Mary Silver is an entrepreneur and has shown incredible commitment to her business. She has been named a top expert and guest contributor for Powerful Professionals. Her success in her field has given her a prominent name among her peers. To find out more about Mary Silver, visit www.marybaileysilver.com.
You Did It!
You're a coach! You made the decision, you followed through and now you're an online coach!
You've set up your company name. You've got an idea of what area you want to coach people and you're ready to go. You even organized 10 folders, red, blue, green, pink, orange, purple, yellow, grey, maroon, and teal, one to represent each one of your ideal clients. You've prepared for your new coaching clients' information to be filed in a precious place.
It's the most exciting thing! Every inch of your soul nudged you along on this path and you know with every beat of your heart, you were put on Earth to be a coach and service your tribe!
Maybe you have a certification, or maybe you even have a degree in the helping profession, maybe you just knew in your heart you were meant to help people and you finally followed through on your dreams.
There's only one problem…..
You are spending endless hours spinning your wheels on how to get those clients and you can't seem to find them.
SAY WHAT????
That was not part of the plan!
Every day you look around social media or talk with your other coaching friends and they're either in the same boat as you or seem miles away from you.
The latter group is running full practices and posting pictures online of their “freedom lifestyle” working par- time! You secretly dread opening up your newsfeed because you feel that sting of jealousy when you see someone post how they are running a full practice they love. You want that person to be you!
What gives??? It's not that you don't deserve clients, it's actually the exact opposite!
You KNOW that your soul led you to be a coach, it's a part of you and if you can't make a living being a coach, you know a part of you would die.
Look no further because I've got your back!
It's part of my passion to help other coaches authentically attract their ideal clients and thrive in their practice! In order to help you, I came up with 10 tips to help you attract your first 10 clients online.
So grab your favorite drink, pen, and some paper and let's get you some clients!
1. Know Your Niche
I know you've probably heard this a million times, but it's seriously the #1 thing that will make or break you. You need to know what area of life you want to help people. You can't just say “Oh, I can help anyone with their issues.” This is called being a “generalist” and it will make attracting your client SO much harder.
Yes, I know you can serve anyone but you'll spin your wheels until you are grinding on the metal if you don't find the one niche you want to focus on. Trust me on this!
The good news is that once you have found success in one area or niche, you can expand if you choose. In my experience, most coaches stay in their niche because it's their sweet spot and your clients get MAJOR results when you're working in your sweet spot.
Let me break it down for you so you can make this start working for you right now!
The very first thing you need to realize is that there are 5 major areas of life that people will pay for you to help them with.
Finance or Money
Relationships or Love
Career or Business
Health and Fitness
Spirituality
Then next is decide which area you LOVE to work in. Once you've identified that there are some questions you'll want to ask yourself before you dive head first into that niche.
Do you have the skills to get your clients results in this area? If yes, proceed forward.
What do people tell you you are good at doing? If it's in this area, proceed forward.
Do you have experience getting your clients results or yourself results in this area? If yes, proceed forward.
If you don't have one of these, that is ok! Just know that you'll want to get the skills, get great at helping these clients, and help a handful of clients get the results they want. If this niche is your passion, it will all fall in place.
Wanna know where to find these clients? Go to www.marybaileysilver.com and click on the “Find Your Next Dream Client Here” button for your Free guide.
2. Drill Down On Who You Want to Serve
You just identified what niche you want to work in but you now need to dig a bit deeper and decide on WHO you want to serve. The niche is the area you want to work in, the who is your dream client.
You need to know who you're trying to attract so that when you go out and market to them, they know you are talking to them. The more clear you get on this client avatar the better off you'll be.
Let's break down the steps on how you can drill down and start attracting your dream client.
Identify these things in order to get to the gold!
Are they a man, woman, or both?
What is their age range?
What type of career are they in?
Where do they like to hang out?
What's the problem they have that keeps them up at night?
How can you serve them?
