Client Attractor: Recent Episodes
Jacob Ratliff
Welcome to Client Attractor with Jacob Ratliff! This show is for aspiring and established coaches and entrepreneurs who want to grow their small business AND make a massive impact on the world around them. In each episode, Jacob shares his biggest failures and successes and the lessons behind each of them. From mindset to marketing strategy to concrete tactics, Jacob shares his personal journey going from a struggling small business owner to six-figure Client Attraction Coach.
This week's episode features quantum relationship coaches Stephanie & Jennifer PageWise, who help members of the LGBTQ+ community build beautiful, healthy relationships with not only their loved ones, but theirselves as well.
In this episode we dive into what it's like building a business with your spouse, and how important it is to live into your core values at every level of your business and life.
Jennifer and Stephanie PageWise are Quantum Relationship Coaches who work with the LGBTQ+ community. They have identified the major components that go wrong in relationships and developed tools to help people learn the ways to have true intimacy and build rock-solid relationships.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Free Relationship Assessment & 30-Minute Coaching Session
- Enchanted Awakenings Facebook Group
- Enchanted Awakenings (Website)
Support the show
Join us for a conversation with Sumaya Owens, CEO and founder of Present Moment Media, where we talk all about how to scale your revenue with virtual communities. From Facebook Groups to MightyNetworks, we talk about the different forms virtual communities take. Then, Sumaya shares one of her biggest focuses that has driven the vast majority of her business growth: relationship-building.
Sumaya K. Owens is the CEO & founder of Present Moment Media, a digital marketing agency for changemakers. Sumaya is a queer unschooling parent, healing arts practitioner, social justice organizer, and holistic biz + marketing consultant. They are passionate about uplifting the voices of changemakers and visionaries.
She built her career from scratch, starting as a yoga and meditation teacher, then a corporate spa and retreat manager, now a thriving, wildly independent entrepreneur. After leaving her corporate management career four years ago, they packed their bags, traveled the world with their daughter, and started their own online biz supporting inspirational professionals across the globe. Sumaya is currently living in the mountains of Western North Carolina, traditional land of Cherokee peoples.
Connect with Sumaya:
- Present Moment Media
- Holistic Digital Marketing Strategies (Facebook Group)
- The Lounge
Support the show
Entrepreneurship is all about experimentation—it might take 100 flops before you find a golden nugget, but oftentimes that nugget makes it all worth it. Today's episode features entrepreneur Brandon Love for a conversation about curiosity, experimentation, and motivation, including:
- What drives curiosity and a willingness to experiment
- How to tell when you’ve struck gold
- How to know when to change directions in your marketing and biz approach
- How to keep going when it feels like you're experiencing failure after failure
Brandon Love is a creative East Coast native and queer entrepreneur. Founding his flagship business the Crumble Company in 2015 and making his millionth dollar by age 20, Brandon specializes in the development of CareBrands: companies associated with a movement or forward thinking strategy such as mental health awareness, racial equity, equality, and women's rights.
Founder of the Carepreneurs Facebook group and Love Labs Brand House, Love Labs works to invest in LGBTQIA+ & BIPOC owned businesses throughout the midwest. Brandon identifies as gender fluid, he/she/them.
Mentioned in this Episode
- Brandon Love
- Crumble Co
- Crumble Family (Facebook Group)
- Crumble Co on Instagram
- Love Labs Brand House
- Carepreneurs (Facebook Group)
Support the show
Today's episode features special guest Brian Falduto, who was made famous as "that gay kid" in School of Rock, and who has since re-emerged as an artist and certified life coach. Known as The Gay Life Coach, Brian joins us for a conversation to share the story of his journey into coaching and how his own inner journey has motivated him to help members of the queer community achieve massive transformations in their lives.
Take a listen as we talk about the relationship between art and coaching, self-doubt and impostor syndrome, and the age-old question of whether (and how) to niche down.
Since his role in School of Rock, Brian has shared his story far and wide, most notably his viral interview with Now This News (5+ million views) & his self-written piece in The Advocate (4+ million shares). Because of his work as an activist & storyteller within the LGBTQ+ community, PrideLife Magazine named Brian one of the "the 20 most influential, outspoken, & optimistic individuals on the planet."
Brian describes his music as “gay country.” His recent single, “God Loves Me Too,” went on to become a final nominee at the 2020 International Independent Music Video Awards & won the Fan Favorite category. In addition to garnering support from The Trevor Project, GLAAD, & several other LGBTQ-affirming organizations & advocates, the song was chosen as both the Loud & Proud feature on Apple Country's Proud Radio & also as the official theme song for Beloved Arise, a non-profit organization celebrating queer youth of faith.
Brian is also a certified Life Coach, primarily serving clientele within the queer community in the areas of Mental Health & Mindfulness. His malleable coaching approach is aimed at expanding client awareness in a way that will allow them the emotional competence & mindful capability to rejoin the flow of life when stuck. Brian hosts The Gay Life Coach Podcast (currently on hiatus) & is the creator of Brian’s Big Gay Book Club, an online community committed to inducing self-discovery by creating a fun, supportive, & welcoming space where gay men can be authentically visible with one another through meaningful connection & heartfelt conversation.
Connect with Brian
- Brian's Big Gay Book Club
- BrianFalduto.com
- Brian Falduto on Instagram
- The Gay Life Coach on Instagram
Support the show
Today's episode features special guest Jerry Hancock, a corporate business consultant and co-founder of AlexanderHancock Associates, a consulting firm that has worked with some of the nation's most powerful corporations including T. Rowe Price, Bank of America, Fidelity Investments, and Duke Energy.
On top of that, Jerry is my grandfather—and has been one of the most influential figures and mentors in my life in business.
In addition to his business consulting, Jerry has had an illustrious career—from radio and television broadcasting to advertising to founding a nonprofit (just to name a few). In this episode, we talk about some of the biggest lessons Jerry has learned throughout his entrepreneurial journey, including the importance of building trust, getting your name out there, and identifying problems that you can solve.
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Jerry Hancock
- AlexanderHancock Associates
- Men in Balance
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
After working for months on my business, I finally hit a massive milestone: I made $20k from my business for the first time ever. After I closed that last sale, I went straight to my bedroom and slept for 12 hours. And when I woke up, I had a frightening realization:
*If I served my new clients to the best of my ability, there was no way I'd be able to keep up the hustle that enabled me to bring in $20k in one month.
And if I kept up the hustle in the same way I had been, there was no way I'd be able to serve my new clients to the best of my ability.*
In this episode, I talk about how I managed to keep hitting my revenue goals while also giving my clients the high level of attention they deserved.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
"Business plan" is one of those terms that gets tossed around a lot, and if you're in the process of getting your business off the ground, it can be tempting to think that your next step is to create a business plan.
