I’d been in business as an ADHD Coach for 19 years, and had created a membership training program, “Productivity Pathfinder: Step-by-step system for ADHD self mastery" almost two years before EPM. Although it was growing nicely (300 members), I knew that only a fraction of the members were highly engaged with the training. I got discouraged whenever members would cancel due to “lack of motivation” to open the material. In fact, it turned out many never even entered the membership site at all after they bought the program! Since my target audience was ADD / ADHD adults who would buy on impulse and get bored quickly, it was a particular challenge to keep them motivated.
I was attracted to join EPM primarily to learn how to make my program more experiential and stimulating. Right away, I learned some things I had been doing wrong. A big eye-opener for me was the realization that I’d been turning off members right from the start with a long “required” introduction to the program. I immediately chopped up the long Welcome web page into short segments that introduced each element with colorful graphics and a “next” button to move people forward.
I also was able to see my membership site with new eyes and realized that the navigation had been overwhelming for many people to figure out. I did a live Orientation webinar for new members that served as an easy way for people to navigate through the training and bonuses. Perhaps I should have focused my time in EPM on improving and marketing my membership program. Instead, I created a new 5-module online training program, Productivity Jumpstart, that could serve as a launchpad into the membership program once it ended.
Unfortunately, the process of creating new content for that program to launch mid-January – combined with keeping up with the existing program – was so time-consuming that I couldn’t continue giving the EPM lessons as much attention as I had in the beginning. So my lesson learned is that I can’t focus on three major projects at the same time and give all of them my full attention! (Darn, I’m not superwoman!)
As a result of EPM’s marketing training, I was able to feel comfortable about launching my 5-module program using emails and a live webinar… and didn’t feel guilty about forgoing the 3 videos + webinar funnel that I’d been taught was so important. There’s still a lot of improvement I could do on my email copy. I’m looking forward to going over Marisa’s email training again once my program is over.
BOTTOM LINE: I got 35 members into the Jumpstart training program at $297, so made over $10K on the program. I’m hopeful of converting 60% of them into members of the membership program at $47 a month.
I think the biggest impact of EPM for me is yet to come. I want to continue to add more experiential elements into my membership program and spend some quality time improving the entire membership experience without the pressure of being in the middle of a launch. So I think this is the year to go evergreen and perhaps continue to promote the Jumpstart training just once or twice a year. I expect the impact for me will be members who are more engaged, stay longer and recommend the program to their ADHD friends and family.
If a better membership program gets 300 members to stay on average 3 months longer at $47 a month, that would be an extra $42,300 this year… not a bad return on $2000!
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
I got the most out of learning how to experiencify my training and membership program. I'd already had a long-term membership training program ("Productivity Pathfinder: A step-by-step system for ADHD self mastery")running for the last two years. I realized how I was deadening the experience for my members right from the start with a long introduction that they were "required" to take before getting into the first training module. In the new product I created for EPM, I incorporated much more engagement in the live webinars, plus added quizes.
How did EPM help you become successful?
I felt less pressure than before to have to do the "perfect launch." I learned that it was possible to launch without the traditional funnel of 3 videos leading to a webinar that were so much work to do. I also learned (and saw from example) how more conversational and even silly emails could be more effective than the ones I'd been sending. I got insight into what may be turning off my existing members (too long in required introduction).
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
I'm confident that my membership training program will get more engagement right from the start using the techniques I learned in EPM. I'd already been reaping the benefits of having a recurring income program (not having to panic at suddenly needing to pay for a new roof because I knew the money would come in that month!) EPM pushed me to create a short-term training that used experience techniques, added an extra $10K in January. This training gave me a group primed to feed into my long-term membership program.
What has been the biggest change in your business?
I'd been making around $10K/month with my membership program. The new training program might pull in $1000/month more if 60% of training members join the membership program. I anticipate the biggest impact will be felt in the future as I create better experience features and get more engagement. I believe people will remain in the membership program longer and will be more likely to recommend it. I also think creating more built-in experience features will allow me to go evergreen more easily; I won't likely pull in as many members as in a big launch, but they'll stay longer.
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
I'm looking forward to being able to spend real time and attention on creating experiences within my membership program. I'll repeat the 5-week training I created for EPM once or twice a year, and will use it as a feeder into the membership program, priming people for the more in-depth training that they'll get over time.