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Many coaches try and sell coaching.
But few people can guess know what coaching is.
Something to do with sports? Only for business? Most people
who buy your service will
purchase your promise that you will fulfill their expectations.
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Coaching is a product that does not
exist until somebody buys it.
Coaching requires different positioning and
marketing strategies
than more tangible products.
Stephen Feswick
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Address: #6, 4301-55 Ave
Olds, AB T4H 1M9, Canada |
Phone: 403-791-6179
Fax: 866-612-2260 |
Your first goal should be to
help people.
Your second goal should be to exceed
people's expectations.
Assuming that you already have the skills
and experience ... how do you develop a coaching business?
We can help you develop and apply positioning and marketing strategies
appropriate for your preferred clients. We can coach you to promote
your coaching to fulfill the needs and goals for which people are
searching for solutions.
Do you want to help people succeed? Can you save
them time and effort? Here are a few tips:
Speaking
Speak to business and professional groups. This
can be worthwhile, although most people would rather lie dead in
a coffin than deliver a speech. Only a few people volunteer to
speak before an audience - so your competitors will be few while
your impact will be obvious. People who have met you will remember
you when they need your coaching. And
if your talks were good, they may recall you as an expert.
List your talk topics and send them to professional
organizations. Offer your services free or for a nominal fee. Request
a referral letter that you can include in future requests for speaking
opportunities. If you speak for free, ask for your transportation costs.
Use visual aids to help focus the audience's
attention on your subject rather than on you, and to help them remember
your main points. If you feel shy, remember that speaking gets easier
with practice. We can coach you to create great talks and manage anxiety and
stage fright.
Press Releases
Read the press releases in a business newspaper ... those
companies are getting free publicity. What have you done lately? Have you
won an award, expanded or landed a contract? If you can't think of a reason
for a press release, create one. Useful press releases
contain news, not advertising.
Include your contact information, and a little background
information about your company. You might also want to mail a copy of your
service brochure or company profile with the release. And, if you have them,
good quality photos are a plus. We can coach you to develop effective press
releases.
Free Sessions
Businesses often offer freebies, such as a free
box of soap or a 30-day trial period. You can do the same with free introductory
sessions. Keep your costs down, and try various ways
to find the right incentives. Show off your services. We can
help you define the content of free sessions.
Referral Letters
Develop a letter for helping professionals that mentions
that referring clients to you can help their business. You can offer to send
them 'qualified clients' or clients in a certain region. You can also offer
an incentive for referrals, perhaps a discount on your services or a gift.
You can also offer your services through these referral
sources. For example, if you offer coaching that other professionals could
recommend to their clients, show how they can profit. Offer
them an incentive to refer people to you. We can coach you to create
great referral sources.
Newsletters
Newsletters help keep your services in your clients' minds.
A newsletter may be as simple as a sheet of paper with tips
and news, or an email. Most word processing programs
have built-in templates for newsletters, and you can use their clipart for
illustrations. Do you want coaching in this?
Offer real news and information your clients can use, and
reasons to save the newsletters and eagerly await your next one.
Testimonials and letters would be great additions, and help to promote
your business. Request permission from your clients before
printing their names.
Marketing & Positioning Your Business
Simply put, marketing is drawing attention to your service.
Marketing generates awareness in as many people as possible. Client relations
can be summarized as courtesy + dignity + common sense. Satisfied
clients often become repeat clients. We can coach you to be remembered well and
to design your marketing to reach large audiences of potential buyers. Important
questions are:
- What is the buying process?
- What is their experience with
coaching?
- What are the qualities you want to be known by?
- What do you do to live up to
your highest qualities?
- Who are your potential clients? What are their goals and
challenges?
- How does your coaching solve problems,
accelerate goals or add value?
- What differentiates you? What
do you do better, faster or with higher quality?
- How can you sum up your position in a memorable and
meaningful way, with style?
Perhaps you will market your expertise, capabilities,
reliability and commitment to your clients. You are selling a promise.
Focus on communicating and fulfilling your promise.
Constrain your marketing to the number of clients you can
coach well. You can please your clients by focusing only on a select number
of customers to sustain your business. If you try to service too many clients,
the quality of your coaching will probably suffer.
Referrals & Networking
Although recommendations from people who have previously
used your coaching are credible, referrals may come slowly. Why not ask for
them? If a clients seem satisfied with your service, you can request him
or her to refer your coaching to their friends or acquaintances.
Some of our colleagues reward people who refer clients to
them. It need not be money as some people dislike paying for referrals, but
a note or a small act of thoughtfulness to show people that their
efforts are appreciated. Do you want help doing this?
Direct mail
A good way to promote your coaching business is to use
letters or brochures. We can coach you to reach out
to the right people and remind existing clients of how you can help them.
Mailing to previous customers is essential, whether you send them a
quarterly newsletter, announce a new service or offer promotions
or discounts, etc.
Website
Together with your skills and referrals, a web site
can serve as a brochure and a business card that builds your
credibility. To attract visitors to your website, address specific problems
that your potential clients must deal with. People don’t surf the internet to find
you, they surf to find solutions. Make your site is content-driven
... your website content can indicate your relevance. Let your website reflect
your beliefs, values,
credibility and quality. Only then should you offer sessions, books, CDs, etc.
Your website may not have the latest bells and whistles, but if
you treat your visitors well, it is more likely that they will request your coaching. Provide excellent customer service every moment that you are
with a potential client - in person or virtually. Your coaching business depends on
this one thing.
Trust
Only people who trust you will purchase coaching from you.
People must feel that they will get the value they expect ... and that you
can and will deliver. Trust is a relationship quality based on what you
say, what you write, referrals and recommendations. Your marketing will
likely be ignored and forgotten unless you follow up with trustworthy
interactions and a quality service.
Do you
want Help Promoting your Coaching?
Copyright © Martyn Carruthers &
Stephen Feswick 2009-2012 All rights reserved. |
