Okay, so this is a really interesting question. We’ve seen posts on social that often say you’re not. I’m also seeing it addressed a little bit more on sales pages where it is clearly states that ‘we are not responsible for getting you results, it’s your responsibility we just give you the guidance’. Which is true to a point.
At 1:1 level, it is a given that we are going to get our client results. This is usually a skill OR a transformation (in some rare cases, both). Or it may be that you are a service provider and provide a done for you service. But once we start to move to 1:many, getting results for clients seems a little trickier because we can’t give them that focused 1:1 attention, especially in a growing group container.
I want to look at this from both perspectives- as the business owner (or teacher) and as the client (learner). In this post, I am looking at it from the business owner/teacher.
So, as the business owner/program lead are you responsible for your clients getting results?
The simple answer is no. HOWEVER, I want to add a caveat...
It’s not your responsibility to get your clients results…. BUT it is your responsibility to set them up for success.
And with the average program completion rate being 52%, by doing this work you will automatically raise the profile of your program and make it stand out for all the reasons- that your clients are happy and singing your praises.
To do this you need to focus on three areas: a program deep rooted in your expertise, a supportive client experience AND the right people to support YOU as the expert. This is what I call the Results Trifecta- and this is one part of my focus when working with clients on creating a business legacy.
Focus 1: A program deep rooted in your expertise:
As an expert (eg: you have worked in your field for some time and you have a good level of knowledge in comparison to your clients) standing in your power is extremely important when it comes to getting client results. This is why I get frustrated when I see others telling people they can start a group program at the beginning of their business journey, because you need to know how your clients get results in a one-to-one situation. That 1:1 experience gives you the bare bones of your program: the steps you walk a client through- your proven process. [And a proven process or signature framework is NOT a curriculum btw].
Which leads me nicely into having a well balanced program deep rooted in your expertise. To get the best results, you want a great curriculum leading to the desired result, so that you know that EVERYTHING that they need is covered and that you are not creating content for your program unnecessarily. And by having it rooted in your expertise/experience of doing the work, you are going to be able to create something that is unique to you (this is what will help you become a leader in your industry too) so that it stands out AND is impossible for others to copy.
The biggest challenge I see for experts at this stage is knowing what to include in a curriculum. It goes so much deeper than a list of lessons. It delves into not only WHY they are learning the material you have created but also supports them in taking action/implementing what they have learned- which leads to results. What you don’t want to do is create a program that is a long list of ‘google-ble’ content. What do I mean by this? When I first started out in the online space, I decided I would be a VA. So, I started out by finding others who were VA’s near me. One woman had a course that walked you through the steps. Interestingly though, she also had a blog that took you through the step by step to creating a VA business. Literally almost 100 blog posts that led you on to the next etc. So I didn’t need the course. Don’t make the same mistake! Your curriculum should be rich in content that is based on your expertise, that would be really hard to find unless your clients started doing the same work as you.
Focus 2: A supportive client experience:
You may have heard me say this before, but the client experience is NOT the client onboarding process! However, it is a good place to start. It is not looked at in isolation either- it needs to co-exist with your curriculum. These are ALL the touch points with you and your team. AND here’s a little no secret….. Your clients MIGHT just get results based on this alone- because they feel supported on their journey for the entirety of your program. Why? You’ll be surprised at how many programs (even the extremely high ticket ones) where the support falls off as they enter their next launch. Don’t do this! A clients LAST impression is the LASTING impression. It doesn’t matter whether you sent the a welcome box and it was all signing and dancing at the beginning. When they come to the end of the program will be what they remember and what they will tell their friends. THIS is where you want them to be singing your praises as this becomes easy marketing!
The biggest challenge for program leaders at this point is how to wrap things up without feeling awkward. Depending on how you run your program here are some suggestions of what I have seen work well. Where it is a rolling program, have an off-boarding call. This works particularly well if this can coincide with a piece of work for clients to complete eg a business plan that you might look through with them. This can also set them to move into the next part of your offer suite, so you can give them further support (btw- there is nothing wrong with doing this! This is to the clients advantage every time!). If you run in cohorts, this could be a group ‘final call’ or my favourite- an in person meet up. Speaking from personal experience, this is a great way to leave a program, feeling like you have all celebrated your achievements together.
Focus 3: The right people to support YOU as the expert:
The last piece in the puzzle is getting results with the right support. This is especially important for YOU- the expert, but also for your clients to get the right support throughout their time with you. Ideally, you want to be in a position where you can be totally in your zone of genius- your expertise within the program- because you don’t want to be everything to everyone as the saying goes. Therefore, if you know from the work that you have done that their are likely to be mindset issues come up for your clients, then you would have a resident mindset coach in your program. It could also mean hiring associate coaches, so that your clients continue to have that 1:1 element that will support the getting results. Yes, this will mean a bigger expense however, it is important to remember that WHEN this is done well, it will raise the standard of your program AND attract more clients.
The biggest challenge I see with this in programs is when associate coaches are not trained well and the number of clients they are responsible for is overwhelming for the capacity they hold. This leads to a damaging client experience AND stress for the expert. This is why when I work with clients, we use the curriculum and experience as a basis for setting up a comprehensive training programme so that they can deliver an excellent service, feel confident in supporting clients and most importantly grow with the business. The added bonus is that they can support you in selling your program- so that clients are aware of the contact they will have with you and the support they will get from others. By being upfront about having associate coaches this will eliminate any disappointment from clients once they are onboarded.
By doing this work you will move away from the cookie cutter/one size fits all approach in your program, to one of more personalised learning for your clients, which increases their chances of getting results. Most importantly, it will also decrease your refund requests, increase your completion rate and improve your client satisfaction.
In the next post, we will look at getting results from a client/learner perspective. And remember, by doing this work- getting the results and becoming a leader in your industry is how you will create a Legacy- a business that is meaningful and feels worthwhile.
Interested in digging deeper into the results you could get in your expert business? Book a call to see what’s the next right step to building a legacy- a meaningful business that makes an impact.
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Rachel Aiken is an Online Business Strategist who works with female experts to get outstanding client results and become a leader in their industry so that they can build a meaningful business legacy based on their expertise.