Hello beautiful people!
Our December 2022 meeting will take place on Thursday, December 15th at 11:30am PST at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85965793555 and its replay will live on this page within a day of the live mastermind session.
Reminder: We’re using the same Zoom link for all of our JFDI hotseat sessions. Keep it handy! And keep an eye on my events calendar for any changes to our dates (time will always be 11:30am Pacific). So excited for where we’ll GROW from here!
If you’d like a refresh on any of the JFDI with Bon curriculum goodness without having to comb through alllllllll the content we’ve covered since March 2020, check out this lovely orientation page over here. Yay!
AND, if you’d like more support or just some hang time each month, you’re welcome to join in for Connect with Bon (check for all the details here). No RSVP, no replay, no pressure.
Cool stuff we chatted through:
~ The 9 (Post) Grid at Instagram. Worth a look if you’re tired of lower reach with your POSTS than you get on your STORIES. It’s not 100% passive, but it’s something that supports a way scaled-back use of Instagram (which is not a bad idea).
~ Inflact for Instagram management if you’d like to go the other direction and invest money in your Instagram marketing efforts (I’m going to poke around for their “download the whole IG profile without watermarks” thing, because getting my best IG posts cross-posted at the blog for Google traction is always a project-in-progress).
~ Shop Studio Sisters are the ones who shared the link to that $9 IG download, and they’ve got some great resources and tips for online selling. They’re Etsy shop folks, but marketing tips work across platforms for the most part!
~ Systeme (ah! French spelling; thank you, Stephanie!!) for doing all-in-one email campaigns mapped out as sales funnels, nurture sequences, delivery-of-lead-magnet-goodies, evergreen webinar processes, etc., especially for those looking for an upgrade from Mailchimp-level emailing. NO IDEA how much this costs, but there’s a free tier, so worth poking around if this intrigues you. At the VERY least, consider the WHY behind each email. Is it a KLT-builder? An offer? A give-give-give to lead to a future sales pitch?
~ Reminder that you have full access to Connect with Bon as JFDI masterminders! Schedule and Zoom link will always be here for you. I love having this extra bit of connection without a topic or agenda.
BTW, I want to mention that I know (and I see you, and your shares about being low-energy, unwell, or just OVER so much of everything right now) it takes a lot of commitment and energy to keep a small business GROWING. Listen… I’ve been through it ALL in these 23+ years of running my biz. The good news is: It’s all worth it. Every bit of it. AND the whole point of having access to each other in these convos is to know we’re not alone. Please, do not let the parts of running a business that fatigue you STOP YOU. Just let them remind you that it’s time for a rest… and as a small-business owner, you can TAKE ONE. Then get back at it.
I am here for you! PLEASE let me know how I can best be of service as you do this work. Reminders for 2023: Ask yourself what is the mission statement for your business? What is IT here to do in the world? Get specific. AND what is lighting you UP right now? Be honest. It’s TOTALLY fine (and normal) to not be lit up about all parts of your business all the time. These are waves we’re riding. Let’s lean into what’s lighting us up and look forward to all the Jupiter and Venus yumminess greeting us in 2023! (I know, this isn’t the woo membership; it just means MOAR and MONEY.)
So much love to you all,
Advice on a little problem I discovered today, please…
As y’all know, I’ve got my books on consignment at a local dancewear store. I also have a series of affirmational cards for dancers there (The Dance-spirational Deck). They are the store’s special promo today, and so I got the mass email… They are selling the decks for more than was agreed to on the consignment contract, and so now I’m in a weird place to invoice at the end of the month.
We agreed to a 60/40 split (I get 60% of the sales, they get 40%, plus they collect the sales tax). The agreement was $16+tax, but they are selling them for $19.50+tax.
Could I have some backup on a plan? I’m not sure if I should email them asap with an updated contract, noting the price difference in a friendly “hey, I noticed you adjusted the retail price. Great for us both! Here’s an updated agreement to reflect that, just so we’re on the same page for invoicing”, or if I let it go until the end of the month and say something then. Or not friendly-warn them at all and just present them with an amended invoice (because they obviously know they changed the price). Thoughts? (Past-Steph would’ve just said nothing at all, so I’m hoping for a little “spotting” on this muscle-building rep. Thanks!)
