What if I don’t make any money? What if I specialise in the wrong thing? What if I set my fee too high and don’t get any work? What if ????

I can totally understand this. I’ve been there myself – many times! I’ve had good days and plenty of bad days. But the biggest thing I have learnt in my years as a freelance trainer and business owner is that having too many fears is totally counterproductive. Confidence in yourself and in your decisions and choices is the key to success. When you are confident you start to take action instead of procrastinating. You make progress which in turn leads to results. When you can truly say you are a Fearless Freelancer you’ve cracked it!

In this blog series I’m going to be sharing my thoughts, ideas and tips on how you can stop worrying, increase your confidence and start taking action.

In the meantime, here are 5 things you can do right now to help get you started on your journey to becoming a Fearless Freelancer.

1. Get excited about being a Freelance Trainer. You have a fantastic opportunity to shape your life and your own way of working.

2. Make a list of all the things about YOU, your unique skills, experience and personality that qualify you to be a successful freelance trainer.

3. Get into the habit of feeding your mind with positive thoughts. Your mind is like a garden, if you don’t tend it it will get full of weeds. Get rid of any negative thoughts as soon as they appear as they won’t serve you.

4. Talk to 3 people in your network who you consider to be successful business owners, who have been there and done it. Ask them what their greatest fear was when they first started out or any fears they have had along the way and how they have overcome them.

5. Confront your fears by asking ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ You’ll usually find it’s not that bad and even in the unlikely situation of it happening there is always a solution to any problem if you try hard enough. Once you’ve done this exercise, write it all down, then put it in a safe place, but somewhere out of your mind.

Once you have done a piece of work for a new client first and foremost you want them to be really satisfied with the training you have delivered. BUT you also want them to see you as their trainer of choice, the number 1 person they will automatically turn to when they have a training need. Repeat work makes good business sense but it’s also good for the soul! There’s nothing worse than putting a huge amount of effort into getting a new client only to go into the organisation for a couple of days training and then never see them again. It can all seem a bit pointless.

In my experience there is ONE thing that will keep your clients coming back for more over and above just doing a good job in the training room. And that’s to become one of the family. Getting your feet under the table to such an extent that they see you as part of the organisation and you feel like an employee.

Becoming part of the family means:

1. Thoroughly understanding the business, their problems, challenges and opportunities.

2. Getting to know others in the organisation, not just the ones you are training.

3. Adding value by offering things such as pre course TNA’s, on-site research, post workshop follow ups.

4. Being responsive and willing to help them solve problems, even if it means recommending another trainer!

WARNING: This doesn’t mean you should stop feeding your pipeline and building new business. There are obvious dangers in putting all your eggs in one basket and becoming over reliant on one or two clients. But it does mean that you should put equal if not more effort into nurturing the clients you already have.

If you are just starting out as a freelance trainer you might be considering getting associate work. It’s a good way of getting some income in fast as you don’t have to get involved in the sales and marketing, you can just turn up and deliver. But it’s not as easy as you might think, mainly because there is a lot of competition and secondly, where on earth do you find training companies who are hiring?

Here are 5 tips on getting work as an associate:

1. From experience, most associate opportunities come through people you know. Ask around in your network. How many other freelance trainers do you know? Who are they working for? If you have just left corporate life which training companies did you use? Contact them and ask if you could work for them as an associate.

2. Search the internet using search terms such as ‘associate trainer’, ‘freelance trainer’, ‘looking for associate trainer’.

3. Get yourself listed on training directories such as Training Directory UK, Trainer Base,  Skill Fair or the Associate Alert Service.

4. Have a clear strategy for approaching training companies and applying for positions. Most training companies get hundreds of CV’s from freelance trainers every day. How are you going to make sure you stand out from the rest?

5. Follow training companies on social media. There are two good reasons why you should be doing this. 1. Associate trainer positions are often posted via Twitter and Facebook Pages and 2. If you build a good relationship with them you will may find that they approach YOU when they have a specific need rather than the other way round!

One of the ladies I spoke to who is just about to set up her own training business told me that one of the biggest things that she got from the programme was that she now ‘felt totally cool about selling and marketing’. What a great attitude to have as many people, particularly when they first start out as a freelance trainer feel totally overwhelmed and stressed by the thought of going out and selling ‘themseleves’ I know I did to begin with.

