I am going to tell you all the absolute truth about how I started out online and how difficult it was for me to learn all there was to learn and how confused I was. I was looking for some information online to help me start my coaching business and I found very little but I did find some and what I found helped me a great deal.

I want to tell you this so you will consider joining me for 12 weeks as we work our way through Dr. Jeanette Cates' "Online Success Incubator". I will be guiding and coaching you through each module for FREE! The way I will get paid is from the commission I make as an affiliate for Jeanette. The classes begin 7/19 at 8p ET.

I don't remember who's list it was but I signed up in someone's opt-in box and began to observe the process of online marketing and soon found myself as interested in the online marketing process as I was the information that I was getting. The next thing I knew I could not get enough of this whole idea of being able to market my coaching business to people all over the world! WOW! Imagine the possibilities…if I only knew more about this whole online marketing thing. I was bit by the online bug and I was off to find out as much as I could about this new form of marketing.

I spent months reading all the free material anyone offered. Soon I found myself on dozens of peoples lists and my mail box was flooded with more than I could possibly read. I would listen to free audio mp3's while I was exercising just soaking up every bit of information I could get. Only one problem with this idea….everyone said something slightly different so I could not determine who was correct. Soon I became confused and overwhelmed. In fact, I almost just gave up.

Then I came across Dr. Jeanette Cates and her "Online Success Incubator". It was amazing! She had tons of information, videos, how to's, PDF, audios on every topic you could ever want to know about. I found the gold mine of Internet marketing information but there was so much there!

I noticed that Jeanette lived in Austin…in fact she lived very close to me and I decided I was going to meet her. Long story short after practically stalking her she granted me a lunch meeting and we hit it off very well. I volunteered to do anything to help her in her business if she would just give me a little direction as I got started on the Internet.

Well, she took me up on my offer and suggested that I catalogue her videos in the Incubator for her….little did I know that there were over 300 videos. The result was that I had to make my way through the video content in the Incubator and boy did I learn a lot. I also become friends with this wonderful and brilliant woman.

Please consider joining me for this 12 week learning experience that will change your business completely! I will guide you each week on a webinar and you will have email access to me as well. http://www.jeanettecatesincubator.com

Leading workshops gives you instant expert status and authority but only if you do them right. Conducting a dull or poor coaching workshop can destroy your reputation so it is important to understand how to conduct a workshop properly and what your role is as the leader or facilitator.

Creating the Environment for Learning.
Participants in a coaching workshop must feel safe in the learning environment before they will participate fully in the learning experience. We all know as adults we carry a great deal of armor with us into most situations especially business situations where we do not know exactly what is going to happen or how we fit in. Get more information about conducting workshops and attracting coaching clients with my eCourse “Coaching Client Attraction”.

Your goal as a facilitator is to make everyone feel safe and comfortable so that they will be open to participating fully and learning at a deep level. This is not easy task and it begins with you and how you approach the participants. Be sure that you are comfortable in your roll and be relaxed yourself. If you

Getting to know your target coaching niche and knowing what their challenges and problems are is what will make you and your coaching attractive to them. This requires some effort and thinking on your part. You will need to do some research to find out where your target coaching niche gathers.

Where do They Gather? The answer to this question will determine where you will find them to communicate with them.  Knowing where they gather on the internet could be crucial to your marketing efforts.

What Groups do They Join? Again, the answer to this question will help you figure out where to find them on the internet, which can be key to your success, and it will help you determine the groups that will be good speaking opportunities for you to explore.

These two questions are critical to gathering more information and research about the needs, desires, challenges, and goals of your target coaching niche. You will want to find live and internet based groups that are relevant to your target coaching niche so that you can join those groups and observe what they are talking about.

Become and member and an observer to listen to them and find out what their greatest challenges are and what goals they have. 

You want to search out groups and forums that are relevant to and filled with people in your target coaching niche. Once again we will turn to Google. You can search in groups under Google or you can type your niche followed by group or forum and search. You will find several groups to join that way. You do want to join the groups so that you can get into the discussion and see what people are talking about as well as add to the discussions.

