I haven’t done this for awhile but I am (re)introducing the May Day sessions for just the next 31 days and I’m so excited!

What’s a May Day Session?

These are 4 hour coaching sessions which focus in on one area of your business that needs a little love. Or a lot of love. Most often held on zoom, we meet to dig into the aspects of your business that are waking you up in the middle of the night with that nagging sensation that something needs to happen before you’re screaming Mayday! Mayday!

What can we work on? 

Most folks come in with a really clear idea of what’s not working or what they want to create. Every session is different and it all depends on what you need. Here are a few examples:

• One client needed to get more eyes on her content to generate leads. We discussed a media outreach strategy, made real time changes to home page copy and generated social media topics that would stand out from the mainstream. The result was a post that went viral and attracted more ideal clients to follow and engage.
• Another client was growing their agency, fast, and needed an employee manual that laid out expectations. Never having one before, he hired me to build it from scratch. 4 hours later we had nearly 80 pages that detailed everything from how to sign up for health insurance to getting your company t-shirt. The client went on to edit the final draft and review with an attorney.
• Fall is a popular time to launch products and programs but it’s preceded by long summer months so one client booked a session to plan out their entire launch in May for the following September. We got clear on what was essential, unnecessary and ‘would be nice’ to have during the launch and then built the entire project plan in Asana. We set deadlines, assigned tasks to her team and even booked work time on her calendar for the next 5 months, taking a huge load of stress off her shoulders.

These sessions are so much fun for me! I love being able to address a concern that’s been on your mind and build simple and effective systems to plan the path forward.

Why might my business need a May Day Session? 

Booking a session is giving your business some TLC in an area which might have been neglected because you’re busy tending to other parts of the business.

For example, I bet you do things every day to keep your home tidy. You take out the trash, wash dishes, do laundry, sweep, etc. But very few people are daily cleaning their baseboards, dusting ceiling fans or scrubbing their ovens. These are tasks that need to be done occasionally but may not be the most present at the front of your mind.

Think of the May Day Session like bringing in a professional cleaner once a year. Spring Cleaning for your business. When you let a professional do the hard and sometimes grimy work, you can refocus on other things that need your attention.

Where did this come from? 

Let me tell you about the very first client who booked a May Day session… in January. It had been about 4 years since I’d had a proper vacation without work involved and I had booked a trip to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. I was going to snorkel, sun on the beach, go shopping and see the whales that had migrated south.

Then, 17 days before my flight left I got a call from a former client who needed my help. He was launching a new program, one that had been on his mind for years and was finally happening. And he needed the systems and organization that I bring to a business now.

I told him, plainly, that I was leaving town in 17 days and I would not work past that time, if he wanted to bring me in that was all the time we had. He agreed and we got to work.

Our initial session went so well that he continued to extend our time, from working on the strategy and design all the way to sales strategy, customer service and working through the close of cart to get the right people in the program. We lived nearby so were also able to do some of the work in person. The day before I left for Mexico, he handed me a check for the balance of our agreement and put in the subject line: for getting my dreams off the ground.

What’s the investment? 

First up, the process. When you book it begins with a 30-60 min strategy call where we discuss what the session will focus on and detail what to bring. This allows us to hit the ground running and ensures I have temporary access to any content, sites or files that we’ll need. You book the 4 hour block and we meet on zoom, you can invite team members to attend or we can be one-on-one and, if requested, we can easily record it all in zoom for you. You’ll leave the session with the clear next steps for anything beyond what we accomplish during the session. I’m a big fan of just doing it so we might write social media copy or detail the launch plan in your Asana account, while on the call. Then, a few weeks later I’ll check in to see how things are going and if there’s been any friction to work through. The total investment is a one time payment of $750 (USD).

What if I want to learn more? 

If you’re curious and want to book a call to discuss details and find out if it’s right for you and your business, simply email me at kelly (at) kellyazevedo.com and put May Day in the subject line. Then we can get on the phone for a no pressure discussion about May Day and if it’s a good fit. This offer expires on May 31st so if you’re interested, reach out now. Sessions do not need to happen in May, they’re available until September 1, 2024.

How many dozens of times have you heard a business coach lecture about your ICP? Your client avatar? Your target client?

