How to Build a Six-Figure Coaching Practice, Without Placing a Single Facebook Ad

I’ve been bombarded with ads on Facebook recently and started to panic… “I better learn about how to master Facebook ads or I’m going to fail. I need to keep up, stay relevant, not miss the boat!”… and I bet I’m not the only one to freak out like this.

Then sanity returned and I thought, “WAIT. STOP. This is crazy. I built my business to beyond six figures without placing a single Facebook ad.”

Which brings us to this article where I’m going to show you exactly how I did it.

If you’re like most coaches, you are a completely amazing human being. You love your profession, you’re a hard worker, you adore your clients, and when those clients have “aha” moments, you’re floating on Cloud 9. And…

If you’re like most coaches, you spend a lot of time worrying about how to fill your business with great clients.

I get it. The first few years of my own Business Consulting practice was definitely like that. Chasing after every strategy that every expert proclaimed to be the answer to all of my business woes. “Live events!” they shouted. “Speaking! Social Media! Blogging!” they insisted. “Joint Ventures! Podcasting! Write a Book in a Weekend!” they proclaimed.

I ran around and ran around and ran around. Wanting to do good for my clients. Wanting more clients. But ultimately just completely burning out.

To survive the burnout (and avoid it in the future), I created a simple plan to fill my business with great clients and pass the 6-figure mark.

And I’m going to give you that exact plan right here.

The plan is crazy simple, and includes a complete marketing system of just 5 client-generation strategies. To get a simplified checklist you can follow each month, plus email templates, audio training, and more, be sure to download the Implementation Guide.

Ready for the details?

Client Generation Strategy 1: Referrals (20 “asks” per month)

Why this works. Referrals come to you as warm leads, so you have a better closing ratio, they make better clients, and generally are more profitable. Just this single strategy can double your income. But how do you get more referrals consistently?

Where to start. The first thing that stops people from asking for a referral is not wanting to feel pushy. The solution? Knowing exactly what to say. Here are a few samples of how to ask for a referral professionally, conversationally, and without being pushy.

• Is there anyone else you know who could use my services?
• Have you run into anyone recently who could use my help?
• Who have you met lately who could use my help?
• I always appreciate referrals!

Next steps. Even with the right words, referral generation can feel very hit-or-miss. Which is why you need is a systematic strategy to make referrals come in consistently. It simply requires regular contact, tracking, and nurturing of your list. When you do this, you can double or triple the referrals you get within a couple of months. To get my complete referral generation system, including an audio class that walks you through it step-by-step, download the Implementation Guide.

Client Generation Strategy 2: Speaking (20 inquiries per month)

Why this works. Instead of spending hours and hours meeting potential clients and trying to establish credibility one at a time, speaking allows you to gain instant credibility in front of a room full of potential clients. It’s a much more leveraged, effective use of your time!

Where to start. The first step is NOT writing your complete talk. You can spend a month or more writing your talk… but for what audience? The most important first step is to start doing inquiries to groups about speaking.

It may surprise you, but it isn’t necessary to have a complete talk prepared in order to be booked as a speaker. Here is all you need to prepare:

1. Catchy title that speaks to your ideal client’s wants and needs
2. A short paragraph giving a general overview of the topic
3. Three to five bullet-points listing what the audience will get out of the talk

To see examples, go to the Speaker page of my website: https://simplygetclients.com/speaking/

Next steps. Start reaching out to groups who align with what you offer and inquire about being their speaker. To find groups who want speakers, use Google searches, ask for referrals from colleagues, and if you want the no-fail search strategy and “magic” inquiry email that my clients and I have used to book our schedules solid, download the Implementation Guide.

Client Generation Strategy 3: Teleclasses (1 per month)

Why this works. This strategy gives you all the benefits from Strategy #2, with the additional benefit of creating valuable content that you can use again and again.

Where to start. The key to using this strategy is to get started. Don’t get caught up in technology or attracting a huge crowd… that will come. Your immediate goal should be to simply conduct your first teleclass, and make a sales offer of some kind. That’s it. Keep it simple! Here’s how to get started quickly:

1. Use the catchy title and take-aways you created in Strategy #2, and set a date to do a teleclass.
2. Get a teleconference line. I’ve used both FreeConferenceCall.com and StartMeeting.com. Both are free and user-friendly.
3. Send out the class details to your list, post on Facebook and other social media channels.
4. Do the class, making sure to make a sales offer and record the class
5. After the class, review the recording and the results, adjust anything that didn’t work.
6. Set a date for your next teleclass!

