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Lesson Info

Hot Seat - Showing Benefits of Products

Allisoncartercelebrates. Allison, what do you do? I help busy moms connect with their families through simple celebrations with themed party planning guides and checklists. This is an affordable way to outsource party planning while enjoying the day. So, let's give Allison-- Oh, great, Allison, let's have you stand up. Now, let me read, now I have to tell you I have to cheat a little. I have to cheat because Allison submitted her question on the Hotseat doc and then I went to her Instagram account and I read, Allison Carter: Party Mom. Connecting families with simple celebrations, party plans and checklists. Hashtags memoriesinmoments podcast. Fueled by coffee and Bravo. Let's celebrate! Tap bio. And I was like, I don't understand. What do you do? So then I Dmed her and I was like, what do you do in one sentence? I help busy moms connect with their families through-- I said two sentences, my bad. I help busy moms connect with their families through simple celebrations with themed party...

planning guides and checklists. This is an affordable way to outsource party planning while they enjoy the day. So I let it go. I was like, okay, I'm still not sure I understand. But let me get into the Hotseat question. How do I sell on social with an unfamiliar product? I sell a digital download product, a themed party planning guide and checklist, but the thing I get most is, well, what exactly is in it? It's not something you can immediately see and know what will show up at your door, or can relate to something else value wise. I find it hard to post pictures of parties or my product image and have people resonate and get it. Would love some simple tips on ways I could really show the benefits of my product other than testimonials from clients. Allison. Here we go. (audience laughing) What do you sell? I sell a digital document. It is a full party outline, start to finish and it's completely interactive. So anything that you see in it, you can click and purchase. So, a mom comes to me and says, "I would love a racecar party." Then, the whole racecar party is outlined, all decor, activities, favors, menu plans, dessert table, see that garland, do click the picture, it goes to their cart, the whole party done for them. Whole party done for them? Or the whole party suggested for them? Well, curated, kind of like the vision board, and yeah, then I pass the baton and they get to play hostess. So I'll do the legwork and the planning and the hunting and shopping. They do the final push. Super personal. How many party plans are you selling per month on average? It totally depends on the month. Let's just take an average. 10 to 20. What would you like it to be? Over 50. Great. You're asking, how do I show something that people don't get? Yeah. And I read this, and I was like, girl, that struggle is real. Because how I often describe people, like when I'd help for years when we first started Social Curator, I would try telling people what it was and they completely blanked out. Yeah. And now I just tell people, I'm a photographer and people are like, really? And the minute I tell them I'm a photographer, it opens the door to something else. Yeah. The only way I was able to show what Social Curator was, was when I showed Social Curator. Okay. So I, in stories, go through and I showcase exactly what people get. Yeah. And then what I have to do is take success stories and success photos and post them to educate. Okay. So I've been to your account. I went to your account. Okay, that's what you had said. I pulled this. Would love some tips I could really show the benefits of my product. Now, what are the benefits? Time saved, connections with their families, giving their an experience, memory So they don't have to do it. So when you send your packets, are you sending them a picture guide? Like, set up a self timer and record yourself doing the mommy and me project? What do you mean? So-- It's not like a word document or something like that. It's done in Keynote, the whole thing is very visual, designed-- Right. Like that. It's like an action plan. Perfect. So, if I was a mom buying this, I would think, oh this is so great, I'm doing this project. But do I have directions on how I could share me doing the project? Like oftentimes-- Oh, okay, yeah. Like when I buy something, they send me, oh, you know who does this so well. Vayner Media, Gary Vaynerchuk, they send you a step by step explanation on how to post stories for the product they're sending you. Okay. So I subscribe to the wine, they tell me exactly, scan this, what are those called? The codes? [Audience Members] QR codes. QR codes. Yeah, okay. And download free stories. Okay. And I was like, whoa, this is so smart. So, you could send your families, and using even Social Curator images, and then intersperse your stuff on top of it. Stuff that they could share to their stories. Okay. And then you could also send them, as a guide, here's three ways on how to setup your phone to take pictures while you're doing this. Be sure to tag us so that we could share it. Okay. And then what you would probably have to do, and I know it's a little bit of an investment, is give your planning kits to local families in the area. Yeah. And then commission a photographer to shoot them. And then you tell this family, we're creating a lifestyle family session for you. We're gonna give you 30 photos and I will be able to use those photos on social. Because what we have to do is we have to teach people how to talk about our business, 'cause you can only do so much. Like Jasmine, I'm doing it all. Right. So now what do we need to do? We need people to show what they're doing to promote your business. Okay. The same way we ask people who are watching this bootcamp, what did I do? I gave very specific instructions and the team and I sat down and said, what are those instructions gonna be? Take a picture of what you're drinking in the morning. Okay. Take a picture of who you're working with. Grab your favorite quote. When people are told and encouraged how to engage with