Like reading the content though – thanks!

PS. one of my friends is a designer with integrity and artistic flair. If you want, drop Ben an email on info@benchapmandesign.co.uk and mention me and ask for examples of his work. Hope this helps.

2.I’m interested in the phone and in person coaching. I enjoyed your interviews on the pickupodcast site and your articles here and older articles from the Charisma Arts website.

3. Charisma Arts website and some of their instructors blogs. iwforums.com/ is where I was recommended Juggler method. By looking into that, I eventually learned about you, when forum members (CA forum) were ranting about your posts being deleted. That led me to this site.

4. I think your website could use a refreshed look. I like the name Socialhitchhiker and think it should be used in the title some how. Like Socialhitchhiker’s Charisma Tips. List more of your products on the front page, like the phone and in person coaching. Post some of your great articles on forums like iwforums.com/ to spread your name around.

Get a new website. This one looks like absolute s—.
Your website is the store front for your entire company. If you had a building would you make it strictly Valentines colors? Really?

I don’t think you need to implement the standard black and red of virtually ever seduction website either.

Honestly, I would look at Wordpress templates for a few hours and save the best. You don’t need to be revolutionary yet, you just need to look credible.

Right now your website has ZERO credibility.

I would like a workbook with theory of foundational points covered plus practical exercises. And by practical I don’t mean field exercise but creativity exercises to get in sync with the new communication modes you need.

I’d advise teaching building a sexual vibe before opening because if you have some confidence you can build a sexual vibe you’ll be more confident when learning about opening. Aren’t I a genius!

Teachings ought to give at least 3 example interactions that illustrate each practical teaching point, preferably 5 for more subtle ones.

This will simulate field experience a tiny bit I feel. Current books routinely give only one illustration of each point or their examples cover many points which while reading impressive is difficult to deconstruct to learn from confidently.
Often they add another maneuver in the summary of the point and give no illustration of it. I also think color coding the “lines” is attractive.

The problem with the teaching of seduction is it doesn’t build confidence unless you happen to get successful field experience – which is hard for a variety of reasons.

If you can make people feel – hey I’m thinking in the modes of a charming guy they will be confident and go on and love you.

Then there should be exercises to fill in the book so you get a handle on creating the communication mode being taught.

Then the teacher could correct/validate the exercises.

I’d invite you to use me as a guinea pig to test out these ideas if you feel theyr’e compelling to you Dan – thanks.

I’m training to be an alternative school teacher – so teaching is very compelling to me – and this is a very important thing to teach that is getting a bad rep, which only good teachers can stop.

That’s my idea!

1. Your not alone, I suspect there is a general downturn.
Mr Hudson is taking the time to become a protege to some super-marketing guy, so when the upturn comes around his poised to seize it.

2. I’ve never met anyone out of a BC who was good. Like substanially better than me (since I’m terribly I shouldn’t really be giving advice on problems, but the BCs don’t seem to equip them well).
Obviously you can’t control students motivation, but if you can get your students good results, while your there… that will aid motivation when you’re gone, and maybe I would be impressed by them. Meaning maybe the people they are around generally will be impressed and inspired to splash.

It would be so cool if you could say
’social hitch hiker – getting better results for guys’.
But obviously I don’t know how possible this is.

3. Become a hero to guys.
I reckon you’re already dismissing this one.
But its basically what Brad P did, endless FRs on MASF made him massive. Or that’s how I perceive it.
MASF is fairly secure from women. But you would have to create a new pseudo-name, and an additional website for your services – the whole duel identity thing.

I know you won’t go for that, no guarentee it will work now anyway. But I did suggest other things.

1. What are your goals with dating?

To overcome my insecurities concerning women, to enjoy multiple relationships with high quality women, and have choice in this area of my life.

2. What products or services would you like to see Charisma Coaching Offer? (paid or free)

You already offer a wide range of services such one-on-one coaching, phone coaching, workshops, podcasts, and a blog. You may want to offer an ebook (a product people can buy) to round out the offering.

