How To Get Clients in 2023 (5 Effective Strategies)

Have you ever felt that enrolling clients is a challenging task and are wondering how to get clients in 2023?

In this guide, we'll cover four breakthrough strategies for beginners and seasoned coaches to help you boost enrollments in 2023. 

Read on!

Sharpen Your Fundamentals for Astronomical Results

You've spent a lot of time and effort reaching out to people, showcasing value, and even offering free consultation sessions. You are doing everything by the book, but your conversion rate still sucks!  

What could be going wrong? Why aren't you seeing enrollments coming in as quickly as you'd like? Why are your conversations falling flat? Let's take a moment to explore that. 

Let's assume that you're suffering from a painful and unbearable headache. 

Doctor 'A' comes to you and says, "I'll help you eliminate headache in 15 minutes with a pill." 

Doctor 'B' comes to you and says, "I'll help you cope with the headache. It's a common issue. Everybody suffers from it. Be strong."   

Whom do you choose?

Did you just think of Doctor A? Most of us would make the same choice.  

Why? Doctor A is giving you a quick win by immediately eliminating your pain. Once that's done, you've built trust in them. You know they can help you to solve more long-term issues as well. 

The same applies to your coaching business. If you can eliminate one big problem quickly, you'll see clients getting enrolled faster. 

Before dwelling on the strategies for enrolling prospects, here are three things to consider. 

Tip #1: Build a business mindset 

You grow when your mindset grows. That's why building the right mindset is key to a successful business. For instance, with a business mindset, you know to avoid running after the money. You know that it's not about pushing people to enroll. And you know not to come across as desperate. 

Instead, with a business mindset you: 

• Give as much as you can before you ask 
• Focus on your work rather than the outcomes 
• Be accountable instead of blaming others 
• Embrace challenges and learn from them 
• Move people from their current state to their desired state 
• Stay true to your vision and make it your life's work 

Are you ready for a new approach in 2023? Then it's time for you to transform your mindset. 

Tip #2: Understand your target audience 

Businesses are built to serve customers. There is no point in running a business if you don't understand your customers' problems, fears, aspirations, and obstacles. So, get to know your target audience. How do you do that?

• Talk to them!
• Look at social analytics to understand their behavior 
• Do polls and dipstick surveys to get a pulse of what they need

And once you've figured out what your customers want, make them an offer they can't refuse. 

Tip #3: Focus on your offer 

A poor offer is one of the key reasons why most coaches fail to enroll clients. 

Ask a coach— Who is your target audience? And 90% of them end up saying, EVERYONE. 

It's a common misconception that narrowing down the niche decreases opportunities. You need to understand that if everyone is your target audience, you'll probably sell to no one. So, narrowing down your niche is essential to creating a stellar offer. 

Here are three steps to create an all-time excellent offer. 

Step #1: Know your target audience.

Example: Small business owners (entrepreneurs) looking to grow their business 

Step #2: Research the audience's pain points.

Example: They don't have a big budget for marketing to get clients 

Step #3: Find your unique solution to solve the audience's pain. 

Example: Viral Client Acquisition model to get clients in 21 days

Step #4: Combine these three steps to create your offer. 

Example: I help entrepreneurs get clients in 21 days without paying a penny for marketing through a proven Viral Client Acquisition model.

That's it. You've got the best offer. 

Tip #4: Learn to network in the right way to attract more clients

Networking goes beyond attending events and meeting new people. It's the strategic and structural way to know your potential clients. 

Here are a few great ways to network effectively.

• Make a habit of meeting at least 3 to 5 new people whenever you attend events 
• Listen to people around you. The more you listen, the more you understand
• Engage with your existing network once in 7 to 14 days 
• Send insightful and personalized messages  

4 Breakthrough Strategies [Most Coaches Miss Out On] To Get Clients in 2023

Now that you've brushed your fundamentals, it's time to look into fool-proof strategies to flood your business with clients. 

Strategy #1: The "Hunter" Strategy

Best For: Novice to experienced coaches stuck at converting leads into high-paying clients. 

This system includes three steps. 

Step #1: Connect with the target audience

Did you know why people buy from popular brands? Because they trust them. 

Marcus Sheridan, Author of the best-selling book They Ask You Answer, says, "Successful businesses are built on TRUST."  

You've just entered the coaching industry. Your target audience needs to become more familiar with you. So, the first thing to do is build connections by providing solutions to their pain points. 

For instance, assume your audience is on Facebook groups. Now, join one of the relevant groups. Post your opinions, comment on others' posts, and give replies to the comments. Build rapport and start engaging with them. You don't need to post daily; instead, build rapport with the group members. Let people know you exist. 

