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5 Ways to Stand Out and Attract the Clients You Desire Starting up as a coach requires courageously enacting the skills you will later advise others how to do.

By Safiyah Satterwhite Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Building a tribe and getting started as a coach is certainly no easy feat.

I have often heard that it is easier to go from six figures to $1 million in your business than to go from zero to your first $100,000. Starting up, as we all know, can be a challenge.

But don't worry, I am here for you. I know that sometimes you wonder what you have to do to get your voice out into the market (authentically and with integrity) to magnetically attract clients you can truly serve with love.

Here are five steps you can take in your business today, so that you build authority, remain authentic and lead with your heart, as you move towards changing lives as an amazing, heart-driven coach.

Related: The Secret to Becoming Exactly Who You Want to Be

Step 1: Be clear on who you are.

Invest in yourself to obtain the self-discovery support that you need to be able to fully live out what you do best. Continue to ask yourself what unique values do you bring to the work, how does your personal story relate to the clients that you want to help and how can you move closer to your true calling. People don't buy what you do they buy why you do it. Sharing yourself authentically and with purpose requires you to operate at a level of clarity that is much higher than your average business owner. People are putting their lives in your hands so they want to know...why you and what connects you to this work?

Step 2: Keep your voice clear and pure.

One of the first thing that new coaches do when trying to absorb as much as possible about the coaching field is to subscribe to everyone's email list and see what is happening "out there' -- this can be a mistake if not approached carefully. For starters, your inbox now becomes cluttered which can take away valuable time that can be spent creating and coaching -- and number two, you may unknowingly begin to sound like the other coaches in the field, which may take away from your clarity and your pure message. So don't be afraid to just unsubscribe -- you want your voice to be as authentic and true as possible.

Step 3: Establish yourself as a credible expert.

Allow your message to spread organically by leveraging reputable entities with a large following. As a new coach, guest blogging for large sites and being featured on popular podcasts can truly help you to compress your timeline for success. I have personally used this strategy to take my twitter following from zero to 800 with only three guest blog posts, submitted to Entrepreneur Magazine.

Related: 'Mentoring' and 'Leadership Coaching' Are Not the Same. Do You Know the Difference?

To get seen fast use this strategy:

  • Google 'write for us' and put in the topic that you desire to write about and see what comes up. For example: 'write for us lose 10 pounds' or 'write for us life coaching.'
  • More than likely you will find hundreds of sites with instructions on how to submit a guest post.
  • Once you are published, share the link with your community to establish authority and demonstrate leadership.

Step 4: Align your branding.

Your branding is an extension of your voice -- so as you review your website, your welcome packages and your social media pages, ask yourself if they truly represent the voice that you are putting out into the space. A brand has a certain feel, so one way to find yours is to make a list of the brands that inspire you. Very often you will find that the very characteristics that attract you are the same traits that are already held within you. (Shine your light into your own qualities a bit brighter!)

Step 5: Foster transformation in every encounter.

Have you ever gotten on the phone with someone and you notice that they are reading from a script instead of truly focusing on you and the results you hope to achieve from their work. It doesn't feel good. When you ensure that every person who interacts with you experiences something that they cannot get from anywhere else -- your clients and potential clients will begin talking about you!

Now this is not always easy; it takes time and practice. To help you, here are five questions that every coach should ask their clients and potential clients, so that you are always facilitating a deeper transformation.

  1. What are you committed to getting out of your time with me today?
  2. Why is this important to you?
  3. What has held you back from getting your desired results?
  4. What would you try if you knew you could not fail?
  5. What are you waiting for?

Really great, right?

Related: The One Thing Holding You Back From Your Dreams

Becoming a masterful coach and consultant will not be handed to you -- you have to take time to work at it, but just remember, this is a journey, not a destination. Remain in full acceptance that your voice and your skill is going to continue to change and grow as time progresses; become in-love with that. After all, this is what we foster in our clients, so let's be the client we want to have.

Safiyah Satterwhite

Performance Coach for Wellness & Social Entrepreneurs

Safiyah Satterwhite is a heart-driven success strategist and coach for female entrepreneurs, trained by Columbia University Business School and Teachers College. Throughout her career she has built a multi-million dollar organization and mentored hundreds of aspiring school and business founders. Satterwhite is founder of “Fearless & Free,” an online community designed to advance mission-driven entrepreneurial efforts.

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