For me, the best part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers. Home cooking made in someone else’s home: what could be better?
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that I do not have the temperament to be a good cook, let alone a great one. I felt I should get an award from Julia Child when I made my first smoothie.
So when a friend offered me a coupon to try Blue Apron – one of those home prep meal programs – she warned me, “There’s a lot of chopping involved.” I realized that it’s a terrific value but I’m better off with a few one-pot recipes and the GrubHub delivery number on speed dial.
Similarly, some Black Friday deals will be amazing but they don’t fit my business or my style. They’ll end up sitting on my hard drive, forgotten and forlorn.
So I was reluctant to do a big promotion for the day’s many specials…until one of my favorite people shared a couple of really good specials I’d have missed completely.
So this post has two parts.
First, some questions to guide any business purchase. I need to read them myself periodically.
And second, I’ve identified some good opportunities and added a Black Friday special of my own.
So… the questions:
1 – Will I be able to implement this purchase within the next 10 days?
If the answer is “yes,” then grab the deal. You’ll want to test before the guarantee expires. Every software program comes with a learning curve and you’ll need time to dive in and find out how it really works.
Recently I was excited about an email program till I tried to use it — and even the company’s own help desk couldn’t get it to function as advertised.
I’ve also been tempted by Designrr — a program to make ebooks. But the basic software — which is available as a one-time purchase — won’t be helpful for most ebooks. It doesn’t include page numbers or a table of contents. You may want to use them. Instead, I use and recommend beacon.by, which doesn’t even have an affiliate program.
2 – Does this fit the Rule of 3?
When you’re starting up, starting over, or pivoting your business, the golden rule is to pick one target market, one offer and one marketing method. If you’re a serious perfectionist, don’t spend too much time making choices; if you’re a “leap before the net appears” type like me, investigate your options and do some testing.
Recently I talked to a client who wants to coach clients to reach a very specific lifestyle goal. It’s a potentially lucrative market and she’s exceptionally well qualified.
She’s got her target market. Now she needs to tighten her offer and choose a marketing method, which might be videos, webinars, podcasts or Facebook ads.
If she chooses webinars, she can safely ignore every single ad for videos, Facebook ads, and podcasting, until she’s become so good at webinars she could teach the technique (and might then launch a very profitable sideline). At the same time, she can be on the lookout for deals relating to webinars.
Bonus Tip: Choose a mentor who will build your coaching around these 3 pillars. Otherwise you can waste years with an imbalanced program, a handful of Bright Shiny Objects, and a ton of wasted resources. I’ve got a short affordable ebook, “How To Hire A Mentor Who Will Rock Your Marketing And Give You The Tools To Succeed” that could save you thousands of dollars (or euros or pounds). Click here to claim yours.
3 – Is this something on my wish list?
If you’ve got a wishlist you can grab a deal. In particular, try to grab something that’s usually offered with a monthly fee for a one-time payment. But it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it.
So put together a wishlist and wait till something comes up that’s on it. Or, if you really need it, pay full price without waiting for a sale. If you really need it, you’ll be rewarded by your business.
What I’m Recommending Today
With that in mind, I do have just 2 recommendations for you right now IF they’re right for your business.
(1) Email marketing: If you’re just starting, I recommend Madmimi over MailChimp. The reason is simple. When I buy, my main consideration is, “Can I get help?” MadMimi has had amazing service. MailChimp is designed for DIYers.
If you’re looking for a more powerful system, where you can set up “if-then” logic (“If someone signs up for this product, also add them to the list of …”) then I recommend ConvertKit. They’re easy to use, have a fantastic help desk, and integrate with just about everyone and everything.
ConvertKit has a one-day special with the Creator Start Kit — 12 months of free service for up to 1000 subscribers, automation templates, education products and more. It’s just $289. That’s less than many services charge just for the monthly fee. Get the details here via my affiliate link.
(2) Through Monday November 26 (midnight Eastern/NY), the 3 courses listed below are available at a 50% discount.
Become A Copywriter – coupon code THANKS
Marketing Yourself As A Coach – coupon code COACH50
Brand Your Business One Story At A Time coupon code HOLIDAY
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