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Deep Dive Dialogues with Dan Woerheide
Deep Dive Dialogues is a podcast that goes beyond small talk, offering insightful conversations for coaches, entrepreneurs, and anyone passionate about personal growth and building an online business. Hosted by Dan Woerheide, each episode explores real challenges in the coaching industry and the deeper values that drive meaningful change. Join us for authentic discussions and practical advice to elevate your coaching journey and business.
Deep Dive Dialogues with Dan Woerheide
Stop Waiting, Start Coaching: Get Your First 5 Clients NOW
When I first started out as a coach, I thought I needed the perfect website, a professional logo, and a big audience before I could get clients. Turns out, none of that actually mattered. What did? Conversations. In this episode, I’m breaking down the biggest myths about finding clients and giving you a simple, actionable strategy—the 5-5-5 Method—to land your first (or next) five paying clients. No gimmicks, no complicated funnels, just real connections that lead to real results. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to start growing your business, this is it. Let’s dive in!
Welcome back to Deep Dive Dialogues. I'm your host, dan Warheide, and I am, as always, excited to share with you today and, to be quite frank, I realize that you may not realize, but I'm sort of a day behind this week. I'm recording this on Tuesday evening. I normally publish this on Tuesday morning, but I do still hope to get it published shortly. Life's just been lifing and my schedule has shifted recently, so I'm still in the process of creating new routines in a new place and on a newish sort of schedule. So I'm just excited to be here with you. I hope that you're excited for today's episode. Before we jump into our content for today, I want to invite you to reach out and send me your feedback or leave a review. Wherever you listen to podcasts, to leave me feedback or ask a question. You can visit podcastdanwus and leave me a voicemail there, which is a really cool feature. Or if you look in your podcast player and you go back to the full show, not just this episode, you can simply click send Dan a message and you can send me a text with your feedback or comments or even your questions. I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1:All right, let's get started today by talking first a little bit about masterminds, if you may have already heard me share, but I am also excited to share that I'm launching a new mastermind and I want to invite you. I'll get into more about what that looks like in a moment, but first let's kick it off by clearing up some common misconceptions. The word mastermind, I think, has been a little convoluted over the last we'll just call it few years. With all the different programs and offers that are out there, there are a lot of people calling a mastermind where I believe it should not be called a mastermind. So let's talk about what a mastermind is not.
Speaker 1:A mastermind is not group coaching, where one person teaches or leads others through any sort of material. It's also not a structured training program with a fixed curriculum. Those are two of the big things that I see people referring to as masterminds when, however, they are probably more aptly named group coaching programs or a training program. Instead, I believe that a mastermind is more like a synergy of minds, if you will. It's a place where peers come together in full support of each other's goals and each other's growth. Everyone has the opportunity to contribute equally, offer fresh perspectives and hold each other accountable. It's a collective think tank, so to speak. So, going back to the definitions, as created by Napoleon Hill, it's really more like more than one person coming together, so two people coming together and sharing a mind, which creates a third mind, in essence, because you and I, sitting together in a room thinking about a problem, can come up with much more than I, sitting in a room alone, can come up with on my own. That's the concept behind a mastermind, and when you get, you know, a handful of people who are committed to that kind of growth together in the same room, imagine then the power of what can be shared in that room. So I already said I'm excited to be launching this new mastermind and I'd love to invite you to apply.
Speaker 1:Before I share how to do that, here's a brief overview of what that's going to look like. I share how to do that. Here's a brief overview of what that's going to look like. We're going to meet once per week for 90 minutes with a small group of our peers, as I mentioned, to brainstorm, to talk through challenges and probably so much more. The group will be no bigger than 10 to 12 people so that we can ensure everyone has equal opportunity to get that direct support and feedback from the group, but also to ensure you're able to contribute just as much as you're able to receive and as an added bonus. What I've found through my own experiences is that these small groups really enable stronger relationships to be formed. It's absolutely not uncommon for many people to make lifelong friends in groups like this, even if you choose to move on from the mastermind at some point. But each week we're going to have at least one hot seat opportunity, which will rotate among each member throughout the weeks. Again, so that each of you each of us and me included has equal opportunity to contribute as much as we are able to receive.
