How to Find Coaching Clients? A Definitive Guide to A Successful Coaching Business
Similar to any other business, coaching relies heavily on clients to be successful as well. A coaching business with a sufficient number of clients is likely to become more successful than others. However, running a coaching business is not easy, especially if you are just starting out.
Coaching has gotten its recognition over the decades as a practice which helps you not only understand your concerns, but help you succeed as well in every aspect of life. And, when it comes to life, as a coach, you must be solving a very critical concerns, correctly to be known in the industry.
Let’s take Tony Robbins for instance. Tony Robbins has preached the gospel of self-improvement to millions but his reach is not all that makes him the most recognized face in the coaching industry, it in fact the lives he has changed.
Now, although starting a coaching business can be intimidating, it is by no means impossible. It is tough, but not impossible.
One of the biggest struggles for coaches, even today, is finding clients. However, it is not because potential clients don’t exist, they might not be where you are looking.
In this guide about how to find coaching clients, we will be going through methods of finding the right paying clients.
Disclaimer: This is not a how to find coaching clients fast guide.
Where Do I Start to Find Coaching Clients?
If you are entering the coaching business, you have likely come around a lot of industry experts who already know what is working for them, and that is their suggestion for you as well. For instance, your friend who is also a life coach suggested that a blog yields the most results in terms of leads. Now, you may be thinking about how you are not a great writer, and essentially, that you may never be able to generate leads.
Fortunately, that is true.
When it comes to finding coaching clients, different methods work for different coaches. For some it may be the blog, however, for others it could be public speaking or search ads. One of the most important things to do prior to starting the adventure of finding coaching clients is to learn about all the possible methods you can use. Hence, create a list.
Once you have the list of all the available options for finding coaching clients, prioritize the ones you can start on immediately and create a work plan around the one you need to learn.
Moreover, it is always a great idea to create a plan. A plan you will use to find coaching clients for times to come. The list your create of possible means to finding coaching clients, you will then go on to turn that into a plan. Against each item on the list, write everything you will need to do to achieve that.
10 Ways to Find Coaching Clients + Bonus!
Finding coaching clients is an intimidating process. It is always difficult to know what will work for you but it is also important to keep experimenting. These 10 ways to find coaching clients will help you learn what could work for you.
1. Public Speaking Opportunities for Coaches
At some point, we have all had that anxious stage freight and in that process, we may have also missed a lot of opportunities.
But let’s think about it a little.
You are in a room full of people, all listening to the one person on stage, YOU. You finish your talk, and everyone comes around to introduce themselves to you, and once done, they remember who to reach out to when it comes down to coaching.
Public speaking is a great way to find new clients, and not just in coaching. Once you have overcome your fear of public speaking, you can get right onto the stage, and talk your heart out about what you are passionate about.
Getting oneself on stage in itself can be difficult. But we would recommend you to start small. Start with groups of 5 or 10, and a great way to do that is by signing up for platforms like Meetup.
2. Meetups are Amazing
Talking about Meetup, it is not only a platform to find public speaking gigs. It is also a great space to find other coaches who would like to network with you. As a result, you will learn more about coaching, and also be able to validate a lot of your ideas.
However, it is important to know the networking event you are going to prior to attending it.
As a result, it is always a good practice to create user personas and match the events’ attendees to that user personas. Will your ideal client be present at the event? If so, that is the event you want to show up for.
3. “I Know a Coach!”
We all know ‘a guy’. That person can be someone who can fix your car right up, help you get a job, or could be a life coach. But all of that happens when that ‘guy’ asked their friends and family to spread the word. If you are absolutely ready to start your coaching business, tell your friends and family to spread the word, and find referrals.
Referrals are one of the oldest tricks in the bag, and no, you should not bank on one of your friends.
You should tell as many people as you can.
4. LinkedIn Networking is As Good As Traditional
Similar to traditional networking at events, we now have LinkedIn.
We have all been adjusting to the new normal, and since in-person events are not encouraged anymore, LinkedIn has most certainly played its part. Getting a hang of LinkedIn, in the beginning, can be disappointing, however, you need to get into the practice.
When you start using LinkedIn, be sure to get the basics right first.
This includes your best professional picture, a great concise compelling about us section, and lots and lots of engagement. With LinkedIn, when any person of your network interacts with your post, their network is alerted of their actions, helping you build a ripple effect.
The key to LinkedIn is not to be shy on creating informative and relevant posts.