So proud of you! This is a great problem to have! If your contract says you’re on a percentage, that’s what continues to be true. There’s nothing to amend to the contract, since you did it on percentage; just invoice at invoice time with the math matching what you saw them doing on their email blast. 🙂
Now, if you “made the mistake of” (and I put that in quotation marks because it’s a mistake I’ve made in a casting contract VERY early on and it got me shorted more than $10K at the end of the project… and I began saying I will NEVER make that mistake again) putting BOTH the percentage AND the dollar amount THEY will be selling the product for (vs. a suggested retail price or a required minimum price), that’s a different issue, but it’s still one I’d wait to celebrate ’til it’s invoice time.
And when I presented the invoice, I’d take the “Yay, both of us!” route on the higher price since that helps you both. Perhaps adding a clause to the contract (and for SURE going forward getting clear on this in agreements) that clarifies the percentage is the percentage is the percentage, and price can be set by the seller, but here’s the suggested range/required minimum, is something you could do at that time too if you feel the need to do so.
But I wouldn’t bother doing anything early/ahead of things mainly because you’ve gotta remember the POV of the store. They sell a LOT of stuff. They have more agreements active than just yours. And the thing that you’re seeing as a concern or something worth reaching out about to be sure you’re all on the same page is something they’re not even thinking about because in the big scheme of all they’re doing, it really doesn’t matter all that much.
Now, if they kick up some kind of argument about the amount you are due, come invoice time, I’d see this as “A $200 Lesson” (see The Vault for my vid on that) rather than pushing on it, because you’d rather (I’m assuming) continue to have the relationship with them for future sales than lose the relationship over an argument about contract language you now know better than to be mushy about. 😉
I see this as such a great bit of growth and an exciting opportunity to finesse the paperwork of these things… and YAY for someone valuing your goodies for even more than you priced them! Hope they’re selling well!! Yay!
That’s exactly what I did, Bon. The contract is worded with both the percentage and the dollar amounts agreed upon, all in an effort NOT to be mushy. It does include a clause stating that the store “…agrees to maintain the agreed upon selling price for each item consigned and will accept nothing less unless otherwise agreed upon in writing…” But that doesn’t specifically cover them charging more. I mean, yay for them seeing a higher dollar value, but dang. Didn’t imagine they’d try.
You’re right though, I don’t want to risk the whole relationship over some affirmational cards. (Cards I need to find a domestic printer for because I was nailed hard with duty on this batch, but that’s a separate lesson/convo.) The store is still following the book contract as written, and I was already thinking of floating the idea of wholesale books instead of consignments in ‘23. As you know, I have another retailer who went that route (National Ballet School), and a second who would’ve, had she not talked her way out of my ‘yes’ by some weasel-y tactics…
Anyway, yes, I can amend the document language for future iterations to be percentage and MSRP. Better I learned this now than on a contract worth thousands plus. And in the mean time, I’ll sit on it and draft a “yay for us both” version of the invoice to present at the end of the month. Eeep.
Perfect! Yeah, these lessons sting, but ultimately, you want them while the stakes are the lowest they’ll ever be. Proud of you!
I love that you’re even at this point of having these lessons to learn from, Stephanie. And I love that I get to use YOU as a pace car. Keep going!
Thanks, Sarah. I’m honored!
Oh, and in accountability news: I started my 12 Days of Dancemas posts this morning!
Yayayayayayayay!!!
Just got back from having my children’s book “Dragonfly” read to my friend’s 4th grade glass. It went over well and has given me hope and confirmation that the style and format of the book is perfect for this age range. I initially thought they might be too you, but nope! They got it. Now, on to the rewrites!
Woop woop! That’s awesome, congrats!
Yayayayayayayayay!!!!
