This was a question from a reader and we thought it worth making the main theme for this month.
It is the million dollar (or pound) question! At some point, all professionals find that they are looking for more clients. Not only do you need to be the trained professional that you are, but on top of it all you also need to be skilled at developing, running and marketing your own business. There is no easy way of going about this, but there are a few points to consider and, perhaps, take onboard to grow your client list.
In our case this question relates to developing more coaching clients.
Acquiring coaching clients is, in some respects, a bigger challenge than some other therapeutic professions. Coaches don’t have long assignments. By long I mean over a few years; sometimes coaching engagements can last as little as 6 meetings. Because of this, most coaches need a constant supply of potential new clients to keep their practice full, which means they need to stay focussed on marketing activities even when the diary is packed with appointments. Not a simple task!
So how do you go about increasing your client base? Here are the main points you need to consider including in your marketing set-up. If you don't have the skills and time to cover them all, then you may need to draw on external resources or employ a professional.
First, establish your niche. Think about which kind of clients you have had particular success with and that you want to work with. Choosing a niche is a specialist topic, which I have addressed in more detail in reply to another question below.
If you haven’t yet, make a business plan. This will help you get clarity around what you are aiming for in terms of number of clients, revenue targets, costs etc.
Get your marketing tools together. This includes your professional website, LinkedIn profile, other social media profiles, fliers and documents that people can access about your services. Start collecting and NEVER STOP collecting client testimonials! These are one of the most important marketing materials you can develop for your practice.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t try to do it all by yourself. This is a challenge almost all business owners - myself included - will face and it’s so important to try and delegate wherever you can.
Get a coach. It’s not easy doing this kind of thing alone and support will get you a long way. Find a coach that can coach you on developing your business and client list.
Finally, there are no sure things. If you have tried to set up a practice offering a certain service and you’re not getting enough clients to sustain you despite doing everything you can (including all of the above), then recognise that you may be trying to sell your services in a niche that either doesn’t have enough demand in it or has too many competitors. Be tough with yourself and then adapt.
Don’t burn yourself out trying to make it work if it won’t. The most successful of entrepreneurs (which is really what a small business owner is) are flexible, adaptive and not overly sentimental. If making your practice work and thrive is your priority then be willing to change what you are doing in order to improve.