I'm sure that you coaches who've been
trying to build your coaching business
have heard the concept that the people
that buy from you are the ones that know
you, like you, and trust you. The key to
that is to "build a community" around
you where ever you go.
For instance,
you've likely tried networking as one
way of building your coaching business
where you walked around the room
collecting business cards, and maybe
even have taken the next step which is
setting across the table from that
person, and to a certain extent the two
of you are getting to know each other a
little bit better. But, there's
something missing from the way 99% of
all coaches, and other small business
owners, have been doing it. Here's the
secret to turning that into success.
Find Enough People to Help
It hinges on something Zig Ziglar
said, "You can get everything life you
want if you just help enough other
people get what they want." So, the
secret to your rapidly growing a very
successful coaching business is that
where ever you go you will create a
"community" of people you have helped.
If you've spent your time when
meeting with others
- telling them about your coaching
- elling them about yourself
- trying to persuade them to buy
your coaching
You've probably had some sparse sales.
But, just imagine what would happen if
you were surrounded by lots of people
- begging for you and your
coaching
- who have experienced the results
you bring, and are so excited about
it that they "spread the word" about
those fantastic results
The secret to making that happen is that
everywhere you go you not only find
people to help but you create
communities of people you've helped. In
that community those people talk about
you, tell each other and those outside
the community how great the results are
that you deliver.
Creating a Community of
People CHASING You
Now, here's another secret about
doing that. And these are almost secrets
because almost no one does it, but those
that start doing it see a massive
increase in people chasing after them
and in sales.
Let's start with "networking."
Instead of walking around "collecting
cards" and getting a few appointments
here and there, always think, "How can I
help this person RIGHT NOW." Your job is
to explore with that person how you can
help him.
Develop POWERFUL Marketing
Message
One way f finding people to help, is
to start with a POWERFUL core marketing
message with a VALUE statement. Instead
of saying "I am a coach" say something
like, "I work with struggling ________,
who just can't seem to __________, and I
turn them into __________ [make it
measurable, a VALUE statement. Dollars
and cents improvements are good] Just
think how different these statements
are:
vs
- I work with struggling IT
business owners who just can't get
enough clients no matter what
they've done, and I help them make
their next $250K within 6 months.
That will get their attention
which is
all
you should be doing at this
point. They will be asking you now to
tell them more about that. But, you
aren't here to sell them anything . . .
yet. You are here to "find someone to
help" and to create a community around
you of those you have helped. The more
people you surround yourself with who
you have helped the more clients will
come from that community, and the more
that community will send you tons of
referrals.
Ask . . . Explore How You Can
Help
Afer that initial introduction where
you've gotten a "Wow, how do you do
THAT?" Ask questions about what they
want or need? Ask specific questions
about the results they are currently
getting where you can help.
A really great question to ask is to
ask them if they've already gotten a
specific measurable result. Since I do a
lot of internet marketing coaching as a
part of my overall small business
coaching I frequently ask something like
this: "Do you get at least a dozen or so
calls a month from your website?"
Or I've looked up on Google Keyword
Tool before hand to see how many people
are searching for what this person
does. Then a follow up statement after
the one above might be "You know, I'm
not surprised. I've discovered that
over 99% of all websites don't work, but
did you know that there are X,000 [fill
in the appropriate number, for instance
there are over 200,000 people looking
for a life coach monthly) people looking
for what you do.
Then HELP them do it. Find a small
piece of their business (a business
coach) or their life (life coach),
career, etc and actually offer to help
them with it. For instance, I'll help
them get some major internet traffic to
their site or help them get their
website to convert 50 times more clients
than ever before. And that person
becomes a ravng fan. What you want is a
community of raving fans.
Your job is to either find an
exciting group of people to help all of
them, or to find individuals and put
them together into a community.
Here are some suggestions:
- Networking event -- as you walk
around the room find some people you
can help and help them.
Then ask them, "Just how much did
that help?" If you are a business coach
ask them for dollars and cents. If you
are a life coach find some measurable,
increase in income, saved marriage,
promotion, etc. Then ask them if there
is anyone else they know that would like
to get those kinds of results, and also
ask them if they'd mind if you shared
their success story with others.
Now, you are going to make them a super
star success story around that
networking community by sharing their
success with everyone. if they are
uncomfortable with you using their name,
them name them anonymously . . .an IT
business owner . . . or young mother,
etc. Make sure that you
deliver IMPRESSIVE results. One of mine
is that a Mary Kay rep went from one
call a year to 72 within 2 weeks.
That leaves an almost mouth watering
picture in people's minds. .. "I want
that!"
- Then if you have several
individuals not associated with any
particular group, create your own
group.
Start having live face to face, or
online teleseminars where you bring
people together who have experienced
your results and dump them into a larger
group of people who have not
experienced your results.
So, as you do new teleseminars, or
live local workshop, you have people
that you can ask from the crowd "Hey,
Jenny, care to share what happined to
you when . . . . ". She's the Mary Kay
rep I mentioned above. She'll tell them
how she went from less than 1 client a
year to 72 people chasing after her
within 2 weeks, and how she's the new
super star salesman in our region.
Your job is to create communities of
those who have experienced you. It
doesn't take much, so don't spend the
next year building communities. Help one
person and get them "spreading the word"
about how great it was. And I'm talking
about spending 1-2 hours with them and
making some difference that's impressive
for the time you spent with them.
Every time you meet someone help them
with something. This isn't about
"getting paid" or "making a sale" for
your time. This is about building a
community of 100's of people who'll
spread the word for you. Just imagine
how long it's taken you so far to build
your business, and how if you had 10,
50, 100, or more out there marketing for
you, "spreading the word" with
"measurable results." your business will
grow rapidly within just a couple of
months.
Now step back from what we've been
talking about and think about this
concept. How different would YOU respond
to someone who obviously has something
to sell to you versus someone who
honestly wanted to help you with one of
your worst nightmare problems? They
would suddenly be several notches above
almost anyone that you now know. Even
though you juts met them they are on
their way to becoming a friend, and if
they spend a little time with you over
the next week or so ,seriously focused
on helping you, they might even be
elevated to "super star provider" or
even to "best friend" status.
You've certainly gotten to know them,
like them, and trust them in a way that
you've rarely gotten to know another
business or life acquaintance.
Yes there are always some that will
never spend any money with you. But so
what? If they are "spreading the
word", you've just created one of the
most valuable marketing arms of your
business thta you could ever create. If
only one out of every 2 or 3 spread the
word you've leveraged your sales.
Nurture the Community
But,you MUST nurture that community.
Keep them in the loop. Keep
helping them, and they'll keep helping
you. Don't do this once and walk away.
Stay in touch with everyone in the
community. Share your own success and
growth with them and thank them for
their help. Find other ways to help
them. And get this network networking
and sharing amongst themselves.
Introduce and get them helping each
other.
Alan Boyer
To Your Coaching Business Success