You can go as deep as you want with this one. It won't stop you from attracting your ideal client. I know some coaches that are in extremely niched areas and they are doing very well. An example of this is a music coach I know who coaches her clients online. The unique thing about her niche is she only works with clients who are getting ready to compose music. I'd say that is a super-focused niche!
Notice how she has her niche in the career sector. She knows her clients are both men and women. She knows they love classical music. She knows that their deep desire is to create music and have it played in movies and in concerts. She has the experience and can serve them with her knowledge.
These are the things you want to think about when figuring out who you serve.
3. Identify The Service You Provide
You have the area and your dream client figured out, so now you need to know how you're going to serve them. Believe it or not, most people skip this part. They think, “I'll do a couple of calls with my clients and work from there.”
I'm going to share with you something that most coaches won't tell you. Not because they're trying to hide something from you, it's just they don't think about it until it becomes a problem.
I don't want you to have these common problems coaches have. I want you to get a quick win!
You need to have a service you provide. It can't just be a few calls and hopefully your client will get some result.
You want to identify the result you are going to provide to your clients. You need a signature system for your clients.
Let me break it down for you so you can identify what you provide.
Where is your client starting?
Where do they want to go?
How do you get them there? i.e. assignments, participation, step by step, your own method
How do you deliver this service? i.e. one to one over the phone, group coaching, online programs, retreats, or in person
What are the steps you take your clients through that create the win they are looking for?
Don't get overwhelmed with this step. If you are struggling sit down with a friend and walk them through the process. Take notes on what you are doing and BOOM, there's your signature system!
If you are brand new to coaching, I suggest you do a few complimentary sessions with a few people and get their feedback on what worked for them. As you are doing these sessions, keep notes on your process.
4. Know Your Unique Selling Proposition
You want to stand out to your clients. They want to feel like they are working with someone who has something they don't.
When you're attracting your ideal client, you want to know what your unique selling proposition is. What makes you the coach that they should work with?
Don't hold back on this! This is your time to “brag” about why you're the best one to help them create the result they desire.
Let me break it down for you so you can get clear on your Unique Selling Proposition.
What education or background do you have in the area you are serving your client?
How many years have you been in this field or this type of work?
Is there something you do for your clients that nobody else does?
Have you received awards in this area?
Have you been published in the media?
Do you have articles or a book published that shows your expertise?
When you are answering these question, remember that everything counts. You may not think it's a big deal but it is, so write it down!
5. Be Real
The key to attracting your ideal client is all about being yourself! You have a beautiful gift and energy about you that your clients want to be a part of.
I've seen coaches act one way at a conference and a completely different way when “no one is looking.” The problem with living this way is that you aren't in alignment with who you want to work with.
Most likely, your ideal client is very similar to who you were a few steps ago. Your ideal client wants to know that you “get” them.
Be yourself!
If you like to throw out a few curse words here and there, then do it. If you like to drink wine, it's fine if you let your clients know that. If you like to watch reality TV, then don't hide it. And yes, all these examples are part of who I am!
You don't need to be all prim and proper all the time. Your ideal clients are real people just like you and me!
I'm pretty sure you get the drift of my point so I'm not going to break down this section for you.
6. Give Them What They Want And Then Give Them More
Ok, this one has more than meets the eye. You want to give your clients what they want as far as results. What do I mean?
Say your clients want to lose 20 pounds by the New Year. You have a workout program and the diet plan designed to get them results. They want this so give it to them.
Here's the catch, they need more than they want and they don't even know if yet! It's your job as a coach to know where your clients are going to get stuck or where they're likely to stop.
Let's break it down so you are giving your ideal client what they want and more.
You have your signature system so you can look at those steps and figure out where your client will trip up. Identify where your client may get stuck. This isn't your program, it's where THEY stop or have an issue that makes them feel stuck.