Speaker 1:I am looking for people who are willing to make a 12-month commitment. Again, this is sort of relationship focused. It's not just a place for you to stop in for a moment, grab what you need and run. The second part of that commitment is that you'll also make it a priority to be present for each and every meeting. Barring the exceptions like medical or family emergencies and such. The idea here is really that you're going to prioritize this mastermind meeting with your peers above all the other things that could potentially come up. We all know how that happens and we may tend to put off a group training or a group hangout or some other event. What we're really looking for here is the level of commitment that this becomes one of your top priorities for your business and for your growth. Again, that allows for each and every member in the group to gain a level of trust, a level of confidence and overall increase the value of what each and every other member is taking away from the group and all of the things that come from that.
Speaker 1:I would love it if you're a full-time self-employed, or at least working towards achieving that, sometime in the next eight to 12 months as your goal, and if any of this sounds like something that may be a good fit for you, I want to encourage you to send me an email, dan, at danwus, with simply the word mastermind in the subject line. I'll reply with a short application for you to complete and then we'll schedule a time to review your application and any questions you may have together. So now that that's out of the way, let's move on and talk about the other thing I wanted to bring up today, which is more along the lines of coaching and what you might expect from hearing my voice Some of what I'm going to cover. There are a few of you that may have heard me say it before. As with anything I've repeated, I believe that it may be worth repeating. It certainly has continued to come up in conversations. Some of this that I'm going to share with you has come up over and over, some of it more recently, so let's jump into that, shall we?
Speaker 1:When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I started out in the world of coaching back in 2010. And at the time, and then again actually, when I reinvented myself in the marketing realm a separate story, but dabbled and more than dabbled. I made some really good money in that world, but quickly decided not quickly, but decided that that wasn't exactly where my heart was and where I truly wanted to be. And here I am back in the world of coaching, but anyway, I remember thinking I needed things like the perfect website, the fancy logos, a big audience, etc. Before I was able to really prove myself and go get clients. And since then, of course, I have come to realize that none of this actually mattered. It's a common struggle for many new coaches and many new entrepreneurs to overcomplicate the client acquisition process, so I want to talk about that today. The truth or the reality is it's clients come from conversations. I have said this before. It does bear repeating right here again Clients come from conversations, not content, not complexity.
Speaker 1:What I'm going to cover with you today is really just a simple, actionable approach to finding and landing your first client, or maybe your next five paying clients, or maybe your next five paying clients. To do that, I think it's probably a good place to address first the biggest myths about what it looks like to find clients. So, big myth number one you need a big audience to get clients. The reality is, most coaches get their first clients through existing relationships, not social media followers. Big myth number two you have to be an expert or you have to have some level of specific experience or some specific training or certification before you can start charging. Before you can start charging, the reality is is if you have the ability to help someone solve a problem, you're ready to coach now. You don't need to arrive anywhere first. You don't need to arrive first. Get out there and serve people Big myth, big myth. Big myth number number three content alone will bring clients. Maybe I should have titled this one really big myth. I don't know how many times you've seen it, but I see it far too often.
Speaker 1:People coaches, entrepreneurs get stuck in this cycle. I have to figure out social media. I'm overwhelmed with with everything but social media. I need to be consistent in my social media. I'm focused on gaining followers so I can grow my social media, so I can get clients and grow my business. Posting on social media is great, but I just want to remind you right here conversations create clients. Conversations create clients faster than any posting of content ever will. Did I let that sink in? Perfect. So I want to share with you a simple framework that focuses on real connections and value driven conversations, along with a few action steps that you can start taking right away to get your first client, or your next client, or your next five paying clients. Are you ready? I can hear you say yes, I hear it, I feel it and I'm grateful for you for being here.
Speaker 1:All right, here's the hardest part Reach out to five people you already know. By the way, I did title this. I named it. It's the 5-5-5 strategy for getting clients. Now, it's silly, simple, silly, simple, meaning I don't know how much simpler I can make it. 555 strategy for getting clients.
Speaker 1:The first five reach out to five people you already know who in your network can benefit from your help. Message them with a simple, genuine question hey, john, I was thinking about you today. How's everything going with that course you were building? Or how's everything going with that event you were preparing to host or planning? How's everything going with that transition to a new job? How's everything going with the move, whatever it is? Then offer value and see if they're open to having a conversation.
Speaker 1:Next five connect with five new people in relevant communities. You can engage with people in groups on Facebook and groups on LinkedIn by attending network events, whether they're local or not. Maybe you plan to attend one large-scale networking event each year, but you can attend many local networking events. Maybe you go to your chamber of commerce. Maybe you go to a oh my gosh, we just talked about this today in another community and it's come up several times. It's probably worth bringing up here. But go to a Toastmaster session and network with those people and learn to communicate better while you're there.
