I can’t believe I wrote a title like that. But I did. Because it’s true.
The words were a shower epiphany. I raced out of the shower, dripping wet, but covered in a towel, mind you, to my office to jot it down.
I heard the audible *click* in my brain when the epiphany hit. Not that the words were anything that new. I had been teaching this idea to my clients for the past year. It must just be the simplicity that made it click.
I know, it may sound like corporate smarmy markety speak, but it’s true. Hear me out.
Someone looking to lose weight doesn’t search for a weight loss coach. They search for someone or something to help them lose weight. They want a solution to their weight problem.
Someone looking to find their dream job doesn’t look for a career coach. They look for someone or something to help them find their dream job. They want a solution to their career problem.
Someone looking to be happier in life doesn’t look for a life coach. They want someone or something to help them feel happy. They want a solution to their not-happy problem.
So if you’re a coach, stop selling coaching and start selling solutions.
Here’s what I mean…
How to Sell Solutions, Not Coaching
If you’re not selling a lot of coaching and want to start selling solutions instead, start by asking yourself some important questions.
What problem does my ideal client have?
What does my ideal client want?
How am I going to help them solve their problem or get what they want?
Don’t just think about the questions. Write out your answers. Brainstorm what your ideal clients really want and look at the world from their perspective.
Something powerful happens when you take time to write out the answers. Major a-ha’s happen – I see it with my clients all the time.
If you stick with it, eventually you’ll see why you’re great at what you do. You’ll see why you are perfect to solve your ideal clients’ problems. And best of all, you’ll be able to describe your solution in such a compelling way that people will want to work with you!
Click to TweetWant to perfect your coaching offers? As Jenny Shih says, “People don’t buy coaching, they buy solutions.”Make It Even More Enticing
Now that you’re seeing how you offer solutions, not coaching, let’s talk about how to make those solutions even more enticing to your target audience.
A lot of well-meaning coaches offer 6 sessions for $600 (or name any session/price combo). As a person seeking a solution, I don’t know how many sessions it will take me solve my problem. You’re the expert, so I want you to tell me!
If I need to lose 25 pounds, how many weight loss coaching sessions will that take?
I know what you’re thinking: “It depends!”
Of course it depends, and I want you to tell me anyway. What must you teach your client in order for her to get the result she desires? How long will it take for her to get that result?
The way to lure people into your programs is to tell them exactly what it will take to reach their desired results. If that’s 6 sessions, great. If it’s 24, fine. But instead of selling 6 sessions for $600, sell them “Lose 25 lbs in 3 months.” That is an enticing solution.
Once you’re clear on what solution you solve and how long it will take to help a client solve that problem, you have a clear, compelling offer that someone will be hungry to pay you for. It’s way easier to talk about it at a networking event or during a consult when you can be this clear. And we could all use a little help with those networking events…
My Personal Recommendation for YouWhy I Don’t Let My Clients Hire a CopywriterYour Turn
Everyone’s enticing offer will be different depending on how they work and who their ideal clients are, but hopefully these tips get your brains working at what solution you can provide to your clients… instead of simply offering “coaching.”
Now, as always, I want to hear from you! Tell me…
What solution do you sell?
If you’re working the hours for dollars model, are you ready to switch to something more solution-oriented? Why or why not?
If you’re already offering solution-focused offers, how are they working for you?
I can’t wait to hear all about in the comments below.
I just started using this model, so I haven’t seen results as of yet. My banner says “Finally live your true purpose instead of just getting through the day”.
That’s a good line, Linda! Really clear and specific.
Thanks 🙂
Linda, many people don’t know what their true purpose is. Maybe it’s “I help you uncover your true purpose and live the life you dream of.” Or something like that. As Jenny said, coaches sell solutions.
Linda I agree your “true purpose” is still a little vague to me as what my problem is, I like Shana’s rec. it just feels like it could be punchier- your tag line. Good luck! How about “Discover your life’s purpose and live it!”?
I frickin’ LOVE this Jenny! So obvious yet so insightful. I’m a ‘mommy coach’ who teaches moms to rediscover passion for their life through photography. I’m on the cusp of launching my flagship online program, Momtographie — and the solution I offer moms is a 6-week recipe to photographic success. In 6 weeks they’ll finally be able to take that camera out of AUTO mode and have it working for them to achieve the beautiful photos of their children that they’re after. Thank you for helping me find clarity in this in helping me realize I’m on the right track! 🙂
What a fun way for moms to connect to photography and being a mother, Beryl. Focusing more on the solutions your target clients want is definitely going to help more moms see how much they’d love to join in. Nice work!
Great idea! Thanks!
