I used to think that being a successful solo-professional was a piece of cake.
Of course, that was before I quit my day job.
I remember when I had my cake and was eating it, too
I didn’t know it when I started coaching professionally in 1997, but I had an excellent automatic marketing system in place from the very first day. You see, at the same time I was getting serious about launching my first coaching practice, I was also working full time at the Academy for Coach Training.
I was in front of a classroom or on a telephone bridge line all the time, teaching people how to coach and facilitating personal growth workshops. I was so immersed in educating, training and facilitating that I honestly didn’t have time to think too much about building my own coaching practice.
I didn’t promote myself or try to sell people on working with me. I didn’t bring any marketing materials into the classroom or give away free special reports (or even my business card!). I didn’t know anything about on-line shopping carts, auto-responders or info-products; I didn’t even have a website at the time. I just showed up and coached my tail off, and somehow the clients just magically showed up, too. My business grew and grew.
You can see why I might have mistakenly thought that being a successful solo-professional was a piece of cake.
The truth is, I wasn’t really a solo-professional until AFTER I quit my full-time job--my prime-time-coach-in-the-spotlight, no-need-to-do-your-own-marketing job.
I'm pretty sure I saved a piece for later...
For a while, everything was great because I had some momentum. When I struck out on my own, I had a waiting-list of people who wanted the next available spot on my calendar. I brought some new clients on board and used the rest of my free time (now that I wasn’t "working" any more) to putz around in my business, working on my website or my newsletter and planning workshops and events. Occasionally, I’d send out something to my mailing list to let them know I had an opening for a new client or to announce a workshop.
I loved creating workshops and group events, although most of my income came from one-on-one coaching--which of course I wasn't even really marketing. Yet.
Hey, who moved my cake?
Gradually, I noticed that business seemed to be tapering off. The waiting-list wasn’t growing—in fact, it was shrinking. I had been coasting along with momentum left over from being in the spotlight in front of a class. That was OK while I was working full time, but I realized that if I didn't change how I was operating my business, pretty soon I wouldn't HAVE a business to operate.
I decided to hire a business coach and I immersed myself in learning how to build a successful business and market myself as a solo-professional. I read everything I could get my hands on; I joined discussion groups, did market research, studied what successful coaches were doing (and not doing), took classes and asked A LOT of questions.
For a while, I see-sawed back and forth between feast and famine; when I focused on my marketing, I'd start to get more clients; but then I'd get busy with clients and stop marketing. Things would start to get lean and the whole cycle would begin again. It was frustrating and stressful.
Following the leaders
But I was determined to figure out a better way, so I kept my eyes and ears open and kept asking questions. Through research, trial and error I discovered three keys that the most successful coaches and facilitators all seem to have in common:
1. They focus on a niche. The dictionary defines a niche as “a position, activity or area of the market that particularly suits somebody’s talents and personality or that somebody can make his or her own.” Successful coaches find a viable niche and make it make it their own.
2. They build their brand around a signature method or approach. A signature program is a unique process or method that systematically and consistently produces intended results. Successful coaches stand out and get clients with a signature process or program.
3. They expand their capacity for growth with multiple revenue streams. Successful coaches make their signature program available in a variety of packages and formats, such as self-study programs, books, audio products, group programs, etc., multiplying their revenue streams and skyrocketing profitability.
Setting the kitchen on fire
So I started experimenting with different niches and different methods and approaches. I re-worked my business plan, my strategic marketing plan, my business systems, all of my materials and my website over and over again.
I developed several coaching programs, including Playing to Win(tm), which turned out to be a big hit with my coaching clients.
In the process, I'm pretty sure I've made just about every mistake you can make and still be in business! (I feel like I've been creating my own personal MBA program from scratch.)
Finally, a break through (thank goodness!)
The real break through came when I started getting creative with the Playing to Win program. I had been offering it as a one-on-one personal growth coaching program and it was doing pretty well, but when I tried out the Playing to Win principles with my business clients in a group coaching setting, they loved it, too. That helped me start thinking outside the box about how to offer my unique method and approach, and ultimately lead me to refine my business model and create Get With the Program(tm), a blueprint for building an exceptional brand around a signature coaching program.
That was a real turning point. I'm focused on a mission now: to be an indispensable source of business advantage for a very targeted but highly responsive niche market. And by “highly responsive”, I mean that new clients are showing up, existing customers consistently say “WOW!”, and people don't just snap up new products and programs as I create them—they also spread the word to their friends and colleagues.
Forget the cake, just give me the icing
My business is almost unrecognizable today. Putting those three success strategies into practice--focusing on a niche, having a signature program, and creating multiple revenue streams--has brought even more than I hoped for. I'm showing up, attracting preferred customers more easily and expanding my income streams, but it's not happening through struggle and effort; it feels natural and easy. I'm getting better results AND having fun.
I love what I do, and my clients say they love what I help THEM do, too.
And now you know how I got the best of myself in business. How about you? Are you ready to get with the program?