Step #2: Find the potential clients 

You've built a rapport. People recognize you as an expert in your field. It's time to find the clients and put your offer before them. 

Create an assessment and share it with your target audience. Give a deadline to complete an assessment and tell them it hardly takes 2 to 3 minutes. 

For instance, share a meal plan assessment if you're a diet coach. It should include questions like: 

• What do you eat every day?
• How do you feel about your body?
• Would you like to increase or decrease weight?
• What's preventing you from taking action? And so on. 

These assessments help you understand your audience and enable you to filter the most potential clients. You'll know who is ready to get a solution from you.   

Step #3: Convert them to paying customers 

Only a few coaches succeed at converting potential clients into paying customers. Almost 90% of people end up losing clients during this phase. 

But here's the best model to turn the audience into high-paying clients - eliminate one problem quickly 

Filter out the best potential clients from the free assessment for whom you can give the quick solution for the one big problem. 

Suppose you've got 20 assessment reports from the people. Make sure you filter at least 5-6 potential clients with a problem you can solve quickly. 

Let's take an example. 

Suppose your potential client wants to lose weight but wants to know the exact process. Suggest them the required information in a 15-minute zoom call and clear all their doubts. Finally, provide them with a dinner plan to get quick results. 

The quick wins increase your services' trust and turn them into high-paying clients. 

Strategy #2: The "Novel Referral” Program

Best For: New coaches to seasoned coaches with at least one client. 

Word-of-mouth is valued, trustworthy, and impactful. Over 50% of Americans pick services based on word-of-mouth referrals. 

Asking for referrals is an age-old strategy that never fails to deliver results. We suggest a slight twist on it that would skyrocket your results. 

People love freebies, discounts, and bonuses. For example, you can create a referral program with 30% off your subsequent coaching sessions for the referee and referrer. 

If you think giving discounts may cost your business, here's a business earning millions of customers through its referral program.

Evernote's referral program pulls in 13% of its total user base. It rewards the referee with a free premium plan for 30 days. At the same time, the referrer gets 10 points (usually enough to enjoy a premium for three months). And people are digging it!  

A Secret Hack to Get More Referrals…

Most people think connecting with competitors isn't a good idea.

But networking with the proper competition will help you earn more referrals. No one can know everything. The same is with your competitors—what you know might not be a familiar concept to your competitors. 

If you make the right connections, they may refer you to some of the clients who need your guidance. So, join your local and online coaches' networks and make the right connections. 

Strategy #3: The "Posse" Plan

Best For: Anyone from beginner to seasoned coaches. 

The Posse is all about creating a community. Create a group on any platform and provide massive value without strings attached. This encourages people to join in. And once they are in, you engage with them, earn their trust, and when you make them an offer, they would be more than willing to take it up. 

Here's the mini step-by-step guide to leverage the posse plan to enroll clients consistently. This strategy includes four stages—create, attract, give, and enroll. 

Stage #1: Create A Customer-Loving Group 

Know your WHY—"why do you want to create a community?”-before creating a group.

Example: To educate the target audience, to build a personal space between business and people, to start healthy discussions, etc. 

Having a clearly defined goal:

• Gives the audience a reason to join you
• Helps maintain consistency in your messages
• Helps the group members know what to expect from the group 

For instance, Mindvalley has a vibrant global community that empowers education through discussions. Similarly, ConvertKit has built a community where members can help and inspire one another. 

Here're a few questions to narrow down your goal. 

• Would you like to create a private or public group?
• Whom do you want to include in your community?
• What type of content would you like to post in the group?
• What content would you like to see others posting in the group?
• How would you like to empower them?

Think about your community platform after brainstorming the goal. The simple tip is to choose a platform where the target audience hangs out the most. 

Stage #2: Attract Your Target Audience

Creating a group is only helpful if you have an audience to communicate the messages. So, it's vital to attract an audience to join the group. 

How to do it?

• Give a shout-out to your network
• Create a short message by adding a link to your group. Remember to add your why while crafting a message. Post in other groups and ask people to join your network. 
• Tell your network the benefits of joining your community 
• Include freebies to attract the crowd  

Stage #3: Give Abundant Value and Engage 

This is one of the crucial steps to building rapport with the clients. Listen to what your target audience is telling other groups. Know their problems and provide solutions in your community. 

• Take live sessions and interact with your audience
• Encourage group members to ask questions. Share your opinions to showcase your industry expertise. 
• Don't post and ghost. Instead, drop your comments in others' posts.   

Stage #4: Enroll Clients

Since you've been engaging and showing your expertise for a long time, people trust you and see you as an industry expert. Now it's time to release your offer in three parts: pre-selling, selling, and post-selling. 

