than exhausted.

If you are feeling any of these, check your boundaries.  If they feel out of whack, implement one of the options from above and see how you feel afterward.

Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

It can be a smidge overwhelming, don't you think? Everyone is telling you to put a freebie on your website, but how exactly do you get it on your website, and which format works better? A single page or an opt-in form, a pop-up form, a combination?

This week's episode of the Feed U Podcast gives you the low down on what option of opting in works the best.  Click here to listen to the entire episode.  I have found that using a separate landing page, works the best. But I also give you the inside scoop of what to do when you have a broken, horribly hideous, or non-existent website, to still grow your list.

1. A landing page screams intent to your page visitor. 

Why do you need to give your visitor a specific reason to visit your page and keep them on task? Simple. We as a society are uber distracted. If you have a potential subscriber that comes to your landing page, you know they are there for one of three reasons. To buy, to get on your list, or to learn more. Your goal for a landing page is simple, you either want to sell, add them to your list or get more information from them so you can make your emails irresistible. By removing every other attention grabber, you are able to get them to take whichever action you intend.

2. A landing page creates a distraction-free zone.

The #1 reason I love love love landing pages is that you have made your intention clear, there are limited distractions, hence, you get higher conversions. Whereas an opt-in form on your website opens you up to oooh, what's this pretty thing over here, wait there's a blog article on that, they're on Facebook, let me go check that out.  You see the problem. They never opt-in because there is WAY too much vying for their attention. Pop-ups work fairly well, but also run the potential of being annoying. If you're going to have a pop-up make it match the opt-in you are trying to drive traffic to.

3. Track conversions, easily.

This is where a lot of business owners drop the ball, they don't track what is working. When I say "what is working" I mean are people downloading your freebie and continuing down your sales funnel? Or are they getting to the page and not exchanging their name and email address for your content? Or worse, are they not arriving at all? It's more difficult to track conversions (especially if you are using online advertising) if you don't have a specific page that you can track. If you are putting in the effort to grow your list and want to sell products, the best way to do that is to track that landing page. This is also a great tactic if you are testing different opt-ins to see which one performs better. Lastly, if something is broken, you know where to track what needs to be fixed.

4. Introduce new visitors to Y-O-U.

When people arrive at your website from the internet ethers, if you have a landing page that leads to a thank you page, you can direct them directly to another page on your site that could be of interest. Keeping them on your website builds the relationship. It is more difficult to create this experience if you have them fill out a landing page not connected to your website.  More on this in just a bit.

5. Benefits your SEO and Search.

Google searches pages, it cannot search forms. When you set up a landing page for a specific opt-in you can then have the URL for that page be specific to the content on that page. Google loves content that matches the URL, when you can do this, it will naturally increase your ranking for those specific search terms.  You also have the ability to include keywords in your description and title for the landing page and any other content you have on the page. Meaning, Google will see those terms and say "hey, they are talking about "x" and so and so is searching for "x" we should pop this into their search results. Win. Win. Win.

6. Easier to track advertising effectiveness.

Similar to #3, when running Facebook or Google ads, it is easier to add a pixel to a certain page or have that ad track to a certain page and calculate effectiveness.  Sometimes Facebook's numbers are inflated, and the same for Google, when you have your own statistics you can compare and ensure that your ad spend is truly working the way they say it is. Reports from third parties aren't always accurate, when you have your own numbers, you can verify and know when something is truly working or it isn't.

First, don't panic, you can still grow your email list even if you don't have a website.  I DON'T recommend this as a long term strategy, but you can get started without a website.  When you use an email service provider (highly recommend) like ConvertKit (my personal favorite)  you have the ability to build a landing page within their app. Here are some of the benefits of using a landing page through Convertkit:

1. They have easy to use templates, making it easy to get your landing page up and running.

A few pitfalls to only using a landing page with an email service provider:

1. No specific thank you page to track conversions for advertising.

I also mention LeadPages in the episode, but pitfalls 2-5 will still apply to LeadPages.  Long term, you will want a website even if it's just a simple website.

Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join me in my Facebook Group. I talk about all things online business growth but specifically sales funnels, branding, and WordPress.

