Wendy McCallum (02:15)
Hello there, welcome back to The Coaching Edge. I'm your host Wendy McCallum. We're gonna be talking today about something that I have been touching on now for the last six months or so, but I feel like it's come, really come to the forefront now and is very clearly true. And that is that the economic state of the world and definitely of small business has changed significantly in the last year or so.
I've talked about the trust recession. I've talked about how our clients need to get to know us better before they're going to be willing to part with their money and make a commitment on our bigger offers for sure. We spent a lot of time talking about that. If you haven't listened to those episodes, go back. In the last six months, there have been a couple of episodes where I've talked about trust recession. I think it's a really important topic, but it's bigger than that. There have been a lot of shifts and this
episode is designed to give you some very practical, actionable things that you can take away and start doing right now in your business to combat this, to actually address this, to be proactive around this. And I'm gonna give you some examples of how I've done that in my own business over the last few months, what I'm doing this fall, all ideas that you can take and you can make your own in your own coaching business. So let me start with kind of explaining how this is all played out for me.
If you've been listening to The Coaching Edge for a while, you've probably noticed something different this year, which is that the episodes of The Coaching Edge are now dropping every single Monday. So I have gone from two episodes a month to four plus episodes a month. There's a weekly episode now of The Coaching Edge. I did not do that because I suddenly had double the time and I thought, ooh, what will I do with this time? I know, I'll record double the podcast episodes. This was very strategic.
and very deliberate as is pretty much everything that I do in my business. I did this because I could see where the market was heading. And again, I've been kind of sort of dipping my toe in that in podcast episodes over the last six months or so, I could see that we were heading into slower, longer sales cycles, higher skepticism in the market and longer trust building periods. And so I doubled
the frequency of the podcast because that means that I get to double the amount of free, genuinely useful advice that I give. So it was extremely deliberate, this move. I've also, and this is something I talk about all the time, I also had the opportunity to test the podcast as a top of funnel offer.
So if you've listened to me talking about offer suites and funnels, you know that I'm a big fan of creating something super valuable at the top of your funnel, the top of your sales funnel that you just give out for free. That's gonna reach the maximum number of people. And for me, the podcast was that. And I've been testing it now over the last couple of years and tweaking it. And I felt like I had something that was proven. It's working, I'm getting great feedback on this podcast. I get good reviews, I get lots of emails.
about episodes and how coaches are using the advice and how valuable they find each of these episodes. So I knew it was working. Therefore, I knew if I doubled the frequency of the episodes that that would allow me to create double the amount of just really free valuable content. It also meant that I was gonna get in front of you for twice the amount of time, which is really important when it comes to building that trust.
just really you getting to know me maybe a little bit faster. I thought, this might accelerate that for people if they're hearing from me and they're tuning in once a week instead of a couple of times a month. So that's the one of the big changes that I've made as a result of what I am noticing is happening in the market. The other thing that I've done, if you're on my mailing list, you would have received an email from me in July, which you might not have read because you're on vacation and that's totally cool.
but there was an email that came out and it's actually the email that I've received the most immediate responses to, even though it was in the middle of the summer and I know hardly anybody reads newsletters in the summer, I was surprised at the response to it, obviously landed with a lot of you. And in that email, I said, I am done. I am just done. I'm done with like being inundated by sales emails constantly by everybody whose list I've ended up on.
I'm unsubscribing to people all the time and I'm just, I'm done. I'm not even reading them anymore. It's just too much. I'm overwhelmed. I'm also done with this sort of rhetoric that I've seen lately around like if you're not making money right now as a coach, if people aren't buying, it's because you're lacking confidence or it's because you're not charging enough for your offers and you should be charging significantly more and you know, kind of a this is your fault type thing. It's not your fault. The market has shifted.
