Lately I’m seeing “bait & switch” coaching funnels.
Here’s how coaches are applying the “bait & switch”:
Dangle some precious resource, idea, or service in front of your
prospect (the bait)……
to get them to commit time, money, and energy to your coaching.
Then, after the prospect has committed (and usually freed from their
money)…
…give them a second rate product, resource, or coaching service (the
switch).
Often this bait and switch mechanism centers
around Discovery Sessions.
The coach offers a fantastic (sounding) coaching package during a
…and later provides a program that doesn’t at all reflect the “bait” they
dangled.
In some cases, the Discovery Session IS the bait.
In that case, a coach claims the Discovery Session ITSELF is the
solution to the client’s problem…
…only to use the Discovery Session as nothing but a sales pitch.
I recently signed up for a Discovery Session because the coach
claimed it would help me get all my emails delivered to everyone’s
inbox.
(I send lots of emails to lots of students and it’s a key part of my
business.)
So I signed up with enthusiasm, thinking “This session is the key to
my problems!”
During the Discovery Session, the ‘coach’ asked me a few questions
about my email situation…
…and then proceeded to pitch a $6,000 service in exchange for solving
my problem.
No value given during the session.
No helpful advice or breakthrough.
Just a sales pitch from my new ‘coach’ (in retrospect, they were nothing
but a salesperson).
I felt like Wile E. Coyote after the roadrunner led him off a cliff.
Since my new ‘coach’ wasn’t a credible actor…
…I broke off that ‘coaching relationship’ immediately.
And don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you can’t offer $6,000
coaching programs.
But lying about the value of ONE part of your coaching funnel…
…in order to sell ANOTHER part of your coaching?
Coaches who use that kind of bait and switch coaching funnel are
shooting THEMSELVES in the foot.
I realized I had been seduced into a ONE NIGHT STAND with this
coach, even though I was looking for a serious relationship.
They used all their ‘tricks’ to manipulate me for ‘one night’.
They attempted to get what they wanted (short term).
And they bailed out on me.
So, if you use ‘bait and switch’ tactics, don’t be surprised if your clients
don’t stick around.
BOTTOM LINE: Don’t expect to extend a coaching relationship
past the seduction…
…if there’s no SUBSTANCE behind it.
Smoke and mirrors simply don’t hold up for long.
Do you want to provide your clients with much more than a ‘one night
stand’?
Me too.
You still need to be ‘seductive’ enough to attract clients.
Here’s a different ‘seduction strategy’ to get
clients.
It’s slow.
It’s still exciting.
But it’s not about tricking anyone.
There’s SUBSTANCE behind my style of client seduction.
In fact, the sole purpose of my ‘seduction’ strategy is to move towards a
sincere ‘marriage proposal’...
…not a ‘one night stand’.
Most of my “Slow Seduction Coaching Funnel” defies conventional marketing wisdom.
Conventional salesmanship says:
“Strike while the iron is hot. You better move fast or you’ll lose the
sale.”
Instead, I slow things down.
The enrollment process isn’t about ‘making a sale’…
…it’s about making a significant impact.
Conventional salesmanship says:
“You need to get full commitment and money from the prospect
prior to giving them any real value.”
Instead, I like to give tons of value, right up front, with no obligation.
Some people will take advantage of that. Let them do that and go
elsewhere.
Conventional salesmanship says:
“Lock the client into a commitment UP FRONT, and make it hard
for them to escape.”
Instead, I offer lots of ‘off ramps’ throughout the enrollment process.
Conventional business practice says:
“Keep things hyper-efficient and drastically limit the amount of
time and resources given to a client.”
Instead, I like to give more and more as the coaching relationship
grows.
To be fair… BOTH approaches can work.
BOTH approaches can create a successful coaching business,
and even successful clients.
So don’t think that I’m saying you can’t employ a variety of marketing
and sales tactics to enroll clients.
The fact is: Manipulation WORKS.
That’s why so many people (coaches included) are manipulative.
The ‘slow approach’ is just MY style.
How does my ‘slow seduction’ coaching funnel work?
First Step: The ‘Coffee Date’
When you first meet someone, “going to coffee” is a comfortable and
easy step.
My coaching version of the ‘coffee date’?
We have a casual call (usually around 30 minutes).
Note that this call is NOT a coaching session.
What do we do on the call?
I ask a few questions about their goals and problems, and get to know
them a little bit.
There’s nothing at stake at this point…
I have nothing to sell them.
The client hasn’t committed to anything.
The ‘coffee date’ is just a chance to get to know each other.
Where’s the ‘seduction’?
The questions I’m asking help me to begin a ‘needs analysis’...
…so I can determine and recommend what next steps we might take (if
any).
Questions like:
- “What is your #1 goal?”
- “What is your biggest challenge that gets in the way of that goal?”
- “What do you think is the solution to that challenge?”
Although I’m up front about this ‘secondary gain’ from our
conversation…
…the whole ‘coffee date’ still feels like two people becoming friends.
Why wouldn’t I run a Discovery Session on the first call?
A worthy Discovery Session takes more time and energy…
…so a short, casual ‘get to know you’ allows me to limit my
investment…
…prior to determining if we are a fit to work together.
THE POINT: Why waste time trying to help someone that’s not a
fit?
I didn’t make this distinction early on in my coaching business.
When I first started coaching, I would spend HOURS with every single
prospect…
…even when I could’ve quickly discovered that they weren’t a good fit
for coaching.
Now I don’t use so much time and energy (nor do my prospective
clients).
If it seems like a fit, I’ll proceed to the…
