IWT INSIDER: buyer & non-buyer survey questions Field Report: How I Got my First Coaching Clients field report: HOW I STARTED A 6-FIGURE COACHING BUSINESS zerotolaunchsystem.com 3 of 4
field report: how i got my first coaching clients Before I figured out that I was meant to be a Love Coach for smart, successful, single women, I invested a year of my time coaching women in health. I loved working with the clients I had, but I felt like something was missing. When I shared this feeling with my mentor she asked me, Where are your clients seeing the most results? That s when I realized it wasn t in their diet or the nutritional information I thought was vital for me to offer them, but their relationships. So I become a Love Coach. It felt right, but I was terrified. It meant re-branding my entire business, getting training, and finding different clients that wanted that type of support. I didn t know if it would work, but what I was doing wasn t working either. there are a ton of normal fears when you re just starting out When I was switching gears from being a health coach it was scary as hell, no doubt about it. I remember thinking: I don t know enough. What actually makes me an expert? I don t have the degrees that make me as credible as a therapist/doctor/whoever. There are already so many people out there who do what I want to do, how am I any different? The truth is - none of those fears are true or actually matter, and the only way I was going to get them out of my head was to keep going and stay in action. I have learned that confidence comes through being in action and giving something a go, not by questioning why you aren t confident or by trying to get rid of the fears before getting into action. how i developed the pricing structure for my first program I decided that my first program would be a 6-month program where clients would get an initial 1.5 hour intensive session with me, plus two 1-hour calls a month, priced at $600/ month. I did 6 months because when you re doing this kind of emotional-based work, people need at least that much time for you to really have them see the results they re looking for. And of course that s what I wanted because results ensure that you have raving fans after your work is complete, and they either stay on with me for another 6 months or refer someone to me. Charging $600/month was totally on the edge of uncomfortable to me, because when I was health coaching I only charged $300/month. I knew I had to get out of the mindset of charging per hour and into the mindset of creating a cohesive, accountable, supportive program where I was really in it with them. And I got the clients (more on that later). These days, I increase my rates every 6-months. How do I choose by how much? Honestly, I choose the next number that feels a little bit scary to ask for but still doable. Currently, this same program is now up to $1,400 a month. field report: how i got my first coaching clients zerotolaunchsystem.com 1 of 4
Sealing the deal To get my first clients, I followed three essential steps: 1. Getting out and meeting people For me, hitting the streets is the best way to meet people. When you meet people in person their trust radar goes in overdrive, which means they ll listen to you. I took advantage of networking events that had nothing to do with being an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs at networking events are all trying to get clients; I knew I had to go places where I could immediately lower those percentages. 2. Offering something of value Meeting these women at the events was just the first piece. When in front of them, I recognize that I need to offer them something of value that helps them right away and gets them interested in a complimentary session with me. Here s an example of how one of these conversations has gone for me. If you d like to use this for yourself, my comments are in brackets. I introduce myself by saying my elevator pitch, I m a love coach and I work with smart, successful, and strong women [my ideal client] who are struggling in love and women who are struggling to figure out if the one they re with is the one [recognize the pain point]. I then ask, So are you single or in a relationship? [You want to find the kind of question that works for what you re offering. So, that you can find out more about where their pain points are with what you work with.] That might feel totally awkward at first, but you re the leader in this conversation. You have to give them some sort of value that will get them interested in meeting with you for that free session. If a potential lead tells me they re single, I ll ask them what s going on in their love life currently. They will usually give a pretty general answer like, It s alright. I m online dating and getting myself out there. You want to keep asking questions until you hit their pain point. One usually presents itself after the first couple of questions. So I will dig a little more: How are you liking online dating? It s okay. There are some times that I wonder if it s really worth it. What in particular doesn t feel so good about it? [This is digging for the pain point] It just feels like there aren t any good men out there. The ones that I m reaching out to aren t writing me back. field report: how i got my first coaching clients zerotolaunchsystem.com 2 of 4
field report: how i got my first coaching clients This is the sweet spot. Once I have pinpointed what they are struggling with, I offer up some sort of value. If you just offer a tip that isn t specific to what they re going through, it s not going to make a difference. So I ask about a solution you know they would like to have, Would you prefer just meeting someone out in the world? and then they say YES! (They always do) Once she understands the value I have to offer (that I KNOW what they re feeling and wanting), I say, I actually do free Love Breakthrough Sessions where I can tell you a little bit more about what s going on for you and what is keeping you from having the love you want now. Would you be curious about that? [It helps to have a name for the sessions you offer so they demonstrate the value they will get out if it, like Revenue Generating Session or Discovery Session. I call a complimentary session with me a Love Breakthrough Session ] If they want to know what I offer and how much it costs, I say, I can tell you about my programs and offerings in that call if that feels right for both of us, and if not I m just happy to provide you with my insights on what is going on in your love life. 3. Schedule the appointment right away Of course there are women that say no to me when I offer them these sessions. But if they say yes, one of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started out was saying, Okay great, here s my card, feel free to reach out and let me know when works for you. They will NOT reach out. Now I know that right then and there I need to either schedule it in or you make sure I get their email address and phone number so I can follow up. Always have the information you need to get them signed up! You can get your first 5 clients just through this method, just like I did. You have to be willing to get rejected over and over again. You have to be willing to sometimes feel like you have no idea what you re talking about. With each try you are learning a TON about who you like to work with, how good you are at what you do, and how you can provide value to people who need your help now. field report: how i got my first coaching clients zerotolaunchsystem.com 3 of 4
KAVITA J. PATEL IS A LOVE COACH who has worked with thousands of successful, smart, busy women who are struggling to meet the kind of man they can build a life with. Her clients include executives at Google, Amazon, and Apple, plus hundreds of powerhouse entrepreneurs. Often called a Love Intuitive, Kavita uses her no-nonsense approach to help women dive beneath the surface of superficial dating rules and once and for all change the patterns that have been keeping them from finding lasting love. Kavita has been featured in the Huffington Post, FoxNews, CBSNews,Women s Health Magazine, Women s Day Magazine, and Time Out NY, to name a few. TO LEARN MORE, VISIT WWW.KAVITAJPATEL.COM. field report: how i got my first coaching clients zerotolaunchsystem.com 4 of 4