Signature System Tips: How to Create A Coaching Program That Clients Love
What if there was a way to ensure that every client got the results they wanted?
You just took them through a series of steps and viola...they reached their goal.
That's the power of a signature system.
In this article, I'll teach you what a signature system is, why it matters, and how to create yours.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What A Signature System Is (And What It's Not)
✅ Your signature system is the unique method you use with clients. In other words, it's how to you help your clients get from Point A (where they are now) to point B (where they want to go).
❌ Your signature system is NOT the specific coaching programs that you offer. It's the logic behind what makes your program work. So your signature system isn't your 6 week online course, but it may inform the curriculum of that signature program.
✅ Your signature system should have a strong point of view. One coach might believe that the key to meaningful work is knowing your strengths. Another coach might believe that meaningful work comes from achieving mastery. These coaches would have two different signature systems.
❌ Your signature system is NOT something you can be taught. Why? Because that's the school's signature system! Of course, you can use tools from a coach certification to inform your sessions. But your signature system should be unique to you and your niche. It's something you could certify other coaches in.
A great example of this is the KonMari Method from The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo:
Marie's point of view: “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”
The KonMari Method contains a set of rules (e.g. tidy by category, not by location) and a set of steps. You gather everything from a category in one place and then hold each in your hand. If an object sparks joy, keep it. If not, get rid of it.
By the end of the process, you should have a tidy home full of items that spark joy. The method is clear enough that you can read the book, follow the steps, and get the promised result.
5 Big Benefits Of Having A Signature System
Some people say that coaching is all about "dancing in the moment." In other words, you show up to each session present, looking for what the client needs. There's wisdom in that.
But we also want to set a larger context for the coaching engagement in the form of a signature system. That's because a signature system...
👏🏼 1. Differentiates you from other coaches. If your whole value proposition is, "I know how to coach" then you have a lot of competition. Imagine if Marie Kondo just said, "I'm good at organizing shit." Your signature system is something you can become known for.
🏆 2. Creates more reliable outcomes. If you don't have a system, you're recreating the wheel each time you work with a client. This wastes everyone's time and makes it harder to ensure results. Better to have a signature system that you can refine over time and continue to improve with each client.
💸 3. Helps you sell your coaching. Most people don't buy coaching, they buy solutions. By having a signature system, you make the work you do more tangible. You can even show a visual representation of your system to people on sales calls. This allows you to charge more. It also allows you to filter out clients who aren't a fit, because they're not bought into your point of view.
😌 4. Allows your clients to relax. "We're just gonna dance in the moment together and hopefully you'll reach your goal, k?" Uhhhh, no thanks. When clients understand your system, they can see the progress they're making. How each session contributes to the whole. Your signature system actually helps them be more present.
📈 5. Gives you the ability to scale. Let's say you want to stop trading time for money. How exactly are you planning to do that if you're customizing every little thing for your clients? What you need to do is transfer the value from your own brain into something that lives outside of you. For example, in the form of a course or book.
How To Create A Signature Coaching Program
🔮 STEP 1: CLARIFY YOUR NICHE
It's hard to create a signature system without knowing who it's for and what problem it solves. If you're not quite clear on your niche yet, here are The 21 Most Profitable Life Coaching Niches.
The clearer you get on this, the more you can cater your system to that specific niche.
Which would you buy: a general marketing course or a course on how to get coaching clients? The second one is more valuable because it's more specific.
At the top of a piece of paper or new document, write down your curiosity hook:
I help (Who you help) (What you help with).
For example, I help coaches fill their client roster.
🔎 STEP 2: ARTICULATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW
There may be other coaches, books, or courses, that serve your niche. One way to differentiate yourself is through your unique point of view. Here’s a great video that goes more into depth on this.
For example, I have a client right now in the financial coaching niche. His point of view? The best way to change our financial situation is to change our relationship with money. That point of view informs his signature system. He helps his clients change their beliefs around money before helping them set up a practical plan.
Fill in the blanks on this sentence: "The best way to achieve (What you help clients with) is by (Your point of view).
💡 STEP 3: BRAINSTORM THE MAIN OBSTACLES
At this point we know who you help, what they want to achieve, and your point of view on the best way to get there.