Speaker 1:Lots of different things that you can engage in for networking and other local communities. Go, get engaged in your community and find five new people to connect with. Again. Look first to add value by commenting, sharing insights and contributing, before ever considering making any sort of pitch to them. An example might be that hey, john, I saw your post in whatever about the challenge you were experiencing. That's something that I've been able to help clients with in the past. I'd love to hear more about your experience and I was wondering if you'd be open to a conversation about that. I don't know if I can help you or not, but if you're open to finding out, let's just chat through it. See what happens no obligations, no commitments. Chat through it. See what happens no obligations, no commitments, no strings. And then make five valuable offers. Make five valuable offers.
Speaker 1:A valuable offer doesn't have to be any kind of hard sell. It can be as simple as a free 20-minute clarity session, a personal invitation to your group challenge or email list. It can be direct paid coaching for one of your offers for those people who may be at that level already and are ready to commit to that. Make five valuable offers. So these things you can do week by week as a simple strategy for gaining your next clients. Reach out to five people you already know. Connect with five new people in relevant communities each week and make five valuable offers each week, and then I'd love to hear from you how did that work for you? Did you meet your goal? That takes me to the next thought comment, whatever it may be, is how to make a no-pressure offer. That feels natural, and I've sort of given you a prelude to this, but you've heard me say it before.
Speaker 1:Start by simply being curious. Start with curiosity, not any sort of selling focus. You never want to pitch people out of the gate. Always start by asking about their struggles, their challenges, their dreams. An example could be what's been your biggest challenge with the thing you're building? What's been your biggest challenge with starting and growing your online coaching business? And then be willing to give them value before making any kind of offer. Wow, when I was starting out, I remember that I was faced with similar challenges, and here's some of the things that I was able to navigate.
Speaker 1:You know, maybe they talk about trying to find the right email platform or whatever it may be, and I can talk about what I've learned from my marketing experience about what it takes to find the right email marketing platform. We often look at what everyone else is using and we don't often look at what platforms are going to be right for my goals and the specific needs that I have in my business and in the way I use email marketing, if that's what I was looking for. I used to see this question all the time and I'd see people hey, what's everybody think about using MailChimp? What's everybody think? I? Probably I don't know if I should be talking about these or not. I am a referral partner for ActiveCampaign, which is the platform that I use. So if you're interested in that checking that out, please do reach out. I'm happy to send you a referral link and I'm happy to talk about why I chose that platform. I digress Because really my point here is that I want you to focus on what's right for you and your business.
Speaker 1:You know ease of use, automations, what's included for the free tiers, what's included for the paid tiers, how many contacts are you going to need? That sort of thing, how easy it is to navigate or how technically complex and your level of technical ability are all things you should be looking at instead of what's everybody else using. So there's just one example. So you know, start with sharing your insights, asking other questions and seeking again to genuinely help them and then, if there is a fit from the conversation, then you can naturally lead into that offer. Hey, I have worked with a lot of people in a similar situation as yourself. Would you be open to jumping on a quick call to find out how it might look to offer some further assistance, how I might be able to help you? I can't make any guarantees, but if we get on a call we can find out if we're a good fit. Remove the pressure from the conversation. There are no strings attached, just a conversation. Let's see if it's a fit for both of us. If they say no, great. I really appreciate you taking time and I appreciate the consideration.
Speaker 1:Is there someone that you know that may benefit from what we're talking about, and would you be able to introduce us? So that takes me to the power of referrals. Tapping into your network, your next client is probably only one introduction away. So if you have past clients, you can start with asking past clients, ask your friends, ask your colleagues. Hey, who do you know that might benefit from what I'm working on? And you want to make it easy for them. You want to provide a simple script or a link or something that they can share. An example might be that, hey, I'm helping people with X problem. Maybe it's a mindset issue or whatever your area of expertise is. Do you know someone who may be able to benefit from what I'm working on? I would love it if you could make an introduction. Would you be open to that? Hey, great, here's a link I'd like you to send them, or here's a draft email I've prepared for you, or a draft text message. Whatever it may be, make it as easy as possible for them.
Speaker 1:We do this in the podcasting world too, right, when we talk about guests and how to be great hosts. A great host may ask their guest prior to an interview. What would make it really easy for me to help you share this episode? Once we're finished and it's all ready to go, would you know a drafted email to send out to your email list? Would social media content with a couple clips? Would that be better for you? What would make it easy for you to share? And I'm happy to prepare that for you.
