Hey there healthy lady!
In this in-depth blog post, I’m going to walk you through - top to bottom - how to create coaching packages (aka your very own unique ‘Purposeful Package’) that sells like gluten-free hotcakes and gets massive results for your clients.
First up, I’m going to explain WHY it’s so important to sell coaching in a Purposeful Package format - especially if you want to make a consistent and significant income as a coach.
Then I’m going to walk you through what to do - step-by-step - to craft one STRONG signature program that you know your ideal client wants to buy, and that you feel confident and excited about delivering.
This is a process, and you’re going to have to do a little work to complete it - so take out a journal, a notebook, and set aside some time to action the steps.
THE BASICS OF PURPOSEFUL PACKAGES
Why sell packages instead of single coaching sessions?
Many health and wellness professionals - including counsellors, acupuncturists, nutritionists, homoeopaths, personal trainers, etc. - work in single sessions, where you'll pay say $100 for an hour session, and schedule a follow-up if needed.
As a health coach - or any wellness entrepreneur - this is NOT an approach I recommend.
Instead, you will want to focus on creating a package of sessions that sells an outcome or result, as opposed to simply trading time for dollars.
This not only works better for YOU - it works much better for your clients, because:
Your clients will accomplish much more in a purposeful package than in unstructured single sessions…
You will get a higher level of commitment and financial security when people buy a package of sessions vs. the occasional single session…
You will know what outcome your clients can expect to achieve from working with you, making it much easier to “sell” coaching and promote your services…
Your clients will get better results as they are not just paying for 1 hour of your time, they are paying for support, accountability…the whole shebang....
What is a ‘Purposeful’ Package?
Now that you understand the benefits of selling in packages, let’s get clear on the importance of creating PURPOSEFUL packages.
A Purposeful Package is one created to generate a specific result or outcome for your ideal client.
You will design your Purposeful Package with the OUTCOME in mind — knowing that a dream result could never come from one-off coaching.
This might be a 6-week package, a 90-day package, or even a 6-month package! We're going to throw out any preconceived “formula” that your coaching training might have given you, dictating that your coaching has to be this long or this short.
Instead, we're going to design what YOUR ideal client needs in order to get the best outcome or result.
REMEMBER:
You’re no longer selling single sessions. You're now selling a specific outcome.
You're no longer selling “health coaching”. You're now selling a specific outcome.
For example: Your package might help someone fit into their wedding dress.... It might help someone overcome insomnia…. It might help someone increase their social media following, heal their skin and digestive issues, learn meditation, or lose weight.
We all know that you can absolutely get WONDERFUL results from health coaching, but a single session is never going to cut it.
And trying to sell single sessions (that won’t get massive results for your clients) is going to leave you feeling stressed, unconfident, and unable to market your services.
You need to put on your expert hat, and you need to assertively say, "It's going to take a purposeful package to get the premium result that you desire here."
Let your prospects know that, "As a health coach, I'm going to be by your side. This is a journey. There's accountability. There’s support. That is what makes this special."
We need to think in this way of a Purposeful Package vs. the old thinking of selling one single session. And we need to get a client actually committed to the journey.
For every coach and target market, that journey will be different — there will be something unique in the way it is packaged up so the client will get the best result.
WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?
To figure out what you are selling, you need to know who you are (and what lights you up), who you are here to serve, what you can offer - THEN find your 'selling point'...
STEP ONE: START WITH YOU
When you design your Purposeful Package, it’s essential that you're not forgetting you — and bringing in the things that you want to do, teach and share into the package.
This enables you to use your talents, passions and unique skills, and it's going to light you up to work with your ideal clients - making it far easier to sell your services, and enjoyable to offer them!
Jot down answers to the following questions:
Why do you desire to coach people?
Why do you want this type of business?
What do you secretly dream of in life?
What do you value? Do you have core values?
What do you believe about health/food/fitness? (ie: the area you want to coach on)
What skills and talents have you developed over the years?
What do you have to offer that will be of benefit to your dream client?
Take 10 minutes to jot down some thoughts on a piece of paper or in your journal, to get some clarity around YOUR side of the package, YOUR passions, and YOUR unique skills and desires.
STEP TWO: Then Think About Your Target Market
Now you’re clear on why you desire to coach — and have noted your unique skills and talents, what you have to offer your ideal clients, and what lights you up….
