Money grabber!!
Yesterday I wrote a post about a refund request I received and what we can learn from it.
What happened was, I woke up and checked my emails and saw the request and the buyer’s reasons for wanting a refund.
Their reasons highlighted a money mindset issue which is very common among dog trainers and in fact among many, many people: Disbelief in what is possible for them.
I’m really passionate about this topic because if these people could just believe what is possible and realise that if others can do it, so can they, their lives would be impacted in significant, positive ways.
When I write to teach, I try to draw on experiences to use those stories to get the message across. Sometimes that inspiration from an experience just really hits and I go with it. That’s how it happened yesterday.
And it’s been my most popular post in a while. I wish I felt that inspired daily!
I used the opportunity to teach five key lessons we can all take from the experience.
One of those lessons was that you can’t please everyone. And another was that people need to work on their money mindset – the beliefs held about money that affect the way they see the world, and ultimately how much money they have in their lives.
So…. ironically….
I had some negative feedback on that very post (among some great positive feedback too).
The top three sentiments were:
- What a money grabber!
- What a terrible email – you just want me to open it so I see the offer and buy!
- This is a marketing post disguised as an analogy
The irony is that the post was 1055 words of valuable, helpful content using a true story ( I don’t make up stories for posts by the way), with one small offer for a paid product contained in the post.
Now this is an offer. There is no trickery or obligation. It’s simply an offer just as much as if we were sitting at a table and I offered you the salt and pepper.
When people are offended by offers, this is another example of money beliefs hindering opportunity.
Let’s break it down and see what we can learn.
1. What a money grabber!
Now in this reply to my email, I admit I am not 100% sure whether the person was referring to me or to the person who binged my content then asked for a refund in the original story. But from experience I feel fairly safe to assume it’s the first one.
So am I money grabber? Interesting term. I’m not afraid to tell you – I want to make money. I am running a business.
By definition, it should be making money. But I can only make money by making offers – those optional, no obligation offers.
An offer is simply telling someone how you can help them and what the price is. I know my audience subscribes for help with their business. So I offer them the options and tell them the price. I can’t reach through the screen and grab their money. They need to willingly purchase when they see the value for themselves.
If they purchase, they can get that help they paid for. If they don’t wish to purchase they could just consume the valuable information in the free post and, well, not purchase.
If you run a business, you should be making offers too!
2. What a terrible email – you just want me to open it so I see the offer and buy! Shame on you.
I try to make my subject lines interesting because getting someone to open an email is half the battle. The other half of the battle is then having them read the whole email.
If this person did read the whole email, I’m afraid they missed the point. A point that could really help them. To tell someone, “shame on you,” for making an offer is interesting. Why should there be any shame around a business owner making an offer to purchase?
Again, money mindset. If you believe that selling is shameful, you are going to have a really hard time selling your own products and services. Please don’t feel shame around selling. All it is is offering a solution to people, something you can help them with, and something you make a living by.
There is no shame in that.
We’re so conditioned to sales being something sleazy or dishonest that we have our guard up. But it doesn’t have to be that way – you can just make an offer and if the customer wants your offer, they’ll take it. Simples!
3. This is a marketing post disguised as an analogy
Storytelling makes for great content and great content helps with marketing and sales. But there’s no trickery – all my stories are true. Analogies are great for teaching.
Again, look at why these feelings come up. We are so on guard against marketing for fear of being tricked. Scammers and sleazy sales people have really put our defences up, it’s understandable.
But don’t let it make you so on guard that you are afraid to be sold to at all. You are in control, only you can decide whether to purchase or not. But what if that purchase could have a massive positive impact on your life and you pass because you are so on guard against sales at all? Protect yourself, but don’t sabotage yourself.
Be open to sincere people who want to help you through both free and paid content. We are out here!
To read the post that sparked all this, check it out here.
Are you ready? It’s time for the offer. Take the above free post and run, or read on if you dare.
Here’s 3 ways I can help you:
- Grab the Program Creation Kit for just $37 usd – premade and customisable templates for programs ready to sell to your dog training clients and information on how to use them.
- Take your training and knowledge online this year by taking The Online Course Journey. In this program I teach you how I create and sell online courses. It’s a great time to make your business present online! Message me for details.
- Join The Masterclass. My full business coaching program for trainers, guiding you through everything you need to run a successful business on your terms. Message for details.
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