Do you have services you think people will find helpful? How can you market yourself to people through research and coaching?
Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin say that you should be ready to market your services once you have the mindset of a successful coach. Their advice includes three main marketing tips: 1) Look to your existing network to find clients, 2) research your potential clients, and 3) get started right away.
Continue reading to learn how to market your services with their top-tier advice.
Tip #1: Look to Your Existing Network
The first step in learning how to market your services is to brainstorm who could be your potential clients. Think of people you know or people others have referred to you. This will prevent you from seeking clients by cold calling, which the authors advise against. Calling someone out of the blue and trying to sell your services without knowing anything about them fails to convey what you can do for them—it’s essentially telemarketing.
(Shortform note: Research supports the authors’ advice to look to your existing networks to find clients. Studies on referral marketing in service industries have shown that referred customers tend to be more loyal and have higher lifetime value compared to those acquired through cold outreach. This may be because referred customers are more likely to trust someone who’s already been vetted by their peers.)
Tip #2: Research Your Potential Clients
Before connecting with a potential client, do your research. The authors recommend looking your prospects up online and learning everything you can about their business, career, or whatever it is they might be looking for help with.
Then get in touch with them, focusing on getting to know them rather than pitching your services. Ask them about what’s going on in their life, their career, and so on. Don’t try to prod them into signing on with you yet; this part of the process is about establishing a foundational relationship—not necessarily a professional one. Ask them what kind of assistance they could use and offer to put them in contact with someone who could help them with the obstacle they’re facing.
| How Relationships Affect Marketing Chandler and Litvin’s recommendation to thoroughly research potential clients and prioritize personal connections over immediate sales pitches finds strong support in relationship marketing theory. This theory emphasizes the importance of building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers rather than focusing on short-term transactions. Businesses that adopt relationship marketing strategies often experience increased customer loyalty, higher customer lifetime value, and more positive word-of-mouth referrals. Additionally, research on the psychology of reciprocity suggests that by offering help or valuable information without immediate expectation of return, coaches can create a sense of obligation in potential clients, which may lead to future business opportunities. This aligns with Chandler and Litvin’s suggestion to offer assistance or connections without immediately pushing for a coaching engagement. |
Tip #3: Start Right Now
The authors also advise that you start coaching right now. Even if you don’t have a client yet, you can offer free or discounted sessions to get people interested enough to invest in a paid session with you. However, avoid going overboard with this—your time and services are valuable, and you don’t want to seem needy to potential clients. Additionally, because your services are valuable, avoid doing free coaching work for friends.
This process of establishing a foundational relationship may take months and will require you to stay in close contact with potential clients. (Shortform note: Research supports the authors’ strategy to start coaching now, including with some free or discounted sessions. The “foot-in-the-door” technique, a well-established principle in social psychology, suggests that small initial commitments can lead to larger ones, potentially turning free-session recipients into paying clients. Additionally, research on the “zero-price effect” in behavioral economics demonstrates that free offers have a powerful appeal, which can be leveraged to attract potential clients and showcase your value as a coach. However, the authors’ caution against overusing this approach aligns with studies on perceived value, which indicate that excessive discounting or free offers can devalue a service in consumers’ eyes.)
