Let me run this idea by you - Content For Coaching

13 replies
Hi Warriors,

I've been helping people a lot and recently I've been seriously looking at what the best way to move my business forward is.

It's easy to just do stuff to make money, but I have a few limiting beliefs which have always got in my way when it comes to focusing on the money.

While I've been able to do nicely despite these limiting beliefs I'm at a point now where I'm coming to the conclusion that perhaps the reason I maintain them is not that I can't remove them but that I want them.

I know that wanting to keep beliefs which seem to get in the way of maximising income potential sounds like a crazy thing, but I really do like helping people and I guess I'd consider myself a loser if all I did was whatever I knew would make money if I didn't consider it worthwhile besides the money.

So, this has led me to an idea which I'd like to get your feedback on.

I have 3 main passions in my life right now:

1 - Music

2 - Helping people become happier and more successful

3 - IM

I'd like to combine 2 and 3 as effectively as possible in a way that results in moving them both forward effectively and supporting my revenue plans.


My idea is:

Rather than charging people directly for coaching like I normally would - Create a 'barter' system. So where I need fresh content and resources for my PLR memberships, I would swap coaching sessions for fresh original content. This way I could work with people who aren't able to currently afford money for coaching but that could do some useful resource creation work for me in exchange.

Obviously this is a limited model because it still involves my personal time, but I considered the option of group sessions for the groups of people who want coaching but also can't offer much in the way of valuable work either (for whatever reason).

so - I do coaching sessions in exchange for work (content creation, graphics, etc... - all the stuff I would be paying for otherwise) and people get coaching when they may have otherwise struggled to afford it.

My part just means that I need to actually monetise the things I have them contribute in order for me to actually make any money, but I think I can handle that.


Do you think this is something you would be interested in? Do you see any problems with this model?

Any comments/feedback/suggestions very much welcomed.

Regards,

Andy
#idea #runthis
  • Profile picture of the author Peter Bestel
    Andy

    I applaud your reasoning here and see nothing wrong in staying true to your beliefs at the expense of profit.

    Bartering is a fantastic concept. We barter probably everywhere except on the Internet. I think it is definitely a model which could work but there are a few considerations.

    In my experience, despite how you may want to run it, it seems necessary to have a structure of value assigned to particular tasks. Almost all bartering systems end up creating their own kind of token, or replacement currency. I believe the LETS system uses 'talents'. Maybe an hour of your coaching time could be worth 50 'henrys' !

    Having said that, as your skills will be the hub of this system then maybe you can make the rules and decide the 'worth' of work that's being exchanged.

    The only other thing I can think of just now, is something you've already identified, actually managing the thing so you can make some money!

    Good luck with this and I'll be watching the development with interest.

    Peter
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Thanks Peter.

    I was wondering about the value measurements. I want to be able to ensure my time is not devalued but also make the system workable.

    I've already been contacted by other people showing interest in becoming part of a 'coaching team' rather than just doing the coaching alone, which while it complicates things a little was something I hadn't considered.

    Thanks for your comments and thoughts.

    Andy
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    nothing to see here.

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  • Profile picture of the author Norma Holt
    Making money is OK for those who have nothing to do with helping others. IM will take all your time until you figure it out so if you are happy with what you have been doing you should just concentrate on that. Helping people brings far greater rewards than money.

    God bless
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  • Profile picture of the author DougBarger
    I disagree with the notion that those who help people should not be compensated with material goods for their efforts

    and can also be blessed in doing so.

    You can let your light shine as an entrepreneur or professional while still being a good steward of the finances.

    Even if it was a non-profit organization dedicated to training people for internet marketing, the workers would still need to be afforded a salary.

    There are those who can provide a legitamate service of value helping others and profit without the profits clouding their judgement.

    I just disagree with the broad sweeping implication that those who help others must not be paid for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Taylor
    What comes first.. the coaching or the content?

    If the coaching was provided first it may help the content provider to become more effective and result in better quality content and value.

    If the content came first it may help you to identify weaknesses that could be addressed in the coaching sessions.

    Another dilemma for your consideration Andy.

    John
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    John's Internet Marketing News, Views & Reviews: John Taylor Online
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    • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
      Sounds good to me Andy if you can find a way of managing it that isn't too time consuming.

      One thought that struck me about the value. You need to value both your own time and that of the producers highly.
      For example, 1 hour of your time is $200 and 1 article written is worth $25. I think a ratio of 8 to 1 is fair but $40 and $5 respectively would be demotivating for both sides.
      I know that wanting to keep beliefs which seem to get in the way of maximising income potential sounds like a crazy thing,
      Not if those beliefs are maximizing you as a person.

      Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author Andy Fletcher
    What you could really do with is a token system. You say each hour of your time is worth X tokens then you tell whoever does work for you how many tokens they will receive in exchange for it. With enough people trading tokens the only thing left to do is come up with a snazzier name for them ... I recommend "dollars"

    In all seriousness I think it's a great idea but ultimately I'm not sure what there is to be gained that wouldn't be achieved by paying people fair market value for their time/work and charging your coaching time out similarly. At the end of the day that's what money is; a means of swapping one good/service for another without having to directly trade them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

    Rather than charging people directly for coaching like I normally would - Create a 'barter' system. So where I need fresh content and resources for my PLR memberships, I would swap coaching sessions for fresh original content. This way I could work with people who aren't able to currently afford money for coaching but that could do some useful resource creation work for me in exchange.
    Andy,

    One way I could see this working is with a kind of virtual "intern" system, in which you'd have your students work on your business as payment for the coaching.

    To start with, it may just be simple research projects, but as their experience grew and you identified particular strengths, they would be able to tackle more specialist work for you.

    This would certainly accelerate their learning and ensure that the students actually took action (something you could never really enforce under normal coaching conditions) whilst supporting your own IM business needs.

    Best,

    Frank
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    • Profile picture of the author Andy Fletcher
      Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

      Andy,

      One way I could see this working is with a kind of virtual "intern" system, in which you'd have your students work on your business as payment for the coaching.

      To start with, it may just be simple research projects, but as their experience grew and you identified particular strengths, they would be able to tackle more specialist work for you.

      This would certainly accelerate their learning and ensure that the students actually took action (something you could never really enforce under normal coaching conditions) whilst supporting your own IM business needs.

      Best,

      Frank
      I really like this idea, especially if you let your students use what they produce for you with certain caveats. Eg someone who write 10 articles for you could be allowed to sell them/use them themselves if they rewrite them or something like that.

      That way they'd be taking action and building their own business as well as working for you.
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      • Profile picture of the author Terry Kyle
        Hi Andy,

        Firstly, I've always enjoyed the intelligence and humanity of your posts here - kudos to you brother.

        With regards to advancing your situation, part of the solution may be to emulate what Eben Pagan does in his IM GuruMastermind Program. This is a membership site rich with video content on every aspect of the IM business - for all levels of expertise.

        Eben has copied the style of the Apple Mac tutorials in his videos - which are very cheap (all on camcorder) and easy to shoot (message me if you want all the specific details on this).

        Obviously this is a more effective use of your time and Eben charges (way) upwards of $500 per month to access to his program and it all seems to work well.

        This might be where you could use additional people on your coaching team to create videos on specialised areas e.g. blogging, PPC, AWeber, Twitter etc.

        You could then barter membership access to your program e.g. 3 months' access for X job, 1 month's access for another and so on - or have different levels of access, silver, gold, platinum, each with more content.

        It may not be perfect but is worth considering.

        Good luck with it all.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jean Morgan
    I would rather pay. Why? I am not sure I have any skills worth bartering. I hate writing, I can't do graphics, research bores me rigid. I outsource all of this.

    So to access the coaching I would pay others to do whatever I am bartering to get the coaching.

    I suppose that way 3 people earn?
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  • Profile picture of the author Sirius Lin
    Hi Andy,

    As you've mentioned at our last meeting, "everyone has something of value that is unique to them alone". Perhaps not just for content, but also for maintenance work, research or marketing as terms of barter can be considered.

    ~ Sirius
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    • Profile picture of the author jhongren
      Hi Andy,

      I see where you are going at.

      If I interpreted correctly, you are leveraging on other people's strengths and I share the same belief as you that anyone of us has different uniqueness.

      As for what kind of strength, we never know and we need time to streamline them to help fit your plan (whatever you have set aside for them)

      On your side, I think you will have to be really flexible and creative to fit anyone who comes in. I know it is not easy. And what is someone drops out.

      I did attempt to try this model out: mentor 2 ladies who help me to write content for my blogs. But eventually when money is not in the story, excuses such as not enough time, too busy with work start to come in.

      And it is now you need to find someone with similar strength to replace them. Somehow, it doesn't look like a coaching program. It becomes like to find members for our team.

      This is my experience and hope it is helpful.

      Cheers,
      John
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