This is one of the areas that a lot of coaches particularly newer coaches don’t actually focus but working with coaches on building their businesses, this is one of the best strategies to actually open up bigger opportunities. The opportunities, opening you to a wider audience, speaking gigs, you name it, all those bigger opportunities actually come as we often know through the people you know. So whether that’s people who are putting you in front of their audience or referring ideal clients to you or introducing you to others, it is an amazing way to leverage your coaching business.
Coaches spend 100% of their time focusing on building relationships with clients, potential clients and not enough time building relationships with people who will most likely never be their client but will open doors for them and actually help them leverage. Those savvy club coaches know that their network is one of the things that’s going to leverage and build their businesses. It also makes all that hard work more fun. If you feel you’re in that mode of hustle and grind start building great relationships. You need to be able to place the people that you want to connect with or who you would like to build relationships within levels in tiers.
At the top level are those really hard to reach people that are way beyond you and they’re kind of the wishlist, aren’t they? They’re that big wishlist but having this idea of this is the sort of people that I would love to hang with and be amongst their crowd. They might be the Tony Robbins, the Russell Brunson’s, all these big names.
Then there’s that level in the middle where these people probably don’t know who you are, but they’re more approachable. They might have a big following or big group, they might be out there on Facebook ads, but not a massive name.
And then another level is the one which might not be most people’s idea of what a true influencer is. They could be a few steps ahead of you. So knowing how far in steps ahead to these people also are easier to access. They’re more likely to know you. And because of that reason, they’re a great place to start. Another thing I want you to be mindful of as well, very important that you are doing this for the right reasons as well. So it’s not just trying to tap into every influencer out there. You have to look for people that you really do want to build a relationship and a friendship with not just “Oh, they’ve got a big audience. I want to try and get in with them.” It becomes desperate, hungry and they will pick it up like that.
You’ve got to remember that many influencers, particularly those in that middle section and those in those top levels sections are getting a lot of people every week reaching out to them. So this is why the lower hanging fruit in some way is a great place to start.
If someone wants to connect with you, it’s because in some way they want access to what you’ve built and that becomes your first barrier that you’ve got to get past. So you can understand why they’ll have that barrier around them. One thing I heard recently, cause I responded to someone and the reason I responded to them was that I knew them, I knew their name. I hadn’t actually had any interactions with them before, but I knew their name.
So if you are wanting to connect with influencers is to be in front of them already before you reach out. Because influencers are more likely to respond to a name that they at least have seen around.
A big tip for you to leverage your coaching business and get exposed to far more people and just build better relationships with your peers in this field is to get on the radar of them before you reach out. The cold calling on influencers does not work but that’s what a lot of people doing. They’re cold calling to sell their services and then they think that it is also the way to reach out to influencers. I get a lot of cold calls every day and no, it won’t work. They’re just too busy.
One thing that you need to know about influencers is that a busy influential person is on a certain track with a certain destination in mind. That’s why they became an influencer. They’re very committed to what it is that they’re doing and they’re very focused on that. They are focused on that destination that they have in mind for themselves and of also their people, their tribe, their clients, their customers. And they are not wanting to get sidetracked into distractions, those distractions that take them away from that destination.
And that is the main thing you have to remember. If you are coming in and sidetracked to that destination that you’re focusing on, most likely you won’t even get a response.
Remember, they are committed to a destination and they are also extremely busy. So if they’re getting bulk messages and bulk requests a week or a day, they’re only going to respond to people that they already know, or already on their radar in some way or be something that’s an absolute dead set, win-win situation for them is what they respond to the rest of the stuff.
If they’re holding a live training or Q and A session. GET ON IT. Be the type of person who’s asking them the questions. Don’t be one that’s faded into the background. So if you’re fading into the background, you know you’re not going to get on their radar. Another mistake people absolutely do is asking the question “Tell me about your business“. You are making me do the work. If you’ve reached out to me, you need to have already know about my business, especially if you want to do some sort of cross-promotion or any other reason that you might be connecting with me. Don’t ask me to tell you the work so you can see how influencers are just going to brush you off if you are asking that there is an expectation if you are reaching out is because you want us for a reason, not tell us about your business.
And the other problem with that question and opening line is that it’s what a lot of the cold callers do when they’re trying to sell a product to someone as well. So don’t use that one. Don’t make other people do the work. Make sure you have done your research beforehand because if you’re asking someone to explain what they can do for you then you are actually making them do the work when you should have done it beforehand. Don’t wait for opportunities to happen cause that’s what’s happening when you’re doing a message like that, you just fishing around trying to see what can happen, create opportunities.
A lot of people contact using that opening line trying to create conversation and hoping they can connect on that level. But I’m sorry, most people do not have time to have a chat via messenger. Another big mistake is asking the influencer for their time. Sending long emails to people wanting to start a conversation. You need to be very concise and brief, very specific because influencers don’t usually have time to wattle through a lot of long emails.
Number three is being vague. That’s another big mistake when people reach out is they’re just too vague with the request. Sending vague messages in an attempt to strike out a two-way ongoing conversation doesn’t work with actual influencers with new coaches who don’t have a lot of time on the hand because of very busy schedules. That two way chit chat is actually very, very appealing to them, which is why a lot of people use it for their cold call marketing, especially when they are honing in on those particular people as a target market.
Here’s an example of a message which I got:
“Hi, Vanessa! Thanks for creating a group for coaches, authors, and entrepreneurs. I’ve noticed that apart from being a great coach, you’re also very creative and artistic. I hope you have a great day ahead and happy to be connected online. My name is Anne. I’m a coach from my expertise is in crafting high ticket signature offers online for coaches so that they can earn more and work less and still achieve amazing results for their clients.”
And that’s the message. So it’s all about this particular person in reality. And I don’t know what they want and I don’t know how to respond to that. So this is why you just can’t be vague. You need to be really, really specific.
Here is another one. This is short and to the point, but you work out what doesn’t work.
“Hi, that I’ve got an idea I want to throw past you.”
I don’t know this person. So now if it was someone that I knew then, I will respond. “Oh yeah, what is it?” but it is someone I’ve never heard of or seen. And they just pop up in my inbox and go “Hey there, I got an offer I want to try past you”. Now that is direct, but it’s not specific. It’s extremely vague. And again, I’ve got to do work. I’ve got to respond and say, well, what is it? I shouldn’t have to the respond. I should just have the details right there in front of me. So I can then decide if this is something I want to action or talk about or not.
So you can see then how your outreach strategy will work so much better when you are really tempting tuned in to the direction of that and presents up in, that’s gonna work for them straight away. So always make sure that you’re actually giving them what they need upfront and then it’s on their focus and direction.
Number four is being attached to a specific response or result and only ended up disappointed when you don’t get it. So if you are doing an outreach strategy, your best chances are of success, as I said, as being really tuned in to that particular influencer and their direction and what it is that they’re building and, and their causes. ‘ll be really honest, if someone, you know, you know, massive, those who, those who know me and follow me and follow my staff and, and on my personal page following my personal page, this is where you can start connecting with your influences, follow their personal page, be a follower. You’ll really get to see what it is that are their causes, their big passions in that.
Someone come along to me and said “Hey, I want to do something. I had this idea for us to do this together and specific details and we can do this to raise awareness about animal welfare or something.” Then you’re tapping straight into my heart and you’re going to grab my interest. Um, that’s just one way of knowing how to tap into someone.
I love being in this industry so much because I have some amazing connections in this industry with people who also have built themselves amazing tribes. We’re helping each other out, we’re helping each other grow our businesses together.
And also patients is very important. So do not expect an immediate result. Relationships. Just like any friendships take time to build.
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