Help! My coaching practice isn't taking off yet!

How to identify if your coaching message 
is specific enough with one simple step.

One of the biggest reasons coaches in private practice end up not making a lucrative income is when their marketing is too flat.  As a seasoned coach, and now coach trainer, that struggled for years to start a successful practice, I inform my students of a huge professional challenge:
 
Coaching is beginning to break through into public visibility.  HOWEVER, we are still at a cocoon stage in our profession, generally speaking of course, that people do not readily recognize they need us until they see what we do.  To contrast:  People do wake up in the middle of the night and think, “That’s it!” I’m going to go find a counselor first thing in the morning.”  People don’t yet wake up in the middle of the night and think, “That’s it!  I’ve had it!  I’m going to hire a coach the second I wake up.”
 
Mark Silver, my favorite business consultant and owner of Heart of Business, puts it this way (paraphrasing):
 
Imagine.  You are in a busy downtown subway.  You are standing there.  All of the sudden you hear someone yell out your name. “(YOUR NAME HERE)!”  What would you do?  You would turn your head to look.  Even if they are calling for someone else of the same name, you look.
 
This is the heart of effective marketing, especially for coaches.
 
Consider, our name is our identity in ways.  When we call out to our future clients, and we call to them at an identity level, we can bridge a powerful connection.
 
Here is a quick and easy way to get to the heart of what your future clients identify with so that you can easily bridge to them.  Once you are connected, then your services become a beacon of hope.
 
Consider:  If my client is up late at night worrying, and they decided to Google for help, what would come after they word help?
 
Examples: 

Help, my house is infested with ticks! 
 
Help, I’m going through a break-up and was cheated on! 
 
Help, my step-son hates me!
 
Help, my employees are fighting!
 
Notice the title of this article was not, “Help, my son is rebelling and I’m at my wits end!”  Only those parents experiencing a rebellious daughter would turn their heads.  Instead, I spoke to those like me, that had experienced, or are currently experiencing, a bump in coaching business growth and are most likely as frustrated as I was by this.
 
Now, what are your clients being kept awake at night from?  Worries, frustrations, concerns?  If they reached out to ask for help, what would they be asking your help for?  What resources or articles are they seeking?
 
Identifying this helps you show up at the other end of their search.  They called for you!
 
You may wish to do this for a single program you offer or for your entire business offer.
 
Answer your client’s call for help, speak to their heart’s and your future clients will thank you!  You are in this profession to empower people.   Let’s get you to your destination with a huge smile on your heart.
 
…………………………..
Laurel Inman, PCC
The Institute for Integrative Coach Training
Founder / Senior Faculty / Professional Certified Coach