State Of Client Acquisition

I've been looking forward to this episode for a while. Because I keep hearing these tales of woe and regret where people invested with a coach or program to help them grow their business, only to find out that it "wasn't for them" or that expectations weren't aligned.

So what are the things to look out for when choosing a sales & marketing coach or LinkedIn mentor? Most people go by their gut. And while the gut IS an important indicator (as you have to LIKE the person you'll be working with), there are several other important brain-based criteria.

In this episode I cover the 7* steps to choose a coach.

1) Understand the lay of the land

2) Assess your current capabilities

3) Pick candidates who are 1-2 steps ahead of you

4) Become very clear on their offer

5) Do you like them and their style?

6) Don’t allow price to be a consideration

7) Release attachment to the perfect outcome

* And because after recording I spoke to someone who had told me their story, I added step 8) as well. So you get a bonus step included!

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

Ben Chan is a Project Management Consultant in Calgary, Canada. So far, he has been working with one major client, helping them implement strategic initiatives.

Since starting his business in early 2020, the requests for his expertise have not slowed down. In order to be able to serve these prospective clients, Ben came up with an idea to help these clients help themselves - by making their project management teams more effective - through a course and coaching program.

Ben is in the early stages of his productization initiative. I was curious to hear on how he is approaching this, who is his ideal client, how he intends to price it and what his execution timeline is.

Particularly worth listening to if you are thinking of creating a course & group coaching program that's on the periphery of your current value proposition.

You can find Ben on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-chan-yyc/

And check out his website for the results of his large-scale 2021 Project Management Survey: https://www.clymbconsulting.ca/

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

What does it say about someone who's in the business of helping other people be better at what they do...

... but doesn't invest in a coach / consultant / mentor themselves?

It doesn't only destroy credibility, but it also impacts their karma. Listen to today's episode to understand why.

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The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

Not only is being "disruptive" lazy marketing that most people see through. 

It also puts you into a wrong mindset. 

Because being disruptive means you're playing outside the boundaries of an industry (and therefore: hierarchy). You want to destroy it in order to build it up in your image and emerge as the dominant player. 

And playing OUTSIDE of an established hierarchy means you miss out on a significant source of happiness: Experiencing gradual progress and improvement. 

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The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

[Clip From A Live Alpha Lead Academy Coaching Call Included]

I have a client, let's call her Jane. She's excellent at what she sells to people (public speaking, presenting, pitching). But she's been at a low revenue level for a while now, underselling herself on most occasions, with patchy revenue from piecemeal clients ($99 here, $997 there). 

During a coaching call with her, the problem crystallized in my mind for the first time: She's leading sales conversations with her SKILL, not with a product. She knows she has a skill she's very good at, and so she starts every conversation exploring the prospects' needs and then trying to fit her skill around it, resulting in this piecemeal approach.

Instead, what she needs to do is to lead with the RESULT the prospect will get when working with her and presenting a fixed-price package that will help them solve the problem.

Listen to a clip from my call with Jane where we discuss this (published with her permission). 

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

One thing I like about Sam Moss is how non-flashy he is.

He publishes solid B2B marketing content. A podcast where he interviews interesting people. The occasional family picture.

But...

✅ ... no fancy jump-cut videos with animations

✅ ... no provocative clickbait

✅ ... no "vulnerable" self-flagellation

​And yet, despite this lack of extravagance, his LinkedIn content drives all the revenue of a 13-person agency. 

(Sam builds Wordpress websites for B2B companies) ​​

​

That's a remarkable achievement.

Because, on the other side of the spectrum, I also know, many LinkedIn gurus who get hundreds of likes on each post... and yet have to get a job to pay the rent.

So I was happy that Sam agreed to come on my podcast and talk about his journey from peanuts to 12,000+ followers, fantastic engagement,... and heaps of revenue.​

​This is a value-packed podcast episode, so I recommend you listen to it in full. Sam's awesome and you should definitely check him and his content out:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam1ca/

And here is his podcast: https://1clickagency.com/podcast/

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

I have now spoken to well over 1,000 coaches, consultants and other such solopreneurs and leaders of small B2B. 

They are all at one of five stages of entrepreneurial progress. 

Stage 1 - "I do anything for money" ($0-3k/month)

Stage 2 - Specialists who are afraid of selling ($2-5k/month)

Stage 3 - Busy professionals selling their time ($5-25k/month)

Stage 4 - The business owner - organic client acquisition ($10-50k/month)

Stage 5 - The business owner - PAID client acquisition ($20k-unlimited/month)

In this episode, I discuss the features and hallmarks of each stage and what to do to advance to the next one.

Which stage are you at? And what can you do to advance to the next level?

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

Tricky subject! May is Mental Health Awareness month, and it's my firm conviction that 50% of supposed mental health issues are completely avoidable by choosing to walk away from the diagnosis and pursuing a meaningful adventure, instead. 

I speak from experience. In 2014, a doctor diagnosed me with "anxiety". I went to see a therapist who offered to treat me... and I decided against it. I chose to stop rummaging around in my past and unhappy present and chose to dedicate my efforts towards an external goal. 

Why does this matter for business? Because mindset is 90% of your success. The main difference between who I am now and who I was in 2014, even in 2020 is mindset. And if you allow your mind to be harangued by constant ruminations about how you're "not happy", encouraged by a culture of narcissism and self-obsession.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to any clinical cases of depression and such. If that's your case, get help. But the line is blurry. And I believe that many many people could cure themselves by choosing to not accept the diagnosis and instead pursue a meaningful adventure in their lives.

Up front I cover a listener's question of whether you should have a website with your name (like I do - www.michalbohanes.com) or something more business-y like www.scaleandattract.com or www.strengthcoaching.com. 

The answer may surprise you: It doesn't matter. At least until you scale to 7 figures.

Timestamps

1:50 - Your own name as a domain name or a business name?

4:50 - Choosing to walk away from an anxiety diagnosis

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

I'm a sucker for inspiring movies. A hero with such strength of character who succeeds against huge odds. Rocky, Shawshank Redemption, Braveheart. And normally, the effect on me is a surge of inspiration ("I wanna be more like them") only to then fall back into my usual patterns. 

Recently, I watched The Pursuit of Happyness for the first time. There, the hero overcomes such staggering odds as being homeless with a 5 year-old son. So chances were that I would get high on the experience, feel like I should work through nights and never stop to avoid a similar fate. And then to just regress again. 

But this time, not least thanks to my wife who's a mindset and fitness coach and has a great perspective on these things, I tamed the wild horses of inspiration. 

Turns out, inspiration from a movie can be consumed like a drug. Get high on it, crash back down and feel dumpy afterwards. Or it can be a real source of inspiration. I believe the secret lies in not wanting to be like the hero, but in using the hero's example to implement only GRADUAL improvements in your own life. 

Incrementalism is the key. 

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp

Ice Cold Showers and Outbound Prospecting have many similarities, beyond the "it's unpleasant but good for you" aspect. In this episode, I explore these. Also, on top of the show, I discuss a recent sales failure and how I am dealing with it.   

The State Of Client Acquisition (www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com) is an Ask-Me-Anything style podcast that covers all aspects of client acquisition for coaches, consultants and small B2B. We focus on LinkedIn organic and on YOU, the listener. Submit a question on www.StateOfClientAcquisition.com.  

Watch the free Alpha Lead Academy Training on how to win clients on LinkedIn: https://www.michalbohanes.com/webinar-lp