ICC Podcast
Ep #5: How To Sell Your Coaching Package Without Being Salesy
Episode Notes
The Steps To Create A Powerful Enrollment Conversation—The Ask Step
Remember this truth to start:
No coaching agreement takes place outside of a coaching conversation, so we must be in conversations.
When the time comes to talk about working together, ideally your prospective client will ask YOU. “So how much do you charge?” “How does this coaching work?”
You can say, “Great! Let’s talk about what it would look like to work together.”
The most important part now is that you have enough time for the conversation. We recommend you schedule at least 1 hour, and that means you will most likely have to schedule another call.
If so, do that as soon as possible, usually the next day or soon.
If your prospective client doesn’t ask you about working together, you can say something gentle, such as:
“Would you like to talk about what it would look like to work together?”
Understand that what clients want is a leader, someone who is assertive, someone who takes charge, and someone who can lead them to where they want to go and to places they’ve never been.
As a leader, come to the enrollment conversion prepared with a list of all the ways you can help them.
Demonstrate leadership throughout the entire relationship because the more you can do that, the more confident they will be in you and your coaching.
Then, when proposing, keep the context of the conversation centered on possibility rather than affordability.
As your primary starting question, ask, “What do you think would be possible if we decided to work together?”
Notice the energy around “if we decided.” It’s about BOTH of you becoming a team and together deciding together if going into an agreement will be worth it.
The goal through the proposal is to help them create an incredible vision for what would be possible if you decide to work together.
Take notes on their answers. Be a professional coach.
As you continue through the conversation, ask, “What else? What else do you think would be possible if we decide to work together?”
Coach them. Get curious. Ask more questions:
“What would you like to change?”
“Why would it be worth it to you if we decided to work together?”
“How would things be different if we decided to work together?”
“What would you want to create with my help if anything is possible?”
“What else?” (One of the most powerful Insight Coaching Questions)
More words you can share: “Let’s look at the value you and I working together would bring to your life because if that value isn’t there, then it wouldn’t be worth it to work together. Not for you or for me. I only work with people I can help. Now imagine that we work together over the next 6 months and our work takes your life to the next level—what would we have created?”
Keep drawing out of them this incredible vision for what would be possible if you decide to work together until they can’t come up with anything else.
Once you’ve done that, share with them what YOU see would be possible.
Go over that list you brought to the conversation based on your past coaching calls with them.
Once you’ve done that, go back over everything that would be possible if you decide to work together, everything you’ve helped them see—that incredible vision you’ve helped them create—and then everything you see.
If you’ve done that really well, they will say, “Wow!” They will be excited about the work they might get to do with you.
Next, say, “Here’s what we would need to do.”
Then explain, to the best of your ability, how the work you two do together will get them to where they want to go and help them realize that incredible vision. This is your plan.
Don’t worry too much about making this perfect. Do your best.
Remember, you have to spend some time on this before the call. Think about what you two discussed and how you can help them. Go deep within yourself, and be prepared to create a plan specific to their needs and wants. Be prepared to wow them with your ideas.
Remember, again, that you are not selling. You are serving. You are coaching. You are helping to create the space for them to make the best decision for themselves, whatever that is.
We usually say, “Here’s what we would need to do. We need to work together for a year.” Then we’ll explain why. “A year is the perfect amount of time to accomplish all your goals…”
Tell your prospective client what needs to happen next because they don’t know. Keep being the leader.
Create a sense of hope and excitement about the fact that what they want IS possible.
Use the words “so that” to explain the reasons behind each aspect of your plan.
“We are going to have 3 calls a month SO THAT I can help you stay focused on your goals and develop the empowering habits you need to accomplish them.”
If you have a structure that you prefer, such as working together twice a month for six months, communicate it in terms of how it’s necessary to help the client create the outcome they want.
Just as an example of something we might say…
“First, we will focus on clarifying your vision SO THAT you can get really clear on what you want to create over the next 6 months. Often my clients think they want one thing, but through our coaching they realize what they really want is much bigger than they previously imagined. Let me give you example. I coached a woman in Sweden…” (Offer a powerful coaching story)
“Then we will focus on your Why, the goal behind your goal, SO THAT you can keep going no matter what, in case you ever feel like quitting or procrastinating or trying to make something perfect. Knowing your Why and being able to stay committed to it is essential because it’s where the drive comes from…”
“Next we will focus on belief and getting to the core of the limiting beliefs holding you back SO THAT you can become an unlimited creator…”
Offer powerful statements, such as, “We are going to have a different relationship” and explain what that looks like.
Say, “And here’s what I’ll expect from you” (and then offer the agreements)—because without that statement, when you offer your fees, you might experience role reversal.
Just as an example of something we might say, “I want you to commit to never allowing fear to keep you from taking action, and if or when fear comes up, you will reach out to me…”
Finally, once you’ve gone over the vision and then the plan to get them there, you can present the fee (or investment or price).
Remember that the fee is not about a certain number of calls for a certain number of minutes over a certain period of time.
The fee is for the realization of their vision, which is “the work.” Everything you’ve gone over is “the work.”
The goal here is to make “the work” as valuable as possible. Then their decision will be about the work rather than your self-worth as a coach.
They are going to either be interested in doing the work or not. With this mindset, you can take YOU out of the conversation. Always let it be about the work and make the work you do together worth the fee.
Remember to choose your fee and NEVER charge by the hour. They don’t pay for the session. They pay for the commitment to the coaching. They pay for the partnership.