There's some truth to that, but what most people envision when they think of a business plan is a massive 100-page document that outlines every last detail of the business. That in-depth type of document is great if you're seeking startup funding or investing, but for most coaches...that's not the case.
In this episode, I talk through the simple one-page business plan that every coach needs, whether they're just getting their business started or are trying to refocus their existing business.
I talk through the key five questions every entrepreneur needs to ask when starting their business, including:
- What are you planning to offer?
- Who are you going to serve?
- How are you going to generate leads?
- How are you going to convert leads into clients?
- What do you need to do to execute these processes?
But not to worry—if you don't immediately have answers to one or more of these questions, all hope is not lost. Working through these five questions helps get you clarity not only on what you already know, but also on what you need to figure out.
So even if you can only answer one or two of these questions right now...it shows you exactly where you need to turn your attention so you can get answers to the remaining ones.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Download the Simple Business Plan PDF Template
* Client Attractor* Book (Get it for free)
+ Find it on Amazon
+ Find it at Barnes & Noble
* Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Regularly creating and publishing content is one of the biggest challenges for almost any entrepreneur...because when you don't know exactly what you're doing, by the time you've created and published one piece of content, it's time to turn around and do it all over again. And when you feel like you've struggled through creating that first piece of content...creating more content is the last thing you want to do.
Yeah, content creation can be scary and intimidating if you don't know exactly what you're doing. It might seem complex, but there are really only six components to effective marketing content:
- Technical skills
- Content topics
- Content structure
- Consistency
- Visibility
- Results
In this episode, I talk through the six major components of content creation, and how to nail each one so creating marketing content is easy and, believe it or not, fun.Mentioned in this Episode:
Client Attractor* Book (Get it for free)
+ Find it on Amazon
+ Find it at Barnes & Noble
* Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Today's episode features superstar virtual assistant and online business manager Ashley Torres, who's here to talk about how to build your virtual team, including:
- How to know when you need extra support
- The most common types of support
- The differences between an admin VA, tech VA, and online business manager
- How to decide between hiring an employee or a contractor
Ashley is an experienced Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager specializing in supporting neurodivergent (ADHD and autistic) service-based entrepreneurs to systemize their businesses, manage their teams, and give them back time to focus on growth.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Ashley Torres
- Connect with Ashley on Facebook
- Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you had to reach one million people in 30 days, what would you do? Never mind whether you think it's possible for you or not...how would you do it? There are a million ways to get in front of a million people...and in this episode I share a simple exercise on how to brainstorm 100 ways to achieve that goal.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Client Attractor* Book (Get it for free)
+ Find it on Amazon
+ Find it at Barnes & Noble
* Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I've suffered from anxiety and depression for most of my life. I had finally managed to really get my depression under control for the first time in my life...and then I started my business. Just like that, I felt like I was back where I started: struggling to get out of bed in the morning, not getting any work done, and spending my days with a deep sense of hopelessness.
Turns out, I'm not the only one. In fact, a 2015 study by Dr. Michael Freeman at University of California San Fransisco found that one in three entrepreneurs suffers from depression.
In this episode, I talk about how entrepreneurs can begin to tackle their own depression, including leveraging a combination of therapy, energy management, journaling and reflecting, and communicating with industry peers.
I am not, nor do I pretend to be, a medical professional. None of the tactics I share in this episode are intended to be substitutions for psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.Mentioned in this Episode:
Client Attractor* Book (Get it for free)
+ Find it on Amazon
+ Find it at Barnes & Noble
* Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Online entrepreneurship, specifically the online coaching space, is changing rapidly. In short, online entrepreneurs are collectively done with manipulative tactics and false promises. The online coaching space will look dramatically different a year from now, and the coaches who make it through are going to be the ones who have the drive and commitment to their cause and who actually deliver on their promises. In other words, the coaches who are helping their clients get results.
In this episode, I talk about the online coaching industry's current situation, how we got here, and what it means for the future of online entrepreneurship. (Spoiler alert: It's ultimately a good thing.)
Mentioned in this Episode:
Client Attractor* Book (Get it for free)
+ Find it on Amazon
+ Find it at Barnes & Noble
* Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Content creation is a key part of almost every entrepreneur's daily life—it's a central component of almost any lead generation strategy. But when you have to be publishing content every day or every week, it can be difficult to know what to write or talk about. Sometimes, the problem is that you have too many ideas and don't know where to begin. Other times, the problem is that you don't have any ideas (or at least not very many).
In this episode I talk about the simple process I use with my clients to help them identify over 100 content topics in one sitting while also getting clear on how those topics relate to each other to create a set of cohesive brand topics.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Today's episode features podcast strategist Raphie Wagner, here for a conversation about the different ways you can leverage private podcasts in your business: in your lead generation strategy, client onboarding process, and even communicating with your remote team.
Raphie Wagner (she/her) is taking the podcasting world by storm with her inspiring transition from occupational therapist to podcast strategist. She is an early adopter of various SaaS platforms, and when she's not deep in thought with the latest and greatest software platform, she's spending time with her husband and her six parrots. You can connect with Raphie on Instagram @raphieknowspods.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Raphie Wagner
- Connect with Raphie on LinkedIn
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
We know that as entrepreneurs, failure is inevitable—we will fail, make mistakes, and experience low points. And it'll happen over and over again. And the difference between successful entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurs who give up...is their ability to reflect, think, and adapt in the wake of failure.
In this episode, I talk about how I've handled failure in the past, and how I use failure as an opportunity to grow both as an entrepreneur and as a person.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
When it comes to generating leads and getting coaching clients, there are two primary types of lead generation and client attraction: inbound lead generation and outbound lead generation.
Each has its pros and cons, but the best client attraction process is the one that takes the best of each and leverages them both to get coaching clients.
Inbound vs. outbound lead generation. In this episode, I talk through the similarities and differences of the two main types of lead generation, and share tips for integrating them to implement an effective client attraction process.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Podcasting is an incredible tool for generating leads and getting coaching clients. Whether you have your own podcast, are planning to start one, or just want to be a guest on other people's podcasts, there are three main things to make sure you do to best leverage podcast episodes for lead generation.
In this episode, I talk about the three main tactics for effectively using podcasts to generate leads, including your call to action, the topics you talk about, and the people you interview (or who interview you).
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Whether using LinkedIn lead generation is brand new to you or you’ve been doing it for a while, it can be hard to get results if you’re not taking the right approach. In fact, there are three main areas that, when you get each of them dialed in, make for an effective lead generation strategy.
In this episode, I talk about the three main components of an effective LinkedIn lead generation strategy, including how to find your ideal clients on LinkedIn, how to craft messages that get responses, and how to make sure you’re building an effective LinkedIn funnel.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Today's episode features ethical business coach Heather Wylde Smith, who talks about her journey as an online entrepreneur and shares some key insight into what to look for when searching for a business coach.