What you do from this moment on after listening to this podcast, that's on you. That's your responsibility. But it's not your fault that the market shifted. It's a very complicated system, obviously. And there are lots of reasons why we find ourselves where we are today. Anyway, I'm just done with all of it. And I realized I was also kind of done with sending out lots of emails, which I had been doing more of in the last year.
or two years and I thought I just want to go back to what feels really good to me, what feels in alignment with who I am, which is keeping things simple, keeping things clear, and keeping things as easy as possible. And so I had a long chat with my copywriter and we decided that what we would move to was one email a week on average. So there might be a week or two where you, you know, over the course of the next...
couple of months where you end up getting an extra email that will only be there if I need to send you a reminder of something and make sure so that I can make sure that you don't miss something. But otherwise, we're just doing one email a week and we've got a really great format for those emails. It's very simple. There's gonna be a little story with some good actionable tips, advice. There's gonna be a reference to whatever the week's podcast is. You know what the episode is about and a link to that. We're gonna come up with some very
actionable three probably steps that are gonna help you get your coaching edge. And then we are going to give you any information you need about whatever's happening in my world. And that's gonna be it every single week. And that's very deliberate as well because I recognize that with this shift in the market is also coming a feeling of overwhelm for people just generally we're all feeling overwhelmed and I don't wanna be contributing to that in any way.
So that's a deliberate decision that I have made as well. And finally, the last thing I've done that you may have seen, again, if you're on the newsletter list, and if you're not on the newsletter list, by the way, just go sign up for any of my free resources and you'll land on it. One of the things that I'm doing this year that I've never done before, which is in direct response to this very thing we're talking about today, is I've created something called the Coaching Edge Workshop Series. This is a series of accessible, low ticket, low commitment,
workshops and it's a way for coaches to get in, get some immediate results, get some really actionable advice and strategy from each of these workshops that you can take away and do right away, implement right away in your business. But also get a taste of me, my vibe, my style, my expertise.
And it's really designed as a trust builder. It's a way for every participant to walk away with something, like I said, really actionable so that you can feel the value firsthand. You can experience that value. And that kind of offer is meeting you where you are. And I really want you to think about that. Are you meeting your client where they are right now? Because they're probably feeling the same way you are.
cautious, thoughtful, and really feeling like they need proof. They really need to trust. They need to feel pretty darn sure that this thing is gonna be worth it for them and it's gonna lead to some really tangible, measurable benefits. So that's why I created that Coaching Edge Workshop Series. The link is in the show notes, by the way. There are two ways to join. You can do an all access pass, which gives you access to the sessions at a super, super low price.
and you will then get the library of sessions. So if you can't attend them live, you can watch the replays of all the workshops, or you can just attend session by session. I think it's $67 a session for a 90 minute session with me. That's very low price. And again, like specifically designed to deal with and address what we're talking about today. So these are the types of shifts I wanna talk about today because the coaching buying climate has changed and pretending that it hasn't is going to hurt your business.
Okay, so just a recap on where we are now as I see it, the current buying climate. Trust is harder to earn and it's way easier to lose. So I can think of a couple different people who I follow, who I have jumped, I've just abandoned ship. have unsubscribed from the newsletter list and stopped following them on Instagram because some of the rhetoric that I'm seeing right now is just not in alignment with my values and I just, don't have the patience for it to be honest right now. So it's really easy to lose trust.
You know, and these are people who I genuinely was invested in before this really felt connected to and like they were providing me with some value. I've just jumped ship. I'm sure you have too. Clients are taking a lot longer to decide financially, emotionally, and in terms of their time, right? They're thinking about the commitment, financial commitment, the emotional commitment, the time commitment and things a lot harder than they were before.
Skepticism towards online programs is at an all time high. Why? Because since the pandemic in 2020, we have been inundated with online programming and by now, almost all of us have invested in something relatively high ticket that has not remotely delivered the value that was promised. I have had that happen to me. I can think of two different situations where that's happened to me since the pandemic and I'm wise to it now. So I'm incredibly careful about where I invest my dollars to and you probably are as well.
as are your clients.
