Too many coaches struggle to convert leads into paying clients. It can be tough to know where to start when it comes to converting leads into sales. You might feel like you’re throwing darts in the dark and hoping for the best.

In order for any business to be successful, they need to have a steady flow of qualified leads coming in the door. And for coaches and consultants, turning those leads into paying clients is essential for growing their business. Unfortunately, many struggle with this process because they don’t know where to start or what to take. 

But don’t worry – in this video, I’m going to share with you three easy steps that will help turn more of your leads into sales. So let’s get started!

Identify Who A Lead Is For You

Generating revenue is the number one priority for any business owner, so identifying your potential lead is critical to your success. A lead can be generated in many ways, such as through social media posts, workshops and challenges, personal referrals, website visits, and so on. To clarify, a potential lead is not a qualified lead. Let’s start with potential leads.

The first thing you need to do is clarify who an ideal client is for you. If you are an aspiring coach or feel like your target audience isn’t the best fit for your services, here are some great questions to help you uncover this are:

• What are their demographics and more importantly, their psychographics?
• What are their biggest pain points?
• And what are their buying habits?
• Where are they spending time online?
• Why would they consider investing in the transformation you provide?
• Do they have a use for the product or service you’re offering?

Answering these questions will help you get crystal clear on who your ideal clients are so you can craft your offers and your message to attract those people.

At this stage, you are looking for people who show interest.

This is important: Just because they fit your ideal client profile and you know you can help them does not mean they are a potential lead.

A lead is someone who shows interest in your product or service in some way, shape, or form. A like or comment on a social post doesn’t necessarily count as interest.

An example is a recent YouTube video I posted of my fastest lap at Heartland Park during the Porche club track weekend. I always upload my videos so I can see them on a larger screen to review to help me be better the next time. My YouTube freelancer made the video public and it has 9000+ views so far but the people who liked it are the wrong demographic.

I used to think that only people who showed up to my live launches were potential leads until I realized that anyone who expressed an interest in the masterclass could be a potential lead. The same held true for those who commented on social media posts and asked for the show notes of my lives.

Once you recognize a lead, it’s your job to nurture them throughout the sales process and you do this with a well-thought-out funnel. In other words, have clear steps you want to take a potential lead through.

Connect

Once you’ve identified your potential leads, it’s time to start connecting with them. There are a few ways you can do this. But be sure to focus on quality over quantity; you want to make sure that you are spending your time targeting the right people, not just anyone who might be interested in what you have to offer. Not sure why but this seems to be a big sticking point for so many coaches. I understand because that used to be me.

All too often, coaches focus only on the sale instead of recognizing which stage of awareness a potential client might be in when they first ‘find’ you. If you attempt to sell to someone too soon, they will likely get that used car salesman vibe and be turned off. Remember, people need to get to know, like, and trust you first before they’ll be ready to invest in what you have to offer.

The best way to do this is to create valuable content that speaks to their needs and pain points in the marketing part of your funnel. This could be in the form of a blog post, video, or even a free download. Whatever you create, make sure it’s something that your leads will find helpful and informative and speaks to them where they are at right now.

You can target them more effectively when you know where they spend time online. You can do this by using various marketing methods, such as social media posts, live videos, blogs, podcasts, or even speaking engagements.

It’s important to have multiple touchpoints without going salesy weirdo on them! To deepen the connection, follow these steps:

• Comment on THEIR content first
• Send DMs or voice memos to spark a conversation (not promote your offer)
• If they opted in for a lead magnet, then nurture them via email too

It’s important to have multiple touchpoints without going salesy weirdo on them!

IMPORTANT: Track these connections with a CRM, excel spreadsheet or Trello board! If you’re using Facebook exclusively, then GroupTrack CRM is a fantastic CRM.

The most important thing is to be authentic and genuine in your interactions. You want to provide value upfront and show that you care about their needs – not just what you can get from them.

Qualify and Convert

Now that you’ve been connecting with potential leads, it’s time to qualify them and potentially turn them into a client because you don’t want to waste your time or theirs by trying to sell them something they’re not a good fit for this is why the two previous steps are so important.

Qualifying should always take place before selling. As a reminder, less is more, meaning 100 highly qualified and targeted prospects in a database is much more powerful than 1,000 unqualified names to cold call without rhyme or reason. This is why learning how to distinguish an ideal prospect from the sea of potential prospects is critical.

As a business owner or entrepreneur, you want to be crystal clear about who belongs in your database and ruthless in ensuring those who don’t belong never make it in.

If you are planning to build a team and do any type of traditional sales, this is especially important because it costs you time and money each time you or a team member follows up or pursues them.

Every business is different and will have a different set of qualifying questions, but the questions below can serve as a guide to help you get started.

Qualifying questions:

• Pricing – can this person afford your offer?
• Historical Buying Decisions – have they invested in coaching or programs before?
• Decision-Making Power – can this person say yes?
• Buy Based on Value – do they value what you have to offer?
• Need – do they need what you offer right now?
• Proximity – how can you get in front of your prospect?

If they say yes, then the steps to paying for your program and onboarding them should be ready to go.

Final note: The most important thing is to FOLLOW UP with your leads. Just because someone says no doesn’t mean it’s never it just means right now.

You can also reach out to them periodically to see if they have any questions or need any help via email or social media. By doing this, you are not only building a relationship but also planting the seed that you are there to support them on their journey.

By following these three steps – identify, connect, and qualify – you will be well on your way to turning more leads into sales and growing your coaching business. Just remember to focus on quality over quantity, be authentic and genuine in all of your interactions, and provide value upfront. If you do that, you’ll be sure to see more sales and clients in no time! So go out there and start making those connections!

P.S. If you struggle with any part of the sales process, a strategy session can help you pinpoint one action to move your business forward. Schedule that call here.

YES, I WANT TO TAKE ACTION NOW