Are You Addressing Your Target Market

Here’s a different spin on a very old joke:
How many coaches does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one. But the light bulb has to want to change.
Coaches tend to write their web copy to people who may or may not want to change. If they’re not willing to change their habits, the way they look at their past, their financial patterns, their negative attitudes, their limiting beliefs and so on, then they probably haven’t found your website. And if they have found your site, then at the end of the day they probably won’t be spending their money on a coach. They’re the ones who spend their tax refunds on new leather furniture, or a Bahamas cruise or a flat screen TV, then continue living paycheck to paycheck.
The ones that want to change are the ones who are on your site as we speak. They are the ones who will be swayed by your copy. They are the ones who will eventually hire a coach, quite possibly you.
There’s a different way of writing for these people. They’re ready. They probably don’t need to read a “Why Coaching” page or a “What is Coaching” page. Instead, change that page to “Why MY coaching” or “How is MY Coaching going to help you”. See the distinction?
The question is: are you speaking to them? Are you coaching to the choir? Or is your copy generic, speaking to both the people who want to change and the ones who will never change. If it’s generic, then you’ll be relegated to the pile of all the other coaching websites out there who don’t yet know how to speak to their potential clients.
You should also consider this question: Is your coaching easy or hard? Here’s what I mean by that:
When people come to your website, do you tell them how much work will be involved on their part? Whether your coaching is easy or hard isn’t really my point. Either way, whatever your coaching style is, you can play this to your advantage in your web copy.
For example, if you make the process easy for your clients then tell them how easy it is for them to succeed with you helping them. Use words like “step by step,” “I’ll be with you every step of the way,” and “even if you’ve tried before and failed.” There will be certain people who will love this so much they’ll hire you in a heartbeat.
Now, if your coaching is hard, that’s OK too, and you can maximize this as well. Use phrases like “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, it’s going to be tough” or “my coaching isn’t for everyone, only for people who are willing to roll up their sleeves…” People who aren’t afraid of a little elbow grease to get where they want to go will feel they’re up to your challenge. You’ve drawn a line in the sand, and some will cross it and hire you.
So decide how you think your clients perceive your coaching methods, and if you’re not sure, ask some of your current or former clients. More importantly, how would you like to be perceived in the marketplace? Once you have your answer, run with it.
But a word of caution. If you’re hard, don’t say you’re easy, and vice versa. Get it right in your own mind, then convey it on your web page. You have just a few seconds to hold the attention of your website visitors. Take a look at your site right now and imagine you’re a potential client who is ready to change. What are they seeing at your site in the crucial first 5 seconds?
If they’re not seeing themselves and their personal plight, along with a brief summary of the benefits of hiring you over the thousands of others on the web, then you may need to tinker with your website’s copy. I hope this helps you see things in a different way, because I want you to grow your client base exponentially, and this is the quickest way to do it.