How to get coaching clients is one of the most commonly asked questions by new coaches. All coaches, experienced or rookie, want to learn more about how to get coaching clients. The secret to being successful is to get more clients. But, how do you do that?
There are many ways to market for more clients, but one of the best ways is on the Internet. People will find your website, read about how wonderful and extraordinary you are, and immediately sign up for your services, right?
Not really. Most people won’t buy coaching services off a website. It’s a great place to get your name and message out, but a website fails miserably as a sales closer.
How to Get Coaching Clients – Freebies!
The best way to get prospective customers to buy from your website is to give your services away for free. That’s right – I said FOR FREE! Freebies are the perfect way to introduce your services to potential clients. How to get coaching clients is all about giving them a taste of what you can do for them.
3 Free Offers from a Coach
- Free coaching session
- E-book or some valuable material related to your system of coaching
- Newsletter
If you are giving away e-books or newsletters, make sure they contain valuable information. Teaser material doesn’t work – people can see crap a mile away! People who are searching for coaches, demand value even though they understand that freebies are a marketing ploy. If you show them something of value, you get people believing that your services are valuable. That’s how to get a coaching client!
If you are giving away a free session, you have to make your coaching sound valuable. Say something like, “Let me show you how you can double your sales.” Or say, “Let me show you ways to ace your next interview.” Or, “Let me show you three special tips to help you lose five pounds this week.” Give them a reason to accept your free offer.
Your freebie should be easy to obtain. If it is a free e-book, newsletter, or informational material, they should be able to easily download it right off your website. There is no doubt some people will just be scouring the Internet for free stuff and once they get their free download, you will never hear from them again. However, if you provided something informative and valuable to read, those people who are serious about hiring a coach will want to find out more about your services.
If you are offering free coaching samples, make it easy for them to contact you; your e-mail or direct phone number should be prominently displayed on your website. If they have to search around for it, you may lose them. Everyone online has ADD!
Why Give Away Free Services or Information?
Because you will get more clients, that’s why!
For as long as you coach, you will be asking the question: How to get coaching clients? Trying new promotional strategies and perfecting old ways will be a constant for as long as you own your business. If you haven’t tried giving away freebies, you haven’t tried one of the best ways to solve the problem of how to get coaching clients.
Making freebies an integral part of your promotional activities will continue to pay dividends and help push your business to new levels. Everyone loves something for free, and you’ll love them because they will help you get clients, expand your coaching practice, and make you more money!
Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community
Hello Fred,
I agree with you and I like the way you talk about giving our very best quality of free offer as possible. It only makes sense to show our potential customer, client or partner that we are professional in what we do and over-deliver every time we give something for free. Great post! ~ Nathalie
The Freebie Syndrome… I read you loud and clear Jeffrey and I agree with everything you say of course, as a phenomenon that has become part and parcel of the way we do business.
If truth be told though, or at least my truth, we give so much away nowadays that there is a culture of entitlement out there where potential customers think they are entitled to freebies. It’s too late to reverse course but I sometimes wish there was no such thing as a freebie, whether one is looking to get coaching clients or any other type of commercial exchange.
Not to gang up on you (honest!) but I’d like to chime in with my two cents on Stevie’s comment. First of all, yes, I agree that it’s a good thing to provide high quality examples of our services – whatever that might be. We all suffer when someone puts a crappy product or service out there because then people become fearful of getting “burned again.” That said, when we discount or give things away free we are training people to expect it. I’ve spent most of my life in the travel industry and that is a perfect example -no one, I mean NO ONE pays the published rate for a room anymore. Travelers have been trained to look for the cheapest rate possible – and I’ve read astonishing advice telling people how to be rude and awful just to get an even bigger discount or upgrade! And, any blogger who says they’ve never had someone subscribe just to claim their free gift and then quickly unsubscribe is either lying or not paying attention to his/her stats.
I’ve learned my lesson. I’m going to start charging for every comment!
Jeff