A story about Jack

I’d like to introduce you to Jack, who is typical of a coach in the life transformation niche.

When Jack decided he wanted to help people online achieve their dreams, he personally dreamed of being a coach so he could help them.

He went online to find out how he could do it, and 3 months later he found himself on hundreds of emails list, being bombarded with daily offers of how he could “make millions,” how he couldn’t build a business with this new tool, then that new tool, and he’s embarrassed to say, but he has 4 different subscriptions to software that is making him no money at all.

Jack learned that he should create “info products” to teach what he knows, and in fact he was really aggressive and created 3 different info products, he bought sales letter software so he could write great copy for them, and he even learned how to write emails “that sell.”

He’d done everything right.

But Jack was stuck.

Jack wasn’t making any money or changing any lives.

Because people weren’t buying his training programs, and when they did they only listened to the first hour or two, so they didn’t get results.

He was working hard online, spending 4-6 hours a day slaving away online, trying desperately to get people to buy more of his training, but it wasn’t working.

Jack was frustrated, and although he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel . . he’s too determined of a person, he’s a succeeder, not a fail-er

So he refuses to quit.

But the fact of the matter is this:

Jack was failing miserably.

Friend, can I ask you a question:

Do you feel like Jack?

Do you ever feel like you are doing everything right, you are doing what the gurus and coaches are telling you to do, you are working like crazy 6-8 hours a day . . .

But nothing’s working.

You see a little glimpse of hope, then you buy new software or you watch the 4-video special convincer videos the big name gurus put out, you even bought one of their $2000 training programs

But still . . . no success.

You feel like quitting some days, but you think, I am just so close.

Something has to break, you think.

But month after month, it never happens?

I understand.

When I first decided to make an online or home income, I spent years and years trying different things, different offers, I failed again and again again.

I had been spinning my wheels for years, trying different things, working hard, I even spent one whole summer calling mlm and opportunity leads to try to get them onto an “opportunity call,” following directions, paying hundreds for leads . . .

And I just didn’t know what was wrong with me.

I’ll tell you what happened with me in just a moment, but I’d love to finish Jack’s story . . .

When I met Jack he told me he’d spent 3 years going around and around in circles, and he’d spent 1000s of dollars trying to figure it all out.

I asked Jack, “How would it feel to learn a different way, an easier way, a way that won’t require so much hard work, a way that would allow you to go from 4-6 hours a day to 2-3 hours a day . . . .and actually make a full time income teaching?”

And Jack was delighted . . . so much so that he didn’t believe it was true.

The first thing I told him was that if he would really believe me, trust me, that his first step would be to cancel the $300 a month in software subscriptions and payments he was making, that he didn’t need the software and that I’d prove it to him.

It wasn’t an easy decision . . . but he trusted me enough to cancel all those subscriptions.

Now, you might not be ready to cancel the payments you are making for tools that aren’t working . . .

and that’s okay, if in 30 days you had turned things around in your business by following some of my advice, you’d be willing to start cancelling to those useless payments then, right?

So the first thing I explained to Jack is that there has been a psychological turn around in the information marketing world, and that just selling training and books and infoproducts wouldn’t cut it anymore.

He asked, “Well why do so many of the gurus keep telling me to do it?”

And I told him this, “Jack, they don’t realize what’s happened in the industry . . . they are well-meaning but just don’t realize it. They had their own success selling info-products, and now that they have their million dollar business, they are still selling a few copies here and there, but their bread and butter is their coaching programs . . . .

“And they don’t realize the market has changed so much, because let’s face it, humans tend to be a little resistant to hearing that their way is working anymore!”

Jack said, “that makes sense . . . . but what can I do about it, how can I get started NOW if it doesn’t work?”

And I said, “Jack, here’s the thing, the way people learn is by interacting with others, by getting one step at a time, implementing it, and then being able to ask questions. People learn by watching others, by learning what’s working, and they learn well in interactive environments. But just trying to learn something like life transformation or karate or psychology or just about anything, just from a book or a box of CDs rarely works.”

