From 0 Clients to Full Group Program (in 2 months!)

"How do I get clients? What am I doing wrong?"   

I’m going to tell you a story…  

My client, Karen, went from a year (or more!) with no clients to having a group program up and running within a couple of months!  

The reason I want to share this story is because I want you to see how possible it is for YOU! This story will show you how understanding your target audience and shifting your strategy might be all you need to get going.  It reminds me of a quote I say to pretty much anyone that will listen - “It's not you. It's just that you have more to learn.”  

Think of it this way.  

My son, Dylan, is a year and a half, and he loves peeling stickers or labels off bottles. It takes him so long because he doesn't have the strength yet. So, he tries to get my help (by saying, "Mama, mama!") I know if I peel off the label, he'll think, "Okay, onto the next thing!”  BUT, if I make a fun game of it, he'll actually enjoy it. And, when he accomplishes it, he'll feel so much better…the victory will be that much sweeter!   

This entrepreneurial journey is like a game. You learn a little bit…then a little bit more…then a little more.  If you keep that mentality, you'll save yourself so much sanity in the long run. 

Here's what we did for Karen.   

Karen is a grief coach. When we first started working together and searched the internet, the grief coaches we found didn't look like they had their sh** together. (She even reached out to a few of them, and they told her the truth…they weren't making that much money!) That was demoralizing because you think, "All of this time and money I’ve put into this…Is it really worth it?  Is this ever going to work?"  

We did some investigation of her target market and noticed her audience didn't really understand what coaching was. The first thing they would think was, "I need to go see a therapist."  They didn't understand the difference between therapy and coaching, how coaching could benefit them, or where in their grief journey they should start seeking a coach.   

Even Karen was not 100% sure she would be able to sell that 1-1 coaching package. If you're only working with a few people, you need to charge higher rates in order to make your business profitable. Pure and simple. 

So, we took everything together… and by the way, I suggest you don’t automatically apply this to your business because there are so many variables involved when pulling your strategy together. Your business isn't exactly like Karen’s, so it may not work the same way. But, I want you to see how this is possible! 

Now let me share the REALLY good stuff of how we transformed Karen's business.   

Based on her market and strengths, we decided to move forward with the group program instead of trying to sell 1-1 coaching. Because, honestly, who knows how long that would have taken and we wanted to get the quick win to prove that this business is viable, to prove that Karen was on the right track, and to prove that she could actually make this happen, right? 

She needed that jolt of motivation and inspiration.  

We put together a group program and did a very short launch. We didn't want to spend too much time on testing the idea.  

It was less than weeks, but we were really intentional about the kind of information we were putting out there to inform people about the program. We were talking about what coaching was, describing exactly what people are going to receive in this program, and letting them know how they were going to benefit. How was their life was going to change? What could they expect?  We also made it a point to get in front of and counter some of their objections.   

We built this all up, like a layer cake, in a strategic way, getting closer and closer and building the momentum until the cart opened … that is how she was able to get six people to raise their hand and say, "Yes, where do I sign?!" 

That's a HUGE transformation to go from zero clients and wondering, “Is this ever going to work?" to having a group program up and running! This is SO important. If you get one client, you may think, "Okay, can I do this again? Did I just get lucky?" But, when you get three, four, five, or six clients that all say “Yes!” to exactly the same thing, you’ll know that's scalable!  

There're so many possibilities now for Karen!  

-- Up-sell some of these group program participants into a 1-1 package.   

-- Roll out another similar, but different, program that these people might be interested in and new clients will want to join.  

-- Do the exact same program over again…because she knows it works! She just needs to bring in new people or some of the people that already heard about the first program but were a little bit on the fence.  Now they’ll be ready because they've heard about the great things that happened for those that were in the first group program! 

There is so much potential and possibility in her business, and it's all because of the shift and strategy.   

Sometimes that is really all it takes… Like I said, it's not YOU! It's just about learning a little bit more, growing a little bit more, and trying new things to make sure you understand the needs of your target audience and your client’s expectations. 

Here’s to learning a little more each day, 

Jenna

P.S. If you’d like my support in helping you and your business grow so much more quickly and easily than if you were to do it on your own, go ahead and schedule a FREE call with me. Together we’ll map out a personalized roadmap that will help you build the right business for YOU.