How To Build An Evergreen Sales Machine

A Comprehensive Guide on How to Get Online Coaching Clients

If you are a new coach, you certainly would want to know the fastest way to get coaching clients. Clients are the lifeblood of any business. Plus, you cannot really call yourself a professional coach unless you have people who hire your services. Most online coaches will tell you to get clients, get some professional photos taken, have a snazzy website and have a list of testimonials from previous clients displayed on it. The truth is that coaching is not an easy industry to make your mark in, especially if you’re just starting out. It can feel very crowded and many new coaches find it difficult to stand out and get people to hire them. In this article, we’ll give you step by step guide on how to get coaching clients. 

Step 1: Be Clear on the Problem You Want to Solve for Your Clients

Do not try to be a “Do-It-All” coach. You need to find a niche if you want to remain ahead of the competition. Your niche is your area of expertise. That expertise should be clear in people’s mind when they think of you as a coach. 

Remember that the main reason people hire a coach is to help them improve their lives. For example, a health coach helps people achieve their nutrition and fitness goals. A life coach helps people get clarity on their life’s goals and work towards accomplishing them. A business coach helps entrepreneurs expand their business. And so on.

Thus, it is important to have a clear picture in your head of exactly what problems you want to solve for people. Think about what makes those types of people happy, relieved, scared, sad, and then think about how you can make their lives a little easier. Now, narrow down your focus and decide what type of coaching you are going to do. 

Business and life coaching are the most popular, but they are not the only types of coaching you can do. You can be a:

• Financial coach
• Spiritual coach
• Health and fitness coach
• Career coach
• Executive coach 
• Productivity or organizational coach
• Parenting or relationship coach
• Weight loss coach

The one thing to remember here is that people don’t pay for coaches, they pay for results. Thus, once you decide what problems you want to help people solve, consider getting some coaching training. This can help you become a better coach, earn your certification, provide you with helpful tools and increase your marketability and credibility. It is essential to have knowledge and skills in the area you want to coach in. This can come from personal experience, but you might want additional training. For example a health and fitness coach can benefit from having a fitness certification. 

Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience 

Once you’ve decided the kind of coaching you want to do, the next step is to identify the ideal audience that can benefit most from your services. Finding the right clients is vital to the success of your coaching business. When you concentrate on the people who need your services the most, there’s a mutual benefit: You allocate resources to the right efforts and your customers spend their money on what they actually need. 

So, it is essential to identify your target audience so you can maximize the effectiveness of your marketing. In addition, having a target audience allows for more consistency in your messaging and enables you to have a good connection with your potential clients. Here are three tips on how to identify your ideal audience.

1. Create a Customer Profile

People who are more likely to hire your coaching services share certain characteristics. The initial step towards identifying your ideal audience is to create a customer profile. A customer profile is a detailed description of your target demographics. It takes into account factors such as:

• Gender: It is important to consider the number of men and women in your target audience. In most cases, their needs are usually very different. If you promote your coaching business in a way that fails to address these differences, you may end up attracting a few people of either gender. 
• Age: Determine the age bracket of your potential customers. Are they middle-aged, seniors or millennial? This is vital since customers in different age groups will respond differently to how your services are offered and marketed. 
• Location: The location of your clients will largely determine their purchasing preferences. Generally speaking, the buying habits of urban residents usually differ from those of people residing in rural areas. 
• Income Level: Knowing the disposable income of your potential customers should directly influence your marketing strategies. Customers with higher-income brackets are more likely to respond to marketing that stresses exclusivity and luxury. Low-income families may be attracted to services that help them save money. 

Other vital characteristics you should take into account include ethnic groups, industry or occupation, marital status, interests and hobbies. 

1. Conduct Market Research 

Market research allows you to learn more about your target audience. Market research entails learning about your customer's buying habits via direct contacts, such as surveys distributed via emails or web-based services or getting feedback from small groups who fit your customer profile via Q&A sessions and discussions. 

1. Reassess Your Offerings

Now that you understand your target audience, the next step is to look at your services in a fresh light. Ask yourself the following three questions:

• Which features and benefits are more likely to attract new clients?
• Which should I place emphasis on in my paid advertising and marketing?
• Which features actively discourage new clients?

This analysis can allow you to make valuable modifications to your offerings and yield new business. It is important to reassess your target audience periodically, let’s say every six months or once a year. Note that the marketplace shifts and evolves and your ideal clientele may change with it. Do some primary research and refine your customer profile accordingly. 

