Yep, you heard me right.
I don’t use social media AT ALL in my one-woman business.
Not in any way, shape or form.
No POSTS
No STORIES
No DM’S
Zero.
Zip.
Zilch.
In fact, my slightly narky profile on LinkedIn is as close as I get to using it.
Just to set the record straight. I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T use social media. After all, it’s brilliant marketing tool.
I’m just saying you don’t HAVE to.
I know loads of small business owners who you love it, so if you do – fill your boots.
Personally, I hate being a slave to the constant content treadmill and always having to be ‘social-media perfect’.
It sucks the lifeblood out of me.
In my previous podcast business, I found the daily posting – that invariably got swallowed by the ‘noise’ – disheartening.
It was by far and away the least favourite part of my small business (and that includes doing my financial accounts which is saying something).
So when I launched Sell More Stuff™, I thought
BUGGER IT!
(Actually, I’d never say “bugger it” as that’s very rude. Instead I said, “Goodness gracious me. One does not think one wishes to engage on a social media platform”.)
OK, you got me. I did indeed say
BUGGER IT …. and dumped social media!
There are plenty of other marketing fish in the sea, and the joy of being a solo business owner that you get to pick and choose.
Little did I realise my zero social media stance would start a bit of a cult following.
Turns out I’m not the only person who hates it.
So for all you fellow social media haters, let me tell you. Running a social media-free solo business is VERY liberating.
It can also be very lucrative. And I’m here to show you how.
🤑
How to make tons of wonga without social media
In order to confidently step off the social media treadmill, you first need to know the difference between marketing and sales.
Most solo business owners blindly lump the two things together, but there’s a huge difference.
MARKETING is the thing (or things) you do so people know you exist.
There’s a whole buffet of marketing tactics to choose from, one of which is social media.
But there are others.
Plenty of others.
The marketing you choose is entirely up to you. If you enjoy social media, I highly recommend it.
But if you don’t, opt for other marketing activities which I’ll come back to in a minute …
… because first I want to talk about SALES.
Unlike MARKETING where there’s a whole smorgasbord of pick ‘n’ mix possibilities, when it comes to making SALES, there’s one way that reigns supreme.
🎉 EMAIL 🎉
Email knocks the socks off all other strategies when it comes to making sales. And if you don’t believe me, just Google the stats.
If you can get good a making SALES by email, you’ll drastically reduce the amount of time, money and effort you need to spend on MARKETING.
That’s because – done right – email can massively increase the percentage of leads that you convert into paying customers.
I heard a lot of people say business is a numbers game.
The bigger the audience, the more sales they’ll make.
To that, I say, POPPYCOCK!
I know women running businesses who, thanks to their social media or podcast, have masses of authority and a big following – but struggle to turn their powerful influence into a worthwhile income.
In my own business, I have a very small, but tightly controlled email list of highly-targeted leads, plus a strong system for making sales.
(Which you can see in action HERE when you join my email list.)
It’s a far smarter model because a small, engaged list of email subscribers beats a big, couldn’t-care-less one every single time.
Yes, bigger numbers help you scale, but only after you’ve created a firm foundation.
It’s much smarter to aim for an email list of 100 people and sell to 30% of them, than thrash around for 3,000 people but only sell to 1% of them.
Either way, it’s still 30 people.
But the first one is far less work.
Having 33% of your email list buy your stuff is beyond the wildest dreams of most solo business owners.
But this is the reality in my own business.
It’s literally off this chart:
Did you see that last figure? Did you?
Although rare, top performers with a very loyal list can expect to convert 10-25% of their email subscribers into customers.
But hang on ….. my conversion rate is 33%.
That’s right, an entire THIRD of my email subscribers have bought something from me.
The good news is, I can teach you how to do this too.
The even better news is you can simultaneously pair down your workload because you’ll be laser focused on the exact thing that truly move the needle in your solo business.
I regularly put the brakes on my marketing when my kids are on school holidays.
And because I don’t have a self-imposed obligation to continually stoke the social media beast, I release myself from the chains of marketing.
This gives me breathing space to serve my customers, focus on other areas of my business and take time off.
(which is an absolute godsend when you’re spread thin as one-woman business owner with a side order of four teenagers)
It took me three businesses and three decades as a solopreneur to be able to share this simple piece of wisdom with you …..
Priority number 1 in your one-woman business should be to create an email sales machine.
If you do, you’ll be able to pick and choose social media (or any other marketing tactic) based on what you enjoy.
As well as giving yourself the gift of an easy stream of customers.
To help you do that, I’m sharing my
Simple 3-Step Formula
to Sell More Stuff™
Step 1: Create a High-Converting Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™
Sounds fancy, but creating a Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ is simple.
