Why 1:1 mentor sessions > group mentor sessions
GrowthMentor was built upon the idea that every situation is unique, so generic courses and blog posts just don’t cut it sometimes.
Actually connecting with someone and having a back and forth conversation about the particular roadblock you are facing at this very moment is a great way to solve your issue. (Particularly great if that person has been down the same path before!)
Occasionally on live chat we will get the question “Can I bring my team on to the call?”
Our official response is, “Yes, as long as you are the point person.”
If you want to have others present to passively listen on the call, that’s within the terms of service as long as the account holder is the point person and leading the discussion.
GrowthMentor suggests that if you want to share your calls with team members, you should record it and send it to them to view on their own.
Let’s break down the whys of this topic:
Respect for the Mentor
The best GM calls are those that have a pre-set focus that is shared in the session request and the mentor knows what they are signing up for. It’s important for the mentor to check out the member profile and get a bit of background information about who they are about to speak with.
When 5 people show up on a Zoom, that’s going to throw the mentor for a loop!
“Didn’t know I was speaking at a conference today, but here goes” could be the sentiment below.
Kuba is a total rockstar for fielding questions from an entire team!
If everyone was on mute but the point person, that would be alright- but then why have 8 extra eyes on you having a chat with someone. It’s a bit awkward 😀 It’s much better to send the recording later on.
Focus
I’m pulling in a personal experience for this area.
I did a call with a husband and wife founding team. They had a great product in an area I have experience with, so I was excited to speak with them about content possibilities (as stated in the session request).
The call started off great, but I soon realized that they were not on the same page about what to focus on. One veered off to social media and the other was talking about the copy on the site and monetization. I was in total cat herder mode.
As a mentor, I left the call disappointed because our time was not spent focused on the area indicated ahead of time and I didn’t feel like they got much out of it because it was all over the place. I probably should’ve pulled an Arnie on them, but that’s way above my pay grade.
After that session if I got a whiff of, “I’m going to bring my partner on” I would set the record straight that the account holder needed to be the point person and let them know that calls with more than one person aren’t as efficient.
Everyone has their own ideas and things they want to discuss- it’s very hard to have a group conversation where everyone is on the exact same page.
Selfishness
You are getting 1:1 time with someone who is not only an advanced marketer, but also willing to offer their time to you (usually for free) and help YOU with your specific problem.
Don’t let some mouth breathing co-worker get all up in your call! This is time for you and the mentor that you chose to get down to business and solve what’s bothering YOU.
Accountability
If there are a bunch of people participating in the call, who will be accountable to follow through with the advice the mentor gives?
When you are on a 1:1 call, there is no passing the buck to a team mate.
Team Options
If you really want your team members to benefit from calls with mentors, have them create their own account.
Put it on the company card and you can compare notes. You can get double the bang for your buck by both recording your calls and sharing them.
We offer a progressive discount for 2 seats and up! Team plans