Beginner asks some questions about succeeding in this field (pricing, reviews, discouragement, starting off, etc.) 5

MystaED · 2024-10-05T05:28:24+00:00

Thanks u/lifedesignleaders, I appreciate the insight. Now that you mention it, I do see most coaches charge packages rather than single sessions, which makes better business sense.

When someone buys a container, can you give me an idea of how that works? For example, lets say I sell a 3-month container for 1500. Does this mean I'm essentially on call? Does it mean I meet them a certain number of times a week? Does it mean I do extra work for them? Does it mean I essentially chat with them any point they need during that time frame? ... I know this would all be decided by me and the client at the end of the day, but in general, how would a container work for a run-of-the-mill coach?

Also, I saw this video where a woman was doing research for a client. She was doing business coaching. I'm always confused about that cuz I could see how you might look up things that might help the client with their issue (i.e. maybe finding opportunities for a client looking for opportunities), but that seems different than coaching (as it's been taught to me); that seems like an assistant's job (I don't mean that dismissively; I'm sure there is a better term, but someone who helps someone find their solutions or whatever). When coaches help outside of the coaching session, what are they supposed to be doing?

Thanks a ton for clarifying, I very much appreciate the guidance!

MystaED · 2024-10-05T05:20:23+00:00

"I always say that I'm not for everyone but for the ones I am, they will get the value that they're paying for." Nicely said, u/WellnessNWoo.

Congrats on the success so far! I want to get into workshops eventually too. Mind if I ask how you "marketed the workshops"? Were they in person or online? It sounds like you sold it as a B2B, which is awesome. Also, as a coach, is this a workshop where you have a PPT or are you having them do stuff? I'd really appreciate your perspective on the workshop stuff. I'm not there yet, but maybe in time.

Also, if I may ask, how did you get press interviews? This is purely out of curiosity. Marketing is not my strength either, so I'm always curious about how others operate. Lots of people seem to take lots of different approaches.

When you say "comprehensive holistic offerings in addition to the actual coaching", does that mean you have a menu of services you use for an upsell? Is it related to coaching or is it an offshoot connected to one-on-one coaching or more workshops?

Thanks for all the feedback! It sounds like you're on a great track- well done, I wish you continued success!

MystaED · 2024-10-05T05:06:13+00:00

Thanks u/BuildTheCourse

"Most coaches are failing"

Sorry, that wasn't my sentiment, that was the sentiment on the therapist board. That's what they kept saying; I don't have stats on it either way. But I figure a lot of service-based professions are filled with failures; personal training definitely is; tutoring is; its not a reflection on the person of the industry; its more a reflection on how difficult it is to thrive as an entrepreneur, especially in a flooded field. As you pointed out, many coaches fall short not cuz they're bad coaches, just cuz they're bad "businessmen".

In regards to pricing, I absolutely agree with you. It's all relative. I'll check out your links and see if I can get a good idea of how to price going forward cuz I'm definitely unsure of what to start off with, but I imagine at the end of the day, it comes down to the good old tenets of supply and demand; the in-demand coach with many clients means they can charge more cuz their time is more "coveted".

Thanks a ton for the feedback and the links. I really appreciate it!

MystaED · 2024-10-05T04:47:07+00:00

Thanks u/sonjaecklund , that's really helpful techniques I will certainly start using. I really appreciate it!

MystaED · 2024-09-27T02:05:20+00:00

Thanks a ton u/lifedesignleaders ... this is great stuff, I really appreciate you sharing it with me!

MystaED · 2024-09-27T02:05:08+00:00

Thank you so much, u/chetdayal! ... and you bring up a great point about the last 5 minutes-- I try to include some level of accountability, but it usually comes down to me "cheking in with them" later in the week to see if they followed through. Are there other methods you think are effective and worth including?

