So many of you have asked me questions about setting up a membership site so you could serve your audience in a bigger and deeper way. Well, I thought I better bring in someone who knows membership sites in and out, and directly ask him your burning questions, all about membership sites. I like to call Stu McLaren the Membership Man. He is, hands down, the go-to source for all things membership.     

In 2008, Stu knew something had to give. He was burning the candle at both ends providing one-on-one services to clients. While his business would be seen as successful by most because the money was there, he was trading time for dollars and this was not the answer to where he saw his future. Especially one with kids in it, like he and his wife were hoping for.   

Long story short, Stu decided he needed a new business model to take what he was already doing and share it in a more leveraged way -- a model that included recurring revenue. Upon the suggestion from a friend and business mentor, he started a membership site. Not only did he create a membership site for himself, but he saw a need for a tool for implementing a membership site, so he set out and created one.

Throughout his time working with the 70,000 clients who flocked to use WishList Member, the membership software platform Stu created, he learned a lot about what worked and what didn’t when it came to creating a membership site and he joined me on my podcast today to share all of that wisdom.

Here’s a snapshot of what we covered in our chat where I asked him the 10 most burning questions that you, my listener, asked:

We covered…

• The difference between a membership site and a course
• What kind of content you need to have inside your course
• How to manage the content creation process
• Pricing your membership site
• Launch strategies and options for membership sites
• Having your course as a prerequisite for you membership site
• Launching with webinars
• Incentivizing members to join

Bottom line, almost any business can benefit from having some type of membership site. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of work to invite members in, or to create content every month. The beauty of a membership site is that you get to leverage your knowledge with the content you provide and the recurring revenue that a membership will bring to your business.  

Here are some of the highlights from this episode:

• [8:23] Question #1…  the main difference between a membership site and a course
• [22:04] The Four Primary Pieces of Content you need for your membership site every month
• [26:40] You Don’t Have to Do It Alone - What Inspired John Gallagher, founder of HerbMentor to facilitate a tribe of experts. The content does not have to fall on your shoulders.
• [28:39] How to decide what content to release and when to your new members (and how to simplify)
• [31:49] Pricing your membership site and the important distinctions between offering membership first or your course first
• [37:09] What you MUST know about pricing your membership site
• [40:22] Open or closed launching, and how Jennifer Allwood scaled her membership site from 700 members in three years to 1,200 new members in 5 DAYS
• [47:12] The secret to the ONE and only ad that made Stu buy (and how you can apply it to your membership site)
• [51:37] How Nicholas Wilton recruited 180 members from a single webinar before he had even created his membership site
• [57:48] Paint Store Owners, Fitness Experts, Dog Trainers, and other surprising examples of membership site founders
• [1:00] The misconceptions you don’t need to buy into

Stu brought so many great insights ton how to make a membership site work for you. This was truly one of my favorite episodes of the podcast.

And there’s so much more where that came from! If you’re wondering whether a membership site can work for you, or wanting to know how to grow your existing site, I highly encourage you to join Stu’s free workshop by visiting amyporterfield.com/stu.

Join us both and listen to the episode now!

This episode is brought to you by Tribe. Join the free TRIBE Workshop today and learn how to Turn What You Already Know, Love, And Do Into A Successful Membership Business.

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Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

One of the best ways to sell your product is to get out there and tell people about it. This isn’t always easy! After this episode, you’re going to be armed with strategies to confidently talk about your product like a pro.

After an exhausting launch, I found myself mindlessly flipping through channels and stumbled upon an infomercial for Bye Bye Foundation with IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Lima. This is a woman who knows how to SELL her product to the tune of millions and millions of dollars.

I noticed that Jamie talks about her product in a very specific way. The words she was using… the way she repeats herself… it was like magic! She was seamlessly talking about her product the way I’d like to talk about my own programs while on webinars and Facebook Lives.

I began studying her work and really paying attention. I discovered that she has very specific strategies for talking about her product, so I broke those down for you in this episode. I also give you some tips and tricks to apply Jamie’s expert strategies when talkinb about your own products.

Grab your free cheat sheet here!

The Seven Secrets for Talking About Your Product Like a Pro:

• [06:51] Solidify your verbal tagline. A verbal tagline is something that you say over and over again. Create an inspirational or motivational tagline that talks about your product.
• [10:34] Tell what it is. You’ve got to be clear on exactly what it is you’re selling. It may seem obvious to you, but it may not be to your potential customer. You want to highlight what is most important about your product, program or service through the use of very concise phrases or words.
• [13:58] Tell what it's not. You just need one or two sentences of what your product is not. Find one or two things that you know your audience doesn't want because that allows you to then move into what it IS in an inspirational way. This contrast can be very powerful.
• [16:08] Tell why it's unique. There are likely multiple ways your product, program or service is unique, but it’s important to highlight ONE specific way it’s very unique to set you apart from your competition.
• [20:37] Identify a few core themes. Come up with verbal themes. Jamie uses the words “different” and “deserve” a lot as her theme words. A theme word I use when I talk about my programs is “doable”. It’s important to have some themes that are constant when talking about your product, program or service.
• [26:09] Future pace with an intentional one-liner. Future pacing by beginning a sentence with “Imagine…” will help your potential customer look at what’s possible, or what’s ahead for them. You want them to get excited and future pacing will help them to envision a better future for themselves if they purchase your product, program or service.
• [28:23] Choose testimonials that speak to all of the above. When getting testimonials from your customers, make sure to ask the right questions to get authentic answers that talk about your product in a way that mirrors how you talk about your product.

