February 4, 2025 • 26 mins
When I first started out as a coach, I thought I needed the perfect website, a professional logo, and a big audience before I could get clients. Turns out, none of that actually mattered. What did? Conversations. In this episode, I’m breaking down the biggest myths about finding clients and giving you a simple, actionable strategy—the 5-5-5 Method—to land your first (or next) five paying clients. No gimmicks, no complicated funnels, just real connections that lead to real results. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to start growing your business, this is it. Let’s dive in!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Deep Dive Dialogues.
I'm your host, dan Warheide,and I am, as always, excited to
share with you today and, to bequite frank, I realize that you
may not realize, but I'm sort ofa day behind this week.
I'm recording this on Tuesdayevening.
I normally publish this onTuesday morning, but I do still
(00:23):
hope to get it published shortly.
Life's just been lifing and myschedule has shifted recently,
so I'm still in the process ofcreating new routines in a new
place and on a newish sort ofschedule.
So I'm just excited to be herewith you.
I hope that you're excited fortoday's episode.
(00:44):
Before we jump into our contentfor today, I want to invite you
to reach out and send me yourfeedback or leave a review.
Wherever you listen to podcasts, to leave me feedback or ask a
question.
You can visit podcastdanwus andleave me a voicemail there,
(01:07):
which is a really cool feature.
Or if you look in your podcastplayer and you go back to the
full show, not just this episode, you can simply click send Dan
a message and you can send me atext with your feedback or
comments or even your questions.
I'd love to hear from you.
All right, let's get startedtoday by talking first a little
(01:30):
bit about masterminds, if youmay have already heard me share,
but I am also excited to sharethat I'm launching a new
mastermind and I want to inviteyou.
I'll get into more about whatthat looks like in a moment, but
first let's kick it off byclearing up some common
(01:50):
misconceptions.
The word mastermind, I think,has been a little convoluted
over the last we'll just call itfew years.
With all the different programsand offers that are out there,
there are a lot of peoplecalling a mastermind where I
believe it should not be calleda mastermind.
So let's talk about what amastermind is not.
(02:13):
A mastermind is not groupcoaching, where one person
teaches or leads others throughany sort of material.
It's also not a structuredtraining program with a fixed
curriculum.
Those are two of the big thingsthat I see people referring to
as masterminds when, however,they are probably more aptly
(02:37):
named group coaching programs ora training program.
Instead, I believe that amastermind is more like a
synergy of minds, if you will.
It's a place where peers cometogether in full support of each
other's goals and each other'sgrowth.
Everyone has the opportunity tocontribute equally, offer fresh
(03:00):
perspectives and hold eachother accountable.
It's a collective think tank,so to speak.
So, going back to thedefinitions, as created by
Napoleon Hill, it's really morelike more than one person coming
together, so two people comingtogether and sharing a mind,
(03:21):
which creates a third mind, inessence, because you and I,
sitting together in a roomthinking about a problem, can
come up with much more than I,sitting in a room alone, can
come up with on my own.
That's the concept behind amastermind, and when you get,
you know, a handful of peoplewho are committed to that kind
(03:43):
of growth together in the sameroom, imagine then the power of
what can be shared in that room.
So I already said I'm excitedto be launching this new
mastermind and I'd love toinvite you to apply.
Before I share how to do that,here's a brief overview of what
(04:03):
that's going to look like.
I share how to do that.
Here's a brief overview of whatthat's going to look like.
We're going to meet once perweek for 90 minutes with a small
group of our peers, as Imentioned, to brainstorm, to
talk through challenges andprobably so much more.
The group will be no biggerthan 10 to 12 people so that we
can ensure everyone has equalopportunity to get that direct
(04:24):
support and feedback from thegroup, but also to ensure you're
able to contribute just as muchas you're able to receive and
as an added bonus.
What I've found through my ownexperiences is that these small
groups really enable strongerrelationships to be formed.
It's absolutely not uncommonfor many people to make lifelong
(04:46):
friends in groups like this,even if you choose to move on
from the mastermind at somepoint.
But each week we're going tohave at least one hot seat
opportunity, which will rotateamong each member throughout the
weeks.
Again, so that each of you eachof us and me included has equal
opportunity to contribute asmuch as we are able to receive.
(05:08):
I am looking for people who arewilling to make a 12-month
commitment.
Again, this is sort ofrelationship focused.
It's not just a place for youto stop in for a moment, grab
what you need and run.
The second part of thatcommitment is that you'll also
make it a priority to be presentfor each and every meeting.
Barring the exceptions likemedical or family emergencies
(05:32):
and such.
The idea here is really thatyou're going to prioritize this
mastermind meeting with yourpeers above all the other things
that could potentially come up.
We all know how that happensand we may tend to put off a
group training or a grouphangout or some other event.
(05:54):
What we're really looking forhere is the level of commitment
that this becomes one of yourtop priorities for your business
and for your growth.
