Your Future as a Professional Online Coach or Consultant

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Your Future as a Professional Online Coach or Consultant

Your Future as a Professional Online Coach or Consultant

Providing professional online coaching or consulting opens up an entire world of possibilities. Suddenly you’re no longer limited by location.

But when faced with a whole planet filled with prospects, how do you narrow down your target market and connect with the people most likely to pay for your services? How can you add enough value to your service so people beg to buy something they can get for free with a couple of clicks?

Identify the outcome the client is trying to achieve. Instead of searching for “online coach,” or “online consultant,” which is a way to achieve an outcome, a client might search by the benefit they hope to receive, such as “better sleep,” “decrease stress,” or “increased energy.”

  • Think like a client when deciding which social media groups to join.
  • Participate in groups and comment on blog posts in an authentic manner, without selling anything.
  • Be the first to respond when prospects have a problem or question, increasing your authority and visibility online.

By anticipating the prospect’s perspective, you’ll be able to find your target market, build relationships with them, and get more clients online.

Earning a Certification

It is a known fact that as a professional online coach or consultant, you don’t necessarily need a certificate as you can draw on your experiences to help others. Some may say you don’t need to learn too much to become a professional online coach or consultant however getting a certificate will come in handy. It won’t be as difficult as other courses like medicine and psychology, where you have to study day and night but you should still take it seriously as you will be touching lives.

As much as a certificate isn’t compulsory, it is quite necessary to acquire one because it gives you an edge over other coaches and consultants and also makes you feel like your profession is really legitimate. There are special schools that offer training to professional coaches and consultants, getting a course from any of them is an added advantage and also makes you conscious of your work ethics. Upon completion of your program, a certificate will be given to you which you can display proudly in your office and proves you to be a professional online coach or consultant.

Moving Your Coaching Business Online

The barriers to entering the coaching or consulting markets are relatively low. Anybody can develop a website, take, edit and upload photos to any number of social media platforms, and share their expertise on social media.

You can customize your coaching or consulting career by moving it online. Yes, of course, you can still work with clients in-person if you like. You can do both. It’s up to you. The benefits of offering online coaching and consulting are extensive!

1. You will save time by eliminating your commute.
2. You save money because you won’t be splitting commissions with anyone.
3. You can make your own hours.
4. The world’s online population can now be your clients.
5. You can work at a coffee house, the beach, a co-work space, or at
the kitchen table.
6. You can offer whatever type of coaching or consulting you want.

If you’ve been thinking about going online, or if you tried before and just lacked the needed skills, this is the time to get everything you need to become highly successful. The Online Coaching Certification is your step-by-step blueprint to build a highly profitable online coaching business.

Consider Specializing

Pay attention, over time you will realize your entire list of “best clients” share a lot of similarities. Sometimes what you find will surprise you! These will be the type of clients you begin to focus on. Start aiming your marketing efforts, products, and services towards this specific group of people. On the surface it can be hard to understand how limiting yourself to a certain demographic, can actually open the business up for better results.

It’s harder to get clients when you don’t focus on what you do best. Become the foremost expert in one area and you will have clients for life. If you can’t be selective right away because you need to make a certain amount of money, do what you gotta do. We have all been there. Work with everyone, in the beginning, the experience will be good. Just aim to nitch down as your career progresses.

Try to make the Online Experience as Personal as Possible

Offer Skype consultations, phone calls, Facebook support groups, and any other type of communication that will benefit your clients. Do you give everyone a custom program? Do you make sure the plan fits each client’s specific goals? If you want to be successful, you can’t just offer the same service as everyone else. This goes for any business, not just online coaching. You need to have something that makes you different.

As a coach or consultant, you are in the business of “results.” Your clients are not going to care how amazing your programming is if it doesn’t provide the results they are looking for. Remember, the best program on paper is not always the best program in practice. Build a relationship and connect with clients on a deeper level. Get to know them, really dig into each client and try to find out what they really want and deliver that.

Still Provide In-Personal Interactions

You likely already have some gym equipment in your home. If you do yoga or Pilates, you probably have a room set aside for your practice. Maybe you have a gym in your garage with lots of equipment. In-home coaching and consulting services are becoming more popular, as they provide a convenient way to get one-on-one help.

Be your Clients’ “One Stop Shop”

A great way to set yourself apart in the crowded field is to not only offer two or three different specialties that can work well together.  There are many different types of coaching you can offer. Figuring out what niches you want to focus on can be a challenge, but if you mind-map your passions, interests, experience, and knowledge you can narrow it down relatively easy.

Be a “Professional” Coach

People who are unfamiliar with what it takes to actually run a successful online business will often say things like, it must be nice to be your own boss and work whenever you want.” To an extent that is true. With an online business, you don’t have a boss telling you when you have to start work. However, in order to be successful, you must hold yourself to a higher “World-Class” standard. If you want to be successful as an online coach you need to treat it with respect. This business is not for everyone. If you are not self-motivated, you won’t make it. If you need someone telling you what to do and when to do it, you won’t make it. If you have an amateur mindset, you won’t make it.

Never Stop Learning

With the barrier of entry to online coaching so low, a great way to set yourself apart is through education. As an online coach or consultant, you need to wear many hats. You need to be proficient in psychology, sales, marketing, and personal development.

There are tons of resources for continuing your education. You don’t have to go to college to learn anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, or programming. You can attend online courses, seminars, and earn new certifications. These will not only open you up to new ideas, but they will also serve as excellent marketing tools.

Next Steps

The world constantly changes. It’s only a problem if you stress and don’t have options.  You are in control and you have options.  And, we have the solutions for you.  We’ve done the hard work for you.  You just need to apply the information.

Between NESTA and the Spencer Institute, we have well over 25 courses, certifications, and business systems to help you build a totally customized career and business. You have the choice to add and combine the programs in any way which serves you and your clients best.

Our team is here to help you thrive during this crisis and provide our members with constant support during this unprecedented time. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the coaching industry.

Stay healthy!

NESTA | Spencer Institute

PS: Click here to see many helpful business/career resources

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