Coaching Tools to help Coaches Get More Coaching Clients. Suzan Schmitt: The Coach Marketer

Coaching Business: Networking and How to Answer Two Tought Questions

December 11, 2008

As a new coach are there question people ask about your coaching that make you squirm?

 

Face it, coaches who are just starting a coaching business often shy away from networking events because of the questions people ask that you stumble over answering.  It is time to get over it and learn to answer those questions with confidence.  Why not turn the question into an opportunity to invite someone for an introductory coaching session?

 

What do you do?

This is a common first question many people will ask at a networking event.  You probably ask the same question of others.  Your reply to this question should never be “I am a coach”.  That statement can be included in your answer but your answer must be far more complete because many people do not know what coaching is.  Include four key elements in your answer.  Describe what you do, as a coach by stating whom you are, whom you help, how you help them, and what they get from your help.  Who you are is your name and niche catch phrase.  For example, “I am

Suzan Schmitt

the coach marketer”.  Whom you help describes your niche coaching market.  I help new coaches and coaches that want to grow their coaching business.  How you help them reflects the challenges you help your niche market overcome.  I help my customer get more coaching clients and increase their revenue.  What they get details the benefits received by your clients when they overcome their challenges.  My clients get more coaching clients so they can have the income and lifestyle they want while doing the work they love and help others.

 

Here is another common tough question.

 

How many clients do you have?

Even though coaching has been around for a long time there are still a ton of people who do not know what coaching is or how it could help them.  I meet people every day who have no idea what coaching is or how I could earn a nice living doing coaching.

 

The person asking this question may not have heard of coaching and may be surprised that there are coaching businesses that help people in this way.  This question is easy to answer if you have a full schedule of clients but if you are a new coach with few clients, this is a tough question.  There are two ways to answer this question.  You can tell them the limit on the number of clients you see per week, “I choose to see 15 clients per week maximum” or you can ask a question that addresses their underlying question.  Most people, who ask this question, really want to know if you are a good coach and if you can help them.  Tell them “that is a great question and I find that most people that ask that question really want to know if I am a good coach or if I can help them.  That is why I offer an introductory coaching session.  My introductory coaching session is a great way for people to experience what coaching is like so they can determine if coaching can help them”.  Now you have answered their question next you want to ask if they are interested in finding out more about your introductory coaching session. 

 

We will cover more difficult questions in my next blog post.  I would like to know what questions make you crazy so we can work on good answers.  Also, what challenges in your coaching business are troubling you?

 

Related posts:

1. Get Coaching Clients: How to Offer an Introductory Session
2. Get New Coaching Clients: With Networking that Works
3. Coaching Niche How to Find Yours Where They Gather
4. Networking for Coaches Who Hate Networking
5. Coaching Business: Networking and How to Answer Tough Questions

Filed under: Client Attraction

Tags: coaching, coaching business, getting coaching clients, life coaching business, marketing, suzan schmitt