For many years, I led a group call for the Coaches Training Institute called “The Client Game”. Late last year, I helped create an evergreen version that now lives in their certification program. One thing that I am most proud of highlighting for their coaches is something I continually teach the coaches in my business training program.
No matter how much technology changes, the personal touch is always going to be key to marketing a successful coaching business. This goes across all niches and all stages of business.
The really good news about this fact is that you have complete control over this aspect of your marketing.
Here is how it works when you look at the long game.
Creating and nurturing good relationships with people who show an interest in you and what you offer will always be worth your time and effort.
These relationships often take time to have a financial or other type of benefit to your business. Sometimes many, many years.
Here is an example:
I hosted a booth and promoted my coaching business at a conference with around 3,000 people. I talked to hundreds of participants over the course of that weekend, and many of those folks signed up for my mailing list.
I met a few fellow coaches who had a different niche but a shared passion for the work we did.
One of my favorite experiences was the connection I made with a counselor who worked for the Army. He was intrigued by a product I had at the time. A deck of cards that fosters better communication for couples.
He thought it would benefit the thousands of couples who sought counseling while serving in the armed forces.
At one point, he was contemplating ordering thousands of decks of cards!
This didn’t pan out, and I had a lot of interest, but only a few of those leads turned into paying clients.
Fast forward a few years.
- A woman who I had really connected with set up a call with me. She became a client. She referred clients to me for years.
- Another coach who was at a booth near mine contacted me to explore an alliance where we would promote each other’s products and services. We did this for a few years, and many paying clients resulted.
- A woman who had a similar conference once a year offered me a free spot, and at that conference, I made a connection that brought me a great deal of business and continues to this day.
That long game started almost 20 years ago!
The long game success came because I reached out to these people personally. It was often just a simple email to check in, send something I thought they would like, or to congratulate them on a success.
I once had a client who created a six-figure coaching business with just this one activity! She reached out to people she knew in her niche and asked for a referral of someone she could take to lunch just to learn more about them and how coaching could help their industry.
Often these lunches lead to a deeper connection and… in the long game, she slowly but steadily was introduced to people who hired her to work with their organizations.
These are just a couple of examples. I have many experiences from networking events to social media connections that have been fruitful over the years, even though the initial effort did not bear much fruit.
And SO many stories from the people in my business training program where this one activity has paid off.
Sometimes the personal touch can be reaching out to set up a virtual chat or in-person coffee with someone you feel a kinship with.
When you look at the long game of creating and sustaining a business, the key to remember is that the short game of making connections takes effort and is time-consuming. It can be vulnerable to make that contact and to do so without an agenda.
AND
The payoff is always worth it!
Ep. 60 – Kat Knecht – Relationship-Driven Marketing for Coaches
