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I'll bet that right now you know anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of people who would buy your coaching services -- if only they knew your services existed and you were willing to ask them to hire you.
Yes! Build a website, publish a bi-weekly ezine, network, create teleclasses and workshops directed at your target market. Those actions will build your pipeline full of future clients. And, you could possibly have a full practice right now if you approached the people you already know and asked them to hire you! This is called claiming clients.
Believe in Yourself and Your Services
Claiming clients is a tried and true high touch approach to business. Every day, serious business people go out and claim clients. I know, because I've hired many of them. For me, the decision to hire was three-fold: 1. I admired them for contacting me directly and asking for my business. 2. I emotionally connected with them as human beings. 3. I perceived value in their services.
Why did I perceive value in their services? Because they showed me through their actions and their way of being that they themselves valued their services. But, if they hadn't asked for my business, it's unlikely I would have hired them.
The best example of claiming clients is the President of Coach U, Sandy Vilas, took 60 people out for coffee in sixty days to establish his first 60 coaching clients. He had fun and profited highly from his effort. And those clients kept referring more, so his marketing was done in 60 days. We can all do this. It's a matter of attitude.
If you're not comfortable claiming clients, set a developmental goal to get comfortable. Make it a game and start now!
- Set big intentions for your game. For instance, set a goal to give 20 sample sessions and get 20 clients in the next month. Increase your network ratio every day. The network ratio is the # of people you've asked for business divided by the # of people you know. If that number is under 1, it's time to get moving!
- Let go of judgments and attachments such as:
* If I call and they are busy, I've bothered them.
* If they say no to a sample session, that's bad.
* If they don't immediately hire me after the sample session, my coaching must be lousy.
Replace these scarcity thoughts with a sense that all your efforts will come back to pay you ten-fold. It's all meaningful, fun and valuable. Every time you put out the effort to claim a client, you are getting better at this and planting seeds that may germinate later.
- Center yourself before calling prospects by doing the Manifestation Meditation each time.
In your mind, see this: you call a prospect, you connect well with each other, you ask about the prospect's life and business, they confide in you, you offer how coaching will support them in their challenges now, you set up a sample session for success, the session is powerful, the prospect hires you on the spot, they are an ideal long term client and refer many other clients to you, their fees are deposited into your account each month!
- Build momentum by doing at least ten calls at a time. Don't send emails. That's not high touch enough to get the response you want.
- Help them see how coaching will impact their life now. Emphasize benefits rather than features. Avoid talking about what coaching is. Instead talk about how your services help them get what they want most.
- Believe in the value of your services (for full fee!) and the value of coaching itself. Share enthusiasm. You are offering them something extremely valuable for their life.
- Offer a sample session. Use the technique described in Ten Secrets of Successful Sample Sessions.
- Let go of attachments to whether they hire you or not. During the session, relax and enjoy the prospect. We cannot know the path of another. A no now might be a yes later.
- Never compromise your fees or terms. Stand for the value of your services and your clients will too. Reducing your fees may dis-empower the client and damage the co-creative relationship.
- Coach through objections with compassion, reasoning and detachment. Don't try to convince them. Instead coach them to the choice that's right for them.
"Could you say what is holding you back from knowing if this is right for you?"
"I understand. I felt the same way about hiring my own coach but now I really see the value of the investment. For me, the cost of not having my coach far outweighs the fees. Have you ever invested in something before where you felt that way?"
"Wouldn't having a thinking partner be more fun and productive than going it alone?"
"If you felt inspired by what happened today, imagine the solid results of several months worth of sessions. Start with a month, budget for three to six and see how it goes."
Whatever the outcome of your efforts to claim clients, stay open to continuing and aware of how it will expand your comfort zone. If you master this, nothing will stop you from being a six figure master coach much sooner than expected. When you feel challenged ask yourself what the spiritual opportunity of that challenge is for you. And then go out and ask for the business again.
Yes! Build a website, publish a bi-weekly ezine, network, create teleclasses and workshops directed at your target market. Those actions will build your pipeline full of future clients. And, you could possibly have a full practice right now if you approached the people you already know and asked them to hire you! This is called claiming clients.
Believe in Yourself and Your Services
Claiming clients is a tried and true high touch approach to business. Every day, serious business people go out and claim clients. I know, because I've hired many of them. For me, the decision to hire was three-fold: 1. I admired them for contacting me directly and asking for my business. 2. I emotionally connected with them as human beings. 3. I perceived value in their services.
Why did I perceive value in their services? Because they showed me through their actions and their way of being that they themselves valued their services. But, if they hadn't asked for my business, it's unlikely I would have hired them.
The best example of claiming clients is the President of Coach U, Sandy Vilas, took 60 people out for coffee in sixty days to establish his first 60 coaching clients. He had fun and profited highly from his effort. And those clients kept referring more, so his marketing was done in 60 days. We can all do this. It's a matter of attitude.
If you're not comfortable claiming clients, set a developmental goal to get comfortable. Make it a game and start now!
- Set big intentions for your game. For instance, set a goal to give 20 sample sessions and get 20 clients in the next month. Increase your network ratio every day. The network ratio is the # of people you've asked for business divided by the # of people you know. If that number is under 1, it's time to get moving!
- Let go of judgments and attachments such as:
* If I call and they are busy, I've bothered them.
* If they say no to a sample session, that's bad.
* If they don't immediately hire me after the sample session, my coaching must be lousy.
Replace these scarcity thoughts with a sense that all your efforts will come back to pay you ten-fold. It's all meaningful, fun and valuable. Every time you put out the effort to claim a client, you are getting better at this and planting seeds that may germinate later.
- Center yourself before calling prospects by doing the Manifestation Meditation each time.
In your mind, see this: you call a prospect, you connect well with each other, you ask about the prospect's life and business, they confide in you, you offer how coaching will support them in their challenges now, you set up a sample session for success, the session is powerful, the prospect hires you on the spot, they are an ideal long term client and refer many other clients to you, their fees are deposited into your account each month!
- Build momentum by doing at least ten calls at a time. Don't send emails. That's not high touch enough to get the response you want.
- Help them see how coaching will impact their life now. Emphasize benefits rather than features. Avoid talking about what coaching is. Instead talk about how your services help them get what they want most.
- Believe in the value of your services (for full fee!) and the value of coaching itself. Share enthusiasm. You are offering them something extremely valuable for their life.
- Offer a sample session. Use the technique described in Ten Secrets of Successful Sample Sessions.
- Let go of attachments to whether they hire you or not. During the session, relax and enjoy the prospect. We cannot know the path of another. A no now might be a yes later.
- Never compromise your fees or terms. Stand for the value of your services and your clients will too. Reducing your fees may dis-empower the client and damage the co-creative relationship.
- Coach through objections with compassion, reasoning and detachment. Don't try to convince them. Instead coach them to the choice that's right for them.
"Could you say what is holding you back from knowing if this is right for you?"
"I understand. I felt the same way about hiring my own coach but now I really see the value of the investment. For me, the cost of not having my coach far outweighs the fees. Have you ever invested in something before where you felt that way?"
"Wouldn't having a thinking partner be more fun and productive than going it alone?"
"If you felt inspired by what happened today, imagine the solid results of several months worth of sessions. Start with a month, budget for three to six and see how it goes."
Whatever the outcome of your efforts to claim clients, stay open to continuing and aware of how it will expand your comfort zone. If you master this, nothing will stop you from being a six figure master coach much sooner than expected. When you feel challenged ask yourself what the spiritual opportunity of that challenge is for you. And then go out and ask for the business again.