Co-Founder and CEO of Webmetrix Group
Coaching, whether it's aimed at helping a business improve sales or helping someone lose weight, is largely dependent onpersonal relationships. As such, forming strong personal connections during the sales process is essential if you hope to land new clients.
In a time when technology enables coaches in a wide variety of industries to reach clients around the world, using that technology to form meaningful connections can help generate leads and close prospective sales.
A webinar is a great example: With a webinar, you have a way to put your face in front of prospective coaching clients, no matter where they live. And, from what I’ve seen in my career, it's also a great way to achieve a more personal connection, even when you aren’t communicating one-on-one, in person.
In fact, webinars may ultimately prove to be one of your most effective closing tools. Here’s how they can help:
Related: Top Qualities of a Successful Coach
1. You can showcase your personality and energy.
A successful coaching relationship often comes down to the right personality match. If prospective clients have communicated with you largely via phone or email, a live webinar is a great way to better highlight your unique personality and enthusiasm for what you do.
Don’t get intimidated by the fact that you’re transmitting a live video on the internet. Be confident. Stand up and speak clearly, as if you're communicating with a coaching client in person. This will help your communication style shine through and help prospective clients know if you will be a good match.
Just how important is your energy? A survey by Redback Conferencing found that 48 percent of attendees polled felt that “a poor presenter” makes a webinar completely unenjoyable. In contrast, a “passionate and energetic” host is the top engagement factor for nearly one-third of webinar attendees.
Related Article: Webinar Stats and Facts 2020
2. You can take time to address questions and concerns.
Business coach and author Lewis Howes wrote for Copyblogger that question-and-answer sessions are one of the best ways to use webinars, in large part because they allow coaches to "give back" to a market while also gaining valuable intelligence. "You can usually bet that the questions you get in your Q&A sessions are ones that lots of other customers have as well," Howes wrote. "When you solve real customer problems, you put yourself at the head of the pack in your niche.”
Not everyone who attends your webinars will submit a question, but there’s a good chance many of your prospective coaching clients qill share the same questions and concerns. Providing them direct answers will alleviate their doubts and showcase your transparency. Better yet, these sessions will help you identify new topics to address in the future as you reach out to other prospective clients.