It is so easy to get stuck doing the “busy-work” in your business.
There is so much to do to not only manage your business but also manage your clients and be able to hold space for them that you need to start working smarter sooner rather than later otherwise it will be a slow burn to grow your business.
You might think that you can’t afford to implement systems but in reality investing in systems and introducing automation into your business the better.
Why you may ask?
Well, the reason is simple time = money. So the more time you spend on the following:
- Back and forth emails trying to organise a suitable time to chat
- Preparing proposals
- Preparing contracts
- Collecting payments
- Chasing payments
- Writing the same email multiple times…
…is less time nurturing new leads, less time for your clients, less time in your week to work on your business and less money in your pocket.
You might not think that you are spending that much time on all of these things but it soon adds up and if you want to grow your business the less time spent in busy work and more time spent on the business the more growth you will see.
So with that in mind here are my 10 systems you really need to run your Coaching business as efficiently as possible.
1. Online Scheduler
The easier you make it for new leads and clients to book time with you the better.
Using an online scheduler takes away the time spent on the usual back-and-forth emails trying to find a time that suits you both.
Calendly is great as an easy-to-use, free option but Acuity is a more robust system that will grow with your business.
Set up your free Acuity trial here.
2. Online eSignature provider
No more sending PDF versions of your contract for your client to print, sign and scan back to you!
Make life a whole lot easier for you and your clients by using an electronic app like HelloSign.
HelloSign is a simple, easy-to-use app that allows you to upload your contract, and send it to your clients, who can sign it electronically before sending it back to you for finalisation.
Plus you’ll be saving the trees as well!
Set up your free trial here.
3. Email Marketing System
You probably have already heard how important email marketing is for your business. As a Coach or Consultant, you need to be in regular contact with your clients to always be nurturing your contact base.
If you are starting out and don’t have the spend right now then look at Mailerlite for your EMS. The free plan on Mailerlite will give you what you need to get started and beyond. From creating email campaigns, landing pages, automations to managing your contacts groups and segments this system is easy to use and has great functionality.
However, you can’t go past ActiveCampaign. It is hands-down the most powerful automation tool to have in your tech stack.
It will allow you to set up virtually any automation you will need in your business. It has hundreds of pre-built email automations, and dynamic email content allowing you to show different content to certain people in one email. Create smart fields for your contacts helping to really target the right audience with your products/services.
4. Project Management System
Even if it’s just you in your business, having a Project Management System will help you get organised and keep your processes consistent!
The three most popular are Trello, Asana and ClickUp. Depending on the level of automation, flexibility and customisations you need will determine which system you use.
Getting your daily To-Do out of your head and into a PM system will help stop you from feeling overwhelmed and anxious about remembering all the things.
Use one to record your SOP’s, create your Social Media plan, manage clients and add your To-Do’s allowing you to manage your business all in one spot and become the source of truth when taking on new team members.
5. Payment Platform
Using a payment like Stripe, Square or PayPal makes receiving payment quick and easy. No more waiting on a client to transfer money to your account!
Using a payment gateway severely reduces the risk of credit card fraud, making a safe and secure way to receive payment.
N.B. These platforms do charge a percentage fee on payments received.
6. Xero
Whether you are just starting off or have been Coaching for some time – an accounting system for your business is a must and you can’t go past Xero!
Not only does Xero have powerful reporting you can use it to automate your invoices but setting recurring invoices so you can set and forget and have the system do the chasing for payment so you can avoid that icky feeling!
7. Video Communication
If you want to be creating an impact on a large scale, then zoom is for you.
Zoom creates a virtual meeting space for you and your meeting attendees. You can record your meetings, share your screen, set up separate rooms to create break out rooms, run webinars, and use a whiteboard.
There are so many ways to use it, that it’s a definite must-have for your business.
8. Client Communication
Communicating with your clients is essential, however, you don’t necessarily want to be giving clients your phone number.
Voxer is a great alternative as it provides a separate location solely for your clients so conversations don’t get lost or accidentally sent to family or friends!
It provides your clients with the ability to access you 24/7 and you just need to clarify your response time when they sign up.
You can also send voice messages, videos, gifs, and pictures via Voxer, so it’s a great tool to provide additional on-the-spot coaching and mentoring when my clients need it.
9. Canva
This female-founded, graphic design online software has been a design lifeline to so many businesses. Canva allows you to design and create just about anything you could think including:
- Email/Blog headers
- Service Guides
- Proposals
- Logos
- Presentations
- Coaching materials
- Website graphics, brand kits, social media graphics
- Planners & Calendars
- Podcast Cover Art
- Workbooks
- And of course, social media content
Along with handling all of your design needs, you can easily share your designs with clients, present live and add team members to have all your design work in one spot.
Whilst it does have a free plan, the pro-plan is definitely worth the additional $$.
10. Client Relationship Management tool
If you would like to save time and money and replace up to 4 of the systems I’ve listed above and improve your customer experience you can’t go past Dubsado.
Dubsado is a client relationship management tool. It hosts your client projects in one spot. Plus, its automation features will help you save time with your client onboarding, so you can spend more time serving your growing client base!
Dubsado has built-in schedulers, invoicing and payment plans. You can upload or create contracts, proposals and other forms. It even has a client portal – perfect to host your client’s coaching resources.
If you didn’t already know, Dubsado is perfect for you as an online Coach/Consultant. It can handle your multiple clients with ease and create a seamless and consistent onboarding. Give your clients a customer experience they will be raving about.
You can send proposals/invoices/contracts in one link, and track where your leads are being referred from i.e. Google, word of mouth.
You can even outsource projects to team members without compromising your other client’s confidential information!
The best bit – Dubsado is having their Summer Sale for all new users from the 18th July PT to Friday 22 July PT. Get the sale price locked in forever! Find all the information here plus add my affiliate code cultivateau at checkout to receive a further 30% off!
So there are my 10 must-have tools for your Coaching/Consultancy business.
If you need support in adding any of these systems into your business book a Clarity Call to see how I can help you systemise and uplevel your business.