It’s your email list.

Unfortunately TOO FEW coaches get this and take it seriously.

A large and responsive following of subscribers will give you a never-ending flow of clients and customers.

Your email list IS your financial security.

But to get these results, you need to build a big list of your ideal clients…

And then take really good care of your subscribers so they stay on your list and become lifetime fans.

Come learn the secrets to building (and keeping) a profitable email list at the Irresistible List Building Summit.

Check it out! Registration is FREE => http://www.listbuildingsummit.com/michelle

I’ll be speaking in this virtual event so be sure and catch my exclusive interview:

7 Secrets to Grow a Loyal List of Fans Who Open Your Emails & Invest in Your Offerings

I’m so excited and honored to be sharing my knowledge along side some of my favorite coaching colleagues, mentors and friends, including:

• Robert Allen
• Maria Andros
• Lisa Sasevich
• Kendall Summerhawk
• Christian Mickelson
• Christine Kloser
• Adam Urbanski
• Milana Leshinsky
• Vrinda Normand and more…

We’re going to share our best insider secrets (the stuff you never hear people talk about) on how to attract 1,000’s of your ideal clients online.

This is one of the most valuable, and comprehensive list-building trainings you can receive and you can get it for FREE starting in just a few days.

Grab your spot now => http://www.listbuildingsummit.com/michelle

I’ll “see” you there!

-Michelle

Do you wish that you had a crystal ball

Can you see that if you had those answers, you would be able to position your coaching and design your services in such a way so that your ideal clients would line up to work with you?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a heavy, round crystal ball to send you, but I can give you the next best thing: It’s called target market research.

While this may sound like a boring academic activity, conducting target market research is one the most effective and important activities you can do when you are growing and building your coaching business.

You would be amazed at what you can discover (and the doors that can open for you) when you reach out and directly connect with your target market!

So, I’ve created a Special Report to help you:

=> Understand what target market research is and how it can benefit you and your business.

=> Get started with your target market research quickly, by providing sample surveys, scripts and examples.

To get my Special Report all you need to do is complete a short survey.

Take the quick survey now:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LFDHS39

As a thank you, you will receive my Special Report: How to Figure Out What Your Ideal Clients REALLY Want… And Will Pay Top Dollar For!

(The Special Report is a $97 Value and you are going to love all the sample scripts and examples I’ve included.)

It’s simple and fast. Take the survey now:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LFDHS39

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it and can’t wait to send you the Special Report.

If you have already taken the survey and received my Special Report, I’m curious which of the 3 target market research strategies you will be implementing and by when.

Also, do you have any other questions about target market research that I can answer for you?

Post your comments and questions below so I can get back to you!

(I know that not all coaches are into this, so if that’s not your thing feel free to move on to the next post :-)

If so, I have some AMAZING resources for you!

#1 – My mentor, Brendon Burchard, just released a free video training series that shows you:

=> 10 essentials that will help you build an “expert” coaching brand.

=> 3 ways to position yourself as a high-value, highly-paid expert and coach.

=> How you can productize your expertise to serve more clients while also dramatically increasing your income.

BTW, if you haven’t met Brendon Burchard yet, the guy who did the video, I think you’ll be blown away by how much high quality content he shares.

Plus his story is pretty darn inspiring…

You’ll see why in his video.

The guy cares, he does it himself, and he really breaks it down for you.

I’ve been in a mastermind group with Brendon for the past year and I can tell you first-hand, he really knows his stuff.

Get his free video training now (before it goes away) on how you can become a highly paid expert coach … and then be prepared to take a lot of notes!

#2 – Brendon is hosting a one-time only webinar called the “5 Most Lucrative Paths to Monetizing Your Advice & How-To Content Online.”

Click here to register as my guest and get ready to learn:

– Which marketing strategies work best online TODAY
– Why people would pay you thousands for YOUR advice
– What types of advice and content you should release (and when)
– Five example paths for generating serious revenue online by sharing your how-to information

Personally, I’m a big proponent of the leveraged coaching business model that includes individual coaching, group coaching, online training and information products.

Having multiple revenue streams not only increases your income, it enables you to make a much bigger impact and serve more clients.

Plus, I believe that when a coach combines how-to training and practical strategies, WITH the power of coaching, clients can get better results faster, and experience deeper and more lasting change.

What do you think?

As a coach, sharing your voice and advice with the world is a worthwhile endeavor whether you make money or not, but as Brendon says, “You might as well be compensated for what you know, and earn an income for all the impact you can have.”

If you’d like to learn how from the #1 expert in this area, don’t miss this one-time only webinar. Sign up now as my guest.

P.S.

