If you’ve ever asked yourself or searched online for resources on “how to get more clients” or “how to find clients” or “how to attract ideal clients,” then you may resonate with this post.
If you’re looking for the best way to market your online business or searching for that perfect marketing plan that will create a steady flow of clients, then you’re in the right place.
Coaching women entrepreneurs to create a successful online business hinges on more than just business strategy, the newest trending marketing, sales or mindset hack or tool.
There is a secret ingredient all business owners want more than anything in their business. It is the single most important key to creating sustainable sales, profits, and time flexibility, and money freedom.
What’s this secret ingredient?
I’ll get back to that.
First, let me tell you a bit of my story.
When I started my coaching business, I was ALL about marketing. OR so I thought. I desired a website with a unique marketing message and authentic brand that would attract all my ideal clients and make my marketing a breeze.
I just assumed that if I made a pretty coaching website, created an irresistible lead magnet, collected some emails and sent out monthly or quarterly newsletters, created a few e-books and posted great quotes and advice on social media, my life and business coaching business will take off without much else.
But I was wrong.
I was making a massive marketing mistake (and many more) in my online coaching business.
I was missing the one secret ingredient – Connecting with Ideal Clients.
Creating a Personal Connection with Ideal Clients – Stepping into your Visibility Power
I’ve heard this powerful tool referred to as creating warm leads, prospecting, connecting or networking.
I simply call it connection.
Without clients, You, women entrepreneurs and business women, myself included, have no business; just a really expensive hobby.
Showing Up and Stepping into Your Visibility Power to create a personal connection with ideal clients offers entrepreneurs and business owners a myriad of opportunities to support potential clients and make a lasting impression.
In my opinion, actually connecting with real people and building authentic relationships is the missing ingredient to creating a powerful marketing experience.
If you’re here reading this, it means one thing. You desire more business.
You want engaged ideal clients who know, like and trust you. Potential clients who understand that you get them, and that you are prepared to support them to be/do/create the thing they desire most in their lives and business.
Ideal clients in your profitable niche who are happy to make the investment in themselves.
Ideal clients who want to do the work.
Ideal clients who know the value of your product or service and want it TODAY.
Why Online Marketing Only May Not Work
It’s easy to hide behind the computer and send out emails once a month, or post cute quotes and fancy memes to Instagram or Facebook, but to actually connect with the people you desire to impact, you have to show up.
What creates this holding pattern for most women entrepreneurs; one where they stay stuck or spinning their wheels before making any progress?
It’s the sexy idea of making easy money doing only online marketing.
The trending idea that there is one system or strategy out there that will create this unlimited pool of ideal clients who want to work with you or buy your product.
And as soon as you nail it you’ve arrived.
Maybe its….
Another new funnel.
Another Facebook Challenge for the Facebook Group.
Another strategy that so and so used to make $900,000 in 90 days.
The magic pill we all want to drink, fall asleep and wake up to a full client roster, massive sales and a client waiting list.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those strategies, funnels, challenges, and tactics. I enjoy most of them in my business.
And, here’s the 10X Money Mindset deal for heart-centered women entrepreneurs, especially coaches, who want to make a difference in the world, make consistent Money + Profits, and create Freedom doing what they love.
There is no one-size fits all system or solution to building or creating your dream business or life or relationships. Just because it worked for X doesn’t mean it will work for you.
Instead of spending all day online, trolling social media, doing more google research or downloading another free cheat sheet, trying to find the best way to get clients for your business, I invite you to consider this….
Stop relying on, copying from or asking the experts out there how to market your online business and identify and create your own Sweet Spot.
How to Create a Successful ‘Connection’ Marketing Plan that You Love
My invitation to you is to show up and connect with all the potential clients out there who really need your support and cannot wait for you to help them take their lives, business, relationships, style, health, wealth, [whatever] to the next level.
Take a break every once in a while from the online buzz. Step out of the comfort zone of your home office, your Starbucks Café, your sandy beach location or wherever else you spend most of the day hiding out behind your computer, and tweaking, re-branding, blogging and writing newsletters…. And go engage your clients in person.
Generate the clients and the business you desire from the inside out.
My own dilemma at the time, at least I thought that was the problem I needed to solve was…. how to build a successful coaching business; and specifically how to get more coaching clients.
So, I decided to shift my limiting beliefs around fear of visibility, and fear of rejection and BEcome connection. I also had to get my focus off “getting,” and tap into my inner wealth (the real work – Mindset).
Here are few things I did initially to embrace connecting, serving and selling with ease, and engage in effortless marketing that I truly enjoyed.
Network – Join Organizations
For my own transition to making real connection, I started out by joining a bunch of women’s organizations, not just to generate business, but also to connect, learn and serve.
Working alone from home can sometimes be isolating so it was always refreshing to dress up, leave the house for a few hours and connect with good conversation and laughter. The great hors d’oeuvres helped too.
Host Workshops
As a women’s business coach, I also reached out to organizations; mainly women’s organizations and volunteered to host a few workshops around different topics I knew would be of interest to them.
These don’t have to be free. You can choose to host paid workshops in your niche or area of expertise. The beauty of workshops is that they can be on any topic; well-being, business success, leadership, fashion and style, work-life balance.
The key is to give value. These days, potential clients can easily download useless generic information from google or Pinterest or social media. Give them something real and transformational so that it actually gives them great benefits.
Create a Meet-Up Group
This one was a biggie because it meant I had to step into a leadership role and show a bit more of myself than just sliding into someone’s event.