In this episode, we talk about some of the most common trends in the business coaching space:
- Why you've not gotten the results you want even after investing in coaching and doing the work
- How to tell when your mindset is holding you back...and how to tell when your mindset isn't the culprit after all
- Why it usually makes sense to work 1:1 with a coach rather than signing up for a large group program
- Red flags to look for when considering working with a business coach
Heather Wylde Smith is an Ethical Sales Expert for ambitious purpose-driven coaches and healers who want to effectively sell their services, without feeling like they are selling their souls. She specializes in consultation-style sales that use genuine human connection and positive sales psychology to enroll the most qualified clients in a way that is respectful, caring, and ethical.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Heather Wylde Smith
- Online Entrepreneur's Survival Guide
- Find Heather on Facebook
- Find Heather on LinkedIn
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
In the past year, I’ve recorded over 100 podcast episodes, written a 250-page book, and have consistently posted content to my social media channels nearly every day. In the past 75 days alone, I’ve recorded 75 podcast episodes.
Creating content can be hard enough, and creating and publishing it consistently is even more difficult. In this episode, I talk about how I manage to create so much content all that time, including how to come up with content topics/ideas, how to repurpose and repackage content, and how to make sure you’re doing it consistently.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Spoiler Alert: The "Niche Police" don't exist! If you change your niche, no one is going to come after you asking why you changed your niche. Which means that you can change your niche!
BUT if you are considering changing your niche, whether it's getting more specific on your existing niche or changing to an entirely different one, there are some important considerations you'll want to keep in mind.
In this episode, I talk about the four main questions you need to ask yourself when shifting your niche, including what you're sacrificing with the change, what you're gaining, how your current niche relates to your existing one, and how the change affects your lead generation and client attraction process.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Scheduling a strategy session or discovery call is usually a moment of celebration, but it can also be an anxiety-inducing moment because all of the sudden it means that somewhere in the near future...you have to get on a sales call with a prospective client.
I used to be terrified of sales calls, to the point where I'd obsess about them in the days and hours leading up to the meeting, running through every possible worst case scenario in my mind, and turning it from a simple sales conversation into something much larger.
In this episode, I talk about how I tackled my anxiety around sales calls, including three key actions I take before every strategy session on my calendar: doing my homework, releasing physical tension in my body, and centering myself with a simple breathing exercises.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
The concept of the evolving offer is fairly simple––the practice of creating and selling an offer that you are always going to be improving, changing, and evolving. This is especially important when you’re just starting out with a new offer because it means that in order to sell your offer, all you need to do is identify the transformation you’re helping your clients achieve and the high-level steps you’re going to take them through to achieve it.
That means we’re not obsessing over the specifics like the number of 1:1 calls, number of group calls, or the clients-only Facebook Group. It’s important to have some understanding of that, but at the end of the day, those specifics are always going to be changing and evolving.
That high-level stuff, though? That’s pretty much going to stay the same. You’ll tweak it as you go, but it’s the delivery of the offer that’s always going to be evolving so that you can help your clients get the best results.
The reason we take this approach is that we want to do two things:
- Start getting clients quickly. We want to start getting people in the door, making sure that you have the tools to deliver the offer but knowing that the way you deliver the offer is going to change as you take on more clients and grow.
- Put the clients first. Your top priority is always the client––helping your client to get results. That means that for your first few clients, you’re probably going to be doing more 1:1 coaching than anything else.
The reason you’re likely going to start out with mostly 1:1 coaching is that it is an opportunity to get even clearer on what they need––and to give it to them. In theory you could create a ton of pre-recorded content. But what happens time and time again is that one of the following situations occurs:
- You pour time, energy, and money into creating that online training portal…and then don’t make a single sale because the offer or the messaging wasn’t tuned into what your ideal client needs at that point.
- You do bring on a new client, and then in the first weeks of working with them realize that all the content you created for them isn’t actually what they need. And you can’t just force that content down their gullet anyway because if it’s not what they need…it’s not going to help them get results (and may actually hinder their ability to get results).
These two situations can both be prevented by validating your offer first. What we mean by validating your offer is making a sale––taking a credit card number and getting a new client. You might think that the first thing you need to do is market research, but each strategy session you have, each prospective client you talk to, anyone you talk to who could be a prospective client––that’s your market research. You’re not just having those conversations to convert them to a new client; you’re having those conversations to continue to learn about your ideal client and hone in on your offer.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Integrative Productivity Coach Angela Kristen Taylor joins us for a conversation on sales aversion, where we dive into the reasons behind why we don't reach out to prospective clients to generate leads and attract clients.
In this episode, Angela dives into the top roadblocks stopping us from reaching out for leads, including what we believe about our offerings, ourselves, and about how people will receive us.
As an Integrative Productivity Coach, writer and speaker, Angela serves as a transformational catalyst to business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals. Angela’s signature method, Productive Flow, integrates emotion, energy, time and focus to help clients create natural productive flow and achieve higher levels of success in business and more importantly, in life.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Angela Kristen Taylor
- Book a Free Productivity Breakthrough Session
- Productive Flow Facebook Group
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Creating an effective lead magnet (also called a freebie) can be a great way to attract warm leads and get more coaching clients. Whether you've created lead magnets before or have no clue what a lead magnet is, the process of creating one that actually works looks exactly the same.
In this episode, I talk about the three steps to creating a lead magnet that gets more coaching clients:
- Choose a compelling (and specific) topic
- Choose a format that provides immense value
- Create a consumable and valuable lead magnet that offers the next step in your sales process
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You know that having testimonials from successful clients does wonders for creating social proof and showing that you can help your clients get results...but how do you get good testimonials in the first place?
In this episode, I share tactics for getting better testimonials so you can create social proof and share the amazing results you help your clients achieve, including how testimonials are different than reviews and how to ask the right questions to get testimonials that excite your ideal clients.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Whether you have one testimonial from a successful client or one thousand testimonials from successful clients, those testimonials aren't going to do much for you unless you actually use them.
In this episode, I talk about the four main ways you can and should leverage your testimonials to help you get more coaching clients:
- Getting and using testimonials on LinkedIn
- Turning testimonials into attractive social media posts
- Using testimonials on your website
- Incorporating testimonials into your marketing emails
Then, I offer three bonus tips for maximizing those testimonials, including creating case studies, sharing them with your warmest leads, and conducting video interviews with successful clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you're getting a good amount of traffic to your website every month but aren't generating leads from those website visitors, then it's important to make some key changes so you can convert 5-10% of your website traffic into new email subscribers.
