7 Quick Start Marketing Strategies to Get More Clients This Week! | By Jeannette Koczela

You want to help others with your coaching business and you need clients to stay in business. Money flows to you through other people. Who those people are - and the problems you help them solve - is the magic behind getting a flood of clients coming to you on a regular basis so you can market less, and help more people.

Building a client base and successful business takes time. But while you're building that, there are some quick-start actions you can take - before you even decide on your niche… Before you have a website… Before you even have a list… And that's what we're going to cover here.

Here are 7 Ways to Quick-start your Coaching Business and Get Some Clients Now!

Read through the strategies below - and decide which one(s) you can do right away.

Strategy #1: Send out a Celebratory Letter

One of the easiest and fastest ways to get your first client is to send out a celebratory letter. You can send this out to everyone you know.

If your business is new, tell them all about your new coaching business.

If your coaching business is not new, give them an update. For example, a new coaching program, new social media account, new process, new website look etc.

The idea is to have a reason to contact them, tell them about your business and the kind of problems you solve.

Then give them a description of your ideal client and ask if they know anyone who fits your description. You're not asking them for their business because it puts them on the spot. Instead, asking for referrals is less direct - and more inviting. Keep the tone of the letter casual and professional.

To get started this week: Write a draft of an announcement letter and a list of who you can send it to. Feeling brave? Send it!

Strategy #2: Find a JV Partner

Joint venture partnerships are one of the fastest ways to build a business. You can contact people who have related products and cross-promote each other.

Here's a Real-Life Example: One of my clients - a life coach - told me about a joint venture he did with a local pizza parlor owner. They arranged a night where my client gave a talk on time management while people ordered and ate pizza. Afterwards my client passed around a clipboard for those interested in receiving his checklist for managing time, asking them to write down their name and email address. These people also received a coupon for a discount on their next pizza order. Each month these two partners scheduled a talk on different topics that my client covered in his coaching program, and the attendees enjoyed pizza. They built up a clientele doing this and that's how one client started building his list.

This is an excellent way to work with a JV partner offline. If you'd like to copy this model, look around your community at business owners with related products who have a brick and mortar facility, and who you could partner with, in a similar format.

For example, if you're a health coach, find a spa owner or health food store owner. If you're a personal growth coach, find a business owner who sells books or gifts. If you're a relationship coach, try a business that sells gift chocolates or cakes. You get the idea. And any kind of coach can partner with a restaurant owner, like my client did.

To get started this week: Brainstorm and reach out to a local business owner(s) with your win-win idea.

Strategy #3: Make Phone Calls

One way to really stand out from the crowd is to call people. Everyone is swamped with daily promotional emails, and to get a phone call from someone is so unusual that it can be a welcome change… Especially if they know you - or have asked to be on your list.

If you have an email sign-up form on your website with an opt-in gift, you could ask your subscribers for a phone number as well as their email. If you like this idea, be aware this might reduce the number of people who sign-up with you - so make it optional. Another way of looking at it is that if people aren't willing to give you their phone number, they may not be good leads anyway. People who are genuinely interested in your service won't mind a personal phone call.

Then, call them a week or two after they subscribe and ask them if they downloaded your opt-in gift and how they liked it. If they didn't, this will be a reminder. And if they did, you'll get some valuable feedback. This is a very personal way to start building a relationship with them. Then when they receive other emails from you, they're more likely to open them. This is also a way to build a more responsive list.

I can tell you from experience that when I was just starting out and had the time to call the members of my association, I always got a warm reception. Why? Because they already knew me, they received my materials, articles, newsletters, etc. and were delightfully surprised to get a genuine call.

And that's what will happen for you too. It's called "warm calling" because they already know you through the gifts and correspondence you have sent them.

Try this - and you'll definitely stand out from the crowd!

To get started this week: Add an optional phone field to your newsletter opt-in, and call the people who leave a phone number for a quick chat.

Strategy #4: Give a Free Talk or Teleclass

Another fast way to get clients is to give a free talk. Organizations, clubs and local groups are always looking for speakers who don't charge a fee. You can fit that bill. Target groups who are related to your topic or just give a talk that anyone interested in that topic can attend.

