3 Proven Strategies To Get Clients
If you're starting your career as a coach, educator, consultant, one of the very first significant milestones will be to get your first clients.
Many entrepreneurs will start promoting themselves through social media channels, instantly competing with the global market. I've witnessed many newly established coaches fall into the comparison trap and get stuck when they start because social media amplifies a performative approach glamorized by 6,7-figure entrepreneurs.
If you're not into this hustle culture, I'm here to share with you 3 proven methods to get clients without having to spend your life engaging on Instagram or in Facebook groups. I like to keep things actionable so I’ll share a to-do and a protip for each strategy. You’ll also see an invitation to the next step at the bottom of this blog.
1) Before you start: Launch your offer with beta testers
You'll need to have at least a one-page of your offer with testimonials to communicate who you are, what you do, what are the benefits of your offering, and how to work with you. You could present this on your website or make a PDF if you don't have one.
When I first started, my coaching offering was brief, with an option for a single session and 6 sessions over 3 months. To build social proof, I offered sessions to 3 entrepreneurs and asked for their permission to use their photo and testimonial.
The benefits of partnering with beta testers is that:
it'll boost your confidence and show you what's possible
you'll identify what you want to streamline in the process
you'll get genuine feedback on what to improve
you'll have testimonials to build your credibility as a coach or consultant
To-Do: I invite you to think of 3 persons in your circle who may benefit from your support right now. It could be friends, colleagues, people from communities you are part of. You don't have to provide months of sessions. It's up to you and what you feel would be appropriate to make a testimonial-worthy impact. You can use a table like this to stay on track:
Protip: It's common to see new entrepreneurs get anxious about their niche and finding their "ideal clients" when they start, and it paralyzes them (I have a free guide to help you find your niche). Ultimately, I do believe that regardless of who you work with initially, this will evolve anyway, and you'll gain more clarity about what kind of people you want to work with as you work with more people.
LET'S SUPPOSE THAT NOW, YOU HAVE TESTED YOUR OFFER, REFINED IT, AND YOU HAVE YOUR ONE-PAGER WITH INSPIRING TESTIMONIALS. WHERE WILL YOU GET "PAYING" CLIENTS NOW?
2) The underrated method: Launch to your personal network
This one is often under-rated and counterintuitive because somehow, people assume that their friends, past colleagues, or clients from previous jobs are from a different life period. Therefore, they imagine that they could never be a client.
I filled my first group coaching program with clients and friends I knew from my previous business more than 10 years ago. And my clients' "first paid client" success stories have shown me that the first clients are inherently from our network - because they know us and trust us already, they convert into clients more organically.
To-Do: I invite you to make a list in a stream of consciousness writing of 50 people you know, and narrow down the list to 10 persons to reach out to, to present what you do, explain what you do and how you can help.
Protip: Prospects are not going to take action unless they are challenged to. There are many ways to create a sense of urgency and incentive people to take action without doing this in an artificial and unethical way. For example, you could offer a limited number of free calls each month (this will protect your time), and if they book a call by a specific date (this will set your mind free), they will be eligible for an early bird bonus when they sign up for your program.
WOULD YOU AGREE THAT IT'S MUCH EASIER TO MAKE A MORE SIGNIFICANT PURCHASE WITH SOMEONE WHEN YOU FIRST MADE A MINOR PURCHASE AND GOT SOME RESULTS THROUGH IT? THIS CONCEPT IS THE ESSENCE OF BUILDING A "PRODUCT STAIRCASE'.
3) The ascension method: Building your product staircase
As you grow your brand, creating more programs with different budgets in mind will give more "touchpoints" for people to do business with you:
your high-tier offer would be your one-on-one package
your mid-range offer would be your group program
and your low-ticket offer would be your workshops, online courses, and masterclasses
Not everyone will be ready to invest in a one-on-one program right away, and allowing them to start with a smaller investment will help them walk to the top of the staircase seamlessly. The sooner your prospects become clients, the more natural it will be for them to continue working with you on a more exclusive term.
SELLING THE MORE EXTENSIVE PROGRAM DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THE END GOAL. TO CONNECT WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE THROUGH A COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE HAS ITS GRATIFICATION OF ITS OWN.
The key is that the participants have an opportunity to interact with you and feel your energy. I hosted 7 workshops (2 free and 5 paid) last year and enrolled 3 clients for my 6-months signature coaching program immediately after!
To-Do: What might be some workshop themes you could teach that are related to your coaching or consulting program? Some ideas could be a step that "prepares" them for the more extensive program, a paradigm shift, and/or an exercise. I invite you to:
Define your workshop topic.
Create a Zoom meeting. If you plan to sell tickets, you can use a third-party platform such as Eventbrite.
Invite and send the link to the people in your personal and business network.