After you’ve had the chance to learn from Brendon, please post a comment and let me know your take-aways. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

What do you call your client enrollment session/consultation?

For example, do you call it a:

=> Free Session
=> Complimentary Session
=> Free Coaching Session
=> Complimentary Coaching Consultation
=> No-Cost Initial Consultation
=> Strategy Session
=> Breakthrough Session
=> Discovery Session

Do you give it an enticing name based on the main outcome or result your ideal client desires?

Such as:

=> Career Jump-Start Session
=> Client Attraction Strategy Session
=> Fitness Breakthrough Session
=> Peaceful Divorce Strategy Session
=> Leadership Breakthrough Session
=> Relationship Revitalization Session
=> Effective Executive Strategy Session

Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

You see, the name of your client enrollment process impacts:

• How you position the session
• How you market the session
• How people perceive the session
• Who signs up
• How many people sign up
• What people expect from the session
• How you conduct the session

For example, let’s look at some of the commonly used words:

Free catches the eye and is short and easy-to-say, but can trigger spam filters and can lessen the perceived value.

Complimentary gives a professional feel, but is a mouthful to say.

No-Cost has two negative words, no and cost!

Session sounds like something you regularly do with clients.

Consultation implies a meeting for an evaluation, recommendation and likely some type of decision.

The words Strategy and Breakthrough are powerful.

Giving your session an enticing outcome-based name speaks directly to your target market and captures their interest.

So, what do you call it?

Share your opinion and join the conversation by leaving a comment below.

Thanks! I really look forward to reading what you have to say.

What if you could also win an iPad2?

Well, you picked the right post to read!

You see, next week is the official start of The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Challenge – the proven, step-by-step program for coaches who want to attract and secure a lot of new clients quickly.

We already have a whole bunch of motivated and success-oriented coaches on board and I would hate for you to miss out.

This is the best time of year to sign up new coaching clients and The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Challenge is like a paint-by-the-numbers kit. All you have to do is take action and follow the steps.

Here’s just some of what you’ll learn in The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Challenge:

=> How to offer your free initial coaching consultations so that your ideal clients are excited to sign up and meet with you.

=> Exactly what to do during your coaching consultations — step-by-step — so a lot more people say YES to coaching with you.

=> The best way to price and package your coaching to increase profitability and client sign-ups.

=> How to overcome sales objections, including specific approaches for the 5 most common concerns.

=> The best places to find the people who want what your coaching provides. (And exactly what to do when you find them!)

=> How to implement the most effective marketing strategies to attract your ideal clients.

=> The support and accountability you need to take smart, strategic and consistent action.

And that’s just for starters!

Now about your iPad2 …

As part of The C&GR Challenge we run a contest and award prizes for the coaches who take the most action and get the best results.

The top prize winner gets an iPad2!

Your entry will be based on the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of The C&GR Challenge.

This gives you a fair chance to win, regardless of how long you’ve been in business, your target market and niche or other factors.

So Michelle, what do you say?

Would you like to coach more clients and gain some serious momentum in your coaching business?

The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Challenge gives you the training, tools, resources, support and accountability you need to attract great clients and fill your coaching practice fast.

PLUS… You could win an iPad2 :-)

And even though we know you don’t NEED a contest to take action and grow your coaching business,  you’ve got to admit that winning an iPad2 would be a pretty sweet added bonus. Don’t you think?

Get all of the details here: Take The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Challenge

I hope you can join us so we can start your 2012 off strong!

P.S.

The last time we ran a Challenge like this the results that our participants enjoyed were amazing.

Here’s a sampling from the dozens of comments we received:

“Thank you for the C&GR Challenge -
It works!!  I took on doing 24 complimentary
sessions and now have 12 NEW CLIENTS!”
Lynne – St. Louis, Missouri

“Thank-you for the opportunity to participate
in the Coach and Grow Rich Challenge.
As a result, I ACQUIRED 6 NEW
COACHING CLIENTS.  I attribute this
success to making the commitment
through Coach and Grow Rich, and
it has worked beautifully.”
Bea – North Carolina

“I’VE SECURED 3 CLIENTS out of 4
complimentary sessions in the last couple
of weeks, and have become so excited
and motivated that I can hardly tear myself
away from my business at night!  Thank
you so much!”
Sarah D – Australia

“It was great to receive your challenge.
Last week I GAVE 7 COMPLEMENTARY
COACHING SESSIONS and this week
I HAVE 17 MORE LINED UP.  Thank you!”
Theresa  – Scotland

“Thank you for the C&GR Challenge!
I just did a seminar for 80 people where
18 ASKED FOR COMPLIMENTARY SESSIONS!
Thanks for the focus on doing those sessions.
Your program is so easy to read, to follow
and is very practical. Keep it coming!!”
Kate – Acton, Massachusettes

If you’re serious about growing your coaching business quickly and you want the training, support and accountability to make that happen, this program is for you!

