Many accused me of being irresponsible and insane, but, I just knew that if I had the security net of a regular salary, I wouldn't make progress
The first 9 months in my coaching business were really scary! I was charging by the hour and working really hard and I made a grand total £500! In 9 months! Ouch!
I was very much of the attitude that “if you wanna take the island, you better burn the boat!” so I’d already quit my lucrative sales manager job to start my business!!
Many accused me of being irresponsible, at best, and completely insane, at worst, because I was a fresh divorcee with 10 year old twins to take care of. But, I just knew in my heart that if I had the security net of a regular salary, I would not make the kind of progress I wanted and I’d have all the excuses I needed to avoid getting supremely uncomfortable and making my dream business a reality.
But, £500 in 9 months? That was not going to cut it and so I knew I had to do something fast as I couldn’t live off fresh air.
So, with finite resources I set up The Sales Confidence Academy for Coaches and launched my first programme of VIP One Day Intensives.
I quickly learnt how this was a quick win for bringing in clients who had little time, who wanted FAST results and were willing to pay premium prices for the privilege of both. I invested in a few myself to learn what worked and what didn’t (for example: DO NOT invite clients to your front room, with the overflowing laundry basket in the corner…I’m serious – this actually happened on a VIP intensive that I invested in!)
If you’ve been considering adding VIP intensives to your portfolio but stalled because you’re not sure where to begin, here are a few pointers to help you get started.
Whilst there’s some prep work for you upfront – it’s well worth it. I’ve seen VIP days priced anywhere between $2997 and $9,997! Not bad for a day’s work and you don’t need many to seriously boost your monthly income!
Aside from meeting the needs of the clients who LOVE fast results and don’t want or need the hand-holding support of weekly calls, your clients will love the exclusivity of the VIP treatment
Taking your clients out of their daily norm is powerful for releasing and unleashing greater possibilities for creativity, fresh perspectives, new ideas, mindset shifts, confidence and clarity.
You can charge premium prices if you can provide solutions to your client’s deepest needs. And, you get paid quickly. There’s no chasing payments. If payment hasn’t been made, the day doesn’t happen!
Once you’ve sourced a venue you love and the worksheet templates are created, you can rinse and repeat over and over.
You can do your intensives as virtual services too if your client can’t travel to you.
You only need a couple per month to make a fantastic income and they provide a great opportunity to up-sell at the end of the day. I always offered a follow on programme.
Typically, I offer days that are 5 to 6 hours in length. We break for lunch and have 2 comfort breaks scheduled in between about 75 – 90 minutes of intensive work.
Once your client has said yes to you and the date is in the diary, do send them something in the post by way of acknowledgement. This is exciting for your client and prepares their state for the day as well as qualifies their purchase. This is important when they have paid a high-ticket price but their VIP day isn’t for a few weeks. You’re minimising the risk of a change of heart and cancellation.
You can send them a “Congratulations and Thank You” card, a gift like a journal or some Pre-VIP day workbook to complete.
Be specific in the topic that you’re going to deal with to avoid over load and overwhelm. Keep it simple! Don’t attempt to replicate your 3-month coaching package into your VIP day!
There are 4 key themes of VIP days that really work well:
Getting started – how to kick-start your clients journey to get them to their first milestone i.e Clarity in your purpose or overcoming a particular fear. I offer a VIP Intensive that promises to help my clients who are coaching entrepreneurs get into alignment with their souls purpose in their coaching business – they’re guaranteed to walk away with clarity, alignment and an actionable marketing strategy.
Overcoming the Plateau – this is addressing where your people get STUCK. Create a VIP day around pushing through a plateau in their journey i.e A health coach may take someone to their next level health goal or a career coach may help a client step into the next level of leadership. If you’re a mindset coach, you may help someone overcome their next level block to breakthrough their glass ceiling (for example).
Step by Step Road map – clients love the security of knowing that if they follow a certain process they’ll get the results – i.e how to create a webinar or a workshop or following success principles to reach a new goal
A Skills Mastery – Tap into your zone of genius and help your client master a skill. For example – confident communication; setting boundaries; mastering the art of confident sales. My own skills mastery VIP intensive is a sales mastery day in which I focus solely on mastering the discovery call for coaches – clearing their limiting blocks around selling so they can confidently close more sales calls with integrity.
As part of the VIP intensive package I always liked to offer the client a follow up session within 7-10 days of the Intensive. This can be a 60 minute Zoom session. A follow up call provides accountability and support. You’ll also instill confidence as your client has an opportunity to talk through their progress and ask any questions.
As with all pricing decisions, you have to lean into what aligns with you and your brand. The important thing to remember is that the day is intended to be a unique and transformational experience for your client. Your client gets your undivided attention, they get to tap into your area of expertise and spend time away from their usual environment to immerse in a process of change that has the potential to radically improve their lives. Just sayin’
Some example days that I’ve helped my clients to craft and sell include:
The VIP coaching intensive may be a high end, luxury experience in a beautiful location, with a car arranged to pick up your client from the station and a spa treatment at the end of the day. One of my clients offers this type of VIP intensive because the focus of her message is self-love and teaching her clients to learn to receive and feel deserving. This is a transformational day for her clients, it includes a hypnotherapy session and a bespoke recording. The investment ranges from $5k – $7k
I have another client who “locks heads” with her clients in a hotel boardroom to map out their business launch plan and its a very strategic day but they get more done in one day that her clients might otherwise get done in a week – it really shifts the needle on their progress. Her clients invest $3.5k for this experience.
I worked with a spirit channel and intuitive business coach, helping her to craft a unique VIP weekend Intensive which included 2 nights of hotel accommodation for $10k. Her clients receive business and mindset coaching as well as personalised readings from spirit.
So as you can see there are no hard and fast rules for pricing and you have the opportunity to create a spectacular day that aligns with the way you love to work and that meets your ideal clients needs.
Perhaps you, like so many others, totally underestimate your intellectual property, your unique gifts and strengths and how you can add value. I know I used to!
I would undermine my experiences, skills and knowledge and feel unworthy and “not good enough.” I devalued what comes easily, imagining that it must come easily for everyone, instead of seeing it as one of my unique talents.
With 25 years of experience in retail sales, sales management and sales coaching I know about sales and how to sell. Clients come to me because they wanted to make their coaching businesses work for them, which meant making money through selling their coaching packages.
Consider who your ideal client is, and what their biggest problem is and how you can help them solve it. There are people who want to know what you know, have what you have, and bask in the light that you illuminate when you show up and lead the way.
If you’re struggling to articulate what you do and who your ideal client is then why not enrol in my FREE course called Shine Your Light? Its a 5 step training that takes you deep into your story and draws out your niche, your ideal client and your message! It’s priceless! Enrol by clicking here
Peace and Love
Sanae x