So You Want to Scale Your Coaching Biz?
Here are the 6 automations you need to have in place first
There are really only two ways to scale a coaching business: Bring in more coaches or transition to a group program, aka a one-to-many model.
Yet, how do we know when we’re ready for that step?
First, there’s the obvious. Our schedule is full. It goes without saying that we ought to have clients before we consider expanding to bigger and brighter horizons.
However, the oft-overlooked quality is that we need to have systems in place that allow us to scale.
Now, if you’ve followed my work much, you’ll know that I’m a huge proponent of systems. One could reasonably say that I’m obsessed. And to be sure, it is something that I’ve seen WAY TOO FEW coaches truly nail down.
The System of Automation
Many of you were involved in a huge research project my team and I recently undertook. We interviewed more than 2000 coaches and mental health professionals and came up with the following stats:
86% of the people we spoke to have no automation set up in their business other than billing systems. Yet of them, nearly all wanted to scale their business in the next 12 months…
79% of interviewees worked solely in a 1-on-1 model, while 11% relied only on group sessions, and about 9% had both…
97% of the people we interviewed were disappointed by the level of impact they were making…
So, what does that have to do with systems?
One of the most common systems I see neglected is that of automation.
Which begs the question: How can we grow and scale our business without adding significant elements of automation?
My response?
We can’t.
Automated Systems Every Coach Needs to Implement
To create a thriving coaching business, every coach needs to implement automation.
I realize that I threw a big word in there... NEED. As in, you NEED to do this.
Yes, this is a big claim.
After all, automation tools help coaches scale operations in the following ways:
Reduce overwhelm and errors.
Enhance team productivity with less grunt work
Increase accountability and transparency
Lessen time and costs
Streamline communications
Yet which ones do you need? And what tools should you use to implement them?
For me, the first automation tools adopted should always be the ones that provide the greatest value to your clients. While there are plenty of options that are helpful, those that are client-facing tend to reap the greatest rewards. These include:
Email opt-in & welcome sequence
Onboarding of new clients
Self-management of client accounts
Immediate support
Digital appointment scheduling
Digital product delivery and follow-up
What They Are and How to Select the Right Ones
Email Opt-In & Welcome Sequence
Offering something valuable in exchange for an email address is internet currency. This may include a template, checklist, swipe file, video class, live challenge, digital download, or a variety of other value-packed resources. Yet it’s imperative that you have a way to nurture those leads once you’ve handed over the goods. The best way to do this is through a series of automated emails dripped out over the course of several weeks.
How to choose the right tool: Understand that in the end, it doesn’t really matter which service you’re using for your coaching business. They will all be able to help you achieve your goal – to grow your practice and connect with clients. Ultimately, you’ll want to consider the autoresponder’s credibility, deliverability, and user interface. Otherwise, choose one and just go with it.
Onboarding of New Clients
This step is crucial to avoid buyer’s remorse and ensure clients return month after month (if you offer a recurring payment model...and if not, why the heck not?!). You’ll need to automate the process of collecting payment, scheduling an onboarding session, sending a contract and/or additional forms, recording basic details about a client, inviting clients into different channels, and answering common questions.
How to choose the right tool: Depending on the complexity of your service, you’ll want to consider different options. If you have a membership site, it’s easy to integrate all of these tasks into one platform. Otherwise, you may need to piece together services from various providers. Considerations include your budget, team size, client load, and location of clients.
Self-Management of Client Accounts
Not only does it save you invaluable time, having the freedom to control their own accounts brings clients significant peace of mind. Granting them access to a portal where they can change their payment option, adjust their subscriptions, shift their contact details, and view their past billing history without having to contact you is a tremendous help when it comes to pleasing clients and growing your business.
How to choose the right tool: This is another situation where having a membership site naturally allows you to offer this service. Without that, you’ll want to consider a service that guarantees data protection, offers an easy user interface, and has all of the functionality your clients will want. It is also helpful if you receive notifications when clients adjust their settings.
Immediate Support
In an era of instant gratification, coaches who offer some sort of immediate or ongoing support have a unique value proposition at the ready. As such, it’s important that you make sure your content gets in front of your audience in a consistent manner. This can be set up so that your email sends out automated notifications when there are updates in the RSS feeds of your blog or podcast, or your course/membership platform can ping members when new content is released.
How to choose the right tool: Selecting the right tool comes down to frequency and functionality. How often will you be using the service and what exactly do you want it to do? There is no need for a lot of bells and whistles unless you are mass producing content for a variety of platforms and getting paid to do so.
Digital Appointment Scheduling
Ever tried to meet someone for a chat online? Or tried to schedule an appointment with a provider during a holiday? It was a terrible experience, right?
The back and forth is excruciating. By the time you finally set a date, it’s easy to forget why you’re meeting in the first place.
This is why the miracle of online digital calendars has been such a saving grace that absolutely every reputable coach must have one. It’s easy to share your availability with anyone who is interested, and then have it block off that time to anyone down the road.
How to choose the right tool: Online calendars vary significantly in functions available. Consider whether you need it to integrate with other programs, such as funnel software, payment portals, or application devices. Also, determine whether you’ll want more than one person accessing the account and whether you’ll need more than one type of calendar.
Digital Product Delivery and Follow-Up
If you sell any sort of digital product, it’s imperative that you have an automated process to deliver the goods and follow-up once those goods are delivered. The follow-up is really important here. You also want to keep prospects and clients notified about appointments well in advance and not rely on external sources, such as Facebook, to provide the details.
If you offer a course or membership site, there are a lot of amazing plugins that track progress and also email you checkpoints to track where your clients are within the program. Since having people drop off midway is detrimental to your reputation, it’s wise to have an automated system to notify you when people start slipping along the way.
How to choose the right tool: Ideally, choose a tool that provides multiple checkpoints to both the client and to you, the coach. Opt for something that delivers information via email or another place that is easily accessible without a separate login.
Want Help Automating Your Whole Coaching Business?
Membership Fix helps coaches automate most aspects of their coaching business. Through a process of planning, creating, launching, and evaluating, we’re able to quickly amplify your impact and income in just 90 days. If you’d like to discuss how we may be able to help you, please schedule a free discovery call today.
