Episode Transcript:

Welcome back to another episode of the Book Your Dream Clients podcast. Today, we're going to go through how you can get your first coaching client. So sit back, relax and enjoy it.

So before we get started, I want to let you know that you can actually download this free workbook that I'm going to go over with you. You're going to click on the freebie button, free workbooks, and then there is a beautiful image there, and it's called How to Get your First Coaching Client. And then you can simply download that and follow along with me right now, or just do it after. Do whatever works for you. But I'm going to go through the workbook right there with you. So it's almost like we're training together. So I've been coaching clients for years. I've had clients from all over the world. I remember when I got my first client and I've celebrated with many clients as they got theirs. And I know very well how to get, not just only your, your first one, but your next one.

But this actual workbook focuses very strictly on that first one. So many times we wonder why we're not getting clients. What are we doing wrong? Are we not showing up enough? We second, guess everything we're doing. We second guess things from our website to what we're doing on Instagram, our branding, what we're doing as far as, you know, what, who, who we help and how we help them. And we're we get to the point sometimes where we just want to scrap everything. Cause we feel like there's no point don't do that, go through this first, because if you're not getting any clients and you're wondering what you're doing wrong, I guarantee you this entire workbook is going to help you as well as this podcast. So basically there are some elements that no matter how experienced you are, how many years you've been doing this and whether we work together or you're a student, I have to go through these processes to make sure that you have the proper foundation to get the clients right.

It’s impossible to get the clients without the actual foundation, this strong four legs that you're going to be standing your house, because if we're not strong and we're built for long-term success, then it's just getting me difficult. So let's go through this number one, be clear with your messaging. Sounds simple, right? But if we're not being clear with our messaging, then no, one's no one's understanding us. I don't know how many times I go through sales pages of clients and students. And I always say, let's say, I'm talking to one of my students and her name is Susie Q and I'll go through it and I'll say, okay, this is all your language, Susie Q, this is not what they're experiencing, what they want. They are not there yet. Yet. We have all been on many journeys. Yeah.

And when we accomplish something great, we feel, and we feel called to turn it into a business. Then we can not use our language anymore. When it comes to getting clients, that language has to be for you. And we make a huge mistake by speaking, two people who we think, you know, will want to work with us in just this bizarre way that we think they'll connect with. So thank you of your children. If you have children, they're all different ages and you speak to them differently, right? I speak to my 11 year old differently than I speak to my three-year-old because they're on different levels of life. So that applies to your clients as well. Your future clients, you have to speak to them where they are. They are right now. They don't understand you because is you've accomplished what they wish they could do.

So you have a different perspective and your experience is different. Even if you, if you're a journalist and you look back a year ago, five years ago, your writing is different. We are always growing. We're constantly evolving. And sometimes that's hard for us to even realize. And it's such an eye-opener when we finally noticed that, wow, I've, I'm not talking to my clients at all. I am talking to myself and that's literally what you're doing. So think about where you have been and where you wished you could be when you were at that point and where you would, you wanted to go when you were there. Okay. So when we're clear with our messaging, others will be as well. Plus it will be so easy for them to make the right choice. Imagine this, you meet someone at a networking event and they ask what you do.

How long does it take for you to respond? Does it take you 10 minutes to explain what you do? And then you end up just trailing off into nowhere because you don't know how to wrap up your statement. Does it make you feel nervous when people ask what you do and how you help them? Because you really don't know if we're not clear in our messaging, then what's the point point, right? So I, would surely download this workbook because there is a very helpful exercise in it that will help you frame out your I help statement. This is something I go through with every single client I work with. This has to be nailed down, feeling may making you feel excited, giddy, and I'm telling you, when I see that I help statement pop with my clients. I can see the light bulb above their head, just beaming, because they finally nailed it.

They finally decided to simplify it. And they decided that, you know what? This is, I have been making this way too difficult. So there is a great exercise in the workbook to actually help you get this down so you can finally know how to speak. It's funny that we have to know how to speak. But I think about this. I love this analogy. If we're, if we're a weight loss coach and we know that in, we lost a hundred pounds, and this is where I went wrong with my business 10 years ago, when I first started, I had lost 90 pounds when I had, after I had my first baby. And I basically, I lost it because I started eating healthy, stopped eating crap, and I exercised every day. Right. So what I did wrong back then was all I talked about was what I was doing now.

That was it. I didn't try to relate to the women who needed to lose weight, a baby weight. I didn't try to relate to the, to the, to the mom, the new mom who was trying to find time in her day to actually work out plan our meals. I wasn't doing any of that. I was just talking about what I was doing now. I didn't share my journey. I just, for some reason, assumed everyone would know. I know it sounds weird, but I think a lot of people do that. So that was a huge mistake. So literally for almost five years, I didn't have any clients. And I was in the red because I couldn't, I had no idea how to talk to people. That's, that's an example of, that's a harsh example of not of ignoring a hard fact and then having to scrap my entire business.