I’m willing to bet that so many of those conversations end with a nice list of features for the client of your dreams. But too often we write these with the same ignorance of searching for love on a dating profile. But only if that amazing person has the right color eyes, height, location, within this age range, with that level of education, who does or does not drink and has the same 4 interests as everyone else online: travel, hiking, concerts and hanging with friends.

Are you bored? I sure am.

Every time someone pulls out their Ideal Client Profile with the most meaningless info like age and hair color, I would like to scream.

Because there’s absolutely more relevant information to consider when thinking about a client. Unless you’re literally speaking to an age specific issue like retirement homes, new high school graduates or babies starting solid foods, age is irrelevant. And even within those examples there’s a range to consider.

What if you asked yourself some of these questions about your ICP?

1. What is this person struggling with that interrupts their daily life? What do they zone out thinking about when they’re driving, or trying to fall asleep? What problem is so present in their lives and yet they are so helpless on solving it that they are sitting up on Google at 3am trying to find answers?

2. You already know the problems you solve and the solution you provide. But have you considered what is the actual, deep down, reason that someone hires you?

I recently went through this exercise with a client who was pitching themselves to be on a popular podcast. Their topic ideas were… a little boring. I suggested some juicier topic statements that would get the podcast host’s attention. Think through the whole range of audiences, I suggested, the podcast host wants a great conversation with different ideas. They also need something with a great hook to get more listeners. If it’s a bit controversial or different they know it will get more shares, more comments, more subscribers on social media. Each of these metrics makes the podcast more valuable for advertisers, allowing the host to charge more for ad placements. More popular podcasts receive awards, get community recognition and go on to have additional seasons or episodes. Think all the way through to the end of the journey, not just the first step.

3. How far is someone willing to go to get a solution? Location is one of the most arbitrary aspects of online dating. It amazes me that millions of people say, “I want to find my soulmate and live our lives together, but only if he or she is within this radius from my current location.” When it comes to your business location may not be relevant at all.

Ikea understands this model best as they don’t build stores in every mid-sized or larger town. They’re not Wal-Mart. Ikea understands that if their brand is strong enough you will drive 4 hours to get flat packed furniture. You will make it a weekend trip and you will enjoy that new bedroom set with a side of meatballs thankyouverymuch. 

How far you’ll go is also more than a matter of distance. How much time will someone commit? How much will they invest? What will they set aside to make this happen first? If your ICP doesn’t address this then you’re no different than the local plumber drawing a circle 50 miles around town and saying they’ll take all the clients in this area.

4. What is the ultimate impact of not getting a solution or fix? When I did collegiate debate it was a frequent joke that we could make anything lead to global nuclear war and extinction. Bad spending policy? Global nuclear war. Decision would make China angry? Global nuclear war. But in business we tend to do the opposite – what happens if someone doesn’t hire me or buy this widget? Uh, they’ll not make as much money and be sad. Womp womp. Pathetic. Going to the end of the line means asking “and then what?” at least a half dozen times.

For example, a lead chooses not to get their new puppy trained. And then what? The dog they’ve wanted for years and paid a lot of money to adopt from a reputable breeder is a bit hyper. Chews on the furniture. Hates the leash. And then what? You start to resent the dog for being difficult. You spend less time with her and things get worse. And then what? Your new and very expensive rug is totally ruined because the dog can’t even go outside to use the bathroom! And then what? Everyone in the family is fighting over taking care of her. And then what? She snaps at your young nephew and now the extended family don’t want to come over. And then what? You’re frustrated, stuck with a dog that’s unmanageable and expensive and you have to find her a new home and your kids are crying. And then what? You feel like you’ve made a terrible decision, let your family down and your energy is totally consumed with this dog you wanted so much and now can’t control and spending so much time cleaning up accidents that you want to scream.

When it comes to online dating, you can and should ask much more interesting questions than hobbies, favorite film and height. But even more importantly, when you’re building an ideal client profile you need to go beyond simple demographics and into the psychographics of what makes this person tick, what motivates them, inspires change and what will likely happen if they don’t change.

My challenge to you is to read your most recent client avatar and ask yourself if it is detailed enough to really describe the person you want to work with most.