Again, that allows for each andevery member in the group to
gain a level of trust, a levelof confidence and overall
increase the value of what eachand every other member is taking
(06:14):
away from the group and all ofthe things that come from that.
I would love it if you're afull-time self-employed, or at
least working towards achievingthat, sometime in the next eight
to 12 months as your goal, andif any of this sounds like
something that may be a good fitfor you, I want to encourage
(06:35):
you to send me an email, dan, atdanwus, with simply the word
mastermind in the subject line.
I'll reply with a shortapplication for you to complete
and then we'll schedule a timeto review your application and
any questions you may havetogether.
So now that that's out of theway, let's move on and talk
(06:56):
about the other thing I wantedto bring up today, which is more
along the lines of coaching andwhat you might expect from
hearing my voice Some of whatI'm going to cover.
There are a few of you that mayhave heard me say it before.
As with anything I've repeated,I believe that it may be worth
repeating.
It certainly has continued tocome up in conversations.
(07:18):
Some of this that I'm going toshare with you has come up over
and over, some of it morerecently, so let's jump into
that, shall we?
When I first started myentrepreneurial journey, I
started out in the world ofcoaching back in 2010.
And at the time, and then againactually, when I reinvented
(07:43):
myself in the marketing realm aseparate story, but dabbled and
more than dabbled.
I made some really good moneyin that world, but quickly
decided not quickly, but decidedthat that wasn't exactly where
my heart was and where I trulywanted to be.
And here I am back in the worldof coaching, but anyway, I
(08:05):
remember thinking I neededthings like the perfect website,
the fancy logos, a big audience, etc.
Before I was able to reallyprove myself and go get clients.
And since then, of course, Ihave come to realize that none
of this actually mattered.
It's a common struggle for manynew coaches and many new
(08:28):
entrepreneurs to overcomplicatethe client acquisition process,
so I want to talk about thattoday.
The truth or the reality isit's clients come from
conversations.
I have said this before.
It does bear repeating righthere again Clients come from
conversations, not content, notcomplexity.
(08:50):
What I'm going to cover with youtoday is really just a simple,
actionable approach to findingand landing your first client,
or maybe your next five payingclients, or maybe your next five
paying clients.
To do that, I think it'sprobably a good place to address
first the biggest myths aboutwhat it looks like to find
(09:13):
clients.
So, big myth number one youneed a big audience to get
clients.
The reality is, most coachesget their first clients through
existing relationships, notsocial media followers.
Big myth number two you have tobe an expert or you have to
have some level of specificexperience or some specific
(09:38):
training or certification beforeyou can start charging.
Before you can start charging,the reality is is if you have
the ability to help someonesolve a problem, you're ready to
coach now.
You don't need to arriveanywhere first.
You don't need to arrive first.
Get out there and serve peopleBig myth, big myth.
(10:02):
Big myth number number threecontent alone will bring clients
.
Maybe I should have titled thisone really big myth.
I don't know how many timesyou've seen it, but I see it far
too often.
People coaches, entrepreneursget stuck in this cycle.
I have to figure out socialmedia.
(10:23):
I'm overwhelmed with witheverything but social media.
I need to be consistent in mysocial media.
I'm focused on gainingfollowers so I can grow my
social media, so I can getclients and grow my business.
Posting on social media isgreat, but I just want to remind
you right here conversationscreate clients.
(10:45):
Conversations create clientsfaster than any posting of
content ever will.
Did I let that sink in?
Perfect.
So I want to share with you asimple framework that focuses on
real connections and valuedriven conversations, along with
(11:07):
a few action steps that you canstart taking right away to get
your first client, or your nextclient, or your next five paying
clients.
Are you ready?
I can hear you say yes, I hearit, I feel it and I'm grateful
for you for being here.
All right, here's the hardestpart Reach out to five people
(11:30):
you already know.
By the way, I did title this.
I named it.
It's the 5-5-5 strategy forgetting clients.
Now, it's silly, simple, silly,simple, meaning I don't know
how much simpler I can make it.
555 strategy for gettingclients.
The first five reach out to fivepeople you already know who in
(11:52):
your network can benefit fromyour help.
Message them with a simple,genuine question hey, john, I
was thinking about you today.
How's everything going withthat course you were building?
Or how's everything going withthat event you were preparing to
host or planning?
How's everything going withthat transition to a new job?
How's everything going with themove, whatever it is?
(12:15):
Then offer value and see ifthey're open to having a
conversation.
Next five connect with five newpeople in relevant communities.
You can engage with people ingroups on Facebook and groups on
LinkedIn by attending networkevents, whether they're local or
(12:37):
not.
Maybe you plan to attend onelarge-scale networking event
each year, but you can attendmany local networking events.
Maybe you go to your chamber ofcommerce.
Maybe you go to a oh my gosh,we just talked about this today
in another community and it'scome up several times.
It's probably worth bringing uphere.
(12:57):
But go to a Toastmaster sessionand network with those people
and learn to communicate betterwhile you're there.