In this episode, I talk about the three key things you can do to optimize your website for lead generation so you can attract the right leads and grow your email list at the same time:
- How to optimize your website's homepage for lead generation
- How to turn blog readers into email subscribers with in-line opt-ins
- How to get email opt-ins from website visitors who are leaving your website
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
In today's episode, we're joined by Zach Spuckler for a conversation on how coaches can use Facebook Lead Ads to generate leads and get more coaching clients. In this episode, we talk about why Lead Ads perform better than the more "traditional" approach of sending users to a landing page to opt in, and dive into the four most important considerations when it comes to creating and launching an effective Lead Ad:
- Targeting: Get your ads in front of your ideal clients
- Creative: Use effective graphics to increase conversion
- Copy: Write compelling ad copy to grab your audience's attention
- Followup Funnel: Get your new leads into your CRM and follow up to convert them to clients and generate revenue
Zach is the founder of Heart, Soul & Hustle and creator of The Not your Average Online Marketing Podcast. He's generated over 2.4 million dollars in online courses, consulting, agency & coaching sales since starting his business seven years ago. He's worked with six and seven figure businesses to multiple six-figure plus launches, automated funnels. He also coaches entrepreneurs inside his membership (Not Your Average Membership) to grow their leads, sales, and bottom line! You can learn more about him at HeartSoulHustle.com.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Zach Spuckler, Heart, Soul & Hustle
- Find Zach on Instagram: @heartsoulhustle
- Not Your Average Marketing Podcast
- Not Your Average Membership
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You've probably seen all sorts of marketing and sales gurus out there giving away or selling their "proven 7-figure sales script," where, if you follow this script word by word, you'll close new clients every single time. You may have even tried one of these scripts, and found it sorely lacking...maybe because it was full of high-pressure sales tactics, or perhaps because it just didn't sound like you.
There's a reason for that: Someone else's script is NOT going to work for you. Sure, it may have made them millions of dollars, but that doesn't mean that using it is going to get you the same results.
Rather than giving you another sales script that just isn't going to work for you, in this episode I share with you a structure for conducting effective strategy sessions or discovery calls...giving you a general outline that you can use to sell more effectively in a way that feels natural and authentic to you.
In Part III of this short series, I dive into the last three steps of an effective sales conversation: creating responsibility, highlighting the gap, and sharing your offer.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You've probably seen all sorts of marketing and sales gurus out there giving away or selling their "proven 7-figure sales script," where, if you follow this script word by word, you'll close new clients every single time. You may have even tried one of these scripts, and found it sorely lacking...maybe because it was full of high-pressure sales tactics, or perhaps because it just didn't sound like you.
There's a reason for that: Someone else's script is NOT going to work for you. Sure, it may have made them millions of dollars, but that doesn't mean that using it is going to get you the same results.
Rather than giving you another sales script that just isn't going to work for you, in this episode I share with you a structure for conducting effective strategy sessions or discovery calls...giving you a general outline that you can use to sell more effectively in a way that feels natural and authentic to you.
In Part II of this short series, I dive into steps 3-5 of an effective sales conversation: understanding their situation, unpacking their pain, and identifying their desires. In the following episode, we'll dive into the next steps so you can confidently conduct your sales conversations without tripping over someone else's sales script.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You've probably seen all sorts of marketing and sales gurus out there giving away or selling their "proven 7-figure sales script," where, if you follow this script word by word, you'll close new clients every single time. You may have even tried one of these scripts, and found it sorely lacking...maybe because it was full of high-pressure sales tactics, or perhaps because it just didn't sound like you.
There's a reason for that: Someone else's script is NOT going to work for you. Sure, it may have made them millions of dollars, but that doesn't mean that using it is going to get you the same results.
Rather than giving you another sales script that just isn't going to work for you, in this episode I share with you a structure for conducting effective strategy sessions or discovery calls...giving you a general outline that you can use to sell more effectively in a way that feels natural and authentic to you.
In Part I of this short series, I share the eight steps of an effective sales conversation, and then talk a little more deeply about the first two steps of a sales conversation. In the following episode, we'll dive into the next three steps so you can confidently conduct your sales conversations without tripping over someone else's sales script.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you've been posting to social regularly but haven't seen a lot of engagement—not getting a ton of likes and comments—there's a way to change that and actually generate engagement on your social posts.
In this episode, I talk about how to create more engagement on your social posts, including:
- How to change the type of posts your making
- How commenting on other posts gets you more comments
- What metrics to track so you can do more of what's working
- How to switch up the mode of the content you're posting
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
"Everyone is on social media, but not everyone is featured in the news," says marketing and PR genius Helen Ryan, who joins us on today's episode for a conversation on how coaches can leverage PR to boost their lead generation.
In this episode, guest Helen Ryan shares an effective strategy for coaches who want to get featured by news outlets, magazines, and blogs, but who don't quite know where to start:
- The benefits of an effective PR strategy: visibility, web traffic, and backlinks
- How to identify the best news outlets for your niche
- Which reporters it makes the most sense for you to connect with
- How to pitch a story that grabs a reporter's attention
- Which online tools and resources can help you along the way
Featured Guest: Helen Ryan
Helen M. Ryan helps small businesses and coaches boost their visibility. She runs a marketing and communications studio, is the author of three books, and hosts two podcasts.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Helen's LinkedIn
- Walking & Talking with Helen Ryan (podcast)
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I used to hate sales, but as I learned more about it and practiced it more, I found that it wasn't nearly as complicated and difficult as I made it out to be. In fact, I discovered seven principles for more effective sales:
- The strategy session is not solely about making a sale. It’s about helping your prospect better understand the problem at hand, so they can make an informed and empowered decision.
- Show up as an expert advisor who diagnoses the problem and provides a solution.
- Only pitch to people who want to be pitched to. Otherwise, you’re wasting your breath.
- Listen to your prospect and make them feel heard. They need to trust that you fully understand their unique situation.
- Stay on topic and don’t jump to giving advice. This is a conversation about solving the problem, not a conversation that solves the problem.
- You’re leading the conversation, not them.
- It’s okay if they turn out not to be a good fit. Point them in the right direction anyway.
In this episode, I talk through the last three principles, and what they really mean in the context of effective, ethical sales.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I used to hate sales, but as I learned more about it and practiced it more, I found that it wasn't nearly as complicated and difficult as I made it out to be. In fact, I discovered seven principles for more effective sales:
- The strategy session is not solely about making a sale. It’s about helping your prospect better understand the problem at hand, so they can make an informed and empowered decision.
- Show up as an expert advisor who diagnoses the problem and provides a solution.
- Only pitch to people who want to be pitched to. Otherwise, you’re wasting your breath.
- Listen to your prospect and make them feel heard. They need to trust that you fully understand their unique situation.
