there is nothing I like more than to solve a problem with a tiny simple solution. saving everyone (including especially myself) a ton of work and energy.
in fact, it's perhaps what my consultation clients like the most : i see the route that saves everyone time and money.
specific example : I had a client come to me with a whole new system she wanted to organise. she was coming to me because she had a hard time knowing what to start with and getting herself to actually put the technical infrastructure into place for it to work.
the gist was : she wanted to add a free tier to her current community, and this meant :
- planning and modifying the spaces so not everything is open to everyone
- modifying the sale page to add this new free tier
- plan exactly how she was going to animate this new space
- launch and all
this was the first part of her plan, the rest included adding some paid courses on top of it, and a specific tier for consultations as well.
so when someone comes to me with such a plan, my first objective is translation : determine what needs to happen technically in order to execute the essence of what the client wants to happen.
in front of this client, I had three thoughts :
- the obstacle is not technical, she could be doing the stuff easily, she had already mapped out 50% of a plan - I could get her to 100% and maybe even offer to do it for her, but... the obstacle wasn't really the technique
- the obstacle was really overwhelm (too much to do for an uncertain result)
- the essence of what she wants is to show people on the fence why her community is a wonderful place
now I have to say : people come to me also because I'm very well acquainted with digital product selling platforms. I know the features, I understand the structures, and I see quickly what needs to be done.
the platform she is using is Schoolmaker (affiliate link, but that's not the point of this post). I know the platform allows a free tier, but I know they also offer a free trial period for paid tiers.
So I propose to my client to instead of setting everything for a free tier, to get to the essence of her problem, to just add a free trial to her existing community offer. People see the inside of the community for X days, they get a feel for the space, they can even ask questions, but she doesn't have to do any more engagement.
If the free trial is a success, but it gives away too much, then we move on to a free tier. And if it's not a success, then we know a free tier wouldn't work anyway.
Free trial : one click on a button. No need to modify anything on the sale page, just a couple of lines of text. 10 minutes of work.
VS
Free tier : 4H+, a bill from me if she wants me to do it for her, and on-going efforts to keep the free space engagging (don't let anyone tell you having a community is an EASY way to earn money).
3 days after, I had an email from my client saying she had already enrolled new members, and a glowing review.
I went a bit far in the details of this story, it kind of sounds like a brag. I guess it is a little. But what I really want to do is to document the kind of work that I do that has the most impact, and that also is the most satisfying to me.