EP 295 - How to Get Your First Coaching Client in 30 Days as a Woman Over 50

If you are a woman over 50 who is ready to start coaching and get your first coaching clients, this episode is for you. I’m going to show you exactly how to get your first coaching client (or three!) in the next 30 days - even if you don’t have a website, a ton of followers, or any fancy tech.  

As a woman over 50 you bring so much to the table to become a successful coach. You have decades of life experience - you’ve solved real problems, and you have wisdom younger coaches simply don’t have. Women over 50 make for some of the best coaches for this very reason! 

In this episode, I’ll walk you step-by-step through my Warm Connection Method, the same process I’ve used to help hundreds of women over 50 get their first coaching clients quickly and confidently. 

Grab my free First Client Conversion Guide here: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/conversation

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to find your first paying coaching client

• The exact conversation script my clients use to book calls

• What to say on the call and how to listen for what they really need

• How to make a simple 4-6 week beta offer

• How to talk about your coaching, without sounding awkward

• Why your life experience is what makes you credible and trustworthy

• How to get your first 3 coaching clients in the next 30 days using this method

Want my First Client Conversation Guide? Grab your copy here: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/conversation

Free Resources for coaches:

- Free Masterclass to Grow Your Coaching Business: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/masterclass

- Canva Workshop: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/register

Tools I recommend for coaches:

- Flodesk (email marketing): https://flodesk.com/c/DEBBIESHADID

- Descript (video editor): https://get.descript.com/cj4n2vzke4vu

Website: https://www.debbieshadid.com

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🎙️ Listen to the podcast: Life Coach Business Building School: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/life-coach-business-building-school-with-debbie-shadid/id1502118085

Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly episodes on coaching business strategy for women over 50, tech tools for coaches, and simple business growth strategies that really work: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6RS8kQGMLJqJrK9uKdjtg

#DebbieShadid #LifeCoachBusinessBuildingSchool #CoachesOver50 #WomenCoachesOver50