Get all of the details here: Take The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Challenge

P.P.S.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions!

That’s why January and February are two of the best months to attract and secure new coaching clients. I call this “The New Year Effect.”

How are you going to leverage The New Year Effect in your business?

Here are some ideas…

1. Send a Holiday Greeting with a Value-Add

Successful business owners are masters at keeping their name and their business on people’s minds. Send a heartfelt holiday greeting and be sure to include something of value that relates to your coaching and specialty.

For example, you could include a goal setting worksheet, a Top Ten List about keeping New Year’s Resolutions, an article or report that you’ve written,an invitation to attend a free teleclass or webinar, or a gift certificate for a complimentary coaching session. To avoid getting lost in the shuffle, send a New Year’s card in January.

2. Acknowledge Current Clients

It is common to thank customers for their business around the holidays. This can be a small gift, a nice hand-written note or a bonus coaching session. Clients appreciate the acknowledgement and it’s an easy way to add value.

Here are some gift ideas: bubble bath, herbal teas, an inspirational daily calendar, candles, a copy of your favorite book or CD. And for those “hard to buy for” people, you can’t go wrong with a gift card.

3. Reconnect with Past Clients

As I’m sure you know, it is much easier to sell to a former customer than it is to find a new one. The holidays and new year are an excellent time to reconnect with past clients.

Consider giving former clients a complimentary “New Year Goal Setting” coaching session. A percentage of them will likely begin coaching again. Or give former clients a gift certificate for 50% off of one month of coaching that they can use or give to someone they know.

4. Provide Gift Certificates

Enable people you know to give the gift of coaching by offering gift certificates. Create a few different options, e.g.,: 1 session, 1 month package, 3 month package. Get even better results by picking a specific focus for the gift certificate. For example, choose a theme that is applicable to who you coach and what you coach on, such as:

- The Career Breakthrough Strategy Session
- The Profit Acceleration Coaching Package
- 90 Days to Feeling Great Health & Wellness Program

5. Offer a Free Training

The best and most effective marketing is education-based. When you provide a high-value training that relates to the topic you coach on, you develop credibility and expertise with your target audience, and are seen as a resource and “go-to” person in your niche. You attract new potential clients and grow your email list.

Your free training can be an in-person speaking event or workshop, a teleclass or webinar or even a video training. The real keys to success are to make sure you deliver a lot of value in your training and then make a very clear offer about how people can move forward and take the next step with you.

6. Get Creative With The Complimentary Coaching Consultation

Create a special client enrollment strategy session that you offer in the beginning of the new year. Give it an enticing name, such as “New Year Success Strategy Session.” Or better yet, customize your offering so it is very attractive and appealing to your target market. Here are some examples:

- Career Jump Start Session
- Fitness Breakthrough Session
- Relationship Revitalization Strategy Session
- Soulmate Finder Strategy Session
- Authentic Leadership Strategy Session
- Profit Acceleration Strategy Session
- Client Attraction Strategy Session

Challenge yourself to do a certain number of strategy sessions during the first two months of the year.

7. Launch a Group Coaching Program

If you’re not already coaching groups, consider starting one in the new year.  Group coaching is an excellent way to coach with more people, including price-sensitive clients, grow your business and increase your income. It’s also a ton of fun. Plus, people like joining groups, especially in the beginning of the year.

How are you going to leverage the The New Year Effect?

Share your favorite strategies by posting a comment below.

Here’s to preparing now for an awesome 2012!

More people hire coaches in January and February than during any other time of the year. I call this the New Year Effect and your job is to implement strategies that make it easy for your ideal clients to say YES to coaching with you.

That’s why I’ve created a brand new teleseminar and you are invited to attend as my guest:

FREE Teleseminar with Michelle Schubnel:
9 Proven Strategies to Attract Loads of Awesome Clients in the New Year

In this brand new, content-rich training you’ll discover:

• The best strategies for attracting your ideal clients in the new year.
• How to choose which strategies will work best for you.
• Secrets that make it easy to implement each strategy.
• The BIG mistakes coaches make when leveraging the New Year Effect.
• And much, much more!

If you want to quickly increase your client base with lots of excited and motivated new clients, this special one-time-only teleseminar with Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. President and Head Coach Michelle Schubnel will show you exactly what you need to do.

Click here to sign up now to attend the teleseminar that will help you start your 2012 off strong!