Lots of different things thatyou can engage in for networking
and other local communities.
Go, get engaged in yourcommunity and find five new
people to connect with.
Again.
(13:19):
Look first to add value bycommenting, sharing insights and
contributing, before everconsidering making any sort of
pitch to them.
An example might be that hey,john, I saw your post in
whatever about the challenge youwere experiencing.
That's something that I've beenable to help clients with in
(13:41):
the past.
I'd love to hear more aboutyour experience and I was
wondering if you'd be open to aconversation about that.
I don't know if I can help youor not, but if you're open to
finding out, let's just chatthrough it.
See what happens no obligations, no commitments.
Chat through it.
(14:01):
See what happens no obligations, no commitments, no strings.
And then make five valuableoffers.
Make five valuable offers.
A valuable offer doesn't have tobe any kind of hard sell.
It can be as simple as a free20-minute clarity session, a
personal invitation to yourgroup challenge or email list.
It can be direct paid coachingfor one of your offers for those
(14:25):
people who may be at that levelalready and are ready to commit
to that.
Make five valuable offers.
So these things you can do weekby week as a simple strategy
for gaining your next clients.
Reach out to five people youalready know.
Connect with five new people inrelevant communities each week
(14:46):
and make five valuable offerseach week, and then I'd love to
hear from you how did that workfor you?
Did you meet your goal?
That takes me to the nextthought comment, whatever it may
be, is how to make ano-pressure offer.
That feels natural, and I'vesort of given you a prelude to
(15:07):
this, but you've heard me say itbefore.
Start by simply being curious.
Start with curiosity, not anysort of selling focus.
You never want to pitch peopleout of the gate.
Always start by asking abouttheir struggles, their
challenges, their dreams.
An example could be what's beenyour biggest challenge with the
(15:31):
thing you're building?
What's been your biggestchallenge with starting and
growing your online coachingbusiness?
And then be willing to givethem value before making any
kind of offer.
Wow, when I was starting out, Iremember that I was faced with
similar challenges, and here'ssome of the things that I was
(15:53):
able to navigate.
You know, maybe they talk abouttrying to find the right email
platform or whatever it may be,and I can talk about what I've
learned from my marketingexperience about what it takes
to find the right emailmarketing platform.
We often look at what everyoneelse is using and we don't often
look at what platforms aregoing to be right for my goals
(16:17):
and the specific needs that Ihave in my business and in the
way I use email marketing, ifthat's what I was looking for.
I used to see this question allthe time and I'd see people hey
, what's everybody think aboutusing MailChimp?
What's everybody think?
I?
Probably I don't know if Ishould be talking about these or
not.
I am a referral partner forActiveCampaign, which is the
(16:40):
platform that I use.
So if you're interested in thatchecking that out, please do
reach out.
I'm happy to send you areferral link and I'm happy to
talk about why I chose thatplatform.
I digress Because really mypoint here is that I want you to
focus on what's right for youand your business.
(17:00):
You know ease of use,automations, what's included for
the free tiers, what's includedfor the paid tiers, how many
contacts are you going to need?
That sort of thing, how easy itis to navigate or how
technically complex and yourlevel of technical ability are
all things you should be lookingat instead of what's everybody
else using.
So there's just one example.
(17:23):
So you know, start with sharingyour insights, asking other
questions and seeking again togenuinely help them and then, if
there is a fit from theconversation, then you can
naturally lead into that offer.
Hey, I have worked with a lotof people in a similar situation
as yourself.
(17:43):
Would you be open to jumping ona quick call to find out how it
might look to offer somefurther assistance, how I might
be able to help you?
I can't make any guarantees,but if we get on a call we can
find out if we're a good fit.
Remove the pressure from theconversation.
(18:03):
There are no strings attached,just a conversation.
Let's see if it's a fit forboth of us.
If they say no, great.
I really appreciate you takingtime and I appreciate the
consideration.
Is there someone that you knowthat may benefit from what we're
talking about, and would you beable to introduce us?
So that takes me to the powerof referrals.
(18:27):
Tapping into your network, yournext client is probably only
one introduction away.
So if you have past clients,you can start with asking past
clients, ask your friends, askyour colleagues.
Hey, who do you know that mightbenefit from what I'm working
on?
And you want to make it easyfor them.
(18:49):
You want to provide a simplescript or a link or something
that they can share.
An example might be that, hey,I'm helping people with X
problem.
Maybe it's a mindset issue orwhatever your area of expertise
is.
Do you know someone who may beable to benefit from what I'm
working on?
I would love it if you couldmake an introduction.
(19:10):
Would you be open to that?
Hey, great, here's a link I'dlike you to send them, or here's
a draft email I've prepared foryou, or a draft text message.
Whatever it may be, make it aseasy as possible for them.
We do this in the podcastingworld too, right, when we talk
about guests and how to be greathosts.
A great host may ask theirguest prior to an interview.
