Let’s talk about building your audience with potential clients via friend-requesting if you’re not a business coach and/or don’t serve coaches/entrepreneurs.
Every week I get messages from non-business coaches who haven’t taken my program, telling me this won’t/doesn’t work for them.
And every week I also get messages from non-business coaches who’ve taken my program, excited that it IS working for them. 😉
Are you the one single exception on the entire planet whom this won’t work for? Not likely.
Everyone has the same rationale for why this won’t work…
“I can’t tell based on someone’s profile whether they would need my work.”
That’s right. You can’t.
No one can.
Actually, not even business coaches can. I serve coaches, but only a tiny subset of that group, and I definitely can’t tell based on looking at a profile whether someone fits that tiny subset I work with – even if they do say “coach” somewhere on their page.
I can make some rough educated guesses, but I never know for sure if someone’s a potential fit until they reach out to me based on reading my posts.
And everyone also says, “I solve _ problem and I just doubt that those people are on Facebook, or if they are I don’t know where to find them.”
I often have a little chuckle when they say that, because more often than not, the problem they put in that blank is one I, Eleanore, either have or once had.
So obviously “those people” are on Facebook and often right under your nose.
Someone messaged me a while back saying she serves women who’ve dated a narcissist and need help getting over it, but she doesn’t know how to find those people.
At the time, I exactly fit that description.
But I didn’t tell her that.
Instead, I hired someone who was showing up boldly in my feed with posts stating that she solves that problem.
Obviously, that’s who I want to work with – not the person who doubts that I even exist just because I’m not splashing my personal problems all over social media. (Tip: high-ticket prospects usually won’t do that)
When you put yourself out there and assume that the right people will respond, that tends to be what happens!
I remember someone posting in my Facebook group a while back stating that she wanted to help people who’d grown up with religious trauma, but wasn’t sure where to find them on Facebook.
Within MINUTES of posting that, THREE people in THAT GROUP commented on her post saying “uhh, I fit that category.”
And my group isn’t even about that topic!
And I watched in delight as they all interacted in the comments, setting up DM chats and other plans to see if they could be potential clients for her.
Just by stating what she wanted to help people with, she got some potential clients.
My point?
You’re fooling yourself if you don’t think potential clients are EVERYWHERE.
I wouldn’t say this about just any industry, but for coaches, the problems you’re all solving are REALLY common.
Losing weight, dealing with relationship issues, growing a business in one way or another, overcoming blocks and trauma…
What human being DOESN’T have at least a couple of the challenges on that list?
So here’s what I suggest for non-business coaches (and business coaches, too, really).
You’re all really looking for the same client for your high-ticket offers, regardless of the problem you solve.
It’s the person who is empowered, has money to invest, is sophisticated (i.e. is not brand-new to your topics), has done work on themselves already, has achieved a lot in their life/business already, is the type who is excited and willing to do the work, etc.
Yes?
Well, those types of people are usually found in business-related groups, career-related groups, and personal-development-related groups.
Because they’re trying to achieve stuff – or just develop personally and get more out of life – and they want to be around others who are trying to do the same.
That’s where I suggest you look to add friends – not necessarily in groups ABOUT your topic (e.g., groups about fitness/weight loss, groups about dating and breakups, etc.).
Those CAN work, but they’re more likely to have people with the DIY mentality or who just want to complain about problems and not solve them.
(I know I’m painting with a broad brush here and it’s not always true, but I’ve spent the past 8+ years analyzing the culture of FB groups and trying to figure out how to generate leads/clients from them, and I think it’s true more often than not.)
Start requesting people and do not assume one way or another whether they have the problem you solve.
Definitely don’t slide into their DMs (that’s the antithesis of the method we all use).
Show up boldly talking about how people can solve the problem that you solve, making your offers, and inviting people to message you.
(The two post frameworks I teach – see here and here – will be a huge help.)
Expect people to come out of the woodwork and respond. And they will.
Also, expect people to tag others on your posts because, while they don’t have the problem you solve, they know someone who does.
And they want that person to check out your work because they don’t want to see their loved one suffer anymore and they think you may be able to help.
I’ve recently forwarded some posts about chronic pain and marital conflict to friends who I know struggle with those things – just because the posts were so well-written and I thought they might help my friends.
Maybe the writers of those posts will get my friends as clients. Maybe not.
Maybe my friends will start following them and tag THEIR friends. Who knows.
That’s how this organic method grows and grows over time. And it’s amazing to watch.
Anything is possible from this point, but it wouldn’t have been if those people hadn’t published their posts and sent friend requests in the first place.
As with all things, it starts with you putting yourself out there and being all-in, before you have evidence that it will work or is working, with full trust and faith that the right people will step up to meet you.
Let me know if you have any questions about this. And of course, DM me on Facebook if you’d like help. Figuring out who to request is only a small portion of my 30-day 1:1 intensive (small because my advice is so simple, as noted above), but I do help you to think it through and the rest of our time is devoted to message/offer clarification and writing lead-generating posts.
Love you guys!