94 | Next Level Series - Day 3 - Building Raving Fans: The art of client care that turns into loyalty and referrals

Speaker: 00:00:00

This is a special three-day podcast series designed for coaches who are ready to up

Speaker: 00:00:06

their game by building scalable offers, building out their systems, perhaps

Speaker: 00:00:12

delegating to a team and maintaining a really high client experience to build

Speaker: 00:00:17

and maintain your retention rates.

Speaker: 00:00:20

Over the next few days, I will share my own journey of doing these things

Speaker: 00:00:25

as well as actionable steps to help you make your coaching business

Speaker: 00:00:29

more sustainable and impactful.

Speaker: 00:00:33

Hello, welcome to the third and final next level podcast series.

Speaker: 00:00:37

I hope you have enjoyed this week to paint the picture of the

Speaker: 00:00:41

inside of someone's business, who has done the initial build phase.

Speaker: 00:00:44

So once you have built your business, have an established client base,

Speaker: 00:00:48

then often you may start to consider moving to next level strategies.

Speaker: 00:00:53

So that is what we have covered this week.

Speaker: 00:00:55

We talked about leveraged programs.

Speaker: 00:00:57

Team and systems, and today I'm going to cover client experience

Speaker: 00:01:01

and how to build raving fans into your business, who stay with you for

Speaker: 00:01:05

years and who build that system of referrals for you in your business.

Speaker: 00:01:11

I feel so lucky that in 2023, I set my word of the year, which was championing.

Speaker: 00:01:17

And I literally wrote in brackets, both me them, and them me.

Speaker: 00:01:21

And it has really materialized this year with my clients championing me.

Speaker: 00:01:26

Even more than I feel like I champion them sometimes.

Speaker: 00:01:29

So I am super, super blessed.

Speaker: 00:01:31

And that is why I wanted to include this episode, because it really helps when you

Speaker: 00:01:36

have that social proof and other people saying that you are great at what you

Speaker: 00:01:40

do and sending other clients your way, maybe posting on social media, telling

Speaker: 00:01:45

people what an impact you've made on them.

Speaker: 00:01:48

That type of social proof can not be denied or underestimated because you

Speaker: 00:01:54

can tell people all you like that you are brilliant, but what really makes

Speaker: 00:01:57

a difference is when others tell them.

Speaker: 00:02:00

So for example, at my in-person dare greatly event, recently, I

Speaker: 00:02:04

probably had maybe 10 people there who had been previous clients.

Speaker: 00:02:10

And 20 people there, who haven't been clients yet.

Speaker: 00:02:14

And I would say since that day, despite me not even pitching on the day to join

Speaker: 00:02:19

my programs I've had probably 10 sign-ups either into my business of coaching

Speaker: 00:02:25

program or into my next level mastermind.

Speaker: 00:02:27

By having advocates in the room for me and my business who had paid to be there.

Speaker: 00:02:32

Like I hadn't paid them to be there and say, nice things.

Speaker: 00:02:35

They had genuinely booked a ticket.

Speaker: 00:02:37

Although, I do know people who do give their clients free tickets for this very

Speaker: 00:02:42

reason, but I hadn't actually even thought about that, but it's a very good idea.

Speaker: 00:02:47

My client has genuinely wanted to come along and on the day in every

Speaker: 00:02:51

single breakout room, they were laughing about how it seemed like

Speaker: 00:02:55

they were planted there to say nice things about my program, about the

Speaker: 00:02:59

difference it's made in their business.

Speaker: 00:03:01

But they were genuine advocates of the work I do.

Speaker: 00:03:04

So that is what I'm sharing with you today.

Speaker: 00:03:07

I've taken some time to think about my process for this.

Speaker: 00:03:12

So I will start with onboarding.

Speaker: 00:03:14

Your onboarding is more than just your welcome email.

Speaker: 00:03:17

It really surprises me how few people take this very first basic step.

Speaker: 00:03:23

So the first step I would do when somebody signs up with you is to show

Speaker: 00:03:28

excitement that they have invested in themselves and their goal.

Speaker: 00:03:33

It's such a scary moment when someone decides to take that step

Speaker: 00:03:38

and sign up for your coaching.

Speaker: 00:03:40

That you really want to show them how excited you are

Speaker: 00:03:43

for them in this big moment.

