How to Get Your First Health Coaching Client

Michelle Leotta: Welcome to the Health Coach Power Community Podcast. I'm Michelle Leotta, ex corporate girl turned certified health coach with over 15 years of experience growing a successful online practice. I started out with no idea what I was getting into and learned a lot of lessons along the way that have given me the freedom to do the work I love and raised two boys as a single mom. I created the Health Coach Power community over a decade ago to make it easier for health coaches to build a career they love and make the world a better place.

Hello there, health coaches. I see a lot of coaches in our community who maybe right now are kind of dragging. Does this resonate? Uh, maybe feeling overwhelmed and wondering. Was this all a mistake? Like, should we just give up? And they're saying that because they don't have any clients. Perfectly understandable.

And then here's what happens. They start working with someone, like a client appears a private client, someone in a small group program, even just a single workshop participant can do the trick and suddenly. That same coach comes alive, you know, they feel inspired again. And that is the feeling that we're going for.

That's why we got into this, right? It's what happens when you're doing the work you were meant to do, and it feels so good. I know you didn't get into this just so that you could spend your life on social media. You became a health coach because you care and you wanna change lives. So that first client.

They'll remind you why you got into this in the first place. They'll remind you why you're showing up every day. So yes, in this process, you'll know I am changing lives, and I got news for you. That includes changing your own. Now I gotta give a shout out to Jackie. Jackie texted me the other day and she asked, how do I get my first paying client?
So first of all, Jackie, thank you so much. This is such an important question and it's one that every health coach has to figure out, 'cause we're always gonna have a first, right? And it always feels impossible until it's done. So today we're gonna talk about it. And by the way, if you wanna text me your own idea for a future episode, I would love that because that's how I come up with what we're gonna talk about every week.

Just go to HealthCoachPower.com/text and send me a message. Alright. So we're gonna make this simple. I wanna give a hello to everyone who's here live with me, Jamie, and Jackie and Denise. Oh, yay. Jackie is here. That's fantastic. Uh, I wanna make this topic feel way more simple than I know it feels in your head right now, 'cause when you get all in your head about it, it's like, ah, it's never gonna work. I'm just gonna run and hide or go back to my old job or whatever. Today I have two bulletproof strategies to share with you, and here's the first. It is the fastest way to get your first paying client, and it's how it most often happens.

So if you are here live with me, just say me in the chat. And if you're on Facebook, or even if you're watching later on YouTube, tell me in the comments that like this, you're looking for your first client right now. If that's you, just say me. 'Cause I wanna know who's in this boat. I imagine it's a lot of health coaches in our community.

Are you looking for that very first client? Is now the time to start doing the work that you are meant to do? Yes, I sure hope so. Here's the trick. Okay. Ready? You just have to ask. I feel like someone should have just done some drums behind me, but a bum, or just ask. Seriously. We need to invite someone directly to be our first client.

That's the fastest way to make it happen. You do not need a website. You do not need to launch your business, whatever that really means. You don't need an LLC, and you don't need a coaching program that you've developed. And by the way, if that part worries you, I'm going to link to an episode in the show notes that will help.

But just spoiler, you do not need a program, you can do this today. Take a deep breath. And all you have to do is ask. Jamie says she's looking for clients, period. Denise says, yes, she's in this boat looking for her first clients. Everything we talk about today is gonna work for your first, your second, your third.

I mean, there's really, uh, no end to how this can work, but as your business grows, you'll be doing less asking and you'll be doing more receiving of people asking you, right? But that, that'll come in time. So how do you go about asking someone to be your client, whether it's your first, your second, your third, whatever.

It might go something like this. You could say, you know, I recently became certified as a health coach. Would you be interested in being one of my first clients? That's not so bad, is it? Or maybe it's like, I've been studying holistic health for a few years, and I'm starting a coaching business. Would you be interested in being one of my first clients? That's it. And that's exactly how I got my first client, who was, uh, my cousin. Now, when we say one of my first clients, I just wanna underline that phrase, and maybe you wanna write that down for yourself. One of my first clients, it's like a little mindset trick, and it makes it a bit less scary because it shows that you're already doing this work in some capacity, right? When you put it that way, it's low pressure. It's not a big deal. Will you be my first? I haven't had any clients before. That comes across a little different than would you like to be one of my first clients? Right? Little bit easier to do the ask.

So now you gotta think I gave you the language, you know, make it your own. But it's as simple as that. Who becomes the question? Denise says, I'm doing it all wrong. Oh, Denise. You know, we just, we're just on a journey. We're on a path. Work with me here. Just imagine who are some people that you could ask, who would you love to work wit iIs a great way to start. I want you to think about those people that just came to mind. I want you to think about people who have picked your brain about health and nutrition and wellness. You know, people are always doing that to health coaches. What do you think about this? What do you think about that?

They ask about supplements and what to eat, and do you think they should avoid gluten? That's your sign. Like that's the low-hanging fruit. It's right in front of you. It wants to be picked. All you have to do is ask. So who's coming to mind? Maybe somebody just popped into your head. You see their face, you know, right in front of you.

That's awesome. You might need to noodle on it a little bit, but if you are thinking of someone right now, that's your person. Go talk to them right after this episode, and you could say, Hey, you know how you're always asking me about nutrition or whatever, fill in the blank. You know how you're always asking me about that stuff?

