Coaching is an extremely rewarding profession on so many levels, and it’s also one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Through this sequence of short videos, I’m going to teach you the key fundamentals you need to know to get started as a coach, and to create a fun and thriving coaching practice that’s in perfect alignment with who you are, what you value, and what you most want to contribute to others.

I remember the day when I started a coaching relationship with my very first paid client, and it was definitely a rite of passage. The great thing is, getting your first paid client is the biggest hurdle, and once you’re on the other side of it, your coaching practice – and your confidence – will really start to pick up momentum.

The reason for this is that the only “hurdle” we encounter has to do with the way we are perceiving the idea of getting that first client – and, luckily, we are infinitely in control of our own perception!

In today’s short video segment, I’m going to offer you some new ways of looking at what’s really involved in getting your first coaching client. The truth is, it’s not a process of “getting” them. It’s a matter of sending out a clear signal of who you are and the value you can provide, and allowing your clients to find you.

See, a common misconception that makes the idea of getting new clients feel really daunting is that we think that it’s about the doing: pounding the pavement; going to networking meetings; setting up speaking events. The secret that all of my coaches learn in the QSCA is that getting your first client isn’t about the doing. It’s about who you’re being.

Remember the old adage, “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying”? Of course, to a certain extent, those around us respond to the words we offer, but what we communicate without words is infinitely more powerful.

Over the last several decades, numerous studies have proven that at minimum, sixty percent of communication is nonverbal, and that nonverbal communication is at least twelve times more powerful than words. What this means is that when given a choice between what someone is saying, and the energy or vibration they are offering as they are speaking, the human brain will always discredit the words and believe the nonverbal cues that are being offered instead.

First impressions happen in less than a second. And lasting impressions about likability, trustworthiness and confidence are all made within that second. If you understand the power of the energy you are sending out, and if you become masterful at deliberately shifting your energy (and this technology is at the heart of everything we teach in the QSCA training), attracting new clients will be a lot more effortless than you may think.

To get a sense of the power of energy, just take a moment to reflect on what you are communicating non-verbally as you move about your typical day. Who are you “being” when you are in the grocery store? In line at the bank or post office? Attending a game or a performance that your child is participating in? Now I know that question can be difficult to answer, because to a large extent, each of us is locked into our own way of perceiving the world around us. But just bring to mind somewhere you went recently where you interacted with other people, and imagine that you are able to see yourself through their eyes, and – more importantly – to feel what it feels like to be in your presence.

Of course, how others experience you depends a lot on their frame of mind, and to some extent it will vary from circumstance to circumstance. But the point I want to make for you is that the opportunity to interact with potential clients about the aspects of their lives that really matter to them are not limited to networking events. When you’re waiting in line, or having lunch with a coworker, or at an exercise class – literally everywhere you go in the course of your day – you are broadcasting at an invisible but highly influential level who you are and what you have to offer.

I know it’s easy to get into a rush and sort of go through the motions when we’re moving through our day, but one of the things I train my coaches in is how to intentionally summon the quality of energy they want to bring to each interaction. Throughout the yearlong training, they become increasingly aware of the gifts that they hold and the experiences that have uniquely qualified them to contribute those gifts to others. When you take a moment to become present to all that you have to contribute before meeting a potential client, your words and actions are inspired rather than contrived.

For myself, and for the thousands of QSCA-certified coaches that I’ve trained over the years, all that was necessary to attract our first client is to interact with those around us with an awareness of all the gifts that we hold, and in an attitude of wanting to contribute them. Once you become sensitive to looking for them, you’ll notice that every situation provides opportunities to make the correlation as to how your coaching services could genuinely benefit those around you.

This awareness, coupled with your willingness to offer each prospective client a sample session so they can experience being coached by you for themselves, is the winning formula to attracting your first client – and all who come after.

I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions on what we’ve discussed here, so please write to me in the comments below.

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