Essential Steps to Take Before You Start Marketing
For Change Catalysts — Coaches, Therapists, Counselors and Other Professionals — Who Support Clients in Transition
10 Credits
Instructor: Carol McClelland Fields, PhD, BCC
Are you trying to figure out what you need in place before you start marketing your new business?
Perhaps you are:
Nearly finished with your coursework
Newly certified
Recommitting to your business after having been stalled for a while
Restarting your business after changing your business focus
A Bit of Perspective
First, starting a business from scratch or trying to grow a seedling of a business into a flourishing venture is quite a journey.
Second, know that your journey as a new entrepreneur is different from that of an experienced entrepreneur. Although some of the topics are the same, the way you approach them as a new business owner is different. For example, it's too early in your business to nail down your niche or claim your ideal client. You need experience working with clients before those marketing concepts will come into focus for you.
Third, I have found through years of experience that fast, bold solutions and strategies that throw me out into the world where I feel exposed and unprepared are bound to backfire. If I don't feel clear, safe, and confident, I'll put on the brakes and back up! Then it takes me a while to build up enough confidence to step out again. Perhaps you find yourself doing the same thing.
In my experience I have found that coaches — who are naturally sensitive, intuitive, creative, empathic, and possibly introverted — recognize this pattern in themselves. Stopping your progress because you feel uncomfortable is not the best strategy when you are trying to start your business!
There is another way!
Setting the Stage for Success
Although you know you must market consistently to build your business, you may not realize that there are several crucial steps to take before you start sharing your new business and services with others.
Before you can create a thriving business, you must build momentum.
Before you can build momentum, you must take a series of effective, consistent actions to market your business.
Before you can take action, you must feel confident.
Before you can feel confident, you must have clarity about your work and your business.
In this six-week workshop you will explore 12 Facets of Clarity to:
Identify the gaps that have been holding you back
Discover what you need to resolve to feel clear enough and confident enough to begin taking strategic actions within your business.
Create reliable ways to turn your hesitation into a source of wisdom that shows you the best ways to create a flourishing business that works for you and your clients.
“Because this course is about building your business, the credits do not count toward your BCC.“Carol truly understands the specific nuances, fears and questions most new coaches face when launching their business. Her gentle and compassionate teaching style made me feel instantly welcomed as she deeply listened and connected to each student’s concerns about moving forward on their particular path. I found the homework to be challenging and rewarding because it forced me to really narrow down some of my ideas and to expand upon others. One of my favorite gems from Carol is, “when you take a series of effective actions, then you build momentum.” ”
NEXT TRAINING: Thursdays, April 18th - May 23rd
CLASS SCHEDULE:
3:00 - 4:30 PM PT | 6 - 7:30 PM ET
Includes Private Business Mentoring Session at the end of the class
Course Outline
Week 1: Gain a New Understanding of the Journey You Are On
Understand the map of your journey to start your business, the benefits of growing your new business incrementally, and why traditional business coaching advice is not helping you reach your goal. Familiarize yourself with the 12 Facets of Clarity we'll be talking about during the workshop that are essential to your success.
Possible form of hesitation: Overwhelm
Week 2: Firm Up Your Focus, Your Form of Work, and Your Framework with Feedback from Your Clients
Discover what you do know about your focus and then confirm and verify your conclusions through conversations with your clients. Gaining enough clarity at this stage is an essential prerequisite before you'll be able to take actions to build your business.
Possible form of hesitation: Confusion
Week 3: Explore the Problems You'd Like to Resolve and Who Is Likely to Benefit Most from Your Work
Uncover the value and benefit of the work you do. Although this may look like we are focusing on your marketing niche in this section, we are not! It's too early for that conversation. Your goal in this section is to focus inward to gain a deeper understanding of your own work.
Possible form of hesitation: Difficulty Making Decisions
Week 4: Find the Business Model, Client Flow, and Collection of Offers that Will Allow You to Flourish
When you can see the overall structure of your business and see that it really is financially feasible, then you can relax into making it a viable venture.
Possible form of hesitation: Fear
Week 5: Discover Initial Ways to Boost Your Presence Locally and Beyond
Find and create personalized ways you can become more visible in your community. This is not about forcing yourself to step into a bigger presence than you are ready for, but rather to find the ways that feel reasonably doable. In this session I'll introduce you to the difference between Above Ground Marketing that's taught in most courses and Underground Marketing that is based on creating nurturing connections with whom you have personal contact. At this stage in your business, focusing on Underground outreach will lead to more conversations and opportunities to engage with potential clients.
Possible form of hesitation: Perfectionism
Week 6: Reassess Your Foundation to Find Your Growing Edge and Identify Your Next Steps
After taking this first pass through the 12 Facets of Clarity, you'll be able to see where you need to focus to enhance the foundation of your new business and how you can begin taking actions to build momentum.
Possible form of hesitation: Paralysis or Procrastination
Week 7: Private Mentoring Session with Carol
Creating greater clarity about these 12 aspects of your business builds a foundation that’s stable enough to support your growth. With this new level of clarity and confidence, you will find you can take the necessary actions to start marketing your business with more ease.
This course includes 1 hour of mentoring with the instructor.
Because this course is about building your business, the credits do not count toward your BCC.
“As a new coach, I was all over the place as far as how to get my coaching business up and running. Enrolling in Carol’s Essential Steps to Take Before You Start Marketing class has been the best gift I have given myself. Carol normalizes all the fears, hesitation, and uncertainty that can stop new coaches from taking action. She also provides the space, structure, and mentoring support new coaches need to gain the clarity about every aspect of their business. By creating this strong foundation for my business, I now have what I need to market my work/business with confidence.” ”
If you would like additional information, please contact us.
Cancellation Fee: $50; within two weeks of start of class - 50% refund; once course begins no refund.
ILCT Students: Please Register Here
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