Are you a coach-shaped-person who earns most of your money from one-to-one?
Are you fed up of having ‘sell DIY courses!’ ‘Open a membership!’ ‘Haven’t you got a group programme yet? It’s the only way to scale!’ shoved down your throat?
And yet, at the same time, you’re thinking perhaps they’re right..?
Well this blog was written just for you.
By the end of reading my X reasons why you’re NOT silly to stick to one-to-one services as the backbone of your coaching practice or consulting business, you’ll have a lovely warm feeling of satisfied righteousness that you are on the right path.
Like that feeling when you’re going for a wee, thought you’d forgotten to pull down your pants but then realised that you did remember to do that after all.
So let’s head on in to the 4 reasons why one-to-one coaching and consulting is ruddy marvellous and shouldn’t be abandoned.
1. You get the deepest, quickest results with one-to-one coaching services
Where do your values sit with getting your clients actual life, health or business changing results?
Proper transformation that makes them leave you gushing testimonials?
It’s the only way, right?
Well, as someone who invests heavily in her business, I can tell you that while I’ve participated in some amazing group programmes and bought some life changing online courses — I’ve always moved forward the fastest when working with my coach or consultant on a one-to-one basis.
Don’t get me wrong; courses, memberships and group programmes absolutely have their place.
But there’s nothing like working one-to-one.
To hold that space for a client.
To pick up on a tiny nuance in something they said that leads to a big lightbulb.
To be responsive.
This is why you shouldn’t be too hasty to move away from one-to-one.
Especially if you love it — one-to-one coaching services can be the most rewarding to deliver
A lot of coaches and consultants I speak to prefer to work with people on a one-to-one basis simply because it’s more rewarding.
With every other business model, you’re removed from seeing that transformation. Less connected to your clients.
This is also why I incorporate plenty of one-to-one time in The Freedom Giver programme – especially when people are working through their messaging.
2. One-to-one coaching is the most flexible
Want to change up how you work with people? You can do it with a snap of your fingers.
You can test out new messaging. Put out a new offer and see who bites.
Need to change up your client work timetable. Not a problem.
Whereas with online courses you could have a complex web of ads and nurture funnels to contend with, with one-to-one you could launch and test a new offer or change your whole way of working for all future clients within minutes.
And with a typical group programme or membership you could have a large group of people who were sold in a certain way and expect that material to be delivered as such.
With one-to-one you don’t need a critical mass of clients to make a go of something.
This makes it super flexible!
3. One-to-one coaching is life-friendly
Ok, it might not be the most life-friendly business model.
Let’s face it, if all you sold were online courses and your funnels and customer care were all automated, you could take a 6 month sabbatical and not much would be affected. That would be pretty life friendly!
But what if that’s not the way you ever wanted to run your business?
What if you want to do what you were trained to do? Not to run a massive international course platform, but to actually coach people and see them move tangibly towards their goals?
What if you WANT to have lots of face-time supporting your clients? You know, like an actual coach or consultant…?
This is how I like to work with people.
And at the end of 2023, when my mum’s illness had come to its worst, I actually cancelled my group calls in favour of one-to-one.
I didn’t have the energy to run those weekly group calls, but I could handle people on one-to-one calls.
I didn’t have the time or headspace to do any launches and run the dozens of sales calls I’d have needed to fill another cohort of my group programme, but I could easily manage a holding pattern of few one-to-one calls.
It was a real eye opener for me.
I thought, once I’d launched a group programme, there’d be nothing that would make me move back to purely one-to-one work, but it’s actually it was the only way I could get through it.
Thankfully, at the beginning of 2024 we got to the bottom of why my mum was so sick and she got better.
But it was a powerful lesson for me. And it’s one of the reasons I keep a strong one-to-one element in The Freedom Giver programme.
Should any group calls need to be cancelled, I know that I’ve got a strong personal relationship and deep knowledge of each and every participant’s business so we can pick up quickly where we left off.
4. Less is more with one-to-one coaching services
Do you value simplicity in your business and in life?
Then you’re not alone.
Pretty much everyone I’ve met wants a more simple, easeful life not a more complex, busy one
When you’re serving people on a one-to-one basis you need less:
- Admin and client management including onboarding and offboarding because there are fewer clients to manage.
- Audience building. If you’ve positioned your offers correctly, you absolutely don’t need a massive audience to sell. But if you’re trying to sell out a group programme or membership you will need a bigger audience than if you’re only serving one-to-one.
- Selling. Since you have fewer clients needed to fill your roster, you need to sell less. Fewer sales calls and less sales activities in general.
- Launches. Linked to that, you don’t need full on launches when you’re selling one-to-one coaching services. Unless you like full on launches, in which case, knock yourself out!
- Tech. You can get away with very simple systems when you’re working with people one-to-one versus one-to-many.
The odds are that you started your business to help people with your skills and experience, not to do tonnes of marketing and promotions.
And serving your clients on a one-to-one basis is the ultimate ‘less is more’ business model.
So why is everyone rushing to move away from their lovely simple-as-it-gets business model of serving on a one-to-one basis then?
It’s because they’re fed up of not earning enough.
Are you fed up of not earning enough?
If you LOVE your one-to-one work but want to earn more from all your efforts, rest assured that it is possible — WITHOUT changing your business model.
I know it’s frustrating.
You shelled out for the qualifications.
You put in the hard yards of practice to the point of getting raving testimonials.
But the flood gates haven’t opened yet. You might even have had a really good spell and then things dry up and you’re having a squeaky bum month or several, without a clue as to what went wrong.
This can really shake your confidence!
Or perhaps you’re working with quite a few people but you’re still not earning enough because you’re not charging enough.
If you’re in either of those situations and you’re ready to earn more without working more, then I’d like to invite you to a free 15 minute consultation where we’ll get to the bottom of where you are now and what life could look like for you with a sizzling hot offer on your website and a solid sales and marketing plan in your pocket.
Find a slot in my diary below: