In my 10 years of running a business I learned one thing: you can have the BEST program on the planet, and still struggle trying to fill it! The issue is really NOT inside the program or product, but rather in the CONTENT they use to market it.

Here’s the secret sauce…

You must CONNECT THE DOTS between your content and your product, so that by the time they’re done reading or watching your free material there’s only ONE clear next step – to invest in your product or program.

How do you do that?

Join me on my special FREE training call, where I’ll reveal my 7 SECRET STRATEGIES FOR CREATING CONTENT THAT SELLS.

Plus, I’ll share with you how to turn your content into a simple but income-generating product launch, including:

• Why you MUST add product launches to your marketing strategy, and how they can accelerate your business growth!
• My simple 28-day product launch process I used to generate between $20K and $143K over the last few years, and the 4 simple components I use to run all my launches!
• 3 must-have factors for a highly profitable business (they are absolutely foundational, and yet many people don’t have these in place!)
• My 7 Secret Strategies for Creating Launch Content That Sells (I’ll take you behind the scenes of how I develop all my emails, videos, and teleclasses that move people from general interest to a buying decision.)
• My “awesome opt-in video” formula that will help you attract lots of sign-ups and fill your mailing list with people interested in buying.

…and much more!

I’ll even reveal the #1 BIGGEST MISTAKE people make in their content that keeps them struggling for customers and clients!

One of the biggest questions I received was, what’s the best type of product to launch? You can, certainly, launch anything! But I’ll be revealing the type of products and price points the work best for Internet product launches.

It’s easy to get started with Facebook or Twitter (heck, everyone is doing it!), but not that easy to rise above the noise, and get attention. As a coach, you must be noticed in order to build your platform and get clients.

Social media is an extremely effective way to do this, but you must do it right- or you’ll waste time and effort. In this session, you’ll learn:

• What your ideal clients really want
• The five elements of a memorable brand
• Why social media is disrupting traditional marketing
• Social media tools to target your ideal clients (and find them online!)
• How to build profitable popularity
• Why brand communities are the marketing pathway for the future

Plus, other proven branding and platform building strategies.

Dr. Rachna Jain built and executed social media strategy for some of the most well known coaches, consultants, and speakers working online today. Her persuasive social media process builds influence, visibility and credibility resulting in more website traffic, greater recognition and opportunities for her expert clientele.

Coaching Boom 2010 Registration

Ok, this is the teleclass of the YEAR…

After announcing “If Coaches Ruled World” contest to win a FREE ticket to this year’s Coaching Millions Super Summit, I received dozens of submissions filled with unique ideas, concepts, and predictions. You can see most of the submissions in the original post here.

Here are the three runners up who got the most votes:

“No longer would the vast majority of people take their dreams into their graves, because they would, with the encouragement and inspiration of coaches, live them out while they still had breath.” – Emily

“Children would be taught that coloring outside the lines is cool and they’d be encouraged to experiment to find out what happens when you try something new. And that being different and unique can make you successful and self-fulfilled. Imagine a world where our children get the message that they can make positive change, grow to fulfil their potential, and feel good about themselves? Those children will become our future leaders, politicians, doctors, lawyers, police and firefighters, scientists, engineers. They will rule the world from a place of positive power and energy. They will discover new and innovative ways to help humanity in their communities and around the world because we teach them they CAN and that it is all POSSIBLE.” – Susan Giurleo, http://www.bizsavvytherapist.com

“If coaches ruled the world, people would really live. Life would not be just about survival, allowing people to focus on greater things – self actualization, reaching greatest potential, etc.” – Barb Elgin, http://blog.coachsappho.com

My Personal Favorite:

“Presidential elections would take place via Twitter and Facebook and everyone would have access to the total vote count.  Healthcare plans would come with a bonus CD and opt-in to a health coaching program to provide ongoing, life-long, optimum health. Coaching would be on the education curriculum from the 10th grade, and colleges would offer it as a degree program. Spouses would no longer be able to cheat on their partners because whomever they approached would insist on giving them coaching to work things out with their partner. The worldwide slogan would be, “Whatever problem you have, there’s a workshop for it” – Heather Markel, http://www.culturetransition.com

And the winner of the “If Coaches Ruled The World…” contest is….

…drum roll please….

Monica McPherrin

Parents would encourage their children to follow their passions in life and think twice before choosing words which demoralize and limit their own and their children’s futures. People would be encouraged to embrace their differences and use them as a strength instead of a weakness. Wars would be fought between individuals, not countries, with words of understanding and compromise. Accepting that it’s O.K. to disagree and still get along.

