Instant Credibility

It's not easy building and running a successful coaching business. There are all sorts of coaches out there and it takes time to build your reputation and credibility. But credibility is essential to your success so you have to be willing to take action in order to build it. As mentioned earlier, you can build an online presence and that will help with building social proof but you have to go even further than that. And one of the best ways to do that is by writing a book.

You're probably shaking your head, thinking no way. I don't have time to do this. I don't know what I'd write about. It's too hard to get a book published. Nope, I just can't do this.

While these used to be good excuses, in this day and age they're not. With all the technology advances and access to things like Amazon, writing a book is a lot more doable today than it ever used to be. Gone are those days of having to find a publisher to pitch your book to and waiting to see whether they'll accept it or reject it. Now, it's just a matter of writing the content - and if you've already been blogging for a while, you have a wealth of content available for repurposing.
 
There's just something that screams expert when you can say you're an author. This builds a level of credibility that can't be beat. Think about it: anybody can set up a blog and start sharing their expertise on a topic. Anybody can write articles and submit them to directories or share on other blogs as a guest expert. Anybody can be a guest on a podcast. But not everybody will put in the time and effort to become an author. If you take the time to do this, not only are you building your credibility, but you're also a step ahead of many others in the market. That’s the power of publishing a book.

And think about how credible you’ll be when you take books with you to a speaking engagement or in person event, where your dream-coaching client may be. Handing someone a book rather than a business card makes an unforgettable first impression. Or maybe you have a chance to meet with a prospective client who is local - wouldn't you want to be able to hand them a copy of your book? Talk about an extremely powerful way to show your expertise and credibility!

As you can see, writing a book is an excellent way to build your credibility and now is the perfect time to do it.

How to Make Saying “Yes” a No-Brainer

The next strategy for landing your dream client is to make saying yes to your coaching services a total no-brainer.

Stop and think for a minute.  Have you ever been to a website before where it was so busy (a gazillion navigation buttons, a bunch of different options to buy one product, a notification to do this or wait, do this instead) that you could not choose which button to click?  What did you do? More than likely you went away without doing anything, including spending any money with them!

A confused person doesn't know what to do and instead of doing something, they do nothing instead. And that's not what you want for your coaching business.  You want people to have clarity about what you're offering and clear guidance on how to get it.

So, how do you achieve this?

You have to give your prospective clients a very clear call to action.  This means don't give them a bunch of different options to choose from or things they have to think about.  Keep it simple!  Spell it out for them.

Another way to make saying yes to you easy is to play on their emotions.  We're not talking about being manipulative here, but instead playing off of one very normal emotion all people experience - regret.

For example, you can play on this emotion of regret by letting your potential clients know that if they don't act now, they'll miss out on the special price.  If they don't act now, they’ll find themselves regretting the decision because when they do come back they’ll see the price increase.  You can also do this by mentioning to the prospective client that you only have one opening available right now for a coaching client.  Again, if they don't act now they’ll find themselves regretting that decision when they come back and you can't take them on.

 

All in all, when it comes to making the “yes” easy, it's just a matter of playing off their emotions in a positive way, and showing them (by your social presence/proof, expert articles, guest expert appearances on podcasts, etc.) you have the solution they're looking for.  And once you've closed the sale, put it in writing for them.  Have them sign a contract.  This will spell out exactly what they're getting and leave no area for questioning.

The Art of the Free Consultation Call

Want to know the top “tried and true” method of landing your dream coaching client? It’s simple. Offer a free consultation.

Here’s why. Very rarely will someone hire you as a coach – especially if your services are priced on the higher end – without first getting on the phone with you. And that goes both ways. You should not agree to work with a new client without first getting to know her better.

The reason this is so important is because your prospective client wants a chance to get a feel for you and to ask you any questions they may have. It also gives you a chance to do the same thing, and to get a feel for her, her personality, what she’s looking for in a coach. You’ll also know if she’s really serious about making changes, or if she’s just a wannabe with no real ambition.

An average consult call is about 20 minutes. Set a timer if you have to so you don't get stuck on the phone longer than necessary. Twenty minutes is ample time to let you (and your prospective client) feel things out and make a decision as to whether or not you're a good fit to work together.

Another reason a free consultation call is a good idea for your coaching business is because if someone is on the fence about hiring you, you can land the sale during these 20 minutes. You'll be able to answer her questions and show your expertise in that little amount of time on the phone.

Here are a few questions you should be asking a prospective client during a free consultation call:

• What is your biggest challenge?
• What would it mean for you if you were able to find a solution for this challenge?
• How do you think a coach can help you better achieve your goals?
• Have you worked with a coach before, and what was the outcome?

