I know, your mind is on how you’ll get your next coaching client, but that kind of short term thinking will have you running around in circles. If you want to earn a great living from your coaching business, create systems that will bring in a steady stream of prospects who already want what you’re offering. You need a leads list. And the sooner you get to building yours, the better.
The first step is to set up an opt-in for a freebie that your ideal coaching market really wants.
Find out what makes people in your coaching market tick. Then create a give-away product that is highly relevant to their top challenges and most elusive goals. Your freebie should do one or more of these things:
- Educate
- Correct
- Simplify
- Shift
- Inspire
Why Freebies Work
When you give away solutions or fill the holes in your market’s knowledge, you win their trust and their permission to connect with them again. Free information products attract people to your list because:
- Prospects can experience a bit of what you have to offer without risk.
- If your freebie is relevant and compelling, your credibility takes a leap.
- When you give, the “Law of Reciprocity” engages, and naturally moves your ideal clients to take the next step with you.
Post your opt-in form on the upper right hand corner of your blog or website under your banner. Include a compelling title for your freebie. Connect the web form to your Aweber account. Aweber allows you to manage your leads list in clever ways, automatically deliver your freebie, and follow up with automated messages to keep the connection alive with your new friends.
Your main opt-in freebie should deliver an electronic file that can be accessed immediately, such as:
- An assessment with a free followup consult that enrolls them into private or group programs.
- A report or five part mini-ecourse that teases an ebook.
- An mp3 audio recording that previews a workshop.
Mix and match them as you like, but always have your freebie “point” to one or more of your paid services or products as the next step. That’s the way you move your ideal prospects through your marketing funnel. Over time, your most engaged prospects become clients, and some will buy everything you offer!
Don’t worry if someone drops off your list. It’s a natural selection process that’s separating your ideal clients from the rest. Remember, it can take 7 – 12 connections with your offers before your ideal clients engage directly with you. And some people on your list never will. That’s why you want to build a stout leads list.
Freebie + Blog or Ezine Subscription
Don’t just give away your blog or ezine as your freebie. Get something tangible to them right away. That’s why electronic files make the best freebies; they get delivered immediately after signup. When your web visitors receive an immediate gift, it creates a powerful desire to learn more about you.
But it is a great idea to have the opt-in include a subscription to your blog or ezine when they sign up for your freebie. That way you can stay in touch every week with your list, building trust and showing them why you are essential to their success. Your steady flow of ideas to your market steadily increases their perception of your value.
Add in regular social networking, commenting on other people’s blogs and a few other consistent but simple marketing efforts and you’ve got a steady “drip” marketing system – part of the critical infrastructure every coach needs to build a sustainable business. (More about this coming soon.)
Respect Your List
With good reason, people are sensitive about privacy and security issues. I’m always surprised when a coach puts me on their list without asking me if I want to be on it. Technically, that’s spamming. The smart and right thing to do is to ask folks to opt in. If you use a double opt-in system like Aweber’s, you’ll ensure that people really want to be on your list. They can unsubscribe any time at the bottom of any message you send out. And because Internet Service Providers love Aweber, you can be sure that your messages will get delivered.
Treat your leads with great respect. Assure them that you’ll keep their contact information private, and deliver on that promise.
Having trouble coming up with ideas for your freebie? It will be much easier when you target a viable coaching market, and know what they really want from you.
Let me show you how easy it is to Champion Your Ideal Coaching Market and find out what will motivate them to invest in your services. The next workshop begins soon!
