“Craig,” a client of mine said looking at me from across the table at my Perfect Life Workshop, “I’m getting tired of playing the same ‘ol game. I want to transition from my current business into coaching so that I can help others experience the same breakthroughs that I have”.
He paused for a minute.
“I’m just worried that I’m not experienced enough… Don’t you think I should build my business to 8-figures – he was already earning well over $1,000,000/year at the time – before I start teaching other people?”
Smiling, I shook my head, and proceeded to share a bulletproof roadmap that he could use to build a profitable coaching business in the next 30-60 days.
Questions like these come up all the time and remind me of a young Craig Ballantyne in 2007.
I was preparing to host my first business seminar, Online Super Profits, in Florida and I’d just decided to transition away from my multi-million dollar fitness business and foray into the world of business coaching. Let me tell you, I felt the fear, doubt, and crushing weight of the “imposter syndrome” just as sharply as everyone else.
Luckily, I had excellent coaching and the support of my mentor, Yanik Silver, to help me create an epic event that is still talked about today by industry legends like Brad Pilon, Vince DelMonte, and Mike Geary.
The transition was far from easy.
I felt similar to the way you probably feel right now. Anxious, nervous, and more than a little fearful… In fact, I was terrified every step of the way.
These thoughts could have paralyzed me, but having my coach and accountability partner, Yanik, on my side gave me the courage to make it happen.
I put one foot in front of the other and step by step, little by little, I have now built one of the premier coaching services in the world.
It wasn’t easy but it was simple.
If you’re thinking about beginning your own adventures into entrepreneurship – coaching or otherwise -, I’m going to teach you how to do it.
Your journey won’t be easy, but I promise, if you implement what I’m going to share with you today, you can and will build a profitable and fulfilling service based business faster than you ever thought possible.
Sound good? Then let’s dive in.
Step #1: Niche Down and Create Your “Only” Statement
Before you can start coaching new clients or building any other type of business, you’ll need to create an “only” statement.
In other words, you need to figure out your unique value proposition.
What are you the best in the world at that you can offer to your clients? What skills, strategies, and techniques have you mastered that you – and only you – can share with your audience and customers.
For me, my “only” statement is:
I am the only coach that teaches people how controlling their mornings, conquering their afternoons, and concentrating on what counts will allow them to live their perfect life.
Russell Brunson, the founder of Clickfunnels has a similar exercise that he shares in his book Expert Secrets.
He calls this your “Big Domino” and it goes something like this…
“If I can make people believe that (my coaching/service/product) is the key to (what they desire most) and is only attainable through (my specific service/product) then all other objections and concerns become irrelevant and they have to invest in my offer”
This is a powerful way to frame your services.
If you can make people believe that your specific solution is the only – not the best or one of the best, the only – way to achieve what they desire most, then all other objections and concerns become irrelevant and they have to invest.
So let me ask you… What is your “only” statement? What’s your big domino? What are you offering that no one else on the planet can match?
- Are you an expert at writing high converting sales copy for the fitness or dating niche?
- Have you “cracked the code” to sustainable high performance while avoiding burnout?
- Do you offer the best clothes/razors/shoes in the world at an unbeatable price?
- Are you a master at teaching female entrepreneurs how to create successful information products that generate multiple 6-figures?
- Are you a Facebook ads guru who can help anyone double their lead flow and sales without increasing their ad spend?
- Are you an expert at content marketing and able to help people double their organic search traffic (and profit) without spending a dime on ads?
What are you uniquely experienced in that other people are willing to pay for?
Once you’ve figured this out, you are well on your way to a profitable business.
Remember, you can’t be everything to everyone. But you can be everything to the right people.
Now, it’s time to find those people.
Step #2: Generate Engagement By “Reading” Your Client’s Minds
Once you have narrowed down your target market and figured out exactly what sets you apart from the competition, it’s time to get down and dirty and start generating leads for your new business.
