Here are a few of the key indicators:

a) Are they a homogenous group (same type of issues, concerns, problems, outlook etc)

b) Are they reachable – do you know where exactly to go both online and offline to reach them?

c) Is there enough activity in the niche – (money being spent, newsletters, magazines, press coverage, books, seminars, trade shows etc)

d) Are they hungry - do they have a VERY small number of key problems that they really want help with – and do you know what these are?

Remember, to coach them, you do not have to be the world expert in their problems, at least initially! But if you pick your niche wisely, you’ll soon see patterns emerging about their needs, wants, desires and problems.

And the more you interact with them, the clearer these will become. You’ll get to the point where you can predict what their issues will be before you meet them. That’s when you gain a lot of credibility.

Then when you’re able to resolve their problems – or show them how to, you are REALLY adding value.

The key thing initlally is can you get to them – get in front of them – in person and online easily?

If you can, great. If not, or if it will take a great deal of research work just to find them, I’d select a narrower subset of your market, at least to start with.

Alun supplies products and services to coaches to help them with their marketing.  To discover the coaching niche that’s right for you, go to http://www.nichecourse.co.uk for your free course on nicheing.

niche, coaching niche

Regular readers of this blog will recall me presenting The Seven Coaching MegaTrends – the major trends that are now affecting the coaching market. One of these was the rise in coaches offering coaching products, including reports, ebooks, CDs and downloadable mp3s.

Another was the rise in enabling online technologies that are allowing coaches to automate many of their key processes – including their marketing.

My new product – Alun’s Squeeze Page Builder – allows coaches to exploit these two MegaTrends by making the process of building direct response websites fast, easy and cheap.

So there is no excuse any more for not being able to collect your prospects’ names and emails into an autoresponder package.

With Alun’s Squeeze Page Builder, once set up, you can build squeeze pages (sometimes called landing pages or signup pages) in around four minutes. And you can build unlimited numbers of them, without paying webmasters anything for the pleasure!

Have a look at this video, and see how easy it is to build a direct response website!

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Finally, there are a number of coaches who have come this far only to be paralysed in not taking action. You must, you must take action. It’s the one thing that differentiates the successful from the also-rans.

As you’ve read thorough this report, you’ll have begun to identify what actions you need to take next. Write these down and set a deadline for their completion.

Identify whether your next step is to gather the information you need to complete the action, whether you need access to someone or something to proceed, or whether it’s simply about blocking out the time to do it.

But make sure you plan and are committed to do it. Then just do it.

Summary of the Five Fatal Marketing Mistakes

This report has examined the five fatal marketing mistakes made by 80% of all coaches.

In summary, they are:

Mistake 1. Not Having a Niche

Mistake 2. Not Knowing Their Biggest Problem

Mistake 3. Not Having a Solution to Their Problem

Mistake 4. Not Knowing How to Reach Your Niche

Mistake 5. Not Taking Action

It is very likely that one of these mistakes is seriously impeding your ability to dramatically grow your coaching practice.

Just by identifying this and committing to taking action, you will be ahead of the vast majority of coaches, and on your way to having a successful coaching practice.

Taking Action

We said earlier that one of the biggest problems for coaches with their marketing is not taking action. Commit to take action now as a result of reading this report.

What are the three actions you can take this week that will begin to resolve the marketing problems you face? Write these down.

For each of these, what is the very next step you must take? Write these down. Yes, write them down even if they are very straightforward.

Now commit to doing these this week.

© 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.

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These were:

Mistake 1. Not Having a Niche
Mistake 2. Not Knowing Their Biggest Problem

We continue with fatal marketing mistake no. 3

Mistake 3. Not Having a Solution to Their Problem

The next biggest mistake is not having a solution to the problems experienced by the members of your niche.

Of course, you may already know a solution to their biggest problem. Or you may not know, and may have to work to create a solution.

Whatever situation you are in, identify the next steps to having a solution for your niche.

If you need to create a solution, consider what resources are available to you.

Here are some ideas:

• Import ready-made solutions from other disciplines.
• Use friends, colleagues or family members for ideas.
• Consider what previous business acquaintances could help you.
• What skills and knowledge from other areas of your life are relevant to the problem?

For other sources of ready-made solutions, consider what other people may have ready-made solutions to the problem. These may be within your niche – in which case you might consider a joint venture.