Jenny
This is so true. As a sales coach I teach authentic selling. Authentic selling is very powerful and delivers tangible results because people learn to identify their clients pain points. Once you have the pain points all you need to do is figure out a tangible result you can provide for that client. Selling starts with communication and is really nothing more than focused communication. Focused communication will help you uncover the pain points of your customer and then you can move forward doing what you do best…..coaching!
Yes – you know this better than anyone, Kendrick! Tangible results, pain points, and benefits are the biggest keys to connecting what you offer with what your target clients want. Spoken like a true saleswoman 🙂
Thanks Jenny! 🙂
Selling to pains is overly simplistic. Just knowing someone’s pain points gets you about 10% of the way there. That is a really old way of selling. Doing the old “pain/gain” process rarely tells you what they want to buy. Most people lie about their pain points. Unless you can read their psychology and know why the prospect buys on a much deeper level, you’ll still struggle.
Do your clients know exactly how to read the client’s personality and psychology to know what emotions are triggering a purchase decision? Can your clients create a powerful, personalized extremely compelling value proposition on the fly? Do your clients know which neural triggers to use to make their prospects fixated on their product or service? Can they read the prospects patterns to understand what triggers a repetitive purchase pattern? Probably not.
I’ve been personally teaching people (even extremely shy people) how to sell for years – increasing their sales 200-400%, within days – cold calling. The only way to teach someone how to sell effectively is by having an expert, self-aware sales person be selling with them, providing real time feedback. You can’t do that in a book.
Jenny, that is seriously a brilliant subject line and title for an article. I HAD to read it (even though I’m doing something else right now).
After a major brainstorm session yesterday with a Mastermind buddy, I think I’ve figured out what sings to me and what my ideal clients want.
The solution I sell: Organize your life in 4 months. From your closet to the kitchen sink.
I’m just working on it so probably need to make it juicier. Do you think it makes sense? To be a little more clear: what I want to help people with initially is organizing something physical in their lives like their closet and clothes. From there we move on to organizing other pieces of their lives – furniture, career dreams etc.
Sounds like a solution-oriented offer, Sara. That’s great. Though based on “closet to kitchen sink” I’d think you meant “Organize Your Home.” But since you’re looking at other parts of their lives, and if that’s truly what they want, then maybe something like “Organize Your Life in 4 Months. From your closet to your calendar” or “closet to career” or something that spans the physical to the not-so-physical.
Jenny! This is such a great post – I’m constantly toying with this one and perfecting my offer. Love the solution-based approach. The solution I provide clients is better traffic for their websites, as well as less money wasted on marketing that doesn’t work (I’m a Google Analytics chick). I’m just getting held up on crafting the “perfect” package (I know, just pull the trigger!)
Just buffered this one – thanks for writing it!
Traffic sounds like a good solution to me, Liz!
I’d love to know what you know about Google Analytics. Personally, I’d love for someone to do a quick analysis for me each month on my traffic and tell me what’s working and what small tweaks I could make to improve things. That’s definitely a solution that I’m sure others are looking for as well. (hint, hint)
Liz I’m really good at SEO for solopreneurs get in touch if you have any interest in chatting about any overlaps! Especially via content marketing (writing,) targeted pieces to rank for keywords. I do it for myself and several sites I’ve run. My focus in on wellness & spirituality.
Kala,
I am interested in your services. Where can I find you online?
Great post. My intention is to change my coaching packages to be solution based rather than you get this many sessions for this price. But alas, this all takes time. My take-away from this post is to be really honest about how many sessions it’s going to take. I work with people in chronic pain and 6 sessions is probably the minimum to get into the core of what is keeping them in pain and start practicing new ways of being. I’m working on making a product that I can package with the coaching packages, which has the essential practices for changing people’s relationship with their body and emotions. Once that is done I’ll be ready to redesign the coaching packages.
Sounds like you know the steps, Gail, and that’s great! As a new coach, it’s hard to jump right to packages when you don’t have experience under your belt. And then as you grow your experience (as I know you have in working with clients over the past few years), you can see what it really takes to help someone get the results they want. And bonus points to you for adding in a product that will support your clients!
Hi Jenny,
It is a great idea. It sounds so simple but it is not obvious to everybody.
I will adjust my marketing campaigns 🙂
Thank you for the tip xxx
I loved this, Jenny! When I first began my coaching practice I was selling the old __ sessions for $ ___ but then I realized that, like you said, people have no idea what they need and how many sessions it’ll take, they just want a solution!
Now I sell willpower, motivation, how to deal with setbacks, and make sure your results last.
