How to find coaching clients: 3 lessons from magicians
Description: Discover three crucial steps to attract clients and grow your business: authentic conversations, problem identification, and tailored solutions. Improve your communication and active listening skills to build meaningful relationships with prospects. Ideal for entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, and small business owners seeking business expansion strategies.
Do you ever wonder why you're not booking enough speeches, workshops, or coaching clients?
You might be expecting a magic answer to make people come to you. But the truth is, it doesn't work like that.
In the first year of my TEDx talk going viral, I only booked something like four speaking gigs, despite receiving millions of views. Yeah, it's way less than people think.
So, how did I transform speaking into a consistent business, and later coaching and consulting?
Here are three simple steps that I learned back when I was a full-time magician, and have since applied to build a speaking career, a speaker coaching business, a messaging consultancy, and my clients have used in diverse industries.
1. Talk to people (who might have the problem you solve)
Most aspiring speakers, coaches, and small business owners don't talk to enough people consistently.
"But I post constantly on social media!"
Posting on social media is not the same as having real conversations. You need to engage with others in person, at networking events, coffee shops, libraries, online community groups, in DMs, voice memos, and on discovery calls.
And when the same person likes a few of your social media posts? Send them a direct message. Start a real conversation. If you connect, invite them to discovery call or video chat. When you meet someone at a networking event that you connect with, schedule a follow-up call, coffee, or lunch.
Example: Finding magic gigs
As a young professional magician I struggled to get leads.
I posted on Facebook but nobody commented. I had a website but there was no traffic. Where do you find people who might need to hire a magician?
I found the answer in two places: 1) Teaching magic lessons, and 2) performing in restaurants.
Teaching magic lessons out of the local popular performing arts studio gave me access to parents who were local business leaders. They have company picnics or holiday parties that need entertainment. Plus, they already trust me, because I teach their kid magic!
Performing in restaurants was a goldmine. I maintained a weekly engagement at 3 local restaurants for many years, even well after I became a high paid corporate and college entertainer.
Why?
Because I can perform at 80 tables per night, which means meeting and conversing with 80 families per night. They might be local business leaders, or having a family backyard party, sweet 16, bar/bat mitzvah, anniversary, or other milestone celebration.
That means every single week for nearly 5 years I met and had a conversation with 200-300 people/families, so my likelihood of finding people who might need a magician went through the roof.
How many people?
When you're first starting out, you're going to need more volume to find leads because you don't have enough referrals or SEO (search engine optimization) to pull people in when you're not "in the room." This stage is temporary. The more successful you become, the less volume you need to maintain.
Depending on your industry and pricing structure, that may mean you should be starting conversations with 100 people per day, or 10 people per day.
Even though my these days my pipeline is flooded with a long waiting list, largely from referrals and SEO, I still maintain genuine conversations with 20-30 prospects every single week. These are spread out between DM chats, voice memos, emails, discovery calls, and IRL lunch/coffee meet-ups.
That means any given week there are at least a few people I'm talking to who actually have the problem I solve. Which brings us to the next point.
2. Identify the problem (that they actually have)
Many people don't know the exact problem they have.
They might be frustrated with something but can't pinpoint the issue. Until people realize they have a problem, AND they realize that you solve that problem, they're not even thinking about buying.
People buy specific problems to specific solutions. Things like "discover your inner goddess" are not solutions to a problem anyone actually has.
Example: Magician, anyone?
Likewise as a magician, I learned that "an expert at card tricks at your holiday party" is not a solution to a problem most people have.
People don't have magician problems.
Corporate event planners have attendee engagement problems. Restaurants have long wait times during busy nights problems. Moms of young kids have "how do I look like an amazing host to all my kids's friends' moms" problems.
Those are the kinds of problems I needed to get my prospects to talk about, in order to realize why they need to hire me to work their event.
Un-sales techniques
Your prospects need to discover and articulate the problem they have, that you can solve. How do you do it?
Once you're talking to someone (see Step 1), use reflective listening techniques and open-ended questions to help them identify their problem.
Reflective listening means paraphrasing what someone has just said, in your words, but from their perspective. It's very simple, although it is not easy. I've taught this technique to thousands of people and hundreds of organizations on 5 continents. You can learn my favorite methodology by downloading this free resource: How to Use Your E.A.R.S.
If you get stuck in a conversation and they haven't actually articulated their problem yet, you can ask open-ended questions like, "Tell me more about that," or the AWE question, "And what else?"
The key to moving someone from a conversation to buyer-mode is that the more they talk (and the less you do), the more they feel heard, and the more likely they are to buy your solution.
But what happens once they've identified their problem and you've recognized it?
3. Tell them about your solution (and invite them to buy)
Once someone realizes they have the problem you solve, stop talking.
Your instinct at this point is double-down on the conversation and keep "connecting" with them. But once they realize they have a problem and can clearly articulate it, their brain goes into "problem-solving mode". And therefore the thing that will actually connect with them in that moment is a solution.
So when they clearly state their problem, immediately tell them about your product or service that solves that problem. And here's the key: focus on the aspect of your solution that directly solves their problem, without overwhelming them with irrelevant details.
They don't need to know everything you do or every possible detail about your program or service. That's just going to confuse them by introducing new ideas to consider.
The Bowling Ball analogy
Donald Miller calls these "bowling balls"
Every new idea you tell someone is like handing them a bowling ball. One is fine. Two and they get unsteady. Three and they can't listen to you anymore because they're too focused on holding all three bowling balls, and by the fourth they all drop.
Hand them one bowling ball (and only one) if you actually want them to listen.
Example: Wedding magic
For a while I performed magic at a lot of weddings.
My initial attempt to break into the wedding market were a failure. Why? Brides don't have a magician problem. Then I realized a problem they do have: getting two sides of the family to meet and connect during cocktail hour.
For many couples, cocktail hour is the first time their families will get to meet and mingle. Except, it's awkward. There's a cellist in the corner, cheese and crackers on a platter, and the wedding party is off taking photos.
Who is there to facilitate conversations between two sides of the family?
As soon as the couple discovered and admitted this concern out loud, I'd tell them, "I specialize in creating meaningful experiences between guests, bringing both sides of the family together, through interactive magic and family-friendly humor. You can enjoy the bridal party photoshoot knowing that your families are making deep connections while having a blast."
And tada, clients! Well, almost...
Invite them to buy
Okay, so your prospect realizes they have a problem and you've told them about your solution to that problem (and only that problem).
Now, you need to invite them to buy.
It may sound obvious, but many people don't take this step. Prospects rarely outright ask to purchase your solution. Instead, they might say things like, "This sounds great," or "Send me some information, and I'll get back to you."
That's your cue to invite them to take the next step, which is buying your service. It doesn't need to be aggressive or even sound like a sales pitch. It can be as gentle as, "Does that sound like something you'd like to do?" Or, "If this feels like a good fit, I can send over the contract and deposit today."
But, and this is important, people do not buy products that are not for sale. At this stage you already know they have the problem you solve. Now invite them to buy.
How quickly can you move through these steps?
You don't need a deep, long-standing relationship to make a sale.
As a magician I often made the sale on the very first point of contact. Today as a speaker and consultant I often make the sale on the first point of contact, or the first follow-up to that conversation.
If they genuinely have the problem you solve, and understand that your service solves that problem, you can invite them to buy, even during the first conversation. We all want to buy solutions to our problems. Give them the opportunity to buy yours.
Remember, if you're struggling to attract more clients or grow your business, it's time to go back to basics. Talk to more people, identify their problems, and present your solution. Then invite them to buy.
It’s not magic. It’s clarity.