Monica McPherrin, http://beginnersonlinemarketing.typepad.com

Congratulations, Monica – please, claim your winning ticket to the Coaching Millions Super Summit 2009 by e-mailing me at milanaATmilana.com, and I hope to see you in Dallas TX this October!

Thank you to EVERYONE who submitted their ideas! I really enjoyed reading them ALL – challenging, thought-provoking, surprising, insightful – THANK YOU!

Also, don’t miss the early-bird deadline to save $300 on your registration for the Coaching Millions Super Summit 2009, and a chance to win private breakfast with me, where I’ll personally guide and coach you:  http://www.CoachingMillionsSuperSummit.com

Dozens of People Submitted Their Ideas For the “If coaches ruled the world…” Contest. Now I need your help! Which of these top 10 are your 2 favorites?

Click Here to Vote Now!

The creator of the winning idea will receive a FREE ticket to the upcoming Coaching Millions Super Summit on October 23-25,  in Dallas, Texas.

You network, speak, write, collect business cards… Eventually, you end up with a list of people you can enter into your database – great!

You decide to send out an announcement about your new program or product, but the results are simply dissappointing — no sign-ups.

What’s wrong?

Is it your product? Is it your announcement? Is it you?

The answer is in the match (or mis-match) between your mailing list and your message. To make sure your list is responsive to your announcement, they need to share common problems and goals. They need to belong to the same group of people, target audience — a niche.

Unfortunately, most of these people have only one thing in common–they know you. No wonder no one “jumps” on the opportunity to buy.

So what do you do with a list you built from dozens of different sources?

You survey!

Find out what they have in common, what their biggest problem is, and what do they most want to know. Then offer it to them in a form of a coaching program or product. (Be sure to give them a way to leave your list,  people who need to be on your list will stay.)

Next time you send something out to your mailing list of 500 people, and don’t get a single sale, think about what attracted these people to you in the first place. Your business card? Your new program? Or just a free cup of coffee?

The only way to get great results from an announcement to your database is to announce something the majority of them care about. Since a mailing list is not a niche, your goal is to survey and filter it.

I explain what a coaching niche really means here.

You know for sure your mailing list is a niche when all people came to you through the same method – by requesting a special report from your web site, by hearing you speak at a specific seminar, by purchasing a specific product from you…Keep these lists separately, segment everyone on your list! When the time comes to e-mail your product announcement, you’ll be able to choose which sub-list will be most interested in it. And the results will show!

Niche Resources for Coaches

One of the frequently-asked questions I receive from coaches all over the world is “how do I discover my niche?” If that’s your question, I’ve put together a brand new program to help you answer that question. It’s a part of my brand new Phase One “Building” program for coaches.

Read more about Discover Your Niche here . . .

Or Read more about the entire Phase One program here . . .

If you’ve ever been in a room full of coaches, you would agree that we are a special kind. We see world differently that most people changing the world around us where ever we go.  Can you imagine if coaches actually ruled the world? How would it be different today? How would it affect our laws, health, society, relationships, education, entertainment, parenting, families, and other areas of our lives?

I invite you to share your idea by posting it as a comment below.

Top 10 ideas will be featured here, and #1 wins FREE ticket to the 2009 Coaching Millions Super Summit in Dallas, TX October 23-25!

If you’ve known me for awhile may have heard me say; “If I can come to this country from a place where businesses didn’t exist, where some of the most brilliant people lived in poverty, where some of the best books could only be bought on the black market . . . if I can come here and build close to a million-dollar business from scratch  — then so can you!”

And I really believe it!

Our recent celebration of July 4^th here in the U.S. got me thinking about how far I’ve come – and how much my life has changed since coming to the U.S. in 1992.

I recall looking forward to Sunday afternoons with my dad—we’d visit the black market outside the city to look for books that were being read all over the world – but not available in Ukraine.

One Sunday afternoon when I was about 11, the police decided to clean out the area, and my dad and I ended up running across the railroad not to get caught – shopping for books!

I knew that we had a difficult life in Ukraine, but only after coming to the U.S. did I realize how hard we had it there.

Regardless of how much talent or how many natural abilities you had, unless you had connections you couldn’t get into a good college or even get a decent job.

In 2000, eight years after arriving in the U.S., our local newspaper was interviewing me about my life in Ukraine and my lost citizenship papers. I was really concerned about having this black-market story published, fearing that someone might go after my dad. That fear becomes a habit of thinking from a very young age, and runs deep- and although there’s a lot of freedom in U.S., I never, ever take it for granted.

I teach my clients that to be successful in business you have to have an opinion – a strong, unique opinion that gets you noticed and creates a following. Then one day I realized that in soviet Ukraine you could never do that. You could never voice your opinion to generate publicity, buzz, and attract more clients. Voicing your opinion could even cost you your life.