Speaker 1:It's the same thing mindset shifts. I had to pause because I get so amped up about some of these topics for sure, and I want to do my best not to drag this out too long today and I'm still recovering from a cold which I don't even know it was a really bad cold, if it was a cold, but still recovering. So I just need to pause and take a breath for a second. Overly excited, and that leads me to mindset shifts for client creation. There's a couple things that we myself included find ourselves caught up in and and I just want to point them out so that, if you're doing these, you can work on them. And I just want to point them out so that, if you're doing these, you can work on them. First of all is stop waiting and start doing. How many of you are doing that? Stop waiting, start doing.
Speaker 1:Everything you want is on the other side of action. Everything you want is on the other side of action. I know what the quote is. I know I've heard it plenty of times Everything you want is on the other side of fear, not true. Everything you want is on the other side of fear, not true. Everything you want is on the other side of action. You have to take action in the face of that fear and adversity, to start doing and achieving. I've said this before in different ways, but confidence does not come before action. It comes from taking action. Confidence is not a requirement, it is a result.
Speaker 1:Detaching from outcomes I did I don't know and I don't think it was a whole episode, but I did talk about this in a previous episode Detaching from outcomes, going into these conversations as connections and relationship building, not as I'm getting my next client or creating an income from this person or I need to make an offer. It's starting with being genuinely curious and that's it. If am I connecting with people, is that it, that's it, that's it. That's really all there is. If something more comes from that, I know what to do next. Yes, but that is not the goal. The goal is to make five new connections and nurture those relationships to the point that I might make them an offer. But my goal isn't to make them an offer. My goal is to connect, detach from any of the other potential outcomes, and your life will get tremendously better when it comes to building your coaching business.
Speaker 1:Not everyone is going to say yes, and that's perfectly fine. In fact, it's great. Your goal should probably be to get and collect no's. There's some science and psychology behind getting to no achieving the no early in a relationship. Behind getting to know achieving the know early in a relationship. At least then you know where you stand and you can move on to the N-O next one. And no, is really not right now.
Speaker 1:Most of the time, focus on service, not selling. Focus on serving the person in front of you, serving them as deeply and as powerfully and as giftedly as you possibly can, creating that experience for them that leaves in their mind something they're never going to forget. And you are not going to be forgotten either. When you focus on helping people, the clients will naturally follow. So there you have it. Clients come from conversations, not content. We talked about the 5-5-5 strategy, which makes finding clients simple and actionable, and making offers doesn't have to feel salesy, sleazy or whatever pushy. When you simply focus on service and, by the way, selling is service to someone when they have a challenge that you can help them overcome, it is kind to sell them your offer, the thing that can help them achieve their desires, achieve their goals. If you keep it from them, it's the opposite of being kind to them. The kinder you are, the more they achieve, the more they achieve. Sales does not have to be anything other than building a relationship and serving another human being.
Speaker 1:Here's your action challenge for this week Reach out to one person, starting today. Have a conversation with them. Make one valuable offer this week, whether it's free or paid. Make a valuable offer this week. Now notice, I didn't challenge you to the five to start this week out, but you could certainly take that on and starting with reaching out to five people today, making five new connections, starting today or this week, and then making five valuable offers this week, free or paid. Go back to my examples if you need to, but there's lots of options that you can come up with as an offer. That does not necessarily have to be your coaching offer.
Speaker 1:Finally, you don't need to wait for the perfect moment. I want to encourage you that your next client is already out there waiting. You just need to start the conversation with them. Perfect. Thank you so much for spending your time with me. I'm deeply honored that you come here each and every week. I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1:So a couple things for you Subscribe to Deep Dive Dialogues for more business building insights and coaching insights. If you've got feedback or questions, email me, dan, at danwus, or leave me a voicemail, and you can also subscribe by visiting podcastdanwus. You can also subscribe by clicking follow or subscribe, depending on the app that you're using to listen to my voice. You can do all of those things but podcastdanwus. You can get in touch with me there, leave me a voicemail, subscribe to the podcast, or you can email me directly, dan, at danwus. And if you want to hear more about the mastermind, you want an application? Please do send that email. Just put mastermind in the subject and I'll be sure to get it over to you right away. Thank you so much for being here and I look forward to speaking with you again next week.