I definitely think that sounds more enticing than 6 sessions for $600 🙂
I’m still working on tweaking things because I know I can come across better in my copy and this has inspired me to re-visit it and look at how I can make it even juicier sounding. Thanks!
Awesome, Jenna! I love that you sell willpower, motivation, how to deal with setbacks, and make sure your results last! It is something almost everyone wants.
And, know that the more clients you have and the more you work with people you love, the easier it will be to update your copy. You’ll get in the habit of catching the words your prospects and clients use and snag them for creating fabulous solutions.
this article made me so excited! i read somewhere that “coaching” is not the offer but the way in which you help someone…and i love the clarity of offering a specific solution as well. it helps focus everything down to what’s essential and in turn makes for more effective coaching/results.
so at networking events or just in general do you recommend saying the solution you offer as opposed to your title ie: being a health coach or weight loss coach? so when someone asks “what do you do?”
a better response would be ” i offer a 90 day weight loss program for women?” is that right?
thanks for this post jenny!!
How you talk about what you do at a networking event depends on a lot of things. If you’re comfortable with the term “weight loss coach,” then you can use it. If you think people will look at you like you have two heads, then you could say something like “I help women lose weight without having to diet.”
Successful networking involves several factors, like feeling comfortable talking about what you do, feeling out the person you’re speaking with, driving them to be curious about what you offer but not pushing if they’re clearly not curious.
This blog post may help you think about this topic a bit more, too. https://jennyshih.com/2012/02/the-easiest-answer-to-the-toughest-question/
So can I just say “I help powerhouse women lose 36 pounds in 6 months.”
Is it that easy?
I feel like it’s misleading! It happens though… all the time!
If your people would believe it, go for it! If it would set off their BS filter, maybe save that nugget for your consults 🙂
Jenny…strikes again with a hit! When you say it as clearly as you just did..it was for me well, of course. It wasn’t “of course” before I read this blog. Thank you for be the most refreshing email that comes to me on Wednesdays. You are so awesome. It is an honor to be part of your tribe…or pack…or…whatever you think you have.
Happy Day!
Susan
Susan, you always know how to make me feel appreciated!! XO
Love this, Jenny. So helpful, so palm-slap-to-the-forehead-simple! I am childbirth educator and parenting coach who helps new moms . . . feel more rested, relaxed and confident; get their needs met; and feel connected.
Sounds like a clear solution to me, Allison! 🙂
What a great post! Not only does it attract clients to focus on the solution instead of the niche, but I think it will make it easier for me to talk to potential clients in an open, engaging way! I don’t really like to talk about what I charge, but I LOVE to talk about how I help my clients (healthcare providers) achieve greater personal and professional success.
Yes! It definitely makes the conversation about what you do much easier. Glad you see that!
Great post, Jenny. I like how you take us deeper and deeper into the process until we get to the heart of what makes our clients tick and how to explain it to others.
Sometimes, answering the question, “What can I do to solve my client’s problem?” leaves me stuck. I go around in circles in my head or I start to use bland language. It helps if I imagine a situation where I helped a client reach an a-ha moment. Then, I describe what the client felt as a result of the breakthrough. My language gets a lot more emotional when I look at it from that perspective…which makes it easier for people to connect to.
Excellent, Adrianne! Think about what the client felt and tap into emotions. That always helps.
Another thing to think about is what your client felt like and was thinking *right before* she hired you. Go into that place and BE her at that moment. That will often help you pull out the right words, feelings, etc., to help you really speak her language.
I agree, Jenny. Knowing what she’s thinking right before is huge. Sometimes when I write I feel like I’m writing to this huge mass of people. Like I’m writing to the entire internet. But when I take time to zero in on my client and really think about what she’s feeling, it helps me connect. Have you ever done the thing where you try to write down a pretend day in the life of your client? Doing that shifted something for me—it helped me really understand where she’s coming from when she knocks on my virtual door, and what’s holding her back.
I love the point you make here, Adrianne. Different exercises resonate with different people to really help them feel what their clients are feeling. I’m familiar with the “day in the life of” exercise but it never really did it for me. And I love that it helped you – great reminder to me that these ideas click with each person in a different way. Thanks for sharing that here!
Great advice! I´m just starting my coaching business and this will be really helpful
-Andrea-
Thanks Jenny. This post really resonated with me. I read it a couple of days ago and its been mulling around in my mind ever since. I feel like I have heard this before, but this is the first time it was put in such a succinct way, and a way that has inspired me to take action. I am now trying to incorporate that into my work.
Thanks, Joanna. So glad it helped! It took me awhile to realize the power of selling solutions, but once I did and implemented it, I saw results fast! I wish the same for you!
