{"id":1137,"date":"2022-04-20T06:40:20","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T06:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/payhip.com\/blog\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2022-09-19T22:48:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T22:48:45","slug":"selling-coaching-and-courses-with-melissa-bolton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/payhip.com\/blog\/selling-coaching-and-courses-with-melissa-bolton\/","title":{"rendered":"Selling Coaching and Courses with Melissa Bolton"},"content":{"rendered":"

What role does branding play in helping creators sell smarter and better? After years of running successful ventures and consulting dozens of others, Melissa Bolton had a hunch: To sell successfully, you first need to know who you are and who your customer is. Then it\u2019s simply a matter of aligning the message with both. Turns out she was right, as her extensive network of accomplished clients can attest to. She explains what creators need to know about branding, and how Payhip helped take her coaching and courses to the next level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By age 23 you were producing 7-figure sales. At 27, you achieved vice president status at a Fortune 500 financial company. Today you\u2019re a highly sought-out Brand Therapist \u2013 a specialty you\u2019ve trademarked and made your own. Tell us how this amazing journey began and what your biggest takeaways have been so far.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve never treated a customer like a prospect or viewed them as an opportunity. They’re real people with real needs, goals, and wants. The opportunity lies in how you help them. This answer feels like it should be longer, but really, that’s it; treat people as you’d want to be treated, listen, and then help.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Can you share a bit more about the role of a brand therapist and your signature \u00a0 archetype-based approach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve always been interested in behavioral science and psychology, but I never wanted to be a traditional therapist. In my free time I read a lot about psychology principles and behavior patterns, especially in decision making. I started applying these concepts to my branding work and the result was nothing short of magical. As someone who believes in individuality, I’m big on creating ‘titles’ for your professional self. \u2018Brand Therapist\u2019 seemed perfect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I constructed the brand archetype course in 2010. At the time, there was nothing like it on the market. People were using archetypes in branding, but a course was not yet in existence. The idea is to take the proven scientific principles and apply them to buying behavior. You can doubt behaviors, but patterns are hard to deny. Archetypes show patterns of behavior and make it easy to cater your words, style, and your offerings to those who need them most.<\/p>\n

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Through your consultation work, you realized that most creators and business owners failed because they ignored branding and focused entirely on advertising. What are some simple steps creators can take to develop an authentic brand image?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, you can’t very well market something if you don’t know who you are, what you sell, who your ideal customers are, or what you’re truly selling. What I mean by that is, we\u2019re\u00a0 never really selling products or services. We\u2019re selling solutions; We\u2019re selling people a better version of themselves. Being able to understand and articulate the essence of your brand and carry it throughout all you do is essential to the success of any brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You offer a number of insightful, free tools to prospective clients, most notably your complimentary brand archetype quiz<\/a> and report. What impact have these resources had on your business and how should creators incorporate freebies into their marketing efforts?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The free quiz has had a huge impact. I spent many years learning not only what to ask, but how to ask to solicit the best answers. Over a million people have taken the quiz over the years. That’s still mind-blowing to me. But it’s highly insightful and goes deep, so I understand the allure. I’m glad it’s been so helpful to so many. It’s helped me grow my mailing list and expand offerings to my ideal clients, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I suggest creating freebies that align with your own style. As a Luminary (archetype) teacher, I like learning and sharing that knowledge, so for me, a quiz makes sense. For you, that freebie might look like something else. It may be a template, a white paper, an ebook, or some graphics or other downloadable content. Just make sure you get something in return, the most popular being their email address. They can always unsubscribe if the content doesn’t suit them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As someone with several years of consulting experience, what advice would you give to creators who consider offering coaching services?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh I have lots of advice on this one:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n