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How to Grow a Coaching or Consulting Business

As a coach, you’re probably always looking for ways to attract more clients and grow your business. Here are 10 proven tips that will help you attract more coaching clients.


Growing Your Business as a Coach

It’s easy to feel like you’re always on the hunt for new clients. You know that you must be proactive about your marketing and client acquisition in order to grow your business. But sometimes, it can feel like a struggle to get yourself out there. You may wonder how to attract more coaching clients.

Here are 10 ideas for attracting more coaching clients that will help you grow your coaching business!

three women sitting and facing each other
Ten easy tactics to grow your coaching business with qualified clients

1. BLOGGING

Blogging is a “go-to” recommendation for anyone trying to attract more visitors to their website: because it works. Publishing high-quality, original content on a consistent basis is the number one way to generate visitor traffic. The more niche or specific you make your content, the more qualified the visitors will be. If you’re not already, consider re-committing to your blogging strategy. Your client list will thank you.

2. NICHE YOUR SERVICE

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll stand for nothing. Putting your stake in the ground let’s prospective clients know what you’re known for, otherwise, you will be forgettable. That’s not to say you cannot accept work or clients outside of your niche, you’re the boss. But your public persona and all your branding should be niched.

3. REFRESH YOUR LEAD MAGNETS

When was the last time you thoughtfully approached your content marketing strategy and assets? Do your current lead magnets align with your current niche? Does it match your branding? Does it pair with one of your 3-5 Hot Button Issues? Do you have a year of content mapped out? Clarity in your content marketing strategy (blogging, to lead magnet, to paid product) is key.

person using phone and laptop
When starting your coaching business, you must nurture and build your professional network.

4. WRITE AN IRRESISTIBLE SALES PAGE

If you are offering products (other than your 1-on-1 coaching sessions), revisit your sales pages. Make sure there is continuity between your content strategy, client pain points, intake opportunities, and services. Are you answering the questions of your prospective clients? Are you providing a clear call to action? Have 3-4 peers or “inner-circle” clients review your sales pages and offer feedback.

5. GO BACK TO THE WATERING HOLES

It is easy to stop actively prospecting. Think back to when you were first starting and scraping together 4-5 paid clients. Remember the hustle? Remember leaving valuable advice and contributing to open conversations? Return to your roots. Check out Q&A sites, find networking groups where your ideal clients are spending their time, consider partnering with a complimentary podcast or helping with a product launch.

6. REFERRALS

Unfortunately, many established coaches fail to ask for referrals. It is one of the easiest tactics and has crazy high ROI – so why don’t we do it? Perhaps pride? Forgetfulness? Maybe laziness? Regardless, think of your top clients and ask for a referral or two. You will be amazed at the response from a simple favor.

7. BUILD A COMMUNITY

Communities – especially in the age of dictator-like social media platforms – are incredibly powerful for coaches. Take full control of your audience and access by starting a community related to your industry. This can be paid or free, the point is to provide a platform for your following.

8. USE SOCIAL MEDIA

Are you re-sharing your older social media content? Are you tracking which posts do well? Social media audiences are shifting and changing all the time. Consider recycling or refreshing older content and sharing it again. Are you actively listening and participating in social conversations? Are you engaging with others within the industry? Don’t use it solely to share your stuff, add value and engage with others.

9. FIRE A CLIENT

This topic is quite controversial, but I promise it is effective. Sometimes a client needs to go. For many reasons, an existing client may not be a good fit. Perhaps you need to raise your prices (yay! Go, you!), they require too much time or energy that you’re not compensated for, they are difficult to work with, or you can no longer help them with their needs. I recommend you review your client list annually and aim to cut the bottom 10% (obviously there are exceptions.)

10. SURVEY YOUR CLIENTS

Too often, we get stuck marketing at our clients instead of conversing with them. When we view the relationship as a partnership, both parties benefit. Take the pulse on your clients (bonus points for reaching out to prospective clients who didn’t convert, or even clients who have fallen off the radar). Find out how they perceive you, where you can add value, where you can improve, and what you’re doing well.

TAKE ACTION

I encourage you to revisit the tactics you used when starting. View your website, social media, and messaging through a new client’s eyes. The path to growing your coaching business is right in front of you. With a little time and effort, you will be systematically attracting new clients and closing more deals.

There are people who need to hear your message, problems that need to be solved. Take action. Apply these steps. Go do work that matters.

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