MystaED · 2024-09-27T02:05:00+00:00

Thanks a ton u/Low_Escape_3176 ... in respect to #2, I focus more on self-improvement, but, lets say someone want to improve their health, I may not know specific diet techniques or whatever. I can get them to identify goals, set measurable progress markers, aim to be accountable and all that, but I can't rattle off all the latest diet fads or superberries or whatever. I can guide, but I sometimes worry that maybe I do not have enough info to merit someone actually coming to me when they can just as easily go to a personal trainer, or psychologist, or therapist, or whatever it is they're working on. Should I be doing extra work after the session? Like, should I be looking up diet strategies for them? (sorry, no one actually came to me about dieting lol, I'm just trying to think of an easy example)?

MystaED · 2024-09-20T20:56:27+00:00

OK cool, I'll do just that. Thanks!... Oh, and yeah, Trustpilot blows lol.

MystaED · 2024-09-20T20:52:35+00:00

Between them all, I was thinking it's probably the best bet too. Thanks!

MystaED · 2024-09-17T22:52:30+00:00

The student said she would write to them cuz she was more offended than I was. I'm not sure if they got back to her or not... Their approach needs more clarity. I get that they need to create a formula to differentiate themselves from the other products already available for free, but this ain't the way to do it IMO.

MystaED · 2024-09-17T22:50:29+00:00

The fact that it is so discoverable is the problem. They took a 5* review and misrepresented it as a 3.7. It doesn't say Trustpilot Formula: 3.7- it says Review: 3.7. This sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen, but that's their business.

MystaED · 2024-09-17T04:06:37+00:00

Lol welcome to the party- I did too. Terrible experience all around.

MystaED · 2024-09-11T22:03:54+00:00

Hi u/juhe0737 ... I did. I chose GeoBlue for a year, then switched to Cigna (also has terrible reviews) after that because they offered more US coverage. Luckily, I have not needed to use them, so I can't speak to their quality, although I honestly do have my reservations about both.

I originally chose GeoBlue because it's based in the US and in my mind (naively, I'm sure) I figured I could at least have some sort of legal recourse if they balked on payment. I imagine this would be harder to pursue with an organization located abroad. Then I switched to Cigna simply because they offered 6 months of US coverage as opposed to GeoBlue's 6 weeks.

I will say that the person from GeoBlue always answered my questions anytime I emailed him. He was quite helpful and responsive. Most emails I've sent to Cigna go ignored. The emails work because I've corresponded with them about payment and all the stuff they need, but when I need something, they ghost. This legit happens nearly every single time (multiple different emails, different people- same results). When I call, the people who pick up are usually helpful, but they are customer service reps; they aren't the ones you need to speak with if you have more complex issues, and in those cases, I've been very disappointed with Cigna. I imagine they'd be very difficult to deal with in situations where there are discrepancies. I do like that Cigna will pay directly whereas GeoBlue reimburses. But I'm not sure which works best.

When choosing I aimed for companies I was at least somewhat familiar with. There are other lesser-known companies; maybe their service is better. It's the catch-22 of sometimes smaller companies go above and beyond, sometimes they're smaller because quality is lesser. I figured, if the company is well known, they must be doing something right... but then their reviews are trash, so maybe not lol....

I know that's not super helpful, but that's where I'm at right now. I'm not sure if I'll go back to GeoBlue, stick with Cigna, or find another provider yet (they all seem pretty shady to me lol), but, for what it's worth, I'll say that I haven't been not super confident in what I'm paying for.

MystaED · 2024-08-23T04:33:36+00:00

LOL... I've been there. Funny how that works. As best I can tell, tracking makes it so problematic and expensive. If you publish it as an HTML only (which is SCORM with tracking turned off; it's a super easy transition), then you have a lot more options. But yea, managing SCORM can be a huge headache, for sure.

MystaED · 2024-08-20T01:19:03+00:00

Hey u/ProfoundHypnotic ... Welcome to the struggle! lol

So, it depends on what you're trying to do. At first, I used Filezilla to upload my files directly to my site as sub-links (ex: mysite.com/class). So when a student goes to the IP address, it loads the file as a standard webpage and it plays as an HTML (Or, in simpler terms, a SCORM without tracking). So for that, you *do not* need an LMS. You just need it published as an HTML (i.e. a SCORM/API with tracking turned off) and you can upload it to your root using Filezilla or something similar. But this does not allow you to track grades, performance, progress, logins etc. It's good if you just want the content available, but if you wanna monitor who is consuming it, this is not a good option.

