If you have a DVD, CD, or digital training program in your possession that’s sitting there waiting for you to finish… raise your hand. (I’m raising my hand right now.)

I enrolled in a creative writing class in December,, and started strong. Then I attended a visioning retreat, my mother-in-law died, and Christmas was upon me. I never got back to the replays and homework.

Here’s what I’ve learned about investing in coaches, mentors, and any kind of product that gives you business or mindset training: they’re only good if you use them. And using them means more than just listening.

Before you start giving yourself a beating for not making the most of these kinds of investments, take a deep breath. It’s not too late.

After my first social media training, I found that I didn’t change much in my social media strategy. I was overwhelmed with the knowledge I received and never made a game plan to implement the strategies that I liked.

Over one year later I enrolled in a webinar series with the same trainer, and she reviewed some of the stuff I’d already learned plus gave new information on the ever-changing Facebook pages. This time I implemented new strategies after each class. Not massive amounts but enough to create momentum.

Next, I scheduled out a whole afternoon with my business partner at the time, Eva, who’d also gone through the trainings with me. We went through every transcript from the class and made an action item list of our favorite strategies that we wanted to implement in the next few months. We also enrolled in new training to learn how to monetize all of our new strategies.

Now, I’m not saying you have to keep enrolling in your favorite trainer’s programs to get value. You just have to do whatever it takes to keep connected to the training material until you’ve made the changes necessary in your business.

If I hadn’t set up a day with Eva to go through all of the material again, I would’ve kept moving it to my “someday” list. And my social media marketing would’ve never improved. And if I’d tried to implement every single good idea in the program, I would have been overwhelmed and never gotten into action.

I’ve watched this same thing happen to so many coaching clients over the years that I now deliver bite-sized chunks of information in all of my products and programs and do massive follow-up so that people implement and practice their new learning.

So before you invest in your next training product or course, commit to the process with excitement, time, and willingness to do the “work.” Practice, implement, and get support. The reward you’ll get is that your mind and business will both experience the peace and profits that you craved when you said yes to your new training!

Here’s the best way to approach your investments…

  1. Be present while using your info product or attending a live session.
  2. Be very clear about the outcomes you want from your time investment.
  3. Block out time on your calendar for your learning, especially if it’s a home study course.
  4. Block out more time in your calendar to implement the material.
  5. Take notes as you go through so you’re more likely to remember. (I put all of my notes in the Evernote app.)
  6. Make a list of the action steps, in order, so you have a loose game plan.
  7. Ask questions of the instructor if you need more clarity on their process.
  8. Enroll in a program or coaching that will assist you in the implementation and create some form of accountability.
  9. Never beat yourself up for not doing all the steps or not finishing. If you get one aha out of a training, then it was worth it… no matter how much money you spent. Never underestimate the power of one aha.
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