As an entrepreneur, you know that you have a lot to offer your clients. Whether you’re a pro breaking off to fly solo, one of the biggest challenges many new coaches face is building an initial client base.
If you believe the hype, then getting new clients means maximizing your clicks, visibility, and social media followers. In practice, this isn’t how private client lists actually work. While you may not be a natural salesperson and think to yourself I also don’t have a lot of social followers, how am I going to get clients?
I’m here to tell you that you don’t need a lot of followers to get clients right away. Heck, you don’t even need a website, sales funnel, or ads.
Those massive-scale tactics are for massive-scale corporations looking for a hundred thousand leads to churn through their ‘conversion funnel’ sales strategy.
Human-to-human (H2H) work, like coaching, builds clients in a much more organic way. You can achieve a broad client list without resorting to massive scale marketing or follower-collecting.
Client Lists are Not Built with Follower-Count Alone
You don’t need thousands of followers to build a sustainable pool of coaching clients or to even attract new clients organically. I’ve seen many of the H2H Growth Accelerator members reach their client and revenue goals with fewer (sometimes much fewer) than 600 followers.
It’s not about how many thousands of people are following your account, it’s about how many of those followers need a professional coach or know someone who does.
You have trained so hard to become and serve others as a coach. Here are the three things I would do in order to onboard your first, second or third of many clients. So, what do you need to do to head down this path?
1) Create an Irresistible Offer
The first step is to create a product that can’t be beaten. What makes your offer so great for your clients? When you make your pitch to someone who needs coaching and is ready to get started, you want your coaching deal to sound like an irresistible bargain for the value of your professional coaching.
Build service packages, competitive pricing, and first-client deals that will make ladder-climbing professionals and anyone with driving personal goals tempted to hire your services.
How is your offer different from something they could get somewhere else? Compare your coaching services to other similar coaches or brands.
Then determine how you can offer a special value, experience, or personalized focus that makes your coaching service unique. Clearly define what makes your coaching stand out, why clients should choose you when they are ready for a coach.
2) Explore the Needs of Your Inner Circle
Instead of worrying about a sea of social media followers, focus on your inner circle. Your closest circles, the people you know personally, are also the most likely to hire or recommend your services.
This is the nature of H2H callings line coaching, a highly personalized experience that focuses on both the client’s personal and professional goals. Get to know the people around you and their unique coaching needs.
One of the best ways to build a dedicated client list is to tailor your coaching offer and services to the personalized needs of the client.
By getting to know your inner circles more closely, you can identify those who need coaching and offer a human-to-human and truly personalized solution to some of their professional struggles.
3) Be Fearless: Confidence is Contagious!
Third and possibly the most important: Stay confident! Be fearless in your own value and what you have to offer clients. When you’re pitching your coaching services, remember how valuable your services can be to those who enroll.
Confidence is contagious. If you are confident in yourself about the value of your services, then you will pitch with a passion that will catch into your clients.
They will believe in you, and through you believe in themselves, as long as you always show confidence and surety in your own value as a coach.
As a coach building your own client list, there are many ways to meet new clients and successfully enroll them in your services.
However, massive social marketing doesn’t have to (rarely is) one of those ways. Instead, grow your client list organically through word-of-mouth, reputation, and smaller online social groups where your name and reputation are already owned.
You might be surprised by your own success.
