How-to create a 3-tier funnel for active leveraged income for coaches

How-to Create a 3-tier Funnel for Active Leveraged Income for Coaches

Do you have a plan to flow more money to you and increase your revenue this year? Have you even thought about it? If you do have a plan, how do you intend to go about doing it? Would you get more clients, write a book, or increase your prices?

Well, I’m here to tell you, that if your plan doesn’t include active leveraged revenue, you might as well forget it.

What exactly is leveraged revenue?

There are two types of leveraged income: leveraged and active leveraged.

1. Leveraged income leverages the work of other people to create income for you; such as writing an eBook and selling it through affiliate websites. The key with leveraged income is that you are utilizing other people and the work they are doing on your behalf to make money, rather than you doing it all by yourself.

2. Active leveraged income is the ability to provide your service in the form of a product, on a mass-market scale. Although it does require your direct participation, your ability to make money has increased because you’re delivering it to larger groups of people.

Workshops, conferences, and teleseminars are excellent examples of active leveraged income opportunities where you deliver at a one time event, to a large group of people, for a large return on initial investment. Home-study courses are another example where you put together a product package (one time event) and sell it to many, either through affiliates, back of the table sales at speaking engagements, or on your website.

The process is simple: First, figure out what service you can productize that people will buy over and over again, then create a way to deliver this product to a large group of people.

How-to Create a 3-tier Funnel for Active Leveraged Income

1. Design your high-end productized service first. Then work backwards from there.

2. Have the remainder of your products and services funnel into your high-end event.

3. Create three tiers:

+ Low: something in the $97 or below range. For example, a home-study course that includes a CD, checklist, assessment, book or eBook for $97

+ Middle: something in the $197-497 range. Such as, a three-month group coaching program or online teleseminar. They key here is that it is structured, at a specific time, for a limited period, and geared toward getting a specific result. A three-month program that has regular group calls, downloadable mp3 files, and 20-pages of documentation per week could easily be priced at $297.

+ High: something in the $500-997 range. This would be your platinum one-year program. It could include one-on-one coaching with you each month, monthly group mastermind calls, monthly expert calls focused on a specific content where you interview people on a specific topic, and one or two live events, all for between $500-900 per month.

First, outline your high-end product or service. This is the one that folks probably won’t buy now, although they will be ready to purchase in 2-3 years, after they get to know you and have tried out your other products and services. At this point, don’t go into too much detail planning it all out. Just outline it. From an energetic standpoint, when you writing down and seeing what this product or service will looks like, you’ll begin immediately attracting it to you.

Then develop your first and second tier products or services to flow into your third tier service. Create content that can be leveraged from the low-end of your offerings to the high-end. Make everything compliment each other, so that you create one product to use multiple time.

What’s your plan to flow money to you and increase your income this year? After reading this article, I bet it includes actively leveraging your productized services to get the most buck for your time. Follow the directions on how to create a 3-tier funnel for active leveraged income and not only will you increase your revenue this year, you’ll save yourself time and money, too.

How to hire a pr firm

How to Hire a PR Firm

As a professional PR, I’ve never liked the way movies portray public relations people. Usually, they’re characterized by Hollywood as slick talking flim-flam artists who promise the universe and deliver next to nothing.

And there’s a reason why Hollywood zeroes in on that rendering of PR pros — because our profession does have its share of people who are just like that. I wish it weren’t true, because the vast majority of PR professionals have integrity and work hard to earn their clients’ trust. But the bad apples do exist, and every time I hear real life stories about those kinds of PR people, it infuriates me.

I received a call the other day from a potential client who described to me her campaign that was executed by a retainer-based PR firm (and they charged a bundle) that was so shoddy and mismanaged, it cast a dark shadow over the entire profession in her mind. And, just in the past month, I had similar conversations with two other companies who also had bad experiences with PR agencies.

The sad thing is these bad experiences could have been prevented or foreseen if only the client knew what questions to ask during the hiring process. As I care very much about my profession and the people we serve, let me share some insight about what questions you should ask your PR agency BEFORE you sign on the dotted line. If you get satisfactory answers to these questions, you’ll be well along the road to a successful campaign. «Do you have experience in my industry?» — All PR agencies are not alike, and agencies that tell you they can handle anything aren’t necessarily telling the whole truth. An agency doesn’t need to be a specialist in your particular industry, but it’s important to know something of your industry in order to understand your business. It’s essential for being able to understand the underlying news angles prevalent in your industry and in the news, and for being able to write strong pitches that represent you well to the media. You don’t want to pay for your agency’s learning curve, so make sure they have experience in your industry.