If you answered, what self-care regime - then this week's Feed U Podcast episode was made for you. There is a direct correlation between how you take care of yourself and success. With so much going on, I thought it critical to challenge you to put yourself first. Because putting yourself first isn't selfish. In fact, when you refuel and replenish you have more to offer and give to those who need you.

Some of them you may have heard before (but it never hurts to be reminded, especially with everything going on). To get the entire lowdown of how to take care of you, tune in here and listen to the episode. As always, here are the cliff notes for this week's episode:

I know McDonald's can be easy and sound delicious when you don't feel like figuring out what's for dinner. But, there is a direct correlation between stress and eating. I also talk about my realization of junk food addiction and tuning into your body to listen to what it wants. Of course, everything in moderation is my motto. You don't have to be perfect, but you do need to listen to the cues your body gives you when it comes to eating, sleeping, rest, exercise, you name it.  For all the deets tune in here.

Yes in fact in this week's episode there is a bout of brief singing. What can I say? I'm a Madagascar fan.  Just something about the Zebra. Anyway . . . moving your body counts.  Even if it's in short spurts.  Research has shown shorts spurts over time are as effective as longer periods of exercise. Meaning you don't have to do it all at once. But, this body we are in was meant to move. When we don't move things get kinked up, clogged up, and jacked up. Yep, those are the clinical terms.)  Even if you have to sit at a desk all day there are ways you can get up and move it move it move it. Listen to the ideas I share about what I'm doing to keep moving during zoom calls and computer work.

I'm not just saying that because I live near Boulder. I think by now we can agree that the meditation thing is not just a trend. It's been going on for 1000's of years - so I think we can quit calling it a "thing". When we sit, quietly and listen. Turn off our thoughts and listen. It's amazing what will start happening in our lives.  I reference Insight Timer when talking about a tool to get you started.  I've used it for many years now, and that free version has a TON of content.  Check it, tune out and let me know what you find out.

Holy cow could we have more distractions? I give a great example of what happens when we tune into our device first thing in the morning during the podcast. As humans, we are problem fixers. If we jump into a problem before we have even given ourselves the chance to wake up or plan out our day - we are like Doug in the movie Up. "squirrel". We won't get done what we need to. Our goals won't get accomplished. And, we can't achieve what we want to achieve. It also makes it really hard to focus and stay neutral energetically. With so much going on and so many distractions, it's exhausting just thinking about it. No wonder we are tired. Last, I give some before bedtime tips for devices in this week's episode. Give it a listen here.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But sleep is one of the BEST stress-busters out there and most of us don't get nearly enough. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep daily helps your brain function at it's best. Even more, even better. But many of us don't get enough sleep or can't fall asleep or stay asleep. I shared several tricks to fall asleep during this part of the episode. Below are the links to some of the tools I reference. For more detail, listen to the episode.

• Yoga Nidra Meditation Julie Rader

It is easy to get caught up in our thoughts and let our emotions propel decisions or keep us stuck. When we start to take action, things will start shifting and moving again. Sometimes it's as simple as taking that first step. Sometimes we have to take smaller steps to gain momentum and see big results over time. But overanalyzing and spinning our thoughts over and over in our mind only increases our stress. So take that first step and see what tomorrow brings.

As entrepreneurs and business owners, we are creators. When our creativity gets blocked we don't have new ideas, we feel stuck and wonder what the heck we are going to do and how got into this mess in the first place. When we can find a constructive way to release that creative energy we are more productive, find solutions faster, and achieve our goals quicker. We have to expend the energy somehow. It doesn't matter if your creation is perfect (let perfectionism go for the love of all things holy) and just play again. I reference my addiction to crayons (learn more here about that) but choosing what fits your creative needs will be the best way to go.

Simply if you want more success then put your self-care first with these 7 tips. If you're ready to declare your self-care commitment, come tell us in the Facebook Group this week.   In the meantime,

I know email can be drudgery and at times overwhelming, which is why it often is overlooked.  But email marketing has the highest ROI of any other marketing tactic out there.  Nearly 400% in fact. But, statistics don't help you write an email. This is why in Episode 90 of the Feed U Podcast, I share my 4 step email success formula.

so I know it will work for you too. I cover the 4 easy steps of the formula on this week's podcast episode, you can listen to it in its entirety here.

