As a health coach, I’m sure you wonder how to get a steady stream of new clients without breaking the bank. One of the biggest keys to growing your business is continuous lead generation (bringing new prospects into your fold).
You may have noticed that most people aren’t ready to commit to a 6-month coaching program, so if this is the only program you offer, you are leaving money on the table. When you offer an entry-level way for people to work with you, you can then lead them to one of your other longer-term programs much more easily. A short-term, low-cost coaching program is a great way to invite people to try you out because it makes it easy for them to say “yes” to you. Once they say “yes” once, they are much more likely to continue working with you again because they have come to know you and trust you.
A short-term program allows you to create a buzz of excitement a few times each year too. Offering a free consultation is fine, but there is no time-sensitive urgency involved, so it’s too easy for people to put it off. When you have a program with a set start date, people know they have to take action by a certain date.
Once people know, like and trust you, they will continue to purchase from you when the time is right. Not everyone will need your services right now, but you want to be the one they think of and turn to when they are ready to take action. When you offer more than one way for people to work with you (more solutions), you can help more people, and increase your revenue.
How does this work?
Let’s break it down into 4 steps.
1. Make Your Program Easily Accessible
One of the most important aspects of a short-term coaching program is ease of use. A successful short-term program should make people think “Oh, I can do THAT!” Keep the time frame short, and the price point very affordable (a no-brainer price). An ideal short-term GROUP program will be from 21-30 days, and cost between $29-$49. You want to remove the excuses that prevent people from joining, such as being intimidated by the time frame or price point. By offering an easy way for people to sample how you can help them, they are much more likely to invest in your services again. Remove the barrier of objections.
Start with a 30-Day group program (in-person or online) so that people can get to know a little about you, and you’ll also be able to get insights into what your audience needs the most. Look for the common questions that are being asked and struggles that are being shared. This can help you identify the area of greatest need, and design future programs that address these areas. After all, the goal for a short-term program is to introduce clients to you so they are comfortable working with you on a long-term basis.
2. Define Your Focus
Decide what need your program is going to meet. Ideally, if you have a 30-Day program (4 weeks), you will want to include one topic per week. This will allow people to make progress without feeling completely overwhelmed. Think “baby steps” here.
Think about what problems your prospective clients might be dealing with, and how you can help solve them. Is your program going to center around diet, or exercise, or both? Will it have a mindfulness component? Will it be laser focused, or address several broad issues?
Once you have your topics defined, you can start developing your program. Decide in what order you are going to address the four topics. Create or outsource graphics for each session to make it visually appealing. Keep it simple.
3. Design Your Program
You don’t need a crazy complex system or platform to start. Just start out with something simple. The easiest method is to simply deliver the content via your email provider (like Mailchimp, Aweber,etc.). You will also want to create a private Facebook group that members can use for additional support and accountability. Your group is where the MAGIC happens, and where relationships are formed! For more info on creating your own Facebook group, check out this post.
You will also need to decide what payment options you are going to offer for your course. PayPal and Stripe are two of the more popular options, but there are other options as well. Whatever program you choose, it should be simple for your clients to use.
If you struggle with knowing how to design and launch your own program, consider a pre-designed program that you can fully customize. A done-for-you program, such as the Fit and Healthy 30 Day Jump Start, can get you up and running quickly. It can help you begin earning income right away as well as walk you through all the tech stuff. Easy breezy!
4. Make it EASY for people to take the FIRST STEP to work with you.
The easier you make it for people to say “yes” to you, the more clients you will have. Short-term programs can act as a magnet to lead people your long-term services. When you show the value that you are able to provide in a short-term program, you build trust with your clients, and they will be more likely to purchase from you again in the future. You can offer a low-cost program first, then offer your ‘next-level’ program so people can continue to see results and reach their goals.
When you are designing your program, think about what the end goal is. What action would you like people to take at the end of the short-term program? You want to ensure that your short-term program acts as a step in your sales funnel, and ultimately directs clients into your more comprehensive programs. After your 30-Day program, you may want to lead people to a 90-Day program.
By setting specific start dates, you will create more urgency, especially when you offer an early-bird incentive to those that register by a certain date. You’ll promote this short-term program offering to your email subscribers and social media followers (start promoting 2-3 weeks before your start date).
Short-term coaching programs can be a good introduction to your coaching business. They can help establish you as an expert and gain the trust of your clients. Additionally, short-term programs can remove many of the objections that people have to longer-term programs such as price and duration.
Once your clients have experienced success in your short-term programs, they will be more likely to purchase additional services in the future from you. Once they to know you, they are going to love you!
To get your own 30-Day Challenge program that is already done for you – check out the Fit and Healthy Jump Start.
You’ll have EVERYTHING you need to launch and run a SUCCESSFUL 30-Day online program.
Have questions? Leave me a comment below.
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