Have you ever been to a party where you knew no one? And then like an angel, an old friend pops up with a big smile. Suddenly you feel relieved. Suddenly the anxiety-factor washes off you and you start to relax.
That friend is simply acting as a guide
She shows you around the place.
She introduces you to others.
She makes you feel welcome.
You actually start to have a good time and enjoy yourself.
But what if that friend hadn't shown up at that moment?
You would have looked around cagily.
Others at the party would look at you briefly over their margaritas and pinacoladas, and gone back to talking to their own friends. You'd instantly feel isolated. Even intimidated to some extent.
A Guide is meant to reduce the intimidation and confusion
When someone enters 5000bc (our membership site), they're in a strange place (ok, unfamiliar).
They don't always know the other members. And most importantly, they don't always know how to find their way around. So they try ‘this and that.' And if it works, it works. But if things don't work, then they give up. And don't come back.
Which is very bad for consumption
It's bad for your client, because they've paid for something they're not sure how to use.It's bad for you as a marketer, because a confused client who doesn't use your product/service is very, very unlikely to come back.
Which is why we created the Cave Guide System at 5000bc
The Cave Guide System works on these core principles:
1) Create a welcoming zone.
2) Reduce intimidation, fear and frustration of being in an unfamiliar environment.
3) Isolate actions to ensure consumption.
Step 1: Create a Welcoming Zone.
Like the party, all members need to get a warm welcome. The warm welcome is done through a series of autoresponders, actual one-on-one emails, and other contact such as a phone call.
Then the next step is to ask the members if they'd like to have a Cave Guide. In many cases, members are very happy to have a Cave Guide who shows them around.
And this simple act dramatically reduces intimidation.
Step 2: Reduce intimidation, fear and frustration of being in an unfamiliar environment.
It doesn't matter how warm your welcome, there's still a factor of fear and frustration, because of dealing with unfamiliar situations.
Not only are members not sure if they want to ask a question. But they aren't sure if their question won't appear foolish. And they're not sure who's going to answer the question.
What if no one answers the questions? A million thoughts run through your head. And these thoughts are normal for everyone, because no matter how bold you are in your own environment, you aren't quite sure what to do when getting to another environment.
So having someone who can answer your email; give you specific instructions; lead you through the labyrinth of information, makes a member confident.
What's more, is that these issues aren't restricted to new members. Existing members may not be familiar with some new additions to the membership site. And may be just as unsure.
The Cave Guide removes a lot of that fear.
And you know you're dealing with someone who's willing to hear you out. But most importantly, you don't feel like you'll make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. And that the Guide will help you through the process. Plus there is a mountain of ‘how-to' material to help you navigate 5000bc.
But as you now know, a mountain of information only confuses members even more. So isolation of information or an isolation of an action, is critical.
Step 3: Isolate actions to ensure consumption
If you go to a party, and you're introduced to everyone, then you suddenly can't seem to remember anyone's name. But if you're introduced to one person, then you can talk to that person one on one. And you actually get a conversation going.
This concept is used to ensure one action. So when a member enters 5000bc, all they are asked to do is introduce themselves. When the introduction is done, we encourage them to post their photo (and yes, there's an instruction guide for this). And so on, each instruction is given, one step at a time.
When they complete each instruction, they're supposed to report back to the Cave Guide. (Hey, can you see the consumption?)
So does all of this take time?
Sure it does.
And effort.
But once you've got the system going, it runs like clockwork (We've been working on the system for about 3 years now, and we're still working on it).
So why bother going through all this trouble?
In one word: Consumption.
A client that consumes keeps coming back. And this means we don't have to keep going out to get new clients all the time, like everyone else does.
In fact, less than 3% of our entire list generates about 90% of our income.
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