Some coaches have more clients than they can handle, while others struggle to attract enough clients.
Why is that?
Sales and marketing are complex professions in their own right. Some coaches already have good experience in one or the other. Some take to sales and marketing naturally and their business takes off. But some coaches have a longer learning curve than others.
The good news is that what makes you a great coach can also make you a great marketer and salesperson.
Here are nine changes you may need to make. Any one of them could make all the difference in selling your coaching. Who knows how much extra money you can make because you read this today?
Changes that will help you sell your coaching
Technology is a great marketing tool, but a terrible sales tool. It's shiny and new and everyone is obsessed with it, right? That's right. That's why people need real human conversations that help them clarify and align their lives with what really matters to them. Offer that instead. Coaching is one of the fastest growing professions in the last twenty years because of the deficits caused by new technologies. And the Internet marketing gurus have terrible tools for selling coaching. Don't get caught up in their hype. For example: A coach recently told me that SMS marketing is the new rage because people don't open their e-mails, but everyone reads their SMS. Is this true? The people I know all hate receiving SMS SPAM, even more than email SPAM, because they have to pay for every SMS they receive. People who don't feel respected, annoyed or abused by you will not hire you to coach them. Here's another example: I've built one of the largest mailing lists in the coaching industry, but I still talk to almost every potential client before I let them hire me. Because that's what works. Market with respect and have real conversations with the prospects you love the most. Treat them like friends, not prospects.
A coach is better than a friend
The more you listen and find out what matters to your potential customers, the more you can determine whether they are a good fit for what you offer. If not, refer them to someone else. Or, learn from these conversations and start offering what people really want. By serving your potential customers, you will be serving yourself and your business.
Showcase your values
You don't need to promote yourself as a used car salesman. I've written before about coaches as a very sensitive person. What makes us great at coaching also makes presenting gifts at networking events and pressure sales a nightmare for us. And that's a good thing. No one wants a coach who is more interested in handing out business cards and making a quick sale than in connecting with people, listening to their stories and offering help. Use your strengths to sell your coaching: your empathy, your curiosity, your wisdom and your desire to help others be the best they can be. Forget the clichés and highlight what is unique and valuable about your coaching.
Start a conversation
You need to talk to potential clients, sometimes several times. That's why internet marketing is great for getting people's attention, but almost useless for selling local services like coaching. People need to feel they know you before you commit to coaching them. If you're a brilliant writer, you can create intimacy with your blog posts, but for most coaches, conversation is key. You don't need to canvass (hooray) or talk to a hundred people every day (oops). Just check in from time to time with people who might be a good fit for you. Find out what their challenges are. Let them know you can help. Give them a little push if you think they are ready. Sometimes you know they are ready before they are ready. One man hired me after nearly seven years on my mailing list. What made the difference? I called him and we had a great conversation.
Establish a relationship of trust
Trust and other emotions trump facts, features and benefits. Stop trying to sell people packages. No one cares how many sessions, webinars, videos, etc. your package contains. They want to know if you can help them achieve their dreams. Connect with that. Empathise with them. Help them imagine what it will be like to be coached by you and transform their lives. It's magical. Show that you can be trusted by continuing to offer small solutions that make their lives a little better, right now. It will then be easier for them to take the plunge and hire you to coach them.
Define people's needs
Find out what people need and align your coaching with the solutions to their problems. Listening, communicating and building relationships will help you know your market better than anyone else. This is the surest way to find your niche. You are now equipped with the knowledge, understanding and ability to help that makes you unique in the coaching field. I know a coach who started with one client, a dentist. He helped that dentist build a successful practice and then took that knowledge and built his own million dollar coaching business. It's a real niche.
Be such an effective coach that your clients stay with you for years
That's real success. I'm not suggesting that you make your clients dependent on your coaching. That's a disservice. Learn to personalise your conversations and get your clients challenged and developed so that paying your fees is a no-brainer for them. It is not uncommon for clients to stay with me for years. This means I feel much less pressure to promote my coaching. That's one of the secrets to making self-promotion fun. By the way, I couldn't have done it without excellent coaching training.
Put your ego aside
I heard a coach, whose business was losing momentum, say that she had built a reputation and shouldn't have to promote herself anymore. I remember thinking, "Oh yes, you do. We all do it. Another coach told me she was tired of all the things you have to do to be a successful coach. I asked her what she was doing. She replied, "Nothing!" and laughed. I would like to respectfully suggest that what is really tiring is NOT promoting your business, because sales and marketing, done right, is great fun. You meet great people, learn to serve better, hone your craft and become a sought after expert in your field. In other words, when you stop letting your ego stop you, you can start helping people and they will, in turn, start telling you how great you are and your ego will grow. Better still, you'll be one of those coaches whose client list is always full and whose bank account is healthy. It's a win-win situation.