If this world makes you crazy
You’ve taken all you can bare
You call me up
Because you know I’ll be there

Get to know your tribe. Be curious about them and what drives them. You have it within you to motivate and inspire people and you have it within you to help people bring out their best selves in work, in relationships, in life. Learn about human nature and how everyone has their own unique style, including you. Everyone is motivated differently, everyone is inspired differently, everyone reacts differently, but at some point in their life, everyone needs to reach out for help.

Many coaches are finding that at this point in history whilst we are still in the midst of a 12-month pandemic, more and more people are needing help but perhaps can’t afford it. One way you can lend a hand is to start an online support group for your tribe. Just having a safe space to share problems can mean so much. By being seen as a caring coach, once things ease up financially, you’ll find that word has spread about your services and new clients will flock to you. However, you must also take care of yourself by ensuring you get proper rest and nutrition.

In your support group, people will start reaching out with questions. Be happy to help. Offer to send them some free self-help material. You can say ‘I can send you out some free resources I’ve created or if you need more than that, I can also offer coaching. What makes sense to you?’ You’re offering them something helpful for nothing but also telling them about your coaching. In this way you won’t be seen as being pushy but it is a polite way to explain how you can engage people and ask whether their true question is about needing coaching.

If people ask you for freebies or not want to pay you, don’t be rude or let your ego get in the way or get upset. Politely explain what you can and cannot do. Offer them a free 15-minute call to screen them to make sure they are a fit for your coaching style and area. Don’t overpromise and under-deliver, that won’t enhance your reputation, but giving 15 minutes worth of high value coaching will.

Have a framework for coaching which outlines the skill you will be teaching them, the time commitment required, the frequency of the sessions, what each session will cover, and, most importantly, the outcome they can expect if they take action. Keep each session tight. I use 45-minute sessions as it’s long enough to make progress but short enough that neither of us waste time.

Always charge for your coaching sessions upfront. The last thing you want is someone on the other side of the world owing you money and having to chase for it. If someone is worried about the risk of paying you upfront, encourage them to use a credit card so they can always charge back the transaction, or paypal credit where they can get 4 months at 0% interest if they pay it in full. Make sure that you issue invoices. There is a fine balance between how much you charge and how many clients you want to work with but don’t be tempted to undercharge. You’ve spent a lot of time acquiring your skills and you can literally help someone through the process of avoiding all the pitfalls their life is throwing at them. That’s worth its weight in gold.

At the end of a course of coaching don’t be afraid to ask for a testimonial or a referral. If you’ve delivered the outcome you promised, they’ll be more than happy to refer people to you. Don’t just get the name. Ask your client to do an email introduction so the lead is warm and suggest a free 15 minute call in your reply. Repeat this process with every client and before long you’ll have a thriving business.