Episode 146 | How to Share Your Work Without Selling Out: Use A TRUST-BASED Marketing System
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[00:00:04] James Marland: If you never build this promotion piece, you're probably gonna just keep doing what you're doing now, working hard, serving deeply, and just hoping, hoping that people somehow find you.
[00:00:14] The people who could actually use your help, are gonna pass you by because your name is not in front of them when their problem hurts the most. But you can change that. You can build a simple system a promotion system that can work all the time. You stop releasing your content into the black hole, and you start building real familiarity, real connections, real trust. and so when your ideal client hits that wall that I can't do this alone anymore moment. They already know your name. They already know your voice. They already see your heart, and that's when they choose you. That's when income flow becomes possible without grinding harder. [00:01:00] If you're a therapist who cares deeply about people, you've probably had this thought,
[00:01:09] it.
[00:01:09] James Marland: I don't wanna feel like a sleazy marketer. You might already have a website. You might already have a profile and even some sort of way to get attention like a lead magnet. It still feels like you and the off the help you provide, you're like the best kept secret.
[00:01:27] when someone is finally ready for help, They almost never seem to find you at the right time. Like, oh, I could have used you six months ago. Welcome to the Scaling Therapist Podcast. I'm your host, James Marland, and this season we are walking through the three pillars of scalable income.
[00:01:48] We've already talked about clarity, and clarity is knowing your people, knowing their problems, and knowing your product and price. We're on the second pillar, which is connection. How [00:02:00] do they find you and how do they work with you with confidence,
[00:02:03] in the connection pillar, we've already talked about the path to follow f. Which is their journey from curiosity to enlightenment, to commitment. And we've we're, we've already, last episode we talked about the page to show, which is really the words you use to invite people into that journey. Today we're talking about the third part, which is connection.
[00:02:27] Uh, the third part of connection, which is the promotion to share, well, what is a promotion to share? Promotion to share is simply this. Everything you do to keep in touch with people after they first discover you, so that when their problem flares up your name and your solution you're there.
[00:02:49] You're there, and ready and available in their world. in this episode, we're gonna do three things. First, why promotion to share matters so much. [00:03:00] Why does this matter so much to people who already have a lot of other things going on in their life? Second, what a simple promotion system looks like using lead generators and a follow-up email sequence.
[00:03:14] And third, we're gonna talk about how to stay present, how to stay present over time with simple, simple emails. Really they're called nurture emails. And you can do this without feeling salesy or fake. You're just trying to invite people and offer your help. If you never build this promotion piece, you're probably gonna just keep doing what you're doing now, working hard, serving deeply, and just hoping, hoping that people somehow find you.
[00:03:43] The people who could actually use your help, are gonna pass you by because your name is not in front of them when their problem hurts the most. But you can change that. You can build a simple system a promotion system that can work all the time. [00:04:00] You stop releasing your content into the black hole, and you start building real familiarity, real connections, real trust. and so when your ideal client hits that wall that I can't do this alone anymore moment. They already know your name. They already know your voice. They already see your heart, and that's when they choose you. That's when income flow becomes possible without grinding harder.
[00:04:27] By the end of this episode, you're gonna know how to build a small, honest promotion engine around that problem.
[00:04:37] And the way you've, the way you build it, it's going to feel like you're serving people and you're not selling. You're inviting them, not manipulating them.
[00:04:47] In this section, I'm gonna talk about why the promotion to share matters so much for helpers and therapists who might be burning out. So let's, let's just start with a big why. Remember, your [00:05:00] clients are on a hero's journey. They are not always ready for your solution. Most. Most people don't hire a coach or a therapist out of the blue.
[00:05:13] They don't join a program just because, oh, I saw this program and it's a great, great idea. They, they actually join it because they hit a moment of frustration. It's that the moment the frustration window where the pain finally breaks through they have thoughts like, I'm exhausted all the time.
[00:05:31] I am struggling with my calendar. I feel behind I, they're comparing themselves to other people and they're not making it. And they say, I don't see how I could keep doing this for five, 10 more years, or maybe even five, 10 more minutes. That's the frustration window. It might last a few days. It might last a few weeks, and then life gets noisy again, or they find a solution, the crisis pass.
