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In today's episode, Tara provides insight into how to keep customers even when they leave. An effective Offboarding strategy is just as important as onboarding a new customer. Do you spend time on this process? It will greatly improve the lifetime value of your current, old and new prospective customers. Check out the episode for more!
About Me:
My name is Tara Bryan. I help business owners break into the next level of success by packaging their expertise into an online course experience. It's my passion to help to find the fastest path to results to create a greater impact and income for you and your tribe.
Check out my free Step-by-Step guide to building your online course. In it are the top steps and questions you need to ask before you get started. Check it out here: https://goto.taralbryan.com/step-by-step-guide
This group is 100% focused on support, knowledge and example sharing, and building a community of online course builders who are passionate about building awesome learning experiences.
In this community, we are passionate about building learning experiences that produce results for our learners. We do that by building engaging, motivating, gamified, and learner-centered courses. We come up with ideas and strategies to ensure that our learners can thrive and succeed in our product.
To learn more:
Find us at https://www.Taralbryan.com
Here are two ways we can help you grow and scale your online course business:
1. NEED TO CREATE YOUR ONLINE COURSE?
Join LEARN ACADEMY - Learn Academy is the best Done-with-you Step-by-step Implementation program that will help you create, sell, and launch your online course.
2. ALREADY HAVE A COURSE?
Join THE COURSE EDIT - The Course Edit is a program that will assess your current online course to take it to the next level. Maybe you have a course that isn't selling or one that people aren't completing (therefore not remaining customers) then it is time for THE COURSE EDIT.
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Hey, everybody, it's Tara, Bryan, and you are listening to
Speaker:the course building secrets podcast. Whether you're a coach
Speaker:or a CEO, the success of your team and clients is based on
Speaker:your ability to deliver a consistent experience and guide
Speaker:them on the fastest path to results. This podcast will give
Speaker:you practical real life tips that you can use today to build
Speaker:your online experiences that get results and create raving fans.
Speaker:Why? So you can monetize your expertise and serve more people
Speaker:without adding more time or team to your business? If you're
Speaker:looking to uncover your million dollar framework, package it and
Speaker:use it to scale you're in the right place. Let's dive in. Hey,
Speaker:hey, everybody, welcome to the course living secrets podcast.
Speaker:So happy that you're here today. And welcome to another week,
Speaker:welcome to September. If you're listening live, then welcome to
Speaker:September, it's fun, a fun day, most of the kids are going back
Speaker:to school. So those of us who have children are getting our
Speaker:lives back and having a little bit of quiet time, ability to
Speaker:reflect and get a little bit more planning maybe in our day
Speaker:than we had prior to this moment. Today, I want to talk
Speaker:about onboarding. So we talk a lot about onboarding when we
Speaker:talk about the customer experience. So what happens from
Speaker:the time that they purchase to the time that you start working
Speaker:with them is that you want to be really intentional about helping
Speaker:them decide like, well, I made the right choice, I am in the
Speaker:right place, this is where I belong. And you get them
Speaker:oriented, you get them organized, you help them
Speaker:understand like, where all the things are, right? If you're
Speaker:doing a course in person, or you're working with somebody
Speaker:live, you're going to help them like here are the logistics,
Speaker:here's how to find the bathroom, here's how the day is going to
Speaker:go. All of those things are normal things that we do when
Speaker:people come to us, either in a training environment or in a
Speaker:client environment is that we kind of give them a lay of the
Speaker:land. I think that most of the time that's intuitive to people.
Speaker:Although I will say that when you move online, a lot of times
Speaker:people forget that, right? They forget Oh, well, normally, I
Speaker:would walk them through how it's gonna work and what the
Speaker:expectations were and where to find the exits and all the all
Speaker:the things that they need to know about before something
Speaker:starts. When people move their programs online, for some
Speaker:reason, they sort of forget that right. And so it's a, it's an
Speaker:essential component to starting the relationship. Alright, so
Speaker:we've talked about that, in the past, what we haven't talked
Speaker:about is off boarding. So let me just explain what that is.
