Selling ideas for coaches, inspired by Dr Terri Levine

Based on Terri Levine's Heartrepreneur philosophy, her published sales advice, marketing methods and coaching-business strategies. These are practical adaptations, not direct quotations.

Terri's approach emphasis is on relationship-based selling, educating prospects, understanding what buyers want, positioning, lead generation, referrals and building systems that generate clients without constantly chasing them.

Her recurring principles include:

• People want to buy; they don't want to be manipulated into buying.

• Sell the result the client wants, not the service you want to deliver.

• Give value before asking for business.

• Develop a distinctive positioning statement and proprietary method.

• Build a predictable pipeline of qualified prospects.

• Stop relying entirely on trading hours for money.
  
  

1. Find your ideal coaching clients

1. Choose a clearly defined target market rather than trying to coach everybody.

2. Identify one expensive or emotionally important problem your target market wants solved.

3. Interview 10 potential clients about their biggest challenges.

4. Ask prospects what results they would pay to achieve.

5. Identify people who already spend money trying to solve the problem.

6. Target clients who are motivated to take action.

7. Identify where your ideal clients spend their professional and social time.

8. Create a profile of your ideal paying client.

9. Identify the decision-makers who can authorise coaching expenditure.

10. Focus your marketing on people who value coaching and are ready to invest.

2. Differentiate yourself from other coaches

11. Develop a Core Unique Positioning Statement.

12. Explain exactly who you help.

13. Explain the specific result you help them achieve.

14. Develop your own named coaching methodology.

15. Give your coaching process a distinctive identity.

16. Stop marketing yourself as simply another life coach.

17. Identify the three things that make your approach different.

18. Build your positioning around a measurable client outcome.

19. Use your personal experience to establish credibility and authenticity.

20. Put your positioning statement on your website, LinkedIn profile, email signature and marketing material.

3. Create marketing that attracts prospects

21. Write a downloadable consumer awareness guide.

22. Create an educational webinar that demonstrates your expertise.

23. Build a Facebook group for your target market.

24. Publish educational articles answering questions your prospects search for.

25. Create a landing page specifically for one coaching problem.

26. Develop a lead magnet that solves one small but meaningful problem.

27. Publish case studies demonstrating client outcomes.

28. Create a short video explaining your proprietary coaching method.

29. Produce a weekly educational email.

30. Create a content funnel that moves people from learning about you to requesting a consultation.

These ideas reflect Terri's published six-step prospect-generation approach.

4. Give value before selling

31. Offer a complimentary coaching session.

32. Host a free educational workshop.

33. Run a live coaching demonstration.

34. Give prospects a useful self-assessment.

35. Provide a practical worksheet they can implement immediately.

36. Offer a free strategy session.

37. Give a presentation to a professional association.

38. Share useful resources with people in your target market.

39. Offer a free group coaching session.

40. Give more value than prospects initially expect, without making free work a condition of receiving paid support.

Terri has specifically written about the strategy of giving value and then giving again to build trust and loyalty.

The Six-Figure Coach

5. Generate a consistent supply of leads

41. Build a database of 100 prospective clients.

42. Contact five potential clients every working day.

43. Attend local business networking events.

44. Contact accountants who work with entrepreneurs.

45. Develop referral partnerships with HR consultants.

46. Connect with business consultants who don't offer coaching.

47. Approach professional associations about educational presentations.

48. Contact previous clients and ask who else might benefit from your services.

49. Use LinkedIn to identify and approach business owners.

50. Build joint-venture relationships with people who already have access to your target market.

Terri has explicitly recommended phone calls, networking, joint-venture partners and direct outreach as ways to overcome the problem of coaches not generating enough leads.

6. Master relationship-based selling

51. Start conversations by asking about the other person's business or life.

52. Ask what they are currently trying to achieve.

53. Ask what is preventing them from achieving it.

54. Find out what they have already tried.

55. Ask what their ideal outcome would look like.

56. Listen for their dominant buying motivation.

57. Reflect back what you have heard.

58. Explain how coaching could help address their particular challenge.

59. Make a relevant offer rather than delivering a generic sales pitch.

60. Allow the prospect to make an informed decision without manipulation.

This reflects Terri's published Sell Without Selling philosophy.