Monitoring these groups will help you zero in on the issues that are of the greatest interest to potential clients in your target coaching niche. Pay particular attention to the things that challenge people in your target coaching niche especially the topic that come up repeatedly. There will almost always be three topics that people bring up time and time again.

You next job is to discover all you can about possible solutions to these problems. Making note of the problems and possible solutions then developing common issues that could have common solution is a good way to begin creating systems and programs to help people in your target coaching niche.

Master communicators have the ability to get into rapport with people. In this view of rapport we will be looking at it as a process rather than a state. Our goal as coaches is to communicate with our clients in order to effect a positive action on their part. That positive action can take many forms such as defining a problem, creating a plan of action, learning new skills, evaluating and many other actions are possible. The fact is that to move from a place of dissatisfaction to a place of satisfaction a person will most often need to take action.

How Communication Happens
We all tend to believe that communication takes place with our words but a man named Robert Birdwhistle did a study in the 1970’s that show communication breaks down much differently than most people would imagine. Only 7 percent of communication takes place verbally or with our words! About 38 percent of communication takes place with the tone that we use. Even higher than that about 55 percent of our communication is done through physiology.

This means that about 93 percent of what we communicate is communicated unconsciously or not through our words. So we need to pay attention to what we are doing physically and how we are speaking. The best way to communicate with someone is to become like them because as human beings we like others who are like us. This is natural and hold true for almost all humans. We are just more easily drawn to and better relate to people who are similar to us.

We have all had the experience of meeting someone and finding out that we have a lot of things in common with the other person and instantly we have built fantastic rapport with that person. We also get into rapport with people on an unconscious level. You have probably had the experience of meeting a person and you just knew you liked them right off the bat even though you did not know that much about the person. There was just something that made you feel comfortable with them. This is rapport on the unconscious level and as coaches we need to be aware of how to develop rapport with clients. Our words are only a small fraction of the communication that develops the rapport necessary for complete communication between us and our clients so we must give proper attention to our body and our voice. We must also pay attention to how our client best recieves our communication verbally, visually, or kinesthetically.

You must be consistent in marketing your coaching business. That means you must do at least three things to market your coaching business every day. You will not have as much success if you market for a while then stop. People need to hear your message several times before any comprehension takes place then they need to hear it several more times before they will be motivated to take action.

There are many things you can do to market your coaching business and most of them will not take a big chuck of time out of your day. Make sure that you reserve some time each day to market your coaching business. Set the time aside just like any other important appointment. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Teach Someone Else’s Program or Teach About a Product- Teach the basics of a program that you recommend to your list or teach people how to use a specific tool that could help them. I teach people how to work on Typepad because I know they will need a blog to have a successful coaching business.

Share a secret or some insider information- Everyone love to get information that is clandestine. You can share some information that is not commonly know by people outside the area of your expertise or you can share a secret tactic or trick that you have discovered to be helpful.

Create a Facebook Event- You can turn a normal FREE teleclass into a Facebook event and invite all of your Facebook friends even those that are not on your regular list. Just create an event in the Events section of Facebook and schedule a FREE teleclass. Invite all of your Facebook friends and ask them to register (opt-in) for the FREE class. Each time you do this you will pick up new people on your list.

Video Marketing- Most of us were raised on television so we are a very visual society. Use this to your advantage by creating short two to three minute videos explaining what you have to offer. You can put these videos on your site, blog, sales pages, and You Tube to tell people how they will benefit from what you have to offer.

Make time each day to market your coaching business and you will see an increase in the number of clients on your list and on your coaching schedule.

Customer service and care is an area that is vital to getting the most out of your internet marketing yet it is an area that is often overlooked by many people who market coaching on the internet.

The coaching business is based on relationships and how much people know, like and trust you. These relationships are built over time and you must nurture the relationship you have with people on your list so that they will become buyers and clients.

The first step in nurturing clients is to know what they want from you and to deliver what they want. Many coaches assume that they know what their clients want and they go out and develop products based on what they believe their customers want only to find that the products don’t sell because the product is not what the client wants.

