Find Clients Through Focused Outreach

Key Points:

0:00 – Welcome and Call Setup
Karl opens the call with Gary and John and reminds coaches that Ask the Expert is built around solving three core problems: lead generation, conversion, and fulfillment.

1:16 – The Three Problems Coaches Must Solve
Karl explains that building a six-figure, multiple six-figure, or seven-figure coaching business comes down to solving lead generation, conversion, and fulfillment.

1:48 – Greg’s Question: JVs or Workshops?
Greg asks whether he should focus on joint ventures or workshops, since he sees opportunity in both but wants to choose the most effective strategy.

3:39 – Why Joint Ventures Feel Like Leverage
Greg explains how the JV strategy from VBCM shifted his thinking because one good partner can create ongoing lead flow.

5:10 – Pick One Strategy for 90 Days
Karl recommends choosing one primary strategy, putting a 90-day time horizon on it, and actually doing the work before judging whether it works.

6:01 – Mining an Existing Warm Network
Greg shares that he coaches referral marketing through BNI and has access to more than 100 professionals in East Texas.

7:50 – Expanding From Referral Marketing to Business Coaching
Karl helps Greg reframe his role from “referral guy” to someone who can help business owners install a full operating system for growth.

8:55 – The JV Test Drive Pitch
Karl gives Greg a simple way to approach potential JV partners: ask for three business owners, not their entire list, and let the results prove the value.

11:23 – Overcoming the Identity Shift
Greg explains that people currently see him in one role, and Karl helps him position himself as someone who can help with much more than referrals.

12:27 – Handling Common Objections Upfront
Karl models how to proactively address objections like “I need to ask my wife” or “I’m low on funds” before they derail the conversation.

16:09 – Solving the JV Partner’s Biggest Problem
Karl explains that coaches should treat a JV partner like a high-value client by solving a major problem for them, not just asking for referrals.

16:41 – Accountant JV Example
Karl breaks down the accountant’s pain: clients show up once a year, often with messy records, and the accountant has a stressful tax season.

17:58 – Turning Accountant Clients Into Higher-Value Clients
Karl explains how a coach can help accountants move clients into quarterly or monthly financial reviews, increasing the accountant’s revenue and improving the client’s business.

18:34 – Financial Statements as the Scoreboard
Karl compares financials to a football scoreboard. Without the numbers, the business owner and coach do not know who is winning, losing, or what to fix.

19:36 – Golf Scorecard Analogy
Karl explains that a better scorecard shows more than one number. It shows where improvement is needed, just like good financials show what to work on in a business.

21:12 – Solving Problems for Advertising Partners
Karl explains how coaches can help advertising companies by improving their clients’ results, reducing cancellations, and helping them spend more profitably.

22:35 – QuickBooks and the Average Business Owner
The group discusses how many owners technically have the tools to track numbers, but they are not using them properly or consistently.

24:00 – Reducing Expenses and Improving Margins
Karl explains how cutting expenses can quickly improve profitability, especially for business owners who are not closely reviewing their numbers.

27:37 – Sean’s JV Follow-Up Question
Sean brings up the common issue of having good referral conversations that never turn into actual introductions or clients.

29:36 – Test Drive and Intention in Referral Partnerships
Karl explains that the fix is to approach referral partners with stronger intention and ask for a clear three-client test drive.

31:57 – Setting the Expectation Early
Karl models how to tell a potential JV partner upfront that they do not want another “let’s refer people” conversation that goes nowhere.

33:03 – Follow-Up Commitments
Sean commits to contacting an accountant and a business broker as part of his follow-up from the call.

34:06 – Being More Assertive With JV Partners
Karl coaches Sean to be more direct and assertive when presenting the problem and the opportunity to potential JV partners.

38:42 – Kelly’s Question: Starting Without a Big Local Network
Kelly asks how to get started when she is new, has not coached before, and does not have a large business network in her area.

40:49 – Finding Confidence Through Industry Experience
Karl asks which industries Kelly feels confident helping, and her experience with roofing and trades immediately gives her a stronger direction.

42:05 – The Real Pain Behind Failed Trade Businesses
Kelly explains how failed businesses affect marriages, families, staff, and communities, not just the business owner.

44:35 – Choosing a Starting Market
Karl helps Kelly identify contractors, roofers, landscapers, HVAC companies, pool companies, and other trade-related businesses as a strong place to start.

45:12 – The Gold Rush Analogy
Karl explains that in a booming real estate market, coaches can help the businesses around the boom: contractors, landscapers, cleaners, HVAC, fencing, and related trades.

47:03 – Direct Outreach to Contractors
Karl recommends that Kelly spend most of her time directly reaching out to the business owners she understands, while using some time for JV relationships.

49:06 – Using a Simple Cold Call Opener
Karl references Bill Roberts’ approach of opening a conversation around accounting and numbers to naturally lead into business strategy.

