Originally Posted on The Launchpad - The Coaching Tools Company Blog as How I Got 12 New Clients by Creating a Coaching Program – and Why It Was a Turning Point for My Practice!
I was writing a teleseminar this week about ‘concretizing’ coaching – finding ways to demonstrate the value and power of coaching in a tangible way. And it reminded me of a turning point in my coaching business several years ago – a coaching program I created that got me 12 clients in 2 weeks. It literally took me ONE day to put it together – the morning to plan and outline it, and the afternoon to create the poster and words. My first new client signed up that very afternoon (my mortgage broker who had stopped in to get some paperwork signed). I had just printed off a few posters and she said, “Sign me up!”. I didn’t believe her at first, until she got her cheque book out…
As I look at this poster now, it takes me right back to that time years ago, when I was setting my practice up, questioning myself, and struggling to describe coaching and get clients. I was on a tremendous learning curve and kept wondering if it would all (ever) work out.
So, getting 12 new clients in such a short space of time was a HUGE confidence boost for me. I had been building a list through my newsletter, workshops, networking and had been getting a slow, small and steady stream of clients. But it was this program that made my coaching business feel REAL to me.
Now, there are different ways you can SHOW people what coaching is, like giving a great sample session, taking them through a coaching exercise or running a workshop or teleseminar series. But you have to get people interested in the first place! And I was having such difficulty explaining what coaching was that I thought, OK, I’ll just create my own coaching program using my coaching exercises – at least they’re ‘concrete’!
So, I spent a morning thinking – and listening to my intuition. What do my potential clients need help with? I sat down and thought about the problems and goals my clients and contacts tended to have, then looked at the coaching tools and exercises I’d created. I wrote a bullet point list of 9 steps that would help them with these problems and goals. Then for each of the 9 steps I identified 1-2 SPECIFIC coaching exercises that I could do with them. The idea was that having these concrete steps made it super-easy to be confident when I explained the program to potential clients.
I called the program, “Free Yourself and Get Happy!” and gave it a special promotional price of $195 for 3 sessions a month. The catch (my reason for the special price) was that I asked for a time commitment of 6 months – and a testimonial if they liked what we did together.
Now this program AND the poster are FAR from perfect. These days I would make the program simpler, more specific to a particular problem, goal or issue – and try to cover less. But this program – as it was – got me clients AND left me feeling proud and confident for the first time in a long while!
I talk about all this and more on a teleseminar I did for Noomii.com: Practical Business Building Tips with Emma-Louise Elsey
So, why did it work so well? Here’s what I think:
- My excitement and enthusiasm were infectious. I truly believed in what I was offering and knew that these clients would learn a lot.
- At LAST I could CLEARLY describe what I would do with my clients!
- The timing and topic aligned well. It was Spring and people were ready for a “Get Free!” type of program.
- The special deal price was good (and knowing it was a really good deal, helped ME talk about it confidently).
- I gave my program an inspiring title (even it it was a bit grandiose and/or vague)
- I listed the topics and exercises as CLEAR STEPS that people could actually envisage themselves doing – the client understood exactly what they were going to get from working with me..
- I put a timeframe on the program so the coaching was not some nebulous going on for years type-activity.
So, we have excitement, enthusiasm and confidence from me. And clear and relevant topics, good timing, great pricing and a time limit for the clients – so they understand exactly what the coaching involves.
Yes, I still had to put the poster up around town, email my contacts, mention it my newsletter and put it on my website. But it was totally worth it to get 12 NEW clients in under 2 weeks don’t you think? And this was before I was even ON Facebook!
I didn’t spend days creating a detailed, rigid program that gave my clients all the answers. I just created a simple framework that told people what I would do with them to move them towards their goals and solve problems they might have. I still coached them towards their self-defined goals, I still ‘danced in the moment’ during our sessions. But the program’s steps gave us (me!) a focus – which took the pressure off me, and gave them something concrete to picture themselves doing.
So, ESPECIALLY when you’re starting out, a coaching program can be IMMENSELY helpful to help you clearly and confidently describe what you do in a way that people will understand. It’s something you CAN explain, feel GOOD about and go out and USE to market yourself and get some new clients!
So, why not CREATE Your OWN COACHING PROGRAM?
In fact, if it helps, here is the ACTUAL Microsoft Word Program Poster I used*** for you to use as a template. This is exactly as I used it – and I have learned a LOT since then. I recommend having only 5-7 points, trying to cover less, coming up with your own name that addresses a specific problem or goal, and picking colours that tie in with your business and images that represent how your clients will FEEL once they’re completed your program. ***PLEASE NOTE: The poster has images, shapes and text boxes. If you’re a basic Microsoft Word user – just use it for inspiration or get some experienced help if you want to use this as a template.
And for ideas, here is the here is the ACTUAL Program Detail with Tools I created for the first 3 Months of the program. You’ll see I was clearly trying to do TOO much, but it felt great to have so many options up my sleeve and lots to inspire my clients!
And if you liked this article about Coaching Programs you may also like:
- 10 Easy Steps To Create Your Own Seminar Handout – Use to create a seminar handout, or your own Coaching Exercise for your new program!
- 15 Types of Coaching Products to Create! Article written for Back-to-School time, but these ideas can be used anytime!
- Create a Spring Clean Your Life! Coaching Program or Workshop with our Brand New Seasonal Toolpack (only available until April 30th)
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