EP 327 - The Simplest Way to Get Coaching Clients - Part 1/5 Marketing Series
What if the fastest way to get your next coaching client required zero tech, zero ads, and zero complicated strategy?
This episode kicks off a 5-part series where I’m breaking down the exact free marketing strategies I teach inside my framework, because too many coaches are stuck thinking they need more tools, more content, or more complexity to grow.
You don’t.
If you’re new to my channel, my name is Debbie Shadid. I’m a Business Growth and Life Coach and the founder of the Business Building Boutique. For over two decades, I’ve helped women learn how to become coaches, get clients, and build profitable, boutique-style businesses doing work they love.
In this first episode, we’re starting with one of the most overlooked (and most powerful) strategies: networking.
Not the formal, awkward kind.
The kind you’re already doing every single day.
You’ll walk away knowing:
what networking actually is (and what it is NOT)
how to get coaching clients without ads, funnels, or complicated systems
how to turn everyday conversations into real business opportunities
why this is the fastest way to start building momentum in your coaching business
This series is designed to simplify everything.
Because when you strip away the noise and focus on what actually works, your business becomes easier to grow and a lot more sustainable.
Over the past two decades:
Helped thousands of women start and grow profitable boutique-style coaching businesses with integrity and clarity.
When you commit to simple, consistent actions like this, your network expands, your confidence grows, and your results begin to compound.
Follow along for the rest of the series, and tell me in the comments what’s landing for you so far.
Life Coach Business Building School Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/life-coach-business-building-school-with-debbie-shadid/id1502118085
Private podcast series: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/private
Let’s connect!
Website: https://www.debbieshadid.com
Instagram @debbieshadid
#DebbieShadid #LifeCoachBusinessBuildingSchool
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Transcript
What is the fastest way to get your next coaching client required? Zero tech, zero ads, no funnel. Nothing that you had to learn or try to figure out what if you already knew how to do it. Today I wanna talk to you about the most overlooked marketing strategy in coaching, and it is something you've been doing your entire life. Hi there, I'm Debbie Shadid. If we haven't met, I'm so glad you're here. I help women mostly over 50, build and grow boutique style coaching businesses. And today this is part one of our five part series around marketing your coaching business for free. Make sure you subscribe, hit the bell so you'll be notified So you do not miss any of these episodes. This series covers the five core marketing strategies that I teach inside of the Profitable Coach Framework. By the time you get done with it, you'll have a clear picture of exactly how to get clients. Let me start by telling you first what networking is not. It is not this formal event handing out business cards. In fact, don't get any business cards. It is not you making a pitch. It is not you convincing anyone to buy anything. It is not selling. It's not a script that you memorize. It's not a technique that you do. You guys, can you hear me on that one? It is not selling. You don't wanna network because you don't wanna be, you know that salesy person, but you're not doing that. Networking is meeting people. That is it. Every single day you are already doing that. You talk to women in the line, at the grocery store. You talk to women at church, at the coffee shop, at your yoga place, in Facebook groups. That is networking. You're just getting to know people. You're already doing it, and you're already really good at it. The only thing that is missing. Is that you're not connecting and having conversations about your coaching. Are you guilty of that? I want you to think about every other marketing strategy for just a moment. Social media takes time to build. Email takes a list. Paid ads, well, they cost money. A podcast takes months to gain momentum and YouTube it's a long game. Networking, you can do it today. Right now, before this episode is over, you can literally pick up your phone and text three people you already know and say, I've been thinking about you. Can we grab some coffee or hop on a quick call? I'd love to catch up. That my dear one is networking. No platform, no tech, no learning curve, no money, just a conversation with a real person who already knows you, likes you, and trusts you, or a person that you just met. And here is the thing about warm conversations, and that's what you create when you do networking. When you talk to people and build a relationship, those are warm conversations. Those people will become clients if they're the right person. So much faster because they already know you. But here's the thing. This person you met, let's say it's a stranger that you met at a networking event, that person might know 30 other people who might be interested in your coaching or might know one. We don't know how many people they know, but what I do know is it is the fastest, simplest way to get to your next client. I also wanna say this to you because this is where people really get tripped up. The goal of networking again is not to sell. Also, you don't have to know how to say your quote pitch perfectly because when you talk to people about your business. You'll learn how to talk about your business. No kidding? You'll see their body language. You'll notice are they leaning in? Are they unengaged? Did they ask a follow-up question? Like, did they just shut you out? And be like, yeah, yeah, and go on with their day. You will figure out what is actually landing with them, which is so key to all of the other marketing that you're doing. Yeah, it is. So I want you to create conversation, meet somebody, get to know 'em, you ask some questions so that they can share about themselves too. And listen, you know, listen, well ask follow up questions. This is simple things about connection, but I do think we've kinda lost that art about being genuinely curious when we're talking to somebody, because so often you and I are guilty of thinking, what are we gonna say? How are we gonna say it? What's gonna happen? I want you to set all of that aside and just trust that what you are most passionate about, the thing you're gonna coach on. You already know