I used to hate coaching because I thought I had to do discovery calls and then weekly calls with clients. Then I realized I could do coaching MY way.
The idea of being “booked solid” NEVER appealed to me. YUCK… who wants their calendar packed with calls? NOT me. I’m an introvert and like my quiet time, a lot. I’d much rather type up replies in silence then try to sort my thoughts on an hour-long call.
With email coaching both the client and I have to think through our responses and thoughts purposefully, making for a great coaching experience!
What is Email Coaching?
Email coaching is when you set a client up to send you regular emails where they are supported by a coach.
It’s as simple as that, really. The coaching and client relationship is a personal one. It depends on how you run your business and how the client prefers to communicate.
Some ways you can do email coaching include:
- Accountability email coaching – where the client emails you daily to tell you what they’re working on.
- Question-based email coaching – where the client reaches out as they have questions while working with you.
- Assignment email coaching – where you assign the client work and they complete it then reach out for next steps.
Who is it for?
Email coaching is for anyone who wants it.
The Advantages of Email Coaching (for the client)
Introverts love this style of coaching because getting on actual calls literally DRAINS our energy. Sending an email typically does not.
The Advantages of Email Coaching (for the coach)
From the coach perspective this isn’t just for introverts. It’s for the coach who wants to keep their calendar light and clear yet they would love to work one-on-one with clients.
I really dreaded offering coaching until I fully embraced email coaching and removed calls from my offering altogether. For years I still offered a once a month call option because I feared that clients might not pick up coaching if that wasn’t at least offered. I found out my fears were completely unfounded as I sold more coaching than ever AFTER I took away all calls.
I think this is because as the coach this worked best for me so I was more excited to promote this kind of coaching.
You Can Cancel These When You do Email Coaching:
So let’s talk about what you don’t have to do first, and why that’s awesome:
- NO Discovery Calls – I don’t know about you but the LAST thing I ever wanted to do was get someone on a call just to find out if we’re a good fit. Then have this awkward moment where I ask them if they want to sign up. Also, as a potential client myself I do not trust Discovery Calls for one second. I’ve been on too many manipulative ones. PLUS, as an introvert I literally won’t even bother looking at working with a coach if the only way to find out about the coaching is with a discovery call. So they lose my sale.
- NO Coaching Calls – When I have a coaching call it takes up my entire day. This is because I don’t feel like I can focus before the call on anything else. So I spend time thinking and preparing for it. Then after the call my energy is drained. As a mom then my time is up as I need to go pick up my daughter from school. Day done. With email coaching no calls are necessary!
Now let’s get into the things that are awesome:
- Time to Think – I give better answers when I can take the time to think through the question. This gives my client a better chance at using my response effectively. This can be done easily with email coaching. You don’t need to respond immediately.
- Work Coaching Around Your Life – Some coaches with a full client base are just go, go, go all day long! Email coaching is much more chill. You don’t have to hustle from call to call all day long.
- Just as Much, or MORE, Value – You can’t convince me otherwise that email coaching is very high value. You can add other elements to your coaching so that every interaction is so helpful to your coaching clients. I love to record videos with Loom to respond to my coaching clients. This can be used to demonstrate something or just to respond verbally to something they’ve sent you.
What Can You Charge for Email Coaching?
One of my friends was about to offer email coaching at a REDUCED rate to her regular coaching.
I told her not to do this.
People are hiring you for your experience, skills and knowledge. This doesn’t change just because the format has. So charge your regular coaching rates – coaching with you is coaching with you – that’s the value not the way it’s delivered!
How to Start Email Coaching Online:
You can start coaching as simply as you like – and I recommend it!
Don’t overcomplicate your offers. Keep them light to begin and then add more to them as necessary.
If you’d like help with learning how to do this I have created a course based on over ten years of email coaching with my own clients, it’s called Coaching Without Calls < you can see it there.
For delivery you can use Gmail. I do prefer to set my clients up in Basecamp with a project. This way we can set to-do items, upload files and have a record of emails.
I’m excited for you!
Email coaching is a wonderful way to support your clients and keep your calendar clear. There is a market for it and you can deliver high value using this method. Wishing you the best as you go for it!
