LI Turning skills into services that sell

Name: LI Turning skills into services that sell
Uploaded: 2026-02-21T13:32:49.000Z
Duration: 2 h 6 min 20 s

Turning Skills into Services: An Interactive Session

Introduction to the Session

The session begins with a warm welcome and an invitation for participants to engage in the chat, emphasizing interactivity.

Adley introduces the topic as "Skills into Services that Sell," highlighting its importance for coaches, consultants, and service-led businesses.

Importance of Turning Skills into Marketable Services

Adley discusses how transforming skill sets into sellable services can significantly impact business success.

Emphasizes that this transformation affects not just customer delivery but also the entire marketing and sales journey.

Participants are encouraged to share their challenges in the chat, fostering a collaborative environment for problem-solving.

Participant Engagement and Challenges

Various participants express their struggles, such as attracting clients or booking meetings, indicating common issues faced by service providers.

Neil raises a question about balancing free advice versus charging for services, prompting further discussion on value perception.

Insights on Marketing Service-Based Businesses

Adley notes that service-based businesses often struggle to communicate their offerings effectively compared to product-based businesses.

He highlights a common pitfall where conversations during sales calls shift towards proving experience rather than discussing value propositions.

Conclusion of Initial Discussion Points

The session transitions towards exploring specific strategies for articulating services clearly without defaulting to personal credentials.

Understanding Customer Trust in Sales and Marketing

The Importance of Trust

A potential customer evaluates whether they can trust you to help them. If trust is absent, the session may not be necessary.

Engaging with the audience is encouraged; participants are invited to share their experiences regarding trust in sales.

Demonstrating Value

In marketing and sales, it's crucial to show how you will help customers transition from their current state to a desired outcome.

Service providers often struggle to illustrate this journey due to the intangible nature of their offerings.

Skills and Experience

Many service providers have extensive experience (10, 20, or 30 years), which shapes their skill set for helping clients.

Potential clients often ask "how" a coach or consultant will assist them in achieving their goals.

Common Pitfalls in Communication

Providers frequently revert to discussing deliverables rather than focusing on outcomes, which can lead to skepticism from potential clients.

Clients may question the effectiveness of services based on personal circumstances, leading coaches to rely on credentials and testimonials.

Competitive Landscape

The abundance of similar service providers makes it challenging for individuals to differentiate themselves based solely on experience or client numbers.

This competition often leads discussions about pricing rather than value, as clients compare offers based on perceived worth.

Shifting Focus from Price to Value

Clients may express concerns about cost when they don't fully understand the value being offered by a provider.

It's essential for service providers to articulate how they can specifically address client needs beyond just price considerations.

Mapping Out Services Effectively

To avoid common pitfalls, skills should be transformed into tangible products or services that clearly demonstrate the process of helping clients achieve their goals.

Marketing Messaging Components

Effective marketing requires mapping out delivery processes that influence messaging strategies aimed at potential customers.

Identifying Ineffective Actions

Understanding ineffective actions—what potential clients are doing that isn't working—is key in shaping effective marketing messages.

Addressing Client Struggles

During initial conversations with prospects, identifying ongoing struggles helps tailor solutions effectively since these issues indicate what hasn't worked previously.

Understanding Missing Actions in Marketing and Sales

The Concept of Missing Actions

A missing action refers to something that individuals or businesses are not doing, which they need to do for success. This is particularly relevant in marketing and sales contexts.

Many people mistakenly believe that simply posting content on social media will lead to sales, leading to disappointment when results do not materialize. This reflects an ineffective action rather than a missing one.

Ineffective Actions in Social Selling

Individuals often invest significant time and resources into social selling without seeing results, highlighting the cost associated with ineffective actions. These actions resonate with their experiences but fail to yield success.

A common mistake is leading conversations by pointing out what potential clients are not doing, which can alienate them instead of engaging them positively. Instead, it’s more effective to provide value upfront.

Engaging Potential Clients Effectively

Telling someone they are missing out on something can provoke defensiveness; they may question the speaker's credibility if there is no established relationship or trust. Thus, it's crucial to approach potential clients differently at the beginning of interactions.