Here are some tips on how to have a positive attitude to marketing:

1. Don’t use the word selling. Ban it from your vocabulary and use the words relationship building instead
2. Recognise that – as a trainer – you already have many of the skills you need to build relationships and attract clients to you, for example, great communications skills, listening, asking questions and building rapport.
3. Be yourself. Authenticity is an attractive quality and people only do business with people they know, like and trust.
4. Avoid overwhelm by only choosing 3 marketing activities. Do them consistently and well. Don’t get side-tracked into activities that don’t work for you or your potential market.
5. Remember it’s the little things that you do each day that ultimately lead to results. Keep taking action, no matter how small. Stay focused on your goals and don’t give up.

When I first started out as a freelance trainer I would get very anxious about school holidays, I was absolutely determined that my work wouldn’t be affected so I used to plan then with almost military precision. I would spend a fortune on activities and childcare, especially in the Summer then realised it was a waste of time as nothing happened in August anyway! As my kids got older (they are now 14 and 12) I figured I could just let them entertain themselves pretty much and I could just get on as normal. It never happened. I would plan far too much work in the holidays, never achieve any of it and end up even more frustrated.

So I’ve learnt to be realistic about what can be done in the holidays. And also to remember that one of the reasons I started a business in the first place was to have flexibility and spend time with my children when I needed to. So that’s why there are no tips from me today!

Instead, here’s a reminder of some great events we have coming up in the next few months as well as some reasons why you should be there!

NEXT EXPERT INTERVIEW 

DAPHNE BOUSQUET FROM EVENT STRATEGY SOLUTIONS ON
HOW TO MARKET WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

WEDNESDAY 4 APRIL AT 20.00 UK TIME

Here’s more details and how you can register here:

ARE YOU COMING TO TRAINER TALK LIVE ON 18 MAY ? EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT EXPIRES 18 APRIL 

The next Trainer Talk Live will be on Friday 18 May at Woodland Grange in Warwickshire, a great venue with easy access to M40, M1, M69.

We have some great speakers lined up next time, Celia Delaney HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH SPEAKING as well as fellow trainer Rob Geraghty on how he has cracked the perennial problem of balancing running a business with training delivery, in short HOW TO BE A TOTALLY ORGANISED TRAINER!

WHY YOU SHOULD BE THERE AND WHAT YOU WILL GET:

• Practical business/marketing strategies to help you generate more income
• Building links with other freelance trainers ( a top marketing strategy you should be using)
• Networking with like minded individuals – - fellow trainers who talk the same language and share many of your issues!
• Solutions to your pressing business problems
• A massive dose of energy, inspiration and motivation!

Find out all the details here

AND FINALLY 

Don’t forget about our upcoming How To Create a Successful and Profitable Training Business – The Easy Way! Workshops  in

LONDON – 27 April
MANCHESTER – 25 MAY
MIDLANDS – 25 MAY
SOUTH WEST – 28 June

Book your place early to get your Early Bird Discount HERE

WHY YOU SHOULD BE THERE AND WHAT YOU WILL GET:

Here’s what a recent delegate had to say:

“Whether you’re just starting out in the world of freelance training or you’ve been in business for a number of years, I’d definitely recommend Sharon’s course.  It will give you new ideas, and make you think about what you’re doing in your business.  It was also great to interact with other trainers and be able to bounce ideas off each other and share experiences.

I left the course with some great ideas for what my next steps should be, an action list specific to me, and lots of focus on my way forward!

Thoroughly recommended!”

Carole Collins
Denman Collins Consultancy Ltd

Thanks to everyone who dragged themselves away from the garden on Monday evening and joined in the Social Media Q and A. I really enjoyed answering your questions and it was interesting to see that you not only had issues around Social Media but also had things you wanted to ask about Email marketing, List Building and Webinars.

Here’s a sample question I got as well as my answer:

As a freelance trainer should I be using Linked In, Facebook or Twitter?

The answer to this question really depends on two things.

1. Why are you using social media in the first place and what do you want to achieve?

2. Where do the people you want to reach congregate? Are they on Twitter, Facebook or Linked In?

If you want to use social media mainly to attract corporate clients then there are going to be more people of the type you are trying to connect with on Linked In rather than Twitter and Facebook. But if your purpose in using social media is to drive traffic to your website or get known for what you do in a short space of time then there really is nothing more effective than Twitter.

One thing I would say, particularly if you are just starting out on Social Media is don’t feel you have to use all 3 anyway. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to try to do too much, they very quickly get overwhelmed, disillusioned and then give up. There is absolutely nothing wrong with just using ONE, whether it be Twitter, Facebook or Linked In. If you just concentrate on one you can give it 100% attention, you can get really good at using it and your results will be 10 times better!

Maybe a challenge for you over the next 3 months?

