One of the best ways to get inspired is to learn from others’ successes.
That’s why in my Elevate online training program, we spotlight one of our members during our member Access Calls.
Elevate Head Coach James Roche, Elevate Coach Joy Chudacoff, and I select and interview one Elevate member who is making great strides with the program.
Some successes are large, some small, but it’s all about taking steps forward and making progress.
Today, you’ll meet Elevate Advanced member Marla Dennis, the founder of www.ECreativeBiz.com. She was our spotlight during our April 2013 call.
Enjoy our quick interview with Marla below, and be sure to take notes. There are several golden nuggets you can apply to YOUR business right away!
James: Hi Marla, let’s start off by hearing a little bit about your business. Then share with us one of the biggest successes and breakthroughs you’ve had since joining the Elevate program.
Marla: Thanks for having me. My business is Embrace Your Spotlight with Confidence, Savvy & Ease. I’m a personal branding and innovation expert that helps corporate and small business owners deliver compelling content that builds an online audience and converts them to clients and customers.
One of my successes, I’ve had several here in Elevate, is using your enrollment process, James, from the Elevate week 15 and 16 video lessons.
On a recent enrollment call, I was able to very easily enroll a half day VIP day, and now that client is getting really great results. I’m on the email list of this particular person. He’s my personal pranic energy healer, and he has a longstanding career as a fireman. But he conducts these energy healings on the side as an interest and a hobby. He’s real passionate and very good at it.
He sent out an email excited to share with everybody that he wanted to upgrade his healing business and be more serious about it. I saw this as an opportunity. I emailed him back and asked, “How would you like to accelerate that process and build it into a real business and make more money?” Of course he immediately answered back, “Yes, of course.”
James: Good positioning, yeah.
Marla: He knew me. That was a plus, obviously. But we weren’t that close. I was a client of his, but it was enough to where we had that relationship.
I set up a 20-minute intro call. This wasn’t the enrollment call. It was really more for me to connect with him and listen to what was going on for him. Then I explained my process. I had an application for him to fill out, which was my standard questionnaire. We would go over it to see how I might be able to help him.
He couldn’t say “yes” fast enough on the call. He was very open and very eager to get going. He did that, got the questionnaire back to me over email. This, by the way, is my standard process now, whether I meet the person over the phone or what have you. This is following a lot of your process, James, that you’ve created, which is very simple.
I asked a lot of questions. I kept doing what you recommend. It’s like, “Tell me more. Okay great, tell me more about this.” Once they answer the question, I walked him through two choices: a half-day VIP or a 60-day program.
He chose the VIP day, and it was really successful.
James: That’s just great. So the enrollment conversation totally dials in and you’re using it regularly. That’s how to sell your higher ticket stuff is definitely having these conversations with people. Once you get dialed in with it, it becomes a goldmine. So this is good.
Marla: Every call I have, I always have my notes from Elevate in front of me. I have the handouts that you gave us. It’s always in front of me just to remind me of the different questions to ask, and the momentum that I need to be developing with them. It’s great.
James: Great Marla. That’s a big one—thank you for sharing this. Any other big insights or aha’s that you’ve gotten?
Marla: Definitely this for sure. The enrollment process, it’s so, so key. Also, I think it’s the relationships and the collaborations between members and building that tribe, having those people to do the JV opportunities with, to do events with and so forth, because we’re not here to be alone.
I know in our type of coaching business it can be kind of lonely because we’re all working typically from home. When we have that partner and that tribe it makes a world of difference not only financially, but also emotionally in your connections.
James: Marla, this is great. Sue, do you want to add anything?
Sue: Yes, I want to point out one thing Marla did that I think is wonderful, that anyone can do, and that is she looked for business from someone she herself had spent money with. You want to follow your money. Where are you spending money and can those people become clients of yours? That was a really cool thing to do, and that’s a practice that we can all do.
Marla: Thank you. It was very intuitive. As soon as I read it I went, “Oh, this is great.” I immediately emailed him.
James: Cool. Thank you so much Marla. This is great success you’re having and you’re so on track with everything.
Marla: Thank you, I really appreciate it! I can’t stress it enough for everybody to please read over and watch the weeks 15 and 16 that James has put out. It just works really, really well.
James: Okay, great. Thanks Marla.