This is a guest post written by Joe Fleming. Want to contribute?

As the new year is almost upon us, it may be time to take stock of your coaching business and look at ways in which you can boost it. While your coaching career may already be a great success, there is always room for improvement.

With that in mind, here are five things you can do to take it to the next level.

1. Utilize the power of LinkedIn

If you’re not on LinkedIn yet, you’re making a huge mistake. The social media platform is an excellent place to boost your business and connect with potential clients. In fact, according to recent market data, around 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn. That means that you could be missing out on a wealth of opportunities if you’re not on the site.

Once you’ve set up a professional profile on the platform, you need to utilize it well. Publishing original content on the site about coaching and business in general could be the way forward. Decision-makers read around 10 pieces of content before they choose a service or product. The logic follows that the more you publish, the more attention you will ultimately get from potential leads.

2. Schedule time like a pro

If you’re working on a freelance basis or running a small venture, scheduling your time couldn’t be more important. After all, as the old and true saying goes, time is money. You may not realize it but small seemingly simple chores could be eating into your work day. Things like checking and replying to emails, as well as updating your social accounts may seem to take no time at all, but all those wasted minutes add up fast.

One way in which you may overcome this issue is by managing your time with a tracker app. For example, Toggl allows you to keep track of your time and how long each job takes you. All you need to do is press ‘Start Tracking’ when you begin working and then press ‘Stop’ when you’re done. The app will give you a breakdown of how much work you’ve done in each allotted time slot.  

3. Work on yourself first

Coaches often forget one very crucial thing. In order to help someone else with their career, fitness or life in general, you have to be on top form yourself. If you don’t look after yourself, how can you tell someone else how to? You can’t. That’s why it’s essential that coaches of all disciplines take some time to work on themselves too.

When 2018 comes around, make sure that you work on the three most important aspects of your life – your health, your social life and your career. You should increase your physical fitness, boost your social circles and ensure that you’re working toward professional goals. Work with yourself as you would any client, setting targets and aims. You may be surprised by the results you can achieve.  

4. Offer free consultations

Making that initial sale can often be the hardest part of a coach’s job. You have to convince someone that you’re worth their hard-earned money. Often enough, that can be particularly hard especially when they don’t know just what you have to offer. An easy way to get around this obstacle is to offer free consultations to any leads you may have.

Of course, you don’t want to devalue your time or give away too much of your expertise for free here. That’s why you need to keep the consultation as brief as possible. Meet with the potential client for 20 minutes and, in that time, try to pinpoint their weaknesses and places in which they need to improve. When you have done so, talk about what you could do when you work together in the future. Remember, you don’t have to give away your secrets until the potential client becomes a paying client.

5. Review your current rates

Setting rates can be one of the trickiest things for coaches. Putting a value on your knowledge and skills may seem a little crass, but it’s a necessity of the job. When the new year comes around, it may be an ideal time to review your current rates and coaching packages. You could be undervaluing what you bring to the table and making less each session than you really should.

While hiking up your prices may seem drastic, it is worth considering if you’re ready to take the next step in your business. Before you do so, take a moment to review the rates of similar coaches in your field. Doing so should give you an idea of what people are charging at the moment. Then you can get a ballpark figure of what you should be charging.

About Joe Fleming

Joe Fleming is the President at ViveHealth.com. Interested in all things related to living a healthy lifestyle, he enjoys sharing and expressing his passion through writing. Working to motivate others and defeat aging stereotypes, Joe uses his writing to help all people overcome the obstacles of life. Covering topics that range from physical health, wellness, and aging all the way to social, news, and inspirational pieces...the goal is help others “rebel against age”.

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