by Kathleen LeGrys | Aug 9, 2020
As a health coach, I’m sure you’re bombarded with a long list of things you have to figure out to get your business up and running – and make it profitable.
I hear from health coaches all the time who aren’t sure where to begin. I can relate to this because I remember feeling the exact same way when I graduated.
Since this is such a common question I hear, I wanted to share a few tips and strategies for creating your 1-on-1 health coaching program.
1-on-1 coaching is a great place to start as a new coach because you’ll get to have a deep understanding of your ideal client’s struggles and goals and it will help you build your confidence. If you decide to move on to online group coaching later, you’ll have a lot of market research under your belt which will help you market your program as effectively as possible.
One of the first hurdles to overcome is deciding how to structure your 1-on-1 coaching program. I struggled with this when I was first starting out, and I know there are many other coaches that feel the same way, and they get stuck in paralysis mode.
The good news is that I dove in head first to figure it out — and now I get to help other coaches fill in the blanks when it comes to creating top-notch health coaching programs.
Smart systems are a huge part of any successful business, so I created a step-by-step system that made all the difference in the world — to me and my clients. Having a structure to your coaching programs will save you time, energy, and frustration, AND allow you to earn more money.
Taking the time to map out the kind of journey you want to take your clients on will make coaching so much more enjoyable for you, and will allow you to help more people.
When I started out as a health coach, it took me a good three hours total for each client session. I would have to prepare session content ahead of time, scramble to find resources, and then send a recap email to each client. Oh, my!
I quickly realized that this was not a model I could continue with if I wanted to have a profitable business (and not lose my mind!).
Get ready to get unstuck, my friend. I’m going to break it down for you so you can get started mapping out your own program. My hope is that the simple steps I’m sharing today will get you on the road to coaching with more confidence.
I’m also going to share the EXACT topics I used with my own coaching program (including the order of the topics).
Let’s get started!
1. Get clear
Think about who your ideal client is and what their top struggles are. What problem do they want to have solved? If they could wave a magic wand, what would they want to change?
If you aren’t sure about this right now, don’t let it hold you back from getting started. If this isn’t clear to you right now, it will become more clear the more clients you see.
When you can get clear on your niche, you’ll be able to resonate so much more with that group of people, and it will be easier to become the ‘go-to’ person in that market. If you try to be a coach to everyone for everything, you end up being too general, and this usually leads to frustration and not enough clients on your schedule.
2. Map it out
Decide what journey you plan to take your clients on. If you want to take them from point A to point C, what does that look like? Write down the ideas that come to you.
How long will your coaching program be? I recommend offering more than one way for people to work with you. Having a short-term introductory program is a great gateway to your other offerings.
Will your 1-on-1 program consist of three months? Six months? I recommend offering a 90-day program (three months) and then the option to continue month to month or for another 90 days. People tend to commit to shorter programs more easily than a longer term program, so you are likely to get a higher enrollment rate.
How many sessions will you offer per month? Many coaches offer two sessions per month. This allows clients some time to implement what you covered in the previous session. If you plan to include more sessions per month be sure to charge accordingly.
3. Prepare ahead of time
I can’t tell you how many hours this will save you each month! Not to mention how much more professional you will come across to your clients.
Do you have pre-prepared sessions ready to go? These sessions can be an assortment of the most common topics that come up for your clients.
Program topic examples include: Goal Setting, Meal Planning, Mindset, Primary Food, Stress Management, Implementing Healthy Whole Foods, etc.
Find out what area your client is struggling with the most, and then tackle that topic. If one of the challenges are that your client eats out too much, addressing the topic of menu planning would probably be ideal. Talk about the roadblocks around that issue then figure out what would work best for the client. They receive a recap of that session (topic info, handouts, action items) to review, and then at the next session see what has worked well for them and what needs more focus.
It’s helpful for you and for the client to have a complete session of content all laid out and ready to go. Your clients are not going to remember everything that was covered, so when they can get the information in writing, they can refer back to it.
Of course there will be topics where you have nothing prepared in writing, but when you can have 80-90% of it done, it’s so much easier.
Stay open to changes though. I always let my clients know: “This is about YOU. I have a great plan to help you, but none of it is set in stone. I have plans to cover a certain topic, but if you need help in another area, we will tackle that first.” This way, the client knows you do have a plan, but it is flexible based on their unique needs.
When I finished my health coach training program, I knew I needed more to offer my clients. I felt like there were a lot of different topics I wanted to cover. I had in mind the journey I wanted to take my clients through: It would be simple, not restrictive, and very step-by-step where one success built on the previous one.