I've created a cheat sheet that will walk you through these seven secrets in detail but will also prompt you to create each of these snippets on your own so that you have them when you go into your next promotion. Grab the cheat sheet here!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Jamie Lima
• IT Cosmetics
• Blue Ocean Strategy

As entrepreneurs, we’re driven by our passion and ideas. There is never a lack of projects and things that need to get done. Even worse, we often jump from one task to the next as we try to get caught up with our endless list.

Does it seem like you never have enough time in the day to get the important stuff done? Are you frantically trying to whittle down that endless list? We all get caught up in this cycle. That’s why I’m so excited to have Michael Hyatt back on the show.

Michael says:

“It's almost impossible to accomplish anything significant when you're racing through an endless litany of tasks and emergencies. And yet, this is how many of us spend our days, our weeks, months, years, sometimes our entire lives.”

Michael operated like this for years when he was an overworked and stressed executive at Thomas Nelson Publishers. Michael, now on the other side of this unsustainable and unhealthy work pattern, has cracked the code on a system of productivity and focus that is designed to help you avoid burnout in your business.  

Michael was tired of working harder and accomplishing less. It’s FOCUS that drives our businesses and our personal lives. In this episode, Michael shares the principles from his new book Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less, so we can accomplish what matters.  

The Free to Focus System:

• [07:34] Productivity is really about freedom. Freedom is a BIG reason people get into business. The book covers four freedoms: The freedom to focus. We need sustained focus and concentration. The freedom to be present. This is the freedom to be 100% present with whoever you are with. The freedom to be spontaneous, and the freedom to do nothing.
• [12:12] There are also three phases to Freedom to Focus. They are Stop, Cut, and Act. The first three chapters focus on Stop. First, you need to formulate a vision of a more productive future. Then evaluate the work you are doing using the freedom compass. And always rejuvenate and take time for self-care. Formulate, evaluate, and rejuvenate.
• [14:22] Using the Freedom Compass:
  • True North is where passion and proficiency come together.
  • South is the drudgery zone. Things your not passionate about or proficient in.
  • East is the disinterest zone. Things you are good at but not passionate about.
  • West is the distraction zone. Things you enjoy doing but aren’t good at.
• [18:11] Things on your freedom compass that you love and are good at are in your desire zone. This is where you should focus the bulk of your energy. Eliminate, automate, or delegate everything that's not in the desire zone.
• [30:41] Michael plays mythbuster to the objections that entrepreneurs have about delegation. Hiring a VA enables you to repurpose time for more valuable activities.
• [35:46] Act also has three steps. They are consolidate, designate, and activate. To consolidate avoid context switching and batch activities.
• [38:53] Designate is designing your year by identifying three goals for your quarter, week, and each day. Imagine how powerful your days would be if you accomplish three important things on a daily basis.
• [43:00] Activate is about managing the interruptions. Check in before going into a deep work session, so you won't be interrupted. Turn off notifications. Let technology serve you.
• Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I’d be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• MIchael Hyatt
• Lead to Win
• Thomas Nelson
• #101: How to Intentionally Design the Life You Want with Michael Hyatt
• Achieve Conference
• Warren Buffett
• The Power of a Positive No
• BELAY
• Priority VA
• Your Best Year Ever
• Full Focus Planner
• Jason Fried
• Digital Minimalism
• Freedom App
• Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less
• Girl, Stop Apologizing

Are you making it as easy as possible for your followers to buy from you? Is it possible to put out too much content? Many of us, myself included, struggle with thinking more is more when it comes to the products, services, and programs that we offer our potential customers.

It may seem counterintuitive, but offering MORE can actually make people click away!

Giving people too many options can cause decision fatigue and your potential customer will click away from your blog or video without signing up or purchasing from you.

We’re living in an age with options everywhere. If it takes too much brain power for someone to decide on something, they're out. It's your job to make it as easy as possible for your followers to make a decision. Your audience will be much more apt to buy if you present them with less offers that are better quality,

In this episode, I help you determine the fine line of less is more when it comes to content. Did you know that a person is less likely to buy if given too many choices? I’ve got a study to prove it to you.

I’ll also help you understand why it’s important to have flow, and a clear beginning, middle, and end. Want to become a go-to guide in your field? I’ve got that covered, too.

These three foolproof steps will help you narrow down the options that you present to your audience:

1. Listen to your customers. Be intentional about hearing what your customers are asking for. If you listen closely, your audience will tell you exactly what they want.
2. Carefully watch your audience's behavior. Where do conversions take place? Where can you narrow down your options?
3. You cannot fear pivoting when necessary. Notice patterns and trends with your audience and do more of what’s working and cut out what’s not working.

Your next clear step: Have a 15-minute brainstorming session and write down what you offer. Ask these questions. Does it feel like too much? Is it clear?

Click here to listen now!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!