If you want to hear more Social Media Tips here is the replay to the Q and A, just click here

NEXT EXPERT INTERVIEW

DAPHNE BOUSQUET FROM EVENT STRATEGY SOLUTIONS ON HOW TO MARKET WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

WEDNESDAY 4 APRIL AT 20.00 UK TIME

Thanks to everyone who emailed me with feedback on the first Expert Interview I did a couple of weeks ago with Heather Townsend on Networking For Results.

Next up is Daphne Bousquet, Event Strategy Specialist and 3 Time Olympian (!) who will be sharing with us some great tips on how to get people to show up for your Public Workshops.

Here’s more details and how you can register here 

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ARE YOU COMING TO TRAINER TALK LIVE ON 18 MAY ? EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT EXPIRES 18 APRIL

The next Trainer Talk Live will be on Friday 18 May at Woodland Grange in Warwickshire, a great venue with easy access to M40, M1, M69.

We have some great speakers lined up next time, Celia Delaney HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH SPEAKING as well as fellow trainer Rob Geraghty on how he has cracked the perennial problem of balancing running a business with training delivery, in short HOW TO BE A TOTALLY ORGANISED TRAINER!

Find out all the details here

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AND FINALLY

Don’t forget about our upcoming How To Create a Successful and Profitable Training Business – The Easy Way! Workshops in

LONDON – 27 April
MANCHESTER – 25 MAY
MIDLANDS – 25 MAY
SOUTH WEST – 28 June

Until next time!

- Feeling of overwhelm, you know you ought to be using Social Media but don’t really know where to start or if you are doing the right things 

- Concern that it all takes too much time and could impact on more important business activities

- Uncertainty that it may not get results

- Dabbling in social media, doing it for a bit then giving up after a few weeks

I can understand all of these, they’re all quite legitimate concerns. After all, Social Media, although it feels like it’s been around for ages is still relatively new, there is a lot to learn and maybe with some freelance trainers the jury is still out on how effective it may be in terms of getting business. It does take time, there is no getting away from that but not as much as you might think. I can only speak from my own experience when I say that using Social Media proactively for the last 2 years has enabled me to get known for what I do, drive people to my website, take workshop and programme bookings and attract Mentoring Clients. Plus I have met and built relationships with fabulous people ( many of who I work with collaboratively) who I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise!

So let me try and cut through some of the clutter for you. Here are some tips to help you get started and get the best from Social Media:

1. Develop a Strategy. To be effective on Social Media you have to have clear objectives otherwise it is a a waste of time. Do you want to raise your profile so clients come to you? Build links with other trainers? Drive traffic to your website?

2. Don’t try to do too much to begin with. Limit yourself to either Twitter, Linked In or Facebook to begin with and get really good at using that ONE media.

3. Develop a Daily Action List that will enable you to achieve your objectives. For example, spending 30 minutes a day just chatting, sharing and engaging, scheduling daily or weekly blog posts, setting up a Google Alert to get and share links your followers might find useful, etc.

4. Automate some of your activity through Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. This way you can maintain a constant presence even when you are not there. Don’t forget to still check in to engage with people though!

5. Participate consistently. If you have got a Twitter account and only plan to tweet when you have a spare day and nothing much else on you may as well get rid of it. People need to see you every day, not once in a blue moon if they are to really connect with you and understand what it is that you do.

And if you still have more questions about Social Media read on …..

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SOCIAL MEDIA Q AND A SESSION – MON 26 MARCH AT 20.00 

If you still have questions about Social Media I’m going to be available on Mon 26 March for 1 Hour.

There is no sign up required, just dial into the phone line or listen and ask questions via the Web,

Here’s the Access Details:

PHONE: Choose a local number from www.InstantTeleseminar.com/local and then use the access code 16195#

WEB: http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventID=27693948 

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ANNOUNCING THE NEXT TRAINER TALK LIVE – FRI 18 MAY 

The next Trainer Talk Live will be on Friday 18 May at Woodland Grange in Warwickshire, a great venue with easy access to M40, M1, M69. We loved it so much after the last Event we’ve decided to go there again.  If you have been to a Trainer Talk Live before you will know what inspirational days they are and I look forward to seeing you again in May. If not, what are you waiting for?

See what’s in store and book your ticket here

Find out all the details here

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO GET MORE BUSINESS? 

I’m always interested in ways that I can help you get your foot in the door of potential clients and win more business and I’ve come across a fresh, unusual, highly visual and best of all PROVEN way of doing this. Marting Johnson, the guy behind this unique tool and is someone I respect and rate highly as much for his boundless enthusiasm as anything else!