This is great Jenny! It is such a simple concept but so easy to overlook when writing copy. I must admit I struggle with thinking of the benefits and solutions, but I love how clear your example is.
Great article! Great information! Coaches need to realize that it is so hard to sell the actual coaching. People don’t want to be “coached” as that means something must be wrong. But they do want to “lose weight” they do want a “stronger marriage” they do want “more clients,” etc.
Wow. This was an eye-opener. Solution? My business is called Sexy, Sassy, and Soulful. My vision is clear, but not my solution…
Hmmm..my solution to help women live their authentic lives. Maybe I DO have one? This is the tagline for my company. So, that means living with passion the truth of who they are, whatever they’re doing.
So great that you see you have some room for further clarity, Evie. One thing to think about when it comes to your solution, is what are these women thinking to themselves. Are they asking, “How do I live a more authentic life?” Hmmm…. maybe, maybe not. If you can figure out what they’re thinking about their lives and believing they want, THEN you’ve found the solution that you offer. Make sense?
Wow. Yeah, makes sense. From what I know, women my age (Im in my early 40s) that I know have gone through highs and lows, lots of life changes, our bodies are changing. We aren’t as carefree as we were in our 20s, we are less concerned about proving something to others as we were in our 30s. I sorta see this decade (give or take a few years) as a time for reinvention, reshifting priorities, putting ourselves first, getting to know ourselves again, figuring out how to forge ahead as our reinvented selves into the future. . lots to think about.
Sounds like there’s a theme in there of “who am I” or “who do I want to be”… or something along those lines. Keep thinking about this. Because the more clear you are on this before you dive into BSchool, the better your experience will be and the more you’ll get out of it. It’s worth spending time on in the next week, I promise!
Thanks! I really appreciate this! I know that clarity will help me better tailor my marketing materials as I’m in the process of creating them. Can’t wait for class, and thanks so much for your wisdom.
Jenny I really enjoyed your thought-provoking article. We must show potential clients the value in the services that we offer. Funny, since I started this journey, I tried to avoid the word coach because I don’t want to coach my clients towards their goals, I want there to be a transformation. Thank you for the extra nudge. Printing your article and reviewing my website to make a few tweaks. (www.formysisterfriends.org)
I LOVE this Jenny. So true. Step outside the box and offer what they really want. I’m re-doing all my copy at the moment, so perfect timing.
Thanx
Really clear and really relevent. I love the shower epiphany too! Thanks!
Love this one, Jenny! I posted in the B-School FB group last night after having almost the exact same shower epiphany. Then someone shared the link to this post 🙂
Over the past two days I read Chris Guillebeau’s “The $100 Startup,” and he also mentions the importance of focusing on benefits vs. features. What I realized (yes, in the shower) was this:
The *feature* of my biz is that I help my clients become more brilliant communicators – through improved writing skills, speaking skills, and targeted communication strategy in general.
The delicous *benefit*, however, is that I help my clients attract their DREAM clients. Their customer soulmates, if you will. I help them be the best version of themselves so they can attract their right people. Then the magic happens.
What I’ve realized is that I’m not “just” a communication stylist; I’m an entrepreneur’s business matchmaker! In a way, it’s like I’m helping my clients write their online dating profiles to find “the one” (thousand perfect customers).
I’m thinking I can carry this theme through as I name my packages and offerings. like “The Coffee Date” – “The Lunch Date” – and, for more considerable work, “Dinner + a Movie.”
I think my copyediting package will be called something like “The Perfect First Impression.” Having typos and grammatical errors on your website is like having broccoli in your teeth when you meet your dream guy or gal) for the first time. Totally embarrassing, and NOT the first impression you want!
The creative possibilities are endless. Since sharing this last night, my brand-new baby subscriber list has DOUBLED. Clearly it’s resonating.
I’m so excited (as you can certainly tell). Can’t wait to share this idea with more entrepreneurs!
Nikki – YOU GET IT! Soooo many coaches and newbie entrepreneurs aren’t able to make this leap. It clicks for each of us in a different way, and I’m so glad that Chris’s book spoke to you. You are definitely on the right track now, and although it’s a small detail to sort out features vs benefits, it is ESSENTIAL to building a successful business. Woohooooo for you!
And congrats on the awesome list mojo!
“Grammatical errors on your website is like having broccoli in your teeth”…! You crack me up Nikki! Very happy to be in your ACAC class!
Wow, Nikki, I love what you do! and the redone titles of your awesome packages! And Jenny! This post was amazing! Thank you thank you! So funny, because I designed my new CEO Coaching Packages today and I seriously was just going to call it, “6-Month Weight Management Coaching Package,” lmao. I changed it to “Building a Super Healthy You to Match Your Super Wealthy Business.” What do you think?
