Every coach wonders, “How can I keep my clients coming back session after session, month after month, year after year?” Client retention directly impacts your recurring revenue and business success. To explore this crucial topic, Richard Bernstein, CEO and President of Mars Venus Coaching, shares his strategy for successfully retaining clients for over two decades.
Why Most Coaches Struggle to Retain Clients
Richard highlights that the primary issue coaches face in retaining clients is mismatched expectations. Many clients don’t fully understand what coaching entails, leading to dissatisfaction when their expectations are unmet. Therefore, establishing clear expectations during the initial sales process is fundamental.
Step 1: Set Expectations Clearly
According to Richard, a well-defined sales process ensures potential clients understand precisely what coaching will and will not offer them. Rather than selling coaching as a vague concept, successful coaches demonstrate how coaching moves clients from their current situation (point A) to their desired outcomes (point B).
The Importance of Positioning
After clearly defining expectations in the sales process, Richard emphasizes the importance of “positioning.” During positioning, a coach explicitly outlines the rules of engagement—clarifying communication frequency, methods of contact, and the roles and responsibilities of both parties. This prevents misunderstandings and establishes a solid foundation for the coaching relationship.
For example, Richard encourages clients to think independently rather than providing direct answers to their queries. If clients repeatedly ask, “What should I do?” Richard’s response is consistently, “What do you think you should do?” This approach teaches clients critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Step 2: Measure Progress Consistently
Consistent measurement of client progress is crucial to long-term retention. Coaches must quantify improvements, even in subjective areas such as relationships or personal growth. Richard suggests creating a measurable scale (e.g., from 1 to 10) to clearly track a client’s progress.
Tracking progress weekly helps clients visibly see their growth, not just feel it. This measurable improvement encourages ongoing engagement and motivation.
Gender-Intelligent Coaching Approaches
Mars Venus Coaching uniquely incorporates gender intelligence into coaching strategies. Men often respond well to linear, analytical, goal-oriented approaches. Conversely, women typically prefer holistic approaches, integrating improvements across various interconnected areas of life.
Richard advises coaches to avoid the term “goal” with female clients, as it can feel restrictive. Instead, coaches should focus on strategies for incremental progress across various life dimensions.
Teaching Clients to Think, Not Depend
An effective coach doesn’t simply provide answers. Instead, they guide clients through a structured thought and decision-making process. By encouraging clients to evaluate options and outcomes independently, coaches foster long-term self-sufficiency and satisfaction.
The Essential Value Question
Richard shares a critical practice for retaining clients: ending each session by asking clients, “What value did you get from today’s session?” This encourages clients to reflect on their progress and explicitly acknowledge their growth, reinforcing the ongoing value of coaching.
If a client feels they received no value, Richard advises coaches to ask, “What could we have done differently to provide value today?” This feedback offers valuable insights and demonstrates the coach’s commitment to client satisfaction.
Additional Tips for Retention
Richard summarizes four essential steps for effective client retention:
- Clearly define expectations during the sales process.
- Position the coaching relationship explicitly from the start.
- Measure and visibly track client progress weekly.
- Regularly ask clients about the value they derive from each session.
Final Advice for New Coaches
Richard’s final advice to coaches struggling with client retention is straightforward: clearly articulate what coaching involves. Passion alone isn’t sufficient; success depends significantly on communicating clearly and consistently what clients can expect from coaching. By mastering clear articulation, setting proper expectations, and consistently measuring progress, coaches can confidently retain clients long-term.
Implement these strategies, and you’ll see lasting improvement in client retention and satisfaction.