What's your best advice if I want to offer free storyteller-coaching?

by Ulrik Kris

Posted: 9 years ago 16 replies

COPY WRITING

Hi fellow Warriors,

I hope this is the appropriate forum - otherwise: throw something at me ... but gently, okay! :-)

Now,I have over 2 decades of very varied experiences under my belt from strategic communications, some marketing, fiction writing and live storytelling, and I would like to develop an online business around it, where I consult people on storytelling.

In short, it's about finding and expressing a compelling and authentic story around you and your services/products.

Potential customers: I am thinking businesses or business bloggers esp. within the 'soft fields' of personal development/health/life style - but also self-publishing or beginner authors and memoir-writers at some point.

I would however like to do free coaching to find out more about the specific problems of my potential customers and how exactly I may best be able to help them.

So my questions are:

1) Anything in particular I should be wary of when making such an offer here on the big predatory internet? Managing my time and resources? Making clear agreements with coachees? Etc.

2) As I'm quite new to this area of business, so I suspect that there is already quite a large part of the copy-writers out there who offer to enhance the 'storytelling' of their clients in some way.

In your experience is storytelling just a general skill that most CW'ers have and offer, or are there (many) CW'ers who actually specialize in this angle? Can you point me to some examples - e.g. business sites? (Your own included of course :-)

Thanks in advance!

Ulrik

P.S. If you would like to see the page I'm settting up just for the free coaching offer, it can be found here: Story-Mover Academy

Any comments on this would of course be welcome, but for now I'd just be grateful to hear your feedback on my two questions. Thanks again.

#advice #free #offer #storytellercoaching

joe golfer 9 years ago

Way too many potential markets. I would narrow it down to one, maybe two primary markets. I would focus on PWM - People With Money (corporate speechwriting, successful speakers, business case studies, etc.) - and branch out to other markets after you get revenue coming in.
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Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
- Jack Trout
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Ulrik Kris 9 years ago

Thanks for your replies, Rick and Joe - and the links. I'll be sure to check them out.

Since this is an offer for free coaching, and since I have limited time each day to work on it and wanted to start ASAP exploring if I could attract some coachees interested in free help, I have not - yet - written any stories into this particular offer.

I intend this to be a process where I work back and forth between refining my still free offer and actually learning from potential customers, what their problems are. If not earlier, I'll get more story woven into my own offer/s when I feel I know enough to lock in my focus on a specific group of customers and their challenges, and write something that will resonate with them.

Hope that didn't come off as too timid, haha.

Thanks again for your input, guys. I really appreciate it. I feel like such a damn greenhorn ...

Best,

Ulrik
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- 1 reply
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- Alex Cohen 9 years ago
  
  Ulrik,
  
  Your idea to determine the problems a target market experiences is a good one. In fact, it's essential.
  
  But in my opinion, you'll be wasting your time writing for free.
  
  Read the sales pieces of your successful competition and see what problems they're targeting. That will give you enough prospect info to put together your own paid offer.
  
  As you work with paying clients, you'll learn more and more about their problems... and can refine your offer over time.
  
  Alex
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  ewenmack 9 years ago
  
  Example of Pitch for storytelling to corps
  
  The Big Idea In 111 Words
  
  With the world full of imitators and
  knock-off artists, there is one place they can't ride off your hard work...
  
  Before I reveal what that one thing
  you can own, which puts a iron cage
  around the circling sharks, let me tell you what it's not.
  
  It doesn't require you to research and launch a new product
  
  It doesn't require you to invest more
  money in a marketing
  
  It doesn't involve employing new or more staff
  
  There's no lengthy up-skilling team members
  
  Further to this, you'll see Disney, Apple, Nike, Amazon and other brands using it.
  
  How you can apply it to your company is what's coming up next...
  
  /// End
  
  Let's break down what took place here so you can see a framework for
  pitching your ideas...
  
  1 Start off by telling the big idea is coming up and in so many words.
  This respects the readers time and forces you to condense your value.
  
  2 Start with something the reader can agree with, problems are an excellent place. Getting the reader to nod his head is the goal. You'll notice I named the readers common enemy. That's a sure way to get fast agreement.
  