For the record: your instructions to view Instagram Insights are correct, Greg/Kathi. I just pulled up the “Help Center” page to find out why I’m not seeing the option. They tell me that “currently, insights are only available to businesses and accounts with high levels of engagement on Instagram.” So… they’ve built in a bit of a catch-22. I’ll hunt for another way (like one of those 3rd party apps) and eventually circle back. If anyone has suggestions of specific ones, LMK!
Thank you for the update! I saw this convo going down in the comments and it’s good to know what’s what over there at IG!
This interesting little idea came to me in an Ash Ambirge newsletter this morning (though I think it’s actually been quoted from another newsletter called “Demand Curve”). Curious what y’all think!
“THE 100 RULE IS THIS:
-If what you’re selling costs less than $100, offer a percentage off.
-If what you’re selling costs more than $100, offer a flat amount off.
Why?
Because the way you frame it affects how generous the sale appears—even though it’s the exact same thing.
Take that $25 homemade candle you’re selling. Which seems like more of a deal? 20% off, or $5 bucks? Ding, ding, ding: the percentage does—it feels more meaty and substantial. Like a giant leg o’ lamb. (SORRY, VEGANS.)
Now take that $2,000 service you’re offering. Now which now seems like more of a deal? 20% off, or $400?
In this case, the percent off seems to cheapen the product, doesn’t it? Nobody wants your carpet remnants blowout sale. In this case, you’d offer the $400 off because, hi, $400 feels more luxe than 20%. And luxe goes with luxe.”
Oh yes, this is old school business finance/buyer psychology material and it’s solid. There are also “rules” within this about what dollar amount the price should end with and what varies based on the type of buyers you know you have, etc., but YES, this is great info and thank you (and Ash) for sharing it. Really fab! 🙂
Hey y’all! So, here are my final stats with the 12 Days of Dancemas mailing campaigns. You’ll be able to see all the open rates (which I’m surprised and pleased with), as well as all the unsubs I accrued along the way:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MRGpuHiz8oUewglwyhQFCx6q5KNls6ww/view?usp=share_link
I’m doing this both to teach my brain that it’s okay to see these unsubs and lacking click numbers (getting easier!), and to celebrate the fact that I DID THE THING and got excellent numbers.
I don’t expect to receive any feedback from my usually-quiet audience, even though I sent out an invitation to do so along with my recap email today (I learned how to make a link to a custom MailChimp archive). But, I think the open rates say a good deal! In fact, I’m wondering if the Corps Collection might work better as a paid newsletter like this, versus its current vault-like state. Hm.
I was happy with the timing of when/how I started this, but I’m making a note to check dates for next time. I suspect the drop-off in the second week was because some studios closed earlier than others. Not bothered by it, just something to note.
Anyway, I hope sharing this is helpful for others to see. And happy to hear any thoughts/feedback, too! Happy to share the email archive, too, if that’s interesting/useful.
Happy “Dancemas”, y’all! 😉
This is so good. Thank you for sharing the stats, the walk-thru, AND your processing of it all. So well done! YES on hot hot hot open rate!!!! Woo!
If you’re able to track stats on this into January, this could be interesting to look at: Do the people who were opening a lot in week 1 go back and open week 2 now that they’re BACK to the studio? AND could you send out an email in January even nudging them to go back and open those emails now that they’re back?
This is sort of how GIGFTNY (Get in Gear for the New Year, for those who are not as acronym obsessed as I am) got MASSIVE in terms of data. We could see what people were KEEPING and opening in the new year and that helped us know what was hitting and what might be worth offering as a year-round (paid) training. In fact, for a time we had the SMFA Starter Kit, which included much of the GIGFTNY free training in a non-free format. We also could throw the SMFA Starter Kit in on a purchase of higher-priority offers to incentivize decision-making.
All stuff to chew on and happy DANCEMAS to you as well! Woo HOO!
Thank you!!