how to have a conversation about that. Don't let it be scripted because that's where you get tripped up. So be genuinely curious about what somebody's doing, and nine times outta 10, they're gonna ask you a follow up question, like, what have you been up to? And you know what you say, well, you know, I've been working with clients in my coaching business, or I just created such and such for my coaching business, or, wow, I'm spending every day in my coaching business, or did you know I have a coaching company? You figure out how you want to answer it, but that becomes the answer now. You start talking about coaching and I guarantee you somebody's gonna ask a follow-up question. I have shared this example before, but it's so valuable for me to tell again. I was at pickleball with all these people. I didn't know somebody was talking about work and then they looked at me and said, Hey, what do you do? And instead of going into all the consultation and marketing and business support that I provide for coaches, I just said, well, I'm a life coach 'cause I am a life coach. And you cannot believe everybody three pickleball courts worth, were talking about, wow, she's a life coach and do you know what they do? And I need a life coach. That was an opportunity that was so simple. I could have literally gone around and followed up with those people. In fact, I already had their numbers, honestly, because we were all in a group message for pickleball. That is how you network. Yeah, that is how you build a business. There was nothing salesy about any of that. They started asking me questions. and there's an opportunity to follow up with something like that. Yeah, I is a good way to follow up and check with them and say, Hey, I would love to meet with you and tell you what my coaching business is all about. Can we grab a cup of coffee? One of the things I want you to know is that you're not even selling the person you're talking to, you're informing 'em. you are helping them to understand what you do, but I want you to think about that they're the gateway to a lot of other people. Here's what I wanna prove to you. The last time you needed somebody to cut your hair, that was different than who you'd had before. Get your nails done. Or come in and clean your house or clean your carpets. What did you do? I'm gonna bet you ask a friend, you ask a coworker, You ask somebody at Target that was in the checkout lane and you said, who cut your hair? It's so cute. Have you done that? I'm sure you have. That is how you grow your network. By meeting people and then getting to know their people. You get referred when somebody understands what you do. So if you're really hung up on still like, oh, I don't like talking about this to people. It feels weird. I don't wanna be that person who's selling 'em. Just imagine that your friends sister just went through a divorce and you're a divorce coach. Yeah, imagine that. And then know that you're actually telling them and they're gonna tell somebody else. So here's the deal. Networking leads to clients faster than anything else. Again, not because of a pitch, but because of a relationship where you have been genuinely interested, they have been understanding what you do. You've had this conversation going back and forth. There is no chasing, there's no convincing. I love thinking about our business and our marketing like we plant the seed, we water it, You continue to nurture the soil, you fertilize it and you wait for the harvest, whatever analogy you wanna come up with but I love that. Or it's like compound interest, right? It starts out as just nothing hardly pennies on the dollar. Next thing you know, you have, a bunch of money in the bank that's compounded interest. The same way with marketing. So this is the way that you can do it. And I wanna point out something else. You don't have to join any organizations. In fact, I encourage people to not do it. so if you're listening and you're like, I'm already part of the chamber, don't worry. Stay part of the chamber. Or if you're already in BNI don't worry. But what I want you to know is first, there should be people up and down your street. There should be people at the hair salon that you get your hair done at the gym. Talk to those people first. Don't pay for any networking. There are many free opportunities. You can go to Facebook or you can go to Eventbrite and you can put events in your local area, put your town in. It'll come up with all the events, either online or in person. I wanna tell you, I really do want you to go to in-person events because that is, first of all, a way for you to be in a room with somebody, which means they're not gonna, you know, get off the call or, hang up the Zoom or whatever. It's gonna be online. I want you to go to networking in person for a lot of reasons. Number one, you have the captive attention of the people in the room, right? They're there, they've all driven there. Nobody's gonna just leave, and hop off a call like sometimes happens on Zoom. They're there for that purpose to get to know each other. So that's number one. But the other thing is. You just see what is happening with somebody when you're talking to 'em. You could literally adapt an offer if somebody was interested right on the spot. So the best networking you can do, it happens in your real life. It is not planned. It is not calculated. It happens in your real life. I do however want you to set up some networking. I do. I want you to set up some networking events and I want you to intentionally do this, so start telling people what you do. Don't be salesy. Don't rehearse how you're gonna say it. Just have a conversation. I am so excited to hear what's gonna happen. Do not miss this step because this is only the first part of our five part series. I'm teaching all about free marketing. The same work that we do inside of the Profitable Coach Framework. So if you have any questions, reach out. If you wanna tell me where you've networked, I would love to hear it in the comments. Who did you meet? In fact, you can network in the comments. No kidding. You can network in Facebook groups. Do not dismiss any of that as not a good place to meet people, because anywhere you are is the perfect place to meet people. Alright, I hope you enjoyed this episode. Go meet people, tell 'em what you do and just get to know 'em and then your business is gonna grow, you guys, I'm not kidding. It will compound. The next thing you know, the 30 people that you knew is going to turn into hundreds. Subscribe and hit the bell and I will see you in the next episode.