Remember to serve your clients in the best fashion possible give them what they want and stay in contact so you can serve them in the future. Let’s talk about several ways to do both of those things.

Surveys- People love to offer their opinion about subjects that care about. You want to know what your niche wants from you so the best way to find out is to ask them. Survey your market to find out what their greatest challenges are and create programs and products that help them with those challenges. You can also ask them what they like about what you are doing and you will get testimonials.

Create a Group on Facebook- You can create your own group on Facebook designed just for your target coaching niche. Invite your friends and the people on your list to join your group on Facebook. You can also make new Facebook friends in other related groups and invite them to your group.

Answer Any and All Questions from your list- It is great to hold a call where the people on your list can ask you their specific questions. The great thing about this type of call is that everyone gets their question answered at one time and when one person asks a question it is always a question that other people have. You can answer questions, give critiques, or do short coaching sessions on a specific issue.

Remember Why People Got on Your List to Begin With- Everyone who signed up on your list had an interest in your topic or coaching niche so be sure to stay true to that topic. Don’t get off into other areas that are too distant from your main niche. Give continuous information related to your niche and make sure that the information is helpful to your list.

The four pillars for creating a thriving coaching business online are article writing and marketing, blogging, social networking, and teleseminars. I have built my business online using those four pillars and I make sure I do something involving at least three of them each day. Here are some steps to get started marketing your coaching business in a systematic fashion.

Set your intention. You must set your intention for your business, income and lifestyle firmly in your mind in order to make it real. Your results will be far better if you have an intention set in your mind and you can visualize the results of that intention. Take time to visualize achieving your goals and feel the feelings you will feel when you have accomplished each step of the way before you actually reach the goal. This will help to manifest your desires and goals.

Create an irresistible offer. What are you going to offer that is of value to your potential coaching clients in exchange for their contact information? This irresistible offer is also a way to give before you ask while letting potential coaching clients get to know you and how you approach coaching. Think of this offer as a sample of you and your coaching. You would not walk up to a stranger and ask them to coach with you right off the bat and you don’t want to do that on the internet either.

Begin searching for the words potential clients will use to search for you or a solution to their problems on the internet. Keywords are the words someone types into a search engine when they are looking for someone to help them with their specific problem. These words are very important and will be used in your articles, titles, blog posts, business name, and website URL if possible. Keep a list of these keywords in sight so you can use them when you are writing blog posts and articles. Knowing and using your keywords is crucial to the success of your online business.

Once you have completed these steps you have set the foundations for a great marketing effort. You have a goal and intention, you have an offer for potential clients, and you are making your site easier to find because you are using the keywords that a client will search for. Now that you have the basics cover you are ready to begin to market to your target coaching niche and get more coaching clients.

Copywriting and creative writing are not the same thing. Yes, you need to be creative when you are writing copy for your sales pages and websites but it is not the same as writing a novel. I see far too many website that drone on and on with flower prose that don’t tell me anything about the coaching business or how that coach can help me.

Getting Carried Away with Prose

Flowery prose does not help you get coaching clients. Great copywriting starts with a great product or service. Determine what your product provides that your clients most want. In fact, you product or services should completely revolve around what your clients want.

Make sure your copy tells your potential clients how you can help them overcome their challenges or achieve their goals. Clients come to you because they have tried to overcome their challenges or meet their goals on their own and have not been successful and are suffering enough to seek help. You need to tell them how you can help them with their specific problems, challenges and goals. The goal is to reflect your client’s pain and recognize what pushes their buttons.

Stick to writing about the specific pain your clients face and how you can help them with that pain. Follow that up with some testimonials that will provide credibility and ask for the order.
 
Not Asking the Client to Start Coaching

Yes, you must tell the client what to do next to get the outcome they desire. No, they don’t know what to do automatically you must tell them in precise terms what you want them to do next. If you want them to push an order button then you must tell them. If you want them to book an appointment on an electronic calendar then your must tell the exactly what you want them to do and precisely how to do it.

If your goal is to collect the person’s name and email address then you need to ask them to enter that information and what will happen when they do. If you want them to book and introductory coaching session then you need to provide a way for them to do that. There are many online appointment calendars that allow you to do just that.