Step 3: Identify Competitors/ Influencers That Already Do What You Want To Do

After understanding your ideal audience, the next step is to determine who your competitors are. Researching competitors in your industry can provide you with valuable insights to fuel your own strategy. It can also provide you with some guidance on how to compete with them better. 

Competitor analysis is NOT about stealing your competitor’s ideas; it is about identifying their strengths and weaknesses and finding your own company’s competitive advantage. Here are valuable tips on how to conduct an effective competitor analysis. 

Tip 1: Identify Your Top Ten Competitors

Competition exists in every market. Every company has those dreaded competitors they can’t stand; regardless of what you do they’re always using your ideas and taking your potential clients. As a local or national company, you are competing with possibly hundreds or thousands of companies going after the same target audience. If you need help identifying your competitors, try Google. By simply “Googling” the coaching services you’re offering, a few of your top competitors will show up. 

Another way you can identify your top competitors is by using online tools, such as SEMrush. SEMrush is a great SEO software that allows you to know what other companies are ranking for your keyword and how you stack up against them. 

Tip 2: Analyze and Compare Your Competitor’s Content

After identifying your competitors, you can now begin your competitive analysis and do a detailed research to understand what type of content they are publishing. Analyzing your competitor’s content can help you determine the opportunities you have to help you outperform them. Check the kind of content creation your competitors are focusing on. 

Some common types of content include videos, eBooks, whitepapers, blog posts, Press releases, and so on. Knowing the type of content your competitors are publishing gives you a better perspective of where you need to put in more efforts and resources. For example, if your competitors are consistently publishing blog posts, this could one reason why your quality leads are going to your competitors. More importantly, do not just blog because you want to add content. It won’t generate more traffic if the content you are publishing is not remarkable. 

Tip 3: Identify Your Competitor’s YouTube Channels

YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world with a staggering 2 billion users. This makes it a vital advertising platform for any kind of business. In this world of cut-throat competition, you have to ensure that your content has the edge to cut the rut of monotony and stand out in the crowd. But how do you achieve this when there is new content being created and uploaded every minute on YouTube? 

To stand out of the competition, you need to identify and analyze your competitor’s YouTube channels and integrate their USP (Unique Selling Proposition) to improve your own content. Start by searching the most popular videos on your competitor’s YouTube Channel. For instance, if you make tutorial videos, then you should keep abreast with the latest videos of your competitors to create better content on the same theme. 

It is also important to analyze the tags and other meta-tags they have used to gain popularity. Finally, you could also track down their significant active subscribers and add them to your Google Plus circles. This way you can relay your content to them and give them an opportunity to watch your videos and in turn increase your following. If you produce better content than your competitors, their followers may end up choosing your content and you may end up getting new clients via YouTube. 

Tip 4: Identify Your Competitor’s Facebook Page

When it comes to developing a reliable digital strategy for your coaching business, an assessment of what your competitors are doing on Facebook is quite essential. Choose about 5 competitors to benchmark your efforts against, gather information about them including, what ads they run, how often they post, what their engagement numbers are like and the social networks they use. Here are key metrics to consider when conducting competitive analysis on Facebook.

• Facebook Ads

One way you can improve your Facebook advertising strategy is by analyzing your competitors Facebook Ads. However, it is important to note that some savvy advertisers may throw some clunkers in their campaigns on purpose if they suspect their competitors are spying on them. However, if you track this information regularly, at least once a month, you can be able to recognize trends and changes

To view your competitor’s Facebook Ads, go to facebook.com/ads/library. You will be able to see what type of ad campaigns your competitors run, what they say in their ads, what their offers are as well as their strategic goals. 

Alternatively, you can open your Competitor’s Facebook page and click the Page Transparency box in the right hand navigation. Next, click on View in Ad Library from this Page Box. If your competitors are running ad campaigns in multiple locations, you will be able to see a drop-down list that enables you to refine ads by location. This way, you can be able to see the regions your competitors are focusing on and if they are targeting a new region or country. 

• Content Strategy

Apart from Facebook Ads, it is imperative to understand your competitors Facebook Content Strategy. Some top factors to consider when analyzing a competitor’s Facebook Content Strategy include the type of post they’re publishing, the type of content format they are using the most, the time they usually post, how frequently they are posting and which types of posts receive the most engagement. 

• Facebook Engagement 

Another key metric to analyze is how well the fans are interacting with the posts your rivals share on their fan page. Take into account the likes, shares and comments a post attracts. If a post has been shared many times, it is quite possible that their audience loves it and likes to share it with their friends. Once you notice the behaviors and traits on your competitors' fan page, you can almost replicate that for your audience if you’re in the same niche. 

