by Jennifer Trask
I recently posted this story in a Facebook group of entrepreneurs and the response was overwhelmingly awesome with 100’s of likes and comments.
I realized this was a hot topic and for good measure. Often, we see marketing from business coaches and marketers that almost shame you if you don’t buy the thing they are selling. As if you don’t take your business seriously if you don’t invest in their product, service or program.
I’ve personally never liked that kind of marketing and stay far away from it (and from those who do it). I recognize it’s used as a way to get people on the fence to take action, but I’ve always felt in my gut there’s a better way than bringing people to a space of shame or guilt around not taking action.
So, when I had a discovery call recently with a great coach who is not in the right space to become a client (yet), and gave her other suggestions, I wrote about it.
The responses were visceral and to me, that is exciting because it means it’s time for a change and that people are going to hold marketers to higher standards.
Here’s what I wrote in that Facebook post (slightly adapted for this article). I trust it will serve you and permit you to say no to anything that isn’t right for you and your business.
Yesterday I had a discovery call with an awesome coach who is looking for support to grow her business. Once I discovered her situation (time, money, emotional state, focus, knowledge in business, etc.) I told her that investing in business coaching with me was not the best solution for her right now.
Instead, I pointed her in the direction of some excellent resources she already had access to and some lower-cost solutions (one including my new mindset membership site and one including another membership site related to the help she needs marketing-wise).
If she takes these suggestions and implements what she learns, she will be able to get clients and save for business coaching. This will put her in a better situation financially and allow her to take full advantage of working together.
She told me that I was the first business coach to not try to sell her.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve heard some horror stories of people investing in $5K & $10K business coaching packages being promised big returns and not getting them.
There are two sides to this and it’s important to know both.
First, to the business coaches: there are more than enough clients for you and you don’t need anyone who is in a super tight financial position to invest in your high-level coaching.
Help them achieve a position of greater financial strength with your lower-priced options first or refer them out. This will enable them to get results with you faster. And that’s better for you and your client.
And to all coaches and consultants in any niche remember:
your ideal client CAN afford you.
That’s part of what makes them ideal for you.
Many of my clients pay in full because they have the resources to do so. This enables them to show up, be fully present and in a state of abundance -which is where they need to be to get the best results.
To anyone looking to hire a business coach or invest in a higher-level program, product or service:
Be sure that investing in it doesn’t leave you in a state of lack. I recognize that sometimes the price tag is one of the things that call you up, meaning if you invest big financially you invest energetically, timewise, etc.
And I know that that is important.
BUT if you are worried about putting food on the table – no business coach can save you.
You’ll be too much in a headspace of lack to focus on getting the results you could get with that same coach if you were in a different headspace.
If investing in something is going to put you close to nothing financially, it’s better to find a smaller investment or use many of the wonderful free/inexpensive things available (think: books, podcasts, blogs, membership sites, etc.) first.
Invest your goal and then do it when you reach it!
To me, this is a timing thing.
When you invest in any type of high-level coaching or expensive courses, it should scare you a little but excite you more. It should feel right and like the right time.
If you’re doing it because you want to be ‘saved’, it’s not right.
Your business is a journey and when you allow it to unfold (instead of pushing it to be somewhere it’s not) all of the right resources come to you when you need them.
This is how I have found all of my coaches/healers/courses, etc. and they have all served me greatly and I excitedly invested in them.
Abundance is everywhere and doesn’t let any coach push you into their program/course if it freaks you out financially.
I know that there are going to be those who say that you have to
invest to get ahead and that sometimes you need to do things that scare you to push you.
And I’m not disagreeing with that.
I am suggesting is that there is a difference between investing big when you are ready and investing big when you are not.
Growing your business is much harder from a state of lack. Give yourself time to build up your resources and then invest when you are more financially sound.
Your business will benefit far greater at that time than the latter.
You also find more joy and excitement this way. You’re in a marathon, not a sprint. Play the long-term game, invest when it feels right and make magic happen. Happy growing! ~Jennifer Trask
https://www.jennifer-trask.com
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Jennifer Trask is a mindset coach and business advisor for coaches and healers. Through her private coaching practice and online programs, Jennifer helps her clients break out of lack and create abundant mindsets so that they can grow their businesses and become the catalysts for change they came to be.
After her first business failed, Jennifer overcame her own limiting beliefs and was able to successfully create a full-time coaching business that now enables her to travel the world as a digital nomad. Jennifer has now traveled to 27 countries and lived in 8 of them for an extended period of time. With customers and clients in over 5 continents and reaching over 7,500+ coaches and healers online, Jennifer is living her passion of helping others profitably live theirs.
As an international speaker, Jennifer has spoken in Canada, The U.S. and Australia. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and an MBA in International Business. She is a Huffington Post blogger, a featured contributor in the award-winning book, ‘Living College Life In The Front Row’, and has been featured in publications such as Inspired Coach Magazine and Upwork Digital Nomad series. When she is not traveling the globe, Jennifer calls Toronto, Canada home.
Whether you need help:
getting your business foundation set up
understanding how to create sales in your discovery calls
learning how to use Convertkit strategically
creating a marketing calendar so that you can stay focused and consistent
launching a product or service with a Facebook Challenge
understanding how to build your tribe, marketing, sales and productivity…
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