The following is an excerpt from Judy Feld’s Three R’s of Business Success, as part of 10 Super Coaches.

Reach: How many possible buyers/clients/customers/prospects know about your product or service?

1. How many subscribers do you have for your E-mail (faxed or mailed) newsletter or broadcast bulletins? Depending on your business, this could be your most valuable asset.
2. How many sets of eyes see the articles you write? Being published, in print or at targeted websites, with your byline, contact information and brief bio may be the best way to expand your reach. This means you have many opportunities for marketing expansion by using specialized print publications, and industry/professional websites and e-zines.
3. How many people receive your mailings? Whether you send a simple marketing letter, an elaborate brochue, a postcard, a fax. Monitor and count the increasing size of your mailing list.
4. How many people attend your presentations, talks, speeches, TeleForums? How can you grow your numbers? Is it the right audience for your product or service?
5. How many people visit your website each day? Do you frequently refresh/update your website? Give visitors a reason to access your site, and reason to return, and measure the traffic. It’s easy to measure your visitor count.

I really think in your business that if you have a weak brand you’re not going to want to really put it out there for people. Your not going to really want to hand out your business card. There’s going to be a difference in your energy. But, if you’ve got a strong brand that is really pumping, you are going to be thrilled to hand out your business card. You’re going to want to actually be really public.

One of the best features of a website is that you can automate almost everything, freeing up your time so you can do the things you really want to do – instead of being up to your neck in paperwork.

One type of automation is called an autoresponder. Autoresponders send out a series of email messages you’ve created, in a particular order, at set intervals. You can even personalize the emails with each of the recipients’ names.

It takes on average between six and ten contacts (emails, phone calls, visits, etc.) with a prospect before they will feel they know you well enough to buy from you. The higher the price, the more contacts are needed. That is where autoresponders come in.

Say you had to email 100 prospects on your list. And you had to email them each 10 times over the next six months. 1,000 emails is a LOT to do by hand!

However, you can set up an autoresponder with ten emails that will be automatically sent to the 100 prospects at set intervals. Setting it up is not hard, but there are definitely are some do’s and dont’s we recommend to produce maximum sales. Once you discover the power of autoresponders, you’ll see your business explode!

The following is taken from David’s interview with Jim Earley in 10 Super Coaches.

What training, experience and qualifications did you have when you started coaching? 

Well, firstly I had some solid academic qualifications. Aside from those – although I had no specific coaching training – by the time I came to coaching professionally, I had:

•  Taken one college class and one honors program on interviewing.
•  Taken classes on interpersonal communication and non-verbal communication.
•  Read every book David McClelland had written on motivation as well as others.
•  Taken one year-long program devoted to the nature of listening.
•  Spent five years developing an internal style of coaching as a swimming coach.
•  Developed an approach to problem solving.

The following is taken from David’s interview with Judy Feld in 10 Super Coaches.

What are your coaching niche(s)? How did you discover this?

Niches and specialties are very important in the growth of a coaching practice.

I think you create niches and specialties, not discover them. Here are three of my niches:

•  Technology executives: CIOs, IT VPs, etc.
•  Executive Women
•  Career Changers

How would you suggest coaches find their niche?

Know yourself- use assessments: behavioral styles, values, strengths, etc. Coach people whose work you are interested in, and concentrate on niches that fit your strengths and background.

Be consistent in your messages; craft your own identity.

Invent your own sub-niche; create your unique area of specialty.

Strengthen the reserve in your business so that you can invest in long-term specialization. Be open to change.

Communicate continuously and creatively with your target market.

Provide real value; continue to add value.

Choose your specialty so that it does not depend on fads- fleeting whims of your decision-making population.

Above all, choose niches and specialties that you enjoy.

The following is taken from David’s interview with Rob Cornish in 10 Super Coaches.

What top three methods, in order, did you use to get your clients in the first 2 years?

•  Existing network- The customers I had in my racing shop, and my long time reputation in auto racing. My reputation and recognition was most significant in getting clients at that time.
•  Placing ads- In local and national racing enthusiast newspapers and magazines.
•  Referrals- indirect referrals, people seeing the results of the people I was coaching.

Tap into the network of people you know, offer them sample sessions of your coaching if for no other reason than having them understand what coaching is about so they can refer people they know to you.