5. If You’re Thinking It, Why Don’t You Type It?
If you have been reading a lot lately about coaching, its methods and history, you should definitely put it in your own words. Blogging has proven to be one of the best ways to help audiences discover you online.
Although, we understand that blogging can be time-consuming, and writing is not a forte for everyone but there is always room to learn. However, if you think you have enough budget to invest in your coaching business, investing in a content writer via platforms like UpWork can help a lot.
6. Build Your Website
Personal websites are a great way to help your audience learn about you in your own words. A great way to think about your website is like a portfolio. Visitors come to your website, they learn about you, browse through your services, and are able to connect with you directly.
However, it is important to build a website with the right features.
As a coach, you need a website which helps you build the credibility on the first impression. Your visitors are more interested in your professional headshots, as opposed to your Friday night’s selfie. Investing in a professional photoshoot is a great idea.
More over, a compelling about coach section is a must-have. When visitors come on to your website, they are seeking more information than anywhere else, and to some extent, they are already interested in finding a coach.
Other features that can help give your website a facelift can be, but not limited to:
– Clear messaging
– Personalized email address
– Links to social media
– Accessible contact us form
– Easy-to-navigate design
– Blog posts
– Fast website
7. Groups Online
Ever since social media has become the face of online outreach, groups on these platforms have been widely use to build close-knit communities. Whether these groups are on Facebook or LinkedIn, they are definitely a great way to find potential cliental. Several social media groups help you gain access to thousands of individuals seeking some kind of coaching.
The best way to go about it is by logging on to Facebook, and searching for coaching groups. This search will help you discover numerous groups revolving around coaching.
Note: Although coaching groups seem like a free-for-all way to sign up clients, it is important to remember that excessive marketing in these groups may have you banned from the opportunities. The idea with the groups is to help provide value in return to the coaching questions you find.
8. Video Marketing
According to Statista, 85% of all internet users in the United States watched online video content. Now, that is a lot of eye balls. Video marketing is to transform all of your content into a video format. Whether it is you, yourself in front of the camera, or you are creating vector related videos. They are all useful and worthy to try out.
The best way to go about is to create a list of topics that you can potentially cover as a coach. For each topic, write a script which will last you for five minutes on video. Once the video is a created and edited, publish it on all social media marketing channels and your blog.
Based on user behavior in today’s times, your audience is far more likely to watch a video than to read a blog post.
9. Email Marketing
Several folks will suggest that email marketing is dead. However, let us confirm that that is simply a myth.
Email marketing is as effective as it was years ago. However, it is a lot more saturated.
Some key points to remember about email marketing is to always only reach out to those who have opted-in to your email subscription list. More so, it is also very important to personalize your emails. Hence, avoiding, ‘Hey there’. A better idea would be to address them by their name.
One of the easiest way to run successful email marketing campaigns is to use platforms like HubSpot or MailChimp.
10. Offer a Discovery Call
As much as you would like to hop on a call to learn about your clients, your clients would like to do the same. Rather than having your clients try and make a buying-decision right off the bat on your website, a discover call or a free coaching consultation can help them be more inclined.
A discovery call is not necessarily a coaching session. It is more like a get-to-know session, where the coachee learns about your coaching style, and you learn about their problems.
This free value can help put clients in the pipeline faster.
11. Join an Online Coaching Platform (Bonus)
Now, it is time for the bonus you have been waiting for!
Today, coaching is no longer just for the executives. With nearly 54,000 coaches, coaching is in high-demand. Whether you are just starting out, or have been a coach for a long time, everyone needs new coaching leads, and find coaching clients.
Online coaching platforms are a great way to do that.
This brings us to Koachee. Koachee is an online coaching marketplace helping coachees and coaches connect with each other online. The process to sign up as a coach on Koachee is extremely simple. Once you have signed up, complete your profile, add your rates, and tell coachees more about you.
Conclusion
Coachees discover coaches based on categories on our platform, and depending on how compelling your profile is, it becomes more likely to get hired.
Again, to find coaching clients is an overwhelming process, especially if you are new to the business. But don’t lose hope just yet. All the ways to find coaching clients, and the ones we mentioned above take time to mature, and yield results.
One blog post is not likely to help your audience find you immediately, nor is one professional photoshoot. However, it is all a combination of things. Marketing yourself and your coaching business is an end-to-end process for as long as you run your business.
It is important to know how to market your coaching business but it will not give you overnight success.
Be patient, and be kind to yourself.
