Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield

I never imagined myself having the team I do now. I also can’t imagine subscribing to the old idea of what it means to be a “boss”. 

I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to working with a team, especially with all of the hiring we've been doing over the past few months.

That's why I was so excited to sit down with Team Building and Leadership Coach, Theresa Loe to talk about building a self-managed team.

I truly believe that building a team that’s aligned with your values is one of the secrets to not just building more revenue or success, but to enjoying the process.

If you’re thinking “Amy, I’m so not even close to ready to build a team” — hey, that’s okay! 

But when you are ready (and trust me, one day you will be and it might come sooner than you think) this is the kind of insight I want you to have so you can save yourself from making painful hiring mistakes (trust me, I’ve been there). 

Theresa has cracked the code on how to find, grow, and lead a self-managed team, and she is sharing her best insights today:

  • [11:17] Having a self-managed team means putting yourself in the CEO position and having people under you who are all responsible for their own projects. When you have a great idea the team can execute and make it happen.
  • [13:58] Mindset is the number one strategy for building a self-managed team. Think about what you want your day to look like, and then slowly reverse engineer how to take everything else off of your plate.
  • [18:01] Hire based on attributes. Make sure they are aligned with you, your vision, and your core values. People can be trained on tools but not on character. Write down the attributes that you want then put up a gauntlet to see if applicants have these attributes.
  • [26:43] Hand off responsibilities, not tasks. Make everything a project. Instead of a one-off blog post, make them responsible for content management including scheduling, analytics, and reporting.
  • [29:39] Communication is key. Have a clear description of what "done" means. Be very clear about expectations but nurture your team to make decisions for themselves.
  • [33:18] You can create a feedback loop by recording any changes that you had to make to a project. Empower your team with resources.
  • [35:20] You can start small and hire someone for a few hours a week. You need to look at those freed up hours as gold and use them for money-making activities to free up cash to add more free hours.

This episode is sponsored by my Free Masterclass all about kick-starting your list building efforts. You need to grow your email list every day to have a healthy business. All of the social media posts in the world can't do for you what a viable email list can. 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_273.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

This is one of those super uncomfortable moments when I have to admit…I don’t have it ALL figured out.

Recently, I was at the EntreLeadership live event and Dave Ramsey’s words cut right to my soul. He said, “Organizations are never limited by their opportunity or their team, they are limited by their leader.

And the honest truth is, I regret not putting more focus on being a better leader for my team much sooner than I did.

No one is born with amazing leadership skills. They take years to develop and the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be. 

Because here’s the truth: you can’t build an empire by yourself. 

Eventually, you’ll need to bring people on who stand behind your vision and are just as motivated as you are to achieve it. 

As my business grows and scales, my job is to be a visionary and show up for my team as a leader in a stronger way. I’ve always thought of my students and my business, but now it’s time to focus on creating a bigger stronger team of people who are empowered to make decisions, come up with ideas, and grow with my business.

EntreLeadership was one of the best events I’ve attended. It blew my mind. After it lit a fire under my chair to become a better leader, I knew I had to share my biggest takeaways with you.

I hope you learn from these and implement them into your business right away. Do not pass go, just do it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Here are the main takeaways:

  • [15:00] There’s always room for improvement, no matter how ‘big’ your organization is.
  • [16:12] Takeaway #1: Dave Ramsey shared how organizations are never limited by their team. They are limited by their leader. (This one really hit me in the gut!)
  • [19:38] Takeaway #2: Henry Cloud asked, “Does your team know how you are going to win?” It’s important to define what winning looks like for yourself and then share it with your team. 
  • [23:39] Takeaway #3: Patrick Lencioni dropped a major value bomb when he said that fear of conflict will stifle productivity and keep you playing small. He explained that you’re cutting yourself short if you’re not encouraging your team to show their opinions even when they are challenging. 
  • [32:43] Takeaway #4: Patrick Lencioni also talked about hiring people that are humble, hungry, and smart. He explained that these type of people lack excessive ego, are self-motivated, and use good judgment with people. 
  • [39:32] Takeaway #5: Jesse Itzler shared his motto of “remember tomorrow.” He encourages you to ask yourself how you will feel tomorrow about any decisions that you make today. Listen to learn how I’ve implemented the Full Focus Planner with my team.
  • [43:41] Takeaway #6: Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx, told the story of her early days in the business where she went above and beyond to educate customers on her product — she would go to the department store and talk to customers. She’s such a good example of never being too proud to get in there and do the work and get your hands dirty. 
  • [48:13] Extra Credit: Write down three things that you would love your team, or your team of the future, to say about your leadership style. I’m doing this exercise too and I wish I would have asked myself this question years ago. Don’t wait. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_272.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

If you’ve been around for a bit, then you know my motto is always be list building. Now, while there are all kinds of list-building strategies, there’s one that's by far the easiest way to grow your email list, and that's by offering a lead magnet.