Look…
There are literally 2,764,278 million different ways to generate leads (a very scientific estimate, I know) and different platforms work for different industries.
So instead of trying to give you a step by step walkthrough about how to use each of them (because you really only need 1-2), I’m going to share the #1 BIGGEST secret that has allowed me to generate tons of leads through my website and social media platforms without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on paid advertising or selling my soul to the A/B Testing gods.
You ready?
Here it is… If you want to generate as many leads as possible for your new business, then you need to become a mind reader.
You see, last week I shared an Instagram post that led to 2 new workshop clients and 5 new leads. The funny part? I didn’t even include a call to action in the video.
However, I knew exactly what my readers were thinking.
In fact, one of the clients that I closed claimed that I had “X-ray vision” and the ability to see into their heads and determine exactly what they were thinking.
And that’s where the magic happens.
Write this down… If you can properly diagnose the symptoms that your audience is experiencing better than they can themselves then they will assume that you have the solution.
Think about the last time you went to the Doctor.
Did you walk into the office, say “hello” to your Doctor and immediately leave with a prescription? Of course not!
He or she likely sat you down, asked what symptoms you were feeling, and then went on to “guess” the other symptoms and problems that you were experiencing, explaining them in painstaking detail before making a diagnosis and providing you with a solution.
If you want to succeed in the game of coaching, then you need to treat every potential lead and client like a medical patient.
Your new job as an entrepreneur isn’t just to deliver results or amazing products to your clients. It’s to get inside your prospects head’s, identify the stories and barriers holding them back from achieving their goals, and then teach them how to eliminate them.
Right now, write down ONE word, ONE activity, and ONE environment that describes every day in your client’s week.
For example, if you own a style blog that sells premium info products to help men 10x their style and status (and thus their income, sex appeal, and overall success) you might put…
- Monday – Frustrated, trying to figure out what to wear, at the office
- Tuesday – Confused, trying to find aesthetic athletic apparel, going to
gym - Wednesday – Aggravated, going shopping without knowing what to buy, at the mall
- Thursday – Defeated, trying to make it to the weekend, sitting at the office
- Friday – Unconfident, trying to look good for a night on the town, local bars
and clubs - Saturday – Resting, recovering from a long week and a gnarly hangover, at home thinking about how to elevate their life
- Sunday – Anticipation, preparing for a new week and hoping it’s better than the last one, at church with family
Once you have this content mind map created, you’ll be able to share powerful tools and strategies through your blog, social media, or another platform that will make it seem like you can read your client’s minds.
If you’re struggling to figure out exactly what your clients’ are feeling, then ask them!
Find someone in your social circle who is as close as possible to your ideal client and then ask them how they feel, what they do, and where they go each day of the week (as it pertains to your particular solution).
When you can explain your client’s problems and the solutions available to them better than they can themselves, that’s when you and ONLY you will become their new guru.
Step #3: Honey Trap New Prospects and Convert Them Into Leads
If you want to succeed in the game of business then you’ll need to do something that might seem a little counterintuitive.
You’re going to take 90% of your BEST work, package it up in the form of beautiful blog posts, videos, or downloadable PDFs.
And then give it away for free.
That’s right. F.REE!
People are only going to invest money with people whom they 1) Know 2) Like and 3) Trust.
And how do you build this “KLT” factor? By sharing your expertise and knowledge for free and delivering results in advance.
Because here’s the thing… Once someone has already achieved part of their desired outcome by using your free content, they will be “trapped” in the web of your business and feel that they have no other alternative than to invest in your high level services.
For example, once I’ve “read” the mind’s of prospects on my Instagram, Facebook, or website and convinced them that I have the solution to the problem’s they are facing, I will convert them into a lead by offering my best-selling book The Perfect Day Formula, completely free (well, there’s a $4.95 hosting fee but that doesn’t exactly drive profit).