Speaker: 00:03:46

Next up is clear next steps.

Speaker: 00:03:48

What happens when they sign up?

Speaker: 00:03:50

Do they pay then get a clear, easy to understand contract?

Speaker: 00:03:56

You would want to have a really nice, welcome experience.

Speaker: 00:04:00

I always have a welcome video, which shares how excited I am and paints

Speaker: 00:04:04

the picture for the journey ahead.

Speaker: 00:04:07

Under this welcome experience, you will once have a onboarding form and clear

Speaker: 00:04:11

communication of the process ahead.

Speaker: 00:04:14

Finally, you will want to set goals with them.

Speaker: 00:04:17

So in that initial onboarding form or strategy session you will want to find

Speaker: 00:04:23

out what they ultimately want and start mapping out quick wins to help them to

Speaker: 00:04:28

get excited about the journey ahead.

Speaker: 00:04:31

One thing that also really helps is to take that step

Speaker: 00:04:34

back and show them the roadmap.

Speaker: 00:04:36

This is something I did a lot in my elevate group program.

Speaker: 00:04:40

Because it's really easy to forget how far they have come on the journey.

Speaker: 00:04:45

I've recently created a roadmap client tracker type tool to do exactly this

Speaker: 00:04:50

with tick boxes so they can think, yes, I have set my financial goal.

Speaker: 00:04:55

I've set my niche.

Speaker: 00:04:57

I've done my offer.

Speaker: 00:04:58

I'm consistently marketing.

Speaker: 00:05:00

I've practiced sales calls.

Speaker: 00:05:01

Like all of the things on our journey so they can start to

Speaker: 00:05:04

see how it all comes together.

Speaker: 00:05:07

So that is our onboarding process.

Speaker: 00:05:10

In terms of tech and tools you might need I also have automated welcome sequences.

Speaker: 00:05:17

Which again, outline where your client is on their journey.

Speaker: 00:05:21

It builds the momentum to remind them of the sorts of things

Speaker: 00:05:25

they may be struggling with.

Speaker: 00:05:27

I've had really good feedback on my welcome sequences especially covering

Speaker: 00:05:31

the bits that call out where they may be struggling this particular week.

Speaker: 00:05:36

So for example, if it's tech week, the email will say, yes, I know you

Speaker: 00:05:40

may be recoiling of the idea of tech.

Speaker: 00:05:43

I promise you can do this.

Speaker: 00:05:44

I've done it myself.

Speaker: 00:05:45

And I hate tech and it can just reassure them that they are in the right place.

Speaker: 00:05:51

If you are running a group program, you will probably want to have a

Speaker: 00:05:54

client portal for your resources, like videos and worksheets and things.

Speaker: 00:06:00

In terms of tech you'll also want to have scheduling tools

Speaker: 00:06:03

for setting up calls easily.

Speaker: 00:06:07

Let's move on to nurturing long-term relationships.

Speaker: 00:06:11

I feel very blessed that my first ever business of coaching client which

Speaker: 00:06:16

was three and a bit years ago now.

Speaker: 00:06:19

Lorraine Eivers.

Speaker: 00:06:20

Hello.

Speaker: 00:06:20

If.

Speaker: 00:06:21

If you are listening.

Speaker: 00:06:22

Is a real advocate of mine.

Speaker: 00:06:24

She always puts comments on my posts and puts things out, saying

Speaker: 00:06:28

her business wouldn't be where it was if it wasn't for my support.

Speaker: 00:06:32

And I feel so lucky that even all these years on lorraine champions

Speaker: 00:06:37

me for supporting her on the journey, because it's really hard

Speaker: 00:06:42

when you start your business.

Speaker: 00:06:43

And now she's further along she really knows that.

Speaker: 00:06:46

So I guess that's probably why she is so relieved to have had someone

Speaker: 00:06:51

to hold her hand through the early phase when you don't know your

Speaker: 00:06:55

niche, you don't know your offer.

Speaker: 00:06:56

You've never posted on social media.

Speaker: 00:06:58

You're scared to bits about sales calls and coaching and all of the things.

Speaker: 00:07:03

So it's been wonderful to be able to also support her recently in my

Speaker: 00:07:08

elevate program and she joined my online planning workshop this week.

