4 Ways to Get (Create) Your First Paid Client as a Life Coach

< Copy the templates I’ve mentioned here >

We all know how many life coaches have grown in this pandemic.

Around 71,000 life coaches were estimated worldwide in the last two years. Moreover, the market size for life coaches is predicted to reach $20 billion by 2022.

It shows how much the demand and the number of life coaches have increased over the years. Especially since the lockdown, we need more support for our personal growth than ever before.

With a growing number, I see so many new life coaches struggle to get their first paid client.

In this post, we will cover how to get your first paid client as a coach. We will use the Rich Litvin method of creating clients, which will be the premise of all four ways I will mention in this article.

The method isn’t about “getting” clients, it’s about “creating” clients. Here’s the video for reference —

Rich Litvin is an experienced coach, and he proposes a four-step method of creating clients in his book “The Prosperous Coach”—

Connect

Step 1 is to connect with the kind of people you want to serve. You can send them a connection request on LinkedIn. Do not pitch, propose, or even invite them for anything yet.

You can ask someone else to connect you with them. Build a connection, engage with their social media, and have a chat — be welcoming, humorous, and inviting in your nature.

Invite

Invite means inviting them for a conversation — tell them you do XYZ coaching and help with XYZ, and you are curious to have that kind of conversation with them.

Ask if they would be willing or interested to have that conversation, and then invite them for one.

Serve

Serve and coach the people you invite so powerfully that they never forget the conversation for the rest of their life.

Propose

After you feel that you have served them enough, at one point, either they will ask how can we do this more, or you ask for permission if they would like to work with you more like for x more weeks or months.

Propose a package. For starters, make your offers simple such as $500 for 2 weeks or $3000 for 3 months. Tell them what it takes to work with you.

4 Ways of creating your first coaching client

Based on this premise, there are 4 ways you can create your first paid client.

1. Reach out to your contacts and your current network

Instead of pitching to your friends or colleagues, ask for a favor that you need some help with creating clients. Here, as you can see in the template attached.

You can use this template from my program Life Coaching 101 week 2 module — text your friends, colleagues, and your current network.

It does not mean that you are being salesy — you are not asking them if they need help; you are only asking if they know someone who needs help. And sometimes, they might be the person who needs help.

What you are doing essentially is inviting them for a conversation, or you are asking them for referrals; if they know someone who might use some help.

Besides, it is a win-win situation for both of you. They can connect two people — one who is offering the help and one who needs it.

2. Create content and use PS/ CTA to invite

You don’t need to change the bio section on your profile right away.

Create content about becoming a life coach, and either at the bottom of the post or in the comment section put up a CTA (Call to action).

You can use something like this —

PS — I have opened up a few slots in my calendar to help people with XYZ topics, so if you are one of them, please drop me a message with the word ‘coaching’ and let us have a conversation.

Interested people will contact you.

For reference, here is a screenshot of my LinkedIn post about becoming a life coach.

As you can see, I have nowhere mentioned (yet) that I am a business coach or training new coaches but added a CTA in the comment section that I help professionals become 6-figure life coaches and put up a free consultation link to invite.

Two people used this opportunity and booked a call with me. Great, right?

This shows you can simply create content first instead of changing your profile bio and about me sections on your social media.

3. Use Facebook and WhatsApp groups to offer pro-bono sessions

You can offer pro-bono sessions on relevant Facebook and WhatsApp groups. For example, your coaching helps entrepreneurs improve their focus, so search groups around entrepreneurs and side hustlers.

You can make a direct post like —

As a goodwill gesture, I am offering pro-bono sessions to 5 people about XYZ topics. If you are interested in it, drop me a message. Let’s have a conversation.

You have to be careful. Don’t spam. Make sure you understand the rules of these individual groups before you post about offering pro-bono sessions.

4. Offer a giveaway on LinkedIn

This is a new and interesting one — offer a giveaway on LinkedIn.

I recently tried this, as you can see in the attached screenshot —

38 people participated in my giveaway, where I offered one slot as a giveaway to work with me.

One person will get to work with me as a giveaway, and at the same time, I got 37 leads of people who are interested in learning about being a life coach.

This would be my moment to reach out to these interested people personally and build a relationship. Down the line, this would mean a few clients too.

Takeaway

We have seen a surge of new life coaches in this pandemic, many of whom struggle to get their first paid client.

And so, if you are a new life coach, based on Rich Litvin’s four-step method of creating clients — connect, invite, serve, and propose, you can follow mentioned four ways to get your first paid client.

1. Instead of pitching, text your friends, colleagues, and current network, and ask as a favor if somebody in their circle needs help that you are offering.
2. Rather than updating your profile bio on social media first, create relevant content and use CTA/PS to invite.
3. Join relevant Facebook and WhatsApp groups and offer pro-bono sessions to a set number of people and serve them so powerfully they never forget the conversation ever.
4. Use LinkedIn to offer a giveaway — connect and work with people interested in what you are offering.

Ready to become a six-figure coach from scratch?

Book a free consultation call with me here.