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Transcript

If you are a woman over 50 who is ready to start coaching, but you're thinking who is gonna hire me? This video is for you. I'm gonna show you exactly how to get you're first three clients in the next 30 days without spending a dime on ads or becoming a social media influencer, how amazing does that sound? I'm Debbie Shadid, I have been coaching for over 25 years, but here's what I want you to know. You have decades of life experience. You have solved real problems. You have wisdom that younger coaches simply don't have. I know what the problem is. You're probably thinking that you need a very fancy website. Thousands of followers or some complicated tech setup before anyone will pay you, my friend. You are dead wrong. I have helped hundreds of women just like you get their first clients by using what I'm just gonna call a warm connection method. And today I'm gonna break it down step by step. This is something that you can do starting today. So, here's what we're gonna cover. Number one. We're gonna talk about the who already knows you list. Number two I'm gonna talk about the conversation script that will convert. And number three, the simple offer that will get you a yes. I'm also gonna share some real stories about clients who have gotten their first clients by using this exact same method. If you're ready, let's dive in. Step one. This is that list I want you to make who already knows you. This is not about you going out and cold messaging anyone on LinkedIn or any other platform. This is about you leveraging the trust that you have already built because you have 50 plus years of life experience. So grab a paper. Yes, I set an actual piece of paper or a pretty journal, and let's get to work. First, we wanna start by thinking about all your former coworkers and colleagues. I really wanna encourage you to take some time. You can pause this podcast or pause the video here and do that. Think about every stage of your life, every portion of time, where you were, where you lived, who it was that you connected with. Then number two, I want you to think all the way back to if you had kids when they went to school and the moms that you ran around with or the parents that you knew, or sports teams or acting club or whatever it was. I'll tell you, we had a client just this week who was hosting a workshop and she said, I ran into an old friend at Trader Joe's on a Saturday morning. She said it's somebody I hadn't even thought about. She said I hadn't seen her in years. She asked me what I was doing. I said, well, I'm happen to be. hosting a workshop today. I told her all about my coaching business and she came to the workshop. I can think about my daughter and the moms of the friends that she had. That's what I'm talking about you guys. Then I want you to make a list of people from church, from book clubs, from any place you have ever volunteered. Maybe you're saying right now, none of this applies to me. Then I want you to think of what does apply to you? What have you been a part of that you can go back and you can create a list of contacts. This is going to be gold because again, these people already know you and trust you. Next, we're gonna talk about old neighbors or community connections. Even somebody who lived in an apartment next door to you. Who are those people? And then I want you to think of anyone who has ever said to you. Girl. I don't know how you do it all. That's the people that I want on this list. I'm just gonna say your list should be 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 people big. Yes. Keep writing. I know what you're thinking. I don't know anyone. I've been through all that, but time and time again, when we ask people to do this. They come up with more names than you can possibly imagine. Here's the key. These people already like you, and as I already mentioned, they already trust you and they are much more likely to refer you even if they don't need coaching themselves. Let me tell you about one of our clients. She's 58. She got certified as a health coach. She was terrified. She thought, I need Instagram. I need a website. I need all the stuff. Does that sound familiar to you? I said, listen, who do you already know? There is always an easier way. Yes, I want our clients to have all the stuff, but let's talk about who you know first. Within days she had created a list. I helped her figure out how to talk to people about her business. She connected with people and guess what? She had her first paying client, a former coworker who had been struggling with menopausal weight gain. That client paid her $500 for a group coaching program. She had no website, no Instagram, just a conversation. How amazing would that be? That is so possible for you. Alright, step two, we're gonna talk about that conversation script that converts. When we think about this, This is what I want you to think about. This is the one place where most women freeze up, right? They're thinking, I can't even ask people to hire me. This is so awkward. But you are not asking them to hire you. You are inviting them to have a conversation. I like to say you're inviting 'em to have a comfortable conversation. Here's an exact script that you could use. You can send this via text, email, or even do a voice message. Whatever feels good to you, you can say, hi, Debbie. I hope you're doing well. I wanted to reach out to you because I'm launching my coaching business. I'm looking for a few people who could be beta clients. Do y'all know what that is? Beta clients are your testers. They're the people that are gonna go through your program. They're gonna give you lots of feedback, and I always say. Beta clients actually get the best coaching support from you. You can go on to tell them, I'm focusing on this one specific problem, and I immediately thought of you because share the personal connection that you have. Would you be open to having a quick 15 minute call this week? I'd love to hear what's going on in your life and I'd like to see if I can help you. No pressure at all. Just a conversation. How's that sound? Did you notice what this does? It's personal and it's warm. It positions you as someone who thought of them specifically. It's low pressure. It's just that comfortable conversation. It gives them an easy yes, which is 15 minutes. 15 minutes that they're gonna talk to you. You can just have a time to catch up. So when you get on that call, you ask questions and you listen, please hear me on this as a new coach, so often you just blab. Please don't do that. Just listen. Find out what they're struggling with. and only then do you mention your coaching. Okay. Let's talk about the third step. This is where you make that simple offer to get it yes. How amazing does that sound? So I'm talking about asking and then listening to them, then making an offer, and I wanna emphasize. Only if you want to, only if you believe that you can help this person. The offer should be simple. You don't need a 12 week program with workbooks and modules. I know you wanna do that stuff, but it is not gonna get you a client. You need one clear offer that will solve one specific problem. Here's the formula. It's gonna be a four to six week coaching program where you work on one specific problem with one solution. maybe it's how to lose 10 pounds before the holidays, how to lose 10 pounds without counting calories, How to build confidence after a divorce. Then you're gonna figure out the price. This is beta pricing. For the first three clients, you decide like 300, $500. Okay? That is your offer. It is that simple. So here's what happens. When somebody says, well, how much is it? You say, well, I'm offering this as a beta program for $300. I'm only taking three clients on right now so I can give you my full attention and make sure that you have incredible results. That's not a gimmick. It has to be true. You are building your business, and this exclusive opportunity creates urgency. I love to have authentic urgency, so make sure it's not a gimmick. Again, make sure this is a true statement for you, plus it's gonna take the pressure off of you. You're not trying to coach 20 people all at once while you're still figuring out things. You're gonna get your first three clients that pay you 300 to $500 each. You're gonna coach 'em over four to six weeks solving one problem. Okay? So how does it sound? let me go on to the next thing, Anna. This is a bonus tip and this is gonna be about handling objections. Let me tell you, when somebody says, I can't afford this right now, don't panic, this is perfectly normal. You can say, I totally get it, Can I ask, if money was not an issue, is this something that you would want to do? This is finding out what is going on. Really get to the bottom of are they really interested or are they just telling you that? Or maybe they're gonna say, I don't have enough time. Then you can ask the same type of question, well, if you did have time, is this something you'd be interested in? This is when you get to decide, do you wanna offer a payment plan? maybe you say, well look, if I broke this down into two payments for you, would that work better if I broke this down to a payment every other week, would that work better? You get to decide, and if they're still not ready. Ask for a referral. You say, look, this is no problem. I understand the time might not be right. Is there somebody you can refer me to that might be looking to lose that menopausal weight gain or whatever it might be? Okay, get a referral from them. Your warm connections will offer to refer you even when they don't hire you. I'm telling you what, this is exactly how I built my business from the very beginning. So ask for referrals. Alright, let's recap this. It is so simple. Step one, make your who already knows you list, okay? A minimum of 20, 30 names, but go for it, you guys. 40, 50, 60, 70 names. Think of everybody you know. Go through your Facebook page, your Instagram page, go through old directories. Try to go by decades or by careers that you had, or jobs or companies that you were. For or stages of your kids' life. Think of that and then you'll be able to come up with names. Okay? The second thing is to use that conversation script that I talked about. Remember, it's a beta coaching session. You're just gonna take 15 minutes of their time and then keep your offer simple. That's a third step. That simple offer, four to six weeks, three to $500. You don't need a website. You don't need thousands of followers. You just need to have a really simple conversation, that comfortable conversation with people who already trust you. And guess what? You guys, your age. You women over 50. It is your superpower. Your life experience is what makes you so credible. So please own it. Your age is your superpower. So now if you're thinking, okay, Debbie, but what do I actually say on these calls? I've got you covered. Click the link in the description to grab my free first client conversation guide. Or you can just comment the word client and I will send you a step-by-step script, just a Google document. With this script, it is so easy where you can ask the questions, you can handle the objections, and you can close the deal. If you are over 50 and you're a woman who's ready to build your coaching business, check out this playlist that I have about starting your coaching business. After 50, I'll walk you through everything that you need to know to make your first offer or to make your first $5,000 a month. Drop a comment below. Tell me what your biggest fear is about getting your first client. Tell me what you think about having this conversation. I read every single comment and I will respond personally. now. Go make your list, start those conversations. You've got this. I'll see you in the next video. Have an amazing week. Bye-bye.