(19:33):
What would make it really easyfor me to help you share this
episode?
Once we're finished and it'sall ready to go, would you know
a drafted email to send out toyour email list?
Would social media content witha couple clips?
Would that be better for you?
What would make it easy for youto share?
(19:53):
And I'm happy to prepare thatfor you.
It's the same thing mindsetshifts.
I had to pause because I get soamped up about some of these
topics for sure, and I want todo my best not to drag this out
(20:14):
too long today and I'm stillrecovering from a cold which I
don't even know it was a reallybad cold, if it was a cold, but
still recovering.
So I just need to pause andtake a breath for a second.
Overly excited, and that leadsme to mindset shifts for client
creation.
There's a couple things that wemyself included find ourselves
(20:37):
caught up in and and I just wantto point them out so that, if
you're doing these, you can workon them.
And I just want to point themout so that, if you're doing
these, you can work on them.
First of all is stop waitingand start doing.
How many of you are doing that?
Stop waiting, start doing.
Everything you want is on theother side of action.
Everything you want is on theother side of action.
(20:58):
I know what the quote is.
I know I've heard it plenty oftimes Everything you want is on
the other side of fear, not true.
Everything you want is on theother side of fear, not true.
Everything you want is on theother side of action.
You have to take action in theface of that fear and adversity,
to start doing and achieving.
I've said this before indifferent ways, but confidence
does not come before action.
(21:18):
It comes from taking action.
Confidence is not a requirement, it is a result.
Detaching from outcomes I did Idon't know and I don't think it
was a whole episode, but I didtalk about this in a previous
episode Detaching from outcomes,going into these conversations
as connections and relationshipbuilding, not as I'm getting my
(21:41):
next client or creating anincome from this person or I
need to make an offer.
It's starting with beinggenuinely curious and that's it.
If am I connecting with people,is that it, that's it, that's
it.
That's really all there is.
If something more comes fromthat, I know what to do next.
Yes, but that is not the goal.
(22:03):
The goal is to make five newconnections and nurture those
relationships to the point thatI might make them an offer.
But my goal isn't to make theman offer.
My goal is to connect, detachfrom any of the other potential
outcomes, and your life will gettremendously better when it
comes to building your coachingbusiness.
(22:26):
Not everyone is going to say yes, and that's perfectly fine.
In fact, it's great.
Your goal should probably be toget and collect no's.
There's some science andpsychology behind getting to no
achieving the no early in arelationship.
Behind getting to knowachieving the know early in a
(22:47):
relationship.
At least then you know whereyou stand and you can move on to
the N-O next one.
And no, is really not right now.
Most of the time, focus onservice, not selling.
Focus on serving the person infront of you, serving them as
deeply and as powerfully and asgiftedly as you possibly can,
(23:11):
creating that experience forthem that leaves in their mind
something they're never going toforget.
And you are not going to beforgotten either.
When you focus on helpingpeople, the clients will
naturally follow.
So there you have it.
Clients come from conversations, not content.
(23:35):
We talked about the 5-5-5strategy, which makes finding
clients simple and actionable,and making offers doesn't have
to feel salesy, sleazy orwhatever pushy.
When you simply focus onservice and, by the way, selling
(23:58):
is service to someone when theyhave a challenge that you can
help them overcome, it is kindto sell them your offer, the
thing that can help them achievetheir desires, achieve their
goals.
If you keep it from them, it'sthe opposite of being kind to
them.
The kinder you are, the morethey achieve, the more they
(24:28):
achieve.
Sales does not have to beanything other than building a
relationship and serving anotherhuman being.
Here's your action challenge forthis week Reach out to one
person, starting today.
Have a conversation with them.
Make one valuable offer thisweek, whether it's free or paid.
Make a valuable offer this week.
Now notice, I didn't challengeyou to the five to start this
(24:50):
week out, but you couldcertainly take that on and
starting with reaching out tofive people today, making five
new connections, starting todayor this week, and then making
five valuable offers this week,free or paid.
Go back to my examples if youneed to, but there's lots of
options that you can come upwith as an offer.
(25:13):
That does not necessarily haveto be your coaching offer.
Finally, you don't need to waitfor the perfect moment.
I want to encourage you thatyour next client is already out
there waiting.
You just need to start theconversation with them.
Perfect.
Thank you so much for spendingyour time with me.
(25:35):
I'm deeply honored that youcome here each and every week.
I'd love to hear from you.
So a couple things for youSubscribe to Deep Dive Dialogues
for more business buildinginsights and coaching insights.
If you've got feedback orquestions, email me, dan, at
danwus, or leave me a voicemail,and you can also subscribe by
(25:58):
visiting podcastdanwus.
You can also subscribe byclicking follow or subscribe,
depending on the app that you'reusing to listen to my voice.
You can do all of those thingsbut podcastdanwus.
You can get in touch with methere, leave me a voicemail,
subscribe to the podcast, or youcan email me directly, dan, at
danwus.