Speaker: 00:07:12

So to still be in touch all these years on feels amazing.

Speaker: 00:07:17

As you continue to grow and scale, you will want to systemize this and build in

Speaker: 00:07:22

regular check-ins to see how people are.

Speaker: 00:07:26

You can create ongoing value through resources.

Speaker: 00:07:29

So for example my clients gain lifetime access to the portal.

Speaker: 00:07:33

Also ongoing value through championing them and occasionally sending messages,

Speaker: 00:07:39

giving feedback in a really kind way.

Speaker: 00:07:41

If I see that something could be made better.

Speaker: 00:07:45

Many of my clients have also built their network of others from the program.

Speaker: 00:07:49

Lots still stay in touch with their pods that they may have met or

Speaker: 00:07:53

their accountability partners that they met as part of the program.

Speaker: 00:07:57

Let's talk about retention strategies.

Speaker: 00:08:00

So the first one, again, highly overlooked in most coaching business is genuine care.

Speaker: 00:08:07

I honestly think that my clients know that I want them to succeed.

Speaker: 00:08:13

I've always done onboarding gifts but recently I've also implemented

Speaker: 00:08:18

personalized off-boarding gifts.

Speaker: 00:08:20

Because that was one area that I felt like I was falling down.

Speaker: 00:08:23

As in, I always had a really nice note and things, but what I learned

Speaker: 00:08:27

from running in person days, Is that people generally remember the beginning

Speaker: 00:08:31

of things and the end of things, and very rarely remember the middle.

Speaker: 00:08:36

So why not create that really great onboarding experience and off-boarding

Speaker: 00:08:42

experience for your clients.

Speaker: 00:08:44

I love to show recognition of their journey to acknowledged

Speaker: 00:08:48

their traits and their commitment.

Speaker: 00:08:51

Continuing to have them on your master list, which they will receive each week.

Speaker: 00:08:55

Being connected on social media makes a big difference.

Speaker: 00:08:59

I've had several of my coaches actually, who I've never

Speaker: 00:09:02

connected with me on social media.

Speaker: 00:09:04

So they actually don't really know what I'm up to, which isn't ideal

Speaker: 00:09:09

really when you are working with them or afterwards, because then they

Speaker: 00:09:12

really can't see how you are doing.

Speaker: 00:09:16

Now let's talk about feedback and testimonials.

Speaker: 00:09:18

And you really want to systemize this.

Speaker: 00:09:21

It's something I've been doing recently with Olga and my team to maximize all

Speaker: 00:09:26

of the data that I have from clients.

Speaker: 00:09:29

First let's talk about case study creation.

Speaker: 00:09:33

You will want to document that client journey really, really well.

Speaker: 00:09:37

I've been working a lot on this recently and to be honest, I've always prioritized

Speaker: 00:09:41

this in my business, which is why I think my business is really thriving.

Speaker: 00:09:46

You can highlight that specific transformation, what they've

Speaker: 00:09:49

gained on the journey, what they've learned, what they enjoyed.

Speaker: 00:09:53

You can do this through various different approaches, so written

Speaker: 00:09:56

testimonials, but also what I love is the storytelling videos.

Speaker: 00:10:01

Mine are actually fairly long, so maybe 15 to 20 minutes.

Speaker: 00:10:05

But what this means is I can repurpose some of them for my podcast.

Speaker: 00:10:10

I can also repurpose for social media.

Speaker: 00:10:13

And I've also been repurposing short segments of them for my sales page.

Speaker: 00:10:18

So there's so many ways that you can utilize this feedback when you get it.

Speaker: 00:10:23

You'll want to build this as a templated system in your business.

Speaker: 00:10:27

Develop a full library of these transformations and screenshots,

Speaker: 00:10:32

so you have them really handy to use in your marketing materials.

Speaker: 00:10:36

This is something we have been building out in my project management

Speaker: 00:10:39

system recently, and it's made a huge difference in my marketing.

Speaker: 00:10:43

Lets now cover feedback.

Speaker: 00:10:45

I've often tied this into the case study process, but recently I've

Speaker: 00:10:50

been working further on this because if you want what they call a net

Speaker: 00:10:54

promoter score which is a standardized way of measuring customer loyalty.

Speaker: 00:10:59

It's based on a single survey question asking your clients to rate the

Speaker: 00:11:03

likelihood that they would recommend your service to a friend or colleague.