These are just a few ideas of things you should ask a potential client. And maybe these are things you don't even ask on the phone, but in a pre-consultation call questionnaire (if you have something like this set up).

Of course there are also cons to offering free consultation calls. There are those people out there that are what's known as freebie seekers - they take and take and take all the free information they can get but never turn around and invest any money. In fact, these people normally have absolutely no intention of ever spending any money with you. Another con is the fact that you're giving away 20 to 30 minutes of your time. It may not seem like much but a 20-30 minute chunk of time here, and another chunk of time there can add up pretty quickly. 

Does this mean you shouldn't offer free consultation calls? No, because they can be very useful. You just need to ensure that you're not attracting all those freebie seekers with no intention of hiring you. One way to help nip this in the bud is to have a questionnaire that gets filled out before you even schedule a consult time. Find out some basic information first - how long they've been in business, how much money they make, etc. This will weed out the freebie seekers and those that can't afford you saving you from wasting both your time and their time with a free consult call. 

To sum it up, the main objective of a free consult call when you set one up is for both your prospective client and you to feel each other out and see if working together is a good fit or not.

AdSense and Social Poetry

Winter has finally come to Northwest Arkansas.  Which means I've been spending a lot of time curled up with a cup of tea and a good book.  Coincidentally, two of my recent favorites have been written by the same man - bestselling author, Joel Comm.

Several years ago, I read a book called the AdSense Code, written by Joel Comm.  I immediately put AdSense ads on all of my sites.  And I was so excited when I received my first check from Google!  Granted, it was only for $100.  But it was official!  I was making money online!  I was now a real internet marketer.  Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry to make money, that I did not actually implement everything in the book the way Joel explained it.  As a result, I'm sure now that I left money on the table.  So when I heard that Joel had written another AdSense book, I knew I had to have it.  And I was not disappointed!

AdSense Secrets 6.0 explains everything you ever wanted to know about Google AdSense.  This is not just an update of Joel's previous books on AdSense.  It is a complete AdSense how-to guide.  It starts with the very first step to making money online, building a website.  I already have several websites, so I almost skipped this chapter.  I'm glad I didn't! 

Once you have your site built, Joel goes on to explain everything else you need to know - things like how to optimize your ads, how placement affects your results, how to understand Google Analytics, the value of content, using AdSense on mobile devices and how to create a content hub.  There's a chapter on troubleshooting, if you use all his suggestions and don't get the results you expected.  He even provides several case studies from others who are successfully using AdSense.

I can't wait to go through this book again.  This time I'm going to do it right.  I'm starting with Chapter 1 and implementing every tip, suggestion, and piece of advice Joel has to offer.  I can't wait to see what that does to my next check from Google!

Joel's other book is a bit different.  I've been following Joel on various social media platforms for years.  And one of the things I look forward to are his photoquotes.  Joel uses photoquotes to share some of his best tips, his most profound thoughts - and his best jokes.  His book, Social Poetry, is a collection of some of his best.

Now I know what you're thinking.  Why would I be recommending a book of photoquotes?  Because I love Joel's photoquotes.  I see every day how he uses them to engage with people and build relationships.  And that is what social media is all about.

I've heard some say they were disappointed that Social Poetry wasn't more of a how-to book.  That was not its purpose.  That was not the purpose of this book. The intent of this book is to illustrate the power of photoquotes to capture the hearts and minds of your followers. But for those of you who desperately need that information, Joel does list the app he uses, as well as a similar app for Android, in the back of the book. So if you really need to know how to do this, download the apps. Meanwhile, I loved seeing some of my faves as well as some new photos and hearing the inspiration behind them. I am now inspired to create my own photoquotes, thanks to this book.

For once, I'm grateful for the last few cold and snowy days.  It gave me a chance to read two awesome books by one amazing man.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go optimize a few AdSense ads, find some cool photos for photoquotes, and start making more money!

Build an Unforgettable Online Presence

Of course you already have a website, right?  But an unforgettable online presence requires a lot more than just a single domain with a blog and a “hire me” page.  It’s also critical to include your social circles, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and others.

A word of caution before we begin, though: social media can be a huge time suck if you let it be.  Set up some boundaries for yourself and stick to them!  It may be that you find 15 minutes a day enough time to hop on social media and interact with your market.  Or maybe you need 30 minutes.  Just make sure that however long you decide to devote to it, that you get on there and do what you need to do and not get sidetracked.

So, should you be on all the different social media sites? There isn't a correct answer for this.  It's going to depend greatly on your target market.  You have to find out where they hang out and build a presence there.

