One of the biggest mistakes I see life coaches make when they are trying to land corporate clients is that they are following the buzzwords of the larger consultancies, instead of being super clear about what they offer and who they offer it for.
What really works to get the attention of corporate buyers is:
- Evidence and explaining your claims of expertise
- Clarifying what specific problems your offer solves and why that is important to them
- Not trying to appeal to EVERYONE, because that appeals to NO ONE.
Common mistakes I see
Let me give you an example of a typical statement and what’s wrong with it:
“We are experts in creating engaging cultures and have worked with businesses ranging from SMEs to global organizations.”
If you work for McKinsey&Co, EY, PwC, Bain, BCG, or any of the other big consulting firms, you can get away with this kind of vague language. Because they have the weight of their reputation behind them.
That means corporate decision-makers are willing to talk to them simply because of the market prominence of the firm.
But if you are a small business or coach new to selling to corporates, you are wasting your time being vague. Let’s dissect this a bit further…
Mistake #1 – Claiming to be an expert without explaining HOW you are one
#1 “Experts” – says who? How has this been judged or defined? Is it by years of experience, consistently good results? Or based on other criteria?
Unfortunately, it’s really easy to state you’re an expert (I say that as an expert in helping you get corporate clients!), so please if you use this claim, expand on it.
How to turn this around
You could say, for example, how many clients you have helped (even if they are not corporates), “I have worked with X clients, helping them achieve ABC results”. This is ten times more powerful than simply claiming to be an expert.
In my case, I use my professional qualification as a Chartered accountant and my background of having worked in very senior positions with big firms and companies like PwC, RBS and London Underground.
Of course, I also spotlight the big companies I worked with as a consultant such as BDO, Aviva, Bank of America etc.
Outlining your results clearly
Another way to establish your expertise is to give a detailed example of the results one of your clients achieved.
E.g. “After working with ABC corp’s team for 4 weeks, they were able to increase their productivity by xxx” [or reduce reported stress levels by xxx or from whatever results you have achieved with clients]
One I use extensively is how a Financial Services client told me they resolved a long-standing issue in just 30mins using a technique I had taught them.
I now use this ALL. THE. TIME in my marketing.
Mistake #2 – Vague statements
# 2 “Engaging cultures” – this again is so vague.
*What exactly is an engaging culture?
*And why is it needed or desirable?
*How does it help your prospect overcome their challenges of a lack of accountability, low productivity, even lower morale, and all their star people leaving?
[Yes, I know how important culture is, in fact, a great culture IS a remedy for all those things I mentioned, but please, don’t make your prospect have to connect the dots between the symptoms they see and experience in their daily work and the fact that their culture stinks.]
By using this language, you rely on finding the one person in a given organization who can see the problem and is willing AND is in the position to do something about it…
It is much easier to show corporate prospects how you help solve the problems they see every day (while solving their cultural challenges) than making them do the mental gymnastics of linking what you offer to their issues.
I call it solving their *What The H£ll* problem and it is something that we spend a good bit of time on in my 1:1 coaching program to help you land 5 and 6-figure corporate contracts.
Mistake #3 – Not illustrating your specific knowledge
#3 “I’ve worked with businesses ranging from SMEs to global organizations.”
Statements like this are my pet hate because instead of being appealing to a wide range of potential buyers, they actually leave your corporate prospects thinking you’re a jack of all trades without specific insights into and understanding of their particular industry.
And because all corporate decision-makers believe THEIR industry (and organization) is unique, they will not see you as an expert but dismiss you as someone who cannot really help them.
What I can offer you
When you work with me in the Landing Corporate Clients Intensive 1:1 Coaching program, we spend 4 ½ in workshops diagnosing the answers to those points, identifying your perfect corporate industry niche, designing your corporate offer and implementing your customized strategy to fill your calendar with sales calls.
If you are interested in making 6 figures with just a handful of corporate clients, gaining 4 and 5-figure contracts and tripling your rates with corporates, then the next step is to send me a DM and we will have a brief chat to see if you can get great results from us working together.
I cannot wait to hear from you – any questions, don’t be shy!
All the love and coffee ☕❤️