«What mediums do you specialize in? Print? Radio? TV? All of the above?» — More than 95 percent of all PR firms tend to specialize in print media. But, if your company’s message also plays well on radio or television, make sure the agency can deliver that as well. And the issues go deeper than just the type of media, but also the size of the outlets. If you want to be interviewed on talk radio shows, does the agency have contacts with high powered stations in top 100 markets, or will all your bookings be at LP (low power) stations in sparsely populated areas with few listeners. Ask what media they specialize in, and also ask for samples of past campaigns. If they can’t show them to you, chances are you won’t get the coverage you are paying for.

«Are you a pay for performance or retainer-based agency?» — This is an important question, because retainer-based agencies work on a «best-efforts» basis, meaning you are paying for their time and skill. Your risk is that you pay their monthly fee with no guarantee you’ll get the coverage and results you were hoping for. With pay for performance agencies, you’re guaranteed the media you pay for and in some cases you’re billed as you receive coverage, mitigating your risk as the client. A pay for performance agency doesn’t make money unless you get coverage so it’s a win-win situation.

«Can you provide samples of current client campaigns?» — This «look-see» will provide you the documentation to support the agency’s promise that they are actually capable of delivering against their promises. Compare your needs to their current clients, so you can assure yourselves there is a fit. Remember that good client case studies aren’t a guarantee you’ll get the same results. However, chances are that if the agency achieved success for other clients, the odds are decent that they’ll achieve comparable success for you.

«Are you a local, regional or national agency?» — Local agencies may feature lower costs, but their media contacts are limited to their own city. This is fine if all you need is local coverage. But if your company does business nationwide, you want to hire an agency who is speaking to national media every day. An agency with national media contacts is far more preferable than an agency with a media database service that they use to «dial for dollars.» With that in mind, don’t choose an agency just because they’re located in your city and you get «face-to-face» time. What matters more is whether they meet your criteria for getting the job done.

«Who will be managing my campaign?» — With many agencies, the role of senior management is to bring in new clients, not actually execute the work. So, before you choose an agency ask about the level of experience of the person or people who will be working on your campaign. In some agencies, Account Managers are rookies fresh from college or interns playing a key role in the execution of campaigns. As an insider, I highly recommend that you ask questions about the qualifications of the team who will be handling your account.

In addition to asking these questions, make sure to choose a firm that understands your topic, has enthusiasm for your message and can communicate about it intelligently. In the end, you want a firm that you feel comfortable and confident with so you can establish a long-term working relationship.

It

There are suitable bookkeeping software solutions for businesses of all sizes. In today’s competitive environment, a business needs the accuracy and efficiency that this software introduces to its operation. Business owners can easily find bookkeeping software solutions that can be tailored for a business of practically any size. Once a bookkeeping software system is installed you’ll wonder how you every operated without the key tools it provides for your daily operations. Use your personal computer to perform many of the tedious, everyday tasks associated with your business. Tracking customers, performing inventory audits, billing, accounts payable and receivable and payroll are just a few of the routine tasks you can leave to this software. Your new software doesn’t make tax time a slam dunk, but it alleviates much of the pain. In the past few years, bookkeeping software has become much more user friendly, with interfaces simplified to a degree that training’s been reduced to days rather than weeks and months. Large and small operations should have little to fear in moving their bookkeeping to computers. Modern software makes it quick and nearly painless. Once the relative heavy-lifting of the transition is complete, maintenance of the fiscal aspects of your business will routinely require only a short period of the day; and your financial house will remain ship shape throughout the year. One of the features that all top-of-the-line software packages should offer is complete installation and operation documentation. Additionally, most of the software developers provide nearly 24/7 support by phone, email or online chat systems. Every popular computer platform and operating system is supported by bookkeeping software. Some even run on the increasingly popular Linux operating system. A business needs to take an orderly approach to selecting the bookkeeping software package that best suits their business and the accounting method they intend to use. One of your first steps is to decide what are your most important bookkeeping and financial needs. In some cases it might be inventory control, another operation might require extensive job tracking control, or strong accounts receivable tracking. An important software selection step is prioritizing the requirements of your business. A search for bookkeeping software on the Internet reveals a multitude of options. At the top there will be multiple links to well-known names as Quickbooks, Peachtree and Microsoft Money. All are first rate packages, but a business doesn’t necessarily need to limit their search to these monsters of the bookkeeping market. Be careful not to be blinded by all the attention the most popular software vendors get, also consider solutions from companies like Pastel Accounting Software, Sage Bookkeeping Software, Timberline Accounting Software, Accpac Accounting Software, and Lawson Accounting Software.You can Google these names for additional information.