[00:05:59] But [00:06:00] here is the key. You are. If you show up in their life, in their inbox, during that window of frustration, you have a chance to help them. You have a chance to serve them. You have a chance to make their life better. If you're not there in that moment, they often forget. They've forgotten that you existed.
[00:06:20] Even if they liked you, even if they, they have had some sort of con connection with you, they go back to survival mode. Donald Miller has this great formula. Trust equals value delivered over time. So your promotion to share is how you deliver that value over time. You're not just, you're not just trying to close that sale.
[00:06:47] You're not just trying to manipulate people in Dubai at their weakest moment. You're actually in this phase, in this promotion phase, you're actually extending the enlightenment phase of the client journey. [00:07:00] Curiosity is, who is this person? Like who are you? Enlightenment is, could this person really help me?
[00:07:09] So the promotion to share keeps the enlightenment phase going long enough that it overlaps their frustration window. The promotion is not about noise, it's about staying present. It's about being there when they need the help. It's about being there when they're ready and when they're ready. You're already there.
[00:07:33] I remember one of, one of my coaches, Joey Ragona he had some, he had a free lead magnet. I did his stuff. I went to a, what, a free one hour webinar. Then he offered another free one hour webinar. Then he stayed in contact with me for about a year, and then I was ready to buy his coaching program, Heart-Centered Marketing.
[00:07:52] Awesome. Awesome. Training on how to Have a business that is authentic to [00:08:00] you, that helps people, and you are not one of those bro marketers, you know? Anyways that's what we're going for. You help people, you demonstrate your value, and then you stay top of mind until they're ready to purchase or get your help.
[00:08:16] So if promotion to share matters so much. What does a simple promotion system actually look like? It starts with a lead generator. People might call it a lead magnet, but it starts with something small and useful that brings the right people closer. Lead generators are the first safe steps into your world, into your universe.
[00:08:41] A lead generator is a small, focused resource that solves one specific problem for your ideal client. In exchange, they give you your, their email address. And I've heard in other books that, uh, people don't give up their email address to anyone. You [00:09:00] need something, you need to give them something that they would actually have paid.
[00:09:04] 10 to $20 for, that's what, that's like the value of an email address. So just keep that in a rough mu number as you thinking. How much value should I give anyways, a lead we're defining the lead generator. I'm getting into the weeds a little bit, but a lead generator is their first safe, first safe step from stranger to a trusting relationship.
[00:09:29] Now a good lead generator must do two things. First, it qualifies potential clients. It should attract the right people that you actually wanna serve and gently repel those who are not a good fit. Secondly, it creates trust and familiarity while delivering real work. This person should walk away thinking, wow, this helped.
[00:09:54] I would've paid money for this. I like how this coach thinks. For [00:10:00] example, a lead generator can look like this, a short PDF checklist. Seven signs. Your schedule is leading you towards burnout, or a worksheet or a mini workbook income flow starter map for therapists an assessment. plus a review session could look, learn, look an assessment, or with a review session.
[00:10:22] Assessments are very good lead generators. It could look like this burnout, risk assessment, and a 20 minute feedback call. A mini training or a live recording could be one new income stream this year without adding more sessions. And you could also do an email course five days to move from. Fully booked to a little breathing room.
[00:10:45] those are all examples. Uh, I'm sure your, your coaching platform is going to be on something different, but those are some good titles. So how do you pick your first lead generator? Well, you start with a [00:11:00] question. What is the main problem I wanna help my clients resolve? Where's this heading? Once you answer that, you design a lead generator that calls out people who are actually feeling that problem.
[00:11:14] You're not trying to tell people or help people discover they have this problem. You're trying to find people who have already discovered that they have this problem, that, that they are solutions out there, and that you are the solution. Now, as we started, as I alluded to, how much do you, how much value do you give away?
[00:11:32] You gotta give real help. You gotta give something of value. This builds trust and reciprocity. Donald Miller has a simple rule and this was in his book, coach Builder, give away the why, but sell the how. So you give away why their problem matters and why their current path is not working.