Create a work around. How do your clients get through this point. In the case of the health coach, they may have “plateau busters” or “the holiday rescue menu.” You want to be a few steps ahead of your client so they know what to expect and how to overcome the perceived block.
Be ready to create work arounds if your clients get stuck in an area that you hadn't planned. There is always something new you will learn about your clients and the needs they have. Be ready to get creative and help them achieve the desired result.
Now, before you go jumping through hoops for your clients you only need to create work arounds for issues that other clients will benefit from. If this issue is unique to your client, then work with them to find the work around that works best with them.
Know and trust your power as a coach!
7. Have An Advertising Budget
News flash, you run a business now and there isn't a business around that doesn't pay for their marketing and advertising. Before you get intimidated, your budget doesn't have to be huge. You need enough to get out and attract your clients to you and there are many ways to do this! Yes, there are free traffic sources as well but if you want to put your business on autopilot, you'll need a budget to cover advertising and marketing.
Let me break this down for you so you can start planning your budget.
Identify your favorite traffic sources i.e. Facebook, Sponsorships, YouTube, Direct Response Marketing (snail mail), and Instagram.
Break down your income goals and decide how much you want to put towards your budget.
Take it slow at first and then ramp up when you find something that works.
You'll need to test and tweak things as you go but the biggest thing I want you to get from this section is NOT to be afraid of spending a little money on advertising. You can start with as little as $20. You'll thank me later when you have a huge email list and your business keeps growing!
8. Don't Be A “Secret” Coach!
You might be asking, “What's a “secret” coach? A “secret” coach is a coach that stays hidden in their office studying endless modalities in order to get ready to finally be a coach. You have to let people know how they can find you. They need to be able to contact you. You need to show people your magic sauce!
Let me break it down for you so you aren't the next “secret” coach.
You'll want to consider a website to be an online coach. You don't need one but it really helps your clients get to know you. The website doesn't need to be anything fancy. There's a lot of options in this area so ask around and find the type of website that fits you best.
Promote your website. Remember that advertising budget? Promoting your website is part of this budget. You can't just create a website and think people will stumble on to it, it doesn't work that way.
Post your position on your social media accounts. Let people know you're open for business.
Talk to people! I would bet money that there's someone within your sphere of influence who either needs you or knows someone who needs you. Don't be afraid to talk about your business to these people.
The key point here is to make sure you are letting people know that you are ready and able to take on clients. They won't know unless you tell them.
9. Get Visible!
This goes right in line with the above tip, the difference is that there are tons of ways to let people you don't know find you online. You've got to step past your fears and get out there and be seen.
You'll want to do this in a natural way. You don't want to be doing a million things to be seen burning yourself out. That's not what we're going for here. We're going for your own unique way of being seen.
Let me break it down for you so you become visible!
Identify what types of online activities you enjoy being a part of.
Identify what it is about those online activities that you like.
Get involved with those activities.
Schedule these activities on your calendar and make them a priority.
The key point here is that you want to be in a place where you can be yourself and help serve by being involved. I used to run a podcast and I loved it. I made a ton of connections and found my ideal clients doing that podcast. Do something that you want to do and have fun with it!
10. Create A System That Attracts Your Ideal Clients
This is going to be a lot easier than you think. A system is something that is reliable, consistent, and delivers clients to you on autopilot in your own authentic way. You probably already have one but you just don't have them organized.
Let me break it down for you so you have your system created.
Identify how you best attract clients. Is it in groups, forums, podcasts, or something completely different?
Drive people who fit your ideal client avatar onto your email list by giving them value.
Nurture these people by sharing with them.
Put your signature system into their awareness.
Ask them if they're interested.
Sell your services.
Deliver!
There you have it! It's not hard so don't make it hard. That's your subconscious mind trying to keep you “safe” and “comfortable.” Take bold action and attract your ideal clients to you.
And if you want help in this area, apply for a discovery call with Mary to get your unique plan up and running in no time! Go to https://www.marybaileysilver.
