3 Field-Tested Tactics to Grow Coaching Programs

You’re a coach. It’s your job to help others succeed. But what happens when you’re the one who feels stalled, or tired, or too stressed to separate out the good prospects before you waste time on those who aren’t a good fit? Who can help you accelerate your coaching business beyond your current goals?

So here’s the good news:There are 3 field-tested tactics that will help you discover how to pre-qualify your leads and obtain more high-quality clients, without being “sales-y.” Let’s be honest: If you’ve been doing business the same way for years, and haven’t been succeeding to your highest level, you know it’s time to do something different. These three proven approaches will move you toward the thriving coaching business you’ve always dreamed of. Then—and only then—can you keep passing it on.

1. Change Your Mindset

The value proposition—Recognize that you need to look at your business differently. Realize it’s less about what you’re selling (coaching sessions) and more about solving your clients’ problems, whatever they are at the moment (helping them succeed, getting the respect and money they deserve, gaining more life balance, and becoming the best version of themselves they can be).

The powerful present—Deal with the reality of today. Although your upbringing and past experiences have been part of your life, they should not shape your meetings with prospects. Silence negative thoughts and quit dwelling on past failures. It’s a new day. So starting today, remind yourself—and your prospects—that you are the expert on how to solve their problems.

The $50 rule—Don’t do everything yourself. If you do, it means you’ve got less time to do the things that only you can do—the things that help you thrive and generate income for you. So okay, here’s my rule: If you would pay $50 to someone to do what you’re doing at the moment, do it yourself. But if not, delegate. Your time is valuable, and you’ll do better concentrating on high-value priorities if you delegate when possible.

2. Attract Your Ideal Clients

Do you know who your ideal clients are? This is critical, because nothing eats up time and lessens your chances to succeed if you’re not putting yourself in front of the best prospects. Right? Knowing your demographics and their psychographics—what drives your ideal clients—helps you find them and close sales with them. Where does she spend her time? What are his goals? What does she want that she doesn’t yet know how to get? Take your top 10 clients and figure out the common denominator. Once you’ve got this figured out, there’s no stopping you!

Grow your coaching business by:

Cultivating your current clients. Love them back by staying in touch. Phone them just to check in. Use my secret weapon: the hand-written note. Few things say you value your clients more than an actual card signed with your actual pen. Really!
Evaluating your competition. Find out where the gaps are in what’s available, and understand the uniqueness of what you offer—and what strengths you have—that your competitors don’t.
Asking for referrals. Teach your clients how to give you the right kinds of referrals so you’re not chasing unqualified leads that don’t match your goals.

3. Close the Sale

Your sales meeting is only as effective as the power of your conversation. Studies show that open-ended questions stimulate the part of the brain you want to reach. The right questions can cause your prospect to stop and think. Then the two of you can come up with solutions to problems that have never even been analyzed.
Tailor your information to the type of prospect sitting in front of you. Does she want details about how you can help or a brief overview? Is he interested in the synergy of the relationship? Make sure you’re communicating in ways your prospect is most comfortable with.
Objections are your friend, so embrace them. One of the most powerful tactics is what I call the preemptive strike. You know which objections are most common; you’ve heard them time and time again, and so have I. So here’s what I do: After I’ve discussed the prospect’s problem and how I can solve it, I bring up that potential objection myself. That way, I can control the narrative by immediately counteracting it. If the usual objection to your coaching sessions is price, explain what they’ll get from you and why that’s more valuable.
Ask for the sale. At this point, if you’ve agreed that you can solve the prospect’s problem and asked for clarification every step of the way, you’ve done the hard work. You’re now just helping guide your prospects to practically close the sale themselves. Set the stage by rephrasing what you’ve already agreed to. Remind them of their goals and how you’ll help them meet those goals. Then ask “Is there any reason we can’t get started today?”