I often notice that when coaches are attracting low-quality leads or clients, they try to solve that problem in a way that actually makes it worse.
(i.e. – they attract MORE of the types they don’t want!)
I’ll explain what I mean – but first let’s define what “quality” leads and clients look like.
They look pretty much the same for all of us. They’re the kinds of clients that we all want.
They expect to pay well for our expertise, have some achievements under their belt now, and are ready for more.
They aren’t delusional about where they are or what they’re capable of achieving.
They’re realistic, don’t expect us to be magic-wand-wavers, and take full responsibility for their results. They just see us as someone who’s helping them to accelerate an already inevitable great outcome that they’re determined to achieve.
That’s the dream, right? 🙂
Okay, so what a lot of us tend to do when we’re attracting some of the disempowered, delusional, and/or freebie-seeking types is… something not-so-helpful.
(I did it, too! I cringe when I look back at some of my old content that puts my mistakes in this area on full display.)
The mistaken “fix” that so many of us start to implement is:
We get frustrated that we’re attracting the low-quality leads, so we start letting that frustration creep more and more into our marketing content, in the form of statements about the types of people we want and don’t want.
And we don’t change anything else about our messaging.
Here’s what this might sound like:
“I am NOT looking for beginners who have unrealistic expectations. My coaching is for serious people who are willing to invest, and don’t view coaching as a magic pill.”
“My offer is for people who are COMMITTED to results. And it isn’t cheap.”
“If you’re looking for free or low-cost, look elsewhere.”
Etc. etc. etc.
People say it a million different ways, but the message is the same: “I want great clients. Don’t contact me if you’re not a great client.”
The error here is that this is actually MORE of a turnoff to the great potential clients who are probably in our world right now, reading our content.
I think some of this happens at a subconscious level, but the empowered high-paying buyers deep-down wonder why we’re pressing on this point so heavily.
If we need to be so explicit about the fact that we don’t want bad clients, what does that say about our past experiences? Have we attracted a lot of lower-quality clients? Why? Is it something about the quality of our work?
It might not be fair, but human psychology is such that when someone repeatedly complains about being treated badly, the listener wonders what this person might have done to attract such treatment.
(This is a documented phenomenon. I know I’ve read about it before, but the name of it – if a name exists – escapes me. If you know/remember, pleeeeease tell me!)
Again, this isn’t always conscious, but it happens!
Like when you’re on a dating app and you see someone’s profile and it says, “I’ve been hurt a lot in the past… hoping for someone who’ll do right by me this time!”
Are you attracted to that person or no?
Probably not, and you might be reluctant to explore the reason why (I know I am because I feel like it’ll make me a bad person), but it’s a gut-level reaction of “this isn’t someone I want to get involved with.”
But, more to the point…all the while that we’re harping about how we don’t want bad clients, we’re also failing to say the kinds of things that great clients need and want to hear before they invest.
Whenever I see somebody talking about how they’re attracting low-quality leads, I go and peep their content.
And, as a high-ticket buyer myself, I invariably DON’T see things that compel me to contact them about investing in their services.
What would those things be?
Well, to name a few:
1) A description of the SPECIFIC problem they solve – and it matches a problem that I’m experiencing as a sophisticated buyer.
(for example: “I have a proven method for helping experienced weightlifters to lose that last 5% extra body fat by laser-focusing on nutrition” versus “I help professionals to get healthy and fit in 90 days!!!!” The latter does not sound like a high-ticket specialized offer.)
2) An actual description of what their program involves – like sharing, in some detail, how they’ll get me that result (ideally the description would be in my 500-word Strong Methodâ„¢ offer framework 😉 but I know that hasn’t exactly made the rounds of the entire industry yet)
Instead of “DM me or sign up for a call and we’ll chat about what I can do for you!!”
No – this sounds like you’re attempting to help everyone under the sun, and that call might be a waste of my time. It definitely doesn’t sound like you specialize in helping people in my exact situation to get the exact result that I happen to want.
