Selling Coaching and Courses with Melissa Bolton -

What role does branding play to help creators sell more effectively and better? After many years of running successful companies and consulting with hundreds of others, Melissa Bolton had a idea: In order to successfully sell it is essential to understand who you are and who your customer is. After that, it's to align the message and the. The results show she was right, as her extensive client base of successful clients confirm. She shares what designers must know about branding, and what she did to help take her coaching and classes up a notch.

 At the age of 23, you were generating 7-figure revenue. When you were 27, you earned vice president status at the Fortune 500 financial company. You're now a sought-after Brand Therapist - a specialty you've trademarked and made your unique. Tell us how this amazing experience began, and then what you've learned from it to date.

I've never treated customers as a potential customer or considered them as a potential possibility. These are real people with actual needs, objectives and desires. The opportunity lies in the way you assist them. It's like this answer could be longer but in reality, this is it be kind to people, treat them as you would want to be treated, be attentive, and finally help.

 Can you share some more details about the role of a brand therapist and your signature archetypal approach?

I've always had an interest in psychological and behavioral sciences However, I've never wanted to become a traditional therapist. When I had time off, I read a lot about psychological principles and patterns of behavior, especially in decision making. I started applying these concepts to my branding efforts and the results were almost magical. As someone who believes in being unique, I'm big on creating 'titles' for your professional self. "Brand Therapist" seemed like a perfect title.

I designed the archetype brand course in the year 2010. At the time, there wasn't a similar course in the marketplace. Archetypes were being used in branding, but an actual course was not in existence. The idea is to take the proven scientific principles and apply them to buying behaviour. It is possible to doubt the behavior however patterns are difficult to ignore. Archetypes show patterns of behavior and make it easy to cater your words, style, and your services to the people who require these most.

 Through your consultation work it was clear that many creators and business owners were unsuccessful because they didn't pay attention to branding and were focusing on marketing. What are some simple actions creators could take to create a brand that is authentic?

You can't be able to market something if don't know who your customers are, what products you offer, who your ideal customers are, or even what it is you're really selling. What I mean by that is, we're never really selling services or products. The only thing we're selling is solutions. selling people a better version of themselves. The ability to comprehend and articulate the essence of your brand and carry it throughout all you do is vital to the longevity of any brand.

You provide a range of insightful, free tools to prospective clients, most notably your complimentary brand archetype test and analysis. How have these sources been for your company? And how can creators integrate promotional offers into their marketing campaigns?

The test for free has made tremendous impact. I spent many years learning not only the right questions, but how to ask to solicit the best answers. Over a million people have completed the quiz over the years. This is still amazing to me. It's extremely insightful and deep. I get the attraction. It's been useful to so many. It's allowed me to grow my list of mailing addresses and broaden offerings to my ideal clients also.

It is suggested to create giveaways that are in line with the style you prefer. Being a Luminary (archetype) teacher, I like taking my time and learning, and then sharing the knowledge, so for me, a game makes sense. For you, that freebie might look like another thing. It may be a template of a white or black paper, an ebook, or any other graphics or downloadable content. Be sure to get some sort of compensation, the most popular being your email address. It is possible to unsubscribe anytime the content doesn't suit them.

 Being someone who has several years of experience as a consultant What suggestions would you give to creators who might want to offer coaching services?

Oh I have lots of suggestions on this issue:

• Don't give your time away for free. A free consultation is fine to find out if you're the right suitable candidate, but be sure you don't offer too much. It's better to prepare several questions that you'd like to discuss prior to you make the phone meeting. Be sure to adhere to the time limit. Make them curious and want more.
• Set boundaries, and then stick to these boundaries and stick to. There will be people who will attempt to get more from you. If they want or need more then they will take your time and money. If they do not, they're not respecting your time, and you ought to leave them alone. Simple as that.
• It is my goal to work only with your ideal clients. Use your intuition. If you think a client does not seem to be a suitable fit for you the first time you speak with them, then they probably aren't. Don't ever try to defend your pricing or try to convince people to cooperate with you. People who are right for you will be happy to work with you and excited to exchange their money to give you their time.

 In terms of branding, what role should social media play and which kind of content has been the most effective for you as a creative?

I consider social media as more of a marketing tool than of branding. I personally prefer Pinterest over the other social media platforms. There's less chatter and more focus. It's a time for people to organize and curate. This is a deliberate process. I love that. It also lets me see what else people are saving. They are unique as compared to Facebook as well as Instagram. I suggest going to one of the platforms with the highest number of followers. Look at the statistics of your site's visitors to find out which sources your visitors are coming from, then focusing your energy and time in the places you have those.

 What tools have proven to be most effective in developing and marketing your services?

One of the most useful resources is actually a feature rather than a tool.

Reviews can be very beneficial for selling. Social proof has immense importance as people want to know what they're in for when they invest into something. Receiving genuine feedback from someone other then the seller (the buyer) is quite powerful.

Also, I use coupons all the time to satisfy various needs. Being able to personalize codes has been fantastic. My customers love that I can create them a personalized code using the name of their company or name. It's entertaining, and it has a sense of professionalism to it.

I could not love the "Courses" feature even more. It's one of my top online tools and makes it so easy to create and develop courses. I haven't even taken advantage of all of the options such as quizzes and video and can't wait to get them. I launched my courses just last month and am already surrounded by happy students.

 What have you done to help market and sell your products on the internet?

I sold digital downloads regularly on my site prior to the GDPR took effect. As a company based in the United States, I found it frustrating, confusing, overwhelming, and tiring to attempt to work through the newly implemented tax situation and I decided to stop selling downloads completely. When I discovered they took care of all aspects VAT taxes for me. I was immediately enthralled. This has helped me sell thousands of dollars of digital products without losing sleep over VAT issues.

Also, the name is growing in popularity and notoriety. Because the name is a source of trust, customers know that they are able to buy with confidence.