This is a guest post by Marcie Thomas of Coaching Shift.

When you are “in the moment” with a potential client, let’s say their interest is peaked and they’ve shared their passions and their frustrations on not being able to realize their dreams. Your question is not, “Do they want my service, or can they afford a coach?” Rather the question becomes, “How bad do they want this change or to see the fulfillment of this passion? Do they want to grow their business, gain a clearer vision for parenting, or lose those 15 lbs? Are they serious about God calling them to do this?

If this is your ideal client, then confidently speak up. “Wow, I hear you loud and clear. You’ve just listed some impressive goals.” Or, “I can sense that you really want to move forward. If you were to accomplish your goals how valuable would that be, or how different would you approach life, or how would you feel? Let them relish in the thoughts of that potential reality. Then confidently say something to this affect, “Coaching can help you recognize those dreams, or start your business, or lose weight or strengthen that relationship.” Or you could say, “How serious are you about moving forward to making that a reality? Coaching can help you do that.” Another way to shift the conversation to coaching is, “Maybe you should consider hiring a coach to help you with that.”

If this grabs their interest, “Really, so just how does coaching work?” then offer a complimentary session: “The best way to understand how coaching works is for me to offer you a complimentary 45-minute session. In this session, bring an issue that’s been frustrating you or a goal you’re hoping to achieve, and we’ll coach around the topic. At the end of the session, I guarantee that you will come to better understanding of the issue and have identified what you need to do next.” Then give them your business card with a time and date for your scheduled appointment.

If they turn down the free session, that’s okay, just continue to show interest in them and their needs. Coaching is about the client and the results they want to achieve.

The bottom line–you’re not turning the conversation around to you. You’re letting them talk about themselves until you discover a gap that they are passionate about. Then you ask a powerful question or two, “What would it take for you to get there? What if I told you that you need a coach? How serious are you in reaching that goal?”

If needed, practice a few role plays with a friend or spouse. Get their feedback. Try it out on unsuspecting potential clients and see what happens. You will be the only one who knows that they are your guinea pig…and just maybe you’ll gain a client in the process. There is no perfect way of turning the conversation around to coaching, but there is a way that works for you.

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This article is an excerpt from Marcie’s book,  The New Coaches’ Guide to  Marketing a Coaching Business.

Marcie L Thomas is the owner of COACHINGshift: the life coach’s marketing resource. Her motivation is ensuring her client’s success in marketing their life coaching businesses.  She’s also the Marketing Director at the Professional Christian Coach Training Program, a contributing writer at the Christian Coaching Center, is the author of upcoming The New Coaches’ Successful Guide to Marketing ebook , and is a guest speaker on the topics of marketing mindset, developing a marketing plan, e-marketing success, and developing a unique, content-rich marketing message. Marcie draws on over 20 years combined experience in training, human resource development, marketing, coaching, and business startup. Having launched marketing projects for coaches and solopreneurs for several years, Marcie is keenly aware of what it takes to succeed in launching and growing a new coaching business. She has taken that experience and combined it with her training and coaching skills to develop her own unique approach to helping coaches overcome the challenges and maximize the rewards of becoming a solopreneur. She is a member of the International Coach Federation, the Christian Coaches Network and is current taking advanced coaching classes with the Professional Christian Coaching Program.