To some, this might seem like madness. “Craig”, I can hear you saying, “You worked so hard on writing and promoting your book! Why would you give it away for free?”
I’ll tell you why… Because that single offer has driven more new clients into my business than almost anything else.
I give away some of my best tools and strategies for helping people create their perfect lives. In exchange, they give me their email addresses and the right to invite them to become a part of my high ticket services.
The people who apply the lessons they learned in The Perfect Day Formula, are the same people who I later help double, triple, and in some cases, 10x their businesses while still making time for the things that matter most.
If you don’t have an existing email list, then I want you to commit right now to creating a high quality “honey trap” (more commonly referred to as a lead magnet), by the end of this week.
Keep it short, powerful, and to the point and be sure to share enough actionable strategies with your new prospects that they can get results in advance by using your content.
Then, once they’ve seen how amazing your free work is, they’ll realize that your higher ticket items are the solution they’ve been searching for.
Step #4: Tell People to Contact You (And Make it Easy)
Now that the heavy lifting is done, your next step is fairly simple.
You are going to inform your new leads about the solution that you are offering to the problem you recently diagnosed.
Specifically, you’re going to use my 3-step call to action in every email you send, video you post, or blog article you write.
- Tell them what they get (what product, service, or specific solution are you offering)
- Tell them how to get it (do they DM you on Instagram? Go to a sales page? Email you directly?)
- Tell them why they must get it now (create scarcity around your offer. Make sure that your clients know the offer won’t be around forever at its current price)
That’s it.
You have now created a system that will engage cold traffic and turn them into prospects, “honey trap” those prospects and turn them into warm leads, and then get those leads to sign up for a webinar, consultation call, or presentation where you can turn them into a paying customer.
Step 5: Close the Deal
Once you’ve successfully niched down, created your “only” statement, generated and “honey trapped” leads, and given them a way to contact you, there’s only one thing left to do.
Close. The. Deal.
Although there are a myriad of different sales tactics and psychological triggers that you can use, I like to keep things simple.
For the past decade, I’ve used this exact sales presentation outline to close everything from $5,000 workshop seats all the way up to $50,000 mastermind memberships.
Here it is…
1. Empathize and Show Them Where They Are (And Where You Were)
Before you make an offer, explain the benefits of your service or product, or go in for the close, you first need to take a step back and empathize with your prospect.
Remember how we talked earlier about the KLT (know, like, trust) factor? Well, that’s where this comes into play yet again.
During the first part of the presentation or call, you’ll want to build rapport by showing them that you understand where they are. In fact, you’ve been in their shoes before and are intimately familiar with the challenges and obstacles they are facing.
For example, when I sit down to close clients on my Perfect Life Workshop, I always start by telling the prospect about how I used to struggle with crippling anxiety, allow my days to control me, and feel like my business was controlling my life.
I reiterate their symptoms better than they can themselves, leading them to realize that I have the solution.
2. Show them That There Is a Better Way (And You Are Already There)
Once you have clearly identified and empathized with where they are today, it’s time to shift gears and start talking about the possibilities for where they can go in the future.
Talk to them about where your life is today compared to where it was before.
For example, if you’re selling a fat loss coaching package, you could talk about how you used to struggle with knowing what to eat, hated how you looked in the mirror, and felt stuck in a vicious cycle of guilt and emotional overeating.
But today, you’re lean, healthy, and able to keep the fat off automatically by using the exact processes that you’re going to share with them.
Paint a vivid vision for where you can help your client go and the results that you will deliver to them.
Hold nothing back and pull no punches.
You’re not trying to impress the other person with grandiose stories of your own success. You are impressing upon them the efficacy of the solution that you’re offering.
3. Prove that You Can Fill the Gap
Instead of waiting to share social proof or overcome objections until the end of the call do it now before you even mention the price of your services.
Share client case studies and stories about how your previous clients were able to achieve tangible results using the knowledge you’re offering.
