8 ways to think like your customer (that will get you coaching clients fast)

If you are reading this, then congratulations! You have taken the most

significant step into expanding your coaching business.

Getting clients, and getting them fast, is always a concern for coaches in all industries. You will have a lot of decisions to make. Should you invest more in advertisements? Should you increase your focus on networking? Email marketing? Should you set up a podcast?

You will have a lot of questions as well. Should you hire someone? How much time should you spend on marketing yourself? Will this take too much time or money?

I’ll let you in on a little secret.

You must be the kind of coach you’d want to hire!

How customer-centric thinking can get you new clients fast

This formula is quite simple. Think like your clients to get more clients!

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Sure, getting clients seems like a daunting task, but it’s achievable if you have some tricks up your sleeve. But, before we go deep into the practical techniques that can get you clients fast, you need to ask yourself;

Is my coaching relevant to my target audience?

Is my coaching the kind of coaching that I’d want to sign up for myself?

Does my coaching practice create tangible gains/benefits for my target audience?

Does my coaching practice create a strong affinity for my target audience?

Is my coaching flexible in pricing and content strategy?

Is my coaching practice accessible to different kinds of clients?

While finding these answers yourself will be highly rewarding, let’s focus on the most important thing in your coaching practice, your coaching niche!

If you have found your coaching niche, the problem is half solved already!

If you haven’t yet, read our comprehensive guide to finding your coaching niche

Why finding your niche is the fastest way to get coaching clients

The more specific you can get about your niche, setting yourself as the only expert in that subject matter will be quick and effortless.

It’s a simple question. What makes YOU special? Can you identify that exact problem troubling your niche area and provide a solution? If yes, then for your niche audience, YOU become the solution.

Your coaching niche should also enable you to make your niche signature program that will attract clients for the value proposition you can provide. This signature program must include your signature style, your unique set of knowledge, values, and experiences.

With the right solution, even direct outreach will sell like hotcakes! Once you establish yourself as the only solution to their problem, getting additional clients will be possible without extra work. Your credibility will do your promotions, while you can focus on the heart of your coaching business; the clients you have just signed on!

Create a sketch of your ideal client

I know many coaches who want to sign on new clients fast, but when I ask them, ‘who is your ideal client?’, they are unable to describe the kind of clients they want to coach. Sure, finding your coaching niche also means you have located your niche audience, but the question is, ‘who is your ideal client?’

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Consider the following questions;

Do you know the income level of your ideal client?

Do you know the age range of your ideal client?

Do you know the kind of work done by your ideal client?

Do you know how and where your ideal client socializes with like-minded people?

Do you know the kind of recreational activities that your ideal client involves themselves in? Do you know the kind of blogs or magazine your ideal client reads?

Do you know what are the core beliefs and value systems of your ideal client?

Do you know which party they support?

You can make the best elevator pitch, but if you know your ideal client, you will be able to make your elevator pitch to them in person! Many coaches waste a lot of valuable time by chasing clients who are not ideal to their niche. Identifying your ideal client will save your time immensely and get your clients in half the time you would have invested otherwise.

Don’t just stop here. Once you have your ideal client ready, explore and define what is that one thing lacking in their life right now. What is their need? How can you be the solution?

Also, while you are doing this, it is best to describe the kind of clients you positively do NOT want to coach. This neat little trick will increase your productivity and allow you the time and energy to focus on building a real connection with the kind of clients that you’d enjoy coaching and working towards their dreams and goals!

8 ways you can get coaching clients fast!

Be a part of your ideal client’s community

Do you know the top three Facebook or Reddit groups for your niche? Being visible in your ideal client’s community will establish credibility with the members of that community. Hear what they are talking about. Can you speak in their language? What are their common queries? Can you align your coaching methodology to their specific requirements? Of course, you can! You have built up your niche, and you are confident about the impact you can create in your client’s lives. But, how do you make them aware that the solution to their problems is right within the community?

The oldest trick in storytelling! Show, not tell.

Start by answering their queries without making a sales pitch. Judging by their response, take a step further and let them know how you can fully offer support. Your prospective client is not just those you are talking to you, but also those who are observing this conversation.

And, don’t just stop at answering queries! Make your own posts and share valuable content that will consistently and diligently establish you as a ‘regular’ contributor. After all, people trust and believe a familiar face quicker.

Be ‘the expert’ in your client’s community

So, you now know all the mediums through which they receive their news and updates. If you were to appear as a guest speaker on their favorite channel or write a guest column in the blog they subscribe to, you would no longer be just another ‘familiar’ face in the community. Imagine the impact. They see you as an expert authority and realize that you are available and accessible to them within their community!

Some of the things that you can do;

Be a guest in a niche-relevant podcast

Conduct an expert interview

Give an expert interview

Publish guest columns on other blogs/magazines

Answer questions on Quora

Host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit

Read – How to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Expand your coaching options!

Have you been to a shop that sells just one product? No, of course not! Clients these days expect a higher level of flexibility that you can easily provide by creating multiple options for them to quickly check-out.

It’s a simple trick. Having more things to sell means you bring more business and clients fast!

Having one single core package can be overwhelming to many clients as it creates a sense of rigidity that makes it harder to commit. Having multiple check-out options will make clients feel more confident with their investment and therefore, more confident in you!

Sure, getting clients fast is exciting, but will they be long-term and high paying clients if you don’t inspire confidence in them? Probably not.

When you fill your shop with what your clients want, you are essentially making an offer they can’t refuse!

Will it be a reliable and full-fledged extensive program? Or a single inspiring call? Whichever option it is, it must be irresistible and gift wrapped in your signature style.

