We have been working with expert coaches for a combined 50+ years; with businesses both big and small. If there is one thing we’ve heard over and over it is that the most frustrating challenge expert coaches face is getting their clients into action! If you are an expert coach, I’m betting that you’ve experienced this issue in your own business.

In order for our clients to get the results they desire, they have to take action. That seems obvious, but we are constantly amazed at how few coaching clients actually do it! Why would they spend all that time and money hiring a coach and attending training and then do nothing about it? That is the age old question. In fact it is so common that there is a term for it – “shelf help.” Shelf help refers to the materials a client gets as part of a coach’s training that they place on their shelf when the coaching/training is finished and never look at again. It probably doesn’t need to be said, but shelf help doesn’t usually lead to any real change for the client.

But, isn’t getting results for our clients and truly making a difference in their lives the reason we got into coaching in the first place? To get results, we as coaches first need to get our clients into action, and that’s the real challenge. How can you get your clients into action so they get the results you know they deserve? Research tells us there are two things that get clients into action more than anything else.

There has to be consistent follow-up after the initial training/coaching has been completed. Training isn’t just a “one and done” solution. We need to follow up with clients to ensure they use what we teach.
Follow up isn’t enough by itself, though. There also needs to be accountability and recognition. Nothing breeds success like success! If your clients feel like they are making progress, and that someone (you) notice their success, they are much more likely to want to continue taking action.

Get your clients into action and they can truly transform their business and their lives. If you can do that, there is no limit to the influence your coaching can have in the world!

You’ve likely heard the term before – Raving Fans. But, who are they, where do these raving fans come from and how can you get some of your own? Those are the big questions for expert coaches.
The superstar coach, Tony Robbins, puts it this way, “Raving fans aren’t just customers. They are customers who are obsessed with your brand and your business.” That’s a pretty good definition. As an example, think about people obsessed with everything Disney. They visit the parks regularly, know all the characters by heart and have various pieces of Disney-branded products in their homes. These are raving Disney fans! Wouldn’t we all like some of these fans for our businesses?

So, where do they come? The good news is that they come from your client base. Every one of your clients, past and present, is a potential raving fan. They are those clients who have taken what you taught them and used it to create positive change in their life.

Now that you know you have potential raving fans already, the next question is, how do you identify them and nurture them so they become actual raving fans. Search for “raving fans” in Google and you’ll find lots of articles that tell you that the way to create these fans is to have extraordinary customer service. That sounds great, but seems time-consuming and expensive. Most expert coaches don’t have a large organization or budget to support them. So, how do these expert coaches create extraordinary customer service? It turn out that it doesn’t have to bankrupt you if you understand how most coaching clients define it.

For expert coaches, we can deliver extraordinary customer service by simply helping our clients get into action and get the results they want. Isn’t it results that your clients really want? Isn’t that why they decided to work with you in the first place? Clients who use your coaching to get results that transform their business and life will likely see you and your services as amazing, incredible, life-changing. These same clients will tout you and your business to their friends and acquaintances. Other people will see the change your expertise has made in them and ask how they did it. They will tell everyone they meet that they have to meet you. In other words, they will become your raving fans!

Whether or not a client becomes a raving fan all hinges on whether or not they got the results they wanted from their work with you. Rather than simply facilitating a webinar, course or live event and then letting your clients apply what you teach on their own, why not help them get into action? By focusing on getting your clients into action so that they get the results they want, every one of your clients can become your raving fan. And that’s the very best win-win for an expert coach!

Beyond teaching your clients a new process or approach, the key is to get them to take action so they get the results you know they deserve. But, how do you get your clients to take action? Research tells us there are two things that get clients into action more than anything else.

First, there has to be consistent follow-up after the initial training/coaching. Your initial training, no matter what format you use, is likely chock full of information, tools and techniques. It’s all good stuff, but to a client, it can be overwhelming. We want to share as much as we can with our clients and fill their “toolboxes” with everything we think they will need to be successful. But, in our desire to give them what we know they need, we often give them too much for them to process all at once.

The secret to success is to follow up after that initial training with the key points over time. Giving them smaller “bites” that they can implement over time both reinforces the initial training and provides them with small, attainable goals. This helps them realize progress and success quickly, enhancing their desire to continue.

Second, there needs to be accountability and recognition. If a client knows that they are accountable to someone (in this case, you, their coach) for taking action, then they are much more likely to take that action and make progress. I’m sure you’ve been to a meeting of some type where you knew you were expected to have done something. Just knowing that you would be asked about it likely caused you to get it done, if for no other reason than to avoid having to tell someone you didn’t do it!

But, as a coach, you need to go just a bit further. You need to not only provide those accountability “check-ins,” but also need to help your clients recognize and celebrate their successes. Nothing breeds success like success! If they feel like they are making progress, and that someone (you) notice their success, they are much more likely to want to continue taking action. If you can help your clients take action by providing reinforcement and accountability, then you clients are likely to be much more successful implementing what you’re teaching them. And they are more likely to truly transform their business and lives. Isn’t that what you got into the coaching business to do, to make a difference in people’s live?