Or they may be from outside your niche, in which case you could consider adapting the solution to make it more specific to your niche.

Mistake 4. Not Knowing How to Reach Your Niche

You must be able to reach your niche effectively, either online or offline, and preferably both.

Reaching them implies knowing where to go to meet them, online and offline. Offline this means special interest groups, associations, networking groups, trade shows and the like.

Online this means forums, online lists, social media sites, membership sites and discussion groups.

If you don’t know where they meet, it’s research time. Ask other members of the niche where they hang out.

If you do know where they meet, it’s action time for you! Get involved with your niche, and get known!

This article will continue in the next posting.

Mistake 1. Not Having a Niche

By far the biggest mistake made by coaches is not having a niche. Admit it, you’ve heard this many times, but you may not have taken action on it yet.

According to my research, 67% of all coaches do not have a niche. Many claim to not want one – “they like the variety.” The fact is that the most profitable coaching practices are those that do have a niche. And the coaching practices that have a niche find it the easiest to market to their target market.

So what is a niche?

A niche is a small, distinct part of a larger market. It’s one that has a definable set of members that are distinct from the mass market. The niche will be homogenous but distinct from the mass market in several important ways. These may be geography, psychographics, demographics, buying and other behaviour and will certainly include their preferences.

This means that understanding the makeup and preferences of your niche is likely to be a profitable activity.

Mistake 2. Not Knowing Their Biggest Problem

Members of a niche have specific needs and wants, and they have a small
number of specific problems that are similar within the niche but
different to the mass market.

You must know – or be able to find out – the problems that are commonly experienced by your niche. Whatever niche you have, there will be common problems experienced by most members of the niche.

If you don’t know the biggest problem (or problems) experienced by your niche, you will not know what they are most willing to pay good money to resolve.

If you do know their biggest problems, you’re half way to a solution. You need to be able to define the problem succinctly and specifically.

As well as asking what the biggest problems are, as why this is a problem. This will get you good quality information that you can use in creating a solution to the problem.

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3. Demonstrate you know what they want – Gaining Credibility

If you don’t know what your prospects want, you’ll be just like any other coach who can’t get clients.  These other coaches can’t get clients because they can’t demonstrate credibility in the eyes of their prospects.  Their prospects just can’t see the relevance to them. 

But you will gain credibility when you demonstrate that you understand the issues and problems your prospects are facing.  That’s so fundamental I’m going to repeat it.  You gain credibility when you demonstrate you understand the issues and problems they are facing.

4. But I don’t know the solution to the problems…

By knowing what the problems are, you’re more than half the way there.  The first step on the way to resolving a problem is to define it unambiguously.  With your coaching skills, if you help your prospect to do just that, the likelihood is that the two of you will be able to work towards a resolution.

Conclusion

If you’re a coach, whether you’re suffering mild, moderate or severe pain in getting clients, there’s a remedy. 

This involves you:
1. Being clear on who you are coaching.
2. Knowing what problems they want solved.
3. Demonstrating you know what they want.
4. Working with your new client to solve their problem.

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 2007. 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.

Third Degree – Severe Pain

You’re finding prospects have no apparent interest.  In fact, just getting in front of prospects who might be interested in your coaching is hard.  Where are they all?  Even when you get hold of a prospect, the conversation falters after you mention you’re a coach.  It wasn’t supposed to be like this.  What can you do?

The Treatment

I said there was treatment available for even the most severe case.  So what’s the prescription?

1. Be clear on who you are coaching

Who are you coaching exactly?  Just stop and think for a minute.  Now start to define precisely who wants your coaching – or could want your coaching.  The narrower the field, the better.  And no, the answer “anyone” is no good.  No good at all.  “Anyone” is the reason why many coaches have no clients at all.

Focus!  You must have a niche.  Begin to use a rifle, not a blunderbuss.  So who could you coach – who might want your combination of background, experience and knowledge? 

Which groups would value your set of skills?  Start making a list.  Which ones appeal most?  Which ones are most relevant to your background prior to you becoming a coach?  Start to narrow the list down.

2. What do they want?

Now you have some possible targets, what do these people want?  What do you mean, you don’t know?  Find them and ask them! 

Discover what their biggest problems are.  What is it that keeps them up at night?  What would make their life so much easier, if it were to be resolved?  Whisper it quietly: this is market research.  Do you have to do this?  Yes, yes you do – now get out and just do it.