At least, in theory.
You drive traffic to your website and get them to subscribe to your emails. They buy your stuff and they all lived happily ever after.
But every great story needs a big bag wolf. In this case, it’s creating a M·A·G·N·E·T·™ that will effortlessly do the heavy sales lifting for you.
And that’s tough.
A Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ is nuanced. It’s complex. It’s unique.
And creating a good ‘en requires a massive amount of know-how and ton of hard work.
But then again, constantly posting on social media with no end gain isn’t exactly the best fun you could ever have.
At least you only have to create your M·A·G·N·E·T·™ once, and when it’s fully optimised it will put cold hard cash in your sticky little mitt on repeat.
So what the heck is it, you may well ask.
Well, my proprietary Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ incrementally guides your prospects step-by-step on the journey from knowing nothing about you to buying all your goodies.
It starts with your M: Marketing
That sends prospects to your website A: Above-the-Fold
Where they go through your G: Gateway to get onto your email list.
Then the important part – N: Nurture.
You develop trust by building a relationship through your brilliantly written emails. By doing so, you make yourself the first and only person subscribers think of when they’re ready to buy.
They click the link in your email which sends them to a sales page. This is where you E: Earn.
As you learn from your customers, it’s important to T: Tighten all the components to make it as hard-working as possible.
In my 30 years experience, having a strong Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ in place is ESSENTIAL to a thriving business.
Which is why I use it in my own business, and then went on to develop my proprietary system so you can use it in yours too.
I explain the entire system in intricate detail from start to finish in my 90 minute on-demand masterclass called Sales from Scratch™
So if you’re serious about making a go of this, learning my methodology is your starting point.
Oh! And I almost forgot ….
If you want to see my Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ in action ….
STEP 2: write really friggin’ interesting emails
“Email is dead!”
I hear all the time (usually from people who write terrible emails).
But it’s a load of old rubbish.
When it comes to making sales, email reigns supreme. Period.
You see, the problem isn’t with poor little old email as a strategy.
It’s with the way the damn things are written.
The good news is, most of your competitors – in fact, most of the world – send really appalling emails.
Which means it’s easy to shine brightly in an otherwise bland and boring inbox, giving you a massive advantage over them.
Captivating emails get subscribers excited when it pings into their inbox.
Which means they’ll read.
And if they read, you can sell.
Honestly. You’ll never sell a bean from an unopened, unread or unsubscribed email.
I’ve perfected the craft and am here to teach you.
Mine are so entertaining that my target audience are scrambling to receive them.
👆Avril was a done-deal subscriber BEFORE she even made it to my website because she KNEW my emails were worth getting her hands on.
If you want to see my brilliantly written and captivating emails in action,
Writing good emails is both an art and a science, but something that can be learned.
And by a stroke of good luck, I happen to have a course about that too.
Writing killer emails is pivotal to the success of this whole system, but in 3 short hours from now you’ll have all the tricks of the trade in your arsenal and be hammering out your first sales-inducing email.
Step 3: cherry-pick your marketing
I pick and choose my marketing, use zero social media, and make an absolute killing!
And I’m happy to share my secrets.
But before I do, I want your assurance that you’re NOT going to copy me.
You promise?
NOT because I selfishly want to keep all the cool money-making tactics to myself, but because chances are this won’t work for you.
Why?
Well, most small business owners get in a tizzy with the amount of marketing they THINK they need to do.
Then they spread themselves too thin, get maxed out and find it all too stressful (without much end gain).
Having been a successful solopreneur my whole life, my advice is to stop trying to do ‘all the things’ and simply cherry-pick the bits you like.
You’re not a huge enterprise and don’t have the backing of a sales and marketing team, so just shrug off trying to show up everywhere and stop getting in a pickle over it.
Being able to pick and choose your marketing is one of the many joys of being a solopreneur.
Embrace it.
With marketing, you can choose your thing, play around with it, and keep refining it so you get better and better.
Because (and listen up, as this is important) ….
…. SALES come as a result of Step 1) having a high-converting M·A·G·N·E·T·™ and Step 2) being good at writing compelling emails.
NOT as a direct result of your marketing.
You’re WRONG to think it’s a numbers game. You don’t NEED more likes, more followers, more subscribers.
These vanity metrics won’t pay the bills.
What you NEED is a Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™.
Join my email list to check out mine in action
(although I suggest you sit on your credit card as you might end up buying something from me 😆)
⚔️ HOW TO choose your marketing weapon ⚔️
I’m a proponent of the My Business, My Way philosophy.
I want you to enjoy your business as much as I enjoy mine.