Technically in the episode, I talk about #1 second and #2 first. But, it's because my outline was screwy.  I just didn't want any confusion when you were listening.

If you don't nail your headline and grab your audience's attention, you've lost the game. We have to compete with all the other emails in their inbox. Which means, you have to stand out and get that email opened. Otherwise, none of the other steps in this formula are worth a tic-tac.  In this week's episode, I mention Episode 32 which is all about creating juicy headlines.  If you need headline help, give it a listen. But writing a headline is THE most important piece of this formula - which is why I recommend practicing.  Practicing comes from creating LOTS of headlines and then choosing the perfect one to include in your email.

Nobody wants a "Dear Sir or Madam" email. They don't work, and they annoy people. Treat your audience like it is full of people. In fact, treating your audience like it's packed full of new friends is your best bet.  The more you can personalize your interaction with your audience right off the bat, the better your long term retention and conversion will be.  I talk about emotional alchemy in this week's episode and the importance it can have on your marketing and relationships.  You definitely want to tune in to hear about this, it's a game-changer. I also mention how important knowing your audience is.  This free tool will help you research and get clear on them and their needs.  Be sure to grab it. 

As though you've never heard this one before (chortle chortle). If you don't call your audience to action, they won't know what to do next or worse, they will take no action at all.  Meaning they fall right out of your funnel. You work too dang hard to get them into the funnel to let them just fall out. So, layout the roadmap for them.  In Episode 90 I explain the 3 places people struggle with their Call To Action (CTA). They either put it into the email too soon, they have too many CTAs or they don't add one at all.  UGH, right? Let's keep it really simple. Add one CTA. Keep it consistent and connect it to your content.  If you want more details, listen to this week's episode for some more samples and ideas.

I can't emphasize enough how important the PS is.  In the episode, I give an example of unwrapping a package.  It was a pretty good analogy (pats self on back) so go check it out. But, why is it so important to add a P.S. Well, here's the sweet truth that you won't likely want to hear. People will NOT read your entire email.  I don't care if you are an award-winning author.  We as humans have a 7-second attention span.  Less than a goldfish, which means we skim and move on. When you add a P.S. at the end specifically with your call to action, you keep them in the funnel and keep their attention.  Please please please if you take anything from this episode, add the P.S.

There you have it, the 4 easy steps to creating emails.  Are you ready to get consistent and start loving on your audience? Come share your insights in the Facebook Group this week.   In the meantime,

You've probably heard more than once how important it is to grow your email list. So, you created that download, put it up on your website, and now you hear the clock tick, tick, ticking, and yet no one is opt-ing in. Or worse, they are opt-ing in and yet still no new sales. In Episode 89 of the Feed U Podcast, I am covering the 9 reasons why your opt-in isn't working.  This is a MUST listen to the episode if you are ready to grow your email list.

and more importantly, more conversion of leads into customers.  I give you some extra tidbits (as always) in the episode.  So head on over to your favorite podcast app and listen to the entire episode here.

I'm ready for the 9 problem areas, Alisa, lay them on me.

Unless your business is as a professional hide and seek artist, you have to make your opt-in easy to find. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a website to review it and couldn't even find their list builder.  You have to make it obvious and easy to opt-in.  More to come on the must have's below.  But this is critical.  Want more details? Tune into this week's episode here.

If you just slap something together and think people will give you their precious email address for it, sorry to break it to you - but it ain't going to work.  You MUST solve a problem and give your audience a quick win.  Everyone has a free download (or so it seems) so yours has to be even better.  The same goes for "sign up for my newsletter". Nobody needs another newsletter.  Their inbox is already crammed with them.  You need to give them a reason to opt-in that's so good they would pay for it.  Need some more examples?  check out this week's episode.

If you've been listening for a while you know I'm a big fan of relationship building.  It's the wave of "now" and will be an even bigger wave in the future (read prediction.) Which is why selling to soon is the death of your opt-in.  People want their problem solved and they want it solved now.  They don't want to know every detail of how your office runs, what copy paper you use in your office, or how many people will have to look at your water cooler before it can be fixed. 

Please don't be a drop off the face of the earth opt-in creator.  How many times have you signed up for a freebie and then gotten the freebie but never heard from the provider every again?  Or worse, you heard from them 6 months later and you don't remember who they are.  DON'T be that person. That leads to the immediate ticking of the unsubscribe button and nobody wants that.  In this week's episode, I give you some specifics on what you can do to follow up effectively and start nurturing and building that customer relationship.  give it a listen here.