(26:19):
And if you want to hear moreabout the mastermind, you want
an application?
Please do send that email.
Just put mastermind in thesubject and I'll be sure to get
it over to you right away.
Thank you so much for beinghere and I look forward to
speaking with you again nextweek.
Welcome back to Deep Dive Dialogues.
I'm your host, dan Warheide,and I am, as always, excited to
share with you today and, to bequite frank, I realize that you
may not realize, but I'm sort ofa day behind this week.
I'm recording this on Tuesdayevening.
I normally publish this onTuesday morning, but I do still
(00:23):
hope to get it published shortly.
Life's just been lifing and myschedule has shifted recently,
so I'm still in the process ofcreating new routines in a new
place and on a newish sort ofschedule.
So I'm just excited to be herewith you.
I hope that you're excited fortoday's episode.
(00:44):
Before we jump into our contentfor today, I want to invite you
to reach out and send me yourfeedback or leave a review.
Wherever you listen to podcasts, to leave me feedback or ask a
question.
You can visit podcastdanwus andleave me a voicemail there,
(01:07):
which is a really cool feature.
Or if you look in your podcastplayer and you go back to the
full show, not just this episode, you can simply click send Dan
a message and you can send me atext with your feedback or
comments or even your questions.
I'd love to hear from you.
All right, let's get startedtoday by talking first a little
(01:30):
bit about masterminds, if youmay have already heard me share,
but I am also excited to sharethat I'm launching a new
mastermind and I want to inviteyou.
I'll get into more about whatthat looks like in a moment, but
first let's kick it off byclearing up some common
(01:50):
misconceptions.
The word mastermind, I think,has been a little convoluted
over the last we'll just call itfew years.
With all the different programsand offers that are out there,
there are a lot of peoplecalling a mastermind where I
believe it should not be calleda mastermind.
So let's talk about what amastermind is not.
(02:13):
A mastermind is not groupcoaching, where one person
teaches or leads others throughany sort of material.
It's also not a structuredtraining program with a fixed
curriculum.
Those are two of the big thingsthat I see people referring to
as masterminds when, however,they are probably more aptly
(02:37):
named group coaching programs ora training program.
Instead, I believe that amastermind is more like a
synergy of minds, if you will.
It's a place where peers cometogether in full support of each
other's goals and each other'sgrowth.
Everyone has the opportunity tocontribute equally, offer fresh
(03:00):
perspectives and hold eachother accountable.
It's a collective think tank,so to speak.
So, going back to thedefinitions, as created by
Napoleon Hill, it's really morelike more than one person coming
together, so two people comingtogether and sharing a mind,
(03:21):
which creates a third mind, inessence, because you and I,
sitting together in a roomthinking about a problem, can
come up with much more than I,sitting in a room alone, can
come up with on my own.
That's the concept behind amastermind, and when you get,
you know, a handful of peoplewho are committed to that kind
(03:43):
of growth together in the sameroom, imagine then the power of
what can be shared in that room.
So I already said I'm excitedto be launching this new
mastermind and I'd love toinvite you to apply.
Before I share how to do that,here's a brief overview of what
(04:03):
that's going to look like.
I share how to do that.
Here's a brief overview of whatthat's going to look like.
We're going to meet once perweek for 90 minutes with a small
group of our peers, as Imentioned, to brainstorm, to
talk through challenges andprobably so much more.
The group will be no biggerthan 10 to 12 people so that we
can ensure everyone has equalopportunity to get that direct
(04:24):
support and feedback from thegroup, but also to ensure you're
able to contribute just as muchas you're able to receive and
as an added bonus.
What I've found through my ownexperiences is that these small
groups really enable strongerrelationships to be formed.
It's absolutely not uncommonfor many people to make lifelong
(04:46):
friends in groups like this,even if you choose to move on
from the mastermind at somepoint.
But each week we're going tohave at least one hot seat
opportunity, which will rotateamong each member throughout the
weeks.
Again, so that each of you eachof us and me included has equal
opportunity to contribute asmuch as we are able to receive.
(05:08):
I am looking for people who arewilling to make a 12-month
commitment.
Again, this is sort ofrelationship focused.
It's not just a place for youto stop in for a moment, grab
what you need and run.
The second part of thatcommitment is that you'll also
make it a priority to be presentfor each and every meeting.
Barring the exceptions likemedical or family emergencies
(05:32):
and such.
The idea here is really thatyou're going to prioritize this
mastermind meeting with yourpeers above all the other things
that could potentially come up.
We all know how that happensand we may tend to put off a
group training or a grouphangout or some other event.
(05:54):
What we're really looking forhere is the level of commitment
that this becomes one of yourtop priorities for your business
and for your growth.
Again, that allows for each andevery member in the group to
gain a level of trust, a levelof confidence and overall
increase the value of what eachand every other member is taking
(06:14):
away from the group and all ofthe things that come from that.