If you’ve rejected the 9-5 and are putting tons of effort into being self-employed then the least you can hope for is to have a good time.
For me, social media isn’t my idea of fun so I reject it.
If you love it, go for it. It’s a superb marketing tool.
When picking your marketing ‘weapon’, think about the things you enjoy, the lifestyle you want and the things you’re good at.
⤷ If you’re great on video, choose You Tube or Tik Tok
⤷ If you’re more of an analytical type, then SEO, pay-per-click or Facebook ad’s might be your cup of tea
⤷ If you’re a visual creative, focus in on Insta or Pinterest
⤷ If you like meeting face-to-face, try in-person networking
⤷ If you have a corporate background, hobnob with your ex-colleagues
⤷ If you are excited by networking online, then choose LinkedIn
⤷ If you like a good chin-wag, how about podcasting?
⤷ If writing’s your thing, become a blogger
⤷ If you’re a cool trendsetter, try influencer marketing
⤷ If you like being part of a team, use Facebook Groups
⤷ If a live audience doesn’t scare you, take to the stage
⤷ If you love teaching, webinars might be for you
⤷ If you’re good with people, try collaborations
⤷ If you’re articulate and have a fresh perspective, try being a podcast guest
⤷ If you want to stay close to home, tap into your local business network
Heck. Why not dabble in a whole bunch of these to see what you like best? Then you can pick a couple of favourites and run with them.
My point is that you shouldn’t blindly use Facebook just because some guru said you should.
Just because it worked for them doesn’t mean it will work for you.
With a bit of thought and a sprinkling of creativity, you can find your audience by choosing a marketing strategy that works with your lifestyle and personality.
When you’re in your element you shine, and when you shine your people will be attracted to your genuine passion, energy and authenticity.
Always remember, you’re never, ever going to capture every possible lead so be chilled about letting them go in favour of focusing on other avenues.
This is exactly what I do when I reject social media.
I know I’m leaving thousands of prospects on the table, but it’s a trade-off I’m comfortable with because zero social media allows me to thoroughly enjoy my business.
Always remember though, this freedom of choice is for your MARKETING.
When is comes to SALES, there’s one supreme choice which is ……
🥁
yep, you got it …..
🎉 EMAIL 🎉
🐷 Here’s my marketing weapon of choice 🐷
I love meeting new people, talking ‘shop’ and I’m not shy in front of a crowd or on the stage.
Based on my strengths, interests and what I want achieve in my business, I use Piggyback Marketing.
I seek out, and partner with, a fellow entrepreneur who offers a complementary – but not competing – service.
By teaming up, I get to steal a bit of their spotlight.
I use their platform to boost my own visibility, and their credibility to build trust with a new audience. All the while, push them into my own M·A·G·N·E·T·™.
It’s a win-win because in return, their audience gets my expertise to help Sell More Stuff™. They can also profit from my courses and trainings without the hassle of having to create them themselves.
Some things I do are:
⤷ Get mentioned on their email list
⤷ Make guest expert appearances in their paid-for programmes
⤷ Have them share this very article
⤷ Give live talks at in-person events
⤷ Appear on their podcast
⤷ Give Zoom interviews
⤷ Host or co-host their workshops
⤷ Create referral or affiliate partnerships
⤷ Or work one-to-one with their Mastermind clients
(If you have a group of one-woman business owners you’d like me to come and talk to, Let’s Collaborate.)
My marketing deeply aligns with my knowledge, experience and my wholehearted passion for what I teach.
And because I’m being my true self in all that I do, it’s really easy to bring my personality into both my marketing and my sales.
This in turn fills me with energy and entusiasm, rather than gnawing away at my soul like social media does.
I can hand-on-heart say I enjoy the back out of every element of my promotions because it taps into my love of being with people.
Piggyback Marketing is about noticing and maximising opportunities, having the brass neck to approach people, and being deliberate in your communications.
If you have a different nature, my marketing style probably sends shivers down your spine, which is why I tell you not to copy me.
So if it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, don’t pick it!
What matters far, far more than your choice of marketing …. is that your Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ works hard for you.
Check out mine HERE if you want to see a fabulous one in action.
[Excuse the interuption, but a quick word of warning. Please be very, very careful, because if you click that link 👆my Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ has an extremely strong vacuum which will suck you in headfirst. And as hard as your friends will try and pull you out by your ankles, the force will be too strong and you’ll be stuck in it forever. Just sayin’.]
RIGHT, IT’S brag O’CLOCK 😜
I want to tell you what happened in the first five weeks of my business and share my earnings with you.
Not only to prove my point, but also to help you realise that making sales doesn’t have to be a stressful headache, or a huge numbers game reserved for the big players.
