Building an Online Mentoring Group

Build a mentoring group – and your revenue

In a recent post, I shared a new business model for the modern accountant: running an online mentoring programme. That’s to say, working with a group of business owners every month to help them improve their business. Now, I’d like to share seven ways you can attract more clients – both current and prospective – to join your group.

If you prefer to watch rather than read you can watch the video here.

#1: Put it on the agenda

Unfortunately, because my business is online and I don’t have regular face-to-face meetings with clients, I can't use this technique. But, if you do have meetings, then make sure you always have an item on your agenda when you can talk about your online mentoring group. (If you don’t use an agenda for meetings, then you should!)

#2: Social media

Social media is so, so powerful. You absolutely should be using it. You should be joining groups of business owners – groups of the sorts of people you'd love to be your clients – on LinkedIn, on Facebook, or on whichever site’s most appropriate. Figure out where your ideal clients hang out and then start adding some value by telling people about your mentoring programme.

#3: Bundling

If you have a service for business start-ups, for example, you might have a bronze, a silver and a gold package, and you might decide that your gold package – perhaps even your silver and gold – includes access to your mentoring programme.

#4: Video marketing

Today, videos are undoubtedly the most powerful form of marketing. So, if you’re not already, then you should definitely be thinking about making some. And, if you already are, then make sure you use them to tell people about your mentoring programme.

#5: Live events & webinars

If you do any live events or webinars, make sure you promote your mentoring group as part of them. If I'm running a live event, for example, I’ll invite the entire audience to come along to a free session of my group.

# 6: Guest invite systems

Create an email standard offer and, whenever you're in correspondence with a client or potential client who might benefit, invite them to the next session of your group. Explain that as your guest, the first session will be completely free. Then, at the end of the session, ask if they’d like to join the group. That way you top your group up with one or two guests every month, and you’ll also find that 4 out of 5 ask to join permanently.

#7: Launch events

Launch events are the method that I find most powerful. Effectively, it’s hosting a webinar or online meeting, whose whole purpose is to promote the mentoring programme. And, if you're into webinars, then it’s a great process to use.

If you’d like to find out more, then you can watch a video I’ve produced here. 

If you found this valuable and would like to learn more about value pricing, I run a free live online training session every month with a topic chosen by you. Attend live and you can ask me any questions you have. Click here to register and I will send you an invitation to the next session.

Wishing you every success on your pricing journey

Mark Wickersham

Chartered Accountant, Public Speaker and Author of Amazon No.1 Best Seller “Effective Pricing for Accountants”