The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 43 Degrees
Sometimes it’s difficult to believe that something as simple as a Platform (i.e. a podcast or an email newsletter) could possibly ever create results. It’s just too simple isn’t it? You just go out there and help people and then good things happen? Really? If that question has been in your mind, today’s issue is for you. The only thing is, I didn’t write it. My coaching client, Pat, did.
He started a podcast not long ago. He wasn’t completely sure it was the smart thing to do. Last night, this email showed up in my box. Apparently, the verdict is in.
Now Pat’s results aren’t average. (As if we have anything to do with average around here.) If you’re average, or even concerned with what average IS, or look to blame someone when things don’t work out for you, please hit the delete key. Find another path. Take responsibility for yourself. Don’t be a victim. This Client Letter is not for you.
So here’s what Pat said…
To my coach Jason,Right about the time I began production on my first back end product, I took your advice and started a platform – a weekly podcast.
Once per week I sat down and took four hours to do what should’ve taken one hour – outline, script, record, edit, upload, write, and schedule an email telling my audience the broadcast was ready.
I didn’t make a huge deal about getting my customers to sign up for my podcast, because I knew neither how successful it would be, or even if I would continue the podcast beyond the sales test of my first back-end product’s introduction. Still, I was able to sign up about 23% of my total customers – approximately 1800 people – to my podcast email notifications.
After creating the first few episodes, my listenership declined to around 700 people. I was highly discouraged! I felt as though the market was shouting at me that they did not want my podcast! However, by the time episode 10 came around, I was back up to about 2400 listeners every week.
And then came episode 14 – when I was finally ready to sell my first back end info product. This product cost $97.
Let me also add that by this point in the platform journey, I was very tired of putting my podcast together. Even though I had streamlined, it still took me at least 2.5 man hours of work per week to get an episode up. I was almost hoping that the platform would not prove effective, so that I could throw in the towel and not feel bad about it!
And so: I set up my big launch test.
To my platform, I was going to record a special edition of the podcast that would focus on the problem that my new back end product solved, then ending the 15 minute podcast with a five-minute blurb all about the new product and how excited I was to offer it to them. Not much of a sales campaign by most Internet standards! But by this point in the journey, even if I didn’t particularly enjoy building my platform, I had enough respect for my podcast listeners to know that bombarding them with emails was simply not an option. I had talked to too many of them – they were real people whose time I respected. This audience was about 2500 people.
To the remainder of my customer list – those who did NOT sign up for my platform, I planned a regular email style sales campaign. You should also know that I did nothing to keep up a relationship with this audience of non-podcast listeners. I respected their choice to not be communicated with, and I placed my faith in the hope that they would remember me and the product they originally purchased from me whenever I was ready to try to sell them something new. The size of this audience was 9600 people.
I sent out the 14th episode of my podcast, and I hit “send” on the first email in my campaign to the big non-listener list. And I promptly shut off all my electronic devices and went grocery shopping! Lunches are just too darn stressful 🙂
I wasn’t sure what to expect: Jason, through all of your strategic coaching, and in all of our weekly pep talks, you encouraged me to keep up with building a platform saying that you were positive the platform was the surest way to guarantee successful back end sales down the road. I didn’t want to believe it – it was so much work!
But two weeks later, the results are crystal-clear:
Products sold to the 2500 podcast listeners? 433 copies of my latest program.
Product sold to the gigantic list of 9600 previous customers? 114 copies sold.
Unbelievable!
Jason, I doubt I could ever express how fortunate I am that I stuck with your coaching. You are one of the absolute fewest remaining voices of wisdom repeating the mantra of one of my personal heroes, Paul Harvey: that perspiration itself… hard work… seems to be the fertilizer of success. If something sounds easy? It’s probably too good to be true. If something seems so difficult that you just want to quit week after week… that’s probably what you should be doing!
Perhaps the most touching evidence of all demonstrating the complete success of your platform concept is the fact that of the many positive and supportive replies I received to my 14th episode which – let me remind you – focused on SELLING a product, there was from a gentleman who said “Hooray! It’s Tuesday, which is “Pat day” for me. Pat day is my favorite day of the week already, and now I have another one of your programs on the way. Thank you and keep up the great work!”
Thanks again Jason. You speak the truth, and I am now $40,000 wealthier because I was humble enough to listen to you.
Yours,
Pat S*****