BEST OF: How to Fill Your Coaching Programs Without Selling
If there is one thing we know that holds many coaches back from filling their programs and getting new clients, it’s fear of selling. This makes sense because they didn’t get sales training during their health coach certification program but selling is an important part of an effective marketing strategy. What if we could reframe this though, so that you can fill your programs without pushy, spammy sales tactics and use strategies that feel easy and authentic instead?
We like to bring back popular episodes from time to time, and that’s what we are doing today with one we did a few months ago about How to Fill Coaching Programs Without Selling.
We’re sharing 3 non-salesy ways to fill your programs, and we are also giving you examples of how to use them:
- Share your story – why are you doing what you’re doing? Does your journey relate to them based on where you were when you started and where you are now?
- Share client success stories – people want to know it has worked for others and it helps lower skepticism.
- What result can you help people get in your program?
If you want to know how to use soft-sell techniques that lead to paying clients, be sure to tune in.
We know from working with thousands of coaches in our courses and done-for-you programs that selling is one thing that most wellness business owners feel very uncomfortable about, so they avoid it as much as possible. The problem with that is it prevents them from growing their practice. If you aren’t making offers and inviting people to work with you, how are you going to get clients?
How great would it be to learn and be able to use soft sell techniques that don’t feel like selling that will help you get more clients? Amazing, right?
What we are sharing today is a technique that warms people up to your offer BEFORE you share it that also builds curiosity and interest about your program. When you plant seeds about what’s possible for people, they lean in and want to learn more, and this can lead to more people enrolling in your programs.
You can add this in anywhere really, and it works very well with offers like free challenges, workshop, webinars, etc. but it can also be part of your overall social media strategy and any launch strategy you use for a paid program.
Yes, there will be some selling involved, but not in the way you may be thinking. The strategies we’re covering will make it feel much easier and more natural, which means you’ll feel more comfortable and confident about it.
Let’s look at strategy #1 – Share your story.
If you are doing a webinar, workshop or challenge, people will relate to you much more when you share your journey. Where did you start and where are you now? You don’t have to have reached your goal by 100% – you just need to be a bit further along than your ideal client where they can learn from you to speed up their process and results.
Especially during a challenge, people will relate to you much more when you share your journey -your before, during and after. This is great to do on livestreams if that’s part of your challenge strategy. Where did you start and where are you now?
Here are some ideas to include: Why did you become a health coach or nutritionist? Does your journey relate to them based on where you were when you started and where you are now? Be real and not ‘perfect’ and people will connect with you so much more.
Let them know where you have struggled, mistakes you have made and what you have overcome and how you understand what it’s like and that’s why you love helping other people through the same challenge.
If that doesn’t apply to you, you can share why you love doing what you do, who you help and how it affects people’s lives in a positive way.
#2 Share client success stories – this is easy to do after you’ve worked with some clients. One way to use this would be during a challenge, webinar or livestreams and you can say “When I worked with my client Megan, she was able to _______________ (insert benefit here) and she was so excited to be able to _________________ (benefit and how it made her feel).
Here’s an example of what that could look like when you fill in the blanks: When I worked with my client Megan, she was able to balance her blood sugar in 30 days and she was so excited to be able to eat food she actually enjoyed without feeling deprived or hungry.
Sprinkle these in because it plants the seed about how you can help THEM too without directly “selling”. If you’re doing a challenge or webinar, you will be selling at the end, but this warms people up and has them wanting to work with you even BEFORE you promote your program. They are already thinking – maybe he or she can help me too – I want to find out more, so you are drawing them in and it’s building curiosity and demand, but you aren’t even selling yet.
#3 Mention your program and how it helps people
Plant more seeds along the way by mentioning your program and how it helps people. You’re doing this before you sell or promote your paid program, so it’s very powerful and under the radar.
An example of this would be something like: “In my Lean and Strong coaching program, I help women over 50 lose weight and gain strength without losing muscle “and a common question I get is _________________________” Then answer the question (or come up with one you THINK will be common). You planted the seed about your program and what it does and that grabs attention and then you give a brief answer and explain that you go into the answer in much more detail in your coaching program.
Sprinkle these soft sell techniques in where you can because people are watching, listening and observing and it warms them up to the next step, so when they see or hear your offer, they are quicker to make a decision about joining your program.
They will have fewer reservations and be less skeptical too.
Let’s recap the 3 strategies we covered:
#1 – Share your story.
#2 – Share client success stories
#3 – Mention your program and how it helps people
These 3 strategies are PART OF your launch. You will also want to create posts and emails that directly invite people to your program, but they will be warmed up to you and eager to learn more about your offer when you put these examples into place.
Are any ideas coming to you about how you can use this? It’s easy when you think about it from the standpoint of sharing what you do, why you do it, your own journey, and success stories from your clients – sprinkle these in as you go and include it as part of your overall social media marketing strategy too any time during the year.
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