153: How to Stop Chasing Coaching Clients and Attract Them Instead

This episode is inspired by all of my wonderful clients … coaches who are so smart. They have so many skills and advantages. And … they still have to attract a steady stream of clients and that can feel hard. Find the full transcript for this episode at prosperouscoach.com/153.I remember a couple of years into starting my coaching business having a regular walk with another relatively new coach friend of mine. We often commiserated about how most of our clients only stuck around for 3 months of coaching. That meant we were in a constant state of chasing clients.We felt truly clueless about how to find more clients. All the low hanging fruit had been picked — you know, the colleagues, friends, and friends of friends — people we already knew.I’d had a sample coaching session with them all and few invested in a package. Those who did seemed to be constantly questioning whether they wanted to continue the investment. They said they valued our conversations. But they just didn’t get the long-term value.My coach friend and I kept exclaiming with frustration … where are the clients who get coaching enough to invest in it?That’s the same question I hear new coaches ask two decades later. The problem is, it’s the wrong question.So there are layers to this problem of constantly chasing clients and I want to tease them apart for you.1.     It’s what you’re selling.2.     It’s how you’re selling.3.     It’s how you think about what you’re selling.Chances are, if you don’t have a steady stream of clients finding you, then at least one but possibly all 3 of these need a permanent adjustment. And you’ll be so glad you did. Coach, You’re Selling the Wrong ThingLong since that agonized time of trying to find clients, things are very different for me. My ideal clients find me! And I don't sell coaching anymore. “Finding clients who get coaching enough to invest in it” isn’t something I bother with anymore.Why? Because with a shock, way back when, I realized that there just aren’t many people out there who understand the value of coaching. So trying to convince people to buy it is … well, misguided.That’s why I recommend designing a Signature Program for your audience based on what you learn from them in market research. Will you coach your clients in that program? Yes. But you won’t sell coaching anymore.Have you ever been on Facebook or Instagram and seen a gadget for sale and you think — I want one of those! Well, some smart person figured out a gap in the marketplace and filled it with that gadget. They knew it would be wanted.Selling products is very different from selling services but what’s similar the way a human being responds when something unexpected solves a problem for them or something they want lands in front of them.Coaching just isn’t that thing very often.It’s so much easier to sell something to people that they KNOW they want!For the 3 ways  to stop chasing coaching clients and have them find YOU instead, go here.