I overheard an interesting conversation the other day that may have the power to change your mindset about using LinkedIn to market your coaching business – but the funny thing was it had absolutely nothing to do with LinkedIn marketing.
It was a personal fitness coach talking to someone about going to the gym and getting fit, and it went like this:
Fitness coach: Hi Sam…so, when are you starting that program we agreed on? You know – the lose-10-KGs-in-60-days plan? I haven’t seen you at the gym yet…
“Sam”: Yeah…I meant to start last week but I had this twinge in my leg and I thought I better rest it. Then later in the week, I got so busy with meetings at work. This week I’ve got a mate in town from Melbourne so I’ll get on to it next week.
Fitness coach: OK! Remember we all have the same 24 hours in a day, the same 168 hours in a week, and the same 8736 hours in a year.
Clearly, the coach had used that response before! Either that or he has a super-brain capable of pretty impressive calculations. But I thought: that’s bang on! And it applies to your coaching business just as much as your personal fitness.
Just as you can make excuses for NOT taking the activity that keeps you fit and healthy, you can make as many excuses for not taking the activity you need for your coaching business to thrive. The outcome is usually the same – a body or business that doesn’t look or feel like we want it to. What could be more important for our bodies than our health? And what could be more important for our businesses than leads and opportunities?
Yet, unfortunately, we are still prepared to put other priorities ahead of both. It’s not a question of finding the time. It’s simply a question of focusing on, and taking action towards, the right priorities. The time then finds itself.
What do you want your coaching business to look & feel like?
If your business looks in the mirror, what is staring back? This?
It’s not about instantly becoming toned and ripped. It’s about taking the steps to gradually improve and create the foundation of health for the future.
When we’re talking in terms of your business, leads and opportunities are the lifeblood. But without meaningful activity, you’ll struggle to get new prospects. You need to ‘nourish’ your business with the activities that create juicy opportunities. If you’ve been following our blog, you know what’s possible when using LinkedIn as a marketing machine. You’re tapping into the largest database of professionals on the planet to drive consistent, daily leads to your business.
This kind of result requires daily activity – but how do you get there without making excuses for NOT getting there? It’s about more than simply good time management…
Setting and committing to clear business goals
Once you decide you want to have a more successful, stable business, you need to put in the time every day, every week, every month to start seeing results.
That’s consistent activity every business day for at least 90 days. For some business owners, that’s a frightening prospect; but by making it part of a clear and attainable goal, it’s no longer scary – it’s simply a new challenge to meet.
Whether you think “yes, I can do that” or “there’s no way I can possibly do that” – you’re right either way! It’s a mindset. Start with setting goals and working towards them. The secret here is to set the right type of goals.
They need to be SMART goals:
1. SPECIFIC – short (12-15 words max)
2. MEASURABLE – tangible so that you know that you’ve achieved it
3. ACHIEVABLE – relevant to the timeframe you allow yourself
4. REALISTIC – ensure you have the resources to achieve your goal
5. TIMED – with a fixed completion date, not simply a timespan.
Write your SMART business goals down on paper. This will help you commit – yes, really! It makes a huge difference – do it! If you’ve done this correctly, your goal should look something like this (on a piece of paper in front of you):
• Generate 100 new LinkedIn Leads by the first of next month
To achieve the goal, focus on the activity required to achieve it rather than the goal itself. This breaks it down into bite-size pieces that anybody can follow. Simply go back through the connect, engage, convert strategy outline in The Influencer Project and this will help you identify the activity required to achieve the goal.
Outsourcing the right business activities
The activity required to run a leaner business has one advantage over the activity required to have a leaner body: some of the activity can be outsourced.
As the business owner, you must be involved; but some of the heavy-lifting LinkedIn activity can be delegated to others within your organisation. Alternatively, it can be outsourced to a marketing firm that can help with the commenting/liking/status updates/content generation activity required to grow your following and engage with potential leads.
Otherwise, as activity goes up, and leads come in, you will find yourself with less time to spend on the activity that is delivering the leads. You need to keep things ‘flowing’.
But any third party you hire must understand your business inside-out and feel comfortable representing you authentically on social media. This is no place for fakers. Your LinkedIn reputation is on the line – so be careful who you outsource to!
P.S. Whenever you’re ready – here are 4 ways we can help you grow your coaching business with LinkedIn.
1. Grab a free copy of our book: It’s the roadmap to connecting with prospects, engaging with and converting new clients, and leveling up your consulting business – Click Here
2. Join the Influencer Boardroom and connect with other advisors and consultants who are scaling too: It’s our Facebook community where smart advisors and consultants learn to generate more purpose, profit, and power. – Click Here
3. Join us inside our pitch-free private training. We’ll show you our profile optimisation secrets. You’ll learn how to connect with prospects, engage with and convert new clients, and amplify your business on LinkedIn. Click Here
4. Work with me and my team privately and get big results in 90 days. If you’ve got an established business and want to level things up fast, let us help you implement a LinkedIn strategy customised to your business. Have a look at our client results, then apply here and give me some details about your business. Click Here