- Stay on topic and don’t jump to giving advice. This is a conversation about solving the problem, not a conversation that solves the problem.
- You’re leading the conversation, not them.
- It’s okay if they turn out not to be a good fit. Point them in the right direction anyway.
In this episode, I talk through the first four principles, and what they really mean in the context of effective, ethical sales.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you're using social media to get coaching clients, but can't seem to get a good number of likes and comments on your social posts, you're not alone. In fact, it's an all too common phenomenon: You spend a ton of time creating social content you're excited about, put it out into the world, and...crickets.
In this episode, I talk through the three big reasons why no one is liking and commenting on your social posts...and how to address each of them.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you find yourself saying "I hate sales," then this episode is for you. In this episode, I talk about the top reasons that coaches dislike (or even avoid) sales, and how they can find a way to sell that feels natural and authentic to them.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
There are a million different tactics you could be using to get new clients, but if you're not getting enough new clients, it can be hard to identify which tactics you need to focus on in the first place.
In this episode, I help you zoom out and look at your lead gen and client attraction process from a bird's eye perspective so you can identify the specific reason that's keeping you from getting more coaching clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Being out as a queer person has never been "easy" for me. While my story as a gay man has nowhere near the amount of heartbreak and rejection as so many other LGBT people, I have certainly experienced my fair share of rejection and shame as a result of being queer.
In this episode, I share a glimpse into my coming out story, and talk about three of the concrete ways that my experiences as a gay man have made me not only a better entrepreneur, but a better person overall.
Whether or not you're an LGBT entrepreneur, this episode will help you start to think through your relationship to rejection, connect with others more authentically, and start to build the resilience you need to be a successful entrepreneur.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
In the previous episode, I shared a bit about my journey with consistency, and the things that kept me from showing up every day to work on my business—specifically, my mindset, motivation, and mental health. Then, I shared the big revelation I had...that I could work on getting my head in the right place, but that I didn't have to force my business to wait around on me to get my crap together.
In this episode, I share five concrete changes I made in my business that helped me to continue getting coaching clients...whether or not I was able to show up physically or mentally for my business. And the best part? It's gotten me to the point where I do only what I love: working with clients and creating content.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Consistently showing up in your business is the difference between making and breaking your business...but what happens when you can't show up consistently? Maybe it's because of time, motivation, your mindset, health...
But whatever the reason, the question becomes, How can you show up consistently in your business even when you can't show up consistently in your business?
Seems fake, right?
In this episode, I talk about my own journey with consistency, how I worked on the issues that were keeping me from being consistent (in my case, motivation, mindset, and mental health), and, ultimately, how I worked on those issues without making my business wait for me to get my crap together.Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Networking—whether going to a networking event or just setting up a coffee chat with a new LinkedIn connection—can be such a great way to grow your business, get new clients, and create mutually beneficial relationships.
The problem, though, is that most of the networking that happens is a complete waste of time.
In this episode, I talk about how networking can waste your time and energy—ultimately resulting in hundreds of shallow connections that aren't going to go anywhere. More importantly, I talk about a new way to network...a more intentional way of networking that can help you connect with the right people, build the right relationships, and get the right referrals.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I had just gotten off a really intense and emotional coaching call with a client...and had three minutes to get ready for a sales call with a prospective client. I had three minutes to collect and ground myself before going into a meeting where the pressure was on to perform at my best.
In this episode, I talk about what I did in just three minutes to clear my emotionally charged energy and center myself to show up fully for my next meeting. I talk about how it impacted my results (spoiler alert: I got the client), and, more importantly, how you can use these same practices to make sure that you're showing up fully for your own coaching clients and prospects.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Three years ago, I made a new rule in my business that I've followed to this day: I do not do one-off sessions, especially with new clients.
The reason is simple: As a coach, my ultimate allegiance is to helping my clients create sustained results in their businesses. While I can help my clients make some amazing progress in just a couple of sessions, the truth is that it takes a more sustained coaching relationship to help my clients create lasting results.
In this episode, I talk about why I don't do one-off coaching sessions, and how that's enabled me to better serve my coaching clients.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
The realizations and moments of clarity your clients experience during their coaching sessions with you are so important...and what's even more important are the actions they take in light of those realizations and moments of clarity.
When your clients feel supported every step of the way—not just during your weekly coaching call—they get SO much better results and ultimately get SO much more value out of the coaching experience.
In this episode, I talk about one simple thing you can do to give your clients 10X more support while increasing client results and retention while also dramatically increasing the value of your coaching offer.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
As soon as I got my first few coaching clients, I jumped to getting all sorts of systems in place to best serve them. I did things like build an online learning site, create an online support helpdesk, and even tried to move straight into group coaching.
I did all of these things with an eye towards scalability...telling myself that getting all the infrastructure and systems in place would help me serve so many more clients more effectively. But at that point I only had 5 clients to serve...
Which meant that I wasted a ton of time building the infrastructure behind my coaching business when I really should have focused simply on showing up one-to-one for my clients.
In this episode, I talk about how keeping things simple helps you to better serve your clients...and how you don't have to worry at all about scaling when you're working with your first few clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Getting your first client is huge—it's a massive milestone in any coaching business. In this episode I share the story of how I got my first client...at a point in my life when I thought that starting my own business was still 5-10 years down the road.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
There are two traits inherent in every entrepreneur, no matter what your business type or niche:
- Motivation and Drive: The deep, burning desire to build something greater than yourself.
- Expertise: The knowledge required to do something. If you're a coach, this could be your coaching skills. If you're starting an Etsy shop, the skills you have to craft and create something.
These two things will get you started, but there are three types of mentorship and guidance every entrepreneur needs to grow their business:
- Encouraging Mentorship
- Business Mentorship
- Mindset Mentorship
In this episode I talk in depth about the three types of mentorship that every entrepreneur needs, including:
- What they each mean
- How they relate to each other
- Why they're important
- How to find the right mentorship
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
In the early days of my business, I was working hard every day, but I wasn't very productive. I would work 10-12 hours each day, but at the end of the day I looked back and couldn't really tell how anything I did that day drove my business forward.
These days, I'm in a place where I'm able to maximize my productivity every day...regardless of how many hours I worked.
In this episode, I talk about the three daily practices that have helped me increase my productivity and get more done every day.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Whether you've been using Facebook Groups to generate leads or not, you've probably noticed some trends that are happening right now:
- Facebook Groups are overrun with coaches and consultants "providing value" and promoting themselves...almost to the point where they're blindly spamming every group they can find.
- Engagement in Facebook Groups has tanked. Whereas a post 12 months ago could've gotten 300 likes and comments, the same post now gets zero engagement.
- Group Admins & Moderators are tightening up the group rules...and actually enforcing them too.
