Episode 151
Ep 151: Helping your members take action - part 1
You've built something brilliant. Your members love it, they show up, they consume the content... and then nothing changes for them. Sound familiar? In this episode I share why members struggle to implement what they're learning, even when your content is genuinely great. I'll also introduce a simple way of thinking about progress that I use with my own clients that could transform how your members engage with your membership.
Make sure you're subscribed to Unfrazzle so you don't miss the next part of this series!
Listen to episode 13 of Unfrazzle to hear me share more about the importance of time in the treehouse.
Take the quiz to find out what's getting in the way of your productivity
Transcript
Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder, more sustainable approach to productivity.
Speaker A:I'm Louise Miller and each week I share bite size insights to help you step away from the hustle, stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world.
Speaker A:And before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast, you can buy me a cuppa by going to buymeacoffee.com louisemiller and making a one off donation.
Speaker A:I'll pop a link to that in the show notes.
Speaker A:Okay, grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started.
Speaker A:If you're a membership owner, you need to listen to the next few episodes of Unfrazzle because over the next three weeks, I'm going to help you solve one of the most frustrating parts of running a membership.
Speaker A:Members who show up but don't take action.
Speaker A:So this is going to be great for you if you run a membership or a community, but a lot of what I'm sharing will also be helpful if you run a group program.
Speaker A:If or if you ever feel frustrated because your clients aren't taking action.
Speaker A:There's also a very good chance that some of the things I'll be talking about over the next few weeks will help you to get things done too.
Speaker A:So even if you're not a membership owner, it may still be worth a listen over the next few weeks.
Speaker A:But let's get going with part one.
Speaker A:So you started your membership because you want to serve your community and help more people.
Speaker A:You have something amazing to share with the world, and your membership is a really great way to get that out there.
Speaker A:But as much as you love what you've created and the community that's around it, it can be frustrating too, can't it?
Speaker A:You know what people should be doing to experience the transformation they came for, but they're not doing it.
Speaker A:They're not taking action on the things you know are in their best interest.
Speaker A:And yeah, they might be showing up and consuming your content, but they're not implementing the things that they learn.
Speaker A:And so they stay stuck in the same place, not moving forward.
Speaker A:And you see that repeating month after month after month.
Speaker A:And that doesn't feel good for them or for you, does it?
Speaker A:So even with the best content in the world, if your members don't take action, they won't experience the transformation that your membership can provide, they'll start questioning its value and then worst case scenario is that they will leave.
Speaker A:So in this three part series, I'm going to help you help your members take action so that they get better results.
Speaker A:Stay on your membership for longer and we'll shout about how amazing you are to anyone who will listen.
Speaker A:So I know that you've built something amazing for your members.
Speaker A:There's a library full of resources, maybe a curriculum or a roadmap for them to follow.
Speaker A:You might have live calls, Q&As, guest experts sharing their wisdom, and perhaps a community where people are sharing their wins, asking for help and cheerleading each other.
Speaker A:And I know all of that has been carefully curated, is packed full of value and you know that it's going to help your members get the transformation that they came for.
Speaker A:But the truth is that your members have very busy lives.
Speaker A:They've got their day job, whether that's a 9 to 5 or a business to run.
Speaker A:And if they're running a business, as we know, they'll be wearing all of the hats and it can be really hard to switch off.
Speaker A:They might be taking care of family, which could be providing taxi service for their kids, it could be caring for aging parents, it could be both.
Speaker A:There's life admin to do dentist appointments, grocery shopping, fixing stuff around the house, walking the dog, feeding themselves.
Speaker A:We've got laundry, cleaning, sleep, socialising.
Speaker A:There is a lot going on and, and yes, your membership is in the mix for them, but it's just one small part of what they're contending with day to day.
Speaker A:So they have really good intentions of engaging with your content and taking action to move them forward.
Speaker A:But life can get in the way.
Speaker A:And with everyone feeling the squeeze on their time, their energy and their money right now, often people are looking for something to get rid of, something to prune.
Speaker A:And if they're not seeing a return on their investment, then your membership may well be the thing that gets the chop.
Speaker A:So again, I just want to stress that them not getting a good ROI has nothing to do with the quality of what you're offering.
Speaker A:It's not your fault and it's not their fault either.
Speaker A:They're not lazy.
Speaker A:Life be lifing and it's inevitable.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So as a good hearted, values led membership owner, what can you do about it?
Speaker A:So you could choose to do nothing.
Speaker A:You could just shrug your shoulders and say it's on them if they're not acting on what they learn.
Speaker A:And yes, in one sense that is true.
Speaker A:You can't take responsibility for other people's actions or inactions.
Speaker A:You, you know, the whole you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Speaker A:That is so true.
Speaker A:So you could just carry on taking their monthly payments, hoping that they're so busy they won't notice that they're paying for something that isn't actually serving them.
Speaker A:But I know you don't want to do that because you are a good person.
Speaker A:You care about your members.
Speaker A:You didn't start your membership just to part people from their cash.
Speaker A:Regardless of the outcome, you want people to see results.
Speaker A:You want them to get the transformation that they came for so that they will see that their investment is valuable and is something they want to continue.
Speaker A:Feels better for you when they're getting results, doesn't it?
Speaker A:So if your members aren't implementing and moving forward, here's what you can do about it.
Speaker A:You can create the conditions that your members need to take action.
Speaker A:Remind them why they joined your membership in the first place.
Speaker A:Get them thinking about how you can help them achieve the outcome that they want.
Speaker A:You can help them put their blinkers on so so that they get really laser focused on what they want to achieve, which will make it easier for them to take action.
Speaker A:So I'm going to be diving into that in more detail in a future part of this series, but for now I just want to remind you of the concept of the tree house.
Speaker A:So I first talked about that in episode 13 of this podcast, which is a long time ago now.
Speaker A:So I will pop a link in the show notes if you want to hear me talk through the whole thing.
Speaker A:It's a really powerful image, tends to stick with people, so it's worth a listen if you haven't heard me talk about that before, but for now I'll just share the short version, which is that when there's a lot going on and you're feeling overwhelmed and maybe a bit frazzled, the most productive thing that you can do is lift yourself off the forest floor and take some time in the treehouse, taking that pause to reflect on where you've come from.
Speaker A:Remind yourself what you want to achieve and figure out how you're going to get there.
Speaker A:That's the best thing that you can do for yourself.
Speaker A:It's so much more effective than staying on the forest floor, wandering around in circles, doing more, doing.
Speaker A:So how can you give your members time in the treehouse and help them to pause, help them step out of their day to day, reflect on what they want, reflect on how things are going what's going on in their life and then choose what action they're going to take to get them where they want to go.
Speaker A:So you might be listening to this and thinking that you are already doing that for your members, you're already giving them that time in the treehouse, and maybe you do already have regular planning calls or you're providing some sort of accountability.
Speaker A:And that is all great.
Speaker A:But in the next episode I just want to explain why those things might not be working as well as you'd hoped and what is really going on underneath.
Speaker A:So make sure you're subscribed to Unfrazzle wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you don't miss part two of this three part series, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle.
Speaker A:If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating or a review as that will help more people discover the podcast.
Speaker A:If you and if you're struggling with productivity right now, take my free assessment to find out what's really getting in the way of you getting things done.
Speaker A:It takes less than three minutes to complete and I'll send you tailored resources and insights that will help based on your score.
Speaker A:You'll find that@louisemiller.uk quiz and there's a link for that in the show notes.
Speaker A:So thank you so much for being here and I look forward to seeing you next time.