I'm seeing a lot more business coaches and small business owners finally start to acknowledge what I've been talking about all year. And they've probably been quietly talking about it like me too, but I just haven't heard them. Now we're starting to get really vocal about this. There has definitely been a shift and it is not your fault. It's just the way it is. And I want to be really clear. This podcast episode is not designed to, you know, spin you out and get you panicking more. Not at all. We're going to be talking about
some really strategic adaptations you can make and I'm gonna be giving you at least 10 actionable ideas you can take away and implement right away in your business to actually meet this thing head on instead of just letting it happen to you and your small business. So why does this matter for coaches? It matters because the old marketing ways, the old playbooks are just not gonna cut it anymore. Coaches who actually start actively thinking about this now and adapting.
are going to stand out while the others are trying to push like high pressure, fast decision stuff. So use those old sales tactics. You know, those are the types of tactics that I always refer to as masculine because I do think they are more masculine and, know, just kind of smarmy and salesy.
People who just like double down on that, I don't think they're gonna go very well, go very far in this climate. That's my prediction. I don't think that's a good approach right now. Instead, I think this is your opportunity. This is your moment to actually deepen the relationships that you have started building, to really prove your value in a really genuine, open and giving way and win long-term loyalty. And honestly, I mean, you know me, I'm an open book. That's exactly what I'm trying to do.
I'm not here to sell you anything. I am here to give you really, hopefully very actionable, helpful advice in a world that is a tough, it's a tough game to build your small business. And I want you to start thinking about that too. How can you do that for the audience that you serve as a coach? Okay, here are the three shifts that I think you need to start making right now. First, I think you need to, and this won't come as a surprise.
but I think you need to really be thinking about delivering more valuable free content. Be worth following. A really good little rule is whenever you are providing any content, whether it's on social media or it's a newsletter or it's a blog post or it's a podcast episode, aim to solve a small but real problem every single time you show up.
So solve a problem every time you show up. Don't show up and, know, I guess every once in a while it's okay to post your cute dog, but don't be showing up just talking about what you have to sell. Instead show up and give some really valuable information that's gonna help your target audience solve a problem. Can you drop in that you have something that might be able to, you know...
help them take this solution further. Yeah, you can add links in your posts and you can still talk about your offers. I still want you making offers, but make sure you're providing the solution to a problem every time you show up. Think about workshops, free resources, podcasts, like lists of quick tips, carousels with actionable tips that people can actually implement right away.
Again, like this is what I'm doing in the coaching edge. My weekly podcast is now delivering more of those like aha moments or solutions for free. Honestly, then I think a lot of paid business programs are like the value in this podcast is enormous for new or newer coaches. I would have found the information that I try to share here really invaluable when I was starting out. So this is a really great example of delivering that free valuable content. And you will see that happening with
other people that you follow as well that they are doing this now. So deliver more free valuable content is the first shift. The second shift is be more patient with your clients decision making process. It is a longer runway now to the actual sale and that is a okay. So what you want to be really focusing on now is nurturing instead of pressuring on sales, just nurturing, continuing the conversations or starting the conversations if you haven't been starting them.
Listen to your clients. What's going on for them? Really engage in a meaningful way with them. Stay present and valuable during their decision process. Stay there. yeah, I get it. What's the thing that's holding you back here? my gosh, yes, I totally understand that. What do you think you could do or I could do to help with that?
I have done this again by using this podcast along with all the free workshops and resources that I offer and now this new low ticket workshop offer. They're all designed to keep people engaged for months and months and months before they buy. I forget the exact statistics on this. They are really interesting. I feel like it's anyway, I'm not going to quote it right, but a large percentage of your email list is not going to be ready to buy for like another 18 months.
So they have landed on your list, they're curious, but they're not ready to buy at all right now. So you gotta be in it for the long haul with these things. Podcasts don't really start to get a lot of momentum and build usually until like a couple of years in. And that's why most podcasts fail. The same thing with your newsletter, you need to remember that. You are nurturing in there. Yeah, you make the offer, because there's a small percentage of your list that's probably much closer to being ready to buy, but you also need to be
paying attention to the people who are on there who are just not gonna be ready yet. You can't pressure them or push them into being ready. They have to get there on their own terms. So you've got to remember that. Be more patient with your client's decision-making process. And then the other thing I really want to emphasize today is thinking about offering more flexible entry points to your programs and services. So one way to do this is with more flexible.
payment plans. This is something that I have been doing lately. So I am very, I always create payment plan options if it's a, especially if it's a bigger ticket program. But I've also had coaches come to me in the last six months who have never asked for this before, coaches I've worked with before saying like, really need a payment plan on this. Is there some option to stretch this out? And I always say yes. And I always create that for them. So flexible payment plans can make a really big difference.
