Client Case Study
Jeff of Company Growth Academy
How a done-for-you service provider went from selling $2500 packages to $1500/mo coaching retainers so he could spend more time with his family (without taking a pay-cut).
INDUSTRY: Business Coaching
The Before:
When Jeff joined the Trailblazers Collective his business was going quite well. He had a couple of very strong referral partners and no problem selling his packages.
The problem was, his services weren’t leveraged. And with a son going off to college soon, Jeff didn’t want to be chained to his desk anymore.
When he tried selling coaching-only offers in the past, he had difficulty communicating the value, and would offer done-for-you deliverables as a bonus…basically defeating the purpose.
The Desires:
- To sell coaching services where he got to focus on high-level strategy, and his clients "did the work"
- To have a website that he felt confident marketing and would bring him qualified leads
- Begin to build a prospect list through his own marketing so he didn't have to rely on referrals for revenue
- Build brand authority online through is LinkedIn profile and podcast interviews
- Feel like he could step away from his desk to spend time with family, and he wasn't going to be "punished" for it financially
Original Hesitations:
Jeff is one of those rare clients who had no hesitations. 😆 When he found me, it was clear to him that I was the right person showing up at the right time. I had the business model he was looking to create for himself, my marketing and the touch points he went through to get on the phone with me etc. were all things he wanted to create. Since I was leading by example, he was confident I’d be able to help him make the changes he wanted to make.
You just get to a point where you begin to wonder, “Am I doing what I set out to do?” Because I go to the races every day, and I had a vision for where I wanted to go. And at some point along the way an opportunity or customer sends you off your trail, and before long you end up not at all where you meant to be. I wanted to have clarity of my vision, where I was heading and why, and how I was going to get there. And Holly did just that, she helped direct and guide me in the right direction.
— Jeff
The Process:
Jeff had a lot of ideas and assets he had created over the years. Our first step was to decide what he wanted his coaching packages to look like, what the price point would be, and most importantly – who would most value his expertise.
Next, we fleshed out his proprietary process that he would take clients through. So Jeff would know how to talk about his new services and could feel confident that his clients would get results without him having to “do the work” FOR them.
Then, we turned our attention to bringing everything together on his website. We mapped out a structure and the copy for his website. We also developed a webinar that would introduce Jeff’s services to new prospects to create fresh lead flow.
With these conversion pieces in place, our attention turned to Jeff’s marketing. Jeff began posting regular videos on Linked In, and finding podcasts to be featured on.
The Results:
- Before we had even fleshed out his offer language, Jeff had already signed on his first $1500/mo retainer coaching client
- Within a month he also signed a $20k contract with a local organization to coach their clients for 90 days
- By the end of the year Jeff had filled ALL of his 1:1 coaching spots and was turning his attention to filling group cohorts
- Jeff got to spend a lot of time with his son, and proudly saw him graduate flight school
- Jeff also became more confident when setting boundaries around his time and saying "no" when he needed to in order to stay in alignment with this vision
“Right away Holly helped me develop messaging so clear that I was EXCITED to talk about my new offers, and not only that, the new messaging worked!
Within my first month I had already signed on a long-term coaching client at $1500/mo (which paid for my investment right out of the gate!), and signed a $20k contract with a local business development organization to coach their members.
With Holly and Michelle’s support I’ve also been able to restructure my days to be more productive, navigate the shift into my new business model, and I’m implementing streamlined systems that will essentially put my enrollment process on autopilot and allow me to work much more efficiently.”
— Jeff
Key Takeaway:
For Jeff, the key was understanding who his ideal clients were.
When we got really specific on what his best clients valued and what they already had in place that set them up for success, that was when Jeff could see how they would be able to get results without him doing the work.
This was key in building confidence for Jeff when selling his services. And when you’re confident and can see the potential for your prospective client-selling your services becomes a whole lot easier.
A big advantage Jeff had was that he was also an action taker (as evidenced when he came across my site, and signed up within 24 hours). Once we got his messaging in place, my role was really to help him sort through ideas to find the gold, and keep him moving forward.
“Holly has a kind and nurturing way of holding you accountable. She's the ally we all need.”
What I liked most about Holly is that she is a real person. You know what I mean? I’ve followed so many people who brag about how much money they’ve made, or all of the impressive things they’ve done. Holly doesn’t boast and she is a good model for how to run a life-style coaching business. She knows how to set boundaries and stick to her guns, while also being real, genuine, sincere, and authentic. And that’s what I wanted to do as well.
— Jeff