Jack’s eyes began to light up.

He said, “I think I am beginning to see it . . . do you mean that the reason folks buy the books and CDs is because they are desperate to fix something in their life and they THINK that reading a book will fix it? . . .but in reality it’s not the case?”

I slowly nod my head.

Jack then says, “Sean, I remember when I was trying to lose weight one time. And I was at the bookstore and I saw this book on how to lose 30 pounds in 60 days, so I bought it and that night I read it all the way through.

“But the next morning when I went to start my diet, I didn’t remember what to do.

“So I had to go back to the book, and follow the directions for getting started. But once I started doing it, I got confused . . it was like I found myself flipping through the book for an hour . . but I still wasn’t clear.  “I just wanted to talk with the author, to ask a couple of questions.”

And I said, “That’s right, and that’s normal . . what happened with you is normal.

“You see, humans are designed to have interaction with others to be able to grow . . that’s why tribal communities and even our modern communities have leaders and coordinators and people to answer questions . . because no matter how much you codify something, the human side of us needs to confirm it with a real human!”

Now Jack began to look really excited, and he said, “So, Sean, is the solution to create an interactive experience with my training, to change it from being a 12 chapter book or a 12 CD box of CDs to an interactive experience?

“Maybe a series of lessons that someone would get one lesson a week, and have access to ask me questions as they come up?

“Would that help folks get more results with my training?”

And I said, “Jack, you’ve hit the nail on the head . . . and when you have an interactive lesson series plus access to you . . . . folks are able to get exponential results.

“And if they get exponential results, instead of them buying your book or your CDs and then not getting results and then writing you off and finding another coach . . .

“They will want to continue to have access to you each month, and be willing to pay each month instead of just buying one time and then hunting for another coach.”

Then Jack said, “I get it . . .I’ve done the same thing, in trying to build my internet training business, I’ve bought training, and even 6 week courses . . but even though the material seems good, I don’t get results, so I’m constantly learning from different people. So I see it in myself . . . I can see how that would happen with my own clients.

So, Sean, how do I do it?

And that’s when I smiled . . . because that’s what happened to me!

I told you earlier I’d tell you my own story . . . would it be okay with you if I told you what I told Jack?

I said, “Jack, that’s what happened with me . . .

“I remember I had been teaching online for months, and I was pretty aggressive, creating a new training each month, and folks were buying . . . .but they kept asking, how can I learn more, I need a coach, that kind of thing.

“So I decided to write a letter, and. tell folks I was thinking of starting a coaching program, but I wanted to find out what they wanted to learn.

“Now, Jack, you gotta know this: I didn’t expect much response, I wasn’t too hopeful about starting a “coaching business” – but over 50 people told me they wanted to coach with me!

“As you can imagine, I was ecstatic . . . .and so I enrolled 22 clients that first month, for $97 a month and you can only imagine how I felt . . . I was over the moon!

“Each month I added about 15-20 new clients until I got to about 60 folks in my coaching program . . . . and all of a sudden I hit a wall . . .
“And I realized that although people really wanted coaching . . . I just couldn’t help more people, 60 people with personal access to me was burning me out.

“Now I really had a problem, because my wife was counting on the income, but I knew I couldn’t grow by doing more of this 1-1 coaching. I was burning out, and fast.”

Jack then asked, “Sean, what did you do? That is one of the things I’ve worried about in starting my own coaching program, that I would burn out working with clients too personally – even though I know that’s what they need.”

I said, “Jack, I’m glad you asked . . .

“And frankly speaking, if I hadn’t burned out coaching 1-1, I wouldn’t have figured this out . . .

“In fact, it took me several years to come up with the solution.

“You see, Jack, I’d already realized that folks weren’t getting what they needed from the books and the trainings, because they would get stuck and they needed to ask questions.

“Then I realized that I could only help a limited number of folks 1-1, but my dream was to help thousands, to help millions of people.”

Jack interrupted me, and said, “Sean, that’s my dream too! I want to change millions of lives, but I just don’t see how it’s possible anymore.

