In order to succeed as a location-independent coach, there is some required software needed.

1. Calendar Apps

Before you set up a website or work on your logo, ensure you head over to TidyCal to pay a small one-time fee for your calendar link. This should be the first thing you do. Despite it being a small action, it's a big psychological gamechanger. You go from dreaming to doing. It transforms your so-so desire to coach others into a genuine business.

The ribbon has been cut. The doors are open to the front office. There's a sign saying "I'm Open For Business." It's where customers will go to book meetings, pay money, and most importantly, a reason to take you seriously. I like to use a fancy redirect domain for my calendar link.

That software is also the key to your time freedom, as clients will not dictate when sessions happen. They must work around your schedule, not the other way around. It feels refreshing for work to occur around your life and needs for a change.

To save time, set up a pre-meeting questionnaire that informs leads of the effort involved in the process of transformation. Not everyone who is interested in your offering will be a good fit, so it is best to determine that asap. The questions help to evaluate a prospect's readiness, commitment, and openness to putting in the work to change.

You simply cannot meet with everyone, as you will waste a lot of time that can devoted to better qualified leads.

Mention your prices upfront and everywhere else too. People hate when marketers hide how much they charge or dodge questions about price until the very end. Prospects will respect you more for it and folks who can't afford you will be weeded out. Clarity and transparency is the way to go, as trust closes deals fast.

To prevent no-shows, ensure automated emails and texts are sent out to prospects in timely intervals to confirm and remind them of the appointments.

If this doesn't work, experiment with charging a small refundable deposit for the discovery call, which filters out the time-wasters. Clients can have their deposits applied to the price of your package. Connecting a payment processor like PayPal or Stripe to your calendar link shouldn't be hard.

2. Squeeze Page

In "Life Lessons," I wrote about email marketing being the King of ROI. It boils down to possessing an audience with no middleman master, and having prospects that 15x more likely to buy.

To get things going in this area, you need to head over to Namecheap.com to buy a punchy domain that describes your solution. Then make your way to Carrd.com to set up a landing page for a very affordable price.

That page's sole purpose is to get visitors to sign up for your email list in exchange for a valuable lead magnet. There should not be any other distracting links taking them elsewhere. Ensure the page's messaging, images, and graphics will resonate with your ideal customer.

Don't be frugal when it comes to crafting a strong lead magnet. Prospects know cheap crap when they see it. An email is equal to money in the bank, so it must treated that way. No excuses.

You must offer something so good and precious that you charge others for it. It must be an offer so irresistible, people will think you're crazy to give away, and visitors would feel feel stupid saying no to.

For example, I give away the audio version of every book in this series with promo codes to those who agree to receive my emails. Since I won't get as many customers who would've bought my books on Audible, I am losing out on royalties. But emails are worth far more.

If I impress listeners enough with my knowledge, they may feel compelled to return the favor by reading my emails and later buy coaching, courses, merch, etc. from me. Moreover, when folks are given a test drive of the car, they're more likely to buy. Don't skimp on the lead magnet.

Another great lead magnet is an educational email course where you leak out valuable information to inboxes on a daily basis. So many marketers are switching to EEOs because they train your audience to look for your emails with anticipation. Ensure your emails contain edutaining stories.

Your EEO must include your entire methodology and philosophy. No secrets. Don't hold anything back. You may wonder why would any email subscriber buy if you do this. Freebie seekers don't become clients. The do-it-yourselfer is not your ideal customer.

After a visitor opts in, send them to a bridge page, promoting the lead magnet with long-form copy. Since you have their attention, exploit this. Don't upsell. This pisses people off because they haven't even tried your free stuff yet.

The bridge or sales page should resell, reinforce, and validate what they requested. This ensures they see the lead magnet for the worthwhile product it is and increases the likelihood they will read, watch, or listen to it. We are striving to foster a strong relationship with hundreds, if not thousands, of fans. Let's start on the right foot.

The page should contain a thank you message. If they have questions about the material or run into any issues, inform them you are available to help by listing your contact information. Including a video of yourself expressing gratitude and talking up the lead magnet is a nice touch.

When it comes to both pages, follow proper copywriting principles. Here are a few pointers:

-Spell out the problem in such great detail, it feels like you're reading the prospect's mind. They'll feel like you know them, so they will be more interested in your solution.

-Describe the solution as close to a magic wand as you can, which enhances value.

-Use strong, bold headlines, as they get the most attention.

-Write bullet points that elicit curiosity and intrigue.

3. Email Service Provider

To send out emails to massive audience efficiently and automatically, while staying compliant, you need to pay for a great ESP.

There are many to choose from, but the top recommendation for creators is ConvertKit. Start with a free account and upgrade later to a paid plan.

After being frustrated with ESPs, Nathan Barry founded the user-friendly brand so content creators could finally have an ESP designed for their needs. The customer support, training, tagging, automation, deliverability, cross-promotional, design, and monetization tools offered is top-notch.

ConvertKit enables you to categorize subscribers based on purchases, downloads, and other several other metrics, ensuring deep customization, segmentation, and personalization. Each email must feel like 1-to-1 chat, not a mass, generic blast. It's #1 for a reason.

4. Videoconferencing App

Almost 75% of coaches offer their services remotely and virtual sessions make up 56% of all coaching revenue. Virtual delivery dominates the modern coaching landscape due to ubiquitous internet access and consumers' desire for convenience. Well over 70% of customers prefer online sessions. The demand for remote coaching is growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 10%.

When it comes to ranking the best videoconferencing platforms, Zoom is the gold standard because they offer dependable connection, breakout rooms for group coaching, and AI-generated transcripts. Start with a free plan and then upgrade.

Another good one is Google Meet, which offers zero-installation, no downloads, and instant calendar integration. However, it doesn't have all the advanced, built-in coaching tools of Zoom. Start with a free plan and then upgrade.

Profi is best for scaling an established or multi-coach brand. They offer client portals, session scheduling, and payment processing along with video calls. There is no free plan.

If you wish to reduce the number of apps you use, consider these comprehensive, all-in-one options like CoachAccountable or Nudge Coach.