How to handle poor performance — what if it doesn’t work out

How to Handle Poor Performance — What If It Doesn’t Work Out

What do you do after you have coached and counseled an employee and they still do not meet performance expectations or correct the behavioral issue(s)? It can be a challenge to decide if an employee is going to succeed in their role.

You can’t change a person’s effort or behavior…only they can. What you can do is give them: Clear performance expectations, effective training and provide them with a respectful work environment.

FORMAL DISCIPLE PROCESS

Some companies have a formal discipline process….verbal notice and then written notice indicating to the employee the seriousness of the problem. Both types of notices are documented and included in an employee’s file. During this process, an employee realizes that their job is in jeopardy and they need to make the necessary changes.

SUGGESTION

If termination is the recommendation, ask yourself…Are you asking for the same performance from all of your employees? OR do just not like this person? If your evaluation is based on personality, be careful because in the U.S. the employee can potentially have a legal case against you and the company. Keep your evaluations around performance that you have monitored and you will satisfy legal requirements.

MANAGER’S EFFORTS

Most managers give the employee several chances to solve the performance or behavior issue(s). If it is a performance issue, it may take a bit more time to solve the issue if they need to increase their knowledge. Behavioral issues should be resolved by the employee quickly….for example, lateness, sloppiness or negativity.

A manager faces several issues with a low performing employee. Besides not meeting the expectations of their role, the individual also affects the rest of the team. How are the other team members reacting to the individual’s low performance or behavior issue? Usually the team members are aware of the performance issues, though they may still react if you terminate the employee.

==>Here are some concerns managers express when termination is considered:

**You have given a lot of your energy to the employee’s success and believe if you just find the right motivator, the employee’s performance will meet standards.

**You have no time to find a new person. The cost of recruiting and training a new person is high. Heavy demand to meet business deliverables and you can’t avoid being short a person.

**How will the rest of the team react to the termination? If the individual has contacts with vendors or other external relationships, how will they react to the change?

DECISIONS

You can’t fix every employee issue. What you are required to do is managed the situation effectively to minimize the impact on the employee, the rest of the team and the business.

If the employee is not able to meet their job responsibilities, and you have coached and counseled them, the most respectful action is to move them out of that role. If you can find another role that suits their talents, then offer them the opportunity. If not, then you will need to address the issue and terminate the employee.

NEXT STEPS

Find out what your company’s policy is regarding terminating an employee. Small companies may not have a Human Resources Department, though they usually have legal counsel that can guide them. Though most U.S. states have «at will» employment laws, you are not an expert on employment law, so pass your documentation on for review and support with your decision.

==>Termination

Always refer to your company’s policies and procedures before terminating an employee. Here are some guidelines to help you through this process:

**Create the final termination document, setting forth the reason(s) why employment is being terminated.

**Review the employee’s file, records of prior counseling, verbal, and/or written warnings, and any other pertinent documentation with Human Resources/Legal.

**Decide when and where to hold the termination meeting. Select a private location, away from view by other employees. The best time for the meeting is at the end of the day to minimize interaction with coworkers both before and after. The middle of the week is preferable to a Friday, as the employee can immediately start their job search.

**Anticipate and be prepared for the employee’s reaction to the termination — are there security issues?

**Notify the appropriate department to secure the computer and telephone systems, security badges, passwords, keycards, and other company property.

