Discover Your Coaching Niche

Archive for February, 2008

The biggest problem coaches have is not getting coaching clients.  And this applies to experienced coaches as well as to newly qualified coaches.

There are coaches who seem to have an endless supply of clients, of course.  But for the vast majority, getting new clients is a real problem.  So what are the signs and symptoms you may experience?

Signs & Symptoms of the Problem

Are you seeing any of the warning signs on this list?

The Key Warning signs:

• Your coaching prospects are taking the free sessions you offer, then not converting to paying clients.
• Your elevator pitch is causing peoples’ eyes to glaze over.
• You have gaps in your coaching schedule.
• Despite having good testimonials, you still have problems getting new clients.
• You secretly dread the upcoming networking event you said you’d go to.
• Your marketing strategies don’t seem to be working for you.
• You’re at a loss to know what to do next to attract coaching clients

What to do about the Problem

Start to think about this problem situation as a communication process.  It’s a bit like sending a semaphore message.  Remember them?  The stuff with all that flag waving?  Stay with me here.

For semaphore to work, your receiver has to be present and ready to receive your message. 

They have to want to receive a message from you.  They have to be able to understand what you’ve said – after it’s been received it has to be meaningful to them. 

You have to have a message to send them, and it has to be relevant to them.  And you have to understand how to send your semaphore message.

So, ask yourself:

• Do you actually have a message to send to your target market?
• Do you know what they will want to hear?
• Do you have the best mechanism to send it?
• Is the message relevant to your target market? 
• Is it meaningful to their situation?
• Is it in their language – will it be understood? 
• Will they be eager to receive it? 
• Are you sending it to a place where they can pick it up?
• What action do you expect from them when they receive it?

So where are you stuck in this communication process?  Are you wondering what message to send, or wondering which audience would prefer to hear your message?

Is it obvious yet what your next steps will be?

Alun Richards helps coaches find and reach their coaching niche.  Discover yours with Alun’s free mini-course, “Discover Your Coaching Niche”, available from http://www.nichecourse.co.uk

© Copyright Alun Richards 2008. All Rights Reserved.  You may freely distribute this article providing you do so in its entirety; ensuring the copyright and contact details above are included.