The U.S. offers all who come here an incredible gift: the opportunity and space to dream big, harness your own natural abilities and take the action necessary to make it a reality.

I couldn’t imagine starting my own business in Ukraine. In fact, the contrast couldn’t be more stark: One of the freelance programmers I hired in Ukraine told me that he was afraid to make too much money, fearing the government would come and take it away.

In fact, without U.S. freedoms, using my four years of intense classical music education, I’d probably be teaching five-year olds “do-re-mi” in some country school with chickens bawking outside the windows.

I recently watched Yakov Smirnoff, a Russian comedian very popular in the 80s, when the second-to-the-last immigration wave in Russia began. He told of how all humor was censored there: you couldn’t joke about sex, politics, or religion – basically the three topics that generate most humor for American comedians!

So freedom means more to me here than celebrating the freedom of America from Britain. To me it also means being free to express myself and teach my kids that they can do or be anything they want – the only limitations are in your mind.

Please share your thoughts!

Is coaching the first thing people cut in difficult economic times?

Many people believe so.

I’ve experienced a slowdown at least once in my business. It happened in March, 2003, when the U.S. entered Iraq. Everyone was glued to their TVs 24/7, and my business almost came to a stop.

I can’t say that I handled it very well. It was really scary. I started thinking about plan “B” – going back to teaching piano or even getting a job again. I applied, my application was rejected. Thank God!

I continued to run my business and in about two months,
it picked up again.

Since that year, I learned a lot about business. I studied how small companies survive and even prosper during a recession.

I was especially interested in how coaching is affected by an economic slowdown. Since it belongs at the very top of the Hierarchy of Needs, it is not considered a necessity in most people’s lives.

Can coaches survive the recession?

Absolutely YES! But not all will. Only the ones who follow these tips and strategies will withstand the difficult times we’re experiencing today:

1. Remember that coaching is a global business. You don’t have to rely on local business only. Create a web presence to reach clients all over the world.

2. Specialize “vertically” – by target audience, not just by your coaching specialty. This will allow you to be more unique and have a higher perceived value in your prospects’ eyes.

3. Know your customers. Understand how these economic times are affecting their lives. Revise your coaching programs to address their pain. Prospects are much more willing to postpone their purchases today, unless they see a clear benefit in their current situation. Survey and interview your customers, reach out to them personally.

4. Increase your marketing efforts. Most coaches will cut down on this thinking it’s no use anyway. Historically, companies that survived the recession never stopped marketing. They created unique promotions, programs, and events to increase visibility and lead generation. Many of them say that they experienced maximum growth during these times.

5. Diversify your coaching product mix. Create programs and products with different price points. Diversify your in`come sources. Don’t rely on clients only. Develop workshops and continuity programs, and take your expertise to a second niche market.

6. Focus on relationships. This is a great time to fill your coaching programs through joint ventures and affiliates. Ask your current and past clients for referrals.

7. Offer “second glass” as per Mark Joyner’s “Great Formula.” Think about what else you could offer your customers if they already bought a product from you in the past.

8. Remain passionate don’t get discouraged by what you hear about economy. You create your own economy! When Michael Gerber went nearly broke, he kept on going. Everyone around him was waiting for 2 years to see when he files for bankruptcy, but he survived and thrived. In his own words, “I just never quit. It was never an option.”

9. Get a coach! Yes, it is crucial that you have a cheerleader in your life right now. Most people around you will keep complaining about recession, and this will do only one thing for you – make you feel depressed and powerless. A coach can support you in continuing building your dream business.

Tips and Tools: If you’d like assistance in creating a winning coaching web presence in the shortest amount of time,  creating coaching programs that diversify your product mix, or any of the other strategies to grow your coaching practice, you might consider my new program Coaching Millions System – Phase One: Build Fast

Wouldn’t it be great if clients could just sense how valuable you and your coaching services were – and every new client offered you top dollar to have you coach them?

Few coaches enjoy that reality. Why is there often such a wide chasm between the genuine value a coach provides – and the fees they can charge?

“Success in coaching” is a very personal measure. What’s yours? Just for the sake of establishing a baseline for our discussion, let’s say a successful coaching practice is one that allows you the freedom or flexibility to choose the clients you work with, the kinds of coaching you do, and how you structure your life.

And often the most direct path to that kind of freedom is created through our coaching income.

So let’s talk about coaching income as one measure of the value you provide your clients.

How to Become One of the 9% of Sucessful Coaches

Less than 10% of coaches ever reach a six- figure income. But even of those who are so fortunate to achieve their financial goals, 99% create a business they begin to dread after a while, and have no idea where they’ve gone wrong in building their coaching practice.

