Most of you know by now that your business is not about you.

People who are checking you out aren’t looking for coaching or consulting.

They want to find solutions to a problem.

Your job is to know what that problem is and to explain what you do in terms of results.

Imagine what it would be like to answer the question “What do you do?,” with a great story about your client.

For example, let’s say you specialize in business coaching and someone says, “So, what do you do?”

Your answer: “I’m a business coach. Let me tell you about one of my clients. This guy’s problem wasn’t sales, it was keeping up with demand. He had so much work he didn’t know what to do, but the problem was his checking account was always empty. Long story short, he turned things around, raised his rates, started qualifying his customers, and bingo. Last year he had record profitability, in spite of the recession.”

See, people can remember a story like that, and it will help them remember you.

Here are some questions to help you describe what you do in terms of results.

1. Think about the clients you have coached over the last twelve months. Is there any recurring pattern or theme to the type of coaching you have done?  If so, what are the common themes.
2. Can you describe the scenarios your clients find themselves in when they come to you?
3. Go back and read through some email conversations with your clients. Do you see any breakthroughs?
4. What stories do you have from your clients about how life is different because of coaching?
5. What is the highest compliment a client has ever paid you?

There you go, hope this is helpful, now what are your ideas? Please share!

How would you go about making a guest list for a really fun surprise birthday party?

Think with me out loud here. You might start with people who are easy going and who you love hanging out with. You might consider people you have known for a long time, friends with whom you have history. Family members might make the list. New neighbors or people you want to know better might be included as well.

Bottom line, you want to invite people who will come, who enjoy celebrating, who can make for a really wonderful event. Right?

Believe it or not, it’s the same for your coaching business. You want to spend time with people who give you energy, who make for a great client experience, who are ready to go, motivated and proactive, right?

So in order to fill your practice with people like that, you might need to ask qualifying questions.

Qualifying means creating the set of attributes you are looking for in your clients, so you can LOVE your work. Your questions will help you find those people who are a perfect fit for your coaching services.

Taking the time to think through the type of client you are looking for will make you a better coach and will make talking about your coaching practice much easier.

One way to qualify prospects is to have an complimentary conversation where you can ask questions to figure out if the client is right for you. In this session you can ask six-eight questions to help you decide.

Another way is to send the prospect the questions in advance and have them returned to you before you meet on the phone.

So, are you using qualifying questions as part of your marketing already? If so, please comment and let me know how it’s going for you.

Here are some qualifying questions I use from time to time.

• What prompted you to contact me about coaching?
• If you could change one thing about your life today that would make the most difference tomorrow, what would that be?
• What is  most important issue on your mind right now?
• What do you hope to gain by investing in a coaching relationship?
• What range of investment for coaching is in your budget?
• What else should I know?

What are your qualifying questions?

When you first open your coaching practice or even after being in it for a year or two, you may not know your coaching specialty, i.e. that group of people who are the hand-in-glove fit for you.

It’s okay to cruise along in discovery mode for awhile, but eventually you may want to choose a marketing niche.

Why?

Because it will be much easier for you to become visible and attract more business if you can articulate whom you are trying to reach, especially for online marketing.

Here are some questions to help you figure out what group of people can become your ideal market:

1. Think of the people you have worked with in the past. This may be paying clients or if you are just starting out, it may be people from your place of employment. Do you have favorites? If so, what do they have in common? Write down the qualities you like about this group of people.
2. Who do you click with age wise? Or life stage wise? For example, do you like working with college grads, empty nesters, young moms?
3. Think about your past experiences, skills and training. Is there a way to serve people who are in that career or industry? For example if you were an HR professional, could you coach people who still are? Or if you were a social worker, could your clients be social workers?
4. What hobbies do you enjoy in your free time? Are you a tennis player, marathon runner, bridge player, writer? How would it be for you to coach people who shared this passion?
5. How about professional organizations where you belong, for example, Chamber of Commerce, National SBA, ABWA or whatever. Might you be visible among this group of like-minded people?
6. Are you affiliated with a church denomination or non-profit group? Think of all the members from across the country or around the world who may be very interested in your coaching services.
7. Take this from the opposite angle, rather than thinking of groups you can serve, how about thinking of your specialty — what are you known for? Or what do you want to be know for? If you are unsure about this, do an informal survey with five of your closest friends. Ask them:
   • What do I do well?
   • What is unique about me?
   • Who needs my specialty?
8. Scrap the ideal client idea and work with whomever comes to you from word of mouth. You will know after a year or so which clients you like working with, and which ones are not really your client. Put a referral program in place with your existing clients and your network and ask them for referrals. Referrals are a beautiful marketing tool and may prove to be your best technique yet.

Let me know if any of these ideas work or what other techniques you have used to define your ideal market. What are your thoughts?

I was on the hunt for an Easter gift for my daughter last week and ended in up the handbag section at her favorite department store.

Geez Louise, there were a billion choices of styles, sizes and colors. After 45 minutes of  checking them all out –  nah, not that one, too many zippers…nope, not enough room for cash…umm, no, she would lose that one — I walked out empty handed. Yikes! I guess too many choices are paralyzing (for me, anyway).

That’s kinda how it is when it comes to choosing a coaching market. It’s easy to get paralyzed with the possibilities.

So how do you choose a great market?

One way is to think of your market in terms of its groupiness, for example is there an annual conference, a magazine, or an online forum that would allow you to connect with the group?

How have you moved away from endless possibilites and into the zone of clarity?