The difference between a FREE Discovery Call and Coaching Session

I read a post by a woman who supported the argument of "No Marketing of FREE calls or Discovery/Clarity calls. needed." In her preface, she states that "it comes from a place of 'begging' for business" and the calls "are disguised pitch tests." She also states that newer coaches believe that the free call offers a prospect insight into how great their coaching is by giving away a free session. In her article she notes that Tony Robbins doesn't give free calls. 

Well, I think there is a time and place for a free discovery call. These calls are definitely needed if the coach is new to the business or is targeting a different audience. They must establish the "know, like, trust factor" before people will buy. Not every one has the "know, like, trust factor" that Anthony Robbins has. I bet he gave away free calls to attract business before he became a respected expert and leader. 

The call is also needed to ensure the prospect is a good fit - if they aren't willing to do the work I give them, I don't want them as a client. Or they may not care for my style of design. The discovery call saves me time by eliminating difficult clients. 

However, it IS important to establish guidelines for the discovery or strategy calls. I advice clients to keep the call under 30 minutes. I also do not provide more than two strategies. If they need more advice, guidance, strategy, etc. they can pay for my value and expertise in a strategy session. 

Now, if you offer free coaching session to attract clients, then stop it. As a coach, you have value and to give it away is devaluing you and your expertise. It's not necessary to do this to attract clients. So, watch your labeling and make sure your free discovery calls are in fact discovery calls and your coaching sessions have a priced attached to it!

If you aren't sure about your coaching program or what you're doing isn't working, let's talk about that. In my 15 minute free consultation, ask your most challenging question and I'll give you a ready-to-use strategy and help you define your next step. Schedule your phone call here: www.borp.acuityscheduling.com

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Alicia White is a valuable resource for speakers, coaches, trainers and business owners who need solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia has served in graphic design, marketing, and public relation roles for both the corporate and non-profit worlds.

Alicia is the founder of Back of the Room Productions™ and SpeakerSheets.com and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

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Who are You Competing With

When I began Back of the Room Productions, I did a ton of research to see if there was anyone else in this world who offered graphic design and information products to speakers specifically for the back of the room. I could not find a single individual or company. There were companies who did printing and fulfillment for speakers but they did not offer brand positioning or packages of products in the way that I did.

I launched the Speaker Briefcase, a product package of Back of the Room Productions, in March 2011 in Las Vegas at a networking event. Everyone I met was excited about my products and packages and said it was a brilliant idea. As I began promoting, people who are legends in the industry took notice and started contacting me out of the blue telling me what a brilliant, fabulous, amazing business I had. 

I couldn't believe that this business concept wasn't already in existence, and apparently it was not. It was then I realized - I was a category creator and I had no competition! This was a new concept for me.

For years, I had been one of hundreds of thousands of graphic designers, competing for business. It seemed every time I tried to land a client, there were ten other designers vying for the same client. At that time I attended a network lunch in Dallas were another graphic designer was attending. I worried about how this guy and I were going to compete for business in this group of 30 or so people. The thought of it caused me great angst.  Then one day, this designer, John Simonetta, taught me a valuable lesson. Instead of competing together, we could actually work together. He had strengths that complimented my weakness and I had strengths that complimented his weakness. This was a new concept to me and I latched on!

We worked together as a team on many projects over the years. I was fortunate to have met him because he taught me so much. John showed me that there was enough business out there for every designer. There really was no need to view each other as competition because if you missed out on one opportunity another one would open up. He also said that not every prospect is a good fit - if personalities don't mesh or you can't deliver a style they want, then you don't want that job any way. It would create more work and headache than it is worth.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of worrying about the competition. For us to be successful we need more clients, to get more clients we need to be better than our competition. Getting upset or anxious because someone is sharing your territory or moving into (which causes me anxiety to this day - though brief) is normal. To lessen these feelings, try looking at it this way: measure yourself against the competition and find ways to improve your business plan and processes. Don't think of it as needing to be better than someone else, instead think of it as being a better you or building a better product or service.

Competition will always be there and there is such a thing as healthy competition. When you recognize it, find ways to improve your customer relations or a process. Find a niche and commit to it. Focus on the fact that you are providing others with value and BELIEVE that YOU provide the very BEST!

Are you not getting the results or attention you think you deserve? Then let's get on a phone call and decide if a redesign of your branding or an action plan is needed to start getting prospects your way!
www.borp.acuityscheduling.com
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Alicia White is a valuable resource for speakers, coaches, trainers and business experts who need solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia has served in graphic design, marketing, and public relation roles for both the corporate and non-profit worlds.

Alicia is the Founder and Creative Director of Back of the Room Productions™ and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

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Making a Motivational Image or Poster

We all have seen truly inspirational quotes embedded in images on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. They mvoe us to share with others, or make us laugh or really think. Though it is rare, every once in awhile I come up with a thought that is uniquely my own. lol So I decided to take my own words and pair them with a beautiful image in hopes to motivate or inspire someone or pass on a luagh or smile.

First, I compose my thought. My most profound quotes are usually triggered by an event and typically pop in my head just as my eyes close for sleep. I keep a pen and note pad by my bed for just this occurrence so I can recall my thoughts the next morning. If you don't share a bed or your partner is a heavy sleeper, I recommend using the Dragon Dictation app on your smart phone or tablet, because sometimes I can't read my own handwriting!

After I've composed the message to my liking, I search for a suitable photo. Because of the thousands of photos that my husband and I have taken over the years, I will choose one of our own instead of getting one off the 'net. If you need to use someone else's photo, please please please seek out how it can be used so as not to violate copyright laws. In most cases, a simple request for permission from the owner is all that is needed for personal use. For commercial use, you should definitely obtain the photo legally.

I have a been compiling my quotes and sayings for about three years now. I maintain one document in which I place all my random thoughts; some thoughts are in a final state while others are not and need tweaking. In fact, the following quote was jotted down about a year ago and I finalized it just recently to make my own message to put on the web.

The direction in the wind cannot be controlled.
It is the strength in our wings that leads us
to where we need to be. -- Alicia White

The next step was choosing a photo to set off the message. I have photos of birds in flight including an eagle, but the eagle photo didn't show his wings very well. I found a photo I took a few months ago of a pelican flying above the Arkansas River. His wings were perfectly outlined.

Then I designed a frame around the photo in Photoshop. I placed my quote for best readability and included my logo and contact info. The entire image was downsized to a manageable 1000px wide and saved as a JPG file at 10 resolution, which can be easily uploaded onto any social media site. Make sure you keep the original file separate from the smaller file in case you want the image printed in a book or as a poster.

The image is square which is a great shape for thumbnail viewing on the web, but not so much for printing as most prints are rectangle. To print it, I would take the original file and change the layout to create a high quality file perfect for a print or poster. This is one of many products offered at Back of the Room Productions™. Speakers, coaches, authors and thought leaders can use images like these to provide a long lasting message to their clients.

Alicia White is the CEO of Back of the Room Productions, home of the Speakers Briefcase™, Authors Briefcase™, and The Speaklet™ and North America's first Back of the Room Branding and Marketing Materials Provider. Copyright 2013.

A side note about the photo: my husband and I were visiting my parents in No. Little Rock Arkansas. We had just finished visiting the dog park at Burns Park and overhead were tons of seagulls flying. I gathered my camera and long lens and tried to get a shot. Just as I was finishing I watched this pelican flying towards us. I took several shots of him as he went over head. The shot below is five  photos merged together to show his flight path. It was pretty dang cool!

All photos Copyright 2013 911 iMedia, Inc. Photos may be used for personal use with proper credit to AliciaWhite911 or BackoftheRoomProductions.com