The Irresistible Offer

The biggest challenge for most coaches is the sales and marketing of their coaching business. It is generally much easier to sell and market products than it is to sell and market services because products are tangible. You can see them and touch them. You can generally watch them operate and get a fairly good idea on how you could put them to use. The same cannot be said for intangibles like services.

When it comes to selling services, most business owners make the mistake of using language that is company focused and not customer focused. Business owners selling repair services might be tempted to use the terms fast, friendly, and reliable to describe what they offer, but a better approach would be to stand in the customer’s shoes and speak towards their perspective. Try and treat your service like a product and understand how it addresses the needs of your customers. The key is communicating the value of what you have to offer and since services often have invisible value, this is easier said than done.

Sales and marketing of coaching services is particularly challenging since the profession is relatively new and there is a good percentage of potential customers that doesn’t even grasp what coaching is all about. Consumers are inundated with marketing messages on a daily basis and their attention span is getting shorter all the time. It is critical to find a winning formula for distilling your marketing message in as succinct a manner possible without any loss of impact or results.

The book "The Irresistible Offer" by Mark Joyner promises to do just that. The subtitle is "How to Sell Your Product or Service In 3 Seconds or Less."


The Irresistible Offer
Mark Joyner
Copyright 2005
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.



Joyner cites many examples of succinct marketing messages that capture attention, have positive impact and consistently produce positive marketing results.

Pizza hot and fresh to your door in 30 minutes or less or it's free.
Domino's pizza.

10 CDs for one cent
Columbia House records

What it absolutely positively has to be there overnight.
Federal Express.

After examining hundreds of these marketing messages, Joyner unearthed the winning formula that most all of them have in common. Joyner calls this the irresistible offer. Joyner’s irresistible offer must answer four basic questions:

1) What you are trying to sell?
2) How much?
3) Why should I believe you?
4) What's in it for me?

Joyner states the Irresistible Offer is an identity building offer central to a product or service where the believable return on investment (ROI) is communicated so clearly and efficiently that it's immediately apparent and that you would have to be a fool to pass it up. Joyner takes the well-known USP (unique selling proposition) concept to an entirely new level. In our inaugural webcast, the concept of competitive advantage is linked with Joyner’s irresistible offer as it applies to coaching.

Introduction To Strategy For Coaches Webcast

Our inaugural webcast has been reworked and recorded. All parts will be posted online and available in the membership area which can be accessed by pointing your browser to:

http://members.strategyforcoaches.com/

You will need your username and password provided to you in your introductory email. Simply log into your membership area and watch the webcast as new parts are added. There will be a live discussion on the following dates:

· Thursday, May 20th, 2010 at 12:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM
· Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 12:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM
· Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 12:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM

(All times are Greenwich Mean Time)

A detailed brochure of the webcast can be found here:

http://www.strategyforcoaches.com/webcastbrochure.pdf

Seminar Outline

Did you ever wonder why some businesses always seem to outmaneuver their competitors? Regardless of downturns in the economy or unexpected setbacks that would cripple most businesses, these companies consistently thrive. Businesses like these can be found in every industry from cottage to high tech and come in all sizes from home based to giant multinationals. They all share one thing in common – a capable strategy. In fact, a capable strategy is one of the best indicators of future success.

On a fundamental level, strategy teaches you how to compete. Since competitive forces shape almost every aspect of our lives and businesses, learning strategy can be one of the best investments you’ll ever make. Unfortunately, very few people understand strategy. The objective of this webcast is to introduce the discipline of strategy and demonstrate how knowledge of just a few aspects can address some of the challenging issues facing many coaches.

An Introduction To Strategy
Strategy is one of the most misused words in the English language. You’ll learn what strategy is and what it is not. You’ll learn a few of the key principles of strategy and the difference between strategy and tactics. The concept of the strategy paradox will be explained.

Competitive Strategy
You’ll be presented with several examples of both good and bad strategies and you’ll learn the typical process that is used to create, plan, manage and execute strategies.

Competitive Advantage
A situational analysis is one of the first steps required to formulate any strategy. You’ll learn the basics of situational analysis and be introduced to the concept of competitive advantage. Jack Welch, former Chairman & CEO of GE, once remarked: “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.” You’ll learn the basics of creating competitive advantage and how to use this to craft an effective business strategy.

Systems Thinking
When confronted by complexity, our natural instinct is to simplify matters by breaking the system of interest into its component parts and studying them as a basis for understanding the system as a whole. There are advantages to this approach, but there are also disadvantages. Another approach involves systems thinking. You’ll be introduced to systems thinking and how it can be used to solve dilemmas that thwart typical problem-solving tactics. You’ll also learn how systems thinking relates to strategy.

Scenario Planning
Many people equate strategy with planning, but typical planning occurs in controlled environments where it is appropriate to create specific goals. Strategy occurs in contested environments that are subject to unexpected and sudden changes. Indeed, world-renowned management theorist Dr. Henry Mintzberg speaks of the death of strategic planning and argues that it must eventually give way to a process of continuous, guided evolution. Scenario planning is a useful tool for dealing with uncertainty.