Client Prospecting

The best and most powerful way to get new clients is through your existing network. We call this prospecting.

The classic new-coach mistake is to think that they should start out by marketing on Twitter or Facebook. If you don't have any track record, any followers, or any feedback on your pitch, then there's no way digital marketing is going to work for you.

The #1 rule of marketing your coaching business is that you need to talk to your friends first. There's two benefits you get.

A) Your friends and acquaintances are often your most likely clients. They will help you build up a track record. B) Talking directly to people will help you learn what sort of coaching is necessary and how you should be describing yourself.

We're going to give you a script that always makes your coaching better and always leads to more clients. Steps and script are below. The script comes from our CEO, Tony, who used it to raise money and get initial clients.

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I started out as one of the shyest people on the planet. When I started working, I couldn't even make eye contact with people. Now I do a lot of sales work (you'll notice this if we've ever sent you a client).

But I started from such a shy place, that I know that if I can do sales, anyone can.

A couple things to know going in:

• You're not a coach if you don't have clients. Finding clients is your job. It's not a one-time trick you do. It's a daily responsibility.

• Sales is partly about volume. That's why sales scripts exist.

• Use your network (people you're connected to on Facebook and LinkedIn).The script I'm going to share here is for using with people you know.

• If you can't sell to friends, then you won't be able to sell to strangers.

• So this is the script everyone should be starting with.

It's three parts.

One. Choose people. I just go through my LinkedIn by letter.

For example, I just reached out to every one of my contacts whose first name started with A and who I thought would respond to an email from me.

That turned out to be 14 people.

For each of these 14 people, I asked them for advice. I didn't try to sell them. Instead, I just asked them for advice.

They're my friends. They're happy to give me advice.

Two. Use this email.

I use the following email.

Hi [name],

I’ve recently joined a community of coaches, Coach.me because I’m starting to coach online. Do you have 30 minutes to give me some feedback on how you approach your own goals and whether you have ever considered coaching as a way to boost your progress?

Hope you’re well otherwise. [Submit some small talk, i.e. Saw that your son just turned 8, he’s looking so big!]

That's all the email needs to say. You don't need to convince them of anything, so you don't really need to say much.

Three. Use this call script

Let me be super clear about this script. It's not a sales script. It's a customer research script. Many people will just give you interesting answers that will make you smarter. A few will be exceedingly excited about coaching and will practically force you to get them a coach.

No matter what, if you use this script, you and your friend will feel like it was a worthwhile call.

Here's the script. I put commentary in brackets, [like this].

[Get them talking about themselves. You can pitch coaching at the end.]

Thank you so much for taking the time. I’ve been doing a couple of these calls and they’ve been really helpful just to hear how people are thinking about their goals right now. Is it ok if we start with a little bit about you and then if you want, I can tell you more about what I’m up to at the end. It’s really exciting.

[Most people won’t have articulated a top goal. Question below is worded so that they have to pick something.]

Great. First question. If you had to share your top goal right now, what would you pick?

[Almost always they’ll give a general goal.]

That’s great. Can you be more specific? What does success look like? What does it take for you to get there?

[Now that they’re warmed up, get them to offer more goals.]

That’s a great example of a goal. Can you think of any other goals you might have, for example in terms of eating, exercise, productivity, relationships, or work?

[Now get them thinking historically]

How about in the past. Can you think of the last major goal you set for yourself? It could be a New Year resolution or a goal at work or something you were working on in your relationship. What was that goal and how did it turn out?

[Get them thinking about solutions]

When you set a goal for yourself, do you have an easy time following through or do you feel like you need help with accountability? Do you have any tricks of your own?

[Now get them thinking about coaches]

Have you ever had someone in your life that played a coach role? For example, a sports coach growing up, a really good manager, or even a time when your parents really helped?

[Have them examine the coaching relationship]

What did you like or not like about this relationship?

[Start investigating their willingness to try a coach]

If you were to consider working with a coach again, what goal would you work on and what would be most important about the coach?

[Now, get their feedback about you]

I’ve been coaching . The reason I coach this topic is because of my experience . I’ve helped people . When you hear that I’m coaching people in X, what questions come to mind?

[Answer their questions, except for price.]

[Now, price.]

I have a price for my coaching. But I’m curious what people’s expectations are. Based on what you’ve heard so far, what do you think I’d charge on a monthly basis?

[Now it’s time to close them. There are three options and you need to use your judgement. The three options are below, A, B & C]

[A. If they are not excited by now about the idea of coaching then thank them profusely for their time. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRY TO SELL THEM PERSONAL COACHING. They are your friend and you don’t want to burn the relationship. Instead, ask:]

Thank you so much for your time. Your feedback was incredibly useful. One last question. If you had to pick one person in your life who would be most likely to choose coaching who would you pick? Why? Would you be willing to make an introduction?

[B. They are excited for coaching, but not on a topic where you are the right coach.]

I happen to know a bunch of the Coach.me coaches who specialize in X. Do you have an interest in getting an introduction to one of them?

[If the answer is yes, find a coach through #looking-for-a-coach in Slack. Then send the link with your referral code to your friend. Ideally, you should do this on the same day that you talked to your friend—they’re all hyped up and ready to do work.]

[C. They are excited for coaching and you are the right coach for them.]

This goal you have is something that I specialize in. Would you consider using me as a coach?