Life Coach Training

Lesson 23

Marketing

      Marketing occurs on two levels: energy and action. While most people focus exclusively on action, they may or may not get results, depending on their underlying intentions. When it comes to marketing themselves or their business, many people have mixed energies or intentions, so they get mixed results.

      Let’s address both levels of marketing, beginning with the more significant one:  energy.

      Before engaging in any marketing campaign, get as clear as you can about your intentions. Are you ready to present yourself as a coach?  Are you clear about what kind of clients you want to attract?  How much time would you like to commit?  Does your family support you in your coaching vision?  Are you at peace with the fee you will charge?  Will you transition fully to coaching from your former position, or go full-time?

      These are questions we have been addressing throughout our course, and there is no better time to answer them than before you start marketing.  The clearer you are about your answers, the more easily you will attract clients who match your intentions.

      Once you are lined up with your true intentions, you can take steps to market your coaching practice. Let’s talk about some specific marketing actions, and afterward we will wrap the methods around with a bigger picture approach:

1. Business Cards

      You can have lots of fun designing a business card. There are all kinds of cards, and a good broker or printer can illuminate your options. You can make them simple or ornate, and print them for a low cost or invest more in a higher quality presentation.  Let your business card represent your personality and approach, as people will feel your essence through your design. You might simply want to have your name, title, and contact information, or you can add a phrase or phrases to indicate the kind of coaching you do. On the back of your card you might list 3-5 subject matters you like to coach, or possibly place this or more information on a bi-fold. Study the cards of other professionals and see what elements and styles appeal to you. Let the colors, fonts, designs, and words you choose speak for you so your potential clients get to know you before they even sign up for an appointment.  Keep a handful of cards on you at all times; you never know when or where you might meet someone interested in your service. Look for bulletin boards in local stores and centers frequented by the population you want to appeal to, and place your cards generously.

2. Brochure

      Print a small brochure outlining your services. Like your business card, your brochure should be a representation of your style, taste, and energy. Indicate clearly who you want to appeal to, and the subject areas of your coaching practice. Don’t be shy about listing your credentials and accolades. Even if you have degrees or experience not directly within the field of coaching, but potentially related to it, list them.  List your telephone number  (not your home number, but your cell or office;  you may want to install a line at home that you use strictly for coaching); email (designate one specifically for coaching); website; and any other contact information. Include a good headshot photo of you (it may pay to have one taken by a professional photographer).  You may want to list your fee schedule, so people already have an idea of what you charge when they phone you. If you are presenting an introductory offer, list that too. A good-grade paper can add to your professional presentation. Leave your brochures (ask for permission) at local stores, restaurants, or centers that appeal to your desired population of clients.

3. Website

      An attractive website can introduce you to your clients more thoroughly than a brochure, and give you access to many potential clients that a brochure would not reach. Your website can be as simple as one page.  Find a web designer whose work you like (as you observe on other sites). If you see a site you like, ask the owner who designed the site, and contact that web designer. Websites can be very inexpensive or very expensive, so be clear on a price with your designer before you begin.  Also discuss with your web designer key words related to your business, so search engines will pick them up. Add some attractive photos to your site, not just of you, but images that represent what you will be doing in coaching.

4. Social Networking Media

      Facebook, Twitter, and Linked-In are all very popular, and can offer a venue to reach clients who may not find your website. Each of these media are specific in their requirements, and may take a bit of learning curve to navigate them, but once you do you will appreciate the exposure they offer.

5. Local Print/Web Advertising

      Consider what newspapers and magazines, professional or public, may be read by the kind of clients you want to attract. You can take out a classified or display ad targeted specifically for the magazine’s readership.  I don’t recommend paying a lot for this kind of advertising, as you may receive a greater return for your investment in the others venues mentioned above. But a small well-placed ad can give you some exposure and draw some clients unto you.

6.Word of Mouth

      Tell your friends, family, and business associates about your coaching practice, and ask them to be open to possible clients, and send them your way.  Personal referrals are usually more credible than a public ad.

      All that being said, your best advertising is to give quality services to your clients. A satisfied client will return to you and recommend her friends.  Behind all the venues listed above, or any others, Law of Attraction operates flawlessly to connect you with appropriate clients. Be a vibrational match to your coaching practice by identifying your true intentions and aligning your actions with them. Then you will find all kinds of clients in the most interesting ways, without struggling.

      Each day take a few minutes to meditate and visualize your ideal clients coming to you.  Send a message to the universe that you are open and ready to receive those clients who can best benefit from your services, and see them coming to you. Visualize until you get the feeling it is already done. And so it is.

Exercise:

1.    Are you aligned with your coaching practice so that you are open and ready to receive clients and the fees they will pay you?  Consider the questions in the third paragraph from the beginning of this lesson, and stay with them until you feel clear about your intentions.

2.    Which of the above marketing venues feels the most comfortable and right with you? 

            What can you do to take a marketing step in the venues that most appeal to you?

3.   What other marketing ideas occur to you that you would enjoy doing?

4. Whose marketing methods do you respect and feel aligned with?

    How might you employ these methods to your own advantage?

Affirm:

I offer my coaching services with a whole heart,

and the people most appropriate to my practice come easily and naturally to me.