Read this before you buy another program.

By Stella Orange | Comments Off on Read this before you buy another program.

Can we talk about the elephant in the room?

Everyone and their mother is launching a program right now.

Word on the street is that everyone’s email open rates are down, because there’s just a lot of competition for attention right now.

(We’re seeing this on the newsletter list, which has taken a dip. But some of our opt in buckets are still getting between 30% and 40% opens.)

So, in the spirit of Fall Launch Season – and our own launch of the Write Club — , I thought I’d share my quick and dirty guide to deciding whether or not to join a program.

  1. Does it promise to fix you? A lot of people sell using the message that “it’s not your fault” and then go on to tell you all the ways you need their thing. If the promise sounds too good to be true, it is.Growing a business takes hustle and all kinds of things (like learning how to ask people for money) that are foreign at first.
  1. Do you have the time? Sales trainers teach folks to meet the “I’m too busy” objection. Here’s what I say: “yah, you probably are.” When selling, tell people how much time you expect the course to take (my Write Club take 3-5 hours a month, including training and Q&A time).When buying, check in – do you actually have the time? The psychic space? If you don’t, don’t sign up.
  1. What do you intend to achieve? I’m often surprised by how willing people are to buy, without having a real intention for WHY. “I intend to sign 3 new clients by the end of the program” or “I intend to be more aware of my creative process” or even “I want to enjoy the writing process more” are all solid intentions.
  1. Can you afford it? There’s a lot of artificially expensive programs out there – and you don’t even get to talk to a real person! If it looks like a dump of content, steer clear.Most of us don’t actually need heaps of new information – we need to get a morsel of info, and then figure out how to use it in our business. If you can’t afford it, or can’t see how you are going to make the return on your investment, don’t buy.
  1. Does this person ACTUALLY make money in business? I have the unfortunate privilege of hearing people’s horror stories about their life coach giving them bad business advice. Caveat emptor.Hire people who have the result you want to get. Hire people who know what they are talking about – and who don’t just say amazing things that make you feel good… who walk you through the how, openly and to your satisfaction. BEFORE you buy.

Don’t believe the myth that you don’t know enough. Especially if someone it using that myth to try to sell you something.

Strangely, I find in business that action is more important that knowledge.

I believe in the power of programs and teachers to help us along our path, but I’ve noticed in myself and others the feeling that buying a program is my “lucky rabbit’s foot” – things can’t go wrong, because I bought it, right?

All THAT said, there are still some charter membership spots left in Write Club. Which means you can join for $97/month now, and have me in your back pocket to talk out your message, ideas, and projects all year. Click here to check out Write Club.

Mighty thanks to Ranveig Marie flickr photostream for the Elephant photo.

Stella Orange is a copywriter who helps people put their work into words. For eight years, she wrote email campaigns that resulted in more than a million dollars in sales for her clients. In that time, Stella also taught popular marketing writing workshops to business owners on both sides of the Atlantic -- and a few in Australia and New Zealand. In 2017, Stella cofounded a creative and consulting shop offering a complete and slightly unorthodox line of business advising and marketing services. She continues to write copy and advise clients on customer delight, how to resonate with more sophisticated, discerning clientele in your marketing, and just who, exactly, your ideal clients are. Stella is the founder of Show Up And Write, a weekly writing group and writes a letter every two weeks or so (here’s the sign-up). She lives with the Philosopher and their two kiddos in Buffalo, New York, a fifteen-minute bike ride to the Canadian border.

Comments for this post are currently closed