With all of these things going on, it can feel impossible to use Facebook Groups to get coaching clients.
In this episode, I talk about why Facebook Groups seem to have become less effective when it comes to generating leads, answer the question of whether Facebook Groups are dead (spoiler alert: they're not), and give you four concrete tactics you can do to level up your Facebook lead generation strategy to take advantage of how Facebook Groups are evolving.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- What's More Important than Building Authority? (Episode 6)
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
What does furniture polish have to do with attracting clients? More than you might think. In this episode, I talk about one of the biggest pitfalls that can happen to entrepreneurs of all experience and skill levels—falling into a rut and going through the motions.
You may think that as long as you do your daily revenue-generating tasks, that it's all good. The job is done, right? So you can sit back and relax.
In reality, your results don't just depend on what you do, but also on how you do it and the energy and focus you bring to your client attraction process. Join me for this episode as I share the four things you really need to consistently get coaching clients:
- Intention
- Context
- Confidence
- Consistency
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Your lead gen process—how you attract clients—is one of the most important functions in your business. When you have an effective lead gen process in place, you're perfectly positioned to consistently get coaching clients.
In this episode, I talk about why a lead gen process matters, including...
- How to avoid throwing tactics at the wall and seeing what works
- How a client attraction process is different from an effective client attraction process
- The four key things to keep in mind when implementing any new lead gen process
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
There are three steps to getting coaching clients:
- Finding your ideal clients
- Getting in front of them
- Connecting with them
- Determining if you can be of service to them
In this episode, I talk about how to find your ideal clients...because if you can't find them, you can't serve them. I spill the tea on the biggest myth out there when it comes to getting coaching clients, and how to actually get seen by your ideal clients. Then, I give you a specific framework for finding exactly where your ideal clients are hanging out online.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You may think that your #1 priority is to make $10,000 each month, but that’s not a priority—that’s your goal.
When we’re setting revenue goals for our business, it’s easy to say, “I want to make $10,000 next month.” It’s good to have that goal to work towards, but the problem with this type of goal is that it’s a lagging indicator—which means that by the time you know whether you’ve hit your goal or not, it’s too late to do anything about it. Because it’ll be the end of the month.
In the context of your client attraction process, the primary indicators that dictate whether you reach your goal (the lagging indicator) are how many conversations you have with prospective clients (i.e., strategy sessions), and how many of those conversations turn into sales (i.e., your close rate). That means that to make $10,000 next month, you’re going to reverse engineer the numbers so that you know exactly how many strategy sessions you need to conduct and how many of those you need to close in order to reach your sales goal.
Say your offer is $3,000, and you want to hit $10,000 next month. That means you need to make four sales at $3,000, which comes out to $12,000 ($2,000 over your goal, since $10,000 is not easily divisible by $3,000).
Four sales at $3,000 means four new clients. That’s pretty basic math, but let’s take it a level deeper, so we can identify exactly how many strategy sessions you need to have next month to reach that target.
Let’s say you close 20% of the strategy sessions you conduct—not a great close rate, but not awful, either. That means that for every five strategy sessions you conduct, one of those becomes a client.
And if you need to make four sales at a 20% close rate, that means you need to conduct 20 strategy sessions over the course of next month. Given that there are roughly twenty workdays in a month, that evens out to one strategy session per day.
So, if you intend to make $12,000 next month, need to get started now on booking those calls so that when it rolls around, you already have calls lined up.
If you approach your client attraction game from that angle— focusing on the number of strategy sessions booked and the rate you close them—rather than fixating on the number of sales you need to make, that target goal of $10,000 becomes infinitely more achievable because you have a clear path to get there. You know exactly what you need to do to make that happen, which means that you’re not sitting around hoping to get more clients. You’re actively going out and getting them.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Chances are that you've been told over and over again that you need a "Marketing Strategy"...but what is a marketing strategy in the first place??
In this episode, I talk about what a marketing strategy is, and, more importantly, what it's not. I help you avoid the biggest pitfalls when it comes to planning your client attraction process. Plus, I'll help you make sure you're backing your strategy up with concrete tactics that will help you generate leads and get more coaching clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
There are a lot of people out there with opinions about what you need to do to get clients, and it can get overwhelming quickly. The truth is that there are only three things you need to start your coaching program: clarity on your ideal client, offer, and an avenue to connect with those ideal clients.
In this episode I talk about what you don't need to start a coaching business—a website, business cards, yard signs—and what you do need to start a coaching business.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you’ve tried creating content to market your business...and seen NO results...then you’re not alone.
In fact, MOST content marketing fails dramatically, and in this episode I’m going to show you the #1 mistake that leads to content marketing catastrophe...and how to FIX it 🛠
There’s nothing more obnoxious than pouring tons of time and money into creating content only to see nothing come from it:
- No new web traffic
- No new leads
- No new clients
...just a lot of wasted time.
This is the #` complaint I hear from coaches when it comes to marketing, and it usually sounds like this:
“I’ve tried content marketing but it didn’t work for me.”
So I take a look at their content––whether it’s blog articles, videos, or even podcast episodes––and the reason is always the same…
It’s all CONTENT, but no MARKETING
The content is great––it provides value to their ideal clients, but it’s missing one key thing: WHAT TO DO NEXT.
Your blog post can provide all the value in the world, but when you provide the value and just leave it at that...it’s all content but no marketing.But it’s actually really simple. In fact, it’s not complicated at all.
There are just three steps:
- Create valuable content. Add REAL value for your ideal customers. Above all––help them.
- Add the LOGICAL NEXT STEP––the action that you want your audience to take. It could be a click to another page or an email opt-in, but always make sure you’re putting the next step right in front of them.
- Drive traffic to your content. People have to consume your content, so get your content in front of your ideal clients.
When you follow these three steps, you:
- Build trust with your audience by providing useful content
- Establish yourself as an authority in your niche
- Generate more prospective customers
...And last but not least…
MAKE SALES
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Until recently, my nightly routine always looked the same:
- Scroll through Facebook on my phone
- Lie in bed with my eyes wide open
- Scroll through Facebook a little bit more
- Fall asleep
And then when my alarm went off in the morning, I would hit snooze as many times as I possibly could. I’d finally drag myself out of bed and into the shower.
By the time I sat down at my desk, I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. I just wanted to GO BACK TO BED.
So I tried something different. I began plugging my phone in on the other side of the bedroom, picking up a book, and reading until 11pm, when I would turn off the lights.
Suddenly, the mornings went from being the bane of my existence to my FAVORITE part of the day. Instead of dragging myself out of bed at 8am, I was suddenly waking up at 6:30am and sitting down ready to begin the day by 7.
Talk about a 180.
