Most people would agree; the last few years have been difficult. Yet, this does not mean you have to slow down your coaching business anytime soon. In the times of quarantine, self-isolation, and uncertainty, you can still help your clients and gain new ones. In fact, they may need your help now more than ever.
Use the tips below to get more clients for your coaching business and start helping more people by extending your reach. Here is how!
1. Think Like a Business Owner, Execute Like a Coach
Most individuals begin their coaching business to help others. They are not exactly the kind of people that like to “sell” themselves. And maybe neither are you! Yet, this is a business. You absolutely need to work on developing your business skills just as much as your coaching skills. It is the only way you will be successful.
Start by defining success and what success looks like to you. Success is how you define fulfillment, specifically when it comes to your business. It is frequently about setting goals and accomplishing them. However, your definition of success may change as your business grows.
At every stage of your business, it is useful to come up with a metric to define your personal success. Examples of such metrics include the number of coaching clients you have, the number of reviews you get, or a set amount of service income. This gives you something to work toward, as well as a set point to determine how far you have come when you do eventually achieve what you have set out to achieve.
When defining how success looks to you and what are the metrics that help you measure your progress, always consider your ‘why?’ Why do you strive to coach people? What is your purpose? This creates a purpose-driven business that often wins. Use your ‘why’ as your northern star, specifically when it comes to making business decisions. Answer the following questions after you have determined your way. These questions will help shape your goals, success metrics, and more, allowing you to grow and expand your coaching business.
- What are you trying to achieve?
- How will this goal impact your business?
- When do you want to achieve this goal?
- Can this goal be broken down into smaller goals?
- What actions can you take to achieve these goals?
2. Specialize
You have determined your ‘why’ and perhaps you have even set a few goals. The next step is to define your speciality. Niche down. By doing so, you keep your brand consistent. For instance, maybe you are the best at helping individuals transition into a new career or maybe your speciality is helping individuals find a remote job.
By niching down, you are more likely to get clients since they will view you as an expert in this area. To do this, you have to identify your audience. Who are they? Where do they hang out online? What are their demographics and lifestyle?
The best way to do this is by creating an avatar. For example, a coaching business that wants to appeal to a person looking for remote work would build an avatar describing who they want to attract. Their marketing and content would all be geared toward this avatar.
At this stage in the game, you may also want to revisit your ‘why.’ Why did you decide to become a coach in the first place? Perhaps you overcame a food addiction or you struggled yourself with breaking free from a 9-5 job and getting remote work. You then wanted to help others achieve the same. These similar struggles or experiences can help you create your perfect target audience. You know these issues well and you can relate directly to this audience.
Consider who you want to help and why. Use the following questions to help you.
- Who is your perfect client?
- Do you have equal success with men and women?
- Do you have success with particular ages?
- What field do you have the most experience in?
- Do you help people across a variety of fields or particularly one field?
- Who can afford and access your services?
- Where do they hang out online?
- What do they care about?
3. Use Stories to Communicate Your Message
People relate to other people. You need to find a common ground with your audience. Plus, relatability and authenticity are huge when it comes to attracting clients to your coaching business. How do you do this? Let’s take a look.
A) How do you create your own stories?
You need to be vulnerable and tell stories. You need to dive into your own experiences and share. These stories also need to be tailored specifically to your audience. Remember that avatar you outlined above? That is who you are talking to.
When creating stories, focus on your audience’s pain points. Bring it all together with how you can solve their problems – like yours – and put out an offer for them to learn more. However, ensure you keep it simple. Overcomplicated stories can lead to confusion and low engagement or readership.
Another important tip to remember is to make sure your story adds value to someone’s life. There is no point to a story that does not have value. Value may include lessons or tips that can help someone else, as well as a call to action regarding your coaching services.
B) Where should you post your stories?
Type them out and use them as social media captions. You can even create blog posts about them and repurpose this content as a Facebook post. You can create YouTube or Instagram videos. Or you may even choose to start your own podcast. Go with what you are most comfortable with at first, then expand that. A variety of channels is often the best to extend your reach as far as possible.
Further, consider creating videos to share what you have to say with your potential clients. Videos online, such as those posted to your business Facebook page or on Instagram, might be one of the best ways to let your authenticity shine through. These make you more personable and give potential clients an idea of what talking with you through video calls might be like. If you are nervous, practice makes perfect. Even if you do not post the video, try making a video each day. It will get you used to it and help calm your nerves.