If you are giving a talk to a group, they will have the venue. But if you are speaking to the general public, you'll need to find your own venue, such as a public library, a local bookstore, gift shop, friend's business place, or church.

This will take a little more prep work in that you have to design a talk. But it' a great way to get clients right away, especially if you already have a topic you can speak on. Decide on a call to action at the end of the talk - either to subscribe to your list or sign up for an introductory phone call.

To get started this week: Decide on a great topic that will be of interest to your target market, give it a great title - and identify the key learning points. Then reach out to a few local groups and offer your services.

Strategy #5: Join Online Groups

Facebook and LinkedIn have the valuable feature of groups. Groups provide a great way to connect with serious action-takers and peers - all keen on your topic. And potential future affiliates and joint venture partners can turn up here as well.

When you join a group, you can join in discussions, see the activity of the members such as how many connections/friends they have and more. On LinkedIn you can go to someone's profile and see their recommendations, interests and activity - their posts, discussions and more! This is great to get to know your target market.

Once you are in a few groups and have established a presence by participating in discussions, sharing your knowledge and getting to know the group, you can start inviting individuals to connect with you so you can start forming relationships. On Facebook, invite them to be your friend or to join a group you have; on Linkedin invite them to connect with you.

Set your timer for 15 to 30 minutes to comment on various discussions in your online groups every day and post something of interest to the group once a week. By doing that, you position yourself as a leader, contributor and expert in your field.

To get started this week: Find 3-5 online groups to join whose members are your ideal clients.

Strategy #6: Attend Networking Events and Meetings

The fastest way to get new clients whether you're just starting out, or have been in business for years is through live networking. If you've identified your target market and where they hang out, you can go to their hangouts and meet them. But that's just half of it. You also want to go to places where there are people who can refer clients to you.

That's where many entrepreneurs make a big mistake in networking. They approach people who they think are their target market, try to sell them on their services, and if there is no interest they move on.

A better approach is to first ask them if they know anyone who could use your services. That way you let them off the hook, and it becomes a conversation of peers, rather than salesperson and potential client.

If they're interested in your services for themselves, they'll tell you. Effective networking not only targets potential clients, but also peers, colleagues, and other professionals with whom you can share resources, knowledge, information, and referrals.

To get started this week: Research online what networking groups and events are in your area - both where your ideal clients go AND where people who could refer to you will attend. Then, put a few meeting dates in your diary!

Networking is an opportunity to find people who are in sync with you. It's about building relationships, not just getting sales.

Strategy #7: Create an Introductory Product

Here's one more strategy on how to get new clients FAST: Create a short product or program with just 3-5 short modules on a topic of high interest and invite everyone to get it for free from your website.

Then invite those who downloaded it (and has given you their email address) to a teleseminar or webinar on the same topic that goes into more detail. At the end, your call to action could be a free consultation that leads into your paid program of choice.

Your modules in your introductory product can be audios of you talking about the subject; you could get someone to interview you; or you could make videos. If you like to write, you can write out your modules or combine several articles you've already written, and turn them into PDFs.

The idea is to create something you can make quickly, then get it out there as a teaser for your main one-on-one coaching. This is a great way to get clients through giving away valuable content.

To get started this week: Brainstorm an introductory product which you already have content for, that your tribe has been asking for - or that you see a need for.

Wrap-up

You now have 7 different ways for getting clients this week, which you can employ as you build your business for the long term. Pick the one that most resonates with you and start on it right away, so you can get a client in the next 7 days.

These strategies are for getting clients in the short term. You should also be building your business for the long term so you can have a sustainable income from your coaching business.

If you liked this article on Marketing Your Coaching Business, you may also like:

• Your Step-by-Step Guide to Building a More Responsive Email List by Jeannette Koczela
• BIG Marketing Myth, Start with Marketing that Works for You! by Ben Dooley, MCC
• A Powerful Marketing Tool - When and What to Ask Your Clients To Get Effective Testimonials!

Contributing Author:

Jeannette Koczela is the founder of the International Association of Professional Life Coaches. For more tips and support for your life coaching business, visit our Facebook Page or Become a member of the IAPLC.

 

Learn more about Jeannette & see all their articles here >>