**Make sure you have an Exit document in place so that you can forward to the appropriate people in your company.

**Plan for the employee to get personal items from the work area.

**Create a list of all people who will be affected by this termination and decide where the work is to go after the person leaves.

**Plan the message for notifying clients and employees who work with the impacted employee. This should be coordinated with Human Resources and/or legal counsel. It’s important that the message also is respectful to the departing employee.

CONDUCTING THE TERMINATION

**Arrange for a representative from Human Resources to be present. If you don’t have a HR department, make sure another manager or supervisor is present. Never do a termination alone.

**Stay focused on communicating the facts of the decision — do not let the discussion become personal. Focus on the issue and not on the person.

**Be ready for the employee’s reaction and let them share their reactions. Have a time limit in your mind, so you can help the employee move forward. Otherwise, they may try to talk you out of your decision.

**In some companies, the manager gives the notice and the reasons behind the decision. Then HR takes over and helps transition the employee out of the company.

**Do not allow for negotiation; emphasize that the decision has been made and it is final.

FINAL THOUGHTS

**Advise co-workers that the employee no longer works with the company. This should be coordinated with Human Resources and/or legal counsel.

**Advise supervisors and co-workers what the «company statement» will be for clients or others calling for the employee. (Usually inquiries go to Human Resources or one specific individual in your organization that knows how to respond to outside questions.) Even if the employee resigns, it’s important to construct a «company statement.»

**Communicate to all parties affected by this termination and let them know how the work will be completed going forward.

**Document the termination meeting and place all documentation in the employee’s file.

It’s difficult to terminate a member of the team, though it is your responsibility to handle the situation. Just remember to treat the individual with respect throughout the process.

Iso 9000

ISO 9001:2000 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system. ISO 9000 is a family of standards for qua;ity management systems. ISO 9000 is maintained by ISO, the International Organization for Standardisation and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies. Some of the requirements in ISO 9001 include

a) a set of procedures that cover all key processes in the business;
b) monitoring processes to ensure they are effective;
c) keeping adequate records;
d) checking output for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary;
e) regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness;
f) facilitating continual improvement

16 Steps For ISO 9001:2000 Certification

1.Top Management must take a firm decision to implement Quality Management System based on ISO 9001:2000 standard.

2.Top Management must allocate proper resources to implement the above decision.

Human Resources (Management Representative {ISO coordinator} & Core Team to «prepare,implement, maintain & improve» the Quality System).
Time (minimum two to three hours per day (of core team) for initial three months till achieving ISO Certification & afterwards at-least one to two hours per week
Financial Resources. (Fees / charges for Trainings, documentation / consultancy (if outsourced) & ISO Certification / audit charges.

3. Form a core team comprising minimum two employees from each department and appoint one member of core team as a Management Representative to co-ordinate all ISO 9000 related activities.

4. Establish a Training Plan.

Awareness Training for all employees (as it is a team work and all employees are part of Quality
Documentation training for core team
Internal Auditors training, to at-least three to four members of core team

5. Implement training plan / Conduct in-house training seminars or send your employees to attend open house training seminars for above mentioned training seminars.

Awareness Training for all employees
Documentation training for core team.

6.Review the Existing Business Systems in your organization in comparison with ISO 9001 requirements. (Gap analysis exercise)

7. Formulate Quality Policy [Guiding document] and Quality Objectives [functional / departmental targets / goals]

8. Formulate Six Mandatory Quality Procedures required by ISO 9001:2000 standard.

9.Formulate other Quality Procedures (QP), process flow charts (QFC), departmental work instructions (WI) & other documents required to conduct the company operations and complete the «Quality Manual».

10. Implement the Newly established «Quality Management System» from a planned / fixed date.

11.Arrange for «Internal Quality Auditors Training» to at-least three to four members of Core Team. (Develop Self Assessment Capability)

12. Conduct first Internal Quality Audit. (After a gap of at-least 30 days from the date of implementation of system).

13. Make Application for certification to Certification Body

14. Conduct first Management Review Meeting and then call Certification Body for conducting on-site audit of your Quality System.

15. Initial Audit / Assessment by Certification Body and receiving «Recommendation Letter», (like a provisional certificate) at the time of closing meeting.

16.Receive original Certificate from Certification Body. (normal time frame — within 21 to 30 days from date of recommendation letter)