Have you been thinking about taking the leap and joining the Director of Operations certification program, but are struggling with the financial commitment piece?
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Today we are talking about what you can do if you have some financial resistance to signing up for the Director of Operations (DOO) certification program. I have six different actions you can take if money is holding you back from joining us (or whatever steps you need to take to aid your growth and development.)
Six Actions to Take
We know that price sensitivity is applicable to everyone. The most important piece of making this commitment to yourself is knowing that you have a plan to pay for it. We don’t want you to make a decision you are uncomfortable with. We have built a support structure, a community, and a coaching staff dedicated to helping you get your return on investment. Ultimately, though, it is going to come through action.
Become Aware of Payment Options
For our DOO program, we have a pay in full, plus a three, six, and twelve month payment plan. Our certification is six month long, but it helps to have a 12 month option to decrease the monthly cost. Often students pay it off early because they have made their investment back.
Also, recently we decided not to inflate the price of the product if you take a payment plan. I just didn’t feel right about it, and I wanted the pricing of the product to be flat regardless of your financial position.
Approaching a Current Client
If you are already working with a client and already getting them results and having a good impact on them, they may be ready to invest in you. Approach them and ask if they would split the cost or continue a percentage to your growth and development with the expectation that you would take that learning and apply it back into their organization. If they are partnering with you in funding this, they will become an excellent case study.
Increase Your Rates
This may be the right time to negotiate higher rates with your existing clients that you are already getting results for. Take that rate increase and tuck that away for your education fund. Increasing your rates is one way to put a lump sum towards your education.
Expand Your Offerings
Once you become established with a business, it’s easier to see what their gaps are. If you have a solution to that gap, take the initiative and speak up. If you are on a retainer basis with them, you can propose a project based agreement as an addition. This is a special project with a start and an end date, so it won’t take long, but it will bring massive value to the leader. Go to them with a specific customized plan that outlines exactly how you are going to solve the problem. Use the additional income for your continuing education.
“If you know the gap, and have a solution, the next easiest sell is to come to them with a prescribed solution.”
Sign a New Client
Now is not the time to sit back and wait for clients to come to you. It’s time to be bold and make contact with potential clients. Reach out to past clients and ask if they have existing needs. Make a case how you can compliment them with your new skills.
“It is a lot easier to serve a client that you have already impressed and established a relationship with, than to procure or secure a new client.”
Know where your ideal clients are hanging out online. This could be very targeted Facebook groups, or a role model or mentor who has your ideal client inside of their group.
Start engaging in posts and drop really good knowledge. Then strike up conversations and move them to the DMs so you can personalize and customize some of the solutions. Eventually you want to build that relationship up to a coffee chat where you can dive deeper (though you are not necessarily pitching right away).
All of us have done sales calls in the past that had no action. You may have not had the solutions then, but it may be time to revisit them. Open up a conversation and reach back out to them to see if they will hop on a coffee chat. Rekindle the relationship with these prospects.
Asking for a Referral
This is not difficult but there is always resistance.
“Word of mouth and testimonials are everything. So ask for referrals.”
The obvious source of referrals will come from past clients, but don’t forget to put it out to friends and family. Reach out to people on your platform of choice and let them know what you are doing.
Additional Financing Options
If you do not have the funds to get started right now but are really ready to get started, we have brought in a 3rd party funding company that offers funding through a completely different source. This is going to allow you to have lower monthly payments over a longer period of time. We did a lot of work to choose a company to make sure it was ethical. They also have criteria to make sure you qualify and that this partnership would be a good fit for you. You can fund any portion of the certification cost.
“We are really invested in making sure you up-level yourself and find yourself in a leadership position.”
If this is the right time for you, I encourage you to take a look at the DOO certification and make sure to listen to episode 165 which details all of the recent updates to our curriculum!
Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Episode 165: Evolving the DOO Certification Program
Weekly Ops Activity
Of these six options, which are you going to leverage? Let us know in the Facebook group!
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