Providing useful resources (e.g., "100 content ideas") creates immediate relevance and connection between what potential clients are currently doing and how they can improve their efforts effectively.

Steps in a Sales Call

The initial part of a sales call should focus on understanding what the client is currently doing and acknowledging their frustrations with ineffective actions before moving forward with solutions. This builds rapport and trust during the conversation.

After identifying ineffective actions, the next step involves discussing typical missing actions that could enhance their current strategies, helping clients recognize areas for improvement without feeling criticized.

Structuring Solutions: The Process Overview

The solution presented during a sales call should outline a clear journey from where the client currently stands to where they need to be, emphasizing actionable steps rather than just skills or past successes of the seller's experience in marketing/sales.

Key components of this process include:

Clarity: Defining audience and crafting messages.

Creation: Developing content assets like lead magnets.

Campaign: Connecting with potential customers.

Control: Managing mindset shifts.

Conversion & Close: Finalizing sales through calls or webinars. Each step addresses both ineffective and missing actions necessary for success in marketing campaigns.

Understanding the Delivery Process in Marketing

The Importance of Action in Marketing

If actions are missing from a marketing process, it needs to instruct users on what they should do. Ineffective actions that aren't yielding results should also be identified and addressed.

Content itself isn't flawed; rather, the reliance on it as the sole means for business growth is misguided. Many struggle with generating effective content for various marketing channels.

Structuring Your Marketing Message

The answers to marketing questions stem from your delivery process, which includes identifying ineffective and missing actions. This forms the foundation of your entire marketing message.

Many people perceive marketing as guesswork or something mystical, but it's actually structured and systematic, beginning with understanding one's delivery process.

Engaging with Your Audience

It's crucial to ensure clarity in communication; feedback from the audience helps gauge understanding. Encouragement is given for participants to express their thoughts or confusion.

Mapping Out Your Delivery Process

To effectively map out your delivery process, reflect on past customer interactions and identify all necessary steps taken to satisfy their needs.

Consider both reactive (firefighting) and proactive approaches in consulting or coaching scenarios. A structured approach prevents high churn rates by ensuring customer satisfaction over time.

Developing a Comprehensive Framework

Step one involves listing all actions taken during customer interactions; step two requires theorizing what additional elements are needed for clients to achieve desired outcomes.

A well-defined delivery framework consists of macro processes (like clarity and conversion stages), along with detailed microsteps that guide customers through their journey effectively.

Tailoring Services While Recognizing Commonalities

While each client may feel unique, there are common processes that every property buyer experiences. Understanding these can help streamline service offerings while addressing individual needs effectively.

Understanding the Process of Leadership Coaching

The Importance of a Structured Process

Every client has unique needs based on their circumstances, but the overall process for guiding them remains largely consistent.

A logical order exists in the steps taken during coaching; it's essential to outline these steps clearly for effective communication.

Participants are encouraged to share their existing processes in the chat to foster discussion and visibility among peers.

Updates and Tools for Coaches

New features are being added to the internal management system, including content sharing feeds and founder notes, which will enhance collaboration.

Upcoming updates will be communicated via email, ensuring all coaches are informed about new tools available in their portal.

Key Skills for Effective Leadership

Effective leadership is rooted in strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and empathy. These elements are interconnected and foundational for collaboration.

The sequence of developing these skills is crucial: empathy leads to effective communication, which then fosters collaboration among team members.

Addressing Client Perceptions

While every client may feel unique due to their individual business contexts, fundamental marketing principles apply universally across different clients.

It’s important that all clients adhere to established marketing steps; skipping any can hinder conversion rates despite their perceived uniqueness.

Engaging with Clients' Processes

Even if some clients believe they have already established connections or processes, it’s vital that they still engage with the full coaching process as outlined.

Feedback from participants regarding whether they have a defined process is sought to gauge collective understanding and readiness among coaches.

Shopping List App Discussion

Initial Reactions to the Shopping List App

Participants share their opinions on a new shopping list app, with mixed responses: Graham and Denise express skepticism while Matt is not convinced. Neil's response is also negative, indicating that it may not be as effective as suggested.