Next steps. Once you’ve gotten over the hurdle of doing your first teleclass, now you can get more strategic. There are the three main areas of opportunity to focus on:

1. Building your audience
2. Leveraging your content (teleclass recordings)
3. Refining your sales offer

Take these one at a time. Listen to other experts’ teleclasses for ideas on how to improve your delivery. And (you guessed it) download the Implementation Guide. I include details about how to grow your audience, leverage your content, and two great tricks for making sure your audience stays for the entire teleclass to take advantage of your offer!

Client Generation Strategy 4: Prospect Follow up (20 per month)

Why this works. People who have expressed interest in working with you, or who have worked with you in the past are considerably more likely to hire you again in the future if given the chance. Any time you have a new program or a special offer, these are the people you want to contact first!

Where to start. Create a list of all of your past prospects and clients with their contact information and put it in an easy to access location. You must start here, because if you start the process by digging around your desk and computer for contact information in order to reach out to these people, you’ll likely get frustrated or distracted and end up not making any contacts at all. Get the list created first so each month you can simply reach out to these prospects and check the activity off your list.

Next steps. Contact your prospects monthly. This can be done via email, text, phone, or social media. You just want to stay top of mind and nurture your relationship with these contacts, so the method of contact is not particularly important.

Client Generation Strategy 5: E-Newsletters (1 per week)

Why this works. On any average day when your path crosses with another human being, they do not need your services right at the moment. However, within the next 6 months to 2 years, it’s highly likely that they, or someone they know, could use your services… IF they remember you and have easy access to your contact information! That’s where e-newsletters come in.

Where to start. When sending it out, always keep these six elements of a successful newsletter in mind:

1. Provide value, whether or not your reader does business with you
2. Show your personality
3. Make offers to work with you further
4. Be consistent
5. Less is more (keep content brief!)
6. Always be growing your list

Next steps. If you want more, get the Implementation Guide. It includes a link to one of my most popular trainings, “How to Create E-Newsletters that Make Prospects Say YES” plus my top four list-building tricks (including how you can add 50-200 contacts to your list before the end of the week!).

FAQ

There you have it. That’s how I did it. And to wrap this up, here are a few Frequently Asked Questions. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions I didn’t address here.

1. Was there anything else you did besides these five strategies to get to 6 figures?

Yes, of course. A sales conversation structure, time management, marketing messaging, ideal client profile. But honestly, I was pretty sloppy with these things. I had a basic handle on them all, but didn’t spend much time on them.

I only included the client generation strategies in this article because I can track back every success I’ve had to absolutely NAILING my client generation strategies. Everything else is secondary.

Implement the client-generation strategies I shared, start getting clients, and everything else will follow. Without clients, you don’t have a business, you don’t have income… the rest is simply refinement.

2. But what if I don’t want to do speaking? (or e-newsletters, or your other strategies)

If you don’t want to do any element of this plan, then don’t. Your marketing plan should be as unique as you are. In a separate article, you can get a step-by-step guide to create your personalized marketing plan.

For your personalized client generation plan to get you to beyond the six figure mark you must do two things.

First, include activities that give you visibility and credibility, opportunities to make new contacts and sales offers, and systems to keep you top of mind.

Second, all of the elements must mesh with and leverage each other so when you engage in one area of the plan, all of the other parts are activated so you get the biggest results with the least amount of effort.

3. Does this really work?

Yes, IF you implement consistently and your services are priced right.

All of the strategies in the world will not get you to six figures with your sanity intact if you are selling your products and services cheaply. I highly recommend you look at raising your prices, and creating high-ticket packages.

Commit to valuing your expertise, and charge accordingly. Commit to providing a higher level of transformation, and charge accordingly. Commit to asking your clients to commit to themselves at a higher level, and charge accordingly.

4. How do you price your programs?

In a word, generosity.

I charge a fee that allows me to be generous with my time without resentment. That way, I can commit fully to my client’s success without haggling over adding an extra appointment or resource to their program.

My pricing also makes sure that I am being generous to myself. By asking my clients to invest in themselves at a significant level, I honor the value of my time and expertise, and get the peace of mind that comes with getting paid well for doing excellent work.

This philosophy of generosity-based fees creates an amazing synergy where my clients get better results than they imagined possible, and I can truly show up and be present because I am valuing myself and respecting the worth of my abilities.

Any other questions? Don’t be shy. Contact me. Let’s see what we can do together.