This article will continue in the next post.

“But how on earth do I do that?”
A Coach

The Problem

You’re a coach, and you’re not getting clients.  It’s not a matter of your coaching skills – you know that.  Anyone who has had a coaching session with you compliments you on the insights your coaching brings.  Many of your clients have achieved significant changes in their lives, even if you do say so yourself.

So what is the problem, exactly?

The Three Degrees of Pain

The sad news is that this situation is only too common amongst coaches.  And it can come in three degrees of pain – Mild, Moderate and Severe.  Luckily, for even the most severe case, there is treatment available.  Read on to establish how much pain you’re suffering right now, and what to do about it.

First Degree – Mild Pain

Do you recognise this description?  You’re meeting plenty of prospects, and you’re generating some interest in your coaching.  Some prospects sign up for a complimentary coaching session with you.  You get few or no conversions to paying clients, however.

Second Degree – Moderate Pain

Or perhaps it’s worse?  You do get in front of prospects from time to time, but it often seems to be the same old crowd.  You feel your initial energy and excitement in your coaching services beginning to wane.  Is it showing?  You’re a great coach.  You’ve coached loads of people during your training.  Why is it so hard to get clients?

This article continues in the next post.

They are:
1. Not Taking Your Business Card
2. Not Having a Concise Answer to “So what do you do?”
3. Networking with Other Coaches
4. Not Being Clear on Who Your Target Market Are
5. Premature Selling
6. Not Making Notes

So let’s continue with number 7. This one is more common than you would ever imagine.

7. Not Following Up

If you’re not following up, why on earth are you networking? You need to make time to systematically call your prospects in the days after the networking event.

This requires thinking about your prospect, your interaction and what you’re going to say when you call.

8. Not Getting Trained

You got trained in coaching skills, didn’t you? You most likely invested time and effort in learning how to coach. Networking, for the vast majority of coaches, does not come naturally – it’s something you need to learn.

So take a course. I can strongly recommend Will Kintish’s networking courses – more details via http://www.kintish.co.uk .

9. Not Being Consistent

As with all marketing strategies, you can’t just go to one networking event and think “That’s it”. Networking – both attendance and follow-up – is something you must do consistently.

You should be looking to attend relevant networking events at least fortnightly. Make this a part of your working life.

10. Getting Drunk

There are often opportunities for drinking at networking events. If you do drink, do so in moderation. This is business, not pleasure. No-one is particularly attractive when drunk, and it’s easy to underestimate how much drink will affect you.

Bonus Tip: Be Innovative – Consider Using CDs

One variation on handing out business cards worth mentioning is a professional who gives out recordings of a presentation he’s given on CDs. It’s now quite possible to record – cost-effectively – a presentation, teleclass or briefing you’ve given, and give it away, in place of a business card.

Just be sure it’s relevant to your target market, it’s produced to a high standard and has all your contact details included.

Conclusion

In this article I’ve discussed the most common mistakes that coaches make when using networking to build their business. Which ones are you now aware of that you can avoid? And what actions are you going to take as a result of reading this article?

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.brandingyou.org/ecoursesales.html

© Copyright Alun Richards 2007. 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.

Technorati Tags: discover your coaching niche, coaching niche, coaching marketing

These were:
1. Not taking your business card
2. Not having a concise answer to “so what do you do?” and
3. Networking with coaches

Let’s continue with the next most common mistakes…

4. Not Being Clear on Who Your Target Market Are

This will kill you quicker than anything else. If you’re not clear on your target market – your niche – you will attract no-one. You’ll end up attending random “networking” events where the likelihood of finding a match with your services is remote.

So before you start planning your networking, get clear on your coaching niche. Then ensure you go to events attended by your target market!

5. Premature Selling

Let’s be clear about what networking is all about. It’s not about you delivering your sales pitch. It’s not even about getting a client at that event. Really. It’s about understanding the needs of the person in front of you and building a relationship.

It may turn out you have nothing relevant to offer them. That’s OK. You may know other resources you can recommend to them – and if you do, be sure to share.

6. Not Making Notes

When you meet a likely prospect, take their business card. Let’s assume you’re getting on well, and there seems to be a match with what they want and your services.

Ask if you can call them in a few days to outline your services in more detail. Write on the card when they’re happy for you to call them. Then make sure you call them then.

This article will continue in the next post.

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