It’s not often this girl gets surprised during a client meeting, so I have to share something that happened last week.
I’ve worked with this client (I’ll call her Jenny) for probably 7 or 8 years. It’s been a long time. Jenny is amazing – she’s driven, coachable, honest, self-aware, giving, caring, you name it. Jenny is the best.
We have met every two weeks, if not more, for the better part of the last decade, so as you can imagine, I know Jenny pretty well and she knows me. Our journey together has been gratifying for both of us.
Last week she says, “I need to tell you something.”
I say, “Ok, what’s up?”
She says, “I have been working through some things, and I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on with me … so I just started exploring different topics these past couple months. I began researching some of the thoughts I was having and was looking for resources – books, podcasts, training, etc. And you know what? Your podcast came up Kelsa.
So I started listening and I have been listening to your series on cognitive biases over the past month, and I couldn’t believe it… the thing I needed help with, and the expert I was looking for, was you! I had no idea you could help me with this.”
I said, “Oh Jenny, that’s great, I’m so glad.”
She continued, “I had no idea you were so knowledgeable about X, Y, and Z. I feel like you have expertise I haven’t even tapped into yet. I can’t believe it. It’s so amazing to know I have you as my coach. I’m really just in awe.”
I’m not sharing this to brag or boast (although there’s nothing wrong with doing that either, in fact, we probably could all pat ourselves on the back more often!)… I’m sharing for a few reasons:
1) Our clients are often faced with something we’re not aware of.
They don’t share it, they’re not aware of it themselves, or they don’t know if it’s relevant to the work we’re doing so they don’t bring it up. This is a great reminder that our work is not happening in a vacuum. Our work with clients is not the only thing they have on their plates. Our work is one part of their very full lives.
2) Our clients do not know all of the ways we can help them.
We cannot expect our clients – especially those we’ve had for a while – are routinely checking out the services page on our website. For all of you veteran coaches, this is especially true. It’s likely you have expanded your skills, knowledge, communication style and abilities over the years. Do your earlier clients know this? Have they been able to experience it? Do you show up on calls with those older clients in a different way than with the clients who know you as a more experienced coach? You’re likely doing this without even realizing it.
3) Finally, our marketing is not just for our NEW clients.
Our family of current clients can learn about us, gain new ideas or insights, and experience shifts and growth because of the knowledge we’ve gained over the years. If you are using YouTube, your podcast, Instagram, Facebook, or any other social media or marketing channel or talk to new clients only, you’re majorly missing out! Your current clients want to know all of the ways you can help them – even if they’ve been working with you for years. Especially if you’ve been working with them for years. They’re already big fans of yours so why not wow them even more.
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