So let’s say you’ve finished your training, and you’re now a certified health coach. You’re excited to get out there and help people, to make the world a healthier place (and to build your freedom-based business at the same time)…but then reality hits. How do you *actually* get clients?
You know the people you can help are out there, but…where are they? How do you reach them? How do you get them to come on board with your programs and services?
If this sounds familiar, then my latest video is for you.
In the video I outline my 3-point strategy for getting more clients into your health coaching business.
Strategy #1: Build Your Mailing List
In fact, it’s important to start building your list as soon as possible.
This is because your LIST, down the road, is going to be your most reliable source of clients, month after month. How to build a list is a BIG topic, but let me briefly outline how it works, in case you’re unfamiliar. To get people on your list you need to have a system for potential clients to OPT IN. To do that, you need to offer them something in exchange for their email address.
I like the term “lead magnet” for this, but some people call it a freebie, fremium, or opt-in. You want to put some careful thought into what you’re going to create, because it needs to be something your ideal client REALLY wants.
So once you’ve got an irresistible lead magnet specifically designed with your ideal client in mind, you need to get it in front of your ideal clients. This is all about “discoverability”, and there are a lot of ways to accomplish this. Some of the ways include: social media, your own free content in the form of blogs, videos and podcasts, being a guest on other people’s platforms –like guest blogging, for example–publicity, like being featured in a newspaper or magazine piece, and paid advertising.
With your growing email list, you’ll need to nurture the relationship with your subscribers by staying in regular contact with them, and from time to time pitching your paid programs and services.
Now, this whole system, building your list and nurturing that audience, to be honest, can take some time. So what to do to gain clients in the MEANTIME? That’s where strategy #2 comes in!
Strategy #2: Give Workshops
Especially when you’re first starting out, workshops can be an excellent way of getting your first few clients. It’s fast, and it’s powerful. So, what I recommend is that while you’re working on building your list, before that list reaches a critical mass (or what some people call a “minimum viable audience”)….you can quite easily set up in-person workshops that convert to a very high degree.
Workshops are great for conversion because there’s that inherent “know, like, and trust factor” when you’re in the room with your ideal potential clients. So what you need to do is develop a signature workshop that provides value, but also naturally leads to some people wanting to take things to the next level by working with you.
Once you’ve created and designed your signature workshop, you want to get out there and find places to give that workshop–and here you can get creative! Whole foods, yoga studios, wellness centers, libraries, community centers…these are all great places to host a workshop.
Now, you CAN of course take your workshop online, through webinars, but I consider that a more advanced strategy, and not necessarily one that you could implement right away.
Okay, so the third key way to get clients, while you’re building your list and while you’re crafting and giving your workshops, is through REFERRALS.
Strategy #3: Build A Referral System
Referrals can be a powerful way to get clients through the door. When a fellow health care professional specifically, and directly, refers someone to you, that has the highest conversion rate of all. If the referring professional is familiar with you and your work, and they feel someone is a good fit for you–that’s a beautiful thing. It means they’ll be sending potential clients your way who have already been vetted and screened.
Receiving referrals means less effort on your part, but MORE income. And who doesn’t want that?
So the question is: who can be referral partners for you? Who can be referral sources into your health coaching business, and how do you reach out to those people? Basically, your best bet for referral sources are people who work in a complementary field as you, but who don’t provide the exact same service. So for health coaches, this could be: physiotherapists, massage therapists, chiropractors, and doctors. If you can partner with a few of these professionals, it can be an excellent source of a steady flow of clients.
I hear many health coaches express a desire to start working with doctors, in particular, but confusion and overwhelm about HOW to actually make that happen. And if that’s you, I have put together a guide. As a doctor AND a coach, I have a unique insider’s perspective, so the link to grab that resource for free is below.
Okay, so let’s recap. The best ways to get clients into your health coaching business are:
- Build your list
- Give signature workshops
- Referrals
There you have it. I hope you found this helpful. Again, if you want to grab my free guide How to Get MD Referrals, then grab it below.