Delivery Process Overview

Understanding the Delivery Process

The speaker introduces a structured delivery process involving key components: product, audience, offer, and message. This framework aims to clarify how to effectively deliver marketing content.

Asset Creation in Marketing

Emphasis is placed on creating essential marketing assets such as landing pages, emails, webinars, lead magnets, and videos. These tools are crucial for engaging potential customers throughout the sales journey.

Marketing Campaign Structure

Components of Marketing Campaigns

The discussion highlights three main aspects of marketing campaigns: connection (building an audience), control (shifting beliefs), and conversion (closing sales). Control involves managing communication strategies primarily through email and funnels.

Mapping Out Processes

Steps in the Delivery Process

The speaker encourages participants to outline their own delivery processes without striving for perfection initially; instead, they should focus on building momentum by starting with top-level concepts. Each component has multiple steps that need mapping out for clarity.

Identifying Ineffective Actions

Common Pitfalls in Marketing Strategies

The speaker identifies ineffective actions within marketing efforts: inadequate content creation, poor networking follow-ups, and poorly defined offers. Many marketers fail to shift mindsets before making direct calls to action for sales calls. This insight resonates with participants who recognize these challenges in their practices.

Effective Messaging Techniques

Importance of Mindset Shifts

A significant missing action discussed is the failure to shift mindsets through effective messaging before presenting offers or calls to action. Marketers often dive straight into selling without adequately preparing their audience through relevant content first. This approach can hinder successful conversions during sales interactions.

Scaling Business Growth

Preparing for Expansion

As the business aims for substantial growth (targeting over a thousand customers), understanding these principles becomes critical for scaling operations effectively while maintaining quality delivery of services or products offered to clients.

Scaling Service Delivery: Strategies for Success

Understanding the Challenge of Unique Delivery

The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of delivering unique services to a large customer base, emphasizing that it's unnecessary to cater uniquely to each client as long as they can follow a structured process.

A strategy is proposed where video content is created for easier concepts (like connection), while more complex topics (like messaging) are addressed through live group sessions, allowing for both individual and collective support.

Augmenting Service Delivery

To scale effectively, the speaker suggests identifying low-friction delivery points in the service process and creating video assets or documentation to reach more clients simultaneously.

Tracking customer progress through these processes is crucial; recognizing patterns where clients struggle can inform necessary adjustments in delivery methods.

Data-Driven Lead Magnet Creation

When developing lead magnets, decisions should be based on effective actions taken by customers rather than guesswork. This approach ensures higher engagement with lead magnets.

The success of specific content ideas (e.g., guides) demonstrates that data-driven choices yield better results, leading to significantly higher download rates compared to other materials.

Evolving Processes Over Time

The speaker emphasizes that refining processes is an ongoing task; feedback from service delivery should guide continuous improvements and adaptations.

Without a structured approach, businesses risk operating without direction. Establishing clear processes simplifies decision-making and enhances effectiveness.

Addressing Customer Needs Effectively

The importance of clarity in communication about processes is highlighted; overly complex presentations can confuse potential customers instead of engaging them.

The speaker encourages evaluating whether existing frameworks adequately guide customers toward their desired outcomes, suggesting that additional elements may need inclusion for comprehensive support.

Tailoring Approaches Based on Client Goals

A question arises regarding how to manage different end goals among clients. It’s suggested that while there may be varied paths, aligning them towards common objectives remains essential for effective program design.

Understanding the End-to-End Process in Sales

The Importance of an End-to-End Process

The discussion highlights that while there is a complete end-to-end process, customers may only purchase parts of it. This segmented approach can still be beneficial.

An example is given where "clarity days" are sold, allowing clients to gain insights on implementation even if they do not continue with further services.

Challenges of Selling Individual Parts

Customers using only part of a process may struggle to achieve sustainable results without completing all necessary steps, leading to potential churn.

It’s emphasized that selling individual components is acceptable, but it's crucial to communicate that these parts cannot function effectively in isolation.

Client Readiness and Business Decisions

There are instances where business might be turned down if the client isn't ready or likely to benefit from the service offered.