The other thing you can think about, which I've talked about already, is low ticket offers that give people a taste, but that aren't nearly the commitment in terms of money, time, in your programming. Making sort of a conscious effort to be removing as many barriers as you can to them saying yes. So this might be things like a money back guarantee, which there is in the BBB, there always has been. You can come in, you can look at the entire content library, you can come to some office hour sessions.
You can join the masterclass and if after, I think it's seven days, it just does not seem like it's what you thought it was gonna be. Money back, all your money back, guaranteed, no questions. Well, I might ask you why because I'm curious because that helps me to fix things and fill the gap. that has always been there. I have never had anyone ask for their money back, by the way, but it's there because I get it. It's nerve wracking.
to invest in something big, especially if you've been disappointed in the past. So think about that. Do you have a money back guarantee? Is there a way for people to trial your program? Can they drop in for a session? Can you offer a free session? Remove as many barriers to yes as you can. Again, the Coaching Edge Workshop is like an example of that, right? It's hardly any barrier. Like I said, it's $67 if you pay full price, but if you get the all access pass, that drops dramatically.
And so the cost for a 90 minute workshop is really, really low on purpose, right?
Okay, so those are the three shifts you need to make right now, deliver more valuable free content, be more patient with your client's decision making process and offer more flexible entry points. Now I want to talk about some specific and really immediately actionable ideas for you to take away and start implementing in your business. You're not going to do all of these things all at once, but just listen to me as I talk here.
Maybe go back and re-listen to this episode if you're out for a walk right now or you're driving in the car and make some notes as to these ideas. So in the world of creating more valuable free content, here are a few ideas. Is there something that's like a quick win PDF or checklist that you can create for your list, your niche, and just promote the heck out of weekly?
Now you've heard me talk about how PDFs don't often make the best freebies, but I've also said every once in a while they do. So if you can create a great PDF that solves a problem, for example, I have a launch checklist for coaches who are launching their businesses. That launch checklist is a very popular freebie. It's something I give all the coaches who join the BBB, it's part of the launch module, but I just provide the launch checklist itself as a free resource to anyone. It's, think,
two pages, maybe it fits on one page, I can't remember. Very simple document with all of the things from sort of a business strategic, you know, I can't give legal advice, but there are obviously some things that help you to protect yourself as a business owner. They're all listed there. And that is a really valuable freebie for people. I also have the plus powerful coaching questions PDF. That's a bigger PDF, but it is it's just a PDF.
And that one's also really popular. So can you think of something that solves, again, how can you solve a problem for your clients, for your dream sort of client with like a quick PDF or checklist that you can create? Can you host a free shorter workshop? So like a 30 to 45 minute workshop every month, maybe on a topic that's of interest to your niche. So a high interest topic or a current
topic, something that's coming up for people right now. Maybe it's seasonal, right? Can you host a free 30 to 45 minute workshop, drop in coaching session, hot seat session, something like that? Can you repurpose your best content into short form videos and post every single day for two to three weeks? This is actually something that my copywriter who also manages like the short clips from the podcast and I were talking about.
we realized, gosh, we have so many oodles of episodes, back episodes now of The Coaching Edge, and we only ever create, like, historically have created maybe one or two short video clips to promote each episode, but honestly, there are so many different really valuable points in each podcast episode. We could go back and we could repurpose, and we could start creating like 10 different reels, at least, from each podcast episode and start putting those out there as a way to promote the podcast. So...
Can you take something you've already done that's really great, but maybe is a longer form content and create some short form video content from it that you post daily just to see if you can help increase engagement, maybe get some new followers and just provide some good solutions to problems. Again, make sure each little piece of content solves a specific problem. Okay, so that's the free content, some free content ideas.
I think it might be a good idea to take one thing away from each of these categories and start doing it. The second category, the second shift area is around being more patient and more nurturing with your audience and your potential clients. So here are some ideas for how you can do that better. You can add a nurture email sequence for people who don't buy right away. So if you have people coming into your newsletter list, maybe downloading that freebie.