  3 Then open up the possibility of this can be fixed with one thing.
  Don't reveal it. This creates intrigue.
  
  4 Tell the reader what it's not to further fan the desire.
  
  5 Name familiar names that are using it so you
  give proof of concept
  
  6 By saying how it can be applied to the reader, it kills off the nagging question, "will it work for me?"
  
  There you go, you've been given the blueprint to sell your storytelling idea.
  
  Best,
  Doctor E. Vile
  
  [ 1 ] Thanks
  
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joe golfer 9 years ago

You'll still struggle until you focus on a market for two reasons. First, your marketing will be vague and non-specific, so your prospects won't know if it is for them. That means you won't be able to create success stories you can use as proof of your ability.

And six months or a year from now, you may be back with a similar request for feedback. How do I know? It happens every day here.

You say, "Specifically, I will review your blog or site, your book script or memoir – or just your ideas for all of these if that’s where you are."

The target is too wide.

If someone read a story online that says, "Apartment Fire In The City Renders Man Homeless," they'll likely skip it and read something else.

Now what if your friend or relative see this headline?: "Apartment Blaze Puts Local Resident Ulrik Kris Out On The Street!" with sub-headlines like "All His Favorite Comics Are Gone Forever!" "Firemen Had To Restrain Kris From Trying To Save A Priceless Superman First Edition!" Chances are good they would read that story.

Right now your product has no focus, hence the marketing message is equally vague. I would tailor it to one market, build it up, and expand after you have established a beach head of sales, revenue and profit.
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Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
- Jack Trout
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Ulrik Kris 9 years ago

Thanks, guys,

I feel a little less like a greenhorn already ... :-)

(Okay, I still feel a LOT like a greenhorn but as a greenhorn who is quickly learning valuable stuff!)

And I don't think the learning will ever end, but I would like to emphasize again that it wasn't my intention doing a really well-thought out sales page to begin with before I approached people with an offer for free coaching. Just a general presentation and then I would refine the page (or pages) as I learned more about my potential customers, through free coaching.

Perhaps this isn't the right way to do it, so this greenhorn will try to adjust (while running):

1) For x days now I will work on my - let's call them that - Landing Page(s), making them more precise as Joe recommended and try to fit my offer into a framework like Ewenmack outlined. I will just base this writing on research. And I will add more story, Rick - du'h! :-)

2) Then I'll go back out and see if I can find potential coachees. I have not yet made up my mind whether or not I should ask money for it, Alex, but if I do I'll set a price that I hope will be as competitive as possible, considering that I probably won't have much proof (testimonials etc.) of my ability by that time anyway.

So, thanks again, guys - I definitely feel ready to row a little further out on the ocean now.

Best,

Ulrik
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MontelloMarketing 9 years ago

My advice: Know your shit!

Don't just become another poser pretending they know story because they read stories. There is specific story structure that is constant no matter what the venue, the medium, or the use.

But... telling story to sell product is very specific. There are 1,000 ways to do it wrong. And 995 guys out there are teaching those ways.
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The Copy Nazi Banned 9 years ago

If you are here, you probably agree that good stories are of critical importance when trying to get people’s attention – in almost all avenues of life and business.

Don't presume to know what I think, for starters. I hate that. You lost me right there. I don't agree that good stories are of critical importance blah blah. But apparently you do. And then you don't get my attention with a gripper of a story but just serve up some lame and uninspiring copy. (BTW when I read free coaching in your post here I immediately think this has no value and the guy is desperate.)

Pardner... if I were you I'd mosy on over to Vin Montello's hideout and pick his brains... or join his gang.

Talking about stories... I watched a bootleg copy of Wild Tales last week. Now THAT is story. And tight as a fish's rectum (and that's watertight).

Wild Tales (2014) Trailer - Brilliant Argentinian...
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Ulrik Kris

9 years ago

Nazi, my presumption so far is that if a person makes it to the front page they've done a specific search with keywords for that kind of help. When my offer is finished I want to contact potential customers directly leading them to individualized landing pages, depending on who they are. Free coaching offer is currently part of the process to learn about my potential customers' problems. I am not presenting a fully fledged offer that is supposed to earn money now.

Montello, agreed - and duly noted!