“When I got started online, I had these dreams of changing millions of lives through reading the books I write and the trainings I create, but I realize it just doesn’t work.

“And I can see that I can’t personally coach more than 50 or 60 people at a time, or I’ll burn out.

“Sean, what’s the solution?”

I said, “Jack, I’m glad you asked . . .

“Because when I got stuck, I spent over 3 years and $30,000 searching for a way to change lives without burning myself out AND making enough of a living to support my wife and family.

“It was a rough, rough road . . . in fact, in the process of learning and trying things, I fell flat on my face a few times, drove my family into greater debt, but I was desperately intent on finding a way to help folks . . .

“Through many, many iterations and trial and error and changes, and failures and stops and starts,

“I discovered exactly what works to change lives AND that kept me from burning out . . .

“I call it a “hybrid coaching membership” and the way it works is that the training is spread out in lessons like with the 1-1 coaching, but instead of 1-1 coaching, it’s 1 to many . . . .

“So folks get the training, step by step, and lesson by lesson, so that they can learn a little at a time, with specific steps . . . and when they get stuck, they can ask me questions so they get unstuck.

“That’s why I call it a “Hybrid Coaching Membership” because the training is step by step membership style and it’s combined with Coaching”

Then Jack asked, “but why don’t you burn out, if thousands of people can ask questions? How is this different from 1-1 coaching?”

I said, “Jack, I’m glad you asked – because this is what makes this so much easier for you, the coach. You see, instead of holding 1-1 coaching calls where you are literally teaching each person the same thing as you taught the last person, one at a time, you do the teaching part of your coaching with the lessons and trainings . . . .

“And then you hold a weekly questions and answers coaching session where folks can ask you anything.”

Now Jack’s eyes began to light up, and he said, “Ah! So you are saying that instead of teaching clients the steps one client at a time, repeating the same things over and over again for each client, you teach one time, and then everyone else can learn from the same training?

“And instead of taking questions one person at a time, you can talk with many people at once?”

I said, “Yes, that’s the way it works . . .

“And the thing is, I’ve found that since most people have the same questions and other clients, if I answer one clients’ question on the q and a coaching call, everyone else who might ask the same question doesn’t need to ask it because they just heard me answer the one client.”

Jack, said, “Wow! that’s amazing . . I’m beginning to see it now! So how many clients can you have at one time?”

And I said, “Well, I don’t know what the upper limit is, but I’ve found for each 100 clients in a group, only about 2 will ask a question . . . and since that question tends to be representative of what others would ask, it’s highly leveraged time . . . .

“And since I can answer about 20 questions in an hour, that’s about 1000 clients in a group coaching program.”

Jack’s eyes opened wide, and he said, “1000 clients that’s amazing! Don’t people feel as though they are “just a number”?”

And I said, “Well, perhaps they could, if they knew there were 1000 people on the coaching line . . .but since only 20 people ask questions . . .honestly, on the group call itself, it only feels like . . .20 people. And since I talk with each of those people personally, it feels like a very relaxed small group.”

Jack finally asked me, “Sean, can you show me how to create my own coaching program like this in my niche?”

And I said, “I’m glad you asked . . .

“And the answer is a resounding “yes” . . .

So over the next few months, step by step, I taught Jack my entire coaching membership model, which is a hybrid coaching program plus membership, so that his clients get step by step lessons in a membership area, then a weekly coaching questions and answers call so that they can progress quickly.

After 3 months, here’s what Jack said to me, “Sean, this has been an amazing 3 months, I’ve gone from spinning my wheels and creating training hardly anyone studies, so of course they don’t get results, to having an amazing coaching membership where my clients are learning step by step, I hold a weekly questions and answers coaching call, and my clients are growing by leaps and bounds.”

You see, Jack, went from spinning his wheels to having a thriving coaching program, and in fact working much less than he was before . . . .

And if you want to, you can too . . . .

And if you really want to go deep, listen to this training I did for a group of clients to illustrate how easy it is to create a coaching program fast:

One Day Coaching Program

I sincerely hope this material is useful,

Sean Mize