Speaker: 00:11:08

You'd want to have it on a score of one to 10 and then you can start

Speaker: 00:11:12

to publish your net promoter score.

Speaker: 00:11:16

Okay, let's finish up by talking about building your referral engine.

Speaker: 00:11:20

So first incentives.

Speaker: 00:11:22

So actually I don't have an official incentive for clients although I always

Speaker: 00:11:27

surprise them with either a 10% referral fee or a one-to-one session or a gift of

Speaker: 00:11:33

some sort if they refer people my way.

Speaker: 00:11:37

You can also create partnerships with other people that you have

Speaker: 00:11:40

built relationships with and perhaps offer them a 10% fee or higher.

Speaker: 00:11:45

You can encourage your clients to share their experiences.

Speaker: 00:11:49

For example, at my in-person day, I had a videographer there and I asked

Speaker: 00:11:53

those who were clients or knew me well to share a few words so I could

Speaker: 00:11:58

use that in my future marketing.

Speaker: 00:12:00

You can also leverage things like LinkedIn recommendations and Google

Speaker: 00:12:04

reviews I've done that lots recently.

Speaker: 00:12:07

So there is so much you can do to build that relationship with clients.

Speaker: 00:12:12

And I think the most important part is having genuine care for your clients.

Speaker: 00:12:19

Again, I've been super lucky to have a co-coach in place who also

Speaker: 00:12:23

has genuine care for my clients.

Speaker: 00:12:26

No matter whether it's personal or business related.

Speaker: 00:12:29

My clients know that we are there for them.

Speaker: 00:12:32

They can contact us and they will get support to meet them where they are at.

Speaker: 00:12:37

This sounds to me like such a simple, basic.

Speaker: 00:12:41

Concept, but after working with a lot of different people over the

Speaker: 00:12:45

last five years, I can see how easy it is to miss these vital steps of

Speaker: 00:12:51

genuinely caring about your clients.

Speaker: 00:12:53

Being connected with them on social media.

Speaker: 00:12:55

So you can kind of see what they're up to and stay in touch.

Speaker: 00:12:59

And just building genuine good relationships with them so you can

Speaker: 00:13:03

stay in touch if you see something that they could do slightly different

Speaker: 00:13:07

or you see an opportunity for them, contact them and tell them.

Speaker: 00:13:11

Remind them that they are brilliant.

Speaker: 00:13:12

And they will champion you in return.

Speaker: 00:13:15

So action steps from this episode,

Speaker: 00:13:17

audit your current client experience.

Speaker: 00:13:20

Create your onboarding process.

Speaker: 00:13:23

Develop a systematic feedback collection process.

Speaker: 00:13:26

And design a referral program.

Speaker: 00:13:29

As you will know if you've been doing this for awhile, it's all about refinement.

Speaker: 00:13:33

Small tweaks make a huge difference in your business.

Speaker: 00:13:37

I was out with my own mastermind people yesterday in London for

Speaker: 00:13:41

the day and for the evening.

Speaker: 00:13:43

And I gained so much that I know is going to completely transform my business.

Speaker: 00:13:48

This is what you get when you're part of a mastermind of people who can

Speaker: 00:13:53

discuss these next level strategies with you, they will share what they're

Speaker: 00:13:56

doing inside their business, which was sparked ideas for how you can do things.

Speaker: 00:14:01

My own mastermind will also have the magic of some in-person as well

Speaker: 00:14:05

as online, because it's really nice to build those proper relationships

Speaker: 00:14:10

where you can WhatsApp people on your journey to leverage scale, create

Speaker: 00:14:16

great client experience build out your systems build out your team.

Speaker: 00:14:20

Apply it for my next level mastermind.

Speaker: 00:14:22

It is application only to ensure that we get the right people in the room.

Speaker: 00:14:27

You will find the details to the next level mastermind in the show notes.

Speaker: 00:14:31

I hope you loved the three-day next level series I can't wait to hear what

Speaker: 00:14:36

you have gained from this three day.

Speaker: 00:14:38

behind the scene series.

Speaker: 00:14:39

Remember to trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise Gardner

Speaker: 00:14:44

who keeps on watering the seed.

Speaker: 00:14:46

Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.