The Marketing Curriculum Launch Party

Welcome and today's agenda

Good morning, everyone, especially our West Coasters who woke up early with coffee to join us. Welcome, let's get everyone in.

Today's agenda: first we're going to put you into pairs for a quick breakout. You'll meet your accountability buddy for the new marketing system. Then we'll talk about why we redid the marketing, give you a quick overview of the system, do a little "what's hot, what's not," and go live. Anna's here to press the buttons. I'll share two special messages, we'll do some Q&A, and then you're off and running.

Real marketing shifts, from your fellow members

First, I put everyone into pairs. The ask: share one thing about marketing for B2B consulting you've learned in the Academy, even if you haven't touched the marketing material yet and have just picked it up through osmosis. "I used to think X, now I know Y," or whatever fit.

Three members shared back in the room.

Joanne: I was with Deanna, and we talked about trusting the process, even when it's not on your own timeline. You can see results by doing what's outlined for you, and it really does work. If you're a control freak, you have to let go and let it happen.

Kate: I was with Blythe, and we talked about the seemingly simple things you don't actually do, like sending someone an email saying "hey, saw this, thought of you," or just asking "do you need help?" So simple in theory, but you never think to actually do it.

Meg: For me it was the need to be consistent about posting on LinkedIn, even about the same things, and the realization that I'm literally the only person who's going to see all of my posts. If I think "oh god, am I writing about that again," yes, I am, because the people who need to see it haven't seen it yet. That was a big one for me, and a lot of folks were nodding along.

Why marketing changed and what works today

Understatement of the century: marketing has changed a lot. The LinkedIn platform has shifted, visibility is down, AI is changing everything, and the way people research and buy has changed. Sales cycles are longer. We're operating in a very different environment to get in front of clients and help them learn about us, and marketing needs to keep up with that.

But everything still has to be grounded in the buying journey. A lot of the marketing advice out there for consultants feels like a waste of time because it isn't actually grounded in how clients learn and make decisions. That's the thing that doesn't change even as the environment does, so our system has to stay locked into it.

We've been trying, even ahead of this relaunch, to stay on top of what's happening and give you up to the minute information: Jacqueline's session on LinkedIn, Sue's session on getting found by AI, Jean's session on what AI is looking for. We needed something built for today.

Why we rebuilt the system

Here's a little bit behind the curtain on how we run the business. What we've seen over the past few years is a clear difference between the members who are very successful in this program and those who just do okay, and the biggest difference is whether they do the marketing. Whether they actually build the marketing flywheel and work it, because that's how you keep your pipeline full. Not just fill it once, but keep it full.

We didn't do a good enough job communicating that. It can look like marketing and delivery are two equal sides of the same framework. They're not. If you gloss over the marketing, you're not setting yourself up to succeed, today or in the future.

So now, at the end of Building Blocks, there's new material, and the whole marketing system is new. Basically: do the marketing. We wanted to make it easier and clearer to set yourself up for success.

We also wanted to set the right expectations. If you've done marketing before, you know it takes more, and longer, than you think. We weren't doing a good enough job setting that expectation, so people would say "I did it, I watched all the videos and it's not working" after a month. That's not how it works. You don't just watch videos and clients appear, or put a quarter into LinkedIn and a client comes out.

If we don't set the right expectations, there's a negative compounding effect: you feel like you're failing when you're actually on track, and you start questioning whether you're cut out for this. One thing about this group of high achievers: everybody feels like they're behind, all the time. You're not. So we needed to do a better job setting expectations for how B2B marketing actually works, so you feel like you're succeeding, not failing, because that creates a positive compounding effect instead.

What's new, refreshed, and familiar

When you open the new system, some of it will look familiar. That's on purpose. Some modules are brand new, built for how clients buy today. Some are reworked, strong material rebuilt with more support and new content. And some we kept intact because they still work, though even those have new material added in and around them.

22 modules are new or refreshed. Don't let your eyes get too big, this isn't a to-do list, just setting expectations. New material covers both client journeys, a new introduction to the system, the entire LinkedIn section (including what LinkedIn actually wants and is looking for), highest value business development activities, building a pre-pipeline, and 13 other marketing boosters.

Three things are familiar, with small improvements: sustainable marketing strategy, client signaling, and shoulder tap.

What's new, specifically: the system is now organized into two parts, Marketing Core and Marketing Boosters. Core is the absolutely necessary stuff for any B2B consulting business, table stakes. Boosters are what you add to core to build your own unique flywheel. This isn't a cookie cutter system. Core gets you off the ground; boosters help you go farther and faster once you are. Without a good core, boosters just make a bigger explosion, but together they make you unstoppable. Start with Marketing Core.

The whole LinkedIn strategy is new: how you post, curate your network, format your profile, why the platform looks for what it looks for, and how you measure whether it's working. Jacqueline built all of the new LinkedIn material, 10 hours of video.

Also new: relationship building on LinkedIn through engagement, commenting, and a module on how to send DMs that don't feel awkward.

Supplemental strategies (the boosters) are now all in one place and easy to find. If you're going to a speaking engagement, find the module that says "speaking." Going to an event, find "event." No more digging.

Common questions are now trainings. Things members have asked about repeatedly in Slack, like what to do at an in-person event or how to launch a campaign, are now pulled together into one place instead of scattered in Slack threads.