What are the 3-6 things they'll need to work on in order to reach that goal?
For example, let's say you're a weight loss coach. Your point of view is that weight gain is the result of stress. Your list of obstacles might look like this:
Not meditating
Using food to address feelings
Poor sleep
No exercise routine
Or take Marie Kondo as another example. Her point of view is that you should tidy by category, not location. Her signature system goes by category: clothes, books, etc.
Once all these categories are tidy, you reach the result of a tidy home.
If you're starting out as a coach, you may not know what obstacles your potential clients are facing. That's normal. Instead of guessing at a signature system, have conversations with your target market. Figure out what they want. You can then repeat back to them the 3-5 main challenges they're facing and offer to help them with those.
Don't worry about streamlining or putting things in the exact right order yet. That's what we're going to do in the next step. Just make a big list.
📝 STEP 4: PUT YOUR OBSTACLES IN ORDER
Now we're going to take this list and put it into a step-by-step system.
To do this, I want you to get a fresh piece of paper or whiteboard and draw a horizontal line. Label the left side "A" and the right side "B." Like this:
Now under point A, I want you to write the situation that your S.T.A.R. client is in when they come to you. And under point B, write the specific result that they want to achieve. Here's what it would look like in my business:
Then, using your list of obstacles, insert the steps they'll need to go through to get from Point A to Point B.
There are a few ways to think about order. First, you could tackle things in order of impact - the most important stuff goes first.
In our weight loss example, let's say that sleep actually has the biggest impact on stress. So we'd put that first. Then we'd choose the second largest factor and put it second.
If you're working 1-1 with clients, you can customize the order for that specific client. You don't need to have it all dialed in yet. If you're creating a course or group program, you'll have to choose the best order for the majority of clients.
There are other ways to decide the order of your signature system. For example, the KonMarie method has you tidy your clothes first. It's easy to know if a piece of clothing sparks joy for you. Sentimental items are last because they're harder to let go of.
Sometimes, the order is obvious. For example, here’s the curriculum of my most popular business coaching program:
Each step is a pre-requisite for the one that comes next. They can't generate leads unless they know who they're looking for. They won't have enrollment conversations until they start marketing.
I recommend putting your quickest wins at the beginning of your system. If you have a magic bullet, something that works every time, use it in the first session or lesson. This helps builds momentum. After clients get a quick win, they're more willing to do things with a long-term payoff.
When I used to do weight loss coaching, I had clients track their water intake on the first week. It's easy to do and almost everyone needs to drink more water. Tracking water intake had an instant effect on people's energy and weight. This bought me trust for more challenging, long-term actions later in the program.
📦 STEP 5: CHOOSE YOUR PRICING AND PACKAGING
Coaches always me ask questions like, "What should I charge? How long should I work with clients for?" And I always give the following answer:
"It depends."
It depends on everything we covered in Steps 1-4: your niche, your point of view, your signature system.
You want to base your pricing and packaging on the value that your clients will get.
How long should you work with clients? As long as it takes to lead them through each of your steps and get results. For some systems this might be one session, for others it might be one year. If you want to sell longer packages, choose a bigger result.
How much should you charge? Whatever the result is worth to your client. If you want to charge more, choose a more compelling result.
How often should you meet? You get the idea. Create a structure that best supports your signature system, not the other way around.
The key thing to remember here is that you want to price your coaching based on the value it provides, not on the time it takes.
A good starting point for most niches is a 3 month package at $500 per month. I suggest meeting with your client 2-3 times per month. You can customize the pricing and packaging as you get more experience with your niche and your signature system.
Once you’ve got a few case studies under your belt, you can raise your rates significantly.
For more on how to do that, read this: How to Create a $5,000+ Coaching Package (3 Steps)
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Alright, you’ve done a lot of work!
Now it's time to organize everything in one place. That way, you don’t have to scramble on sales calls. You’ll have everything in front of you to share with potential clients.
Remember: clarity comes from action. So don’t wait until everything is 100% clear. Start somewhere, then test and refine your coaching program over time. Document the places where clients get stuck and also what works well. That way, you'll have an easier time creating group programs and courses in the future.