I would love it if you're afull-time self-employed, or at
least working towards achievingthat, sometime in the next eight
to 12 months as your goal, andif any of this sounds like
something that may be a good fitfor you, I want to encourage
(06:35):
you to send me an email, dan, atdanwus, with simply the word
mastermind in the subject line.
I'll reply with a shortapplication for you to complete
and then we'll schedule a timeto review your application and
any questions you may havetogether.
So now that that's out of theway, let's move on and talk
(06:56):
about the other thing I wantedto bring up today, which is more
along the lines of coaching andwhat you might expect from
hearing my voice Some of whatI'm going to cover.
There are a few of you that mayhave heard me say it before.
As with anything I've repeated,I believe that it may be worth
repeating.
It certainly has continued tocome up in conversations.
(07:18):
Some of this that I'm going toshare with you has come up over
and over, some of it morerecently, so let's jump into
that, shall we?
When I first started myentrepreneurial journey, I
started out in the world ofcoaching back in 2010.
And at the time, and then againactually, when I reinvented
(07:43):
myself in the marketing realm aseparate story, but dabbled and
more than dabbled.
I made some really good moneyin that world, but quickly
decided not quickly, but decidedthat that wasn't exactly where
my heart was and where I trulywanted to be.
And here I am back in the worldof coaching, but anyway, I
(08:05):
remember thinking I neededthings like the perfect website,
the fancy logos, a big audience, etc.
Before I was able to reallyprove myself and go get clients.
And since then, of course, Ihave come to realize that none
of this actually mattered.
It's a common struggle for manynew coaches and many new
(08:28):
entrepreneurs to overcomplicatethe client acquisition process,
so I want to talk about thattoday.
The truth or the reality isit's clients come from
conversations.
I have said this before.
It does bear repeating righthere again Clients come from
conversations, not content, notcomplexity.
(08:50):
What I'm going to cover with youtoday is really just a simple,
actionable approach to findingand landing your first client,
or maybe your next five payingclients, or maybe your next five
paying clients.
To do that, I think it'sprobably a good place to address
first the biggest myths aboutwhat it looks like to find
(09:13):
clients.
So, big myth number one youneed a big audience to get
clients.
The reality is, most coachesget their first clients through
existing relationships, notsocial media followers.
Big myth number two you have tobe an expert or you have to
have some level of specificexperience or some specific
(09:38):
training or certification beforeyou can start charging.
Before you can start charging,the reality is is if you have
the ability to help someonesolve a problem, you're ready to
coach now.
You don't need to arriveanywhere first.
You don't need to arrive first.
Get out there and serve peopleBig myth, big myth.
(10:02):
Big myth number number threecontent alone will bring clients
.
Maybe I should have titled thisone really big myth.
I don't know how many timesyou've seen it, but I see it far
too often.
People coaches, entrepreneursget stuck in this cycle.
I have to figure out socialmedia.
(10:23):
I'm overwhelmed with witheverything but social media.
I need to be consistent in mysocial media.
I'm focused on gainingfollowers so I can grow my
social media, so I can getclients and grow my business.
Posting on social media isgreat, but I just want to remind
you right here conversationscreate clients.
(10:45):
Conversations create clientsfaster than any posting of
content ever will.
Did I let that sink in?
Perfect.
So I want to share with you asimple framework that focuses on
real connections and valuedriven conversations, along with
(11:07):
a few action steps that you canstart taking right away to get
your first client, or your nextclient, or your next five paying
clients.
Are you ready?
I can hear you say yes, I hearit, I feel it and I'm grateful
for you for being here.
All right, here's the hardestpart Reach out to five people
(11:30):
you already know.
By the way, I did title this.
I named it.
It's the 5-5-5 strategy forgetting clients.
Now, it's silly, simple, silly,simple, meaning I don't know
how much simpler I can make it.
555 strategy for gettingclients.
The first five reach out to fivepeople you already know who in
(11:52):
your network can benefit fromyour help.
Message them with a simple,genuine question hey, john, I
was thinking about you today.
How's everything going withthat course you were building?
Or how's everything going withthat event you were preparing to
host or planning?
How's everything going withthat transition to a new job?
How's everything going with themove, whatever it is?
(12:15):
Then offer value and see ifthey're open to having a
conversation.
Next five connect with five newpeople in relevant communities.
You can engage with people ingroups on Facebook and groups on
LinkedIn by attending networkevents, whether they're local or
(12:37):
not.
Maybe you plan to attend onelarge-scale networking event
each year, but you can attendmany local networking events.
Maybe you go to your chamber ofcommerce.
Maybe you go to a oh my gosh,we just talked about this today
in another community and it'scome up several times.
It's probably worth bringing uphere.
(12:57):
But go to a Toastmaster sessionand network with those people
and learn to communicate betterwhile you're there.
Lots of different things thatyou can engage in for networking
and other local communities.
Go, get engaged in yourcommunity and find five new
people to connect with.
Again.
(13:19):
Look first to add value bycommenting, sharing insights and
contributing, before everconsidering making any sort of
pitch to them.