Listen, I know you know your business better than anyone. But here's the thing - your customers don't. So if you never tell them what to do next - they won't take the step.  SO many times I have worked with clients that did EVERYTHING right and then when it came to their freebie they just left their audience hanging. A hanging audience doesn't move forward. Which means they will never get to the part where they give you money to help them.  You have to leave them bread crumbs to follow.  I give you some examples here, go check it out.

Here's the deal - if you've created an opt-in in hopes of helping everyone, no one will want it.  You have to target your opt-in, just like all of your marketing, to start a conversation with the person you want to do business with.  Knowing who your ideal client avatar is will help you create something specifically for that person.  If you don't know who that is or how to learn about them, grab this free ideal client worksheet and fill it out.  (The second part is key). In this week's episode I talk a lot about refining your ideal client because, like many things in business, this evolves as your business evolves.   Might want to keep that worksheet handy for the future as well.

You have to tell your audience what you want them to do next. We are experts in our area of knowledge. But most of the people who need us, are at a kindergarten level. We have to take them on a journey to get them to the point of working with us. If we don't lead them along with bread crumbs, step by step, they won't keep walking.  They will get distracted by something else (family, email, social media, our competitor) and it is REALLY hard to get their attention again. With your opt-in, you have to continue to lead them on that journey. In this week's episode, I talk about some of the clients and results we've gotten when we got this right.  You can give it a listen here.

Imagine a time when you printed out an awesome resource you had signed up for.  Likely it got lost in a pile on your desk or filed away for a while. When you went to look at it again, did it have a logo? Website address? Were you left asking - where the heck did I get this again? If so, that's a branding problem. Don't be that person.  People are at different stages of their buying journey. Those researchers will eventually want to make a decision, but if they don't know who you are or can't connect your awesome resource to you - then they will never turn into a customer. Brand it, baby.

In this week's episode, I relate your opt-in as a conversation starter. A first date if you will. But, if you don't continue the conversation and just start talking at your new lead instead of to them, guess what - they will tune out. Pronto! Create the conversation, nurture the lead, and think of this as step one of a long journey.

There you have it, the 9 reasons your opt-in isn't working.  Did you see one spot that you're opt-in could use some polishing? Work on it and share what you did in the Facebook Group this week.   In the meantime,

It is so frustrating to put time and energy into your business and your marketing and still not see sales. More often than not, it can be something as simple as getting your offer right.  This is why in Episode 88 of the Feed U Podcast I am giving you the 7 areas that I have seen my clients struggle with. Once we've fixed these areas, the cash register starts ringing.

In most cases - EVERYTHING! You can't sell something that no one wants, and it's pretty darn hard to pay the bills if you aren't selling something.  Am I right?

So let's dive into the 7 areas that most people neglect or just plain miss when it comes to creating their offer.  Most of these are quick fixes that you can implement and start seeing results right away.  For examples and all the details, head on over and listen to the entire episode here.

Let's dive into the 7 areas most people get stuck when it comes to creating an offer that sells.

People aren't on Google searching out your product.  They are trying to find an answer to this thorn in their side that keeps them up at night.  If you jump into your doohickies and all the facets of your product.  You've lost them.  They are off to find someone who cares about their problem.  In the episode, I give some specific examples of how this plays out in your customer's journey.  Give it a listen here.

Similar to point number one, you don't want to dive into pushing your product right out of the gate.  People buy from people who they know, like, and trust.  That requires building a relationship.  You have to court them, let them know you feel their pain, and that you just happen to have a solution that will help them out.  If you've never tuned in to one of my favorite Ted Talk speakers, give Simon Sinek's WOW video a watch.  I also give some great examples in this week's episode.

If you are trying to sell to everyone, you end up selling to no one.  We are a distracted society. Without some differentiation from all the other noise in the world, you are going to have a HUGE uphill climb to get your offer in front of people who will pay you to help them solve their problem.  It also makes creating content, writing messaging, and developing ads a huge pain in the behind.  When you are clear about who you help and how you help them, all of those struggles become easy.  In this week's episode, I share the story of one of my clients and the struggle he has had at trying to reach multiple audiences.  Give it a listen here to learn what we did to solve the issue. Luckily for you, I've also created a free download to help you map out your ideal client avatar.  You can grab it here.