Especially talk about the clients who had the biggest objections.
For example,
“You remind me a lot of one of my other clients, Lori. When Lori came to me she’d already invested more than $30,000 that year into other coaches and programs but NOTHING was working for her. She wasn’t sure that she was the right fit for the program and felt like my coaching was outside of her price range. But, after seeing the results I got for her friend Vinny, she decided to bite the bullet and sign up. In the past 12 months I’ve helped her 5X her income while working 15 fewer hours each week paying for the coaching package more than 20 times over!”
Prove that you, and only you, have the expertise and knowledge to help them fill in the gap and get from where they are to where they want to be.
Don’t be shy about the results you’ve helped other people achieve or the results you’ve achieved yourself.
Remember, what you are offering is valuable. It has the potential to COMPLETELY change your prospect’s life and it is your duty as an entrepreneur to make sure that they understand what’s really at stake here.
4. Share The Steps They WIll Need to Take to Close the Gap
Look…
I know that you’re eager to sign your first client and start making money as soon as possible. But before you go in for the close, you need to remember something.
You’re an entrepreneur not a genie.
You can’t guarantee results for your clients because you can’t force them to take action on the things that you share or use the product you offer.
As such, it’s important that you include a “filtration” section in your call or presentation where you explain the action steps they will need to take in order to get results.
Flip the conventional sales script on its head and have your potential client qualify themselves to you.
Filter out the talkers from the doers so that you can have a long list of client success stories instead of working with uncommitted and uninspired individuals.
Whenever I get on a call with a potential client, I will always say things like:
“You seem like a good fit for my program but I only work with people who are truly committed to getting results in their life. So before we go any further, I want to make sure that you’re actually willing to take action on the strategies I’m going to share with you.”
I believe that I offer some of the best coaching on the planet for people who want to increase their income, decrease their workload, and live their perfect life.
But I have ZERO interest in working with people who aren’t willing to apply the lessons I teach.
Make sure that they have a crystal clear understanding of what is required from them and the action they will have to take. Otherwise you are setting yourself and your new client up for failure.
5. Finish with a Call to Action and Wait for Them to Respond
Once you have empathized with your prospect, created a compelling future vision in their mind, shared how you can help them close the gap (and how you’ve done it for your other clients), and made their end of the commitment clear, you’re ready to go in for the sale and close the deal.
If you’ve done your job up until this point, this is actually the easy part.
All you need to do is explain (again).
- What they get
- How to get it
- Why they must get it now
Then, simply sit back and ask the $1,000,000 question.
“Do you want my help?”
If you can get a “yes” from only 2-5 people your life has changed forever and
Conclusion
So there you have it.
A simple 5-step roadmap to getting your first 1-3 clients in the next 30 days.
As I said in the beginning of this guide, success in this business is not easy… But it is simple.
If you will follow the blueprint I’ve laid out for you, you can and will find and close your first client in the next 30 days.
So get out there and take action.
Stop worrying about whether or not you’re ready to be an entrepreneur and start working to be the best at what you do.
Forget the anxiety you feel about transitioning into a new industry and simply take the action required to do it.
Quit meditating on your offer and abilities and get in motion to create the best offer on the planet.
Success is waiting for you. All that’s left is for you to take action and go get it!
Do you want to accomplish 10x more in half the time? Download the free 90-Day Blueprint my coaching clients use to achieve greater success: https://www.earlytorise.com/90-day-blueprint/
Craig Ballantyne
If you want to double your income, work less, and become the ambitious millionaire you’ve always wanted to be… Craig Ballantyne is the coach who will help you do it. With more than 20-years of experience as an entrepreneur and five 7-figure businesses under his belt, he specializes in helping “struckling” entrepreneurs get out of the mud and build the business of their dreams. To see if you qualify for Craig’s “Millionaire Coaching Program” send an email to support@earlytorise.com with the subject line “Millionaire”.