I can definitely go back in to check, but it might be a bit tedious (I haven’t found an easy way to sort by quite that combination of parameters… that might not exist). Still, it’s probably worth it to do manually for the deep data you describe! It’d be easy to track a new “nudge” message with the full archive link, too, though it wouldn’t be as granular as looking at each individual advent Day. Hm. Chewing. 😉
Also still chewing on a monthly newsletter. I’m not super-feeling it, but I also recognize I’m defaulting to the idea that it needs to be a whole newspaper with multiple articles, columns, photos… NTS says it probably doesn’t…? She suggests that it might purposely need to NOT be- it is #30SecondBallets after all. Short and sweet and “To The Pointe”? I’ve kind of already been doing a regular monthly Corps Collection announcement, so maybe it can roll into that.
In other news, I’ve seen a bunch of people starting to plan for summer dance day camps in the dance teacher Facebook groups I’m regularly marketing/strategically answering in. Can I put together a guide/resource package with a list of crafts, games, activities, and a few video playlists to sell as a product? Yep, sure can! This idea is literally 36 hours old as I type, so tons of flux in how it will present. But it might do well if I can get ‘er done soon-ish. Is it one ballet? Five for a full week? Maybe it’s purchase à la carte, then a BOGO for multiple? Maybe I should stop getting ahead of myself and actually create the thing before I try to sell it? ;P Anyway, just wanted to share the little spark that lit.
Perfection! Love the spark of an idea and I know it’s already 1234567890 things by now. Can’t wait to hear! 🙂 Meanwhile, really think about all the different ways newsletters can be done! You can have a standard monthly thing, magazine style, then ALSO a quickie/low-tech/list-like email that goes out once a week (or whatever). You don’t have to find a way to work ideas into your current newsletter format; you can choose different formats/timing for different types of mailings. 🙂 That’s even a fun way to analyze open rates over time (short emails outperforming long ones, for example, once it’s known that X in the subject line indicates one of the shorties). Stuff like that! Have fun with this! (Always.)
Well, you were right about those people going back and opening the emails later… Check out the open rates across the board now!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16CMYcyH0-JT9tkHN3YMQXX4TqJ3EGL6Z/view?usp=share_link
I haven’t been able to sort it by open date (it seems like that’s not an option). But, it does confirm that my hunch on timing was correct! It also gives me a good read (and silent feedback) that this advent format was really well-received.
One thing I was surprised by was the complete lack of clicks on the full archive link; the one registered click in the “recap” email was actually to IG, not the archive. (Obvi these aren’t subject lines, just what they are named for me.) I intend to send a nudge email with the same link (probably Monday, as my first of ’23), but it does show that people kept the individual emails and wanted to open them later. Interesting data point.
Not entirely sure what to do with this data just yet, but I’m pocketing it for when I do! (Hopefully this update is helpful to everyone.)
Love it! One of the things I’ll do is create a deeply-linked set of posts at my blog based off data like this. Then send another email out with a link to the main/index page of all the links. Something that may end up looking like this: https://bonniegillespie.com/free-actor-training-from-bonnie-gillespie.
By encouraging folks to bookmark the page, we can then notice how much a resource that page/list becomes and of course Google loves the fuck out of a page like this. 🙂 ESPECIALLY with how much of what is linked here is Google-owned (YouTube).
So glad folks are keeping your emails!
Let’s think about how to incentivize click-thrus. What can you make the click mean? What extra can you provide behind that click you’re asking them to make? And then what AT THAT PAGE are you trying to get them to do next?
Good micro work here, Mercury woman!
Question about the mission statement “homework”: How are you differentiating a mission statement from our JFDI template of “I help X-person do Y-thing by Z-method”? These feel so close to me, and I’m not fully understanding how you’ve teased out the separate yarns, Bon. Maybe I’m just overthinking it (who, me?), but could you clarify? Thanks!
Sure thing! My mission statement would be something like, “I want people to say, ‘Bonnie makes my life better’ no matter how they end up encountering me.” That’s also covered with my “leaving this world better than she found it” sign-off in the majority of my bios over the years (although “this world” has been “Hollywood” in many of them, of course).
Down from there, I have the formula of HOW I help WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE by offering MY OFFERS, and that can allow me to silo out for showbiz vs. woo-woo, etc., but what we’re looking for with this bit of homework is something way-bigger-picture. 🙂