7. Improve your sales conversations

61. Prepare a list of questions before every consultation.

62. Find out what result the prospect wants before explaining your programme.

63. Establish the financial or personal value of achieving that result.

64. Ask why achieving the result matters now.

65. Explore what happens if the problem remains unresolved.

66. Present your coaching package as a solution to the identified problem.

67. Explain the process and expected client involvement.

68. Explain the investment clearly.

69. Ask whether the proposed solution meets their needs.

70. Invite the prospect to make a decision.

8. Package and price your coaching

71. Sell coaching packages instead of individual hourly sessions.

72. Create a three-month transformation programme.

73. Develop a six-month premium coaching programme.

74. Introduce group coaching to serve multiple clients simultaneously.

75. Develop a high-value corporate coaching package.

76. Create a coaching and implementation combination.

77. Offer additional private consultations when they genuinely add value.

78. Create a recurring coaching membership.

79. Develop a premium programme around your proprietary methodology.

80. Design your offers so that revenue isn't entirely dependent on the number of hours you personally coach.

Terri has specifically advocated packages, additional consultations, proprietary methods and moving beyond trading time for money.

9. Build referrals and repeat business

81. Ask satisfied clients for testimonials.

82. Create a formal client referral programme.

83. Ask clients who else they know who faces similar challenges.

84. Develop relationships with former clients.

85. Create an alumni community.

86. Offer additional services when clients have a new development need.

87. Ask clients to introduce you to business owners in their networks.

88. Create strategic partnerships with complementary professionals.

89. Invite existing clients to educational events.

90. Stay in contact with prospects who aren't ready to purchase immediately.

10. Automate and scale your coaching business

91. Build an automated webinar that educates and generates consultation requests.

92. Create an automated email follow-up sequence.

93. Use a CRM to track every prospect.

94. Develop a repeatable lead-generation process.

95. Create a standard consultation and onboarding process.

96. Build a sales process that another team member can eventually manage.

97. Create a single flagship coaching offer rather than confusing prospects with too many choices.

98. Measure leads, consultations, conversion rates and revenue every month.

99. Identify which marketing activities generate the most profitable clients.

100. Build a business where systems, group programmes and leveraged delivery create revenue without requiring you to work more hours.

Her current Life-First Business System puts particular emphasis on one offer, one community, leverage and business structure.

The difference between Stacey Boehman and Terri Levine

Area

Stacey Boehman

Terri Levine

Main emphasis

Sales mastery

Marketing and client acquisition

Starting point

Your relationship with selling

Your ideal client

Primary activity

Making offers

Generating qualified leads

Sales method

Consultations and clean selling

Relationship-based selling

Marketing

Organic marketing

Content, webinars and lead magnets

Positioning

Premium offer and value

Unique positioning and proprietary method

Growth

Sell more effectively

Build repeatable, leveraged systems

My recommendation: Combine both approaches

For Level123 Coaching, I would combine:

1. Terri: Develop a distinctive offer for aspiring professional coaches.

2. Terri: Build an educational webinar about becoming a professional coach.

3. Terri: Establish referral partnerships with HR and L&D professionals.

4. Stacey: Make daily offers to people who express interest.

5. Stacey: Become excellent at consultations and handling objections.

6. Terri: Build a repeatable lead-generation and follow-up system.

7. Both: Build a profitable business around measurable client outcomes.

The key is to distinguish between three activities:

• Marketing creates awareness.

• Lead generation creates opportunities.

• Selling converts opportunities into paying clients.

A coach who only markets but never makes offers doesn't have a sales system.

Useful starting resources:

• Terri Levine – Heartrepreneur

• How to Build a Conveyor Belt of Prospects

• How to Close Every Sale

• Sell Without Selling