When Marketing Your Coaching Business Becomes Fun

Most coaches have a naturally enterprising spirit. In fact, many have endlessly creative ideas. What seems to be lacking for most coaches is Focus.

Have you ever felt that you're all over the place with your coaching business? Today, you're speaking at a brown bag corporate meeting about team leadership. Yesterday you gave a talk at your church about relationships. Next week you've got a gig at Borders where you're giving a career choice seminar.

Hmm - so you're trying to be a leadership coach, a relationship coach and a career coach all at the same time?

All of these opportunities just came to you, right? And it feels good to be recognized. But what are you recognized for... and is it something you can leverage to become financially successful?

If you are morphing your message, your title and your specialty to fit any opportunity or potential client that comes your way, you're losing energy and impact.

Somewhere down the road, you'll wake up and realize that's not a sustainable way to do business as a coach. You're exhausted. Your client pipeline is only trickling even though you're putting in a lot of hard work. And when you do the math, most days you're only making about $25 - 50/hr when you could be making at least 5 - 10 times that if your business had more focus.

That's when a lot of coaches hire me to help them fix their coaching business. If these are some of the symptoms you're experiencing, let me give you the four ingredients of a simple remedy which is 100% effective and will make your marketing fun for you:

1. Pick one narrow niche market that is easily accessible and that has disposable income. Ideally, it's a group you have some knowledge about. But you can do what I did and start building your knowledge from scratch.

2. Make it your business everyday to find out what your niche market cares about.

- What is keeping them up at night?
- What are the specific top challenges they continually face?
- What are their big end goals?

Stop yourself from trying to figure out what you have to offer them at first. And resist the temptation to scrape at the surface and generalize their problems to what anyone may be challenged by. When it comes to marketing coaching services, narrow and specific wins every time over broad and general. Research your niche market, get into their heads, step into their shoes, read their publications... understand them.

3. Stop trying to convince clients to hire you by trying to sell them on the idea of coaching. Coaching by itself doesn't sell. When you learn to think like your niche market does, you'll know what to sell.

Does & Donts

Do speak to your niche market's challenges and how you can help them achieve their top goals.
Don't speak generally about what all life coaches can do for clients (balance, values, fulfillment).

Do remember that coaching is co-creative. It's about reflecting back the client's wisdom, not about telling them what to do. Give yourself time to learn how to serve them and become an expert.
Don't worry about whether you have the expertise to support this group. Your interest in them is a big part of the attraction factor. And they WILL bring agendas you like to coach about no matter who they are.

Do attract their attention by specializing your services just for them. And value your time highly.
Don't be a generalist, trying to coach anyone for any price. When you act as if you are successful and valuable, then you are!

4. Set success criteria to keep your focus on actions that will have the greatest impact on your Long Term success. Success Criteria are guidelines that will help you determine how to dedicate your valuable time. Say 'yes' only to ideal clients and ideal opportunities that meet your success criteria, rather than anyone who wants you for anything.

Within a few months of making these four changes in your approach to getting clients, you'll see the results you want:

Scattered becomes focused.

Muddled becomes clear.

Overwhelmed becomes purposeful.

Limping along financially becomes highly profitable.

And you'll actually enjoy marketing because the struggle is over and you know exactly how to attract your ideal clients every time.