I am passionate about health and wellness. I wanted to
start a coaching business where I help busy home entrepreneurs and seniors become healthier. But I was worried that I lack the experience to actually do this. My own weight loss hasn't been that dramatic. But I am pretty healthy for my age and despite my extra pounds. So I decided to go for it.
One small problem...how to get clients when my most visible selling point, weight loss, was happening so slowly!
If you want to coach others, you may be facing a difficult
problem. You want to coach but you don’t have any clients yet. How will you get
clients if you’ve never actually coached? This dilemma can make you feel like
coaching isn’t attainable for you.
But that’s not the case. Here’s what my coach advised
me to do…
Coach for
Free
Take a few clients on for free or
low-cost. Explain that you’ll coach these potential clients for a month or two
in exchange for honest feedback and a testimonial at the end.
Keep in mind that the clients you
work with should fit your image of an ideal client. For example, if you want to
coach busy moms to become healthy then taking on three empty nesters looking to
change career paths is a bad move. You’ll struggle to coach them and you’ll
feel frustrated when you can’t help them reach their goals.
Host Open
Phone Sessions
Start by hosting weekly
calls. Welcome your Facebook group to join in these events and share what
problems they were facing that week. Then try to provide solutions to
their problems.
Invite your community to call you
with their concerns. Chat with them for 5-15 minutes. This works best if you
have a list or community already built up. Follow up with callers who sound
like they might be a good match for your coaching services.
Join
Coaching Groups
Look for coaching groups on social media platforms. You
might join a business coaching group. Then you see someone has posted a thread
because they have a potential client who’s looking for a WordPress coach. You
can offer your services as a potential solution.
The advantage of joining a coaching
group is that you get to meet other coaches who can refer you and who you can
refer. That means if you have a coaching client that needs help with her
finances, you can ask your group for a recommendation and know your client is
in good hands.
Take It
Seriously
Even if you’re just coaching your
friend, treat her like you would a real client. Show up to your meetings on
time. Take the time to listen to what she’s saying. Ask follow up
questions. Go beyond the easy answers to offer real solutions.
Don’t stop there though. Be sure to take notes about what
results your client is getting. I started by documenting my own weight loss. I logged how many pounds and
inches I lost. When I was ready to start my health and wellness business, I was able to turn my notes into a case study. I even got two
clients because they downloaded my study and enjoyed it.
You don’t have to jump into the
coaching niche and make a big splash. It’s OK to dip a toe or two into the
water. This lets you discover which clients you could be a good fit for and
helps you develop your unique coaching style.