One of the biggest reasons for so many challenges in our industry is that everyone is too busy trying to define what coaching is. In fact, they completely ignore the most important thing to focus on – looking for more ways to create value and results for clients. As more coaches and “non-coaches” (people who coach without any formal training) are entering the field, competition is heating up.

Do you Provide a Service or Unique Value?

Coaching is not really a service industry, like so many people believe. Coaching is actually a value creation industry. Those coaches who really get this concept and apply it to their businesses, will be able to reach and coach the most people, become very wealthy in the process, and live their ultimate lifestyle.

There are hundreds of organizations dedicated to maintaining the status of coaching as a profession. Yet, most of their members are broke or earning well under $45,000 a year. The saddest thing is that many coaches settle for what their peers tell them they can make. Six or seven figures become unattainable in their minds, because they don’t know anyone who makes that much in coaching, so they make their peace with whatever they can get. Everyone is excited about the idea of coaching and its amazing potential, but the majority of coaches can’t seem to break into the next level of income.

You Can Only Sell the Value of Coaching!

Coaching by itself doesn’t have a high-perceived value to potential clients, and it is not something that can be sold. When you try to explain what coaching is and how it is done, you only confuse your prospect. You can use your coaching skills and techniques to help your clients, but those coaches who attempt to explain the coaching process to prospects too soon may never have an opportunity to work with them.

What is value? In very plain terms, creating value is creating content. Most successful coaches and other business owners understand and apply this on a daily basis. If you’re not creating content, you’re not building real value in your business. I’ve found that coaches have a big advantage when it comes to creating content! We can produce hundreds of pages of information simply by recording and transcribing a coaching program, series of teleseminars, and live coaching events.

Take a look inside your email “Sent” folder…all those e- mails you send out daily contain hundreds of nuggets of your wisdom. As you can see, you already have all the content and all the value. The question is, are you using it to market your business? Are you creating special reports, articles, and audio excerpts and distributing them to tell people about your unique solutions?

Build value beyond clients. Imagine if all your clients left you tomorrow – would your business have any value? If the answer is “no,” the way you build value is through creating content. Content that produces revenue even if you’re not there. I am not just talking about creating information products, although it is an important part of it. The biggest value you can possibly create is by documenting your coaching methodology, your process, and your special ways of helping your clients succeed. In other words, your coaching system.

You might already have some pieces of it, like teleseminars, questionnaires, forms, e-mails, articles, e-books, CDs and other tools.

Here’s another way to think about it: What would it take for you to create a system out of everything you’ve got, that anyone else could use to coach your clients? That’s the ultimate question you want to answer for yourself.

If you’re brand new to coaching, this question might seem strange to you. “Why would I want anyone else to coach my clients?”  That’s true; you can absolutely keep coaching clients for as long as you wish. And, you can document your coaching process so that, even if you no longer want to – or can – coach, your business still has value. That’s the mind shift I am encouraging you to make. Otherwise, all the efforts you’re putting into building your business will only have a short-term gain. “Bearing water by the sieve”–little to show after all the years of hard work and creating results for others, you will have created nothing for yourself.

Create Your One-of-a-Kind Value Message

A big challenge I see with most coaching practices is how coaches approach marketing themselves. Not only do they focus on coaching itself—and not the value their coaching provides—but if they do have a value message, many coaches put forth a generic message, or a weak and timid message. For a coach to break through to the next level, you simply must have an opinion. You have to go to the edge of what you believe in. That’s why I spent an entire morning at my last Coaching Millions Super Summit helping people define their biggest core message. It drives your entire business, your products, your programs, your clients and your partners.

A strong message is something you really believe in. It can go against everything you hear in your field or your industry, but if you have powerful reasons to believe in it, put it out there. You’ll be surprised how many people are quietly thinking the same things, but are afraid to come out and say it. These are the people who will be attracted to you and your coaching programs.

Every coach has a newsletter. However, if you have defined your strong core message (your biggest belief and your biggest promise to your client), your newsletter will be read and recommended as the most valuable resource in your industry.

Make a decision now that your business plays two roles – coaching and marketing. Many coaches are too passive, waiting for referrals, acting as practitioners. Remember that people go to lawyers and doctors because they have to; they go to coaches because they want to. This means that you need to educate people with your content (products and events), and attract people who want to improve and grow and achieve big goals. You never want to lead with coaching – lead with an information product discussing the biggest problem your target market faces. Then you can have your product point to your coaching program on the “back-end,” enrolling only the clients who are willing and ready to take action now.