When I stumble on people saying people are “trapped trading dollars for hours because they are still doing one on one coaching…”

 

I smile.

 

Because I bought into the lie too, that 1:1 coaching wasn’t scalable, and therefore not a good choice for an ambitious entrepreneur like myself.

 

And that’s when all the shiny objects entered into my awareness…

 

Courses.

Masterminds.

Groups.

E-books.

 

So…… sexy.

So…. scalable!

 

But here’s what’s interesting…

I tried a lot of those things.

(And to be honest, I still have a lot of those kinds of offers.)

 

But want to know the simplest, easiest, most fulfilling part of my business?

 

My 1:1 work with clients.

 

It's also how I've continuously hit six-figures+ in my business, year after year.

 

It works to create awesome profit, yes. And even better.....it's fulfilling.

 

The 1:1 coaching business model is elegant, simple, and meaningful.

 

And it’s not dead.

 

Low Bar For Entry, High Bar For Success

 

If you’re reading this and you’re a coach, you’ve probably heard that before.

Our industry IS unregulated.

 

Which means anyone can call themselves a coach.

 

The industry is basically made up, with very little (if any) “rules.”

Some people hate that.

And some people love that… (like me.)

 

Because it leaves a lot of room to create.

 

If you want to succeed, you have to develop the skill of coaching.

And until you’ve mastered coaching….you have to have tenacity, grit, and perseverance.

 

I truly believe anyone can make it as a 1:1 coach…

 

If they stick with it long enough.

 

And there’s the rub.

 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE IT?

2 Major Internal Shifts.

2 Major External Actions.

 

Let’s dig in.

 

Internal Shift #1 “I’m here UNTIL this works.”

 

If there’s one thing I could ingrain in the minds of good, heart centered coaches…

It’s this.

 

Don’t. Quit.

 

Simple concept…. But super hard to actually execute on.

Because the path isn’t linear.

The path is hard.

 

ANd it’s meant to be.

 

In an unregulated industry, your apprenticeship is failure.

Your qualifications are your ability to learn and iterate, and transcend your bruised ego.

 

On the path of success…failure isn’t optional. It is literally the way there.

 

So the game of success as a 1:1 coach isn’t to avoid failure. It’s to lean in, learn, and improve.

 

Over and over again… UNTIL it works.

 

Not the sexy answer of a get rich quick scheme, huh?

 

Internal Shift #2 “This isn’t about me.”

 

This is actually one of my favorite parts of this industry.

 

People who make it all about them… burn out.

 

This is a service driven career. And it’s what keeps you going on the hard days.

 

Because here’s the deal… you could have chosen any profession to “get rich.”

But you chose to be a coach because of service.

Because you love the humans.

 

Because you want to make our world better.

 

So you literally won’t sustain the effort if it’s all about what you get.

 

But if you truly want to help people, and make a career of it… you’ll figure out how.

 

External Action #1 Stop Creating a “Funnel” For 1:1 Clients, Do this Instead

 

Yup.

 

The messaging that doesn’t resonate with me at all when I think about creating 1:1 clients:

• “Potential clients”
• “Leads”
• Fill Your Funnel
• Cold Traffic
• Conversions

Mmmm. No thanks. Not for people who I spend a lot of personal, profound time with.

 

I got into coaching for the heart of it, not the statistics of it.

 

I like thinking of these people like…

• Connections
• Friends
• Colleagues

I also have found my best clients come from organic connection over time.

 

Which means the rules are different than building and filling a funnel.