Great article Jenny..
I’ve been introduced as a “money coach” at many a meeting and after 20 years in the healing world that just didn’t ring true for me.
Now I’d say that I help women develop powerful relationships with money so they can build authentic successful heart centred businesses and happy relationships!
I’m not sure about that now as I write it!! Will think again before the next entrepreneurs gathering!!
Really great advice Jenny. I sell a physcial product and it actually works for that as well. My products are gift sets for women comprised of organic, small batch, cruelty free beauty products all bundled together and ready to go. I started off talking about the benefits of the product but then realized it’s the benefit of the belief behind your purchase. I’ve moved to now say “Never compromise style for beliefs” and it definitely resonates better with purchasers.
Love that, Carol! Very clear and direct!
It must be in the water. I’ve been reworking my copy recently with all of this in mind. Such a huge a-ha to understand my own work well enough to be able to be so very specific in the solutions that I offer for pretty specific situations for entrepreneurs. I did about 25 interviews of right people a couple of months ago – and that was just so helpful for hearing from the type of people I typically work with and hearing them talk about their pain points, and the solutions they are looking for. Helped me get very clear on what I do – and what I don’t do. Also helped me understand their expectations when they push the buy button for service oriented businesses like coaching. Thanks for this post! Great to know I’m on the right track!!
Awesome, Molly!! One of the things that’s most helpful is those interviews, but it’s also the one thing that most people avoid! Kudos to you for doing it and reaping the huge benefits. I know it will make such a difference for you moving forward. You go, girl!
Great message.
I heard another way to put this.
A guy was trying to sell the best drill bits in the world. He advertised them endlessly pointing out their properties and design.
He didn’t sell many.
Then, someone told him that his customers didn’t really care about the drill bits. His customers really just want holes. Maybe he should tell them about the great holes they will have.
Sales picked up for him right away.
Great example, Steve. Thanks for sharing!
I adore this post Jenny – THANK YOU.
I’ve just fallen into this selling ‘coaching’ trap for the first time only last week and it hasn’t sat well at all. I guess I felt like everyone else was doing it BUT? I never know what it means.
“I’m a wellness/money/anything you can think of coach” <- what does that mean you DO?!
I can't believe I fell into this myself but I'm glad that you've highlighted this to me – again, THANK YOU!
Hi Jenny,
I just updated my ‘packages’ copy and am wondering if it resonates with potential clients. I work with people who have big dreams to do big things and don’t know where to start or how to make it happen. When clients come to me they are confused, frustrated, and often times in disbelief that they can actually live the life of their dreams. I help them get clear on what they want to accomplish, and break it into bite-sized inspired steps to keep the momentum going. Ha, I guess maybe I did have it even though I am setting it up with packages.
Thank you for this thought-provoking post! I am moving away from a 1:1 advocate for parents. I am currently developing a package called: Move From Stalemate to Collaborate: Special Education Problem-Solving for Parents
Something I have been pondering – what title do I now use on my business card? Any ideas would be helpful.
What an inspiring post…and the comments on it are juicy and worth reading twice! I love this community- such a sense of everyone sharing what’s working, being vulnerable and sharing what’s not and trusting that we all have each other’s backs. I just took the leap into full time coaching (have dabbled for a while) and I am going for it. After reading this, I have some copy editing to do, but what I am CLEAR about is that helping women live a beautiful, fulfilling life is my highest path.
Thanks Jenny & everyone on this thread.
New to your blog and really enjoying it. The solution I provide is to help women in their 30’s and 40’s transition into their 50’s 60’s and beyond with their health, energy, vitality and enthusiasm intact through nutrition, lifestyle, environmental changes. My exact wording could probably use some tweaking, but I am still learing
Alright, so I LITERALLY opened up Microsoft word and started to get through this. I realize that I have been guessing more so than knowing what my ideal client wants but thankfully I think I know where to find her!
So I will be conducting surveys and using those surveys to build my list at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone! 😀
Jenny, you rock!
Thanks Jenny, I work in the weight loss field, and you have helped me realise that ‘health’ is not what my clients want. What they really want is more confidence and energy. So now rather than being a ‘nutritional therapist specialising in healthy weight loss’, I can say I ‘help you regain your confidence and energy with a wholistic weight loss solution that suits your lifestyle’, or something similar. Sounds like I also need to tweak the tag line in my advertising which was focusing on health (healthy weight, healthy eating, healthy life), and perhaps go back to the old ‘Look Good. Feel Great!’