Through all of my endless list building experiments, I’ve learned how to create incredibly valuable pieces of content, like cheat sheets, guides, and mini-trainings.

But do you know what kind of lead magnet is the best, hands down?

A profit-driven lead magnet.

Now, I know what you're thinking... "Amy, a lead magnet is something I give away for free. What the heck are you talking about when you say 'profit-driven'?"

Here's the deal. Most of the time, when somebody signs up for your email list, they are just not quite ready to buy from you yet. When you create a profit-driven lead magnet, you are creating a tool that leads your new subscriber to a buying decision while also providing incredible value.

With this very intentional strategy, you will be generating revenue faster than you ever thought possible!

In today's episode, I talked about the three main questions you must ask yourself before you create your profit-driven lead magnet, and they are:

  1. What do you currently sell or plan to sell in the future?
  2. What does your ideal customer avatar need to understand, be aware of, or believe in order to want or need your product, program, or service?
  3. What type of lead magnet could I create that will compliment or align with the product, program, or service I currently sell or plan to sell?

I love a good example that illustrates what I'm talking about and I've included the two examples of profit-driven lead magnets that I talked about on the show below.  I hope those will get your creative juices flowing!

Example #1: My Own Lead Magnet, "20 Smart Strategies to Rapidly Grow Your Email List"

Why Example #1 Works:

  • It inspires.
  • It's actionable.
  • The cheat-sheet gives the what, and my course gives the how.

My ideal customer avatar and I are now in a conversation about how I can help them. Now, each week, I can continue the conversation with my ongoing weekly content.

Example #2: Corinne Crabtree's Free Course, "THREE Things You Must Know to Lose Weight"

Why Example #2 Works:

  • She makes it doable.
  • It gets people results (for free).
  • It attracts the right audience.

Corinne meets people right where they're at in their journey. Her course name is simple, clear, and to the point. Right away on the thank you page, she shares her journey in a video (and still directs her audience to check their email for more).

Episode highlights:
  • [06:49] 99% of the people who give you their email address aren't ready to buy. It’s up to you to walk them down that path. Create your lead magnet with your end goal in mind, and your end goal is to attract paying customers.
  • [14:04] Example #1 my lead magnet for List Builder's Society (see image example below).
  • [21:13] Make sure your lead magnet meets the customer/buyer where they are at. Profit-driven lead magnets are very intentional, specific, and sometimes only used for launches. There is a difference between a really good lead magnet and a profit-driven lead magnet.
  • [26:44] Example #2 from Corinne Crabtree (see image example below).

 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_271new.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Ring the fire alarm because my better half, Mr. Hobie Porterfield, is lighting this place up! I’m super excited to have him back on the show, because I love sharing this side of my life. It may not always be unicorns and rainbows, but it’s pretty special.

Hobie puts fires out for a living, but he also helps me put fires out in my business. If it weren’t for his emotional support, I can’t say I’d be where I am today. He’s my biggest cheerleader, my biggest supporter, and he picks me up when I’m down.

We have learned and grown so much together. I just love having him on the show to share how we juggle laundry, launches, and everything in between as a team. This is an inside look at how we communicate about our needs, managing time and money, and our big goals.

You sent in some amazing questions. We’ll try to answer them, and hopefully, some of the things that we’ve learned and shared will help you not only in your business, but in your relationships as well.

  • [03:15] Hobie does more of the housework, and he likes to rub it in 😉remind me of that.
  • [06:26] Hobie doesn’t mind listening to me talk about my work, because it gives him a connection into my world.
  • [09:25] We sit down multiple times throughout the year and schedule everything
  • [13:39] When it comes to money and investing – getting a financial planner is one of the smartest things you can do.
  • [18:53] Why Hobie doesn’t go to conferences with me
  • [23:52] What would happen if we swapped roles for a day.
  • [25:49] Hobie talks about how he feels about me making more money than him
  • [29:28] How my weight loss has changed how we spend our time
  • [37:47] Hobie shares his amazing proposal plan that didn’t quite work out as planned. We also get a little personal with what annoys each other and how much fun we have.

 

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_270.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

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