Do you have a great nurture sequence that goes along with it that is not designed to push them into a sale? A lot of us have created nurture sequences, and I'm guilty of this too in the past for sure. You got one or two emails and then wham, you get an email that says, here's my offer, buy this thing. Join me for a sales call. What if you just did a low pressure nurture sequence? One that maybe had a few more emails in it, but that was more deliberately designed to provide some really great.
valuable information, solutions, strategy, and to build that like no trust for you instead of to immediately make a sale. So is there room there for a new nurture email sequence? Can you share more case studies and client stories regularly? This is such a great way to build value and trust with people. So can you start sharing as part of your newsletter weekly or maybe on social media?
Stories from clients. I'm not just talking about a testimonial like Wendy's a really great coach her all their programs are super valuable Like that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about a story about somebody who faced the type of hardship or challenge or Obstacle that your clients face on the regular and how they solved that and how they feel now versus how they felt then a way to create a feeling of I'm not alone. You're not alone for your clients Can you do that? Have you ever done that?
or has it been a long time since you've done that? How could you do that? Maybe you have a podcast, maybe you want to interview somebody who's a past client. I don't do a great job of that on this podcast. I'm always thinking, oh, I want to bring this coach on or that coach on to talk about their experience in this area. I've done it a couple of times, but I'd like to get better at doing that. Can you follow up personally with leads from a long time ago without pitching, without trying to sell? This is something that I actually think
I do well at. So I will send notes out to people that I worked with years ago. The way that I do it is usually through Instagram with a voice message, because I love a little voice note in Instagram. But if somebody comes across my feed or I'm going through, you know, my little message box and I see someone's name from a while ago, I'll scroll down and I might, I might just send them message and say, hey, I was just, I just saw your name in my inbox and realized I haven't chatted with you for a long time. I'd love to know how things are going. If you just have a second, drop me a note and let me know. How's it going?
Or how did that thing work out that I, that we took when we talked about last, you know. So just reestablishing connection with warm leads, people who either have already bought from you and worked with you or people who you've had some conversation with or you know that they might be a great fit for you. Just start that conversation again, but not in a salesy way at all. It's just a conversation. Be genuinely curious.
you'd be amazed at where that leads. That person might not be ready or interested in buying anything that you have, but it will remind them that you exist and make it much more likely that when they're talking to that other person who's facing a similar challenge that they refer them to you. Okay, in the area of making some shifts around adding some more flexible entry points into your programs and coaching, here's some ideas.
Take a look at your payment plans right now. Do they need a little tweaking? Can you offer extended payment plans? Can you take something that was normally, you know, getting paid, had to be paid within three months or six months and make that a six to 12 month payment plan, for example, so that the payments are lower, but for longer. Can you create a low ticket starter product? Do you have the equivalent of the Coaching Edge Workshop Series? Something that people can access
for well under $100 that actually provides them with tremendous value. If not, can you create that?
Could you maybe take one of your smaller offers and combine it with a one-on-one call and run it as a limited time bundle? So a little mini package. I actually have a coach in my BBB who did this this summer in response to a workshop that she did with me where I recommended that people think about seasonal offers and turn them into these little mini offers. And she just sent out to her newsletter list.
and talked about it maybe on social media that she was offering this little summer package and it was very specifically designed to address a small challenge. And I think she did a three session coaching package. You could do that, it could just be one session, it could be combined if you have any kind of a digital offer or course or maybe a you know, a set of resources that you often share with your one-on-one clients. Could you bundle those things together and offer it with a call?