Protip: Teaching your first workshop may be triggering, but it will get your feet wet. You'll get an adrenaline rush, and once you start, you'll be addicted to it! Remember to ask for feedback and testimonials.
“CAHNERS BUSINESS INFORMATION ANALYZED 40,000 INQUIRIES AND FOUND THAT 97% OF YOUR WEBSITE VISITORS AREN’T READY TO BUY. 47% OF PEOPLE TOOK A YEAR OR MORE TO PURCHASE. IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LONG TIME, DON’T LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU; THEY ALSO FOUND THE OTHER 53% BOUGHT WITHIN 3-12 MONTHS. THAT’S YOUR GOLDEN TICKET.” — PIXELRUSH
The next strategy provides a perfect solution for you to stay in touch with your website visitors - the 97% who are not ready to buy now.
Would you like me to teach you how to create and sell your signature workshop? Join the waitlist to know when I launch this program ↴
4) The systemic method: Create your irresistible freebie
"A lead magnet is a marketing tool that generates leads by offering a long-form resource in exchange for a prospect's contact information." Source: Hubspot.
People refer to it as "content upgrade", "freebie", "opt-in", or "lead magnet". I assume you've downloaded some free guides from a website you visited in the past weeks and perhaps even made a purchase after receiving a series of emails?
This method takes longer to set up because you need to create the content first and set up the funnel using an email service provider. However, the benefit is systematic because it will attract quality clients to your business on autopilot once it's up and running if done right.
Disclaimer: I'm not an expert in this strategy but I've been more serious about implementing it in the past 6 months and saw tangible results, and this is why I want to share this with you.
I recently signed my "soul client" for my most premium program. The person had joined my mailing list through one of my lead magnets, and she journeyed through a series of emails without my intervention. She was delighted with the results she created for herself through the freebie and inquired about the best way to continue working together.
NB: I don’t believe in a single magic formula that converts clients. People who claim things like “I booked up my program with this script” make me cringe because it doesn’t give the whole picture and context, and makes you set unrealistic expectations. Results are the outcome of a combination of actions that we take (how we create our marketing ecosystem) and intangible things that we cannot control.
Case study:
One of my students (a birth educator) had placed a free resource list for moms-to-be as her lead magnet when she launched her website. Several weeks later, she was surprised to see that 50 people had signed up for it! This kickstarted her mailing list and motivated her to start sending monthly newsletters. Since January, she's been sending monthly newsletters, cultivating her relationship with her community, and growing her online consultation worldwide.
To-Do: What could be a tiny step of your paid offer that you could turn into a free guide or checklist? It doesn't have to be complicated; I made my email course in Google Docs. You'll find plenty of online tutorials on creating a "lead magnet delivery" with the email service provider of your choice. I've tried many, and Flodesk is my favorite because they have gorgeous professional-looking email templates, and I always get compliments on how my emails look!
Protip: The desire to do everything perfectly with all the bells and whistles may slow you down or even make you give up. Be OK taking imperfection actions to launch your message to the world and edit along the way.
Conclusion
You now have 3 proven methods to kick off your coaching or consulting business and build confidence. You could follow these 4 steps in the following order:
Start with a beta program and test your offer
Launch your final offer to your network
Build your product staircase
Create your irresistible freebie - at this stage, you’ll have gathered enough data about your ideal client and gained experience to craft a lead magnet that converts on autopilot.
As you develop and implement your strategy, you will leverage the compound effect of each tactic together. If you focus on activities with high and long-term impact on your business, you will create a thriving coaching or consulting business sustainably and without burnout.
People who are not ready to work with you today may be in the future. It's all about putting yourself out there, experiment, and your journeys will synchronize at the right time.
If you'd like to ask a question or share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you! I wish you peace of mind, joy, and delight as you bring your ideas to life and pursue your calling.
How to build a streamlined human-centered business without relying on social media
Join me for a free 5-day live immersion for health and wellness entrepreneurs, coaches, and creatives who want to build a timeless brand that lasts for decades
About Maika Endo
Maika is a Business Coach and mentors heart-centered impact-driven entrepreneurs to build the foundations of their coaching & consulting business with her signature Intentional Business Building™ method. Her approach is holistic and integrates the entrepreneur mindset, ready-to-action marketing strategies, and systems to help create sustainable changes and long-lasting results. A lifelong passion for the human psyche, healing arts, and personal growth brought her to coaching. She’s French-born in Japan and currently lives in Istanbul with her family. She enjoys cooking, sparkling wine, and playing with her son outdoors.
Links:
Sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter Sweet Words where I share thoughtfully curated content to build your business with intention and clarity, resources, and behind-the-scenes
Sweet Words
Would you like to receive Sweet Words from me every month with thoughtfully curated updates, inspiration, and tools to build your heart-centred business with intention and clarity?