[00:11:54] Then you offer a new approach. Your new approach brings help. Then you sell. [00:12:00] You sell the implementation, the step-by-step guidance, your one-on-one attention, the ongoing support through coaching groups and programs. Now stepping back a little bit and thinking about the promotion, you're like, wow, you know, doing a lead magnet in these emails.
[00:12:19] This might sound like a lot of work, but there's really good news to this. You only need to build this system once. Keep it simple. Keep a simple lead generator to start. Then you connect the pieces with email and an email sequence. That's where their interest turns to enlightenment. Their curiosity turns to enlightenment, and then you can show up when they're ready to buy.
[00:12:44] So we're gonna talk about the follow-up email sequence. How do you turn their ins interest into insight? How do you get them from going, oh, this guy can solve my problem into a. Or I think I need to purchase from him. [00:13:00] So a lead generator with follow up is like, you know, the first date, but you don't text him back.
[00:13:05] There's no follow up. They get the, uh, when they get your lead magnet, they get the value once, but if they don't follow up, if you don't follow up, they're not gonna remember you and they're not going to get the additional value that you can add. So your follow-up emails let you keep the conversation going.
[00:13:24] You get to share more insight, plus you get to invite them into the next step. Once again, we're gonna borrow the simple structure from the story brand and coach Builder. It's, uh, a strong email sequence that you can add to your at the end of your lead magnet. It has six parts. Part one is you start with the problem.
[00:13:48] You describe the main problem your service solves. In their words, they're exhausted, their calendar's full. They feel behind. They feel like they don't measure up. They're [00:14:00] struggling with relationships. Part two, you position your product as the solution. This is exactly why I created this piece of content.
[00:14:09] People have this problem. I created this program. Your content, you connect your offer to their pain. Part three of the email is you build a bridge from their problem to your solution. You give a simple two or three word plan, a three step plan. First, we map out your income flow. Then we design one new offer.
[00:14:31] Then we launch a small pilot together. Part four is you paint the negative stakes. You name, what happens if nothing changes? Not in a scary ooh way, but in an honest, an honest way. If nothing changes, what's going to happen? for me, I try to describe it like if therapists keep trying to grind it out just a little longer, it slowly steals their health, their creativity, and their joy.
[00:14:58] It takes away their [00:15:00] freedom.
[00:15:00] Part five is you paint the positive stakes. You describe what life could look like if they take action and follow the plan.
[00:15:07] You,
[00:15:08] James Marland: You help them imagine or envision their life after they have implemented your solution. They've gone from their pain, their crisis to their the oasis that you are promising.
[00:15:21] Part six is often missed, but it's a clear call to action. Click here to apply. Click here to get the assessment. Click here to email me, click here to get the next step in the value chain. You just make it easy. The, it's a baby step. You're inviting them one small step closer to enlightenment. You don't need some giant funnel.
[00:15:47] You can just start with this. You can begin with a simple sequence. Maybe it's five to seven emails, and the email, email one. So here's an outline of seven emails you can [00:16:00] send. You can coach Builder talks about this. You can Google this. There's many other. PR PLF Product Launch Formula. I think there's a whole book, a whole series on that guys made millions of dollars describing this product launch formula.
[00:16:14] That's what it's called that it's well documented. Um, Graham Cochrane in his book How to Sell, I think it's How to Sell What, you know, he also talks about this, so there's many email sequences that follow a similar chain to this, but email one is good to meet you. Let them know what to expect. Email two is, thank you and here's how I can help.
[00:16:33] So you clarify their main problem. Email three is empathy and competency. I get what you're going through and here's what I do. Well, email four could be some sort of credibility, like story and testimonial. Share how somebody just like them made progress. Email five is could be an overcoming the objective Email.
[00:16:57] So you speak to the most common hesitations [00:17:00] as people engage with your product. And then email six or seven is just friendly reminders and invitation, and you just make the offer clear. You're inviting them, you're not manipulating them, you're not selling you're serving. So now that you have a lead generator and a follow-up sequence you are no longer a one-time event.