More than once I've taken on a new client who thinks they have their offer nailed. But when it comes down to it, there are some key things that are missing.  Number one being there is no clear offer presented. They do a mix of a lot of things, but people don't buy "all the things" that you do.  They buy results and forward motion.  Without a clear path (buyers journey) to your offer and through your offer, you will struggle to keep people in your funnel and making a decision to get out their credit card.  Tune in to hear some examples of what you can do to scale your offer and keep people in your funnel here.

This goes back to number one as well.  If you don't understand your ideal client (be sure to grab this free download if you need help with that) it makes it really hard to know where they are in their buying journey and how you can best help them (and get paid). You may have an overlap of services needed, but it becomes so much easier when you are the one who is directing the path.  I also give an example here of what happens when you don't have a clear path to follow. Simply, people again won't buy.  Which means you are now running a non-profit with no way to pay the bills. More often than not offering too many options will actually hinder you from success rather than propelling your sales forward.

If you're like me, you've heard more than once in your entrepreneurial life - "I can't afford it." Your prices are too high." "So and so will do it cheaper." The reality is that those are covert words to - you haven't built the trust needed or presented the value of what you offer clearly enough to help them move forward with their decision to invest in a working relationship with you. I share some specific examples here that will help you build your value and offer the assurance people need in order to invest in you and what you offer. Another key point that I forgot to add to the podcast is that your relationship investment time is directly correlated to your pricing model.  The lower the price, the easier it is to build the relationship and move them to your cart. The opposite is also true.

There are three big objections that happen in every sale.  I cover them all here. But here's the low down on the big 3 sale stickers (meaning they won't move forward if you haven't handled them all). Number one, you haven't built your authority and expertise in what you do.  If you haven't given them enough confidence in what you can do, you will need to fill in the gaps with case studies, testimonials, or reviews. The second big sticking point is proof.  The best proof comes from results which is why I work hard to get starting and ending numbers for my clients.  It isn't' always possible, but when you can track where they started (numbers, measurements, etc.) and where they end up after working with you - that my friend is proof for your future clients.  There is no time like the present to start tracking those metrics. Last but not least, you have to have some sort of guarantee. I talk a lot about online course guarantees in the episode.  You may have to get creative about how you offer your guarantee.  I also give you the low down on how I handled this in my business.  Give it a listen here.

That's a wrap for this week.  Is your sales funnel stuck? Which one of these tips will you implement first?

Come over and share your sales funnel frustration in the Facebook Group this week.  I'd love to be able to support you. In the meantime, 

I don't know about you, but I feel like using my self-esteem as a punching bag has been a HUGE part of growing my business and getting to where I want to be. In this week's episode, I share with you an inside secret (ok maybe it's not so secret). But here's the thing - NOBODY has it all figured out. No matter how big their business is.  And, if they say they do, they are lying.

And what I found out, is even those with multi-million dollar companies are still literally and figuratively getting their poop into a group. Sometimes they just have different piles to push together.  If you are imagining that you will someday wake up to a business that is problem-free, I hate to burst your bubble, but it ain't never gonna happen. The good news is, there are some definite things you can do to prepare yourself for business growth, scalability, and also increased customer service.

Some of the team-building tools I recommend in the episode are determining a way that you want to handle onboarding.  I give several examples.  The first being super easy using Loom to record your process now so that when you ready to bring on someone to help you already have a process recorded.  You can take that a step further and send it to Temi for transcription and then just clean up the document, turn it into a written process. Or you can outsource the transcription clean up to your new virtual assistant.  (Great minds, I Know Right?) I've started documenting my processes this way and it's a REAL eye-opener to where I am spending my time.  

Then I recommend choosing a place to store those new processes that are easily accessible by your future team. Some recommendations are dropbox where you can change file permissions or Google Drive.  I also mention that if you are wanting an email address @yourdomainname.com that you sign up for GSuite. The awesome thing about GSuite is that it works with nearly every hosting platform and you also get access to some shmancy features in your Google Drive.  Like the ability to create templates for work that you do over and over again. The cost for GSuite per user is around $8 a month.  Not too shabby for all that you get. And you don't have to have multiple users to share documents.

