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Creating Cost-effective Websites

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

If you’re a new coach interested in cost-efficient resources, that’s exactly the topic Beth Cole (www.thewebservant.com) and I have been discussing.

Need an affordable website?  If you’re new to establishing a web presence, please know that you have many choices.  Put time into your research and learn what your choices are even if you’re not a technical person.  Don’t go with the first thing that makes sense to you - dig even deeper to best understand your choices and make an informed decision.

My recommendation is that you establish a site that can easily be updated with basic text changes, fresh content and your latest updates.  Most coaches aren’t technicians, but you can hire someone create a site that you can maintain by learning to update fairly easily.  That creates freedom for you and saves you money that can be invested in hiring technical help for when more major design changes or revisions are in order. 

Here is part of an interview with Beth:

Linda:  What are the most efficient, cost effective ways to create a great website?  

Beth:  For efficient and cost effective I’d say Wordpress.com, or a Wordpress hosting service like Page.ly, or  Web Coaching Solutions. 

Wordpress.com has a limited number of included free design themes. 

Page.ly offers free and premium themes with great support for Wordpress (like automatic upgrades). 

Web Coaching Solutions is plug-n-play with pre-written text and images. 

Any of these tools will allow you to manage your own content.  The Wordpress options will give you more freedom in terms of blogging, audio, and social media, etc. 

There are many free website solutions - many that come with a hosting package for instance.  Some have mentioned Site Build It as an option.  I have not used this tool so I don’t want to give an opinion. 

Linda:  When I interview you on May 18, can we talk about the pros and cons of the various options? 

Beth:  Absolutely, Linda, that will be fun!  It’s one of my favorite subjects and I will look forward to it.  

Linda:  I know I’ve been really happy with Wordpress at one of my sites.  I can see myself converting them all to Wordpress.  

Beth:  Here are couple of articles from my blog that may be helpful for coaches considering Wordpress:  Is Wordpress a Good Fit for You? and Choosing a Free, Premium or Custom Theme for Wordpress. 

Linda:  Thanks for the excellent resources Beth! 

OK, everyone!  Put this on your calendar now!  For more about creating a cost-effective website, join us as I interview Beth live at the next Christian Coaching Resources free monthly “Christian Coaching…Tell Me More” meeting on Tuesday, May 18 at 12 noon Central time.  Click here for free and easy registration. 

Beth and I invite you to comment on this post with questions you have about setting up a website. That way we’ll be sure to cover your special interests on May 18.

Posted in Christian Coaching, Establishing your business, Marketing your business, Starting the Journey | 1 Comment »

Cost-effective Online Tools for Success

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

While putting together a list of free and low-cost tools on the web, I checked in with Beth Cole of www.thewebservant.com to include her expert input.  Later this week I’ll be posting a brief interview with Beth about cost-effectively creating websites.  In the meantime, we have compiled a list of tools for you to investigate. 

Many of these online tools have free trial periods so you can try them first:

To offer group coaching via telephone:  For the bridge line, I’ve recently had good connections with www.freeconferencecall.com .  Beth says try Whistletree for bride lines also.  To help facilitate your groups (up to five for $27 per month with no long term contract) look into www.groupcoachingmanager.com .

For an online scheduling tool:  I just started using www.timedriver.com and so far, I’m really impressed.  Simple to set up and after the generous 90 day trial the cost is $29.95 for a year.  Beth says also check out Genbook, or Acuity Scheduling (allows payment) .     

To create surveys:  Use www.surveymonkey.com to create surveys to engage your potential clients and invite them for input.  The basic account is free.

To covert a document to pdf:  Try www.pdfonline.com to convert documents to pdf format.  Beth’s additional recommendations include www.freepdfconvert.com and Adobe’s PDF tool (subscription).,

For email marketing and list management:  I use www.constantcontact.com .  Beth recommends another popular possibility, www.icontact.com .  Both offer free trials.

To request money and facilitate client payments:  Until you obtain a merchant account and shopping cart which is more costly, www.paypal.com will facilitate invoices and requests for payment.  Clients can use their credit cards or bank account to make payments.

More on managing client billing:  Beth uses www.freshbooks.com and says other popular solutions are BlinkSale and Harvest.

For delivering ebooks:  Beth recommends www.ejunkie.com  .

For delivering ecourses:  Beth recommends www.icontact.com.

What recommendations for free and low-cost online tools do you have?  Let us know!  Leave your recommendations in comments below. 

Finally, a strong recommendation from me:  To contribute to your success, go order Beth Cole’s ebook, Essential Web Marketing.  It’s a great investment at only $19.95.  Click here to learn more.

Posted in Christian Coaching, Establishing your business, Marketing your business, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Woodstock and the Truth

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

 

Last week I saw an internet story headline that caught my attention: 

 

 ”I Was At Woodstock.  And I Hated It”* 

 

Wow.  After all this time, the perceived social pressure had diffused enough so someone felt safe to tell the truth about his experience.  Or maybe it took all these years for the writer to muster the courage to express a story that went against popular opinion.   

 

The headline itself started me thinking about how many times we hold back from telling the truth.  It’s not that we’re necessarily lying or deceiving.  I’m referring to the times we don’t share our true thoughts or feelings. We avoid sharing our opinions or insights.  We may keep silent out of laziness or perhaps we’re fearful.  Whatever the reason, the result is that the popular opinion of those around us determines how we live.

 

As coaches we are responsible to face what’s true and real in our own lives respond accordingly.  And we are responsible to help our clients do the same. 

 

I challenge you with these questions.  What truth do you need to face?  What is real about your circumstances that you need to acknowledge, own and address today?  What will happen if you don’t accept and face this truth?  What will happen if you do?  What will happen if you pray about this?  Of course, I encourage you to find out what will happen if you do pray about it!

 

Whatever your answer to these questions, I also encourage you to bravely tell someone - be it your coach, a trusted friend, or your pastor.  Ask for accountability and support to face the truth and step into that truth. 

 

Of course the Woodstock article I’ve mentioned is one of many in the current media, referencing the event’s 40th anniversary.  Don’t take forty years or forty days to tell your truth.  Do it now.   “The truth will set you free.”  (John 8:32)  

  

*If you’re interested in reading the Newsweek article “I Was At Woodstock.  And I Hated It” here is the link:  http://www.newsweek.com/id/211496

Posted in Christian Coaching | No Comments »

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