you, they then become your promoters. But without a very clear action plan-- Yeah. So, I think it would be so interesting just to try getting a photographer. Yeah, totally. To do photoshoots with four different families. Okay. And it's gonna cost you money. But then, number one, you have collateral that-- Yeah. Is not produced by yourself. It's not you and your kids. You're showcasing what people actually do with your content. Yeah. You're benefiting those customers and you're teaching them how to use your product. Okay. So that in the future, even though you might have given it for them for free for one time or with a discount, in the future-- Yes. When they're ready for another racecar party, or a Care Bear party or whatever. Oh my God. Care Bear? (audience laughing) Wow! Whoa, who just dated herself? A Care Bear stare. (audience laughing) They're gonna come to you. Okay. So, you have to pay to create content to teach people how to showcase their benefits. 'Cause you and I, we're limited of sounding like a broken record-- Totally. To what the benefits are. Yes. So now-- Okay. I feel like maybe I'm just one step ahead in figuring out, oh, this is how curators are talking about it. Yeah. The more I post about it, the more they talk about it. The more you post about how people are using it as a benefit to their life, I promise you, over time, it's not easy and it doesn't start, and one out of every 20 people who buy one of your kits will actually give you content and of the content they're giving you, Yeah. You're like, oh it's not that great. Yeah. Because you're in your kitchen with dark lighting and there are shadows and-- 100 percent. And just gotta run with it in the beginning Yeah, that's another problem. Yes. You just gotta-- Okay. And the Highway 3 girls are behind you and they're laughing 'cause they have so much user-generated content. But in the beginning, boy oh boy, did it start with tungsten lighting and it was ugly. Yes. And they were like, ugh. But now, they have so many people tagging them in photos, they're like, we don't know what to do with it. That's where I want you to be. Okay. But the only way they got there, was by using user-generated content Okay. To teach people how to post about the product and what they're doing as a result. So I have hundreds of party pics from clients, and one of my best friends is a photographer. So any of our friends that do a party that I've done. Oh my god. I have professional photographer for parties that I have not hosted myself And so what's your resistance? Well, I have them on my feed. Okay. And then the mom will post in their stories, or they'll share on their Facebook, or different things like that but I think part of it is almost a relatability where people that know me, it's a lot easier to sell to people that you know. Yes. 'Cause they're like, oh obviously, I'm gonna have an Allison party, or whatever. But, for the moms that follow me that don't know me, I don't want my feed to come across as, oh, well, I'll never have a party like that. Or, I don't have the time to have a party like that. Does your dream customer want a party like that? My dream customer is a working mom. She works at Microsoft and she wants the credit for putting together a beautiful party for her kids 'cause she has a lot of guilt about working and not being with them. I feel so strongly that if you were to say that in your bio, I would have so much of a better understanding. Okay. Like keep it tongue-in-cheek. Okay. This is for the busy successful mom who wants a Pinterest party Yeah. And doesn't have time to plan it. Okay. I got your back. Yeah, okay. Because what happens, is that I feel like I'm a pretty sharp cookie and I want to buy the thing. You-- Yeah. I'm gonna buy your party kit. That's what I know. I know all the moms in that room are like me, please. She bought one this morning. That's what I'm saying. (audience laughing) So here's the thing. All of us, I don't know, did you? Yeah. Understand what she did based on her bio? No. So, when you just see it, like a five year old. Yeah. I help busy, successful, 'cause we wanna be known. Yeah. Remember, we resonate with people and businesses and things that we have a connection to. Yeah. What you just itemized for successful women in this room, is I empower busy and successful moms to plan Pinterest parties without having the time. Okay. Whew. What are you selling? You're not selling party goods. You're not selling a plan, you're not selling a PDF. Tell me what you're selling. Time. Time. Absolutely. Yeah. In all of your posts, I want you to anchor time as the most valuable component that we have. So this party would take you, and this is what we're starting to do now. I want you guys to all watch very clearly what we're doing in Social Curator. Time becomes the anchor. Yeah. I started asking questions. How long does it take for you to write a caption? How long does it take for you to work for the photographer? How long this, how long that, how long this. And all of the sudden, this party that would take somebody else six point seven hours to complete, you're saying, it is a done for you solution in 37 minutes and setup time is going to be 45. You're welcome, tag me in the photos when you're done. Okay, yeah. Let's clap it up for Allison. (applause) cause now we get her, yeah! I love that, I love that, I love that, I love that, I love it. Okay, so you guys have shown up in big ways. The community is showing up in big ways. The community just heard straight out what I am planning on doing. We create mission and we create movement when we empower others to talk about our business on social. So, has not the online people showed up? Let's clap. Okay, that was the golf clap. (applause) No, no, no, no. Now come on, y'all, come on. We're being a social media jerk. (applause) Okay, that's exactly what's happening. So they're empowering us to create a subculture of a movement of crazy dreamers and hustlers, who, in this space of impossibility, decide to make this big wager on themselves and say that your impossibility is not my impossibility. That your impossibility makes room for it to become my possibility.