The speaker prefers ongoing conversations about upselling rather than outright rejections, focusing on helping clients identify missing actions before proceeding.

Upselling Opportunities and Client Education

If clients understand their needs and agree to address them, they can proceed with purchasing tools or services; otherwise, the company may decline service until readiness improves.

Upselling can occur after initial purchases when clients realize they need additional support for effective tool usage.

Execution Layer and Continuous Learning

After consulting sessions, many clients tend to buy into platform memberships for execution purposes, indicating a natural progression from learning to application.

The platform serves as an execution layer where learned strategies are implemented through various educational methods like training sessions and one-on-one calls.

Feedback on Presentation Formats

A participant shares their process as a property buyer but receives feedback about simplifying presentation formats for better engagement.

Concerns are raised regarding overwhelming audiences with too much information at once; instead, concise presentations should focus on key takeaways.

Understanding Lead Magnets and Audience Mindsets

The Effectiveness of Lead Magnets

The effectiveness of lead magnets is questioned; while they may be downloaded, they do not significantly drive business. People seeking solutions are not interested in detailed processes at this stage.

Audiences have different mindsets when searching for solutions. Many are unaware of their problems or how to address them, making complex content premature.

Audience Belief States

Approximately 30-40% of the audience may be in a "state zero," where they recognize a problem but lack knowledge about it. This group requires simpler, more direct content rather than detailed processes.

Focus on creating lead magnets that directly address key issues faced by potential clients. Understanding what your audience is currently doing (or not doing) can help tailor effective content.

Timing and Content Delivery

It's crucial to identify the specific challenges your audience faces and focus lead magnet content on those areas to ensure resonance with potential clients.

Lead magnets serve as attention-grabbers rather than direct sales tools; their purpose is to engage audiences who might find the information useful.

Sales Process Insights

The sales process involves multiple stages; lead magnets should come early to attract interest, while detailed explanations of services should occur later when prospects are ready for deeper engagement.

Pre-sales discussions should clarify common market issues and outline how your service addresses these concerns, which typically occurs during a sales call.

Effective Communication Strategies

Using pre-sales videos can enhance understanding before final sales calls, but it's essential to gauge whether this approach fits your style or if direct conversation is more effective.

Tailor marketing messages based on specific parts of your process that resonate with potential clients, saving comprehensive details for personal interactions like webinars or calls.

Engaging Your Audience

Engage with participants by asking questions about their understanding and readiness to implement discussed strategies.

Addressing inquiries about existing newsletters highlights the importance of utilizing platforms effectively—LinkedIn newsletters can reach subscribers directly via email notifications.

Newsletter Strategy Considerations

Discussing newsletter strategies emphasizes the need for regular communication without overwhelming recipients; balance frequency with quality content delivery is vital for engagement.

LinkedIn newsletters provide an opportunity to connect with audiences through verified email addresses, enhancing delivery rates compared to other methods.

Understanding Effective Newsletters

The Evolution of Newsletters

Traditional newsletters often resemble old village or school formats, cluttered with various articles and games that may not engage the audience effectively.

Modern newsletters should focus on a single article with a clear call to action, rather than overwhelming readers with excessive information.

Audience Engagement Strategies

Acknowledge that different segments of your audience have varying readiness to engage; one message will not resonate universally due to differing belief states.

Most content is typically aimed at the 10% or 20% of the audience who are ready to act, neglecting those in earlier stages of engagement.

Understanding Belief States and Buyer Awareness

It's crucial to rotate your messaging in newsletters to cater to all belief states, especially those just beginning their journey (state zero and state one).

Familiarize yourself with buyer awareness stages: unaware, problem aware, solution aware, service aware. Each group requires tailored content for effective communication.

Content Creation Insights

One piece of content can only target a specific group within your audience; thus, it's essential to create diverse content addressing various belief states.

Distinguish between knowledge of problems (buyer awareness) and belief in needing solutions; both aspects influence how you craft your messages.

Practical Tips for Email Management

Utilize commercial email software like MailChimp or Mailer Lite for managing unsubscribe options effectively while respecting user preferences.

Encourage participants to outline their processes post-discussion and share them for collaborative feedback within the community.