Have a look at what it’s all about here

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AND FINALLY 

Don’t forget about our upcoming How To Create a Successful and Profitable Training Business – The Easy Way! Workshops  in

LEEDS – 26 March
LONDON – 27 April
MANCHESTER – 25 MAY
MIDLANDS – MAY DATE TBA
SOUTH WEST – 28 June

‘Sharon I’m doing all the right things, I’m going out and doing loads of networking but nothing is happening for me, I’m just not getting any business’.

I can identify with that one so much!

In my first year of business that was all I seemed to be doing ( apart from doing low value associate work that is) and it just wasn’t getting me anywhere. I wasted so much time, money and energy going to all these events, I met a lot of great people but really wasn’t any further on.

Until I realised the problem. I was networking in all the wrong places!

I wanted to meet key decision makers in financial services organisations, people like ‘me’ in my old job and I definitely wasn’t going to find them at my local Chamber of Commerce.

So please don’t make this same mistake. Follow these 3 golden rules for effective networking:

1. Only network where your target market is hanging out. If you don’t know where they go then find out by doing some research.

2. Don’t be afraid to invest in quality events. Better to spend £500 on a conference ticket where you are going to meet 10 key decision makers than £10 n an event where you don’t meet any.

3. Have an annual Networking Plan. Plan out where you are going to go and why and how much it is going to cost. Networking is a business expense and if you don’t plan it out you are not going to be able to review it to assess how effective it has been.

And if you want to know more about Effective Networking read on …..

ANNOUNCING HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL AND PROFITABLE TRAINING BUSINESS – EXPERT INTERVIEW SERIES  

I’ve teamed up with some leading small business experts to offer you advice, insight and guidance on all aspects of how to make your training business profitable and successful.

Every two weeks I’ll be interviewing a new expert on subjects such as Networking for Results, Personal Branding, How to Write Great Web Copy, How to Market Public Workshops, Lead Generation and Conversion and much more!

NETWORKING FOR RESULTS 

My first Expert Interview in the series is with Heather Townsend, author of the award winning Financial Times Guide to Business Networking.

Here’s some of the things you will learn:

- Why networking without a strategy is a waste of your time and money

- Why trainers can no longer afford to ignore social networking

- How to decide what activities to include in your Networking Plan

- Where to meet the RIGHT people for your business

- How to join up your networking activities for bigger and better results

TO LEARN MORE AND TO REGISTER CLICK  here

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN WINNING AND RETAINING MORE CORPORATE BUSINESS?

I’ve known Neil and Vicki Espin for about 10 years now, they are owners and founders of the highly successful Corporate and Executive Coaching Organisation and I can personally vouch for their integrity and professionalism.

Together they have developed a simple but effective method for getting in front of organisations, winning new business as well as improving the quality of the training you offer.

Find out all the details here

AND FINALLY

Don’t forget about our upcoming How To Create a Successful and Profitable Training Business – The Easy Way! Workshops  in

LEEDS – 26 March
LONDON – 27 April
SOUTH WEST – 28 June

If you want to see what we got up to and what people said about Trainer Talk Live click here

The next Trainer Talk Live is on Friday 18 May - I’ll be sending you details very soon.

Don’t forget that there is still time to book for How To Create A Successful And Profitable Training Business – The Easy Way!

OUR NEXT WORKSHOPS ARE IN MARCH AND APRIL IN  MANCHESTER, LEEDS AND LONDON.

Get all the details and book here:

6 WAYS TO GET CLIENTS TO COME TO YOU

A recurring theme for me this week has been the value of getting clients to come to you rather than you having to continually chase business. I remembered the first time this happened to me. The morning after one of my live Webcasts I had a call from an organisation asking me to go and run a Workshop for their members. It was a fantastic feeling! Gary Gorman talked about this on Friday in his Trainer Talk session ( in fact you can see him talking about his experiences on the video).

In two recent interviews I did with Nick Williams of Inspired Entrepreneur and Alan Stevens Media Coach it was highlighted again as a ‘Must Have’ for a successful training business.

So how do you do it? How do you get clients to seek you out, call you and say they want you and must have you!!

1. Be brave – be different – make sure you stand out! A great quote from Gary again at Trainer Talk. Have a look at your business card, for example. If you gave it to someone at a Networking Event would it be a talking point? Would people remember it? What makes your card different from all the rest of the freelance trainers out there?

2. Get known for doing one thing, do it consistently and really well. The most successful freelance trainers I know are the ones who specialise in ONE area. Someone said to me the other day, does anyone ever ask you if you know a really good generalist? The answer is No!

