When phenomenal coaches aren’t attracting the right clients (or enough of them) it’s often due to a messaging problem. People need to know what’s on offer in order to determine whether or not it’s for them.
How do you know if you have a messaging problem? You meet people you know you can help, but when you explain what you do, they just don’t “get it.”
One of the fastest ways to establish credibility and value is to explain the transformation you facilitate and describe HOW you do it. The how is your “unique methodology,” a combination of your beliefs, practices and any techniques or tools you may use.
It’s like this…
Imagine you’re inviting potential clients on a journey. If someone is thinking about hiring you, they want to know that you’re going to take them from Point A (where they are now) to Point B (where they want to go.)
Once they know you’re helping them get to the desired destination, you have their attention.
But there are dozens or even hundreds of ways to travel, and they’ll also want to know HOW you’ll be getting there.
Car? Airplane? Horseback? Dragon?
(Sorry. I can’t resist a chance to talk about dragons.)
Only then will they know if they’re interested in your particular journey.
Let’s say someone has a service that will take me from where I am now in my business to 2x the income. That sounds good to me!
But then I find out that it’s going to require making cold calls or running Google Adwords campaigns. Sorry, not interested.
Or if they tell me that I need to follow their system exactly, no questions asked. Nope. Not for me.
Even if I believe that expert can help me get where I want to go, HOW we get there matters.
My client-playmates get amazing results for clients, and most of them have a highly intuitive way of working with people.
“I don’t believe in a fixed process or system,” they say. “It’s different with every client.”
Yes, and…
…while the details of each transformation will be different, there is a general process you take them through. (I’ve yet to see an instance where this isn’t the case.)
I explored this with a client just this morning. She does not believe in selling “how to” solutions and systems. (Neither do I, by the way.)
When a retreat manager asked her to send a detailed description of exactly what her experience would cover, she resisted. Her service is intuitively-led and co-created with participants. How could she possibly describe it as a pre-planned process?
It seemed to her that she’d have to make up a fake process in order to please the program director, which would obviously be out of integrity.
But there are two ways you can describe the journey of transformation you take with clients:
#1 – The steps or stages they go through
#2 – The pillars or principles you’ll encounter
Ask yourself, what needs to happen for your clients to go from Point A to Point B? How do you help them?
There may be an order of steps or stages you take them through. Such as Step 1 – Do an audit. Step 2 – Identify challenges. Step 3 – Create a plan. Step 4 – Implement the plan.
Sometimes, these steps will repeat for different areas. When you walk through what you do with a client, you’ll find that there is a process.
Your journey may also include certain “pillars” which, once understood by your client, create the transformation. Things such as: communicating with the body, understanding the body’s signals, moving the body mindfully. These may happen in a cycle or at the same time, rather than as ordered steps, but each of these pillars will be necessary for the desired results.
Here’s why it’s so important to explain the HOW of what you do:
The how of your offer allows people to understand logically how the journey will proceed, what will be required of them, and what to expect. It sets them at ease.
When you connect it to their current situation and the results they desire, it makes sense. It’s credible.
THEY GET THE VALUE OF WHAT YOU DO.
When what you do is different or counter-intuitive to what most people expect, it’s refreshing to those who’ve tried other solutions without results. (I’ve talked about this as your Contrarian Voice of Wisdom in previous articles.)
Being different or unexpected is an asset; you just need to explain it in a way that connects to what your ideal client wants, so they see you as the person to help them.
Your clients likely have a lot of insecurities and doubts about hiring you, especially if they’ve had unpleasant experiences with others in the past. Giving them something to hang onto and understand sets them at ease and helps them determine whether your methodology is likely to work for them or not.
When you do this up front in your business content, you’ll attract people who are already on board with your philosophy and methodology. They self-select as clients who are a good match for you, and no convincing is necessary.
When you wait for a “discovery call” to spring all this information on them, along with the price, it can be overwhelming. You end up walking through the same information over and over, and often talk to people who aren’t the right match.
A clear explanation of what’s on offer saves both of you time and energy.
Getting clear about what you do, how you do it, and articulating it in content that attracts clients and creates transformation at the same time is what I do with my client-playmates.
I have a 3-6 month coaching and messaging journey for coaches, healers and change-makers working 1:1 with me to create consistent income with simplicity and fun.
We’ll craft irresistible messaging to attract your soulmate clients, and discover your authentic way of reaching them with playful (un)marketing. No hype or endless social media posting required.
This journey is a good fit for writers and/or speakers who love sharing what they know, and who are ready to create something BIG with 1:1 and group coaching, courses, retreats and books. It’s currently priced at the mid-four figures, with monthly payment options.
Contact me if you’re interested and we’ll have a chat to see what emerges.
Yours in creative play,
Steph