Speaker:Because it's also just as important. So your goal in
Speaker:acquiring a customer is to be able to help them fulfill on
Speaker:whatever the problem or result is that they're looking for.
Speaker:Right? That's why they're hiring you is that they trust that you
Speaker:are the one who can take them from where they are to where
Speaker:they want to go. But there are times when people need to go a
Speaker:different direction, or you know, something has come up in
Speaker:their life, and they need to pivot and do something
Speaker:different. So they may need to exit the relationship that they
Speaker:mean may need to exit your program, in one way, shape, or
Speaker:form. And especially if you're doing a continuity program, this
Speaker:is common, right? There's other things that come up, people feel
Speaker:that they are either getting their needs met or need to get
Speaker:their needs met differently. So you have to have a process for
Speaker:onboarding your clients, either clients who are leaving sort of
Speaker:in the middle, or you know, at a time that you wouldn't
Speaker:necessarily, you know, naturally end the relationship, or once
Speaker:the relationship is over, right, once your program is over, once
Speaker:they've achieved their results, how are you helping them, you
Speaker:know, determine and know what the next steps are? Right? So
Speaker:offboarding is super important. So let me just tackle both of
Speaker:those because they're a little bit different. So the first one
Speaker:is when somebody leaves when you're not expecting it, how do
Speaker:you maintain a professional sort of exit strategy and keep the
Speaker:door open for the future? Because here's the reality is
Speaker:most of the time people aren't leaving, because they don't like
Speaker:you, or they don't like the program, or it's not meeting
Speaker:some sort of need that they have, right. Most of the time.
Speaker:There's a different decision that's driving that not all the
Speaker:time, but most of the time. And so if you just cut off the
Speaker:relationship, you disconnect their access. You tell them you
Speaker:know, thanks so much. Bye bye. You're severing that
Speaker:relationship. You're not keeping the door open for working with
Speaker:them in the future. Right and so they're ending the relationship
Speaker:but like, there's no reason that you also have to cut off and the
Speaker:relationship. So how do you ask board.
Speaker:So there are a couple of different ways to do that,
Speaker:right? One is to, you know, send a message in whatever way you
Speaker:like to video or email or some other way, where it just says,
Speaker:Hey, you know, sounds like, you know, you need to go a different
Speaker:direction, no problem, here is kind of your next steps, right,
Speaker:we're going to, you know, cut off your access, we're going to
Speaker:stop the billing, we're going to do all the things. And, you
Speaker:know, we'd love to be able to check in after a certain period
Speaker:of time to see how you're doing, does that work for you, blah,
Speaker:blah, blah, right. So you want to plant the seeds and, and just
Speaker:save a soft, thank you and goodbye, while maintaining a
Speaker:professional attitude. And, you know, really being able to keep
Speaker:the door open for the future, you know, happy to welcome you
Speaker:back whenever you're ready. doors are always open those
Speaker:kinds of messages. It's a soft landing for somebody so they
Speaker:feel comfortable, they maybe have some feelings about, you
Speaker:know, ending, or, you know, the relationship or what's going to
Speaker:happen in the future. And it gives them a soft landing so
Speaker:they can continue forward, they know that the door is open, that
Speaker:they can come back, or be involved with things that you're
Speaker:doing without feeling like they're severing the
Speaker:relationship. Okay, so that's off boarding when you're not
Speaker:expecting it. And you can automate that, right doesn't
Speaker:have to be something that you have to reach and be like, Oh my
Speaker:gosh, like, you're quitting, I feel terrible. I need you to
Speaker:stay on. I'm losing money, like whatever, right? Like, it
Speaker:doesn't have to be an emotional you know, message, right? It's
Speaker:just literally, uh, thanks so much. It's, you know, we'd love
Speaker:to have you stay, but certainly understand life circumstances
Speaker:come up. Here's some, you know, here's sort of the next steps,
Speaker:here's what's going to happen over the next, you know, 30
Speaker:days, right, you have access until this point, and then it
Speaker:will cut off and blah, blah, blah, all those things. And, you
Speaker:know, like, I would literally be intentional about what does that
Speaker:look like. And then, you know, here, here, we're gonna follow
Speaker:up over time, which is also automated. And then, you know,
Speaker:we'd love to keep the door open, have you come back, when it
Speaker:suits you when it's something that that you know, that you're
Speaker:ready for at that time, super soft landing, nice place to not
Speaker:only have them leave feeling confident and comfortable that
Speaker:they can come back. But if somebody else was asking you
Speaker:about the program, it may not be the right fit for them right
Speaker:now. But they would then keep referring that business back to
Speaker:you, because they had such a great experience. And they were
Speaker:able to do what they needed to do to move on without kind of
Speaker:that sort of strange, you know, breakup, if you will. Okay, so
Speaker:that's an unexpected, then the the second part of this is how
Speaker:do you off board clients when they're finished with your
Speaker:relationship that you have, right? So you have a 90 day
Speaker:implementation program, it ends up that 90 days, they're not
Speaker:paying you anymore? Does that mean that you're severing the
Speaker:cord? And you're done? And you've never talked to them?
