By John Stanly
In an increasingly virtualized world, it is becoming a necessary skill to sell through a virtual platform. Whether you are an online coach, course creator, or thought leader, the ability to persuade an audience through your computer is something that you need to add to your toolkit. While this sounds easy in theory, many aspiring coaches or course creators miss the mark. Colin Boyd is a high-level entrepreneur that helps some of the biggest names like Carrie Green, Julie Solomon, Britt Seva, and thousands of students consistently sell out their online programs using virtual stages. Colin says that virtual stages are so powerful because they have both a high connection with the audience and the ability to reach many people. Through his program "Sell From Stage Academy®," he is committed to helping thought leaders, coaches, and course creators understand the psychology behind consistently selling to a virtual audience (without feeling pushy and sales-y).
Colin's first experience selling a product on stage was revolutionary. "I was struggling as a life coach, but I had an opportunity to speak at an event. Without trying to sell, I ended up completely booking out my coaching practice, all from that one event." This amazing accomplishment would end up changing the course of his life. Following his speech, Hewlett Packard offered him a lucrative deal to coach their people. For the next few years, he flew around the world training business leaders from many of the biggest brands. That was just the beginning, all of this buzz caught the attention of several seven-figure entrepreneurs who noticed he had a very unique skill. Colin recalls, "People started reaching out to me to teach them how I was selling from stages, without being "salesy'. I realized I had a skill that not many had." After nearly a decade of speaking and coaching clients in person, he decided it was time to codify what he taught and sell it to a larger audience. This was the beginning of Sell From Stage Academy® - a platform dedicated as Colin puts it "to helping people sell without feeling salesy."
The heart of what Colin teaches is what he calls Infusion Selling (trademark pending). "Infusion Selling is the ability to speak and sell simultaneously. Most people dump a lot of information on their audience and then hit them with a sale at the end." Colin's technique is the complete opposite; he leads the audience to want what you have before you offer it directly. It's about delivering immense value, and also creating demand for your offer at the same time. One of his Infusion Selling techniques is called Micro Decisions. "Micro-decisions are small commitments that you ask from your audience throughout the presentation before you ask for them to buy from you". This low-pressure technique of sales has led Colin and his students to consistently sell out high-ticket courses and programs. While the psychology that goes into his techniques is quite intriguing and complex, Colin breaks down his method into three levels: Mindset Shift, Story, and Formula.
Shift Your Selling Mindset
The first thing that Colin teaches his students is to shift their mindset. "Selling is not about asking for money; it's about asking the client to commit to themselves, at a greater level." It's a subtle mindset shift, but it truly changes the way you interact with your client. According to Colin, there are four levels of commitment; time, attention, energy, and money. While you can educate them and help them to understand the importance of your service, you will find more results by helping them commit to bettering themselves. This will then result in the right people joining your programs and becoming clients. "The people that you can truly serve are your clients. These are the people that have paid you money and are more committed to a result." Money just represents their commitment to their future growth. If you can get people really committed, they end up getting better results.
Sell With Signature Story
We have all heard that storytelling is a big part of selling. However, this is where most people make mistakes. "A big mistake people make is they tell their origin story when they should be telling their signature story." As a thought leader, course creator, or coach, people are interested in what you can do for them. They don't need to know your entire origin story and where you grew up etc. According to Colin, the story you should be telling is the one that connects the breakthrough that you had to what you can help them with. Rather than focusing on where you came from, you need to focus your story on when your life changed. What was the defining moment when you experienced the power of what you are selling to your audience? When you are able to connect with your customer on the same core desire - for Colin it's selling your products through presentations - the sale will come much easier and naturally.
Follow A Proven Formula
Coaches and content creators are known for following their intuition. While this can definitely be a characteristic that sets them apart, it can also be their downfall when building a business. "When you are trying to speak or sell on a webinar, you have to put away "untrained' intuition and follow a proven formula." Colin continued to use this metaphor. "Imagine being asked to bake a cake. If you try to bake with a few random ingredients that you found at the store - You'll probably fail. But if you follow a recipe, you should be okay." Colin teaches this recipe to his students for designing presentations that connect and convert. 1. Touch hearts, 2. Shift minds, 3. Equip hands, 4. Move their feet. While there are countless "formulas" to running a successful webinar, you need to make sure that you are following one that has consistent and proven results.
Colin Boyd is dedicated to helping as many course creators, coaches, and thought leaders to sell through virtual and in-person presentations as possible. He believes that you only need one irresistible presentation and your entire life can change. If you are interested in learning more about Colin Boyd, you can check out his website at Colin Boyd Website or sign up for his VIP Sell From Stage Academy™ Waitlist, and Infusion Selling™ System You can also follow him on Instagram and Facebook for more daily inspiration and business tips.
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