I'm passionate about teaching Internal Family Systems! I've been studying IFS for over 22 years, and have done 2 Level 1, 7 Level 2, and 13 Level 3 IFS trainings, including over 1000 hours of in-person training with the founder of IFS, Richard Schwartz.
After doing over 7,000 hours of my own, personal IFS work, I know IFS inside-out, upside-down and sideways, and love to share it with my fellow inner travelers! I currently offer very intimate IFS support circles and classes for 3 to 6 people online. For more info, I invite you to visit www.melissalifecoach.com
I'm passionate about teaching Internal Family Systems! I've been studying IFS for over 22 years, and have done 2 Level 1, 7 Level 2, and 13 Level 3 IFS trainings, including over 1000 hours of in-person training with the founder of IFS, Richard Schwartz.
After doing over 7,000 hours of my own, person…
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When your things don't sell... why not?
Why do you think that is? Before you continue to read, comment below first on what your hunch tells you... If your stuff isn't selling well, here's why it might be... You might be thinking a lot in isolation when it comes to what to offer. Analogy of mountaintop vs people at the river. To get clients, you must sell what others want (not just what you want). To understand what they want (to buy), you must do market discovery... that's what this course is about! Find out what your people are hungry for... for which they aren't finding satisfying options. Find the gaps in offerings that your people are *eagerly* looking for. Finding "product-market fit" is life or death for a business. For us who are coaches/healers/mentors, this translates into "You-topic-format-audience fit". You = your energy signature Topic = what your services are about Format = offer format, e.g. 1-1 services, group programs, or something else? Audience = of all the people you can reach, who's most interested to work with you? This is what the Authentic Market Discovery process unconvers. We help you discover what your ideal clients must buy, not just would be "nice to have." Bottom line -- You must choose the right thing to offer, if you want people to buy from you...
Thanks Marlene! I went into this Unconference with no expectations & walked out with an idea for how to do large-group workshops that previously I really didn’t think were possible. So accepting opportunities for free or lower-cost sharing of my work has been pretty generative for me lately!
I like how George encourages us to both share generously and also find ways to charge for our work that feel in alignment…it’s finding that balance that’s the challenge!!
Thank you,
I followed the facebook link you shared on your profile but unfortunately it showed me an error page.
@Sina Birkholz Yes, same here!
I have been struggling to sell my courses and now I understand why. I have not mastered the skill of market research, finding out what my ideal clients really want, in their words. In my most recent course for women, I asked why they had registered. They all said some version 'because of you'. That only works if people already know me and will sign on even if they are unclear about the results.
I just went to an IFS Unconference and gave four free back-to-back IFS and finger puppets workshops — over 70 people got to know me, and someone signed up for a consult for this morning! Immediate results!! I know for sure I’ll be attending the Unconference every time they hold it from now on!
Thanks!
When things don't sell at all it's because people probably don't actually want them. They don't see the value for them.
I like this definition of "selling" from Michael Neill:
"Selling is finding out what people already actually want and helping them get it."
He goes on to say that we do this by listening and getting to know people. 💡
If what I've got isn't selling, people don't think it will help them get what they want. They don't see the value or the value isn't there for them.
There's no judgement in this; it's just how it works. It's my job to communicate the impact of what I do as clearly as possible so that I can help the people I'm here to serve.
I believe the ways to create value are infinite, so it's just a matter of time before we find the match. 🤗
When I was less certain about what was available through my coaching, my communication was uncertain, too.
I work with a coach and spend a lot of time reflecting on what creates the most powerful impact. The more I see about that, the easier sharing it gets.
Listening is essential. I need to really understand how someone thinks and what's relevant to them in order to communicate in a way that connects.
I don't always do a good job of it. Sometimes I stumble and fumble in communicating, but every time I have a conversation, I get clearer. It also helps to review my sessions with my coach so that he can help me see more deeply, too.
Writing this response makes me realize how invested I am in growth in this area! 😂 I know what a big difference it makes to my impact and the people I can help, but I don't feel heavy about it. I know that the more I show up curious and open, the more I learn.
And then there's the piece about what do they actually want, anyway? And can they tell you what they want, or are they also uncertain of what would make a difference?
I am finding that if I ask and really listen, people can tell me what they already actually want: more clients, more money, a feeling of peace. When I get curious and ask follow up questions, we discover what they REALLY want those things for.
Once I know what they want and WHY they want it, we can establish relevance. Can I help them get this or not? If I can, I can communicate what I see that will make the difference. Then someone will know if this aligns for them or not.
If I do a good job of this, I'm already creating value for them, and they feel it. If I do a crappy job, maybe not so much. 😁
This is easiest to do with people in 1:1 conversation. It can also be done through a good sales page and content, but it requires a clear understanding of what people already actually want, the words they use to describe it, and a message that bridges what they want to what you offer effectively. I think this comes naturally from experience with clients (and market research conversations!) but if your energy signature is clear and resonant, it may become less important. If your clients tend to listen to their intuition, they may reach out to you simply because "they had a feeling." ✨ That's my experience, anyway.
That’s so freeing for me because I have real blocks around marketing. “It’s my job to communicate the impact of what I do as clearly as possible so that I can help the people I’m here to serve.” What a keeper! I could post it on my wall, and I just might! Thank you!
I'm (finally) starting to see creating clients and service as the same thing. Not as a reframe, but as an actual fact. I show up and serve. Sometimes that creates clients. Many times it's doesn't. But that's the way I want clients to show up in my life, through service. 😍
I experienced my first taste of this when I asked my first market survey question. My romantic travel writing got no hits, my Investment Education was a total sign me up! It was very encouraging.
Romantic travel writing! That sounds much more fun to me than investment education. 😂
There is brilliance is listening to people and seeing what occurs to us to serve. I love what emerges from that process.
I'm thrilled you're finding encouragement in the journey! 🤗
Comments from the live session:
Eva Live:
I've done so much inner work to discover the core of what I'm here to do in the world: the premise. But I'm recognizing that I need to start audience from a place they can already recognize the value. They don't seem to recognize my core work out of the gate.
Eva Live:
Another teacher talks about apparent value vs discovered value.
Bettina Biolik:
I’m in my business for 7 years now and I do feel something shift! That’s amazing
Jil Hunsberger:
Being at the river has been one of the reasons I've not followed a certain path because I think nobody wants a coach who is in the same place as them. They want an expert. I never considered that might not be true.
JM:
This is such a great analogy.
Jeannette Hill:
Great teaching and I’ve found this to be true.
Grace Carter:
I heard you saying that I need to speak the language of the people at the rive, even though I have moved beyond them - not that Ineed to go backwards and live in the shallows.
Eva Live:
I feel like that's exactly what he's saying. For me it's taken even more growth to be able to be with my own learning and also be ready to reach out to others in their language authentically.
This makes me think that one of my dream offerings — to do my own inner work in front of people — is more tenable than I thought.
Because it shows that although my capacity to do the work is Mount Everest level, I’m still a human being who processes slights and eats sugar when I’m stressed!
For me, it’s holding the tension of wanting to offer super high-level, Internal Family Systems work, but also from an accessible place where I, too, feel accessible.
Brilliant!