Posted on February 8, 2011 by Kurt Shuster

One of the most frequent questions I get from coaches is what they can do to attract more clients with their profiles on Noomii. After answering this question more than a dozen times over the phone, I thought I’d assemble the top reasons in a single blog post. The following is a list of the 10 things we’ve found make the biggest difference between coaches who get frequent requests from prospective clients and those who don’t get as many. The more of these you get right, the more clients will want to call or email you for that all-important initial consultation.

1. Write for your ideal client, not just any client

The most important thing to do when writing your profile is to put yourself in the mind of your ideal client. Who are they? What are they trying to achieve? What are their unique goals and challenges? Too many coaches try to be “all things to all people” rather than target the specific needs of their ideal clients. While it may be tempting to want to appeal to anyone, the fact is that clients are all unique and they usually seek a coach who can help them with their unique goals and challenges. The more targeted you make your profile for a specific audience – stay at home moms, corporate executives, small business owners, etc – the more you’ll stand out against the other coaches.

2. Write in the first person

When you’re writing your bio, it’s better to write as if you’re speaking directly to the client, rather than writing in the third person. So instead of “Janet Smith is an experienced leadership coach who works with senior executives on their leadership skills”, consider writing “I work with senior executives who want to improve their leadership skills”. Doing this will ensure clients will feel more connected with you as on a personal level.

3. Add client testimonials

Clients like to see that their coach has worked with clients just like them – people who have the same goals, challenges, and life experiences as themselves. So the best way to show them that you’re the best coach for their specific situation is to give them some examples of past clients who’ve made big gains after working with you. We recommend at least two client recommendations, and ideally five or six.

4. Write articles

In addition to testimonials, clients like to feel confident that their coach is a seasoned expert in their specific niche. And a great way to show off your expertise is by adding high quality, informative articles to your profile. Your articles should be relatively short (we recommend 350 to 700 words), insightful, and unique. And as with the other points, make sure your article is aimed specifically at solving the problems of your ideal clients. The more specific and targeted to your ideal client, the more your article will help your profile stand out from the crowd. And remember, only the title shows up on your profile, so make sure you give your article something that’s punchy and appealing to click and read more.

5. Fix spelling and grammar mistakes

This should be a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at how many coaches don’t do a simple check to make sure their profile is clean and error-free. There’s nothing more off-putting to a prospective client: if this coach can’t be bothered to fix the small details on their profile, how can I trust them to help me do the same?

6. Get feedback!

Related to the above, we strongly recommend that you get feedback from an impartial source, ideally a current client or someone who fits the profile of your ideal client. Even better – get several people to give feedback; the more the better!

7. Consider upgrading to a paid plan

Our internal metrics show that coaches on a paid plan get contacted by prospective clients four times as often as coaches on the free plan. This is because our paid coaches are featured more prominently throughout the site: they are listed higher on the coach directory results, they are featured on the home page, and they are featured in several other places throughout the site. And, of course, only paid coaches can submit themselves as candidates to clients who have submitted a request to Noomii’s client leads section.

8. Add a professional headshot

Our data show that profiles with photos get clicked on about 10 times as often as those without photos. But not all photos are created equal. We’ve seen a number of photos that are fuzzy, off-center, or show more than one person. Consider getting a professional photographer to make sure your photo is as polished and client-friendly as possible.

9. Make your short bio rock

Once you’ve done all the above, take one last look at your brief bio (this is the 200 character description of your ideal client that appears both at the top of your profile as well as on the directory pages). The same principle mentioned in #1 applies – target your ideal client. The key here is to be brief, focused, and as specific as possible.

Vague, undifferentiated bio:

My ideal client wants to get more out of life, work, and family. If you’re stuck in a rut, I’ll help you figure out what’s holding you back and put you on a plan to get you back on the fast track.

The problem with the above description is that there aren’t a lot of clients it wouldn’t apply to. Think of it from the client’s perspective: they’re browsing several coaches on Noomii, and they’re looking for one who speaks to their specific issues. While you may be worried that being too specific is going to limit the number of clients who contact you, the truth is exactly the opposite. Clients want to know that their coach is going to solve their specific, unique problems, and they want to read bios that speak to those issues. Compare the above bio to the more focused, specific bio below.

Specific, focused bio:

I help female entrepreneurs and small business owners take their businesses to the next level, while helping them manage the stress and challenges of work-life balance. Don’t go it alone any more!

Notice the difference? Your brief bio should be clear, concise, and target the specific goals and challenges of your ideal client rather than trying to be all things to all people.

10. Write guest posts on our blog

Okay, this one isn’t strictly about your profile, but it’s a great way to get yourself exposed to more of your ideal clients. Noomii is in the process of re-launching our blog with a focus on clients and their specific needs and goals. So if you’ve got a flair for writing highly informative, unique, and insightful articles, send us an email and we’ll give you more information about our new guest blogger program. Email our customer support specialist Dana at blog@noomii.com.