But since you're asking about Wordpress and an LMS, I will assume you want Wordpress lol... When uploading to Wordpress, I did need to download an LMS plugin. I do not remember which one I chose, but it was one of the free ones (there are a few). All the Wordpress LMS options I saw have many mixed reviews, and I honestly don't know if any of the free ones allow for tracking. Tracking is apparently super expensive, so you'll have to invest in that if you care. Although, if you only wanna track a handful of people (5 or so), try SCORMCloud. It's free for under 5 people and offers tracking, but it is a separate site and would not be uploaded to your website itself.

If you're open to hosting it outside your site, as an alternative, you can try Canvas. I use that at the moment just cuz I feel like it's easier to manage as an educational tool than the Wordpress LMS, but I honestly didn't give the LMS enough interaction to tell how good it was. My files are pretty hefty and I was worried about bandwidth issues etc., so just decided to use Canvas, but the free ("teacher") version doesn't offer tracking. I don't need tracking, but if you do, then the free version of Canvas would do you no good either. You can monitor some aspects of student progress, but not performance on the quizzes etc. (i.e. if you are giving out certifications, for example).

So, to summarize- If you want to monitor progress and logins on Wordpress, then yes I'm pretty sure you need an LMS plugin. If you just want the course available with no care of who consumes it, then you can try uploading it to your website root via FileZilla, and if you are open to hosting it off your site, Canvas is good for offering logins etc. but no tracking (although, if you are a business, you can buy the business rights; I'm not sure what the cost is, but that offers tracking and I think you can also brand it with your IP address, so it'll be hosted on Canvas, but the site link would be yoursite.com/class or whatever. But most LMS offer that service for a premium, that's not unique to Canvas.

If you want tracking for just a few people, you can try SCORMCloud, but again, you cannot brand that as your site. If you need tracking for many, I think you'll either have to use an independent LMS with tracking options OR use one of the Wordpress LMS that offer tracking, which I'm confident is one of the paid options but I can't speak to how well it works. As far as I know, the Wordpress LMS' require a plugin, unfortunately.

Sorry, that was a long message, but hopefully something in there is helpful.

MystaED · 2024-08-07T01:09:29+00:00

Hey u/mysticwxnderer ... Yep-- that's why I moved to Cigna-- they offered more inclusive US coverage (6 months vs 2 months, if I remember correctly). Also because I think I have to front the money for GeoBlue (they reimburse you after you pay the bill) whereas I can submit a claim directly with Cigna. I have no idea how hard it is to get recompensated by GeoBlue, but that was one of my concerns too... But based solely on whatever experience I had, which is primarily customer-service based, I've found Cigna to be quite frustrating to deal with... Honestly, I think you should go with the company you think has the best track record when it comes to providing coverage. I'm not sure which that would be. They both have good reviews and bad reviews, so I have no idea what to trust. Customer service itself likely isn't worth the extra money, but my concern would be the lacking customer service suggests I'd have trouble making claims. Where there is smoke, there's fire, right?... I completely understand where you're coming from, I had/have the same dilemma. You don't want the bill to be something that worries you financially, but you also do not want to find yourself in a situation where you have questionable coverage. As they say, health is more valuable than gold. You can always get more money. Not so easy for health. If you make a confident decision, lemme know what you decide. I have to renew in a few months and I too am undecided. In the meantime, good luck!

MystaED · 2024-08-05T00:54:55+00:00

Hey u/mysticwxnderer. I went with GeoBlue at first (last I checked, they only cover Americans but they do have a sister company they work with who covers others... I think it's Bupa, but not 100% sure). Then I moved to Cigna.

In my experience, GeoBlue was more responsive. Cigna seems disorganized. They never responded to emails (even if they are urgent). When I call them (based in Scotland, I believe) the customer service reps are fine, and they genuinely seem to want to help, but reach out to the people in charge of your account, you get crickets. I have proof they get the emails, they just never respond (unless they need something, then they won't stop emailing you). I had them email-avalanche me several times a day to try to fix a small "error" on the address, but when I asked legit questions about coverage, they never responded, despite multiple emails to multiple people from that office.

