As more and more coaches diversify their coaching business with a variety of products and services, many are questioning the value of offering complimentary coaching sessions. Although these 30- to 45-minute free sessions allow the coach to build rapport with the prospect, the cost of enrollment is quite high - especially if the prospect decides not to sign up for one of your coaching packages or doesn't show up for the session at all.

How can a coach lower his or her enrollment costs and still attract the client of their dreams? Here are four surefire ways to stop offering complimentary sessions and instead, use the power of audio to convey your coaching style.

1. Launch a podcast. Podcasting is ideal as you decide on the format and frequency and your listeners can listen to it whenever and wherever they want. If a prospect contacts you about a complimentary session, you can direct them to your podcast so they can understand your coaching style and be edutained at the same time.

2. Offer a free teleclass. You select a topic that your target audience will be interested in, then offer this teleclass for free each month. You can speak to many more people in one hour using a teleclass than you ever could through a one-to-one complimentary session. Use the first 30-minutes to offer insightful information, then use the remaining 30-minutes to help a few participants through a specific issue. Don't forget to ask those on the call to hire you as their coach.

3. Offer an audio sample from one of your coaching sessions. Ask permission from one of your clients to record a session, then offer a small sample of that session on your website. Choose the part where there is a significant breakthrough. Prospects can then listen to the audio to get a sense of your style. Ensure that the audio you put on your website isn't more than 5-minutes.

4. Create a businesscard-sized CD. Instead of handing out paper-based business cards at networking events, hand people a CD-Rom in the shape of a business card. You can include a personal message from you, or better yet, you can include a recording of a breakthrough moment with one of your clients. Then, you can end the CD with a personal message saying you can produce these same results for people in your target market. That way, when the prospect calls you, they're ready to sign up for your services.

Trading your time for money is an outdated way to build your coaching practice. Instead of holding complimentary sessions that don't translate prospects into dollars 100% of the time, use the power of audio to build rapport with prospects and to create a profitable coaching business.

(c) 2005 Leesa R. Barnes. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Leesa Barnes

An Internet maverick with a solid technology background, Leesa Barnes helps businesses use podcasting to drive search engine traffic to their website and build profitable relationships with their customers.

She is co-author of Jump Start Your Podcast and she comments on podcast optimization techniques in her blog and podcast called Podonomics.

Leesa spent the last 12-years in the Information Technology field, most recently at Sun Microsystems. With tech-savvy and street smarts working in her favor, Leesa quickly mastered the secret to quick, effective marketing on the Web and used this information to launch Savia Lane, her most successful web venture to date.

Through Savia Lane, Leesa has afforded women entrepreneurs the resources, confidence and technological tools needed to take their expertise into the Web arena and start making money on their own terms.

Leesa is a podcaster, speaker and author and in her spare time, she officiates basketball games, watches Battlestar Galactica and plays with new technology gadgets. Her favourite season of the year is winter because of her 9-year obsession with skiing.