Toward the end of the episode, I give you three suggestions for refining and tightening your process.  I also mention my favorite quote as a mantra to live by when setting up these processes (and running your business for that matter).

"Done is better than perfect."

First, get feedback from your team or your trusted friends/associates on your process so that you can refine what you are doing and ensure that it's easy to understand.  This includes documenting, recording, and reviewing each process that you regularly repeat in your business.  Make decisions based on the data you have now because you can always refine the process (and you will) down the road.  I think keeping general with the process is helpful.  This enables whomever you bring on to add their expertise and flair to the process.

Second, get feedback from your clients and previous clients.  I recommend setting up a quick exit interview to gather data or a survey for people.  It's great if you can have one on the front end and one on the back end because then you can measure where they were and where they have come.  This is an idea that I am going to be implementing during Q2. This is also a great time to gather testimonials and celebrate results.  When people recognize their results, they want to keep moving forward, meaning they want to keep working with you.  Which means (yep) you increase sales and make more money.  (see how I snuck sales funnels in here?)

Last, always review a project, work with a client, an event, or whatever you are doing with these two questions.  What did we do right? What could we do better? Take both lists and implement them in the next version.

That's a wrap for this week.  Have you documented your processes? Where do you keep getting stuck?

Come over and get some support in the Facebook Group this week.  I ran out of time to do a website review last week, so I am going to do them this week.  Have one you want to be reviewed? Come tell me in the Facebook Group.

How many times have you gone to a website looking for a specific article, product, or answer only to get lost and wander aimlessly? Ultimately leaving you frustrated, walking away or worse spending hours searching out the very thing you CANNOT for the life of you find.  This week's podcast episode is all about the 3 things you absolutely must have on your website to be effective and get more customers.

But ultimately, I deliver a short and sweet episode covering the must-haves to make your website function as part of your sales funnel and also keep your customers and audience happy and returning regularly.

One of the things I mention in the beginning is the need to have an SSL on your website. One, because it makes your visitors feel secure. Two, because Google gets downright hostile with your search rankings if you don't have one. I mentioned my favorite hosting company SiteGround, which offers a free SSL with its hosting service. You can check them out here.

You may be saying to yourself, I have a Call To Action, Alisa. It's right there and says meekly, "Learn More". Let's have a come to Jesus meeting real quick.  NO ONE wants to learn MORE.  They want you to solve their problem, understand their problem, talk about their problem, and ultimately fix their dang problem.  I go into several examples here in the podcast episode of what not to do and ultimately what should be done instead.  But don't hide your next step from your customers.  They won't go looking for it, instead, they will go to your competitors. Ain't nobody got time for that, so let's buck up little campers and slap that Call To Action front and center.

Consistently is relative to you and your audience. Some people will connect daily, some people once a month. It will take some trial and error on both sides of the fence to get it right. But set the parameters, communicate, and show up.  Most importantly give value and build the relationship. I go into one of my not secret vices in episode 86 and share the story of one of the people I recently followed who is doing it right.  I also dive into how she is doing a great job with her consistency, her creation of content and how it meets the needs of her audience and last, how it leads to her sales funnel and people buying what she's shlepping.  I may have gone a bit of tangent here as well, but it's late in the day and I tend to do that when I am enjoying sharing the scoop with you all.

The last must-have piece of your website is a way to collect your visitors' names and email addresses.  There are about a million different ways and ideas to do this. But, it's critical because if you don't collect something, you have no way to engage with them, love on them and keep them moving through your sales funnel.  Meaning, your website is a lazy teenager who isn't doing their chores and you keep paying them anyway.  The point is, figure out a way to gather those email addresses and names so that you can add them and keep them moving through your sales funnel. So that ultimately they buy from you.

I will have a "Create your free download" challenge coming up in May (just a heads up for reading this far!)

That's a wrap for this week.  Short and sweet, the 3 BIG things you need to make your website sales funnel friendly. These are critical now and will be in the future.

Will you be doing a few upgrades to your website?  I'm doing 2 free website reviews over in the Facebook Group this week.  Look for the post and add your comment to have yours reviewed for free.