This blog post has been authored by Valerie Cap, The Nurturing Collective
I run an online coaching business. So as you can imagine, I am online quite a bit.
A good deal of my inspiration, marketing and connection comes through being on social media platforms where coaches hang out. And sometimes that includes groups for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs.
And what I see multiple times a day is people venting that they have been at “it” for sometime and have not signed a client yet or are not consistently signing clients.
In the online groups, they ask for support and without even understanding what is behind why that person hasn’t signed clients yet, other service providers are pitching their magic formula immediately.
“I can help you grow your Instagram following!”
“Webinars are the way to go!”
“I show entrepreneurs how to use LinkedIn to cultivate leads.”
“I can help you monetize your blogging.”
The person seeking support looks at all the ways offered to connect with their ideal clients and feels overwhelmed with what to do, who to work with or what direction to go.
They are desperate for the magic bullet.
They want to believe that if they just try one more strategy, success will finally come.
It’s not that the strategies are wrong or won’t get them results.
It could very well be that they aren’t ready for that strategy.
Instead, they’ve often missed a crucial step.
They think they know who their ideal client is and want they want.
And yet, 90% of the time when I speak with someone who is in this very place- desperate, confused and with crushed confidence- they don’t actually know their ideal client very well.
And it’s no wonder they aren’t having traction in signing clients.
They’ve often missed the #1 step that most entrepreneurs also miss.
It is called Marketing Research.
Instead of getting to know their ideal client’s desires, what they want help with and what is in the way, they spend time behind their computer screen.
They are busy slaving away at creating content that doesn’t connect, building a website to legitimize their new business and scrolling through social media all day feeling like they are doing something.
And during that scrolling, they are bombarded with offers and paid ads by influencers peddling the latest strategy that will get them to 6 figures.
It’s no wonder they don’t take the time to do the basics.
Because Marketing Research isn’t sexy.
And so very few people talk about it as a crucial step to launching a new business, program or service.
If this is you- fed up, trying to attract and connect with your ideal coaching clients- I invite you to reach out to the very people you want to serve. Get to know them. Ask them what challenges they are facing. Learn what they are desiring in your particular area of expertise. Listen to the very words that come out of their mouth.
I promise that if you start with this step (or go back to it), you’ll find it WAY easier to write content that attracts the right client, create offers that they will be more than ready to step into and you’ll know what your next right step is to building your audience and influence.
If you are an aspiring coach and want to learn how to Launch Your Coaching Business in 5 Easy Steps (including the marketing research step!)- grab my e-book at: https://bit.ly/2FpFV53
Val Cap is the founder of The Nurturing Collective and helps coaches find their profitable niche so they can create a sustainable business. As a business coach, she helps her clients get clear on who they are here to serve & to stay focused on each step of building a business that they love.
After learning the painful lesson of wasting time, money and energy building out a business she never launched, she now teaches her clients how to get clear on who they are serving and how they can help them before they spend a dime on a website, creating loads of content for social media or investing in systems and programs they don’t need-yet!