Maintain the Initiative

Over the past few weeks I've been working with two particular clients who have been making a very similar mistake. It's a mistake that has been costing them plenty of business over time and I'd like to share it with you so you can see if you are making it too. Let me explain...

Coach A - This coach has been going to networking events and talking with people who could be potential clients and some have even expressed an interest. However, not wishing to appear pushy, the coach has given them a business card and asked the potential client to call them if they need any help.

Coach B - This coach has placed an advertisement in a publication read by their target market and it has been generating a respectable number of enquiries. This is great. However, upon receiving an enquiry, the coach has a brief conversation and tells the client that they will send them a brochure and if they want to take it further then they just need to call.

Now, after the networking event the graceful handing over of your business card becomes a distant memory. After responding to the advertisement, the brochure through the post captures the prospect's attention for a millisecond and then it's gone. The potential clients re-enter their everyday lives as the whirlwind of other demands suck their focus elsewhere... and they don't call you.

The common mistake here is leaving the initiative with the potential client. This is crazy as it leaves the potential growth of your coaching practice down to someone other than you.

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Free Teleclass

5 Key Strategies to Attract More Clients
into Your Coaching Practice in 2005

Do you want to have a lot more clients in your practice next year than you've had so far this year? On Wednesday, 8th December at 8pm UK time I'm delivering a teleclass on the 5 key strategies you can implement into your coaching practice to help you to attract a lot more clients in 2005. This is a repeat of the teleclass that I'm delivering this evening which is now fully booked.

To book your place, e-mail me and you will be sent full details about this informative teleclass. There will also be comprehensive notes sent out to participants after the teleclass. It's free too:-)

P.S. If you do not receive an automated response within 24 hours, then please email me to let me know and I will forward you the details personally.

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> Tips to maintain the initiative:

Here are some tips to help you to maintain the initiative with potential clients:

1. Prepare - Think about the common marketing situations that you often find yourself in. What do you currently do at the moment? Is it you or the potential client who maintains the initiative afterwards? If it's the latter, what can you do to maintain the initiative yourself?

2. Process - Consider the steps that you could develop to increase the likelihood that the potential client will keep moving closer into your practice. Divide this up into little steps that are easy for the potential client to take.

Remember, it's a marathon not a sprint - slow and steady wins the race ;-)

3. Next Step - Make sure that you have the next step booked into the diary so that you have a pending action in place. This way you can continue to move things forward and monitor progress along the way.

So, do you maintain the initiative?

P.S. Would you like to access all 52 issues of the Authentic Practice Newsletter from the past year? If you recommend this newsletter to 3 of your coaching colleagues using the tell-a-coach form, then you will receive a link to the archive area. Complete the simple tell-a-coach form and you can access the useful marketing tips for your coaching practice and benefit immediately.

With very best wishes,

Authentic Practice
helping coaches to get more clients
3 Larchdene Avenue
Wollaton
Nottingham
NG8 2PF

Website: http://www.authenticpractice.com

Tel.: (0845) 123 5105
Mobile: (07811) 262 111

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I hope that you have enjoyed reading this issue of Authentic Practice and have found the information valuable. Please forward this issue onto any friends or colleagues that you think would benefit.

I work with coaches who have a strong desire to help others but are currently struggling to get clients. I help them to attract more clients and create a stable coaching practice that makes a bigger difference in the world.

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