Introduction

In the early days of my coaching practice, I had no idea what I was doing. I was winging it and trying to figure out how to keep my clients happy. But as my business grew, so did the need for more structured systems and tools that could help me grow and scale my business in a way that worked for me. Now that I have tried many different platforms and strategies over the years, here are some of the most important tools you'll need if you want to scale your coaching business:

A good website.

A website is by far the most important tool you can have. This is where your list of leads and clients will be stored, in addition to providing a hub for all of your other marketing channels. A good website:

• Acts as a hub to collect leads, provide value and build your brand.

• Allows you to easily share blog posts, videos and other content with your audience.

• Is accessible from anywhere in the world at any time, so people will always be able to find it when they're ready for coaching help!

A high-converting sales funnel.

A sales funnel is the process you use to move potential customers from their first point of contact with your business, through to purchasing your product or service.

A high-converting sales funnel consists of five parts:

• A landing page that captures leads by giving away a valuable resource (like a free guide) and collecting their email address in exchange.

• An autoresponder sequence that follows up on the lead's interest, builds trust and provides more information about your coaching program.

• An offer letter which outlines the benefits of working with you and details how much they need to pay if they'd like to continue on the journey with their coaching program.

• A payment processor where clients can make payments via Stripe, PayPal or another third party payment processor like Stripe Connect.

• A thank-you page where clients are sent after making a purchase so they're reminded that this isn't just another website page they've landed on—this is where they'll be able to access all of their new products and services!

A way to collect payments.

Now that we've talked about the first two items on your list, let's focus on payment processing. Payment is literally where all the money is for your business—and if you don't have a way for people to pay you, then there’s no point in having a coaching business at all!

There are hundreds of options out there for accepting payments online, but they all fall into one of three categories:

• Invoice-based services like Chargify (for recurring revenue) and Recurly (for membership sites). These tools allow you to send invoices/bills to customers and take a cut from each transaction. They're great if you need recurring revenue or monthly subscriptions, but they're not very useful when it comes time to accept one-time payments.

• Credit card processors like Stripe or PayPal that allow anyone with an account setup within their system to receive credit card payments without needing any merchant accounts installed directly on their website or app. This makes them easy enough for just about anyone with an internet connection! However...it's important that these providers aren't storing any of your customers' financial information—that responsibility lies solely with your company itself (and possibly another company called "Payment Gateway").

A scheduling system that works for you.

There are lots of great scheduling tools out there. My own personal favorite is Calendly, but you might find that another works better for your business, so do some digging and find what works best for you.

Here’s why it’s important:

• Schedule sessions in advance. This allows clients to make appointments and know when they will be in session with you. It also gives them time to prepare for their session by thinking about what questions they want answered or issues they want addressed during the session.

• Schedule sessions based on the client’s schedule and yours as well as family obligations, travel plans, and other commitments (such as yoga classes!).

• Use blocking out days and times early in the week so that if something changes later in the week or weekend, you can adjust accordingly without worrying about missing out on any appointments altogether or having a gap where people could easily book with another coach who doesn't mind rushing around trying not miss anything else!

I have tried both acuity and calendly and love them both. I would say check out the free version of each and play around with weighing them out to see which of the two feel most aligned for your business needs.

A way to conduct your sessions.

The way you conduct sessions is important. You want to make sure that your clients are getting what they need from the time they spend with you.

Here are some tips for ensuring this:

• If using video or phone, have a clear space where you can see and be seen clearly by your client. It's also a good idea to test out equipment before starting each session so that both of you know whether it's working well enough for what you need it to do during the session itself.

• Have an energy level that matches your client's needs and expectations—if they're very calm and relaxed, don't try to be too energetic yourself unless that works better with them; likewise if they seem nervous or anxious, don't be overly calm in response (and consider adjusting their expectations accordingly).

• Pay attention to how long each person spends talking versus asking questions during sessions; if one person dominates more than others do not hesitate given them more opportunities speak up next time!

I have been using Zoom since before it became popular and I LOVE it. I have tried other platforms (google meets and web ex) and no matter what I always come back to zoom. You can give it a try with the free sign up and use up to 40 minutes at a time. As you begin to scale you can decide whether or not it feels aligned to sign up for the paid version.

A course platform or way to deliver content

Whether you’re going to host courses, or give small bundles I have found that having a “homebase” is a great way to streamline the process for my clients and stay organized on the back end of my business.

Depending on what I am delivering I have two places I keep my content.

For my courses I keep my content on Thrive Learn.

For my smaller offers (like bundles, trip wires and freebies) I host them on google drive and share the link that way.

Both platforms are easy to use because once the content is loaded and ready to go I can just share a link or access code for my clients to take advantage of what it is that I am offering

If you desire to create your own online course check out my free training here: https://www.nicolyawilliams.com/content-course-coins

Marketing materials and graphics.

Your marketing materials and graphics are the first thing that potential clients are going to see when they come across your business. It’s important that your branding is consistent, so everyone knows what it means to work with you and so that they can recognize you from a distance.

I personally use Canva for my graphics and even for my emails and blog photos. I was on the free version of Canva for over three years and only recently signed up for the paid version. As a person who has no background in graphic design and not one bone of artistic ability in my body learning and using Canva has been seamless. I would challenge you to check it out.

To create a style guide for your brand:

• Create a logo and make sure it’s used in all of your marketing materials

• Choose colors that go well together and use them consistently throughout all of your marketing materials (website, social media accounts, business cards)

• Pick fonts that work well together and use them consistently throughout all of your marketing materials (website, social media accounts)

Strong branding guidelines.

Brand guidelines are the most important tool you need to scale your coaching business. They help you maintain a consistent look and feel across all your marketing materials, so that clients can recognize your brand every time they see it.

You also want to avoid making mistakes when using your branding system, which is why brand guidelines are so important. If you make mistakes in any of your marketing materials, the integrity of what you're trying to communicate will be compromised—and no one wants that! Branding is not just about using the right colors or fonts; it's really about creating clarity around who you are as an entrepreneur and how that translates into every product or service offered by your company.

Finally, having clear branding guidelines helps keep everything on message for both yourself and others working with/for/on behalf of the business (e.g., freelancers).

You need a small collection of strong tools to scale your coaching business.

Now that you've identified the key areas in which your business needs support, it's time to choose the tools that fit with your vision. These will help you deliver more value for your clients, and keep them coming back for more. In addition it helps you to have a seamless approach in your business.

The most important thing to remember is that you don't need all of these tools at once! As you grow your coaching business, some of these tools may become obsolete and others will become vital. Start with one or two tools in each category (hint: free ones are okay for now), then add on more as needed.

Conclusion

Now, you’re ready for more clients and more money. As a final note, remember that it takes time to build up your business and find the right tools. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t go perfectly at first; just keep trying different options until you find what works best for you!

If you’re looking for more tools, supports and strategies to build the business you desire and deserve join us inside of The ELEVATE Method!