• Pre-selling

Warm up the community about your offer. Release small teasers of your offers. 

Example: 

We are opening our coaching sessions on 1 January 2023 and calling out all corporate employees who want to boost their mental and emotional wellness. 

Why should you join us?

• 24/7 support 
• Free templates 
• Regular sessions
• Weekly meetups
• Free calls and one-to-one sessions  
• Tracks your mental and emotional wellbeing regularly
• Chance of meeting and getting trained by top 1% mentors

[Limited Seats Available]

• Selling

In this phase, provide them a form or link to enroll in your business. 

Example: 

Finally, the day has come to grow your wellness. Fill out the form below to meet and get trained by the best mentors. Hurry up. The first two people get 30% off. Offer ends in 3 Hrs. 44 Min.

• Post-Selling

In the post-selling phase, show how you've transformed the clients from an undesired state to their desired state. Share video testimonials or reviews. These techniques build your credibility and inspire others to join your coaching sessions. 

Strategy #4: The "Personal Branding" Approach

Did you know:

• 92% of people believe recommendations from people with a face instead of brands without a face?
• 77% of social discussions are around people seeking help or suggestions?

The writing on the wall is clear. There's a massive audience out there seeking help on social media, and you'll be amazed at just how many of them could be your target audience. You're missing out on a lot on the table if you're not using social media. 

The question is, “how to use social media to get more clients?” And the answer lies in investing time and effort to build your personal brand. 

This strategy is best if you are working with a limited or no budget at all. Although it's a time-consuming process, the results compound over time. If you've no idea how to start personal branding and enroll clients, here's your mini guide. 

Step #1: Strategize 

This is one of the important steps in personal branding, where you assess yourself and what you have to offer.  

• Identify your expertise (example: I'm a weight loss coach. I can help people lose weight through calorie-deficit plans.)
• Know your audience (example: Most of my clients are 9-5 corporate professionals aged between 28 to 45 who are living a desk-bound lifestyle.)
• Find your platform: choose the best platform that works for you to grab your potential client's attention, such as Facebook, Instagram, Discord, Reddit, Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, etc.  
• Prepare a day-to-day plan

Step #2: Create Content 

The purpose of personal branding is not just to post random content and get a few clients. It's to showcase your personality. 

People don't want to talk to faceless companies. They want to talk to real people. They especially want to talk to people they can relate to. Check out this video to learn more about how to build an awesome personal brand. 

However, here are a few content ideas you can share with your audience. 

• Tell personal stories
• Show your vulnerabilities 
• Share success stories
• Post testimonial videos or reviews
• Answer frequently asked questions

Step #3: Enroll Clients 

Outreach is one of the coolest ways to enroll clients in 2023. 

Let's say you're a fitness coach to working professionals. Assume your potential clients are on LinkedIn. 

Go to the LinkedIn search bar and enter entrepreneurs or software engineers. Find out a potential client by checking out their bio. Engage with any of their posts. Finally, send them a message introducing yourself and state how you can transform your body in the next 90 days. 

Did you know 50% of sales happen after the 5th follow-up message? So, make sure you follow up with your prospects once every 2 to 3 days. 

Bonus: The Ad-Flyer Strategy 

Yes. You've read it right. Does an ad flyer work in 2023? The obvious answer is a big YES. 

• A flyer's success rate and response rate are way more than the outdoor advertising strategies 
• About 79% of people engage with flyers 
• The flyer response rate is between 1% to 2% 

The ad-flyer strategy is best for coaches targeting the local audience with a minimum budget. Make sure you use the below tips to make this strategy work. 

Tips to get immediate clients with an ad-flyer strategy: 

1. Choose an eye-popping design for a flyer 
2. Provide 20-30% discounts for the first 3 to 5 clients  
3. Create a limited-time offer that compels clients to buy your services 

The Ugly Truth About Enrolling Clients 

No matter how hard you try, you can't get a YES! from all your prospects. However, here are a few tips to overcome rejections. 

• Don't take rejection too personally. Focus on your work rather than worrying about the deals you've missed 
• Appreciate yourself for giving your 100% effort
• Re-check your sales process. Analyze how you've communicated with the prospects and check out what went wrong. Maintain notes and track down each sales call. The key is to become a better person from one call to another.  
• Remind yourself that you should face small obstacles to achieve bigger goals

Become A Go-To Guide for Your Target Audience  

While these strategies work in appropriate situations, there is no one-size-fits-all hack to enroll clients. You should experiment for a couple of weeks to a month and check what works for your business. 

The underlying goal of each strategy is almost the same: to be a value provider. The more you provide value, the more you'll gain trust. And when you engage with prospects, go with a mindset of transformation rather than sales. It'll completely change the conversation and the outcome!