I know you got so excited to get out and meet new people yesterday that you came home with about ten business cards and you are ready to jump in and call them to make appointments and hit them with your best coaching deal. Wrong. This is a big mistake I see coaches making all the time. They’re so excited to be a coach and need the income so badly so they can quit the day job.
Several months ago I met a lady at a networking event where I was a vendor. Now, in case she reads this, I’m not going to share her name, or what she was selling. I want to use her way of selling to show you how it will look if you join the networking game the way she did.
She was selling something that is needed in some modern businesses, but with the internet it really could be avoided in my business. When I said “Hi” to her at this event, she took that for an interest in her machines. She ran back to her table and got information, came to my vendor table and then proceeded to give me the sales pitch. In the process, she was pushing away people who wanted to talk to me.
She never once asked me my name. I tell this because I knew her from a Bible study I attended six or seven years prior. Yet she never once said “I know you from somewhere.” She never stopped to take a breath. She just kept selling.
That same networking event was done again four months later. I hesitated at first, but ended up getting a table there again. I was surprised that same woman was there, this time selling a different product. Wonder why?
You see so many people will turn on the sales mode and never build a relationship to get business. They go for the quick sale and move on to the next quick sale. In coaching, that will not work. To work in coaching, you will have to build a relationship of trust. After all you’re going to point out your clients’ fears, then help them to make choices to correct them. Shotgun sales will not work, remember the old saying: People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
You see, this is why we build blogs and posts online. It’s to show a system of ideas for people to check you out. People talk to me all the time about laws of attraction. Sorry, it’s not a law; it is just like my rules. A set of rules that you live by that attracts others to you.
You are building a life and working to attract people to what you have. Now that you have contacts in the real world, look for places to serve them. I got involved in serving at many events in my town to help show others I was someone who cared.
I recommend finding places that you can get yourself out. When you meet these people, send them friendly emails and connect on the social networks to show them you care. Over time they will open up to you. Until then be willing to help, but remember from yesterday, offer a service, receive some sort of payment.
Come back tomorrow as we talk about building a speaking system to support your coaching and bring in more connections and clients.
I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream to love what you do and those you share life with. Showing people you care and building relationships will make you a RockStar coach in your world.
