Note: This article was originally published in January 2008 Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. newsletter, a free monthly publication featuring business-building strategies for professional coaches.
Have you been inundated with greetings, articles, programs and other special offers related to the start of the new year?
Ever wonder why?
There is a natural sense of fresh beginnings and renewed possibility that occurs at the start of each year. This makes it a great time to market and promote your coaching services. Kudos to you if you are already in New Year Marketing Mode!
What?!? You haven’t taken any action yet to leverage the New Year Phenomenon?
No worries! It’s not too late.
Just think of it as riding the second wave of the New Year Mindset. Focus on the fact that New Year’s Resolutions don’t work, but coaching does. In fact, in the January 14th San Francisco Chronicle I read,
“About 35 percent of people break their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January, according to a survey by Franklin Covey.”
Did you know that you can leverage the “New Year’s resolutions don’t work…” theme from mid December through early February? Early February is also the same time as International Coaching Week (Feb 3-9, 2008). How perfect!
Ready to take action?
Use this simple 4 step plan and increase your client base in the next 30 days:
1. Create and offer something that leverages the idea, “New Year’s resolutions don’t work. Coaching does.” For example:
- Give a workshop or presentation.
- Write an article, report or top ten list.
- Do a teleclass or webinar.
- Develop an e-course.
- Record a podcast.
Offer your thing for free and make sure it positions you and your coaching as a resource. Ideally your free thing would be customized for your target market.
2. Promote your free thing, targeting your ideal client base as much as possible.
3. Offer a Complimentary Coaching Consultation (CCC) to the people who receive your free thing.
4. Conduct your CCC’s, handle sales objections and convert a percentage of your prospects into wonderful, new, paying clients.
This is a pretty simple and straightforward process, right?
Yes, it requires some work on your part, but we’re not talking about rocket science.
The “New Year’s resolutions don’t work” theme is universal. Whether you are a life coach, a corporate coach or a business coach, whethere you specialize in relationships, ADD or business, you can apply this theme to any market.
Want results? Take action. Get out of your comfort zone. Let go of perfectionism. Be willing to put yourself out there. Take advantage of this natural time for making a fresh start.
And remember, New Year’s resolutions don’t work. Coaching does.
“Before getting the Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. system I was not even coaching anyone but after I met Michelle at workshop in San Diego I decided to buy it and try it out. The program has a lot of great material that helped me wrap my head around what I was doing and get clearer on my goals. I’m really looking forward to going through the course again and use the material more since I’m really trying to launch my business this year. Michelle’s program helped me to take the first big step – starting my coaching business! I already developed my first website and had the confidence to do it. Now I’m working on starting a group. After going through the program I gained confidence that I can actually do this simply by seeing that so many other people at different levels are currently doing it as well. In the past I was getting stuck at times because I always want to do everything perfectly but now I know that it was holding me back! This is definitely my year!”
“I hired Michelle when I first launched my coaching business. I appreciated her sense of humor and fun, and was impressed by the CAGR system and Michelle’s marketing knowledge. One of the biggest benefits of working with her learning how to adapt the CAGR marketing principles to my specific business needs.
“My coaching business did not exist before I joined the Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. program! What I really like about the system is that it helped me to learn how to structure my consultation calls so that I attract clients rather than try to push my service on them and also, to work around the money objection. Despite the fact that my coaching business is new; with the help of the system I have already secured several clients and scheduled more consultation sessions. It changes the focus when I concentrate on consultation calls, and it takes a lot of the pressure off. Michelle’s Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. program has truly helped me with gaining more self-confidence and I am so happy that I have already secured new clients after just a few consultations! Thank you Michelle!!!”