Feeding the machine

In the last couple of newsletters I’ve been talking about “entry points” and “end points”.

Entry point = a way of getting people into your world (e.g., offering a free download in exchange for an email address.)

End point = a beneficial end result (e.g., selling a course.)

Getting your business running smoothly online means having:

• at least one entry point
• at least one end point
• a process for getting people from one to the other

Last week’s newsletter was all about that process part.

This week I’m looking at what has to happen outside of this “machine” to make it run as effectively as possible.

And I’ll do it via a few strategic questions, starting with:

“What are you doing to raise awareness of your entry points?”

So if you have a juicy freebie, are you actively promoting it, or just hoping that people stumble across your website and discover it for themselves?

Because otherwise it’s like having a bunch of free samples for a new shampoo and just leaving them in the warehouse.

That won’t generate any sales. You need to stand on a busy street and hand the samples out.

So if you have a website freebie:

• Link to it from your social media profile.
• Talk about it regularly in your social media posts.
• Ask other people to share it with their audiences.

(The machine only works if you feed it. Feed the machine!)

“What other entry points could you create?”

The more ways that people can step into your world, the more people you’ll attract.

If your current entry point is simply a page on your website that says “sign up for my newsletter”, why not add a free mini-course, or a “what type of X are you?” quiz, or a free monthly webinar?

Additionally, the more entry points you have, the easier it is to promote them regularly without becoming repetitive.

“What happens immediately after the end point?”

Getting someone to buy your course seems like a big victory, and it is, but from the customer’s perspective it’s just the start of the journey.

So what are you doing in the aftermath of the sale to give the best first impression?

We’re talking about onboarding, and I actually wrote a whole article on it here:

​How to Create an Awesome Onboarding Experience​

“How do the end points relate to each other?”

Just because someone reaches one of your desired end points, it doesn’t mean your machine grinds to a halt.

Someone who buys and completes your course might be the perfect candidate for some 1:1 coaching to take them to the next level.

So make sure you have a process for moving people not just from entry to end point, but from one end point to another.

And if you don’t have anywhere else for them to go, maybe it’s time to create another end point.

Okay, that’s it for this email “mini-series”.

If you found it valuable, let me know. If I missed something, let me know that too!

See you soon,

Glen

P.S. Machine hungry. Feed machine.