Next, we turn our attention to your clients.
Answer the following questions about your target market:
My Ideal Client Is:
She Is Motivated By:
His/Her Key Pain Points Are:
What Does She Believe Is The Cause Of Her Pain?
What Would Be Her Dream Outcome?
She Will Pay Anything For:
My Solution Is (Be Specific):
She Will Benefit From:
STEP THREE: Now Bring You & Your Target Market Together
Looking in your journal over the notes on your target market and yourself as a coach, find the sweet spot between what you have to offer, and what your clients want to buy.
Really take some time looking over this and get creative and curious.
When it comes to selling and creating packages, there is something I see a LOT of coaches get stuck on...
And it is this: We as coaches know that our clients need to look “deeper” beyond what they “think” they're struggling with… (So for example, we may know that their weight issues are related to emotional eating, low self-worth or lack of “primary foods”).
But our client’s don’t know that yet! They just want you to tell them that you can help them lose the weight. They want to know that you can help them move past their pain. They’re not that interested in the “how” at this stage. (Which is what lights YOU up).
This is why it is important to find that “sweet spot” between what YOU know they need (which they might not understand yet) — and where they're at right now.
Tip: Sell Them What They Want + Give Them What They Need
There's a well-known phrase in marketing and it cannot apply more strongly than here. “Sell them what they think they want and give them what they need”
Selling them what they think they want comes first and foremost…then in your package you deliver them all that they will actually need, as you take them on the journey to healing.
This is one area where a coach is going to often go wrong - because coaches love things like ‘primary foods’ and these more spiritual, soulful concepts that they've learned are super important - and they do not necessarily want to teach weight-loss.
But think about what the client is looking for!! You client wants the end result. She is NOT coming from the same perspective you are.
Your client is looking for a practical solution to their pain-point. They're looking for the headache pill, the insomnia pill, the stress reliever, the weight-loss pill, the anxiety cure.
STEP FOUR: Pick your selling point
Next, we need to do now what I call “finding that selling point.” The selling point is the sweet spot between what they think they want, and what you know they need.
Really your ideal package is absolutely everything that you want to teach — and that you know they will need to reach their desired outcome — but it still needs to sell them what they actually want.
So for example: Your package might have a little bit on weight-loss, which is your main selling point.
But actually you're also going to help them see what's going on at work, or their relationships, or their exercise, or their mindfulness. All of that can go in your package — but the selling point would be weight-loss if that's what your client really thinks they want.
You don't hide the rest of it, but the main piece that you are selling would be weight-loss. Or could also be stress management. It could be mindfulness. You need to be very specific on what's the ONE selling point of your package.
The piece that will sell, the piece that someone will see valuable and pay money for is a solution to their perceived pain point. I say “perceived” pain point. You might see there's something more going on — but we need to sell a solution to what the client thinks is the main issue.
Think of it was the WHAT you’re selling vs. the HOW you get your client there.
You sell the WHAT and deliver the HOW.
DESIGN YOUR PURPOSEFUL PACKAGE
Step one: WRITE DOWN the details
Pull out your journal or a pen and paper, and jot down your answers to the following:
What type of program would excite you to offer your dream client? 1:1 coaching, group coaching, a self-study e-course?
How long would be enjoyable for you? 3 months, 6 weeks, 1 year, 6 months?
How long and what container would get the greatest benefit for your client? Would they get best results in 6 months?
Here's an example of these Qs in a real-life context...
Would you like to work in a six-month container, but actually your clients might only need three weeks to get the desired outcome for your clients? Do you not like commitment? You only want to a four-week package, but actually, if you're honest, the client needs eight weeks. There's no right or wrong answer here. I just like to journal about it for this exercise.
How often might you need to meet for coaching sessions?
Again, you don't have to write three times a week or six times. Just journal about it. It might be fun if we met weekly, but there might be this pro and there might be this con. What about if it was bi-weekly? Start to explore these concepts and these questions.
How long might each session be?
Would you like to do 30-minute sessions because your clients are ultra-busy… or actually do they need a longer 60-minute session to get more results?
Diving even deeper, what could you actually get done in that amount of time? Will the overall package that you're thinking about be enough time to get results?