 

The 1:1 Coaching Business Rules (that aren’t actually rules) by Amber:

 

1. Stop needing something from your business. 
   1. (Instead, ask what you can GIVE.)
   2. Needy is creepy. Rich Litvin
   3. Create these things within first, then you won't need it from your business.
1. Validation
2. Power
3. Praise
4. Popularity
2. Be of service.
1. Even if they can’t pay you
2. Even if they said they’d never hire you
3. Even if they aren’t an ideal client
4. Even if it’s not business related
3. Make powerful invitations when the time is right
1. This is an art, and you’ll get better at it with time
2. You’re not asking them to marry you, you’re inviting them to have a coaching experience with you (aka consult call if you want to call it that. I like the words call, chat, coaching conversation, etc. better than consult.)
4. Create experiences where people get coached. Not just the theory of coaching.
1. Steve Chandler said “sell the experience, not the concept.” AKA actually coach them!
2. Don’t close the sale. Open the relationship.
5. Lead them in their decision to work with you or not.
1. Don’t back away from talking about money
2. Don’t back away from hard conversations
3. You don’t have to be hard core. You can lead with love.
4. Detached means you aren’t attached to them signing, but it doesn’t mean you don’t care.
5. Look for signals that they want to hire you!

Click here to listen to my podcast episode all about this 5 step framework in more depth.

 

Remember... these rules are about playing the long game.

 

Not the instant gratification game.

 

 

External Action #2 Create value they remember. (Content is part of this, but it’s not everything.)

 

Not all value is created equal. 

 

And not all value is related to content creation. (Which most people equate with adding value.)

 

In fact… I’ve never signed a 1:1 client because of content alone. 

 

It has always been because of a relationship I have with that person… built through conversation, trust, usefulness, and possibility… strengthened over time.

 

“People will forget what you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel.”

 

“Content is a soft place to land.” -Mark Butler (Make sure you check out his highly relevant podcast, The Beautiful Business.)

But it's not the only way you add value.

 

 

 

 

A client recently asked me, do you think it’s more important to create reels and posts or to reach out to people individually?

 

My answer, always, is reach out to people individually.

 

This does not mean a cold pitch in the DM.

 

It means generating + sustaining meaningful, innocent conversations with people... over time.

 

Being a normal, kind human.

 

This doesn’t just exist online.

 

It exists…

 

In your communities (online and offline)

 

With your family.

 

With your friends.

 

With your colleagues and coworkers.

 

With your followers.

 

With past clients.

 

You're always creating.

 

You’re just being helpful, and curious, and interested. (Hint, not interesting.) 

 

Reaching out to people who come to mind and serving them will do infinitely more for your 1:1 coaching business than tweaking your website or trying to go viral with a reel (despite what a lot of messaging out there will tell you.)

 

I’m all for growing your audience, extending your reach, etc….

 

But not if your goal is to create awesome 1:1 clients this month.

 

It’s a different game.

Here’s a summary of how to play that game:

Do the inner work so you…

• Can go deep with clients
• Hone the craft + skill of coaching (stay tuned for The Art of Deep Coaching coming in January)
• Need nothing from your business. (when you’re content with your life and within yourself you don’t seek validation, praise, or certainty from your business. You have that inside.)

 

Level Up Your Skills

• Get coached yourself
• Coach others a lot
• Read books that expand your mind + grow your skills
• Engage in self-education via courses, YouTube videos, etc.
• Try things on the edge of your comfort zone

 

Invite People Into Your World

• Making invitations is the equivalent of “I’m open for business” so make them often!
• Remember -- "Yes lives in the land of no” - Rich Litvin
• Learn to love client enrollment as much as you love actually coaching!
        

Shameless plug. If you loved this article, you’d love The Matrix, my year long group coaching program where we combine business savvy with the inner work. Check it out here.
   

 

Some of my favorite resources I built this article from:

• The Prosperous Coach by Rich Litvin and Steve Chandler

 

• How to Get Clients by Steve Chandler

 

• The Beautiful Business Podcast by Mark Butler

 

• N-S-I-C-L episode from The Conscious Coach Podcast

I love 1:1 coaching.

I love that I get to form deep, meaningful connections with others. And it's a viable, awesome business model.

 

The rules are different than funnel building, SEO, or going viral....

 

And it's so worth it to learn how to play this game, if you love coaching.

 

You got this.

 

Amber

 

 

 

What Happened This Week:

 

My husband, and all 3 of my girls got Influenza.. and I'm grateful I stayed healthy! 

I am still offering the bonus through the end of the year: When you pay in full for The Matrix, you get 4 bonus 1:1 calls with me! Check it out here.