I went to work to create 12 comprehensive sessions. This way, I would never run out of topics to cover, and I could break them up and use them for a 3-month program or a 6-month program. (I could also use the content online, for lunch and learns or as posts for blogs or social media).
What topics would be the most helpful to your particular audience? What do they struggle with the most?
Here are the session topics I put together for my clients (this is the order that my sessions were typically delivered, but it was always flexible):
1. Goal Setting
2. Why Diets Don’t Work
3. Fueling Your Body
4. Exercise Strategies
5. Menu Planning
6. Mindful Eating and Portion Control
7. Boosting Your Energy
8. Understanding and Conquering Cravings
9. Why It’s Not Just About Food and Exercise
10. Deciphering Food Labels
11. Stress Reduction and Self-Care
12. Mindset
These are topics that anyone and everyone can benefit from. You can just cater them to each client since everyone is unique. Each person will have some similar issues, but they will also struggle with different things at different times.
Brainstorm and figure out what makes the most sense to you and to your clients.
The sessions need to be easy to understand and very simple to implement. The worst thing you can do is overwhelm your clients with too much information. Think “baby steps.” Once you have your client go through the session content, you can see what habits they have pretty much dialed in, and which habits can be focused on at that time.
Remember to have your client focus on no more than two new habits at a time. Sometimes focusing on one at a time is best depending on the client. This is the best way to set them up for success.
Small wins will help build your client’s confidence and keep them motivated to keep going.
A great book that I found extremely helpful when I was a new coach is: “Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills,” by Tony Stoltzfus. This book is full of fantastic high-mileage questions that you can add to your coaching toolbox.
Another great book is “Motivational Interviewing in Health and Fitness” by Dawn Clifford, PhD This book is an amazing resource for health and fitness professionals. It includes great examples and sample scripts to help you coach more effectively.
4. Options for delivering your 1-on-1 coaching
There are two popular options for delivering your 1-on-1 coaching programs. Think about what appeals to you the most. The decision will be based on your goals, needs, and lifestyle at the moment. You may also decide to offer a combination of the two.
Virtual
I did all of my 1-on-1 coaching via phone and Skype (hello 2013!), and I loved it. This gave me the most flexibility, and I didn’t need to rent space or have strangers come to my house. My clients loved it because they didn’t have to travel to an appointment.
A huge benefit of virtual coaching is that you can have clients from anywhere in the world. Zoom is amazing for this type of coaching, and if you clients would like, you can record the session and send it to them, so they can review it again when they want.
You can either email your coaching content to your client before you meet of send it after your session as review. I liked to send it ahead of time so they can look it over and then we can dive into the areas that they need help with the most. But you can do what works best for you. Using a platform like Practice Better makes this really easy because your clients can login to their portal and access any PDFs videos or other resources you have for them, and it’s kept in one convenient place.
You would charge the same fee for this type of coaching as you would in-person coaching.
In-Person
You’ll have to decide where you would like to meet. Is there somewhere that is private that meets your needs and the needs of your client? Will you have to pay rent? Can you join forces with another health professional to provide services at their facility? This will have to be figured into the price of your coaching program. I did all of my coaching virtually, so this was never an issue.
As you think about your coaching program and the level of support you want to provide for your clients, get really clear on what that looks like. Write it down and map it all out. Do a brain dump if you aren’t quite sure.
If you have time to put your own program together, that’s fantastic. Not everyone has the time, patience, or the desire to create an entire program from scratch. Believe me, I know how many hours go into putting something like this together (and it always takes more time than you think it will).
If you want to have a comprehensive coaching program that’s already done for you (pre-made) you can find out about the Coach with Confidence program here. It’s a completely customizable health coaching program that includes all of the topics I listed above.
Okay, you’re ready to rock this!
You can also grab your free Discovery Session Guide HERE, where you’ll get a comprehensive template and scripting for your initial consultation. You’ll know EXACTLY what to say so you’ll feel more confident about turning prospects into paying clients.
If you plan to launch an online coaching program, be sure to check out this post where I break it down for you, step by step.
Have questions? Not sure where to begin?
JOIN our FREE mastermind group on Facebook where we share ideas, troubleshoot and brainstorm. If you are a certified health coach, fitness professional or nutritionist, be sure to join us.