Speaker:Again? Know, right, you want to continue that relationship? What
Speaker:does that look like? It really depends on your business model,
Speaker:right, you may determine that you want to work with them for
Speaker:90 days, and then over time, they come back for another 90
Speaker:day sprint, or, you know, there's sort of a plan for when
Speaker:they're going to need you again, as time goes on. What you want
Speaker:to do is map that out and plan for it ahead of time. So you're
Speaker:planting seeds throughout that first iteration or first
Speaker:relationship that you have for them to say, and here's what
Speaker:happens after,
Speaker:here's, you know, when we're doing this after the 90 days, as
Speaker:this continues past 90 days, or you're going to need another
Speaker:session, every quarter, or every, you know, twice a year or
Speaker:once a year or whatever you're teeing up that relationship and
Speaker:continuing that relationship within the first, you know,
Speaker:sprint that you're doing or program that you're doing, or
Speaker:whatever it is that you're doing, right. And so they know
Speaker:what to expect, on you know, the last day, that's the very first
Speaker:thing is make sure that you've kind of mapped that out ahead of
Speaker:time. And if you haven't, do it, do it throughout the process. So
Speaker:you understand, like, what do they need after what's the next
Speaker:step for them? Because they're on a journey. Most of the time
Speaker:when people are learning something or they're taking a
Speaker:course or they're taking a program and they want to get to
Speaker:a result. What that does is it they get the result and then it
Speaker:opens up the next challenge the next question that they're gonna
Speaker:have, and so your job is to be able to be there for them. I'm
Speaker:at that time, so you can help them through the next challenge.
Speaker:And then, you know, as they're growing and, and continuing
Speaker:forward, that's how you create a sustainable business as you
Speaker:have, you know, the various steps along the journey. And
Speaker:you're able to help them through that. Now, I do know some people
Speaker:who just want to do that the one transaction, and then they're
Speaker:done. And that's, you know, that's what they do. They just
Speaker:keep selling that one transaction to more and more
Speaker:people. And that's totally fine. But just know that what are you
Speaker:going to do on the back end of that, when they're finished?