4. Scale Your Business
So, how can you scale your business through online platforms and formats? What should you know?
A) Gather reviews and references
The best way to grow your business is through references and testimonials. Client reviews show proof regarding how you helped someone. These are important to get – no matter what stage your coaching business is at. It demonstrates to potential clients that you can help them.
B) Hang out where your clients hang out (even if that is just online right now)
To gain clients, you will also want to spend time where your clients hang out. Where are they on social media? Are there certain groups? Are there gatherings you can attend? While this might be more relevant in the future, do not shy away from public speaking engagements. While they may feel uncomfortable, they provide exposure and again, proof. Do research on conferences or meet-ups in your area, and then attend them. In the meantime, while social distancing is in effect, you can do this in a similar fashion online. There is more on this below.
C) Make your own Facebook Group
Take this a step further and consider making a Facebook or meet-up group specifically for your niche and business. This can expand your influence reach and help you gain trust amongst potential clients through the community. It further gives you control regarding who the group attracts and who is allowed in the group. You also end up talking to more than one person at once, which, again, extends your reach.
D) Become active in relevant groups
Your ultimate goal? Put yourself out there. Start speaking to as many people as possible. Get referrals and testimonials (all you need to do is ask). Talk to thought leaders and other groups’ moderators. Sign up for public speaking events (even if they are just online right now). It will likely put you out of your comfort zone, but it will also likely get you more clients, helping you scale your business.
You can further collaborate with other industry experts. Consider working together for guest blog posts, appearances on podcasts, video conferences, or co-created online events. This can help you gain more online exposure and draw potential clients into your social media or your business profiles.
5. Connect With Other Coaches
Connecting with other coaches can help you refer your clients to each other, depending on your areas of expertise. There are all types of coaches. Since you have niched down, you cannot help everyone, which is a good thing. Yet, if you have a network of coaches, you can refer your clients to them and they can do the same back.
Talking with other coaches can further your coaching capabilities. It will help you evolve and learn. Attend networking events. Go to industry conferences. Connect online. Facebook and LinkedIn is a great place where a lot of industry experts find each other and connect. It is also a great resource for finding events relating to coaching and coaching businesses, as well as your specific niche.
6. Do Not Always Say ‘Yes’
Turning people away is not always a bad thing. Certain individuals are not a good fit. You want the right prospect, the type of person you can help. It is also more likely that a happy client will provide a good testimonial for your business.
When you turn away one person, three more people will likely be waiting. This ensures you do not waste your time trying to help people you cannot help and that are not a good fit. In order to do this, have a way to qualify your potential clients. Figure out if they are a good match from the beginning – not 10 sessions in. Many coaches do this through forms and questionnaires. Ask your prospects questions pertaining to their problem and how they think you can help. Have them fill out a form before their first session. This will help you avoid wasting time on the wrong people.
7. Invest in Learning
Continued learning will ensure you stay ahead. There are so many courses online regarding psychology, life coaching, marketing, and business growth. You can even get started right now by signing up for the Rapid Transformational Therapy® course by Marisa Peer.
Marisa Peer is a world-renowned therapist, speaker, and author. She has been named the ‘Best British Therapist’ by Men’s Health Magazine and has been featured in Tatler’s ‘Guide to Britain’s 250 Best Doctors’. With over 30 years of experience, Marisa has worked with rock stars, CEOs, Olympic athletes, royalty, and Oscar award-winning actors.
Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®) is the best and most effective method to achieve results for your clients. It combines Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy, NLP, CBT, and neuroscience. It has won numerous awards and has the capability to help you take your coaching business to the next level. Begin diversifying your skill set and learn how to build a busy practice, without incoming leads being a problem.
For Life Coaching, we also have seven tested steps towards developing your business and getting more clients for your therapy practice in these peculiar times.
Begin Growing Your Coaching Business Today!
Use the tips above to grow and expand your business. If you are wondering why your coaching business is not taking off, ask yourself what you have not tried, such as what is listed above. If you have not tried it, do it now. It is entirely possible to grow your business – even in these times of uncertainty – you just need to know what to do.
To take your coaching as well as business skills to the next level, learn more about Rapid Transformational Therapy® from the free RTT Course prospectus today.