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Diversify your medium of communication

This is the age of social media. No doubts about it. Then why would you just rely on Facebook and email marketing? Diversify your platforms and make yourself available in multiple mediums.

Think of your ideal client again. What are the social media platforms that they often use to interact with the world and express themselves? Are you connected with them on those platforms? If no, then set up your business account right away! The math is valid, the more you are ‘out’ there, the higher the number of people who see you, ergo, higher potential clients!

It is quite common to get comfortable with one or two mediums that have consistently given us results. If you want to get clients fast, then you must challenge yourself often! You don’t need to have an ambitious goal, to begin with. Presence and regular engagement are good for starters.

Read – How do I market my coaching business?

Rise And Grind
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Hustle the heck out of your testimonials

Ever heard of the phrase, ‘success breeds more success’? Yes, that’s right! Success attracts more success! When you have established yourself as the only credible solution in your niche,

Picture your ideal client. Something is missing in their life right now, and YOU are the solution that will enable them to live a better, purposeful and fulfilled life. But how will they believe you? I’m not just talking about referrals. Sure, references are and will always be the hen with the golden egg. But, for your ideal client to believe that you are the solution they seek, leveraging your testimonials is just the trick. Better still, leverage the testimonials received from the clients who gave you the referrals!

Socialize, don’t network

You know a lot of people. They know what you do. They also see a lot of people that you don’t know yet. See where I’m getting at? When you socialize, you connect with people and not just make pathways to sell, as in networking.

Socializing will help you to be out there and make yourself visible! Bonus points if you are having a ball of a time when socializing. It’s proven, you attract more people when you are having a good time and enjoying yourself. When you feel good about yourself, others around you feel good about themselves!

You will become trustworthy, and even those who barely know, you will open up about their concerns and how they are seeking solutions. Well, serendipity! Because the answer to their problems is right in front of them!

Meaningful conversations aren’t just those that happen across the table in your office. It can be at your friend’s brunch party or a bar. Sure, people will increasingly prefer texting than calling and calling rather than meeting. No matter, though, there will always be people who are still seeking a connection that they can see and feel.

Face-to-face interactions will forever rule the board, and if you want to get coaching clients fast, then you must invest time into socializing and having fun!

Dale Carnegie’s 6 principles to make a lasting impression

  1. Take interest in other’s interests
  2. Smile
  3. Remember their name
  4. Encourage others to talk about themselves
  5. Discuss what matters to them
  6. Make others feel important – and do it sincerely
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The good old ‘follow up’ routine

The bane of coaching business is the ever-growing pile of conversations that have never been closed as clients. A quick follow-up might just be the right factor to get things rolling! Be careful to center your follow-up around their problem, instead of making a hard sales pitch.

It’s a win-win situation. Really. Picture this. You call an old lead and ask how they’re doing. You ask them about the concern they had when you last spoke. The chances are that this person is still facing those problems. Your call can end up being the nudge they need to realize that they need guidance from someone like you!

What if they are no longer facing that problem anymore? Your concerns and questions, minus a sales pitch, of course, will only add to your credibility. Once they believe that your interest is genuine, you are one step forward into making a meaningful relationship with that person!

All you now need to do is leverage this connection that you have with them. Referrals? Word of mouth? Getting them to participate in a survey in exchange for free content? Helping you connect with another peer within their community? The possibilities are real!

Free resource

Never underestimate the power of a freebie! Everyone loves that little something that they can take away in a bite-sized communication. When you share your expertise for free, not only you are showcasing a sample of your style, but you are building trust as well.

It’s a common myth that if you provide your resources for free, then no one will want to buy it! I know that it seems otherwise, but free resources allow prospective clients to get a feel of what you have to offer. If you share good quality content, even if it’s your best resource, you are not taking any losses! People do think, ‘wow, if THIS is the free content, then the premium-priced content must be awesome!’

Plus free content means that they can share if within their network. More people will see your content now, and the potential for them to turn into clients is higher than ever!

Some of the free resources that you can offer;

  1. Ebook – an extremely valuable resource that is long-lasting and has a high potential to be shared within networks
  2. Consultation – a win-win resource for everyone!
  3. Templates/Quiz/Cheatsheet – a way to make your clients get the first-hand experience on the methods and tools that they can benefit if they hire you as their coach

Many coaches that I personally know of have met their first big client either because they helped their clients for free earlier, or were referred to another client because they found credibility in the free resource!

How to succeed at customer-centric thinking for your coaching practice

Understanding your audience is a constant learning experience. The process of involving yourself in your client’s world is exciting and wholesome. While we are at it, make sure that you remember your purpose.

Every communication, especially if it’s online through different forums on social media, will work in your favor when it reflects your brand style. The real you, in your signature style.

Consistency is the key to nurturing and engaging with your ideal client’s community. A simple trick to remember – they need to know why they need you. Focusing on solutions, without making it a hard sales pitch will work like a charm!

My advice? Just go for it. You got to play big to win big.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I promote my coaching business?

There are many ways to promote your coaching business. You can promote it through your social media, content marketing, and email marketing. There are even specific email templates for promotions that you can send out to your entire list. You could offer deals and deals on specials, or offer free consultations. The key is finding the ones that work best for you and your business. 

How do you attract online clients?

Finding clients is the first step in starting a coaching business. You can attract online clients by doing the following – locating networking events for coaches, using social media platforms to promote your credentials and availability and creating a portfolio for potential clients. Coaches should also interview potential clients before agreeing to work with them.

How can I grow my online business?

Here are three ways to grow your online coaching business: 1) Offer a new service. Adding a complementary coaching service to your current offerings will help broaden your customer base and give people options when looking for a coach. 2) Integrate Facebook Ads with your coaching program. This will help you target your specific audience easily and swiftly.

 

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