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Once you launch your business online, the first step is to have a predictable way to attract customers 24/7. Regardless if you are an online coach, creator or services provider, the client acquisition process is the most important asset you can focus on building.
In this article, I’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to get online coaching clients.
Step 1: Be clear on the problem you want to solve for your clients.
Don’t try to be a “do it all” coach. It’s important to find a niche if you want to remain ahead of the competition. Your niche is your area of expertise. That expertise should be clear in people’s minds when they think of you as a coach. The one thing to remember here is that people don’t pay for coaches; they pay for results. To find your niche, think of the problems you want to help people solve.
Step 2: Identify your target audience.
Once you’ve decided on the type of coaching you want to practice, the next step is to identify the audience that can benefit most from your services. Finding the right clients is vital to the success of your online business. Identifying your target audience can be a simple process. Start by identifying your biggest competitors, as they have already spent time and money attracting proven buyer behavior audiences.
Step 3: Identify competitors and influencers who already do what you want to do.
Researching competitors in your industry can provide you with valuable insights to fuel your own strategy. Competitor analysis isn’t about stealing your competitor’s ideas; it’s about identifying their strengths and weaknesses. To get started:
• Identify the top 10 competitors or influencers in that space. Competition exists in every market. It means that others have already proven the model and there are buyers willing to spend money for the same services you are offering.
• Analyze and compare content. After identifying your competitors, you can now begin to do detailed research to understand what type of content they are publishing. Analyzing your competitors’ content can help you learn how to outperform them.
• Assess your competitors’ social channels and ads. To stand out from the competition, identify and analyze your competitors’ social channels. For example, if they have YouTube pages, look at their most popular videos. On their Facebook pages, look at the types of ad campaigns your competitors run, what they say in their ads, what their offers are and their strategic goals.
Step 4: Create a compelling and irresistible offer.
The way to rapidly scale any coaching business is the existence of an irresistible, compelling offer. To craft this offer, ask yourself the following three questions:
• What is the price point for my services?
• How can I add more bonuses to make it more appealing?
• Can I add direct access to myself to increase the value?
No matter the coaching specialty you choose, the better you are at creating a compelling offer around it, the more likely you will be to succeed.
Step 5: Build your authority.
Brand authority is one of the most important business assets. If you can get people to recognize you as an expert, you will attract more online coaching clients and be able to charge more for your services. One great way to build authority is to interview other experts in your niche. One way you can start doing this is by starting your own podcast or by being a guest on other podcasts.
Step 6: Build your sales process.
The sales process starts the moment you launch your ad campaigns with educational content, and it basically runs forever. The sales process should not stop after the first sale; it should continue to bring more value to your customers and nurture them into your back-end packages.
The best way to build a sales process is to base it on the price point of your coaching programs. For example, a person likely will not swipe their credit card online for a $2,000 price point without a phone call or a more in-depth video presentation. However, if your coaching program or online course is only $97 to $297, they will be more likely to become buyers without a phone call.
After you decide the price of your services, continue the sales process through a sales funnel.
Step 7: Establish a sales funnel.
A sales funnel is your marketing strategy; it’s a series of steps you take to lead a potential customer to hire you and to maximize your revenue. There are a number of ways you can create your own sales funnel. For example, you might decide to market your services through regular webinars, or you might decide to use an application funnel, which requires potential clients to apply to work with you. It all depends on the type of client you’re trying to attract.
Step 8: Use a mix of paid and organic marketing.
Every business needs more traffic to their website, because traffic means potential sales. There are two types of traffic: organic, which is when visitors find your website based on unpaid search results, and paid, which is when visitors find your website from a paid ad. To stay ahead of the competition, I recommended you combine both of these marketing tactics. While paid traffic is the only way to scale your business predictably, if your offer doesn’t convert organically, paid ads will not help that process.
Step 9: Build a membership site.
There are many reasons you should build a membership site for your high-end coaching clients. A membership site is an ideal way to showcase your expertise and let people know you are a professional. It is also a legitimate way to help your potent