Tip 4: Analyze Their SEO Structure

In addition to analyzing the type of content your competitors are generating, it is also important to check out the SEO Structure of that content. Check how competitors are using keywords. Are they included in the content, H1 Tags, the URL architecture, page title, image alt text and internal links? 

You should also check the types of keywords your competitors are using. By looking at your competitors’ keywords you can generate an additional list of keywords you can start to target. When trying to rank for specific keywords, consider choosing keywords with a lower search volume. These are usually long-tail keywords that make the keyword more specific. 

Step 4: Create a Compelling and Irresistible Offer

The lifeblood of any coaching business is the existence of an irresistible compelling offer. Whatever is that you decide to coach, the better you are at creating a compelling offer around it, the more likely you will be to succeed. Compelling offers are a gateway to untapped profits and potential and path to explosive business growth. 

To create a compelling offer, you need to have extensive knowledge of your target audience and their specific needs and challenges. You must also be familiar with the coaching industry and your niche, have excellent copywriting skills and be able to deliver what your offer promises. A compelling offer should have the following characteristics:

1. Clarity

The initial step to creating an irresistible offer is to be clear about the coaching services you are offering. This is where copywriting skills come into play. Make sure that your offer is very clear and easy to understand. People will not buy from you if they are confused. 

1. Value

Be sure to deliver great value in whatever you are offering. People are more likely to refute, dispute or refund offers that do not deliver value. 

1. Bonuses

You need to give your potential coaching clients a reason to hire your services right there on the spot. To do this, you need to offer bonuses. Bonuses come in many different forms; it can be a gift card, a voucher, a discount an additional product, and much more. They are vital to your compelling offer. 

Note that a bonus does not necessarily mean that you have to give something for free or lower your prices. It only means adding more value to your initial or main offer to make it more compelling and irresistible. As an online coach, you can consider giving bonuses, such as online courses, 1 on 1 access to you, group mentorship, and access to a community.

1. Explain Your Offer

No matter who you are or what you are selling, when people come across a product or service, they tend to be skeptical and they will need to be convinced. You need to explain to them what they will be able to accomplish once they have hired your coaching services. 

1. Include a CTA

A compelling offer should have a strong Call To Action. Tell your prospects what you want them to do, for example, give you a call, enter their details, download a product etc. 

Compelling offers come in many shapes and forms. They are vital to your coaching client acquisition and can help you improve your overall sales and revenue.

Step 5: Build Your Online Authority

Brand authority is one of the most important business assets. If you can get people to recognize you as an expert, you will attract more online coaching clients and be able to charge more for your services. Building an online authority takes time and requires a detailed long-term strategy. One way to build your online authority is to create content your customers are searching for. 

Writing exceptional content for your customers is a great way to distinguish yourself from your competitors. Unfortunately, many coaching companies do not invest the resources necessary to create informative engaging content that portrays them as true thought leaders. Many blogs only recycle generic content, which ultimately dilutes any authority they may have built.

To build authority, you need to create valuable and credible content. This way, your potential customers and other industry experts will view you as an expert. You will earn an industry authority if your posts are commented on by other professional coaches. Here are valuable tips on how to create credible and valuable content

Tip 1: Identity What Your Target Audience Wants

If your goal is to create content that people will read and share, then you need to figure out what kind of content your audience likes. Avoid writing what you think will help you rank higher in search results. When writing your content, keep your audience in mind. Write content that is engaging, helpful and helps you build your brand. 

Tip 2: Research Your Keywords

Keywords are vital to your SEO. Therefore, you should take your keyword research seriously. First, you need to find out your relevant keywords and make sure that the content you publish contains these keywords. Use Google Chrome tools like Keywords Everywhere to see the search volume for keywords searched. Aim for keywords that have a high search volume but without a lot of competition. Another valuable tool you can use for your keyword research is the Google Keyword Planner. 

Keyword research allows you to get firsthand information about your target audience, the information they want and how they want it. When researching your keywords, don’t forget to include long-tail keywords. 

If you are creating video content, use tools like TubeBuddy to get the volume of searches from YouTube videos. TubeBuddy will also help you find the best tags for your videos and suggest tags you might want to target. 

Tip 3: Avoid Overusing Keywords

While keyword research is vital to your content marketing strategy, avoid overusing your keywords or try to manipulate the system. Google will detect it and you will be penalized for doing it. So, always keep your writing and keyword adding natural. 