Jenny,
As you know I’ve been stuck at the drawing board as I envision my next tier of packages. For some reason this post was my aha moment! I was trying to sell number of sessions versus the engagement I know that needs to happen to get said result! I think it wasn’t clicking because they don’t think they need more than 2 or 3 sessions. Ahhhhh can I please rent your brain for like a month? Mkay, thanks 🙂
Here I was thinking I’d have a navigation tab with ‘Spend An Hour With Tom’ or similar as a hook. I’m embarrassed and I should know better! Benefits, not features… Well I’ve only recently starting thinking in terms of offering coaching after getting appeals for help in various forms for years now.
So I’m thinking “Create a path to a new life in Bali in three months”, or “Create a path to a new occupation in three months”, or something more concise. A very good idea in this article too is to frame your offer with an end point, at least acknowledging that you’re aware your client doesn’t want a multi-year journey. People get more excited if their goal has a clear ‘arrival time’.
Thanks Jenny, I signed up for your list.
So, I was reviewed by one of the top marketing firms… the first thing they notices is our page titles “Your Team” “Your… (fill in the blank”
Also, your outcome falls short… “Create a path to a new occupation in three months” Rather… what is the real outcome? What is the dream you are selling (or pain you helping them to avoid… to an EXTREME… go over the top… CRITICAL and COMPELLING. Are you really selling that? What does the occupation really bring that person?
Nobody is buying your product, they are purchasing the result.
It may be possible that outcome you are suggesting has ZERO powerful meaning to most people.
Ask the questions: “Why the f— should I care about that? So, what? Ho, hum, why would I take the money out of my pocket and buy this over another product”… Be EXTREMELY hard on yourself, so will your customers.
I’m 61 years old, trained to be a certified coach in France 3 years ago, and am now setting up my business. It will be launched in September 2016. This article has helped an old lady articulate a modern take how to attract customers–eeeee, my very first ones! I’m working on it–it will be in French, but I’m heading for “les bonnes solutions”! My website is in construction, but I’ll post again when it’s up and running.
Coaching as literally been an idea that I have wanted to explore! Today was my first free session…
I just want people to break limiting self beliefs that hold them back from financial and time freedom and truly being happy…
It’s this a good solution? Is it too wordy?
I will help you identify and obliterate limiting beliefs, get clear on what you want and obtain financial freedom and time freedom doing what you love
It’s definitely not too wordy. You could even go longer to explain more. The next step for you to make it more clear is to use words your clients would use — instead of using “coach speak.” For example “break limiting beliefs” is something a coach would say, but a lay person would not.
Stay tuned because I have two blog posts scheduled to come out in the next few weeks on how to make sure you’re using the right words and not getting stuck in “coach speak.” I think it will help you a lot!
Ahhhh makes a lot of sense. Thank you for that and thank you for your feedback!
Nashira, The new posts are up and I think they’ll help a bunch.
In case you haven’t seen them yet…
The first one is here: https://jennyshih.com/2016/06/copy-mistake-thats-killing-sales/
The second one is here: https://jennyshih.com/2016/06/jargon-trap-reason-prospects-arent-turning-paying-clients-change-fast/
Keep up the good work!
I teach people how to raise all the money they need, to do all the deals they want to do. I love the idea of 8 weeks rather than 8 sessions. Or…by October 1st you’ll know how…Great posts here!
Great article and great comments! I feel a little awkard but i’ll ask anyway: where I struggle with this is “how can i guarantee the outcome/the solution?” In career coaching, for some clients it takes less than 6 sessions to clarify their projects, for some others, it may take twice that or even more. In team coaching, reaching a good level of cooperation can take from a few weeks to a few months and many variables impact that. So I am really uncomfortable selling a solution of”better team spirit in x time” or “new career outline in x weeks”…. What are your thoughts, experience, can you shed some light on this? Thanks!
Yes, you’re absolutely right. With all kinds of coaching and similar services, not everyone will reach a particular goal in the same amount of time. This means a few things..
First, it’s your job to know how long it will take 80-90% of your clients to achieve the promised result, and craft your package around that results.
Second, pretty much no coach can promise such a specific result, because it’s dependent on the client taking action.
Which brings us to the third thing — get super honest and specific with your promise. For example, in my marketing for my Make It Work Online program, I don’t say, “You’ll make $xx by the end of the program.” However, I do say, you will have all the tools and knowledge you need to build your business, fill your roster, and create consistent income. And that is very true.
That means it’s your job to make sure that you’re promising what you can promise, eg, I’ll walk you through the steps you need to clarify your project and in six weeks you’ll have everything you need to make a clear plan. You’re not saying they’ll have a clear plan (because you can’t promise that), but you can promise what YOU deliver for them.
Make sense?
Totally! And I so appreciate you taking the time to answer here. THANK YOU!! Now onto pulling this together as 2016 wraps up.