When I began noticing this change, it made me realize how this type of problem is SO common for entrepreneurs:
PAYING ATTENTION TO THE LAGGING MEASURES RATHER THAN THE LEADING MEASURES.
There are two types of measures for how your business is performing: leading and lagging indicators.
- Leading Indicators: The things that you have DIRECT control over. For example, the daily actions you take to drive traffic and generate leads.
- Lagging Indicators: The things that you don’t have direct control over. For example, the number of sales conversations you have or amount of revenue you bring in.
The LEADING indicators directly impact the LAGGING indicators.
At the end of the day, you don’t have direct control over how much money you make. But you DO have direct control over the actions you need to take in order to influence that revenue.
For example, you want to make $20k every month. If you spend your time worrying about the $$, then you won’t know whether you’ve reached that goal until it’s too late to do anything about it.
BUT...
You know that in order to make $20k each month, you need to take xyz actions every day. And if you take those actions consistently, you’ll get to the $20k mark.
It’s the exact same as my nightly routine dilemma:
- How I felt in the morning was a lagging indicator. By the time I was feeling like a drowned rat, it was too late to go back and do anything about it. I could only change what I did going forward.
- What I did at night before I went to sleep was a leading indicator. If I took certain actions like reading instead of scrolling through Facebook, it would impact how I felt the following morning.
When you pay focus on the LEADING indicators in your business, several things happen:
- You know EXACTLY what you need to do to get more clients
- You’re motivated to actually do it consistently
You’re better able to predict how doing (or not doing) certain things has a DIRECT impact on the things you actually care about (like the $$)
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you're a health coach, relationship coach, or life coach, you might think that "return on investment" is best left to business coaches and marketers. But if you identify the ROI on your coaching offer, it becomes a superpower that helps you confidently articulate the value of your coaching.
In this episode, I talk about the different types of return on investment that coaching can have, and how to build it into your content, messaging, and conversations with prospective clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Are you constantly worrying that your messaging is "off?" If so, what do you mean by that? There seems to be a million different definitions of "messaging," and it's one of those words that so many entrepreneurs (including seasoned business coaches) throw around without having a clear understanding of what they mean by that.
In this episode, I answer the question, What messaging, anyway?, including...
- What messaging is in the first place
- The difference between your messaging and your content
- How your messaging relates to your content (and vice versa)
- How to start honing in on your messaging
- How to use your messaging to start brainstorming content topics for social media posts, blog articles, emails, videos, and podcast episodes
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You've probably heard plenty of advice about how important it is to choose a niche, but you've probably heard less about how to choose your niche in the first place.
You know you need to choose a niche, but how do you even begin to narrow down the possibilities? In this episode I talk about how to choose your niche, including...
- Where to look for niche ideas to get the ball rolling
- How your career and life experience can point you to the right niche
- How to choose a niche that's specific, but not limiting
Mentioned in this Episode:
- What is a Niche? (Episode 23)
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If you haven't ever had a client from hell before, you probably want to do everything in your power to keep it that way. And if you have worked with a client from hell before, you'd probably like to avoid that experience moving forward.
In this episode, I talk about three key ways to identify clients from hell before it's too late, including...
- The different reasons that make someone a nightmare client
- Whose responsibility it is to make sure a prospect is a good fit (spoiler alert: it's yours)
- What happens when you work only with your ideal clients and dream clients
- How to spot a nightmare client from a mile away
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Entrepreneurship often comes with plenty of overwhelm, and when you're a solopreneur, that overwhelm can seem even more intense. You know you need to outsource something so you can focus on doing what you love—work with clients—but the question is what it makes the most sense to outsource. Should you bring on a virtual assistant to help with admin and operational tasks? Or do you need more of a marketing and sales person to help with those direct revenue-generating activities?
In this episode, I talk about how to choose what pieces of your biz to outsource first, including...
- The two main types of tasks it makes sense for a solopreneur to outsource
- How to identify whether you need admin support or sales and marketing support
- How to figure out what you really need based on your situation
- How to hire for the core problem you're facing...not another problem that's two or three levels removed
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Facebook Groups are hot right now, and almost every marketing guru out there is incorporating Facebook Groups into the strategies and tactics they're teaching their clients.
But the problem is that when it comes to lead gen with Facebook Groups, so many people are going about it in the entirely wrong way—either because they haven't been taught properly or just don't know better.
In this episode I talk about the biggest mistakes people make with Facebook Group lead gen, including...
- What kinds of posts get the best engagement (hint: it's not your value posts or sales posts)
- How not to come across as a self-righteous know-it-all
- How to connect with ideal clients without spamming them
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Most coaches these days are using either Facebook or LinkedIn as their primary social media platform. Sure, Instagram and TikTok get thrown in there, too, but Facebook and LinkedIn are by far the most popular social platforms for lead generation and client attraction.
In today's episode, I talk about how lead generation on LinkedIn is different from lead generation on Facebook, including...
- The fundamental differences between LinkedIn and Facebook
- Why you've been able to generate leads from one but not the other
- How engagement on LinkedIn is nothing like engagement on Facebook
- Why your most popular Facebook posts don't seem to get any traction on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Almost every day I talk with coaches who resist the idea of choosing a niche, or "niching down," worried that it'll limit them and that it'll ultimately keep them from getting more coaching clients. This resistance is often because there are SO many conflicting definitions about what a niche is, which leads to beliefs like...
- If I niche down, I have to turn away prospective clients because they don't fit perfectly in my niche.
- I can help almost anyone, so I don't need to niche down.
- If I choose a niche, I'm stuck with it forever. Choosing a niche is a lifelong commitment.
- People are going to think they're not part of my niche, and that's going to stop them from reaching out.
Fortunately, none of these beliefs are true, and in this episode, I talk about...
- What a niche is (and what it's not)
- The most common misconceptions about niching down
- How choosing a niche expands your reach, not limits it
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
In the process of getting coaching clients, your warmest leads are one of your most valuable assets—the prospective clients who are most likely to convert into paying clients. But oftentimes we neglect our warmest prospects...largely because we don't know how to reach back out and convert them.
In this episode I talk about how to reach back out to your warmest prospects—people who've already told you "no"—and address the objection that was holding them back from moving forward. This completely ethical, 100% non-manipulative tactic helps you give your clients exactly what they need without resorting to high-pressure sales tactics. And the best part? It works no matter what niche you're in—whether you're a life coach, business coach, executive coach, or health coach.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Once you're consistently booking calls with future clients, you'll notice that you're spending a lot of time talking with prospects who aren't a great fit. And if your goal is to get more coaching clients and to serve those clients to the best of your ability, you can't exactly spend hours each week talking to prospects who aren't going to end up working with you anyway.
