CASE STUDY
How Sally revitalised her offers, boosted her revenue, and turned the dream of quitting her job into a realistic goal with Inner Circle.
“I always said, "Oh, yeah, I'm gonna quit my job. And I'm gonna do this full time." But I had no plan; I didn't know what my plan should be. It's given me hope for once that I'm on the right track. I feel momentum for the first time in my business. I've been doing this since 2019, but since joining Inner Circle, I feel I'm actually gaining traction.”
Sally Harris, Coach for Moms of Defiant Adult Children
Sally’s coaching clients were mostly finding her through her successful YouTube channel. However, she didn’t feel confident in her sales skills and wasn’t closing her discovery calls. Sally desperately wanted to transition from her full-time job but felt stuck and needed help.
“I've tried other mastermind programs, which I got lost in because they’re so large. I've worked with business coaches too, and while I gleaned good things from each, there was no support system. I’m also technically challenged, so I froze every time I had to do anything with technology and would have to pay people to help me. So when I learned about Paul and Melissa’s Inner Circle, I quickly realized I needed what they offered.”
What are some of the Inner Circle features you find most impactful?
Responsive communication
“Paul and Melissa give so much guidance, and then we have Voxer access too. I talk to Melissa darn near every day, even if it's just a quick question. You don't have to wait for an answer. Normally with a coach, you're lucky if you get a response in a Facebook group. Inner Circle is just more intimate.”
Marketing collateral reviews
“I’ll send Melissa my marketing collateral for review. She's reviewed my website, my YouTube… all of it. And now I’m starting email marketing; Melissa will help me with that too. I sent her three emails to review just the other day; having more eyes on that is awesome.”
Technology advice
“I had purchased Kajabi but had no clue how to use it. So when I saw Paul and Melissa were using Kartra, I asked for tips on setting that up, and I transitioned everything over. I don't need to stress out about the tech anymore because I can get the answer from Paul and Melissa, send it to my virtual assistant (my daughter), and she does it. I can focus on my coaching now.”
Office Hours consultations
“During the Inner Circle office hours calls, we can ask anything. There are no dumb questions because we're all at different places and have different businesses. Sometimes I join and just listen to what other people are doing and talking about, so I can learn. I show up to whatever calls I can. But especially the tech ones, because that's priceless. I mean, it's expensive to have to pay someone to do all of that for you. It’s so good to have the knowledge right there and be able to do it yourself. Those calls are invaluable.”
“In less than six months, I’ve made A Lot of good changes. Things that make more sense for me and my business.”
“In less than six months, I’ve made A Lot of good changes. Things that make more sense for me and my business.”
Inner Circle helped Sally create a business that serves her while serving others.
Running a coaching business while also working a full-time job meant Sally’s free time was at a premium. She wanted to find a way to serve more people without sacrificing what life she was already squeezing in around other commitments. So, Paul and Melissa suggested a membership.
“Before Inner Circle, I paid an ungodly amount for a VA agency that also did "strategy". They told me I didn't need to do a membership; I needed to do free calls one night a week to get people on a list. A week later, I had a call with Paul, and he immediately said, "No".
Paul and Melissa helped me realize I can start with a beta group and iterate as I go. My membership launched on the 1st of July, and I now have 12 members. I've never done any ads, just focused on the people in my free Facebook group. I'm very selective with who I let in because this is a sensitive subject, and I want it to be safe.
I started my pricing at $69 a month because I was really struggling with the price. I had no idea what it should be. And so we settled on $69 because I was comfortable with that. And I've already changed it to $99. I quickly saw that by spending eight hours a month on group coaching, they're only paying $9 a session. It was just dirt cheap. Now it's $99, thanks to Melissa's feedback.”
How has being a part of Inner Circle helped you transform your business?
Inner Circle has completely transformed my business as far as revenue. Paul helped me revise my one-on-one coaching pricing. I told him, "You're crazy. People aren't gonna pay me that." He said, "Yes, they are." And they are. I was like, "Holy smokes!" Seriously, I was way underpriced.
I work with my client's on a 30, 60 or 90-day plan. Before Inner Circle, every single one of my clients did the 30-day. It was $795. I didn't differentiate much between the packages. Like, make this first package not that appealing, the second one really good, and the third one fantastic. Now I'm mainly getting the 60-day coaching plan. I used to price that second package at $1495, but now it's $1995. My third package is now priced at $2995, and no one buys the first package anymore.
Most importantly, I can serve them much better if I have more time. Thirty days is not enough to make a massive change. But I thought that's all they wanted to pay. Last month, I had the highest revenue I've ever had in my business.
Serving my clients is my priority. I don't want to do what I'm doing if I'm not doing that. So with the membership, while it provides a steady income of monthly payments, it's also building a community of people who are starting to talk to each other. It's not about just me anymore, and that's what I want. I wanted them not to feel isolated. I didn't want them to think they were the only person going through this. So just building that community in my membership that's honestly my favorite part.
“My goal – because I have goals now where before I was just floating and didn't have a lot of goals – is to have 100 members by the end of the year. So between my one-on-one coaching and a good solid membership, I'll be able to do this full-time.”
“My goal – because I have goals now where before I was just floating and didn't have a lot of goals – is to have 100 members by the end of the year. So between my one-on-one coaching and a good solid membership, I'll be able to do this full-time.”
How realistic does that goal feel now compared to before Inner Circle?
Oh, night and day! I've never felt so positive about achieving that. I always said, "Oh, yeah, I'm gonna quit my job. And I'm gonna do this full time." But I had no plan; I didn't know what my plan should be. It's given me hope for once that I'm on the right track. I feel momentum for the first time in my business. I've been doing this since 2019, but since joining Inner Circle in April, I feel I'm actually gaining traction.
And that's why I kept joining all these high-ticket groups that I ended up not even using, looking for a plan, which was a waste of money. I've done big-name courses and hired coaches. I've spent so much money on this stuff and didn't use it as I should have, but I had no interaction with anyone besides a Facebook group. And that doesn't do it for me. I'm more of a let's meet and talk kind of person. Because when you're an entrepreneur, it's kind of lonely. And then to have people by your side that you can trust, it's exciting and motivating. It's the first time I've ever had accountability.
And you know, we're all adults. If you don't take action in this group, it's your own fault; there are no excuses. If you're going to pay that kind of money, you gotta jump in; it's a commitment. Initially, I thought, "I can't spend that kind of money on this", but if you do the math of paying a coach and someone to help you with tech, you'll pay a lot more. So I said, "Okay, let's just do it."