Wow!I’m revamping!Thanks
Thanks a lot for a great article, I’ll share it.
I consult in social media marketing, and inbound marketing, and have been trying to realign my offering towards a “solutions” offer. The problem I’m facing is that I genuinely believe that good social media marketing / inbound marketing starts with a good strategy (know your “why”, know your audiences, know their pain points and write content around these, define SMART goals whether they be leads generation or branding, do social listening and monitoring, get more mileage out of your content with partners, automate content posting and sharing with the value/money tools out there, etc. etc. etc.)
I have tried to sell “Your entire social media marketing strategy done, trained and delivered for you” for about £1000 but it seems too nebulous to most of my clients. Or maybe not expensive enough ahah! I have a funny feeling they switch right off at the word “strategy”. So maybe I should just push forward smaller offers, each tied to a very specific benefit and outcome (your content strategy done and documented, or your core audiences documented, or your social proofing like +500 followers on each platform guaranteed, etc.). And then offer a premium package where all is included.
Any thoughts very welcome, thanks!
There’s a very simple way to resolve the nebulousness of your offer. Turn
“Your entire social media marketing strategy done, trained and delivered for you”
into
“Your entire social media marketing strategy done, trained and delivered for you”
where niche = an industry with high ticket products/services, maybe one you know well or can learn well. Some smart people I know niche it down further:
“Your entire strategy done, trained and delivered for you”
Become the go-to expert in that niche, for your expertise. Get known in your industry. That’s how you raise your prices too…
The benefit needn’t be more specific. Niche the industry, and probably your expertise.
Thanks a lot Tom for taking the time to craft such a valuable and thoughtful reply. Finding a niche has been an ordeal, probably the biggest overall marketing challenge I’ve faced. I started with engineers (providing social media strat to engineers, an enormous one already admittedly) but didn’t see much traction. Now I have none. I like working with start-ups and SME’s though so may try that, even if they are typically not the most solvent segment / not the most cash rich. Not a hugely precise niche either. I really should just try and find a book and do some research to find a good niche.
Anyway, thanks a lot mate.
Stephane, One thing to keep in mind is that just because you are offering a “solution” doesn’t mean that the solution you have created is what your prospects want. First and foremost, as business owners, we have to make sure that we know 100% what our people want and they believe that the solution we offer will solve their problem.
You might have a very good service and you might be offering a solution. However, if they don’t see that the solution you’re offering meets their needs, then they won’t buy it.
This means you either have a marketing problem or a solution problem (meaning you need to create something slightly different). This can be tricky! I can confidently say that I have had both of these problems at one time or another (or multiple times), and you can overcome them!
At the risk of overstaying my welcome–I hope it’s OK to clarify Jenny!–I’ll just add this, since the comment system stripped out some of what i wrote because of the way I formatted it:
Instead of ‘Your entire strategy done, trained and delivered for you.’
I’d suggest
“Your entire real estate agent/landscaper/dental specialist, Instagram/email marketing/Facebook strategy done for you”
Niche it down twice, right? It gets interesting too if you niche it down geographically. You wouldn’t want to help competing clients, but you potentially help with eg local or hyper-local SEO only in one large metro area, for several industries…..
Dear Jenny,
If you’re into it, would you check out these two offerings I have posted? I’m interested in learning how to craft this.
thanks!
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte – What exactly are you looking for input on? The copy? The format?
Jenny, This is for my yoga based services:
I guide kind, self-aware, dedicated men and women in tending to their body’s unique needs. It’s common to feel disconnected from or even shame toward ourselves when our bodies have gone through health challenges. In one-on-one sessions clients learn adaptive yoga therapeutics to accept themselves, their bodies and be proactive in aging well.
A few things you’ll want to be mindful of… (and these are details I spend 2 weeks on with my Make It Work Online clients — this is hard work!)
– no “teaching” in the summary, eg “It’s common to feel…”
– focus on the results THEY say they want, not what you say they need, eg “accept themselves and be proactive in aging”
– always use the words they have before they hire you.
Keep playing with it!
This is an awesome article! I read it and instantly felt the “aha!” moment. This was perfect and I’m actually going to put it to use immediately. I just launched my career coaching business last week and have been researching different marketing techniques. The website is up, but what good is a website if no one knows it’s there, right?!. Thanks so much for this insight.
Yay! I’m so happy that this provides the right insight for you at the right time. Cheering you on as you take action and build your business!
Thanks! I loved the article and reading the replies. I’m a relationship coach that helps couples have the connection they so desperately want.