One workbook. Not a hundred, not fifty. One, in an editable Google Doc you can copy and use.

Long videos now have chapters, so instead of watching an hour straight through, you can jump directly to the part you need.

What's in and what's out

We treated this like a New Year's Eve countdown: what's in, what's out.

Out: driving views as the goal. Views are different on LinkedIn now, not just down. In: getting seen by the right people and building relationships. 200 of the right people will always beat trying to go viral.

Out: LinkedIn as the be-all, end-all. It used to be enough to just do LinkedIn as your whole strategy. Not anymore, because the way clients research has changed. In: a multi-touch system that reflects how clients actually learn. All roads lead to LinkedIn, but that means it's the best complement to your go-to-market strategy, not the whole thing. It's necessary, but it supplements and supports your other efforts, which matters more than ever.

Out: the volume game, just posting and doing a lot. In: the right strategic activities, made sustainable and consistent.

Out: consistency as an afterthought, "here's everything you learned, and by the way, do it consistently." In: the system is organized to support staying consistent from the start. We start with consistency, then add strategy on top of it.

Out: the LinkedIn pod. If you were in the super pod, it's going away, replaced by nothing, which reflects how LinkedIn itself has changed. The pod started back in the "Pack Your Pipeline" days and helped a lot of people get their first comments and momentum, but it's run its course. It's not about getting engagement quickly to drive views anymore. It's about the right people seeing your work and going through their buying journey. So we thank the pod for its service.

Go live: the countdown and portal refresh

Everyone unmuted and we counted down from 10 together. 11:34am, October 1st. It happened.

If you're on a Mac, press Command-R. On Windows, press Control-R, and you should see the new marketing modules in your portal.

The old marketing system shows a "retiring soon" message. If there's anything you're partway through, finish it before it retires. (The old system stays open through October; the final retirement date is November 2nd, alongside the LinkedIn pod.)

If you only see the old system, go to "All Courses" at the top of the training room to find the new one.

How to start: Building Blocks, then Core

Here's how to get started, and I want you to start in a different place than you might think. First, go to Building Blocks. There's new material at the very end that sets the context and expectations for the rest of the marketing journey. If a lesson looks locked, go into the lesson before it and click "next lesson."

After that, start the marketing system with Marketing Core. If you're not sure where to begin, come to a coaching call and talk it through with Jacqueline, or post in Program Questions.

One member had already binged the old system on a long drive and started implementing it, and asked whether to go back to Building Blocks or pick up where she left off. My answer: go back to Building Blocks and go through it with new eyes, even the parts that feel familiar, like Sustainable Marketing Strategy, which is mostly the same with some added material, so you can move through that part a little faster. But pretty quickly you'll hit the LinkedIn material, which is all new.

Offer for Slack-only members: the Growth+ return

This part is for Slack-only members and alumni.

If you're here with a Slack-only membership, you don't currently have access to the training content, and if you want it, we want you to have it. The way back in is Growth+, our program for members who've completed 12 months in the Academy. People join Growth+ for more time, more support, to get coaching on implementing the tools, and because it's a smaller group with a shared language: people actively putting the work into practice, tackling bigger questions like "how do I make this more sustainable or more profitable" rather than "what's a pain point."

Growth+ includes live expert coaching calls with Leah, quarterly 1:1s with a coach, a private Slack channel, and full access to the new marketing system and all Academy content.

Normally Growth+ is priced the same as the Academy, with 25% off for a full year commitment. For this launch, for one week only, current Slack-only members can get that same 25% off with just a six month commitment. After six months it continues month to month at the regular rate. This applies only to current Slack-only members, and it's open until Thursday, October 8th. To claim it, reply to the email you'll get tonight, or email concierge@smartgetspaid.com.

A request for members: refer a colleague

Now, to everyone: what we're sharing today is, without trying to sound hyperbolic, groundbreaking. The most comprehensive system of its kind for women consultants. It's built for what works now and for where consulting is going.

I want to ask you to share it with friends and colleagues, introduce them to us. In this day and age, marketing your consulting business isn't optional, and the difference between consultants who sink and swim is how well they have their marketing dialed in.

If you know someone who'd benefit, introduce us by email. You get a free bonus month for anyone you refer who joins, and there are templates in the Success Guide you can copy and paste. This is for women who've been in business at least two years. Take a moment, think of one or two people, and this week, send them an email introducing them to me.

Q&A: FAQs, the old system, and your questions

Will the old system go away? It stays open through October and retires November 2nd.

Do I need to finish everything right away? No, this isn't a race. Don't binge it. Choose one thing at a time, get solid, then move on. If you want help choosing what's next, come to the Momentum Session, first Thursday of every month.

Will my team have access? Yes, for Growth and Growth+ members. Not available with Slack-only membership.

See something broken? Say something. Email us so we can fix it. The team heavily QA'd this, but stuff slips through.

Will we still get a LinkedIn review from Jacqueline or Sue? Yes, if you go through the material again, that's built in.

Is the Growth+ call still happening next week? Yes, moved to Monday at 12pm ET because Leah is out of town.

Any other questions, post in Program Questions and the team will help.

To close things out: everyone got paired back up with their accountability buddy to make a plan to check in every two weeks for the next two months, by DM, Zoom, or text, whatever works. Thanks for coming to the launch party. Go dive into the marketing.