3. Position yourself as an expert. That’s why it’s vitally important to specialise. You can’t be an expert in hundreds of different areas.

Nick Williams shared with me his 4 Ways To Position Yourself as An Expert:

- Public speaking.
- Writing – either writing a book, blogging or articles
- Networking – including getting others to talk about you at events when you’re not even there!
- Joint Ventures and Collaborations

4. Be visible. Get out there – both on and off line. Be consistent with your networking activity. 10 minutes a day on Twitter, Linked In or Facebook is better than 1 full day once a month. By doing this both your name and what you do slowly drip feed into people’s consciousness.

5. Be authentic. Be yourself. Accept that some people may not like you, but hopefully most will. People buy from people who they know, like and trust. People are also attracted to people who they feel resonate with them, who are genuine and clear about what they stand for.

6. Build up a following and an army of fans! If you are doing all of the above this will happen naturally and before you know it more and more people will be ringing you and asking you to do do business with them!

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MORE FAB EVENTS FOR TRAINERS

As I mentioned earlier Ali Campbell wowed us at Trainer Talk on Friday with his demonstration of revolutionary participative training techniques.

Ali and his business partner Liz Wright of The Business Trainers Performance Method are running a workshop on 20 March in Oxfordshire which will showcase their unique brand of training. It’s a great opportunity for you to improve your skill set and renew your passion for your which ultimately will have a knock on effect in getting new business.

Get all the details and book your place here

AND FINALLY

If you are looking for Associate Work why not join our Associate Alert Service I regularly get asked by training companies to find freelance trainers for projects and contracts so it’s a great way to get leads notified to you.

Find out more here

Here are just a couple:

‘A great email and one that I need to action – so thank you!’ Sharon Jackson 

‘Well done Sharon! Whilst it must be difficult to watch your baby growing up by doing this you are inspiring others . Keep up the great work!‘ Nicky Hughes

I’m pleased to report that the Workshops  How To Create A Successful And Profitable Training Business – The Easy Way! in the South West and London went really well – as I knew they would. Both Nicki and Angie did a fantastic job:

‘If you are just starting out as a freelance trainer this is exactly what you need to energise you and kick start you off’

‘Lots of great real life stories and information to share’ 

‘Helped me to really zoom in on what I need to do next.’ 

And it’s always good to hear from past delegates too. Here’s an email I received from Audrey Bodman who came on one of the Workshops last year:

‘Business is going frighteningly well for 2 main reasons! I have doubled my prices- never would have believed that people would pay but they are – and I’m working smarter. I’m also using social media tons it’s creating and giving me loads and loads of leads. Looks like 2012 will be my best year ever!‘

Audrey Bodman www.telephonetraininguk.co.uk

OUR NEXT WORKSHOPS ARE IN MARCH AND APRIL IN EDINBURGH, MANCHESTER, LEEDS AND LONDON.

Get all the details and book here:

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RESOURCES TO HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Last week I promised that I would share some outsourcing resources with you. As I said to you then one of the biggest mistakes that freelance trainers make is thinking that you have to do everything yourself when in actual fact you don’t and it makes good business sense to hand over some things to people that can do some tasks quicker and better than you.

Here are some of the people that have really helped me:

1. Kelly Cairns VA Services . Kelly is my right hand woman who does loads of stuff for me, website design and maintenance, course bookings, setting up products on 1 Shopping Cart, handling queries and much much more besides!

2. Carmen MacDougall VA Finding  It’s not always easy to find the right VA. If you are struggling and don’t really know where to start give Carmen a cal. She was recently described as The Godmother of the VA Industry so if she can’t help then no-one can.

3. Web Support Team  If you are looking for help with your website, designing web pages, and creating E E Books and other documents without paying a fortune these are the guys who can help. They are based India and everything is done via email, so you have to be really specific about what you want BUT they are reliable and give you pretty good response times.

4. Exec Space Venue Finding  Absolutely fantastic service from Pamela McGraw and her colleagues. They find you great venues at fabulous rates, they are super efficient and best of all – don’t charge you anything! Based in Edinburgh but they can find you a venue anywhere in the UK.

All of these are great people and resources I’ve found that enable me to spread the load and focus on my business. What are YOU waiting for?

MORE RESOURCES 

If you would like to come to one of our Workshops but are struggling to find the time why not download the home study resource How To Launch A Training Business In 30 Days 

It’s just been updated for 2012 and is packed full of resources and advice to help you get started as a freelance trainer.

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AND FINALLY 

If you are coming to  Trainer Talk Live  on Friday I will see you there!!