An example might be that hey,john, I saw your post in
whatever about the challenge youwere experiencing.
That's something that I've beenable to help clients with in
(13:41):
the past.
I'd love to hear more aboutyour experience and I was
wondering if you'd be open to aconversation about that.
I don't know if I can help youor not, but if you're open to
finding out, let's just chatthrough it.
See what happens no obligations, no commitments.
Chat through it.
(14:01):
See what happens no obligations, no commitments, no strings.
And then make five valuableoffers.
Make five valuable offers.
A valuable offer doesn't have tobe any kind of hard sell.
It can be as simple as a free20-minute clarity session, a
personal invitation to yourgroup challenge or email list.
It can be direct paid coachingfor one of your offers for those
(14:25):
people who may be at that levelalready and are ready to commit
to that.
Make five valuable offers.
So these things you can do weekby week as a simple strategy
for gaining your next clients.
Reach out to five people youalready know.
Connect with five new people inrelevant communities each week
(14:46):
and make five valuable offerseach week, and then I'd love to
hear from you how did that workfor you?
Did you meet your goal?
That takes me to the nextthought comment, whatever it may
be, is how to make ano-pressure offer.
That feels natural, and I'vesort of given you a prelude to
(15:07):
this, but you've heard me say itbefore.
Start by simply being curious.
Start with curiosity, not anysort of selling focus.
You never want to pitch peopleout of the gate.
Always start by asking abouttheir struggles, their
challenges, their dreams.
An example could be what's beenyour biggest challenge with the
(15:31):
thing you're building?
What's been your biggestchallenge with starting and
growing your online coachingbusiness?
And then be willing to givethem value before making any
kind of offer.
Wow, when I was starting out, Iremember that I was faced with
similar challenges, and here'ssome of the things that I was
(15:53):
able to navigate.
You know, maybe they talk abouttrying to find the right email
platform or whatever it may be,and I can talk about what I've
learned from my marketingexperience about what it takes
to find the right emailmarketing platform.
We often look at what everyoneelse is using and we don't often
look at what platforms aregoing to be right for my goals
(16:17):
and the specific needs that Ihave in my business and in the
way I use email marketing, ifthat's what I was looking for.
I used to see this question allthe time and I'd see people hey
, what's everybody think aboutusing MailChimp?
What's everybody think?
I?
Probably I don't know if Ishould be talking about these or
not.
I am a referral partner forActiveCampaign, which is the
(16:40):
platform that I use.
So if you're interested in thatchecking that out, please do
reach out.
I'm happy to send you areferral link and I'm happy to
talk about why I chose thatplatform.
I digress Because really mypoint here is that I want you to
focus on what's right for youand your business.
(17:00):
You know ease of use,automations, what's included for
the free tiers, what's includedfor the paid tiers, how many
contacts are you going to need?
That sort of thing, how easy itis to navigate or how
technically complex and yourlevel of technical ability are
all things you should be lookingat instead of what's everybody
else using.
So there's just one example.
(17:23):
So you know, start with sharingyour insights, asking other
questions and seeking again togenuinely help them and then, if
there is a fit from theconversation, then you can
naturally lead into that offer.
Hey, I have worked with a lotof people in a similar situation
as yourself.
(17:43):
Would you be open to jumping ona quick call to find out how it
might look to offer somefurther assistance, how I might
be able to help you?
I can't make any guarantees,but if we get on a call we can
find out if we're a good fit.
Remove the pressure from theconversation.
(18:03):
There are no strings attached,just a conversation.
Let's see if it's a fit forboth of us.
If they say no, great.
I really appreciate you takingtime and I appreciate the
consideration.
Is there someone that you knowthat may benefit from what we're
talking about, and would you beable to introduce us?
So that takes me to the powerof referrals.
(18:27):
Tapping into your network, yournext client is probably only
one introduction away.
So if you have past clients,you can start with asking past
clients, ask your friends, askyour colleagues.
Hey, who do you know that mightbenefit from what I'm working
on?
And you want to make it easyfor them.
(18:49):
You want to provide a simplescript or a link or something
that they can share.
An example might be that, hey,I'm helping people with X
problem.
Maybe it's a mindset issue orwhatever your area of expertise
is.
Do you know someone who may beable to benefit from what I'm
working on?
I would love it if you couldmake an introduction.
(19:10):
Would you be open to that?
Hey, great, here's a link I'dlike you to send them, or here's
a draft email I've prepared foryou, or a draft text message.
Whatever it may be, make it aseasy as possible for them.
We do this in the podcastingworld too, right, when we talk
about guests and how to be greathosts.
A great host may ask theirguest prior to an interview.
(19:33):
What would make it really easyfor me to help you share this
episode?
Once we're finished and it'sall ready to go, would you know
a drafted email to send out toyour email list?
Would social media content witha couple clips?
Would that be better for you?
What would make it easy for youto share?
