New clients – is it an issue?
With the majority of our clients the first problem they raise with me is that they are worried about getting new clients, they see their main issue as how to attract new clients and how do they get known, so new clients will find them.
When we start the discussions with what they are actively doing to achieve these new clients, we quickly find that most have hit road blocks, barriers they don’t feel able to get over or around and are often afraid to try.
A major problem for a lot of coaches and therapists is that they work in not on, their own business and because often they are starting out they try to do everything. Naturally, they do so from a coaches perspective and this in marketing terms can be a disadvantage to getting new clients.
Marketing for your business needs to be dealt with a different perspective to that which a therapist coach or healer, would normally attack a problem. The two are fundamentally different like the left and right side of your brain.
Below are 3 Sins Coaches make when Marketing and what you can do to avoid them and so get new clients.
1. Appealing to Everyone
Wanting to appeal to everyone you often end up appealing to no-one. When everyone is a potential client then no-one becomes your ideal client. Let me explain. When one of your real prospects has a specific problem and wants to find someone who can answer that problem and importantly wants to find someone they believe understands them, then unless your content is specific to that problem, it will not resonate with them.
General information is easy for them to find but what that client wants is something specific to their needs. If they then come across an article from someone (you) answering their specific need they are immediately engaged.
All successful therapists and coaches are clear about who their clients are, they understand their clients wants and needs even before the clients does. They then market directly to them in the language their prospect understands.
Which of these is more compelling (assuming your problem is getting leads)
First Coach “Hi, I am a business coach and I am sure I can help you with your problem”
Second Coach “Hi, I am a business coach specialising in lead generation and lead to client conversions, can I be of any help to you in this field”
A specialist will always win over a generalist.
Coaches and therapists have a wide knowledge base and therefore are able to help and treat many problems, this is awesome but it is a roadblock to you getting new clients.
So what is the answer? Pick one problem and have the solution to that problem and target everything at the people with that one problem. Yes I do mean initially one problem, one person with one promise.
Even as I am writing this I can hear some of you saying “but what if I miss out on ….”
Let me give you a metaphor for this. Imagine for a moment that you are a fisherman with a massive net with no bait and you cast it out in the wide ocean, hoping to catch many fish. But the only fish caught were a few that happened to be passing by. Now imagine that you are standing in front of a pond with a tiny net or even just a fishing rod, but the pond is full of the right type of fish that love the bait you are using. Every time you put your tiny net in or cast your rod you catch fish and not just any fish, fish that want to be caught, in fact they are fighting over the bait.
This is the difference between trying to be everything to everyone and something special to someone. And a byproduct of being something special to someone you automatically gain the respect and credibility. And furthermore your client get exactly what they want – that is a win win situation.
This one sin when overcome will get you new clients immediately.
2. Not Being Inside Your Prospects Head
Don’t worry I have not gone crazy, but do you really know what your prospect is thinking? Do you know “what makes them tick”? Do you know what their burning issues are?
You see if you can’t get inside your prospects head who's head are you in? Yours and that’s not who you want as a client!!
Understand their values and beliefs, the important and relevant issues your prospect has. Make sure you know who your prospect is, knowing your Avatar is very specific and please remember from Sin 1 not a general Avatar have ONE particular person and one problem in mind.
Next sit down and write down the main Fears and Frustrations of that person, then on another sheet of paper write down their Wants and Aspirations. Find out what drives them.
In essence you need to get inside your prospects head. See, hear and feel it from their point of view, what are their pains and their problems, what is holding them back, what is really at the core of the issue. Also what are their wants and aspirations, their desires their long term goals. The positive side of their future is equally as important when planning your marketing to get new clients.
These are the issues that you will be using in your marketing throughout. Bringing the pain to their notice, understanding the pain and having the solution to that pain, which is their want and are searching for.
Knowing your prospect and your prospective client inside and out is vital to good marketing and is vital to building your business and getting new clients.
3. The Marketing Plan
This is the biggest sin of all and you will know if you are sinful if you cannot answer Yes to the following:-
Do you have a marketing plan?
Do you have a lead generation funnel?
Do you know what a lead generation funnel is?
These 3 questions are the basis of a successful and profitable marketing system. If you cannot answer Yes to all, you truly cannot expect to have a stream of new clients.
Your marketing plan should include the following:-
Where are you now, where do you want to be and what do you need to do to get there,
A clear and defined goal, remember SMART (specific, measured, achievable, realistic and timed) use this to get you started,
A quality product or program, are you clear about what service you offer?
Your marketing budget,
Your social media plan,
Your conversion channel,
Your content and product funnel.
Your lead generation funnel is the first part and should include a 24/7 system to attract and lure your leads. Once in the funnel then you have an automated system to convert those leads to a new clients. Finally a process, again automated to take your new clients, keep them engaged and build a relationship so that they become your raving fans.
These are all structured systems that, once installed, will remove the stress and overwhelm of attracting and converting clients. This process will also remove the need for any sleazy hard selling. There is no cold calling or hard selling in any of the funnels we show you how to use.
The one other part to remember is that when you have the above you will need to plug in a system to test, tract, monitor, measure and manage your responses. That way you ditch the bad boost the good and sit back and watch the new clients pile in.