51:59 – Contractor Cash Flow Issues
Kelly points out that contractors often need early draws because they are broke, and Karl explains how cash flow and payment timing create pressure in these businesses.

54:30 – Balancing Direct Outreach and JV Work
Karl suggests that newer coaches may want to spend around 80% of their time directly getting in front of business owners and 20% on potential JV relationships.

59:03 – Alan’s Networking Approach
Alan shares that he enjoys networking because he likes meeting people, building relationships, and asking questions.

1:00:04 – Quality Over Quantity in Networking
Alan explains that networking is not about collecting 25 business cards. It is about building a few deeper relationships.

1:01:08 – Using PAS With Prospects
Alan shares how he uses Profit Acceleration materials to show prospects how small improvements can turn a profit.

1:03:38 – Helping Prospects Who Feel Shame
Gary raises the point that some prospects may avoid help because they feel ashamed of where their business is financially.

1:04:45 – Asking the Hard Question
Alan shares one of the questions he asked a struggling business owner: why did you start the business 19 years ago, and what changed?

1:06:08 – Pricing, Costs, and Missed Opportunities
Alan identifies opportunities for his prospect, including cutting costs, raising prices, and addressing trademark issues.

1:09:41 – Goya: Get Off Your Assets
Karl closes by reminding coaches that if they do not have the number of clients they want, the answer is usually found in their recent calendar activity.

1:10:47 – The Test Behind the Goal
Karl explains that challenges, rejection, ghosting, cancellations, and failed attempts are all part of the test that proves whether a coach is ready.

1:13:06 – Address the Business Owner’s Past Frustration
Karl reminds coaches that many business owners have been disappointed by consultants before, and coaches should address that honestly instead of pretending it is not there.

1:14:16 – Use the Software Questions to Create Realization
Karl explains that PAS questions help prospects realize what they are missing and naturally move toward wanting help.

1:15:01 – Closing and Upcoming Calls
Karl wraps the call and reminds coaches about Workshop Wednesday and the Thursday Get Your First Client call.

Five Key Takeaways

• Pick one primary lead generation strategy and work it for 90 days before deciding whether it works.
• Joint ventures work best when you solve the partner’s biggest problem, not when you simply ask for referrals.
• Asking for a small “test drive” with three clients is easier and more effective than asking for access to an entire client list.
• Coaches should lean into the industries, pain points, and business owners they understand best.
• Direct outreach is often the fastest way to get early conversations, especially when it is rooted in genuine experience and a desire to help.

Notable Quotes

“Lead generation, conversion, fulfillment. Those are the three problems.”

“Pick one, put a 90-day time horizon on it, and then we’ll know on day 91 how it’s going.”

“Take me for a test drive.”

“Don’t send me your best. Don’t send me your worst. Send me three.”

“Their P&L will become significantly sexier.”

“Business is a game of math.”

“If I go to a football game and there’s no scoreboard, I don’t know who’s winning.”

“Advertising to profit is a superpower.”

“Quality over quantity in networking.”

“Goya. Get off your assets.”

Action Steps from the Call

1. Choose one main lead generation strategy to focus on for the next 90 days.
2. Identify your warm network and list people who already know, like, or trust you.
3. Look for potential JV partners who already serve the business owners you want to help.
4. When approaching a JV partner, ask for a three-client test drive instead of asking for their entire list.
5. Build your JV pitch around solving the partner’s biggest problem.
6. For accountant JVs, explain how you can help their clients use financials more often and become more valuable to the accountant.
7. Use simple analogies, like the scoreboard or golf scorecard, to explain why business owners need accurate numbers.
8. If you have strong industry experience, start there. Use your confidence and real-world understanding as an advantage.
9. Spend more time in direct conversations if you are newer or need faster feedback.
10. When networking, aim for a few meaningful conversations instead of collecting a pile of business cards.
11. Use PAS or the Profit Acceleration Simulator to show what small improvements can do.
12. Address business owners’ past bad experiences with consultants directly and respectfully.
13. Track your actual activity on your calendar so you can see whether you are doing enough lead generation work.

Resources & Tools Mentioned

• Ask the Expert
• Focused.com
• Lead Generation
• Conversion
• Fulfillment
• VBCM / Virtual Business Coaching Mastery
• Joint Venture Strategy
• Workshops
• BNI / Business Networking International
• Accountant JVs
• Business Broker JVs
• Banker JVs
• Advertising Partner JVs
• Profit Acceleration Software / PAS
• Profit Acceleration Simulator
• Jumpstart 12
• QuickBooks
• P&L Statements
• Balance Sheets
• Financial Statements
• Live Event Mastery
• Conversion Summit
• Coaching Dojo
• Bill Roberts’ Cold Call Script
• Doug Hoffman
• Networking Events
• “Alter Ego” book