As a kid, it was about scoring as much candy as possible. In my teenage years, it was a night when I could justify getting into trouble. And as an adult, I have totally loved costuming-up for Halloween parties.

Halloween now has a new meaning for me. My mom died on October 28, 2005 and her funeral was on Halloween. A few hours after she died we set October 31 as the date for the funeral.

At the time I thought, “Well this really sucks. From now on Halloween won’t be fun because the day will always remind me of my mom’s funeral.”

My mother’s funeral was a spectacular East Coast autumn day… clear, crisp and sunny. As I noticed signs of the changing season, I remembered something that I learned from my study of and participation in Native American traditions.

According to Native American philosophy, the time between Halloween (October 31st) and All Souls Day (November 1st) is the time of year when the “veil between the two worlds is the thinnest.” It is the time when the spirit world is closest and most connected to our physical world here on earth.

That perspective shifted how I felt about my mom being buried on Halloween. Instead of it being a bummer, it was now a gift. Suddenly it was “pretty cool” that my mom’s funeral was on Halloween.

The next Halloween, one year after my  mother’s funeral, I participated in a sweat lodge ceremony – a native American prayer tradition, conducted inside a sweat lodge, which looks like an igloo but feels like a sauna. During the ceremony we were reminded that the end of October through
the beginning of November is a powerful time to connect with the souls and spirits of people who have passed on.

During that sweat lodge ceremony I felt my Mom’s presence in a big way, much more so than at any other time since her death. It was incredibly powerful and enabled me to see and experience how I can still have a profound connection with my mom, even though she is no longer here physically on earth.

It’s now been 6 years since my mother’s death. With the passing of time I have found that the intense pain and sadness has lessened, and the overall missing of my mom has increased.

If you are experiencing grief from the loss of a loved one, I encourage you to take advantage of this special time of year and connect with the people in your life who have passed on. Allow the feelings of sadness and grief to be fully felt. Take comfort in special memories. Remember and
honor all that you loved about the person. Ask for guidance and support. This is a powerful time of year to reconnect.

In memory of:
Barbara Ann Schubnel
1943 – 2005

Barbara at the Venetian
I love and miss you Mom.
Vegas Trip – Summer 2004

It’s true!

Over the past couple of years I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds of coaches around group coaching and during this time I discovered what I believe are the 7 Best Group Coaching Models.

Virtually every successful coaching group I’ve seen fits into one of these 7 models!

Once I figured this out, I realized I needed to share the 7 Best Group Coaching Models so you can design your irresistible coaching group as quickly and easily as possible.

I’ve invested a ton of time and energy developing these models and will likely create a new product based on this information.

But for right now I decided to reveal my findings as a thank you to all of my followers.

So I developed a BRAND NEW training where I outline – in detail – the exact components of the 7 Best Group Coaching Models and how to choose the right one for your business.

The training has already taken place, but you can get the recording here:

http://www.groupcoachingsuccess.com/7-best-models/

For each of the 7 Group Coaching Models you’ll discover the BEST:

=> Group Length

=> Group Format (in person vs. by phone)

=> Group Size

=> Amount of Content to Include

=> Investment Level (i.e. pricing)

You’ll also learn how you can predict your success with each group coaching model based on how long you’ve been in business, your target market and niche and your business objectives.

I even share which marketing strategies are proven effective for each group coaching model and which ones you absolutely should avoid.

If you’re currently coaching groups OR you want to start coaching groups, you definitely want to get in on this insightful training.

Get the recording here => http://www.groupcoachingsuccess.com/7-best-models/

One of the best parts of the closed door weekend was hearing first-hand from Christian the exact strategies and secrets he’s used to build a massive email list.

I learned so much by hearing what has worked (and not worked) in his business.

And now you can too!

Christian just released a brand new video where he shares a lot of the same list-building secrets that he revealed to his top partners in Vegas.

You can watch it here: http://bit.ly/BigListVideo2

In the video you’ll discover:

=> 7 Fun and Easy Ways to Make Money With Your List

=> Real-Life Case Studies, Examples and Templates You
Can Use to Create Surges of Income In Your Business

=> How to Get and Keep More Ideal Subscribers
Who Will Buy Your Programs and Coaching

If you want to create a large and responsive email list, you should definitely watch Christian’s videos.

Watch the Big List Secrets Video here: http://bit.ly/BigListVideo2

And after you sign up and watch the video, please post a comment and share your thoughts.

I’m curious to know what you learned and will be implementing in your business!

P.S. Would you like Christian to promote YOU to his list of 30,000 coaches and small business owners?

Sign up for the video series and you could be the lucky person that Christian promotes to his big list!

=> http://bit.ly/BigListVideo2  <= Sign up here!