With the recent global shift to remote coaching, some coaches and brands will succeed and build sustainable businesses, while others will have to close up their virtual doors. 

What’s the difference between these successes and failures? Strong relationships with their clients. If you’ve ever coached in person you know the importance of coach-client connection. But how do you build and maintain these same quality relationships through a remote medium?

Just like any relationship, they require communication, empathy, and dependability. This blog will focus on 5 simple ways to strengthen relationships with your clients in a remote setting. 

How to Strengthen Remote Relationships

1. Consistent Communication

Do your clients know how to reach you? Do they know what your virtual office hours are? To build strong client relationships you must keep an active line of communication. That means your clients need to be comfortable reaching out and knowing that you will be there to respond. 

To create consistent communication, utilize coaching platforms such as Truecoach to organize your communication lines. Platforms like this allow for training commentary, instant messaging, and email blasts. This gives you and your clients multiple touchpoints that will keep the communication doors open.

New to remote coaching? Learn the foundational knowledge, tools, and systems you need to start a successful remote coaching business and deliver your clients a valuable service in this free download.

2. Treat Clients as Individuals

To build quality relationships with your clients they must be treated as individuals and you must individualize how you coach and interact with every one of them. The best way to do this is to offer an individualized coaching service, where each client receives their own program, feedback, and pointers from you. 

Yes, there may be similarities between clients, but the more individualized your service is the better your client’s results and relationships will be. Learn the fundamentals of individualized fitness coaching in this free course.

3. Face-to-Face (Not an Email Address)

The best way to connect with clients is to virtually communicate. Face-to-face communication is the most personal and effective way you can create a relationship online. Zoom, Google Hangouts, and GoToMeeting are great tools to use for video consultations. 

Clients want a connection with their coach and not a faceless entity, so it is a best practice to consult with clients once a month. Use this time to check in on their progress and to create an emotional connection with you and your coaching business. Learn the fundamentals of a client consultation here.

4. Encourage Conversation (and Act on It)

To serve your clients to the best of your capabilities, you must encourage them to create dialogue around their training. Leave comments on their workouts and videos encouraging them to co-commentate. Ask them how a session felt, what they thought of the new tempo, or to include a video of a specific exercise and leave their own feedback. Opening a dialogue around their training is a great way to create a better relationship and will help you retain your clients over time.

5. Show Gratitude to Your Clients

You can find “I appreciate your business” on just about any invoice template. If you want your clients to feel appreciated you have to demonstrate it. In the remote coaching world, this is no different. You need to overemphasize this as you don’t see your clients face to face.

This can be a small gesture like a handwritten thank you note or a personalized gift. Or, it could mean creating a culture of gratitude, where you look for ways to give back to your clients. One way to do this is inviting them to regular webinar sessions where you offer valuable information beyond just workouts to help them succeed.

How to Be a Successful Remote Coach

Many coaches are looking for success in a remote setting, hoping to provide a better service than others. But in a crowded market what do you actually need to be successful as a remote coach? The answer is two things—offer a quality service, and build great relationships with your clients. Thankfully, both of these skills can be learned and honed. Sign up for our free Professional Coaching Blueprint today, and learn the skills you need to become a successful remote coach.

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