(19:53):
And I'm happy to prepare thatfor you.
It's the same thing mindsetshifts.
I had to pause because I get soamped up about some of these
topics for sure, and I want todo my best not to drag this out
(20:14):
too long today and I'm stillrecovering from a cold which I
don't even know it was a reallybad cold, if it was a cold, but
still recovering.
So I just need to pause andtake a breath for a second.
Overly excited, and that leadsme to mindset shifts for client
creation.
There's a couple things that wemyself included find ourselves
(20:37):
caught up in and and I just wantto point them out so that, if
you're doing these, you can workon them.
And I just want to point themout so that, if you're doing
these, you can work on them.
First of all is stop waitingand start doing.
How many of you are doing that?
Stop waiting, start doing.
Everything you want is on theother side of action.
Everything you want is on theother side of action.
(20:58):
I know what the quote is.
I know I've heard it plenty oftimes Everything you want is on
the other side of fear, not true.
Everything you want is on theother side of fear, not true.
Everything you want is on theother side of action.
You have to take action in theface of that fear and adversity,
to start doing and achieving.
I've said this before indifferent ways, but confidence
does not come before action.
(21:18):
It comes from taking action.
Confidence is not a requirement, it is a result.
Detaching from outcomes I did Idon't know and I don't think it
was a whole episode, but I didtalk about this in a previous
episode Detaching from outcomes,going into these conversations
as connections and relationshipbuilding, not as I'm getting my
(21:41):
next client or creating anincome from this person or I
need to make an offer.
It's starting with beinggenuinely curious and that's it.
If am I connecting with people,is that it, that's it, that's
it.
That's really all there is.
If something more comes fromthat, I know what to do next.
Yes, but that is not the goal.
(22:03):
The goal is to make five newconnections and nurture those
relationships to the point thatI might make them an offer.
But my goal isn't to make theman offer.
My goal is to connect, detachfrom any of the other potential
outcomes, and your life will gettremendously better when it
comes to building your coachingbusiness.
(22:26):
Not everyone is going to say yes, and that's perfectly fine.
In fact, it's great.
Your goal should probably be toget and collect no's.
There's some science andpsychology behind getting to no
achieving the no early in arelationship.
Behind getting to knowachieving the know early in a
(22:47):
relationship.
At least then you know whereyou stand and you can move on to
the N-O next one.
And no, is really not right now.
Most of the time, focus onservice, not selling.
Focus on serving the person infront of you, serving them as
deeply and as powerfully and asgiftedly as you possibly can,
(23:11):
creating that experience forthem that leaves in their mind
something they're never going toforget.
And you are not going to beforgotten either.
When you focus on helpingpeople, the clients will
naturally follow.
So there you have it.
Clients come from conversations, not content.
(23:35):
We talked about the 5-5-5strategy, which makes finding
clients simple and actionable,and making offers doesn't have
to feel salesy, sleazy orwhatever pushy.
When you simply focus onservice and, by the way, selling
(23:58):
is service to someone when theyhave a challenge that you can
help them overcome, it is kindto sell them your offer, the
thing that can help them achievetheir desires, achieve their
goals.
If you keep it from them, it'sthe opposite of being kind to
them.
The kinder you are, the morethey achieve, the more they
(24:28):
achieve.
Sales does not have to beanything other than building a
relationship and serving anotherhuman being.
Here's your action challenge forthis week Reach out to one
person, starting today.
Have a conversation with them.
Make one valuable offer thisweek, whether it's free or paid.
Make a valuable offer this week.
Now notice, I didn't challengeyou to the five to start this
(24:50):
week out, but you couldcertainly take that on and
starting with reaching out tofive people today, making five
new connections, starting todayor this week, and then making
five valuable offers this week,free or paid.
Go back to my examples if youneed to, but there's lots of
options that you can come upwith as an offer.
(25:13):
That does not necessarily haveto be your coaching offer.
Finally, you don't need to waitfor the perfect moment.
I want to encourage you thatyour next client is already out
there waiting.
You just need to start theconversation with them.
Perfect.
Thank you so much for spendingyour time with me.
(25:35):
I'm deeply honored that youcome here each and every week.
I'd love to hear from you.
So a couple things for youSubscribe to Deep Dive Dialogues
for more business buildinginsights and coaching insights.
If you've got feedback orquestions, email me, dan, at
danwus, or leave me a voicemail,and you can also subscribe by
(25:58):
visiting podcastdanwus.
You can also subscribe byclicking follow or subscribe,
depending on the app that you'reusing to listen to my voice.
You can do all of those thingsbut podcastdanwus.
You can get in touch with methere, leave me a voicemail,
subscribe to the podcast, or youcan email me directly, dan, at
danwus.
(26:19):
And if you want to hear moreabout the mastermind, you want
an application?
Please do send that email.
Just put mastermind in thesubject and I'll be sure to get
it over to you right away.
Thank you so much for beinghere and I look forward to
speaking with you again nextweek.
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