Nice job Jenny. I’ve been teaching the same thing for over 30 years in my sales training… sadly some people still don’t get it. Our new side project is focusing specifically on helping health coaches, and one of my articles is “Quit Talking About Your Thing,” a similar take to what you have here. I didn’t want to be presumptive and post a link, but can if you’d like. We are not selling anything (ironic, right?)
I’m so glad I stumbled across this article! Truly eye-opening and it has helped me immensely. I plan to launch my coaching business within the next two weeks and have literally been struggling over the last week on how to come up with a good tagline/slogan. After reading this I was able to clearly identify my solutions, write a slogan and start thinking about my packages all within 30 minutes.
My website is about 95% done (even though the pages are hidden right now). Now that I have more clarity on what I should be “selling” , and have a defined tagline, I actually feel more confident.
Looking forward to your next shower epiphany. 🙂
Thanks!
Well… kind of…
I have a bestselling book on marketing and stumbled on this. I will add to the perspective of this article.
By way of introduction, this is who we are to our customers. Our customers see us as providing them immersion training and business consulting with tangible results, specifically targeted at business owners with ADHD and Autism.
Telling someone you are a “life coach”, for instance, says what YOU think you are… not who you are to them.
1) You are not selling what you have, you are selling what they want. Your customer may not want a solution… people purchase outcomes or lifestyles they want.
2) “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” -Theodore Levitt, editor Harvard Business Review (Sell the outcome)
3) Part of the key to selling is being able to create a value proposition that is unique to the customer… can’t do that well online… creating a personal, CRITICAL and COMPELLING message tailored to an individual.
4) This is key… create your own category. Saying you are a life coach or business coach… well, that is all about you and a thousand people do that… differentiation is a nice thing to add: normally that is faster, better or cheaper… creating your own category means that nobody does what you do, like you do it in a way that provides value to the customer like nobody else. I developed a process for doing this, which is more complex than can be explained here.
5) “I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” -Joseph Campbell …Give them an emotional experience. Most sales are made on emotion and relationships. This is one of the reasons that online marketing still only accounts for 8.5% of all sales. Honestly, if you can’t sell to someone and build a relationship 1-1, you won’t sell to them online.
6) What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.
-David Ogilvy (Ogilvy pretty much invented modern advertising)…Message. Message. Message. I guarantee it, I have helped clients start technology businesses with no web site or digital marketing… but the message was correct. The business grew quickly. Don’t think print works? Then why do I have clients getting massive results with print? Don’t think direct mail works… then why do I have clients with a 90% response rate with direct mail? – The national advertising statistics tell us the facts… no one medium dominates… not the Internet or video or print. – GET YOUR MESSAGE RIGHT… that is very challenging because there are very few excellent copy writers or marketing firms. I have spent years teaching marketing and easily grow a clients business 200-400% in 6-12 months. However, to write a few solid paragraphs of copy and TEST that copy with the audience is often time consuming.
Finally, I will tell you my perspective on “solutions.” Nobody knows they need the solution you have – 95% of people are clueless about what they really need or they wouldn’t need you…
A man went into a hardware store to return a watering can he purchased. Finally, he found a clerk that would listen. “This tool does not work!!!” The clerk thought for a moment and asked, “Tell me how you were using it. Why didn’t it work?” … The man responded, “Every time I tried to pound in a nail it took forever.” See, the first person that sold the man the tool never took the time to find out why the man wanted the tool and what it was for… what motivated him to purchase.
You are not selling a solution, you sell the solution they are seeking. That requires being present, inside the customer’s model of the world.
Hi! Over the past few months I’ve been working towards a more “service based” model and trying to find something I am good at that will begin my path towards supporting myself. How would you suggest i best come up with a solution? I’m wonderful with a lot of things, namely writing and helping others say what they mean correctly. How would I advertise something like that? I will definitely be subscribing to you since I believe you have valuable content. Thank you for reading!
Helping people figure out what business to start is outside my scope of expertise, but what I can suggest is that you pick one thing and play with it. Don’t make it a business just yet, but see if you can find anyone who needs that service and offer it for free. Have fun exploring, because the more fun you have and the more curious you are, the more likely you are to hit on the thing that will be perfect for you!
Love your blog and definitely love your take on getting started for newbies like me with the BSO. And this alternative of creating solutions and NOT coaching sheds so much on my new business. The solution I provide for hairstylists is to learn how to maximize their salon businesses through the use of simple organizational, time management, and scheduling techniques without working long grueling hours in the salon so that they don’t burn out fast and still enjoy their career and life.
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that this give you new light for your new business, Sharron! With clarity on what solutions you provide to your clients, you’re on the right track to getting things moving. Cheering you on!
2021 and this is still relevant!