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by Kathleen LeGrys | Mar 9, 2020
What it REALLY Takes to Succeed as a Health Coach
As a health coach, you are passionate about helping people change their lives for the better. What you might not have really considered is that you are now also a business owner. I see many health coaches that feel completely overwhelmed about what to do to build their practice. It’s a mindset shift to realize if you want to have a successful health coaching practice; you have to treat it as a business – not just a hobby.
When I started out as a health coach, I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I totally get it. We all start out as beginners right? I made it a goal to learn as much as I possibly could so I could implement the strategies that would have the biggest impact on my business.
Today I’m sharing my top tips about what it really takes to succeed as a health coach. I’d love to hear any of your tips as well, so be sure to leave me a comment,
Let’s dig in, shall we?
1. Determine Your Goals and Your Vision
What is your vision for your business? What do you want to achieve? Why did you become a health coach?
Take some time to set some goals for your business. When you know what your goals are, it makes it easier to make a plan to achieve them. Without a goal, it’s easy to get distracted, lose focus and get frustrated. Yes, I’ve been there too.
For a detailed post about goal setting, click here.
Let’s look at one example. If your short-term income goal is $2,000 a month from health coaching, your plan may look different than if your income goal is $5,000 or more per month. Let’s say your initial goal is $2,000. How many clients do you need to achieve that income level? Could you achieve half of that amount with 1-on-1 coaching and half with online coaching perhaps? Brainstorm, and see what you come up with. A successful business starts with planning.
Other than your income goals, think about how you want to work. I did all of my coaching either via phone or online, and this allowed me the most flexibility with my schedule. Consider what would work best for you so you can fit your business into your life.
Take some time to write down your income goals for the next 6-12 months, and what actions you will take to get there. If you need ideas, keep reading.
2. Know who it is that you want to help
The more specific you can get on who you want to help, the better. I know it may sound counter intuitive, but If you’re too vague, people won’t realize that you have the solution to their problem. There are thousands of health coaches out there, so think about what makes you different and unique. What makes you stand out? You probably won’t know the answer when you first start out, and that’s okay. Work on defining who is your dream client, so you can market to them much more easily.
Let me give you an example so you can get an idea that may spark some brain storming. If you tell people that you’re a health coach, and you help people have more energy, lose weight and eat healthy, that’s way too general (and not overly exciting). But, if you tell people you help moms lose their baby weight and teach them how to prepare simple meals their family will love, people will understand exactly what you do. They’ll think about what moms they know, and maybe they’ll even be able to connect you with some of them.
What are you most passionate about as a health coach? What struggles have you been through? These are some ideas to get you started on figuring out a niche that you can help.
3. Have a Comprehensive Coaching Program in Place
Let me ask you this – If you had a new client sign up with you today, would you feel ready to coach them, or would you be freaking out a little after you did your happy dance? You will feel more confident and ready when you know your coaching program is exactly what you and your clients need.
If you have a fantastic program all laid out and ready to go (that you can also use for online coaching), then fantastic! If you don’t have a transformative coaching program in place yet, and you’re not sure how to put one together (or you’re wondering how you are ever going to find the time to create one), you can check out this done-for-you health coaching program HERE.
4. Get the Word Out (Market Your business)
As a business owner, you have to let people know about you, and how you can help them.
If the idea of ‘marketing’ makes you want to go hide under a rock somewhere, reframe it to ‘sharing your message with the people you want to help’. People can’t find you if they don’t know about you, which is exactly why you need to market your business.
If you don’t let people know what you do, and you don’t invite them to work with you, you won’t have a business – it’s as simple as that.
The wellness professionals that have successful businesses are consistently marketing their business to the right people.
Here are a few ideas to get you started (don’t let this list overwhelm you – just pick one or two things at a time):
- A free offer on your website to grow your email list and stay in touch with your subscribers. Promote your free offer on a regular basis (several times a week on your different social media platforms, and explore the option of using Facebook ads for promoting your free offer).
- Send high-value content to your email subscribers on a regular basis to build the “know, like, trust” factor. Sharing helpful hacks and information that your target audience would love (maybe yummy recipes from time to time too) is perfect. Think weekly emails rather than a lengthy weekly ‘newsletter.’
- Post on social media platforms where your target market is hanging out – helpful tips, blog posts, videos, and motivational quotes are some ideas.You also want to promote your free offer a few times a month, and then promote your paid programs or services at least once per quarter. Your goal with social media is to build the know, like, trust factor and then invite them to sign up for one of your free resources to get on your email list so they can hear from you each week.
- Get in front of the people you want to help – live workshops, networking, webinars, finding referral partners, joint ventures, etc. Getting your articles in online publications (like MindBodyGreen) can be great too.