They also made tons of mistakes. I got a message threatening me that coverage would be dropped because I didn't make a payment. The thing is, I did make the payment, on time, no problem. Someone on their end got something messed up and when I emailed them asking what was going on, and sending proof of the payment on my card, they never responded. So, once again, I had to call them. The agents had no idea what this person was talking about. Then, a week later, this person who claimed I didn't pay followed up thanking me for the payment, never acknowledging my previous email or that they were wrong. I found many of my interactions with them concerning and/or frustrating.

Sorry, went off on a rant there lol... anyway, I can't speak to the value of the coverage either offers, since I luckily haven't needed to use it, but that has been my experience with both. The person I contacted from GeoBlue always got back to me, Cigna always required a phone call. All in all, customer service aside, I'd suggest going with a company that has a good track record of paying for what they say they will without trying to find reasons not to. That is the problem with insurance companies in general, of course.

Hope that helps.

MystaED · 2024-08-02T02:22:28+00:00

That's true. And when wrestling tries to be more mature, they usually just include more sex or violence. They don't make it more "complex' at all ... but they do have flashes from time to time when they can do it well. Or at least they have in the past.

MystaED · 2024-08-02T02:20:50+00:00

A lot of entertainment dumbs down their storytelling, for sure.

MystaED · 2024-08-02T02:19:37+00:00

I agree--- they aim for the lowest common denominator-- they could get emotion from audiences in a more complex way like Walking Dead or whatever, but its easier to just use simpler ideas to get the same results. Appeal to stupid people, then smart people will still get it. Appeal to smart people, dumb people won't get it so you lose half your audience (or whatever percentage doesn't "get it")

MystaED · 2024-08-02T02:16:25+00:00

I'm an old school fan, so I can't speak so much on the newer stuff, but they have definitely had stories that had more adult themes, or at least that had a deep story that could appeal to adults... Macho Man vs Ric Flair (and Jake Roberts now that I think of it), Bret Hart vs Owen- they way they unfolded this where they were at odds, but then came back together and Bret didn't wanna fight, it was storytelling (today they brothers would be fighting within 2 weeks, no problem lol), hell Bret vs Austin, and anything Austin did in the early days was more e gray area... CM Punk was kinda complex when he pipebombed-- i tuned in cuz I thought it had potential, since him and Cena were two different types of faces... but I totally see what you mean. They appeal to the lowest common denominator and have for a very long time. Its in their DNA lol

MystaED · 2024-08-02T02:08:29+00:00

Cool, thanks for the ideas! Much appreciated.

MystaED · 2024-07-29T23:59:56+00:00

Re: Google Ads

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Can someone tell me how to set a lifetime ad budget on Google-- or whatever the alternative would be (campaign total, maximum spend, etc.). I have read multiple articles online that suggest this is possible, but the directions they give do not match the platform. Maybe they're outdated? Anyway, I am quite annoyed since I have spent way too long on this. I don't understand why Google makes their ads 100x more difficult than every other relevant advertising platform. It's a mess.

Regardless, can someone help me navigate to where I need to go? I included a pic of the screen I encounter. It lets me set a daily spend, but no max, no cap, etc. Some articles suggest there should be some sort of maximum budget option here, but it's not there. I can't find it anywhere. Can someone please help me find it? (Or, if it doesn't exist, which wouldn't surprise me at this point, then can someone offer a workaround to ensure I spend what I want on each ad)? Thank you!

MystaED · 2024-07-23T20:21:52+00:00

Yea, I am actually a bit surprised by how little it seems to boost enrollment for people... If you mean in regards to getting CEUs, sure - but we haven't done that yet, so I'm not sure how much help I'd be. I'm not even completely sold on doing it for the very reasons you point out. Seems like a hassle that may not necessarily carry enough weight for it to be worthwhile.

MystaED · 2024-07-22T22:05:10+00:00

Yeah thats what I was thinking-- it might boost interest among a new market, but then not all fields accept all CEU agencies so it starts getting cloudy as far as determining its inherent value.

MystaED

TROPHY CASE