The point is that most people are quite used to being told what to do or getting instructions so you need to make it easy for them. Make it easy by clearly telling the client exactly what to do next.

Coaching products allow coaches to reach many more people than is possible coaching one on one. However, to get people to purchase and consume those products we must become master motivators. The word motivate is critical to writing good sales letters so it is essential that we understands what motivates people.

Most people are more motivated to avoid pain than they are to seek pleasure. However, studies also show that people are more willing to spend large sums of money to reach a goal. That is why people will spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on education.

The point is that both types of emotions, positive and negative, play a huge part in our motivations to take action so we must think about how to use those emotions the goal is to cause action. Let us take a look at the some of the positive emotions as described by Napoleon Hill the author of “Think and Grow Rick”.

Love

We all have the desire to be loved. When you motivate with love then you have hit the tap root of human nature. Look at all the things we do to ensure that others love us. We buy billions of dollars worth of perfume and cosmetics to be attractive to love. We give to others because we love them or we desire that they love us. We make huge sacrifices for others that we love. Love is probably the single most powerful motivator of human kind next to fear.

All of this means that people are motivated by the desire to have the love of others and to express our love for others. Touch on these desires and get straight to the heart of the matter.

Show people how they can love or be loved by using coaching to reach their goals. Remember when we do something to increase our self-esteem we are also loving ourselves and there is no greater boost to self esteem that reach a goal.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm can sell all by itself. We have all gotten wrapped up in the pitch of an enthusiastic person. Enthusiasm is contagious and is a strong motivator. I know you have been swept up in the enthusiasm of another person and based on their enthusiasm you have taken on and accomplished a task or goal that you may not have achieved without that motivation of enthusiasm from the other person.

People are most authentic and enthusiastic about their passions so make sure that you are coaching in a niche that you are passionate about. Your enthusiasm will be contagious and will attract clients with little effort on your part.

When you know that you can serve your target coaching niche and help them to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals and you can communicate that certainty and enthusiasm then you will see clients flocking to your coaching business.

Loving people, helping them love themselves, and passion for your coaching niche are an unstoppable attraction force. If you can communicate those emotions in your sales copy then you will have a powerful tool for getting new coaching clients.

Coaches are great at coaching and usually have to learn how to market their coaching business. Marketing is not one of the skill sets that most coaches possess.  Advertising is one strategy in a complete marketing plan. Advertising is crucial to most businesses yet many coaching business owners don’t take the time to study how to do it effectively and the result is wasted time and money for the coach.

Lack of Consistency

Many coaches get all excited about their advertising and jump in with both feet expecting immediate results. When the immediate landslide results do not materialize immediately they quickly give up and stop their advertising efforts. Then a few months or a year later they have another great marketing idea or inspiration and try again and when there is not an immediate rush of clients they stop before the advertising has a chance to produce a result.

Advertising takes time to be effective. Prospective coaching clients must be exposed to your message many times before they will comprehend that message. Getting a potential client to take action may require a large number of exposures to your marketing message over time so you must stay consistent with your advertising efforts.

Create a solid marketing plan and stick with it. Make sure your results are measurable and adjust the plan as the market dictates to maximize your efforts. Choose a method of advertising such as ads on Google, in trade magazines for your target coaching niche, on websites related to your target coaching niche, in publications,then develop a plan to use that advertising medium and evaluate your results. Next is another mistake coaches often make with their advertising and promotion.
You have to make yourself easy to find on the internet. Today’s market requires that you not only be on the internet but you must make yourself easy to find. Make sure that you have used some search engine optimization techniques to get a higher ranking in the search engines.

Take actions that will bring your rankings up like writing articles, blog posts, and doing blog talk radio. If you don’t have a site then you must get one right away. You cannot afford not to have a sizeable internet presence in today’s market.

The easier you are to find and the better your site the more money you will make, period! Get a site on the internet and make sure to get someone to do your SEO or study up then do it yourself.

To be successful in marketing your coaching business you must stay ahead of the competition and continue utilizing a consistent marketing and advertising strategy.