Speaker:What does that look like? Is it a graduation? Is it a handoff to
Speaker:someone else? Is it you know, that they have all the tools
Speaker:that they need to move forward? What is the end game? And how do
Speaker:you want to end that relationship? Because let's be
Speaker:honest, it's a relationship, right, it's an opportunity for
Speaker:you to have a customer for life, to have a customer that comes
Speaker:back to you over and over again. Or if you don't want that, it's
Speaker:an opportunity for you to be able to hand them off to someone
Speaker:else, maybe who gives you a kickback to that or whatever
Speaker:else. So, so think through that long term strategy, but
Speaker:offboarding in that case, means you're helping them determine
Speaker:what the next step is, or you're helping them celebrate the
Speaker:success that they had in that part of the program. And then
Speaker:then, you know, teaming up when they need you, maybe they only
Speaker:need you once a year, maybe they only need you when they're doing
Speaker:a new launch or a new part of the process. And and then you
Speaker:invite them to come back. Maybe you just want to celebrate their
Speaker:success along the path, where, you know, you're working with
Speaker:them for 90 days. And then six months later, you follow up with
Speaker:them just to see how things are going and where they are, you
Speaker:know, in their their progress. Maybe you want to do a
Speaker:continuity program on the back end, where you pop them into
Speaker:something that's a longer term, build and relationship, there
Speaker:are a lot of different ways to do that. Have it fit within your
Speaker:business model. But know that like, nobody wants an abrupt
Speaker:stop. Regardless, if they're stopping in the middle, they're
Speaker:stopping at the end, right? Like, what's the thing that
Speaker:you're going to do to either end the relationship with a soft
Speaker:landing, or help them continue along the path. So they continue
Speaker:to purchase from you, which is really where you get the most of
Speaker:your long term revenue, right is in repeat, business and
Speaker:referrals. And really looking at that lifetime value of a
Speaker:customer. That's really where you start building a sustainable
Speaker:business.
Speaker:But either way, you know if it if it's somebody that you want
Speaker:to work with them four times a year, if you want to work with
Speaker:them once a year, then how are you putting things into place
Speaker:that helps to continue and build that relationship. And so that
Speaker:is my secret and and tip for you today, is really think about
Speaker:that onboarding process as much as you think about onboarding,
Speaker:right? As much as you think about getting the customer? How
Speaker:what are you doing at the end of the transactional element, or
Speaker:the end of the first sort of relationship point with a
Speaker:customer because it does matter? It does shape how they're going
Speaker:to refer other people to you, it does shape what decisions
Speaker:they're going to make in the future. Because if you're the
Speaker:right person, for them to come back to six months later, and
Speaker:you haven't provided a an open door, soft landing for them in
Speaker:terms of exiting, then they're not going to come back, they're
Speaker:going to go find somebody else, right? So how do you determine
Speaker:how do you continue to, to build that relationship, and I'm going
Speaker:to tell you doing an exit and then continuing to send nurture
Speaker:emails. Without that soft landing is not going to work for
Speaker:you, right, they're going to unsubscribe, they're not going
Speaker:to read your messages, and they're not going to keep going
Speaker:it has to be some type of specific message to them on the
Speaker:back end that that helps them feel supported through whatever
Speaker:decision they're making. If it's, you know, the decision to
Speaker:work with you or decision to not work with you. makes a huge
Speaker:difference. Right? Think about just as a quick illustration,
Speaker:before I jump off is think about, like, if you're returning
Speaker:something to a store, and they make a big stink about you
Speaker:returning something to the store. It maybe it doesn't fit,
Speaker:maybe there's something wrong with it. Maybe you've bought it
Speaker:for your kid and they don't want it anymore, right? Like if they
Speaker:make a huge stink around that. Are you going to come back and
Speaker:buy something? No, because you're like, Oh, that was a
Speaker:terrible process. Right? Like, oh, that made me feel gross. I
Speaker:don't want to go back to that place because As they made a big
Speaker:deal about, you know, my returning this one thing I was
Speaker:actually returning it like, for me I go to target, right I
Speaker:return something at Target. If they were to give me a big stink
Speaker:about returning something at Target. Here's the other side of
Speaker:that is I'm returning something and then I'm going right back
Speaker:into the store and probably spending three times more than
Speaker:that return I just did. But if they make a big stink at that
Speaker:return, I'm going to walk out of the store, I am not going to go
Speaker:into the store and buy all the things that I need, I'll go
Speaker:somewhere else. So think about that. Because it's no different
Speaker:than that experience that you're creating for somebody and
Speaker:especially if it's a higher ticket option. You really want
Speaker:to help them feel supported. You have no idea why they're making
Speaker:the decision that they're making. Don't make it personal.
Speaker:Have a way to onboard them. Alright, there you go. That is
