Book Your First Client in 30 Days

If you’ve been reading my blogs this past month, you will have learned tips on how to leave your corporate job in pursuit of your passions, and how you can turn teaching what you love into a business. If you haven’t, take some time to read them; it will provide some insight into this article. If you’ve been following so far and you’re ready to take that next step into launching your coaching business, I first want to say congratulations! You’ve made it, you’re here, and I am so thrilled you decided to take that leap into doing what you love for a living. What’s next is booking that first client. To create the level of success you want and need, you need to focus on a clear path that is not only going to help you get that first client but also pave the way for a continuous flow of clients.

Establishing Your Niche

You’ve identified your passion and honed your topic. You’re at a place where you’re using your unique talents to perform optimally and your business is set up for you to share your craft with the world. Now it’s all about targeting your audience to make sure you attract and find the people who want to learn what you do. How do you establish yourself in the industry so that when people look for answers under your umbrella, they know to come to you? How do you show your expertise to the world so that your friends recommend you, your colleagues suggest you and people organically come to you? Before any kind of marketing can take place, it’s vital to define your niche.

Take your overarching topic and start simplifying it. Think about what made you attracted to your field in the first place. Start by backtracking through all of your feelings, and experiences that have surrounded what you do. Document these reasons and emotions, making sure you know all about the “what, where, why and hows” of your craft. It may feel funny at first, but by identifying the personal side of why you pursued what you did, your material becomes relatable.  Doing this will increase your ability to reach a specific need in the population allowing you to stand out as a thought leader in your industry. People often make the mistake of thinking that you just “find your niche,” but a good niche must be carefully crafted. There is no one business that appeals to everybody, and we know this because people are unique.

A mistake young entrepreneurs often make is they claim their business can serve everyone, market to everybody and ultimately reach no one. Who is going to want the services you offer? So let’s look at an example of what this might be. Say you are a nutrition coach – are you appealing to seniors who don’t have the ability to grocery shop often, want to eat traditional recipes but are worried about their health? Or do you identify with millennial’s because you remembered what it was like living off instant ramen bowls? By knowing who you’re targeting, not only does it provide you with business direction, but you can tailor your marketing material specifically for this niche so that when your ideal clients find you, they know that you are speaking directly to them.

Building a Presence in the Industry

Your niche is defined, and now you are ready to create a way for your target market to find you. This doesn’t have to be difficult, and I’ll show you how to begin.

Start by building a website. It doesn’t have to be completely beautiful and over the top, but it should be informative and clearly tailored to the niche you are trying to reach. Make sure your website offers an email opt-in and a way for people to contact you. The goal here is to develop a way for people to show their interest and capture their information so that you can talk to them directly.Work on ways to reach your market. There are many people that offer the services they’re looking for, so you’ll need to differentiate yourself from the herd by showing your personal passion and expertise. Clarify what you are selling and keep in mind “that smaller is bigger”. Describe the perspective of your ideal customer. If you were the customer, what would attract you to this topic, and how would it stand out to you? Create webinars or have a direct call. You’ll need to work on developing quality content that gives people a reason to work with you.

Things to put in place next are social media marketing, local marketing, and high-quality resources that you develop to offer to people. When you get that first client- celebrate! Also keep in mind that the work is just beginning. Your first client is special, in today’s digital world, referrals and client testimonials are effective tools to use in building your coaching business.

At the heart of entrepreneurship is the ability to step out and take a chance building your coaching business. You can do that by offering something very specific. With consistent and effective marketing, you’ll be booking client after client in no time.