[00:17:24] You're a guide. You're a guide who keeps walking with them for a while. You're not just in and out. You're not just trying to extract all their money. You're, you're inviting them into a process, but we're not done because many people will still not be ready yet. That's why we need one more piece.
[00:17:45] It's the ongoing nurture. The last piece of your promotion to share is the nurture emails. You just stay present. You're, you're, you're hanging with them on their journey. The first sequence that you send out after they download your lead [00:18:00] magnet is not always going to convert. In fact, it often doesn't convert, but many people will continue to follow you, and at the end, some people, that window of frustration will overlap the problem that you solve.
[00:18:15] Nurture emails are how you stay present with people for weeks, months, and even years. Years without burning yourself out and without overstaying your We welcome the goal of the nurture Emails simple. Stay helpful, stay human, stay visible. So when their frustration window opens up, you're right there. They, they open the window.
[00:18:38] Ah, I'm so upset. I'm so frustrated. And there they, there you are. The guide ready to support them. You're not a stranger. You've built trust. So how often should you send out your nurture emails? Well, you don't need to write one every day. Most recommendations are once a week [00:19:00] or once every other week that it works well.
[00:19:03] The key here is just to be consistent. Not perfection. You don't wanna be like the, when you create something new or you have something new to sell, you show up like the drunk uncle asking for money, ah, I need some money. So there's, there's many types of nurture emails. So here are some simple type of nurture emails.
[00:19:23] You can send a problem and a solution email. You can pick one common problem, describe it in simple language, and share a few helpful ideas. You can share a, here's how they did it story. You share a simple client story or a, a similar story that gives hope. You can also share a step-by-step teaching email.
[00:19:47] You break down one small part of your process and you break it into clear steps. And you give it to them. You can also send an introduction to an expert email. You can share a book, you can share a [00:20:00] podcast, you can share a tool that you trust. And then finally, a light sales email. You remind them who you are, what, who, what you help, you use the, uh, email sequence.
[00:20:11] That we talked above the, the six, six things in your email. why does this matter? For people who wanna help this style of promotion, sharing your promotion fits your values. You're not trying to pressure people.
[00:20:26] You're serving them over time. You're not chasing a new audience week after week. You're actually deepening trust with the people who already said, I want your help. Over time, some of those people will reach out and say, I think I'm ready. That is the promotion to share done in a way that matches the heart of a helper.
[00:20:50] So we're gonna bring this all together, the promotion to share matters because your ideal clients buy in windows of frustration, windows of [00:21:00] pain. You cannot control those windows. They are on their own journey. You can control whether you're in their world. When the window opens, lead generators give them a safe first step into their world.
[00:21:16] Into your world. Follow up email sequences, turn one-on-one interactions into insight and relationships. And then those nurture emails, they just keep you there. They just keep you present on their journey without pressure. So here's a simple step you can take in the next week. Think of one problem. Think of one problem your people talk about all the time.
[00:21:39] Write out. One sentence that starts with, right now, I feel most call, I feel most called to help people who, and then brainstorm one tiny lead magnet that would help 'em with that. Would it be a checklist? A one page guide, A short assessment? Next, write [00:22:00] one Welcome email that delivers that resource, names the problem, and shares one hopeful idea.
[00:22:06] That alone is gonna put you far ahead. Then no follow up at all. The key is to do something. Take one small step that moves yourself forward. If you found this episode helpful, just share it. Share it with one therapist. Share it with one friend who feels stuck, like they feel like they wanna be promoting themselves, but they feel like they don't know how to get started, and all the promotion they've heard about makes them feel sleazy.
[00:22:33] If you want help building your own lead magnet on your page, on your, and your promotion engine, you can check out the links in the show notes for my programs and resources. I also have other podcasts on it and some free handouts. Remember, you were not meant to live forever on the road to burnout. It's possible to build a new road.
[00:22:56] Thanks so much for being a listener to the Scaling [00:23:00] Therapist podcast. I'm James Marland. I'll see you next episode where we keep walking the three pillars of scalable income together. It's now time to put your mission in motion.
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