- Start a Youtube channel and create short videos (3-5 minutes) that your audience will find valuable. Post your awesome videos on social media and occasionally share your videos with your email subscribers. People will feel like they know you when they see you on video. Be sue to include a call to action (for a free offer you have, or other action you want them to take).
- Start your own online community. Create your own Facebook group. This is one way to add credibility and attract people to your tribe so they can get to know you. I started my first Facebook group back in 2010, and that was how I gained my first few clients (for both 1-on-1 coaching and online coaching). For a great post on this topic, CLICK HERE
Don’t let this list overwhelm you. Just pick one or two strategies to focus on at a time, and then add more as you have others put into place. Each strategy can build on the next.
5. Be Consistent
Building your business takes time, focus and consistency. It will probably take at least a year to see growth in your business; it doesn’t happen overnight. Here are a few ways you can be consistent in your business.
- Make email list-building a top priority. This way, when you have programs and promotions to share, you’ll have a warm market that are more likely to invest in what you have to offer.
- Post regularly on social media. Posting once a day on at least one platform is a great way to maintain consistency. Share your own original content and be sure to share other valuable wellness information.
- Decide on the frequency of your content. If you have a blog, decide on the frequency of your posts. Once a week, once a month or somewhere in between. Providing valuable information on your blog is a great way to maintain consistency and showcase your expertise. You can turn one blog post into several social media posts, so you can get a lot of mileage out of one piece of content. You can also use your blog posts as inspiration for your weekly emails to your subscribers.
6. Stay Focused
Distractions will kill your focus AND your business. We are all being bombarded with ‘sparkly objects’ every day. It’s a challenge to stay the course when you are being pulled in a million different directions.
When you know what your goals are and you have a good plan in place, you’ll have an easier time putting your blinders on. One question to ask yourself is “Will this help me reach my goals right now?” If the answer is “No”, then move along. That sparkly object will probably be there later if you decide to come back to it.
Have a million ideas? What I have found to work best for me is when I have an idea, I write it down, and then ask myself if this idea fits into my plan right now. I can’t tell you how many times this has kept me on track (rather than getting me side tracked). If your idea doesn’t fit into your plans right now, that’s okay – write it down and revisit it next time. I keep a folder in Evernote labeled “Future Projects” so I won’t forget about it.
7. Set a Budget
Yes, you are going to have to spend some money if you want to build a business. Free resources are fine to start out with, but decide where you need to invest in your business. Here are some areas to consider making an investment.
- Email marketing provider (MailerLite, GetResponse, etc).
- Website and landing page design (opt-in pages)
- Graphic design
- Facebook ads
- Sales copy for your sales pages and opt-in pages
- Done-for-you coaching programs and resources
BONUS TIP: Delegate
If you want to have a successful business (and not lose your mind in the process), you can’t do it all. If you are spending most of your time ‘in the trenches’ of your business, you are missing out on the things that can have the biggest impact on your bottom line.
Here are a few things you can delegate:
- Scheduling social media posts
- Finding great stock images for your website
- Managing your bookkeeping
- Creating an editorial calendar
- Posting your content to your blog
- Creating graphics
For a more detailed list, and great ideas for outsourcing, check out this post HERE
Pulling it All Together
When you go from asking the question “Can I build a successful business?” to “What can I do to build a successful business?” your outlook and mindset are likely to change. Who can you look to as a role model to get inspiration, and actionable steps to implement in your own practice?
Remember, success leaves clues, so commit to learning from the best in the industry, surround yourself with like-minded people, and put your plans in motion. Success also takes time – it doesn’t happen over night.
To be a successful health coach (or to succeed in ANY business) you’ll need to get help and support where you need it, learn the right systems to put into place to build your practice, and invest in your business where applicable. Yes, it can be done. It takes time, action and a good plan.
Goals and intentions are great, but ultimately, taking action is what gets it done.
BONUS TIP: Be sure to connect with other like-minded people that share similar goals so you can get ideas, inspiration and support.
Join our awesome private Facebook group for certified health and fitness professionals.
I provide awesome free trainings in the group, as well as great resources and an amazing community of support.
Hope to see you there!
Oh, and did you know I have a podcast for health coaches? Check out The Wellness Business Podcast for a weekly dose of business-building tips and strategies to take your practice to the next level. My co-host, Karen Pattock, and I give you practical, bite-sized information you can implement in your business to see real results. Be sure to subscribe!