I'm actually taking my first clients. You wanna be one of them, and what's the worst that happens? They could say, oh, no, thank you. No thanks. Not right now. Totally fine. This is their journey. If they're not there right now, that's not a big deal. It has nothing to do with you, but you aske,d and you'd be surprised how many people are gonna go.

Huh, huh. Yeah, tell me more about that. Right. They're gonna give you an opening. Now, you can also reach out to friends from yoga or the gym, or the school pickup line, or former coworkers. I mean, so many of my former co coworkers became clients through the years. Neighbors, acquaintances, you know, casual friends.

These are folks who already know you. There's trust there, and that's important. Like you're not some random Instagram ad that popped up in their feed with someone that they have no idea who you are. You are a real person in their life. So that's a leg up. That's a very good place to start. She want to just ask now.

Jamie says a Facebook group I'm in. That's interesting. Um, I don't know. How active you are in this Facebook group or what your relationship is with people inside the Facebook group. But I would encourage you to, um, I mean maybe Sure. Uh, depending on the rules of the group, I. But try your real life peeps.

You know the ones who have actually seen you in the flesh because there is that no like trust factor. That's really important. And until you've built that up with an audience that extends beyond your friends and family, and you will get there, uh, it helps to start. Right? Today we're just talking about those very first clients.

Now, quick caveat, 'cause I just said stick to the people that are close to you, the people who you already know. But if you go real tight to your inner circle. I need to share this with you 'cause it's very common. Sometimes the people who are closest to us are the ones who don't take us seriously. Your close, close friends, your family members, it's normal.

Many of us have experienced that, so don't take it personally. Uh, sometimes it feels awkward or close friends and family to be a client anyway. So just look outside that very, very inner circle. To people that you know, but you don't, you're not really intimately involved with, you don't know every detail of their life.

Do you know what I mean? It's that, that's still in your circle, but not the tightest, tightest people closest to you. That's a great place to find your first clients. Now, if you do have a following or you have uh, yes, a Facebook group, maybe it's your Facebook group, maybe whatever, you have a blog or a podcast, um, a big Instagram following, I don't know.
You can also leverage that. But like I said, they have to be people who. Feel like they know, like, and trust you before this is gonna work too. Well, like before I became a health coach at all, I hadn't even gone to nutrition school. I had a wellness blog. So you know, I had it for a couple years, and so when I announced that I was taking clients, my readers like lined up.
They were very excited about it. So my cousin was my first, that was a direct ask, but then my readers from my blog, or my second, third, fourth clients after that. Again, this only works if you've built trust with your audience. But I do wanna call out a common misconception because I think everyone's like, oh, well, all right.

I'll post something on Instagram. Then just posting something on Instagram, your random Instagram account that has 27 followers, that's not going to bring a flood of clients in your door. It's just not right when the audience is small, when they're not super engaged with you. So for most of you. Your best strategy is the direct one-to-one invitation.
Would you be interested in being one of my first clients? That's it. Let's see what you're saying over here. Jamie says they're friends. I went to high school with a menopause group. Oh, okay. So you know these people in real life. Great. That can be a great place for you to make that exact ask. I'm taking some of my first clients.

Would you be interested in being one of them? Now, for many of you, I know your brain is starting to offer up reasons why you can't do this yet. Like I don't have a program, you know, that really doesn't matter, or I don't know what to charge. Just pick a number. You can say with confidence, or how can I collect payment? Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, it doesn't matter. You just have to record it as income and pay your taxes. Simple as that. So even if someone pays you 50 bucks. That changes everything. Like they're taking it more seriously. You are taking it more seriously, and this is all part of getting the experience you need.

That includes the experience of asking for money and receiving it, and maybe you're also hung up on contracts, forms, liability insurance. If you have that stuff, great. If you don't, don't worry about it. It doesn't all have to be perfectly set up for you to take that first client. You can put all those things into place over time, I promise you, for now, it's like you're just starting.

So keep it simple. One client at a time. Now, I promised you two strategies today. We gotta get to the second one. Host a workshop. That's another strategy for you to consider, a workshop or maybe a speaking event. Anything that positions you as an expert. And you don't even have to feel like an expert right now because the audience is going to see you that way.

Our fast trackers, Katya, Amy, a couple of them are coming to mind. They did this recently and are booking clients, signing people into their mini programs right away. When people see your face and when they hear your voice, that connection's really powerful. I mean, a lot of you listen to this podcast, and you're like, Michelle, I feel like I know you.
That's why. And that's why my Fast Track program focuses on this strategy. So if this sounds interesting to you, you can grab my 90-Day Blueprint to get more clients at HealthCoachPower.com/blueprint. Alright, we're gonna recap real quick before my computer runs outta Juice. Number one, ask someone directly do it today.

Use real conversations to invite them in. Just be a human being. Know your price and be ready to accept payment. And another idea is to host a workshop because that's gonna build your list, attract clients, and it works very quickly. But above all, you can't wait until you feel ready. You are never gonna feel ready until you just do it.

So you have to do it scared. That's just how it works. Your confidence grows in proportion to the action that you take. So I wanna thank you all for being here with me today, and I would love to hear from you. Text me your questions@healthcoachpower.com/text and I may just cover it in a future episode. See you next time.

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