3) An actual mention of their price so I can let it sink in and plan for it – because yes, I can afford it, but I want to make this investment at a time that works well for my life and/or business.
(because – this might be a surprise, but high-ticket clients often DON’T have a “bleeding neck” – they just want MORE of the success they already have!)
I don’t want to get on a call just to find out the price and then be strong-armed into joining a program that I’m not ready to join just now.
(Rightly or wrongly, I assume that’s what’ll happen on any call because that way of doing sales is rampant.)
Oh, and yes – sharing your price might turn off the low-quality leads so they don’t message you. Annnnnd, well – isn’t that what you WANT to have happen?! 😉
4) Content that goes deeper into their methods and shares how those methods address specific issues that I’m encountering as I try to solve this specialized problem.
(for long-time followers and fans, this is the Strong-Method-style “belief-shifting post”)
For example: going into depth on ONE nutrient I’m lacking that’s causing me to hold onto that last bit of body fat – and what their philosophy/method is, at a high level, for getting that nutrient back into my diet.
This is so magnetic to high-ticket buyers because they can see that you have a real method for traversing the exact gap that’s standing between them and what they want (AND at the same time you’re actually INFORMING them of what that gap actually is – where they might not have known before!).
It’s worlds away from the kind of content that I see from most folks who say they’re attracting low-quality leads – which sounds more like, “Doesn’t it suck to be overweight? It’s so bad, right? If you want your life to stop sucking, sign up for a call and we’ll map out the strategy for you to get there!”
If we really step back and think for a minute, I believe we’ll know at a gut level why that kind of content doesn’t attract high-quality leads.
Sometimes we lose our intuition, though, after so many years of listening to different advice on these topics.
If you’re someone who would like more high-quality leads, and it seems like there are soooooo many folks surrounding you who aren’t a good fit for your work or aren’t ready – please know that this can shift so quickly.
About 4 years ago I was telling myself the story that there weren’t enough great clients out there for me, and I nearly gave up on my business.
Now I’m SO GLAD that I didn’t.
I’m so glad I learned how the empowered high-paying folks need to be talked to, and how offers need to be created for them – because my life and business have transformed before my eyes due to this knowledge.
I’ve attracted over 200 AMAZING folks into my programs and workshops over the past 3 years, and earned over 850K, and the work has taught me so much about attracting high-quality clients that it’s becoming a trademarked method and – dare I say – maybe even a movement.
There are more than enough high-quality folks out there for you.
If you want my help to get them rolling in for your high ticket offer multiple times per month, I have a 30-day 1-on-1 program where I assist you with implementing all aspects of my Strong Method for attracting empowered clients: offer creation/tweaking, problem/outcome definition, organic FB audience building, and most of all, writing the offer pitches and value content according to my blueprints so that the high-quality clients will see that you offer exactly what they want.
DM me on FBÂ if you’re interested in this 1-on-1 program.
I also do group workshops a couple of times per month on just the outcome definition piece by itself (remember – an offer that attracts high-ticket buyers starts with a specific outcome).
On this workshop I give 1-on-1 support to each person to help you articulate exactly what outcome you provide – based on certain details that you share with me about your best clients. You know, the kind you want more of 🙂
(The support I give as part of this workshop also includes an hour of my time before the workshop that I’ll spend reviewing ONLY your homework so I’ll have excellent, right-on-target feedback when it comes time to talk with you on the workshop)
You can always find out the date of the next workshop by checking this page.
You can DM me on Facebook if you’re interested in joining the next workshop.
We’ll make sure it’s a good match for the type of help you’re wanting, and if yes, I’ll get you signed up and send you the pre-work.
I also have a certification program in development, for those who want to learn how to teach the Strong Methodâ„¢ ways to their own clients.
You can also DM me on Facebook if you’re interested in that.
Finally, if you want more information on how to shift your offer, outcome, messaging, and content to attract more empowered clients, check out this section of this site. You’ll see a selection of my past writing on this subject.