Who's Your Client?

There are a couple schools of thought around getting your first wave of clients. Many at the Co-Active Training Institute, where I was trained, say that you should just go coach anyone and everyone, while others say that you need to find a niche. There are then also others who say that you need to become a thought leader to call your dream clients to you.

My belief around this is this- If you get someone in front of you who's open to being coached, and wants to hire you, invite them to be your client. You're starting out and working with a diverse group of clients will help you discover what kinds of clients you like the best, also, it's a paying client. Besides that, I think picking a small niche, so that you can easily and succinctly describe what you do and who you work with, helps your world narrow down who to refer to you as a client. Imagine sending out an email to your network, friends and family, former coworkers and classmates. The first email you send says something like this:

Hi Friend,

I just started a coaching business, and I'm accepting new clients, please connect me with anyone you know in your network who could use a coach.

Appreciate your support,

Coach

...and imagine you know what you do for your clients, you're clear about who your ideal client is and you're able to describe it. That second email would look something like this:

Hi Friend,

I just started a coaching business! I work with women who have just finished a divorce and want to really OWN this next chapter of their life. They may or may not be ready to date, that's not the concern- they just know that they want to go deep with themselves so they don't end up sacrificing too much again. If you know anyone who fits this description then will you please introduce us?

Appreciate your support,

Coach

I don't know about you, but while I was writing out that example, I even started thinking of women I could refer to this imaginary coach. The first one was too vague. To start, many people don't know what coaching is- they confuse it with mentoring, consulting, therapy, or even personal training, so imagine the types of referrals you may get. Also, did anyone come to mind when you read that first email? You have to help your world out on this, they're busy people and have a lot on their mind- trying to figure out what you're doing, and then thinking about what kinds of problems your friends are having, and then wondering if that's what you help with... that's exhausting and too much work. Make it easy for your clients to connect with you.

Finding a niche tends to be hard for new coaches. If you're inclined to help others transform their lives you're unlikely to want to limit yourself on who you can work with. Also, many coaches who are just starting out put a great deal of weight on this decision, as though this is the business they'll have forever. Trust me, it isn't. Your practice will start here, in this little segment and it will evolve. You may start out as a dating coach for men, get all women clients, and then discover that you like executive leadership coaching and coaching new coaches on creating their business... that's what happened for me!

The agility of a coaching business is very forgiving to this as well. You're not building a restaurant, pouring all that money, time, and energy into it, hiring a staff, deciding on the cuisine, and then deciding you want to knock it down and build a bookstore. You're making a website and changing what you say to people.

Picking a starter niche is also a great way to practice describing what you do, especially in that phase where you're dealing with some imposter syndrome.

As for being a thought leader- if you have the thoughts and can lead with them then do! Become a voice in your field. Your clients will align with what you believe and will seek you out. You may also want to niche from this space as well, so that you can speak directly to your audience where they hang out, but that's up to you.