The Rabbit Hole

I am overwhelmed and appreciative when I see reviews coming from my life coaching clients. No, I am not questioning myself, but they make my life worthwhile.

“Janna Yeshanova is immediately safe, disarming, and inspiring. Janna saved my life. She is my family now.”- Marc, Grandview OH

I am not bragging about it, but I feel like sharing.

As a solopreneur running a coaching business, I look for and get a variety of opportunities to market Life-Spark, LLC. Many are worthless or worse, but some are like taking a trip down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

Whether you go down the rabbit hole yourself, looking for a marketing strategy, or a white rabbit with pink eyes comes out of the hole (or makes a phone call) with a pitch, marketing puts you in contact with strange characters and stranger circumstances.

This morning, I got a cold call from a voice assistant activation service. Their business connects small companies with Alexa, Siri, and other voice assistant search services. The white rabbit had a voice. ?“Life-Spark has been in business for years and lots of people in the area searched for life coaches, but life-spark.com is not coming up in audio searches. Would you like to talk with a specialist?”

Of course! I want prospective clients to see my website and my reviews.

Visiting Wonderland

Welcome to the rabbit hole! On the other end of this call there might be real value. It could also be a legitimate service that wouldn’t work well, or, worse, a scam. How to find out? There were many questions. Where to find answers, and how? As always, the key to getting a better answer is asking a better question.

If you want a better answer, ask a better question.

Although the odds are against it, a rabbit hole may lead to underground gold. Was there any hope here? I asked for basic pricing information. I was told only the specialist could answer that. Okay, Mr. Rabbit, introduce me to the Mad Hatter.

Moments later, I was introduced to Ben. Ben had long smooth answers to questions that weren’t quite the ones I had asked. He didn’t have the answers to my questions, but he could get them from his computer if I gave him the necessary information. I did, and his computer reached out to converse with others about what they could collectively do for Life-Spark.

While the computers had their conference, Ben continued his pitch. There would be a one-time fee, he explained, to set me up with accounts at each of the service providers. There would also be a monthly fee to pay his company for ongoing search engine optimization that I could disconnect it any time.

A couple minutes later, his computer came back with approvals from all parties and the prices. I was offered a $199.00 setup fee and $19.95 per month for SEO. It was time for a sanity check. Which side of the rabbit hole was I on? I did what coaches do. I asked questions.

Asking Questions

What is the name of the company you represent? Ben gave me three unrecognizable initials that he himself said had no special meaning. The company had no website because it finds its own clients. Their customer service number was given to established customers only. Really?

What did the company do? They would assign me to a senior analyst and in a conference help me select a set of keyword phrases. The terms life coach, relationship coach, leadership coach, self-improvement coach and a few others were identified as candidates. I was assured that there were thousands of searches for these terms in the past month within a thirty-mile search radius. They would optimize these words to point to Life-Spark.

How many names would come up if we searched for Life Coaches? Ben tried and found seven. Using my iPhone, Siri found three. From there, the customer would pick one or more to follow up with. What was I expecting? What was I hoping for? I had no answer.

And my questions went on…

Sanity Checking

My first issue was that I could not authenticate the company.

·?????? I had no name to Google because the initials Ben gave led to dozens of organizations.

·?????? There was no website to review.

·?????? While I could ask for references, I couldn’t search for reviews from Internet sources like TrustPilot.

·?????? Without a written document, I couldn’t crosscheck written claims against an Internet search.

·?????? Likewise, I had nothing to search against SNOPES, my preferred source of Internet scam information.

·?????? Without a specific location, I couldn’t search for Better Business Bureau reports.

I then looked at risks versus potential benefits. The potential upside was a stream of prospective clients coming in through the phone without a significant charge from a lead generation service. The $199.00 setup was a one-time expense and the monthly fee was fixed. Could I end up with lots of crank calls? Perhaps, and Life-Spark is a life coaching business, not a call center. From a cost benefit perspective, this idea looked acceptable. One new client would pay this off.

Finally, did this make sense? Voice assistants are a new technology aimed at making life easier for a prospective client. I was researching a marketing tool. There are obviously people using voice assistants. How many were looking for coaches? How many would call? How many would close?

Second Opinion

I decided to use another new tool to get a second opinion and asked Meta AI. Artificial Intelligence tools tend to be optimistic to keep ideas moving forward. Like my entry into Wonderland, I needed to craft a careful question. Hoping to get a more thoughtful answer, here is what I asked, and Meta AI responded.

Is it feasible to get life coaching clients through voice activated search engines like Siri?

While it's technically possible to get life coaching clients through voice-activated search engines like Siri, it's a challenging and indirect approach. Here's why:

1. Competition: Voice-activated search engines like Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa have vast directories of skills, actions, and services. Standing out in this crowded space can be difficult.

2. Discovery: Users typically interact with voice assistants for specific tasks, like setting reminders, playing music, or getting directions. Life coaching might not be a typical use case, making discovery a hurdle.

3. Intent: When users ask Siri or other voice assistants for help, they usually have a specific intent in mind. Life coaching is a nuanced service that might not be directly related to the user's initial query.

4. Conversion: Even if a user discovers your life coaching service through a voice assistant, converting them into a client can be challenging. Voice assistants often provide brief, superficial responses, which might not be enough to establish trust or showcase your expertise.

That being said, if you still want to explore this channel, here are some potential strategies:

1. Optimize for voice search: Ensure your website and online presence are optimized for voice search queries related to life coaching.

2. Create a voice-activated skill or action: Develop a custom skill or action for Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa that provides value to users and showcases your expertise.

3. Leverage podcasting or audio content: Create a podcast or audio content that provides valuable insights and advice on life coaching topics. This can help establish your authority and attract potential clients.

4. Use targeted advertising: Utilize targeted advertising on platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach users who are searching for life coaching services or related topics. While these strategies can help increase your visibility, it's essential to remember that voice-activated search engines are just one potential channel for acquiring clients.

A more effective approach might be to focus on established marketing channels, such as social media, content marketing, or referrals.

My Conclusions

Apparently, asking about feasibility made Meta AI more thoughtful. As I hoped. it raised several notes of caution. While I assume Ben and company would be doing the items on the second list, the issues in the first list resonated with my instincts. With that, I smiled like the Cheshire Cat, disappearing until only my smile was left. Then, even that disappeared.

For now. if you want a life coach, a relationship coach, a leadership coach, or a personal development coach, any phone where you can dial 614-306-5522 will get you to Janna Yeshanova and Life-Spark, LLC.

The rabbit hole of the Internet has many “colorful” characters who don’t wait for you to come down the hole to them. When you need to make a decision, think about the questions you need answers to and how to get the answers. If you’d prefer, Life-Spark can help with that as well.

What are your favorite probing questions? How do you sanity check what you hear? What thoughts would you like to share? Please leave your answers, and your questions, in the comments below.

#lifecoach #jannaYeshanova #questions

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