In this episode, I talk about the simple tool I incorporated into my sales process that helped me close more coaching clients while reducing the number of prospects I met with.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
One of the biggest holes I see every day in coaches' lead gen strategies is that they're having a lot of great conversations with prospective coaching clients...but not managing to get them on a discovery call or strategy session.
In this episode, I show you the #1 strategy for filling your calendar every week with qualified prospects...all in 60 minutes or less.
I talk about...
- How to book qualified coaching clients with the Power Hour Strategy
- Who this strategy works (and doesn't work) for
- How to leverage the relationship you've already built with your future clients
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
When you're in a personality-intense business like coaching or consulting, your Facebook Profile is one of your biggest assets. A well-optimized Facebook Profile helps you connect with ideal clients, start conversations, and show up with authority. The problem is that most coaches using Facebook to attract clients and generate leads haven't optimized their profile to maximize results.
In this episode, I talk about how to set up your Facebook Profile for business, so you can maximize results and leverage it for lead generation.
Here's some of what I answer in this episode:
- Why use a Facebook Profile instead of a proper Business Page
- Which old posts and photos to delete...and which to keep
- How to make sense of which features to use, and which to ignore (Facebook Stories, live videos, pinned posts, reels, etc.)
- The most common mistake that pretty much shoots yourself in the foot
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Today I continue the conversation from yesterday's show...talking through the #1 mistake that new entrepreneurs make, and how to meet your ideal clients where they are instead of sitting back and hoping they'll show up.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
There's one mistake I see new entrepreneurs making over and over again. It's nothing to do with their skill level...nothing to do with their ability to cut it as an entrepreneur...but it's everything to do with what tasks and tactics they focus on. In this episode I show you where most entrepreneurs are mistakenly spending their time, energy, and money, and where they should be spending it instead.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
A couple of weeks ago, I made spontaneously decided to go get piercings with one of my best friends...despite the fact that it probably wasn't the best decision. Here's what that experience taught me about how I approach my business...and my life.
TW: Mentions of blood
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
In yesterday's episode I shared my favorite software and apps that help my business run smoothly. But those don't come cheap. So in today's episode, I talk about the best free and inexpensive software and apps out there that will help you run your business more effectively. (And, spoiler alert: I talk about why software and apps aren't really that important, anyway).
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Squarespace
- ActiveCampaign
- Calendly
- Buffer
- eSign
- LinkedHelper
- BuzzSprout: Get a $20 Amazon gift card when you use this link to sign up! (Affiliate Link)
- Otter.ai: Get a free month! (Affiliate Link)
- Google Workspace
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Every entrepreneur has their tech stack: the software and apps they rely on every day to help them run their business. In this episode, I go behind the scenes and share the exact software and tools I use to power my coaching business.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Kajabi
- Calendly
- Buffer
- Vimeo
- Monday.com
- Dripify
- Sales Navigator
- BuzzSprout: Get a $20 Amazon gift card when you use this link to sign up! (Affiliate Link)
- Otter.ai: Get a free month! (Affiliate Link)
- Google Workspace
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
...Or at least hurt your business. Sometimes, "fixing" your business isn't about changing your mindset or holding yourself accountable. Sometimes you just don't know the things you need to: the marketing strategies and tactics to attract the perfect clients. And sometimes you just don't know what you don't know.
Mentioned in This Episode
- Client Attractor Book (Get it for free)
- Find it on Amazon
- Find it at Barnes & Noble
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Today's episode is all about accountability, accountability, accountability—how to find an accountability structure that works for you, and how to get started taking consistent action.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Growing your biz is exhausting enough, but when you add in a global pandemic, you've got a perfect recipe for burnout. In this episode I talk about how I cured my own burnout...and discovered that the answer wasn't just to "power through."
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
People are consistently impressed by my high output and performance...but I've certainly gone through periods of intense paralysis and inaction. In this episode I talk about the excuses we tell ourselves, and how to dig deeper to identify the real issue at hand.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Heather Wylde Smith, Ethical Biz Coach
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I always thought that I had no business starting my own podcast, when I don't even listen to podcasts myself. But when I made this simple discovery about how to communicate with my ideal clients, I got myself in gear and launched the Client Attractor Show. In this episode I talk about what that shift was and what it means for your business.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I avoided creating a "signature offer" or "coaching program" for a long time because I believed that it would come at the expense of being able to give my clients the high level of personalization they needed. This simple shift helped me get more clients and improve client results...while still giving them the personal attention and customization they needed.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
You're working day in and day out, doing all the things you've been told you need to do to build your business, but nothing seems to be working. I've been there, and it normally comes down to this simple thing that's so foundational but often overlooked.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
Everyone is always saying you need to build your authority, and then the clients will come crawling to you. Except that's not true, and oftentimes during the process of attracting clients, we focus on building authority at the expense of something just as important...intimacy.
In this episode I talk about how to connect and build relationships with your ideal clients...so they actually end up working with you.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
If your social posts don't seem to be doing anything for you—getting engagement, booking calls, making sales—then it might be because you're missing this one aspect that makes your social content just work.
In this episode I talk about what I did when I noticed my social posts weren't getting any traction...and what I did to turn my Facebook posts into a client-getting machine.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
For a long time I was losing so many prospective clients...simply because they weren't quite ready to work with me. Sure, I'd follow up with them now and again to check in and see how they were doing...but it always felt so stilted and unnatural.
In this episode, I talk about the simple discovery that made nurturing ideal clients SO easy, and helped me create my own dream clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
LinkedIn tends to get a bad rap these days because of all the marketers out there spamming their prospects with cold pitches. But what if there were a way to start conversations using LinkedIn automation...without coming across as spammy and robotic?
In this episode I talk about the big perspective shift I made that helped me create better, more authentic connections...that made LinkedIn my biggest source of new clients.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
For years I thought that following a morning routine would change my life...but every time I tried to follow through with it, I fell off the bandwagon after only one day (sometimes not even that). Then, I discovered the simple reason why most morning routines fail...and how to start a morning routine that you'll love.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
- Julia Cameron's Morning Pages
- Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)
I was doing everything all the big-name marketing gurus were telling me to—blogging, creating lead magnets, landing pages, email sequences, and Facebook Ads. But for some reason, nothing was bringing in new clients.
In this episode I talk about the two phone calls that changed my life—one with my dad and one with my business coach. These two phone calls gave me the epiphany I needed...which led to the decision to forget everything I was already doing—the ads, the funnels, the lead magnets, the blog—and focus on only one thing: finding and building relationships with my ideal clients.
As soon as I embraced this, the next month was my first $20k month. The following month I made $10k in the first four days of the month. And in this episode I break down exactly how I went from a struggling entrepreneur to six-figure Client Attraction Coach.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Client AttractorBook
- Jacob Ratliff Coaching & Consulting
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jacobratliff)