3. What other dating websites/blogs do you read?

Pickup Podcast, Approach Anxiety, Kinowear, SF Lair Forums

4. What do you think I could do or not do to reach more people?

You don’t need to hire a marketing person, you don’t need to create new products, you don’t need a new design for you website.

Your business (beyond phone coaching) is very local, so what you need to do is network and get involved with people from the SF/North Bay seduction community.

Attend lair meetings, post on the forums, comment on people’s blogs. Build a reputation for yourself and develop those connections. There are tons of new people at every lair meeting, and I think you will find a good market for your services if you offer them at competitive prices.

If you want to expand your phone coaching business beyond the SF Bay area, then start marketing and getting involved in the greater PUA and dating community. Offer to do guest posts for blogs like the Pickup Podcast, and offer other instructors the chance to do guest posts on your blog. If you can tap into even a fraction of the larger market, you will have more business than you alone could handle.

How have your past clients found out about you? What were you doing then that was successful, and how can you do more of it?

Good luck!

1. Update/change the website. This would be fairly low cost, and because it is your primary way of doing business, the most beneficial.

2. Perform a service that others do not/can not. I think CA does some great things, and there is a structure to the method, but the information is somewhat scattered. A strongly organized layout with checklists would help everybody. Also cover things that CA does not, but should. This is a life skill, not just pickup. You have shared so many tips, organize them into a book(or have someone else do it for you). This would help gain interest for personal coaching.

3. Boot camps are a great way to get a jump start, and anyone who has taken one understands the “boot camp high”. This does fade over time, and it is harder to keep going than to slip back into one’s old habits. If you address this with some structured outlines, a more lasting effect will take place. I learned a lot on my boot camp, but I wish there had been a note taking outline to help me create and keep a stronger identity. I do not like “routines”, but we all have stories and working the details more with written examples would help everybody.

4. Get in touch with other former CA instructors. Sub contract phone coaching for anyone who would like to work with them, and take a small percentage. There are a lot of people who miss some of the former instructors, and would pay extra to work with someone we have worked with in the past.

5. I see from the recent post of a coaching call that you repeat many of the same obstacles with your clients (myself included). It might help to write down what you worked on with each person, and look for repeating patterns. Then find out who has made the most progress and what it was that got them over their obstacles.

I think many of us have made great progress from your work, and I hope you stick with this Dan. I am sure you will find a way to get this business to go where you want it.

James

Well it may not help, but get yourself on David D, etc. and put in a good showing in insider, that is rare, and it is really shaking the tree and showing whose good, and whose hot air.

Also submit a mission or 2 for SL labs. if some come to mind. If people have good experiences then hopefully that will give them good results.

Generally though the independants charge less. I guess you will have to figure that one out. But if its ‘all the skill developed under Mr Elise, for less…’ seems persuasive to me.

A few suggestions:

1) Do nothing. Stick with what you’re doing but focus on building up your customer base and reputation over time. Maybe get a second job to help pay the bills.

2) Reach out to the Community lairs in as many cities as you can. Do a little tour to hit up some of these cities and go out with some of the guys and help them with their game. This will make you more well known. The downside is the upfront cost.

3) Partner or merge with some of the other more upstart companies out there that are also trying to compete with the big boys.

4) I don’t know what you are charging for your various services, but at this stage in your business, and especially in this economy, you need to make sure you are competing on price and delivering value for the dollar. I read somewhere recently that RSD is going to start charging more for their bootcamps. I suspect that’s a mistake.

You could work with a Marking Prof to hold a contest for marketing students’ where they submit marking plans to you and when you see the best one give away a free training seminar.

You could get tons of great ideas this way.

i’d hire and pay for:

advanced web designer, graphics designer, and a marketing major

then have them meet and work together to revamp your site.

another problem with this business is that it’s so segmented. they really need to have a network established

As a business student myself I can attest to our desire for meaningful and relevant work.