That's an easy way for people to like get a taste of what coaching feels like without investing in a full package. Or maybe you could think about doing a try before you buy session where you credit the cost of the first session towards the full package. So, you know, you bring people in and you don't charge them for that first session. But if they do decide to stay on with you after having a trial coaching session with you, then you just deduct
whatever that cost is included in the package, if that makes sense. So a try before you buy session. I've known lots of coaches and supported coaches in the BBB who have used this approach and it's worked really well for them. So this is different from a discovery call. Discovery calls for me are all about getting to understand the client's problem, the current challenge and identifying the solution that you have for that and then making the offer. Discovery calls are sales calls, in my opinion.
versus what I'm talking about here is an actual coaching session. So a free buy before you try before you buy session. I think that's maybe something to think about in this current climate. You can experiment with it. Listen, everything's a beta. If you try it it doesn't work, tweak it, try something different. Okay, so I have gone over all of the things. I'm almost at 30 minutes here and I am really focusing on trying to do 30 minute episodes. I'm not perfect at it, but this one I can wrap up.
quickly here. I want to remind you that this is not about lowering your standards or cutting your value. It's about meeting the market where it actually is right now. It's about being realistic. It's about being proactive. It's about being adaptive, which are really critical skills of a successful small business owner. I want to encourage you to really focus on earning trust before you ask for money.
Really embrace the idea that the best way to build a brand, reputation, expertise, and a thriving business is to get out there and give some stuff away, some really valuable stuff away. Don't hold it too close. Do not hold it too close. Don't fall into this trap of thinking, if I give it away for free, then they'll never pay for it. That's not how it works. Take it from somebody who's been doing it this way for a long time. People come to me because they realize that I actually have
the skills, the experience, the expertise to help them with their specific coaching business. And all of the general things that they've heard me talk about on the podcast or in any of my free resources, when they come and work with me in the BBB, they get my eyes on their business and they get very specific directed advice. It's very different from what I give out on this podcast or anywhere else. And it's the same with you. Play the long game.
This is taking longer and that is okay. It's okay. It's like, think of it as planting seeds, nurturing the seeds, growing the plants, eventually reaping the fruit. That's the type of environment that we are in right now. Make it easier for your clients to say yes, take away whatever barriers you can. Does your offer involve too much of a commitment? We'll try creating a little mini offer for now. Is your payment plan...
just not accessible for them right now. Can you stretch it out and lower the payments over a longer period of time? Start really thinking about the things that are keeping your clients from saying yes. Maybe it's that they're really worried that they'll make another bum investment. Great, let them check out the program with no risk so they can get all their money back if it's not as valuable as you say it is, right? So make it easy for them to say yes. I really want to invite you this week.
to start reviewing your offers and your marketing. And I want you to pick a couple of ideas from this list of things I've gone through. Maybe one thing in the area of delivering more valuable free content. So one thing in that area, one thing that's gonna help you be more patient and address head on the fact that the sales process is just a lot longer now and there's more nurturing involved.
And maybe one thing that will make it a little easier for people to come into your world. And I really encourage you to start implementing those things right away. Like get ahead of this if you can. I have done that and I explained how at the beginning of this podcast, I've done that in my own business and I'm so glad that I did. I'm so glad that I started thinking about this in advance and I've put these things in place. And I just have a much more patient.
calmer mindset about all of it now and an acceptance around the fact that things are different, but that's okay because I have shifted and adapted to meet that. I'm different. I am different in response to that. And just a reminder, again, if you're looking for a way to get more time with me to get some really actionable, practical support around your business, the Coaching Edge Workshop is kicking off in September 2025.
It will run until June. There will be one 90 minute workshop a month. They're open to any coaches. I designed it for you guys, the listeners, the links and the show notes. Come on in and join me. If you're nervous about it, just pay for the first workshop. It's $67. But if you're thinking, no, this seems like an obvious, an obviously valuable thing for me. The All Access Pass is...
really inexpensive and tremendous value for what you're going to get from this. So you have two options for how to pay. And again, the link is in the workshop. I'd love to meet you face to face. say that virtually face to face. I'd love to see you on Zoom and meet you and get to know you a little bit. And that's the best way to do it right now. Another reminder, there are loads of free resources on my website. Go to wendymcallum.com, click through to the business coaching side of things, and you'll see in the nav bar a tab that says free resources.
loads and loads of stuff there, including that launch checklist that I was talking about earlier. All right, everybody. I hope that you found that inspiring. I like to keep it real here all the time, but I also like to address things head on and actually provide solutions, which I have done in this podcast. go forth, be flexible, adapt, and I'll see you next time on The Coaching Edge.