The idea behind your social presence is to engage with your market easily.  Sure, they can comment on your blog and you can respond back to them there, but it isn't a great platform to interact with them on a more personal level.  On Facebook, for example, your audience will get a glimpse into who you are as a person and learn more about you on a personal level.  This is huge because people buy from those they know, like and trust!

Here’s something you need to be cautious of, though.  If part of your coaching message is teaching your clients to have an attitude of gratitude, but every post you share is negative, that sends a mixed message to your audience.

Take a second to think about how your market will interpret the post you're getting ready to share.  That old saying "think before you speak" should be true for social media too - "think before you post!"   For example, do they really need to know that your daughters are squabbling amongst themselves and currently none of them are speaking to each other? Some things just aren't meant to be shared, especially if you're trying to build a relationship with current clients or your market of potential dream coaching clients. 

Another important part of building your online presence is “social proof.”  Aside from building that personal relationship with your audience, you're also building social proof and showing them that you are the best at what you say you can do.  Interact on these social sites, offer helpful advice to those with questions and share your message (don't forget to include your USP).  People will begin to think, “Hey, she really does know what she's talking about.  I'm interested in talking to her/finding out more about her services.”
 
That’s the true power of an unforgettable online presence.

The Secret of the USP

A unique selling proposition, also known as USP, is that thing about you and your service(s) that sets you apart from the rest of the crowd.  You may be thinking, but I just spent all this time narrowing down my specialty and figuring out who my ideal client is so why would I need to figure out a USP?

Well, let's face it - no matter how narrowed down your target market is, there's more than likely going to be someone else out there in the coaching world who also targets your market.  So now it's important to show your market what makes you stand out from the competition.  Your unique selling proposition needs to be incorporated into your marketing message because it's just one more way to ensure you're attracting the right market and landing only those dream clients you wish to work with.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to USP's is trying to keep their prices lower than others in their niche.  This isn't a good idea, though.  First, you absolutely must charge what you’re worth, and engaging in a race to the bottom of the pricing barrel will only result in lowered standards and unhappy clients.  Never use pricing as part of your USP.

Instead, because you took the time and made the effort to narrow down your ideal client, there isn't anyone who knows your target market better than you do.  Build your USP around this.  For example, you know your market's challenges, any patterns they have, and more - so build on these things and create a USP that includes those (and your solution) in some way.  It must resonate with your target audience so you attract the right client.

Finally, there’s one last thing to keep in mind when it comes to your USP.  It must answer the key question: why should someone do business with me?  To answer this, think about the benefits your services offer as well as the solutions you’ll help clients find.

Just like narrowing down your niche and ideal client, the more specific you are about your unique selling proposition, the easier it will be to market it.  And as you and your business grow, it's a good idea to reevaluate every so often to see if your USP has changed at all.  If it has, you'll need to tweak your marketing efforts in order to reflect this.

Discover Your Perfect Client

We’ve already mentioned why you can't be a jack-of-all-trades or try to work with everybody because it's a quick path to burnout and a surefire way to end up attracting clients you don't enjoy.  To build a successful coaching business you have to not only know what your specialty is, but who your ideal client is.

Maybe you already have a general idea in mind, but this isn't the time to be generic.  Now is the time to narrow it down as much as possible.  Don't just say your ideal client is a  business owner.  Instead narrow that down even more.  For instance, you might say, “My ideal client is a person aged 40-60 who has wants to start a business or who has attempted to start a business and needs help actually getting it launched."

As you can see, there's a huge difference between those two answers.  The more specific you are about your ideal client, the less time you'll waste (yours as well as that of your prospective client) on unnecessary communication (free consult call, email exchanges, etc).

That may sound "rude,” but it isn't.  Think about it.  If you know your ideal client is that person in the example above, why would you take the time to correspond/communicate with that 30-year old online business owner who has been in business for 5 years and is already making a 6-figure income?  They're in a different place than the ideal client you want to work with.  

So, how do you define the ideal client?  Here are some questions you can use to create an ideal client profile: 

• Is your ideal client a man or woman? Either?


• How old is your ideal client?


• How much money do they make a month/year?


• What is the main issue (struggle) that you can help solve?


• Where do they live?


• What type of lifestyle do they lead?


• What are they passionate about?


• Do they travel a lot?


• What is their personality type?

This is just a small list of questions to use when creating your ideal client profile. Remember, the goal here is to be as specific as possible, to narrow it down as far as you possibly can.  In fact, you might also consider creating another client profile - the client you do NOT want to work with.

Once you know your ideal client, you'll be able to create a marketing message that resonates with those people and draws them to you.  Once you have your ideal client narrowed down, it's time to move onto the next phase of how to land your dream coaching client - creating a unique selling proposition.  More on that tomorrow.