This month we start shifting our attention to marketing. It will take us through most of the summer. Section 3 of the Coaching Business Builder explores nine different marketing vehicles coaches  may incorporate in terms of building relationships, and letting the world know about what they have to offer.
 
While a lot of new business owners think that marketing is only something, they will do during their first few years in business, think again! Most businesses continue to move through growth plateaus as they mature.
 
More importantly, as coaches, marketing goes hand in hand with relationships. A key part of marketing is about fostering support and services for your client (or prospective client) base. Coaching is a high touch service, and most people will want to get to know us (and like and trust us) before deciding to invest in coaching services.
 
Over the next couple of months, we’ll take a look at some of the many different strategies coaches can consider utilizing in building relationships and marketing.
 
As we get started with this topic, a number of things to keep in mind:
 
What’s important for your clients?
What do they want, need and prefer? For more than a decade I’ve shared what I term the Marketing Sweet Spot exercise with coaches who go through the Group Coaching Essentials program. You can read about it (and other marketing tips at the Digital chapter on Marketing Group and Team Coaching from my 2013 From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching Book. Click here to download and use code 4411 when prompted).
 
What’s going to add value?
Going hand in hand with what’s important for your clients (or prospective clients) is considering the question of “what’s going to add value?”. 
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As you consider this question you might also explore:

• What are they looking for?
• What are the issues that they are focused on?
• What approaches will add value – do they want more community and therefore a live program or something that will bring people together, or are they looking for something they can consume on their own time, at their own pace?

 
What do you want to do, consistently?
An old marketing adage is the 7 – 11 rule, which asserts that it may take 7 – 11 touch points before something registers and people even start to hear/notice something you are offering.  Consistency can be as important as anything else, and many coaches stop at 2 - 3 messages about what they are offering. What can you do to seed your message in different ways? Maybe you do a newsletter announcement, a Facebook live, a tweet or speak about it. Many messages take time to take root. What do you want to do consistently over time? What’s going to leverage your strengths?
 
What are the strategies you want to incorporate?
Keeping in mind what your clients want, and what you want to do consistently, what are the strategies you want to incorporate? Starting next week we’ll explore 9 different promotional vehicles you might want to consider leveraging in your own marketing, messaging and relationship building. I include these nine strategies, along with further examples and questions for you to consider, in Section 3 of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner.
 
Over the next couple of months, we are going to explore nine different promotional vehicles I explore in the Coaching Business Builder – from speaking and blogging, to lunch and learns and partnering with associations. Stay tuned as we move through these areas in July and August.

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author multiple books including the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010)
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Check out the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series of daily prompts for your work and business over on  Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder.
Want to offer this to your clients? Consider joining us for the PlanDoTrack/Coaching Business Builder Facilitator Training which starts virtually on July 9th.

​For the last few weeks we have been working on your giveaway or “free item”. In a coaching business these might include an audio or video, a checklist, an article or podcast. The item is designed to provide you with an opportunity to get the word out about what you have to offer as well as build relationships with prospective clients.

During week 1 of this series you were encouraged to consider what it was that you wanted to offer. You did some research and looked around.

Last week you drafted things out a bit more.

This week, take a look at what you have created and:

• Polish it – edit the document.
• Consider what graphics or resources would support this project.
• Draft a sales copy – what are the ways you are going to let others know about what you have to offer?

Consider things like:

• The brand – what elements do you want to incorporate.
• Consider where and when you are going to let people know about it’s availability.
• How, and when, it will need to be updated. (Ideally it will be an evergreen item that will stand the test of time.)

What else is going to move this project forward?

Best,
Jennifer

It’s officially the end of Q1 of the year, and yet another reason to pause and take stock of your successes from the last quarter and some planning for the month ahead.
​
Looking backwards to the last quarter:

• What successes did you have over the last quarter?
• ​What major accomplishments did you have?
• ​What were key lessons learned?
• ​What habits or practices helped you?

• What role did planning play?
• What forms/templates and practices supported your focus and planning?
• What got in the way?
• What do you want to make sure you don't carry forward into this season?

Now turning to the next quarter’s planning:

• What are your goals for April, May and June?

• ​Narrowing it down, what are your top 3- 5 priorities? (Think - by June 21st I hope to have achieved)
• What time are you earmarking for planning?
• What time is earmarked for projects?
• What new habits and practices do you want to put into place?
• What relationships do you want to put more focus around?
• ​What is one thing you could do on a daily basis each day of spring to move your goals forward?
• What relationships do you want to put attention around?
• ​What do you need to, and want to take action on?
• What needs clearing up?
• What else is significant for you this quarter?

Finally...
​What pauses and renewal periods do you want to build in? Grab a calendar and schedule that now.

​What else will help you remain at your peak?
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Enjoy your reflection and be sure to update your Monthly Tracking Forms in the Coaching Business Builder/PlanDoTrack.

You will also want to fill out some new Quarterly To-Dos and do a weekly breakdown (check out pages 140 and 141 of the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner and Coaching Business Builder).

Enjoy the planning and celebrations!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author multiple books including the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010)
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Looking to grow your coaching business this year? Check out the Coaching BizGrowth Lab. We meet the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month for 1 hour group coaching conversations. Focus this month is on collaboration and building community. In addition to the group calls you have access to a growing resource library of monthly articles, templates and recordings. Join us this quarter or for the rest of the year!

Consistent action on your business can be as important in your business in year 15 as it is in year one. One of the key principles of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and planner is that:
Consistent Action + Daily Steps = Momentum

With that in mind, last month I started a new monthly series here at the CBB blog called the 1 BizStepADay. Last month's focus was on some of the core elements and systems of your business. This month's focus for February is around relationships.

I would like to invite you to download this month's resource - a suggested prompt for you to follow every day of the month. 
I've had a number of emails from people saying that they appreciate the prompts. Each one is intended to be a short 5-15 minute activity you can undertake right away. Notice how they build over time!

Download the February prompts around relationships here (in honor of one of February's key events - Valentine's Day. This month we also celebrate Family Day here in Ontario the following weekend).

What's important for you to do and explore this month?

Enjoy, and let us know what bears fruit for you, using the comments below
Jennifer

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Author of Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010), From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching
Potentials Realized - Supporting Coaches, Businesses, Leaders and Teams 
Our Annual Groups are shifting their focus this month :
The Learning Lab and Design Studio focusing on program design will be exploring Video-Based Learning)
and  the Coaching Biz Growth Lab- focusing on coaching business development will explore Collaboration and Community Building in the Social Media Space

If you are looking for a budget-friendly learning and coaching support space, I hope that you will consider joining us!