Are you struggling with marketing your coaching business? Are you a skilled coach who knows you can make a difference in the lives of your clients but you just aren’t sure what you need to do to actually market those coaching skills and build your business? In this video, I’ll be covering the 3 most valuable and effective ways in which you can grow your coaching business through proven marketing strategies.
I’m Dr. Bradford Cooper of the Catalyst Coaching institute and one of the most common questions we receive from those individuals who earn their health & wellness coaching certification through us or one of our respected competitors is “How do I get clients?” Obviously it doesn’t matter how good we are as a coach if nobody gets the chance to experience the impact. You might even consider it the coaching version of the philosophical question about whether a tree falling in the forest makes a sound if nobody is there to hear it: “If the greatest coach in the world doesn’t have any clients to coach, are they still a coach?” So here are the 3 best ways you can be marketing your coaching business based on our experience serving literally hundreds of thousands of individuals since we launched our company back in 2007:
#1 – Give it away… strategically. That’s right – give away your coaching, but be smart about the way in which you do it. You and I both know the power of a coaching session with a skilled coach can literally be life-changing, worth far more than the investment. However, many people – the majority of people – have no idea. That’s where strategic give-aways can be a powerful way to market your coaching service. For example, you might mention to your current clients that over the next 30 days, you’re giving away 10 complimentary coaching sessions to friends and family members of your current clients on a first come, first serve basis. You’re not asking anything from your client but rather just wanted them to know about it in case they knew someone who might want to try it. Your current clients DO know the value of your services, and there’s a good chance your offer immediately sparks the thought of a couple people they think might be interested in experiencing what has impacted their own life so positively.
If you’re thinking “great idea, but I don’t have any clients yet!” this strategy can still work. For example, in the signature line of your email, you might want to add an asterisk next to your Certified Health & Wellness Coach title and then down below the signature, include a line that says “Looking to change your life for the better but have not idea what a Health & Wellness Coach does? Contact me today for a complimentary session.”
As your number of clients grow, you may become more selective about the way in which you do this. For example, you might offer the first session free if they register for a 6-pack, with a 100% money-back guarantee if the first session isn’t worth the investment. That will result in less people pursuing the free session, but more of those people remaining clients once they do.
#2 – Partner – There are many professionals and settings that already value the skills of a highly credible certified health & wellness coach, but they haven’t yet integrated coaching internally. This is where you can come in, offering to partner with a physician, physical therapist, nutritionist, health club or others. They will benefit through enhanced outcomes for their patients or members, and you will grow your business in the process!
#3 – Speak/Present – also chance to give away (#1)/ TIP – don’t prep talk until accepted to speak – Whether virtually, in a small group or conference setting, organizations of all shapes, sizes and structure are regularly looking for speakers. As a certified health & wellness coach, you have the ability and credibility to speak on a number of topics of great interest to these organizations. From sleep to stress, behavior change to life balance, you have plenty of interesting things you can address. And of course, this is a perfect time to put #1 to work, giving away a free coaching session to the first 10 people in the audience to contact you.
One bonus tip on the speaking front that has saved so many coaches SO many hours. DO NOT prepare the full presentation before you apply to speak. Instead, come up with the title, brief description and a few highlights. This will provide the information the organization will need to consider you and then, if accepted, you’ll have plenty of time to put together and practice the full version. You never know which topics will be of interest and which will fall flat. Rather than spending hours upon hours working on a presentation nobody will ever hear, get the interest and THEN invest the time.
We have quite a few videos here on the YouTube Coaching Channel covering various aspects of coaching, from advanced coaching skills to an entire playlist devoted to the Business of Coaching, including how to price your coaching services. And of course, always feel free to reach out to us with any questions at Results@CatalystCoachingInstitute.com or access additional resources for current or future health & wellness coaches at CatalystCoachingInstitute.com
Thanks for joining us. This is Dr. Bradford Cooper of the Catalyst Coaching Institute signing out. I look forward to seeing you on a future Youtube coaching channel video or speaking with you soon over on the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Performance Coaching podcast!