It allowed me to stretch myself as a coach; take a few risks, step out of my comfort zone, and even date a few niches.
A coach I was working with during that time challenged me to be of service and offer 100 hours of Free Coaching. 100 hours of free coaching for 100 women? I was mildly intimidated, but I was up to the challenge.
Of course, it meant, I had to get 100 women into the group, or at least obtain referrals from the women already in the group to reach my goal of 100.
I made it easier on myself and offered 50 women 1 hour of coaching with a followup session. I learned a ton; about coaching, niching, what women really want, listening, being present, being of service without worrying about the money part, and learning the language of my ideal clients.
I’m not advocating this idea for everyone, but I definitely enjoyed it. Coaching all these amazing women (and a few of their visionary husbands) was definitely an eye-opener, and the main thing that got me super comfortable with personal connection and Service.
Showing up for your tribe or community doesn’t always have to be free. You can host paid Meet-Up sessions where members pay for whatever services you’re offering.
Practice ASKing for money; Practice getting paid. This raises the accountability factor. It’s a Mindset secret – People are more invested in what they spend money to be/do/create.
I offer a mix of both paid and some free events. You can check out my Business and Money Mindset Meet-Up group here. Leading a Meet-Up is pretty easy to set up with monthly costs under $20 depending on the number of members.
Book Speaking Engagements
You can start real small and work your way up or go straight for gold. I started by speaking to my toddler daughter’s day care class. Yes, that small.
Once I focused my online marketing on coaching women entrepreneurs, I was invited to speak to a group of Business students at Howard University, and have been steadily growing from there.
Let people know you’re available. Identify and create a profitable niche that narrows the focus in your online marketing materials. Show your ideal clients how to connect with you for more information on that beautiful website you love tweaking so much.
Let friends, family and former colleagues know what you do and who you serve so that they can spread the word for you.
You get the point. There are so many ways to show up for your people and connect with your ideal clients. Leave your business cards at your hair salon, favorite diner, and favorite local business and create partnerships.
Other Options to Build Relationships and Create Connections
Think outside the box. Do what lights you up and supports you to show up as your best self.
Ask Previous Clients for Referrals.
Create Referral Partners and co-host events together.
Host Dinner Nights and Game Nights.
Host a Brown Bag Lunch Speaking Series for your potential clients at their place of business.
Hold Trunk Shows.
Without connection and creating a group of people you can communicate with regularly on a deeper level, you won’t get the most out of your marketing and sales efforts and time.
A great online presence and beautiful brand is wonderful, but if it is not attracting and supporting you to create ideal clients you enjoy working with on a CONSISTENT BASIS, then you’re not enjoying the time and money freedom you want for yourself.
This one thing can create a massive shift in your marketing and online business as a whole.
Let’s talk about Money Mindset
If there is one thing I’ve learned from coaching women entrepreneurs, it is that Money Blocks don’t discriminate, and show up for everyone no matter how much money you have, make or don’t have.
Yes Money Mindset and all those Money Blocks or Limiting Beliefs show up as soon as Women Entrepreneurs decide to step out in their Power and Up their Visibility in their business.
Fear of Rejection.
Fear of Judgment.
Fear of Failure.
Fear of Success.
Fear of Visibility.
Lack of Confidence.
Not-Enoughness.
Procrastination.
Perfectionism.
I’m not Ready Yet.
I Can’t afford it.
I don’t have the Time.
I need someone else to give me Permission to be ME.
Shift the Money Blocks and Screw the Gremlins
Look, if you’re truly open for business, then I invite you to get 100% committed to doing whatever you need to do to grow the business of your dreams. No one else is going to do the work for you. Your clients hire you because you are YOU.
Remember that the money blocks, limiting beliefs, and stories are all just Stories.
Stories you’ve created in your mind based on real and “what if” scenarios that have now kept you stuck, and are in the way of what you desire, and who you want to be.
Go out and get the Rejections.
Go out and fail.
I promise, you’ll live and learn.
Hoping clients will find your website and hire you or buy from you is not a business strategy. This only leads to feast or famine months in your business, and allows you to become complacent with inconsistent income.
Let go of the self-sabotage and do the work to shift your Money Mindset, remember your WHY or What For, and lean into your vision and goals.
And….
I also invite you to come from service, heart and connection.
From service, heart and connection, any commitment you make always has you Being Enough, Being confident, and Being a blessing to someone else; the answer to someone’s biggest problem or pain point; the solution someone has been searching for.
Find the marketing sweet spot that works for you; both online and in person and create a plan that empowers you everywhere.
A successful woman entrepreneur knows her people, understands their language, has a marketing message that resonates deeply with who they are and want they desire, AND knows how to truly step into her power and connect with them on an authentic level.
What’s Next?
So, now the ball’s in your court.
How is your marketing?
What is working and what isn’t?
What one shift can you make today to create an even better marketing plan that sustains you and your business goals?
Cheers to your fabulous Success!
I’m MiMi Dabo and I support Women Entrepreneurs who struggle with Creating Premium Clients and Charging their Worth, to Confidently Package, Price, Market and Sell their Services to their Ideal Clients in a Profitable Niche.
I help them to ditch the crappy Money Blocks and stories, and package their services into irresistible high-end offers for their ideal clients, raise their prices or charge what they’re worth, and market and sell with ease so they can radically increase their income – while changing the world in the process. Visit www.lifecoachforwomen.com.
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