In class last week, one of my students said that his industry doesn’t know what mastermind groups are. Another student said that in her country, mastermind groups are unknown.

How do you introduce the idea of mastermind groups to an audience that has never heard about them?

Many people learned about the mastermind group concept through Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, and others hear about mastermind groups from leading mentors, authors, and educators — but sometimes the term “mastermind group” isn’t explained clearly.

Some people in your audience have never heard the term “mastermind group” and don’t know what they are.

Create an Education Campaign

You need to create an education campaign to teach your audience about mastermind groups.

First, decide the purpose of your education campaign.

• Are you introducing mastermind groups because you’re going to be offering a group to this audience within the next two months?
• Or are you simply laying the groundwork and building up interest in mastermind groups, but won’t be offering one any time soon?

Here’s why that matters:

• If you intend to market your mastermind group to this audience within the next two months, then the education campaign needs to be part of your bigger marketing/sales campaign. You would start educating them about mastermind groups 2-4 weeks before you launch your marketing campaign.
• But if you’re using this as an education campaign that you’ll roll out over three or six months (before eventually offering them your mastermind group membership later), then you can relax on the marketing messages and focus on the education side.

Want to learn how to start a mastermind group? Click here to get my free video tutorial on how to create a mastermind group of your own.

How can you introduce the concept?

There are two ways to introduce mastermind groups:

• the direct way – telling them about how mastermind groups can help them.
• the indirect way – telling them about how to solve a problem they want to solve, and introducing mastermind groups as one potential solution.

I encourage you to use both techniques because marketing should be focused on the outcome or result they want, not the vehicle to get to that outcome.

A mastermind group, like a book or a webinar or private consulting, is the vehicle that gives them the results they want. There are benefits to selecting one vehicle over another, but mostly what your audience wants to hear is: “Will this vehicle give me the outcome I want, move me towards my goals, help me think through decisions, and solve problems that arise?”

Direct education – use this when you’re getting ready to offer them your own mastermind group as part of a marketing campaign:

• Write a blog post or offer a free webinar (or Facebook Live, etc.) about what a mastermind group is and how it helps this specific audience. Don’t be too general – talk specifically for your audience. If your audience is corporate leaders, explain why a mastermind groups helps C-suite executives. If your audience is people working on their personal financial plans, then explain why sharing knowledge and resources with others who are working on their own finances can help elevate everyone. If you’re offering a mastermind group to graduates of one of your workshops, explain why your mastermind group is the next logical choice if they want to implement what they learned in your class.
• Do a podcast episode about mastermind groups (if you have your own podcast) or be a guest on someone else’s podcast.
• Create a conference presentation about mastermind groups for your industry or region.
• Write an article for your industry or local newspaper/magazine.

Indirect education – use this when you’re laying the groundwork for a future mastermind group, as part of an education campaign, and use it when you’re going to be marketing your own group to them in the very near future:

• Focus on problem-solving as the benefit, not on the mastermind group itself. Remember, a mastermind group is a vehicle to help them attain their goals.
• Choose the top 5 problems your audience wants to solve.
• Writes blog posts, offer webinars, speak at conferences, etc., about how to solve these problems.
• Along with suggesting specific solutions to their problem, also suggest that a mastermind group would help them with other problems typical to this audience.
• When speaking, teaching, and writing, weave in personal stories about a time when a mastermind group helped you solve similar problems. If you’re not in a mastermind group, get in one, so you can explain from firsthand experience how a mastermind group benefitted you personally.
• Share the success stories from people who have been in your mastermind group when you were the facilitator. Make sure you get their permission to share the story. Ask for testimonials and share them. (You can use these last two techniques as part of a marketing campaign as well.)

If you’re the first to introduce mastermind groups to your industry or region – congratulations! You’re riding the wave of mastermind groups worldwide!

Want to learn how to start a mastermind group? Click here to get my free video tutorial on how to create a mastermind group of your own.