Tip 4: Write SEO-Optimized Content

Write SEO friendly content. Include your target keywords throughout the content and in title tags. Most SEO experts recommend using the primary keyword 2 to 3 times in the content, preferably in the introductory and conclusion paragraphs of your content. Use your secondary keywords only once throughout the content to avoid keyword stuffing.

Step 6: Build Your Sales Process Based on the Price Point of Your Programs

Whether you are an experienced or a new coach, you need repeatable, well-structured sales process to ensure your sales grow and multiply. A clearly defined sales process gives you the direction to take from prospecting to closing. It helps you do the right things right and know for sure what works and what does not. You should start building a sales process if you do not already have one for your coaching business. The best way to build a sales process is to base it on the price point of your coaching programs, as discussed below:

• For Services $2000+

The sales process for high end clients is more complex and requires patience. Start by advertising your coaching services online. If your potential customers show interest in your services, you can send them an email inviting them for a webinar for your sales presentation. 

Note that sales presentation is very important phase in your sales process. When used correctly, webinars can be a high converting tool. Impress your subscribers with a problem-focused presentation. Start by describing the prospect’s pain point, show them a happy world where they are living problem-free and then explain how they can get there using your proven solutions. 

Once you have given your presentation, it is time to seal the deal. Depending on the nature of your business, you might want to try one of these three closing techniques. 

1. Assisted Close: If you think your lead is qualified and they have joined your webinar, you can ask them what you can do to make them take action. 
2. Basic Package Close: If your prospect is still hesitant to fully commit, consider offering them a basic package first before asking them to sign up for the premium package. 
3. Limited Time Close: If you notice that your prospect is on the fence, you can use this method to persuade them to take immediate action.

Most high-end clients will be hesitant to hire your services immediately after a presentation. You will want to follow up with them without irritating them. Try giving them a phone call to convince them to hire your coaching services. 

• For Services $297-$2000

The sales process for mid-level customers is not as complex as that of high end customers. First, you can start by advertising your coaching services. Next, you can invite your prospective customers for a webinar to showcase your expertise. After they have joined your webinar, you can get down to business and ask them what it is you can do to make them take action. Ideally, all closing efforts for customers within this price range should end with a sale. 

• For Services $7 - $97

Prospects who want to hire your coaching services within this price range are more likely to faster. After showing interest in your adverts, you can send them sales video convincing them why you are you are the best coach and the close the sale. 

Step 7: Choose Your Sales Funnel Wisely

A sales funnel is a series of steps you take to lead a potential customer through to eventually hire your coaching services and to maximize the revenue you get from each customer. A sales funnel is simply the money-making path you want a lead to take to increase the chance of them becoming your next online coaching client. To get online coaching clients, there are three funnels you should consider. 

• Application Funnel

An application funnel works by using a “take away” sale, where potential clients must “apply” to become your coaching client. It allows you to qualify people to work with you. Application funnels are ideal for high-end coaching. 

• Webinar Funnel

Unlike an auto webinar funnel, a Webinar Funnel requires people to register to attend your webinar events. Webinar Funnels are usually hosted on third-party software such as Zoom, Go-To-Webinar etc. Webinar funnels give you more time to close potential clients at a higher price point since they are about an hour long. 

• Video Sales Funnel

A video sales funnel allows you to use videos to sell your coaching services. It is an ideal sales funnel for mid-level clients that range from $297 – $1997. By the end of the video, your prospect will likely trust you and have warmed up to you enough. 

Step 8: Drive More Traffic to Your Website

Everyone wants traffic to their website. Traffic means potential sales. There are two types of traffic: Organic Traffic and Paid Traffic. Organic traffic is basically where visitors find your website after using search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing. Organic traffic is generated via search engine optimization. It can be accomplished via:

• Blog articles, often evergreen
• YouTube videos
• Landing pages
• Infographics
• Linkedin outreach-phone calls
• Instagram outreach-phone call

Paid traffic, on the other hand, entails sending visitors to your website using search engine marketing. There are many types of paid traffic sources:

• YouTube Ads (whether competitors based or keyword-based)
• Facebook ads retargeting
• Instagram ad retargeting
• Twitter ads
• Google Ads

To get online coaching fast and stay ahead of the competition, it is recommended you combine both paid search and organic search. 

Step 9: Customer Journey: Build a Membership Site

There are many reasons you should build a membership site for your high-end coaching clients. If you have trained for a coaching career or spent years learning on the job, then there is a lot of knowledge you can share with other people. A membership site is an ideal way to showcase your expertise and let people know you are a professional. It is also a legitimate way to help your potential clients understand your product and services. 

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