Best,

Ulrik

Thanks
1 reply

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sethczerepak

9 years ago

Originally Posted by Ulrik Kris

Free coaching offer is currently part of the process to learn about my potential customers' problems. I am not presenting a fully fledged offer that is supposed to earn money now.

I understand what you're trying to do. But there are several reasons this isn't the best way to go. If you want to discover what their PERCEIVED (<-- I'll explain this in a moment) problems are, do some editing work for them and charge them some money.

People value things based on how much they cost, so offering anything for free isn't going to help you earn enough trust to win much business, let alone find out a damn thing about their problems.

Also, there's a huge difference between someone's real problem and what they BELIEVE is their real problem. You have to find out the later and sell them on that angle, keeping in mind that you'll eventually be helping them with the real problem once you've earned their trust and helped them discover it.

In many cases, especially in coaching relationships, your clients don't see their problem as clearly as you do. Either because they're too close to the problem, or they're too proud and/or uncomfortable to vocalize it. Hell, sometimes they don't even have the language to describe it accurately. So don't count on them to just barf it into your lap.

At the same time, once you DO find the real problem, you have to be careful about how you communicate your intentions to help. Many times, you have to sell them what they think they need so that you can deliver what they really need.

If you try to tell them that they're "wrong" when you're closing the sale, you'll lose the opportunity to prove it later when you help them. You have to be an emotional detective. Find their perceived pain, lean on it until they scream and offer a solution that sounds easy and painless.

Again, try editing. Writing is nothing more than thinking on paper. If you have any understanding of human nature, you'll get a damn good look at what's going on inside your client's head once you start editing their work.

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The Copy Nazi Banned 9 years ago

Hey Ulrik, just so you know. We're here to help you (but I gotta stay in character ;-) You'll get a lot out of this sub-forum if you hang in there.
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- Ulrik Kris 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi
  
  Hey Ulrik, just so you know. We're here to help you (but I gotta stay in character ;-) You'll get a lot out of this sub-forum if you hang in there.
  
  Thanks, Copy Nazi - and you and both old and new posters have already proved that. I am really grateful for your advice on how to start this out, and I can certainly use it.
  
  To: sethczerepak (and others) ... I have thought it over and I think you are right about especially the perception of value, and the whole process of coaching. I already have some experience coaching in areas of personal development and I can vividly recognize your descrip of the 'gap' that there can be between coach and coachee's experience of problems. Furthermore, when there's money involved in a transaction for help there is a tension between how quick you want to go about handing over the solution, as well as how you want to present it if you feel your customer is reluctant to receive your advice during the coaching process.
  
  And I might as well get my first lessons about my potential customers' problems from a situation that mirrors the kind of business I eventually want to end up with!
  
  So I have edited storymover.academy accordingly and I have also put up an offer for storyteller-coaching on fiverr.com for now. I will in addition be looking to advertise on other freelancer-sites where you can set your start price relatively low and where people are looking for solutions anyway.
  
  Any suggestions as good forums to offer one's services in this regard, would be very welcome. I know of odesk and elance.com and quite a few fiverr-clones, but I am in doubt what types of sites would be a good fit for me and the service I'm trying to offer.
  
  The other way is of course to make direct and more individually tailored offers for coaching to people I come across and interact with online, but this is obviously a slower process than just putting an advertisement out there in a public forum.
  
  - Best,
  Ulrik
  
  Thanks
  
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The Copy Nazi Banned 9 years ago

This is pertinent - Cargo Cult
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- rhinocl 9 years ago
  
  If you want to send different emails to people in different sub-niches Constant Contact has that functionality built in. For aWeber I already made the code for a select list.. I can send you the url if you reply to the pm I sent.
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  cheap search engine optimization
  
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Sandycmy 9 years ago

Ulrik, How can I get your coaching ?
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- Ulrik Kris 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Sandycmy
  
  Ulrik, How can I get your coaching ?
  
  Hi Sandycmy,
  
  You are welcome to send me a PM and tell me more about what you need help with. Then I'll do my best to provide that help!
  
  Best,
  
  Ulrik
  
  Thanks
  
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What's your best advice if I want to offer free storyteller-coaching?

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