If you want to become a coach with an overflowing roster of clients who you actually enjoy working with and who help you hit your revenue goals, it all begins with your mindset. You need to change how you think about and approach business development. 

If you have never worked in sales you might feel intimidated by the challenge of selling yourself. (Spoiler: you are not actually selling yourself). The term 'sales' may conjure images of too-slick executives in power suits or used-car lots. 

Henry Ford once said, “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” Without sales, your coaching practice will stay small. Your dream of taking care of your loved ones and cultivating a legacy will stay just that - a dream. 

So, let’s talk about how you need to think about business growth if you want to succeed.

Cash equals sales, and sales is the lifeblood of your business.

Let’s start with the hard part. Think of your business as a living, breathing organism. In order to keep your business alive you need a healthy supply of blood flow i.e. cash. The direct outcome of making a sale is cash. Without an effective sales process, your business will never grow in a way that you desire. You either have to work at a company that has an established marketing and sales process, or you have to develop your own marketing and sales process. In this course, I’ll teach you how to do this for yourself. But remember, without cashflow, your business will die.

Sales doesn’t need to be salesy

For many people, sales is a high-pressure cold call trying to steal your time. Or someone pressuring you into a deal that isn’t in your best interest. It can be both, or neither. Sales can be something noble. Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” I spend my days helping people solve problems. You can do the same and if you do it right, some of these people will become clients. If you do that, they’ll bring along some friends and before you know it, you’ll have a thriving coaching practice.

B2B marketing and sales is a long game

Just like you can’t expect to hit the gym for a week and magically gain a sixpack, B2B marketing is a long game. When business is down, I know that if I follow my exact plan, in four months we will be busy and in five months we’ll be closing deals. Sometimes it takes a bit less time and sometimes it takes more. Your coaching practice also has a lead time between the activities you must conduct and the outcomes you want to achieve. At the end of the day, you need to be active now to generate the right business outcomes in the future.

Not everyone will be buying what you are selling

At least not today. Research shows that on average 5% of the market is buying what you are selling at this exact moment. The bad news is that the five percent of people who are in the market are probably already talking to someone else. The good news is that over the next 30 days, more people will move into the market. Then 30 days after that, more people will move into the market, and so on. These are the people who can become your clients, but they need to know, like, and trust you before you’ve got a shot at a referral. To accomplish this, you need to put some effort into getting to know them. This could be through an introduction or by reaching out to them directly. It doesn’t matter how you create these connections, but it is critical that you do.

Prioritize the process aka make the time

You should spend time generating leads every single day. I don’t care if you have a full-time 9-5. Your coaching practice’s success deserves at least five minutes of your day. Whether you have five minutes or fifty, set aside this time as a block where you do whatever you can to best serve your referral partners. This may look like a quick phone call check in, email, or text during your lunch hour. It doesn’t need to be hard and it doesn’t need to be complicated. If you can spare an hour for coffee, great! If not, follow up via a LinkedIn message or text. Remember, in the end it is this consistent effort that will drive leads.

Serve your network

When you are coaching clients, it is highly likely that you are helping them identify activities that, if conducted properly, create the outcomes they want. If you want to generate leads, you must serve your network. This means introducing clients, exposing them to new potential referral partners, educating them, or finding other inventive ways to improve their lives. 

If you want to grow your practice, one of your critical activities will be serving your network. Having coffee or buying them lunch is a great start, but it won’t be enough to generate consistent leads. If you want to grow your business, take a moment to reflect on what your clients truly need. This is your opportunity to dig deep. Are they searching for more operational educational resources? Maybe they seek the exposure of a local podcast? Whatever will help them achieve their goals, it is your duty to help facilitate this process.

Become a trusted advisor to your clients

A trusted advisor is someone you turn to when you have a unique challenge or query. You want to become a trusted advisor to your clients for many reasons. First, you become invaluable. Anyone can coach them, but a coach who goes beyond coaching is harder to replace. Second, it is essential to your business growth. 

I try very hard to be the person my clients turn to when faced with a challenge. From fixing HubSpot dashboard issues to swooping in with a great PR recommendation, I want to be the one who delivers in a pinch. I spend time learning about the types of businesses that serve my clients. I also qualify these companies carefully. The single best way to become a trusted advisor is to have the right connection when a specific challenge presents itself. This also makes it more likely that your clients will introduce you to potential clients when the opportunity arises.

In summary…

If you want to develop an extensive referral network that results in introductions to quality clients, your activity matters. If you wait until you need business, it will take a few months before you get the right introductions. If you develop a set of key activities today that you conduct every week, you’ll always have potential opportunities waiting for you. And you’ll probably suffer fewer sleepless nights.