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Is over-delivering overwhelming your clients?

Not so long ago, I spent an entire weekend of my life building out the sales page and email sequence for a new 8-week small group programme. I presented it to my tribe at the end of a live workshop, opened the cart…

And immediately came to the stunning realization that the last thing I wanted at that moment, was to create and lead an 8-week programme.

I knew the content was good. I knew that for those clients who completed the work, the lessons would transform their online presence.

Did you notice what I said there? Those who completed the work.

It’s an uncomfortable truth that no matter how hard you try to stack the odds in favour of completion, ‘failure to finish’ is the likely outcome for at least some of the students in a group programme. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

When it comes to creating info products, marketers are constantly telling us to ‘ramp up the value’ and ‘bonus-it-up’, layering on more and more extras until the purchase becomes a no-brainer.

What if the opposite was actually true? Lately I’ve come to realise

 There’s a fine line between over-delivering and overwhelming. 

Many people are suffering from information overload. I’m not just talking about the courses and memberships sites and premium offerings they may already have signed up for – I’m talking about social media, rolling news, email subscriptions, all the info that’s coming at us 24/7.

With this constant noise and the busyness of everyday life, our capacity (not to mention our desire) to learn and absorb anything new is going to be restricted.

What if your clients REALLY want simple bite-sized learning?

What if they want you to go back to basics, to show them just enough that they can consume in the time they spend with you – no preparation, no follow up homework?

Sometimes the real reason we over-deliver, is to prove to ourselves (and our customers) that we know our stuff. We forget that what seems basic knowledge to us, may be revolutionary information for our clients.

What if your clients were really paying not for the depth of your knowledge, but for your ability to organize the information?

To break it down into manageable chunks, sharing precisely what they need to know – and no more?

I’m the first to admit it’s a hard balance to strike. I always want my clients to feel they get value for money when they spend time with me. Sometimes, in a bid to provide immense ‘value’ from an online class, I’ve gone too fast and shared too much, leaving the customer with more information than they can usefully implement by themselves.

If you know that you’re sometimes in danger of slipping from over-delivering into overwhelm, then take a look at your products, services and programmes and consider the following:

  1. What’s the result I aim to deliver with this class/course/service?
  2. How can I create that result in the simplest or most effective way possible? This might mean switching group work for 1:1 – or vice versa – or offering both options.
  3. What is the minimum my clients need to know to get that result? How can I break that down into the simplest possible components?

Sometimes we create group programmes or courses because we think that’s the only way to achieve the desired result. That was certainly the case with my fledgling programme. I was caught up in linear thinking and couldn’t see how else I could help my clients get where I wanted to take them.

Once I realised my heart was truly not in it, I simply dropped it. I never mentioned the programme again, and simply invited those clients that did express interest into customised 1:1 packages for a sweet deal. Everybody was happy. (Turns out, we’re allowed to make mistakes and we’re allowed to change our minds. Who knew?)

In the process, I discovered that we don’t have to teach our clients everything to provide incredible value. Sometimes we create maximum impact when we provide just what they need – and no more.

Right now I’m experimenting with the bite-sized chunks approach. Monthly group workshops on set topics, with no need to make any long-term commitment. And my 10-minute journaling series, the Biz Soul Sessions, which I know will bring incredible transformations from a tiny daily time commitment (and if you miss a day – it doesn’t matter. Just pick it up the next day. No stress, no guilt).

Those who want to go deeper or get results faster, can work with me one-on-one for customised support.

Now over to you:

Where could over-delivering actually be overwhelming your clients? How could you simplify your offerings to create maximum impact and benefit? Let me know in the comments below.

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