Li’l old me, and li’l old you can do it too.
Before I launched my business, I created a Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™.
I’m not going to lie, it took me hours and hours and hours to create it from scratch (although if you’ve already got a website and an email service provider set up, you’re half way there and you can add to it slowly over time).
Since I was selling my proprietary M·A·G·N·E·T·™ approach, I knew mine had to be incredibly good so I put heart and soul into it.
(although, to be honest, I didn’t give myself credit for just how effective it would be before I launched.)
I hadn’t lived in the UK for 8 years, and I hadn’t run a business here for over 20.
I had some good friends here, a handful of acquaintances and a few contacts.
But zero email subscribers.
Apart from (Step 1) my Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ and (Step 2) a bunch of pre-written killer emails, I was starting from scratch.
So I flicked open my phone and methodically worked my way through my entire list of contacts.
Nieces and nephews; school mums; long-lost friends; friends of friends; friends of friends of friends, my hairdresser; my mum; next door’s cat ….
No sucker was spared!! 😳
Going through your contacts is massively effective, especially if you’re just starting out, so you should DO IT!!
Because you might be lucky enough to find a golden nugget like I did.
For me, it was
Randomly, she was my friend’s sister’s friend – but became absolutely pivotal to the early success of my business.
I’d done a Zoom sales consultation for her when I lived in Cambodia.
(I had to close down my existing business because I wasn’t allowed to trade there, so I used my time to play around with early ideas for the work I do now).
Two years later, I let her know I’d moved back to the UK and had launched Sell More Stuff™.
What she gave me in return nearly knocked me off my perch.
She’d got so much value from that consultation, she put her hard-earned status and reputation behind my fledgling business.
She immediately paid me to do a 1:1 consultations for each and every one of her Mastermind participants as a bonus when they signed up.
Joanna was so impressed with their feedback that she hired me in her Business of Coaching Programme as an expert Digital Sales Consultant hosting group calls and answering sales-related questions in Slack.
And as the result of that she also invited me to be a guest on her top-ranking podcast.
Those three touch points, coupled with my own initial outreach, meant my subscriber numbers started to grow.
Not huge, slap-you-in-the-face, explosive growth, more the slow-and-steady-wins-the-race sort.
3 in the first week. Then 13 the week after, followed by 18, then 27. After 5 weeks, I had 89 subscribers.
More importantly, the incremental increase in subscriber numbers worked side by side with the number of sales I started to make.
My well-written emails converted prospects into customers like a dream.
So. How much £££ did I make?
With the exception of right now, I don’t plan to ever share my business numbers. But today I want you to be both inspired and comforted by them.
‘Inspired’ because the money I made in the first five weeks of launching my business is a big enough number, to say,
“Ooooh, not bad! She must be onto something with all her Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ talk”
But also ‘comforted’ by the fact that it’s a small enough number that you don’t roll your eyes and think, “Here’s another ‘humble’ guru bragging about making 6-figures in 3.5 seconds”
So without further ado, here are the numbers …..
35 days in business
0 solid business contacts
0 social media
89 email subscribers
__________
10 x private 1-2-1 calls @ £250 = £2,500
1 x Full MAGNET Implementation = £2,999
Critiques and Ad Hoc Work = £397
TOTAL = £5,896
__________
1 bottle of celebratory champagne 🍾
I was pretty chuffed with myself. Not bad for just over a month’s work, especially considering I was a complete nobody hitting the small business world in the UK for the first time.
But I was also pleased because the work aligned with my personal aspirations of working part-time around school hours, my business being social media-free and having a great time to boot.
Since then, I’ve tweaked and changed my system and perfected the selling cycle.
Like a devoted work horse, my Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ is always whirring in the background, churning out a stream of new customers whenever I decide to switch my marketing back on or do a launch.
⚽️ Score!!! ⚽️
Love it or hate it, social media is huge, which of course means there’s a massive amount of potential customers.
At the same time, it requires you to always be ‘on’ which isn’t exactly the promised land of work freedom and flexibility.
At least for me it isn’t.
But ….
… if you don’t have a well-oiled Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ in place – well – you’re just mindlessly thrashing around with whatever marketing tactics you happen to choose because you’re never going to consistently make sales.
Creating a solid Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ means you purposely build in the ability to turn your marketing on and off according to how many people you want to push through it (which is code for how many sales you want to make).
This in turn gives you the freedom to accept or reject social media.
And if that doesn’t inspire you to get your own Sales M·A·G·N·E·T·™ up and running, I don’t know what will!
If you’re ready to jump into mine, join my list and I’ll meet you in your inbox
Get Ready to Sell More Stuff
Join me and I’ll show you how