Not every client is for every coach – and not every coach is for every client.

When I first started coaching ten years ago, I gladly took on ANY client. I naively thought I was the best coach in the world and could help just about anyone.

I would work with any client to get coaching experience and to make the dough. And if I was totally honest with myself (eek!), they weren’t always aligned with the services I was qualified to offer… or worse, the chemistry just wasn’t there so they didn’t bring out the best in me as a coach.

What I know for sure is that taking on the wrong clients not only does your credibility damage, it also affects your coaching mojo and just isn’t worth the negative impact on you and your business.

If they aren’t the right fit, then do yourself a big favor and REFER them on. Your colleagues will be flattered and you will keep your business reputation and confidence intact.

Any coach worth their salt will meet with a prospect to determine if the relationship is a good match and ensure they can actually deliver REAL value for the client.

Winning Business

One of the MOST opportune moments to demonstrate your integrity and credibility as a coach is during your qualifying meeting. This may be a phone call, strategy session or face-to-face meeting.

However you attract prospects into your business, try these questions on for size to explore your prospect, where they’re at in their business and how you can best help them achieve their goals. After all, that’s why we do what we do, right?

Top Qualifying Questions for Business Coaches

1.    What do you want to achieve in your business in the next 12 months? What would that look like?

2.    Who’s your perfect client? (Who’s the person that best fits using your business’s products and services?)

3.    What are the key problems that your products or services solve?

4.    What’s the greatest advantage of your product or service?

5.    What’s holding you back from having the success you want?

6.    If WE were to create success milestones for your business, what revenue would you generate at each phase? (So we know how we’re tracking together)
a.   Milestone 1 –  xx / month
b.   Milestone 2 – xx / month
c.   Milestone 3 – xx / month

7.    What would this revenue do for your business?

8.    What would it mean for you personally?

9.    What would happen if you didn’t achieve this?

10.  How important is this to you?

Quality not Quantity

There is nothing more unattractive than a desperate coach who will do anything, and I mean anything for your business. Beg, plead and bargain are the best ways to kill your business and end the relationship with a prospect that just might be the most amazing person you could meet.

Take your time upfront, meet with them and determine whether they’re someone you can genuinely help. There are plenty of prospects out there, so choose quality every time.

If not, you know what to do. Be true to yourself and your craft and refer them on to someone who can truly help them.