So don’t make my mistake. Okay. number two, meet them where they are, knowing where your clients are hanging out on social media is important. I'm I guarantee you they're hanging out somewhere. Whether it's Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, they're somewhere. They're not just sitting at home with no phone, as, as much as maybe there are a few gems still left in this world who do, who do more things than go on their phone? There's just, that's just where people are. So an easy way to this out is to just really tune into that. And think about when they wake up, got up in the morning and the first time they go on their phone, what's the first application that they use. And where are they spending? Most of their time, they're frequently checking. They're updating their, you know, in groups or whatever they're doing, watching stories.

What are they doing? Maybe you know this because maybe you have somebody in mind and you know, that's where they go. Or maybe you can just think of yourself three years ago. Where were you hanging out? If you have no actual human to base this on, use yourself, always go back to yourself. Because a good coach is someone who not only has accomplished a goal that wants that other people want to obtain, but they also have the history of being at square one from you used to be the person with the problems. Now, you know how to solve them. But when you were the person who needed to solve something, where were you hanging out? Where were you looking for? Tips? What were you doing? Were you reading? Were you listening? Were you watching? Just remember, just take a minute, take a breather and just rewind the tape.

Where were you? What were you doing? What were you searching for? The next thing I want you to do, number three is to prepare and get set up. You need to have these four elements in order to start booking clients ASAP. Okay? These are things that I give. I want to tell my client that I tell my clients to do so pay attention. We need to have a one-on-one sales page. There are no excuses to not have a one-on-one sales page. Number two, you need to have coaching packages. I recommend creating three different coaching packages to choose from than number numbers, three, oops. I already said, number three, number three, you need to have an application. You need to let people apply to work with you. Not just give them a link to a calendar of a Ray of randomness, give people a higher sense of what this will mean.

If they take the time to fill something out, it puts them in a place where they're like, Oh my gosh, I really need to prove myself to her. Now let's kick the tires for a while and just see what happens. We're not going to do that. You need to make people apply to spend time with you. It sounds kind of, kind of like, well, geez, who do I think? Who do I think? You're, you're not amazing. And you need to act like you are a high-level coach, even if you're just starting. Think of how you want your business to be in three years from now. And if you're not acting like that, then it's going to be really hard for you to catch up to that person. Okay? Application, no excuse coaching packages, no excuse. And then the last one and onboarding process acting as if so that is with building your business.

How would you want your business to look like in three to five years? If you don't have an onboarding process? Well, maybe you're, you're scared. Maybe you're scared of getting clients. That's a block. If you don't have a way to onboard your clients and a way to onboard your students, whatever it is, whatever goal you have, then there's, there's the block right there. You're not getting clients because you're not, you're not ready for them. You're not ready for them mentally or physically. So prepare. Think about what it will. If somebody, if somebody applied to work with you today, and then they decided that they wanted to work with you, they made their first payment. What does that look like? Then? What are you sending them? Are you sending them a welcome pack? Are you sending them a greeting card? Are you sending them a form to fill out how are you going to work with them?

Are you working with them in a sauna? Are you giving them voice message, access of what? What's this look like? Plan out that entire thing. How do you want this to be, and then make a project in your project management system. So, you know, when this client signs on, when my first client gets here, here's how we're going to make the magic happen. You have to do this. This is so important. And I see this time and time again with coaches who have yet to work with clients and I asked them, well, what does your onboarding process look like? And they're like, well, I'm waiting until I get the client. Don't do that. Because number one, when you get your client, you're going to be so excited. You might miss an important step to send them a number two. Again, it's a block, remove it and give them the runway to find you.

You're just like holding up traffic by not creating the proper space for them to be in your world. So create your onboarding process. We have all kinds of trainings and Stand Up Coaching Academy on how to do this. But the workbook that I am referring to is free. So if you want this workbook, all you have to do is go to the show notes. I'll put the link there too, but it is on Lindsaymaloney.com in the freebie vault under free workbooks. How to get your first coaching client. So to sum up all of the things, number one, you need your sales page. Number two, you need coaching packages. Three. You need an application for, you need to build your client onboarding workflow now, and that bonus that I have for you, don't wait to get these things, set up, get your sales page up, get your app up.

You need to be acting as if because your success is inevitable. Let me know when you finish the workbook and you get all set up to get your first coaching client, I would love to hear your win. And thank you so much for listening to the Book Your Dream Clients Podcast. I am so grateful for you.