One of the BIGGEST questions I get asked is, “How can I get clients?”

Which is really your subconscious sneaky way of asking, “Is this whole financial coaching thing really sustainable?”

It’s totally normal and human to have doubts. Especially when you’re taking the first baby steps toward something new. So allow me to ease all the panic that’s probably running through your veins right now and give you the precise coordinates to client land.

The ‘Magic’ Formula

Everyone wants the golden ticket. The so-called proven strategy that will work every single time, guaranteed.

Hate to burst your bubble friend, but there’s no such thing. There’s no shortcut to landing clients or finding the secret virtual place they’re all hiding out. Effort and consistency are the only two things that actually work. Which is great because they’re two things you can totally control.

In my experience as both a financial coach and a mentor of other financial coaches, finding new clients is always a blend between your social media efforts, your online marketing, and your real, in-person conversations. You need to build up a healthy mix of all three to create a steady stream of new clients.

During our most recent Client Creator Challenge—during which our 28 participants generated a total of $185K+ in new business—we did the math (no surprise) to learn the average amount of effort required to land a single client per business owner.

The results were:

  • 20 social media posts
  • 2 networking events
  • 3 1:1 conversations

Of course, these numbers aren’t set in stone. So many other things factor into a successful client attraction strategy. But these numbers do provide a great benchmark to shoot for, AND a strong reminder that building a sustainable business isn’t a game of instant gratification.

If you’re sporadically posting on Instagram or flaking on every networking event you sign up for, it’ll probably take a little longer to land clients. If you’re all in and willing to hustle, you can shorten that timeline and build a robust business faster.

Now, if you’re only looking to do this financial coach thing part-time and only want to land a new client every other month or so, then you can obviously dial back your efforts. But if you needed to replace your full-time income like yesterday, then you’ll want to amp up your marketing efforts and hustle a bit harder.

The key is to find that sweet spot of effort and consistency that feels good for YOU and moves your business forward. Using these numbers as a benchmark will help you find that sweet spot and get closer to your income goals.

The Refinement Period

Here’s the other kicker: those benchmarks will likely need to be higher when you’re first starting out.

It takes some real experimenting and putting yourself out there to know what lands and what doesn’t with your audience.

Things like:

  • How you respond when someone asks “What do you do?”
  • Finding your authentic, bold voice in your messages
  • The kind of content you create and the value you share
  • Your calls to action

These kinds of things can only be refined over time by actually putting them into practice. You can brainstorm and strategize all you want, but at the end of the day, the only way to know if something works is to try it out.

And here’s the thing: even if what you’re trying doesn’t work perfectly, that’s okay! It just means you have more data to work with and refine your strategy. The more you experiment, the better you’ll get at client attraction. And the better you get, the easier it’ll be to land clients consistently.

So if you’re just starting out or in that refinement period, give yourself some grace. You might have to try a few different things before you find your groove. But trust me, it’s worth it.

The Bottom Line

There’s no magic pill or secret strategy that will instantly land you new clients. The only things that actually work are time, effort, and consistency.

If you’re just getting started, give yourself some grace while you experiment with different client attraction strategies. And if you’re ready to ramp things up, use these monthly benchmarks to guide your efforts:

  • 20 social media posts
  • 2 networking events
  • 3 1:1 conversations

Remember, the biggest hurdle you have to get over is taking that first step. So if you’ve been meaning to start marketing your financial coaching business but keep putting it off, what are you waiting for? The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll land those dream clients!