Any thoughts that all go into this journaling exercise, anything around how you can design your package so it's really appealing to your ideal clients.
What's going to make them want it?
What makes them tick and what's going to excite them to buy a package?
What's going to make your package unique?
You are unique, and you don't need to worry about how you fit in (or stand out) amongst the other coaches out there, as long as you’re being yourself — but at the same time, it's great to feel that our package does have that something special or a little uniqueness to it. ;-) Any thoughts you might have around that just journal them in this stage.
Is your package designed to help your clients to master one thing?
Or is it for you clients to get a high touch on a lot of little things?
If anything comes up as you're journaling on this exercise that you don't have answers for, make a little side note so that you can go out and ask some ideal clients. If you’re not sure, ask people what they think! Never assume you know what your clients want. For example, you can ask them:
What would they be expecting if they worked with a coach?
What time frame would they be most likely to buy?
What kind of accountability would they want?
Step TWO: create your program drafts
Remember, beauty. You really DO have the power to help someone with a huge benefit with the skills and experiences that you've had in your life.
Now you get to now create your own ideal package and program that your dream client will love to receive and you will love to deliver.
Think through the following questions:
How often might you meet? Is it going to be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly even?
How long will each session be? 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes?
What can you accomplish in each container of time and checking in, will this package really allow enough time to get results?
How can you design this package and split into these pieces of pie as such so that it's really going to be great for both you and the client?
What is that result or outcome worth to your client?
What makes this package unique?
(In a coaching package, more is not always better - it's just about finding the right fit for both you and the client to get the desired outcome…)
Figure out your program specifics.
Now you can start to draft up your package and the specifics of those now.
Picture breaking up your client’s journey into individual pieces, almost like a recipe to be released step-by-step — and map out the natural process of taking your client from (A) to (B).
Experiment with what pricing truly feels right for you.
Map out what topics you could cover in each session. Then add any notes that you might write in here as well are along the lines of what you'd like the client to be doing as homework in-between sessions.
STEP THREE: GET FEEDBACK from ideal clients
At this stage, you should have 3 or 4 draft packages written up. Keep running these past your ideal clients and ask what they think.
Do you think will they buy this? Is this actually something they would pay money for? Will they be interested and excited to join this program?
Don't be afraid to ASK— especially if you can find a few friends or colleagues who are potential ideal clients. Don't ever ASSUME your ideal clients are going to buy the package, just ask them!
Keep testing. Keep refining.
Never be afraid to look like a beginner or like you're not expert enough. This actually makes you more of an expert by being professional enough to test things out before going too far with this.
FINALISE YOUR PURPOSEFUL PACKAGE
Now is the time to decide:
Which package really lights you up?
Which one makes you feel like you would feel amazing to deliver it?
Which package resonates best with your ideal clients when you run it past them, and chat to them or talk to them about it?
Remember your package needs to offer a solution to a pain point for your ideal clients. Ultimately, they've got to WANT to buy it.
Have you created a package that answers an important pain-point and delivers a solution, result or outcome? Are you clear on your selling point?
Then you are good to go.
Tip: Let go of perfect!
Ultimately, I want to remind you that absolute clarity on this will only truly come when you get in the game.
You can't wait on the sideline, waiting to get a perfect package because honestly, you need one right now that you're pretty confident is going to work, you'll enjoy, is going to get results for clients...
And the only way to find out is to actually get out there and sell it and start coaching that package. I guarantee you will refine it as you go.
Absolute clarity can only really come once you're in the game.
Which package are you going to use to get in the game & start supporting clients with?
You want to get really clear on the following points:
What are the benefits of your package?
What are the key results and outcomes?
How many sessions are included?
What are the session topics?
What is the cost or investment?
What payment plans are you going to offer?
Once you have this really tight little checklist of what your package is about, now you can use these exact words to carry over into your sales pages or marketing content, or even just for the words when you're talking with potential clients!! You'll be able to easily explain what you're doing and what you're selling.
You’ve now got a Purposeful Package that solves your target market's pain points and truly excites you to deliver!
Love,
Amanda xx
PS: Created your Purposeful Package, and ready to share it with the world? These are your perfect next reads...
→ Should You Put Prices For Your Program On Your Website?
→ 12 Top Tips for Getting Clients As A Health Coach
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