When we started, we didn't have groups, or group consulting. I worked with individuals like you do, and then with companies, but each and every trip was time spent on meetings and more meetings. I can tell you right away that if you get rid of meetings, and Zoom and all of that nonsense, you and the client will have more time and get work done. Then have time to spend doing whatever else you please.
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However, there are going to be steps. The first is the “selling of the idea”?
1. Don’t sell “group coaching”—sell a shared journey
Right now, your Big Idea Sprint is a private room. The group changes the psychology. People don’t want to feel like they’re getting a diluted version of that room.
So the shift is subtle but powerful:
• From: “I’ll help you find your big idea”
• To: “We’re going through this together, step by step, with structure”
You’re not selling more of you.
You’re selling a well-designed path where:
• Week 1 → X happens
• Week 2 → Y happens
• Week 3 → Z clicks into place
You have to design this pathway. Every organisation that's organised will have a pathway. Ambulances, pilots, doctors, etc all have a thousand ways to attack a problem. However, trying to tackle an individual pilot or doctor's problem is a fool's game. We would go nowhere with one on one consultation. You have to have a “fairly rigid” pathway. Not fully rigid, but structured and not at the whim of the client and especially not at the whim of the trainer. The results are never consistent.
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2. Create a pilot.
We had just a tiny forum with 5000bc when we started. It wasn't a “hey, hey, it's group consulting or group training” time. A forum is a brutal place if you don't step steadily. The bigger the group, the more the forum will be dead. The tiny group is also a bit dicey, but can work. An average of 5-7 people in a group is always the best. However, you need to build up to that moment, not expect that it will just work off the bat.
We have enormous experience in this area having had literally a few thousand clients go through 5000bc and also through all of our courses and workshops. Plus, we've done consulting. This experience can shorctut your climb, but you will need to expect that things will take time and work in phases. You will be better off in the third version of the group consulting than the first.
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• Go to your 6 ongoing clients
• Invite 3–5 of them into a small group.
• Run it as a guided experiment
Frame it like:
“I’m testing a structured version of the Big Idea Sprint in a small group. It’ll be slower, more layered, and we’ll refine it as we go.”
This does three things:
1. Removes pressure to perform
2. Gives you real-time experience and
3. Creates your first “group success stories”
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3- “There is no such thing as a quiet forum if you have an agenda and a map to follow.”
This is the whole idea.
Group coaching fails when it becomes:
- random questions
- uneven participation
- vague outcomes
What you'll need is:
A tight weekly agenda
Not loose themes. Precise deliverables.
Example:
Week 1: Define target audience + pain point
Week 2: Draft core promise
Week 3: Build outline
Week 4: Stress-test idea
Each week:
submission
feedback
refinement
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4) Create a “staging product” before the group
Before people join a group, they need a low-friction entry. Not a freebie. Something that will get them to opt in and pay for something.
Examples:
- A $50–$100 mini workshop
- A 2-hour “Find Your Idea Direction” session
- A short recorded course
What does it achieve?
Warms up the audience
Filters serious participants
That's because your current leap is kinda HUGE. With all the reputation we have, we've never gone straight from “cold” to “$1000” (even with one on one consulting). The reason is simple: First of all, you get them to buy into something smaller, and reduce risk. But also you earn for EVERY purchase.
If you buy straight into “my $3000 product” then guess what?
You haven't bought the $9,$39, $59, $300 products. Even when clients don't buy your $1000, they will buy your smaller products. And those who buy the $1000 will buy everything else as well. It works for you and for them. They reduce risk, learn and implement. You create a business that's not all work, work, work and 100% consulting.
A lot of what needs to be done is going to take months, not weeks.
You'll have to work out (or have some friend) help you set up a forum, and please “no WhatsApp” or any shortcut.
Step 1: Either do the groundwork or ask for help on what technology you're going to need.
Step 2: Work out an agenda that clients will follow.
Step 3: See if you can create either existing clients to do a separate program or get new clients to buy into a new program. This is small, and probably four weeks, and will help you get an understanding of what chaos erupts and what's good about this system.
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