When Enrollment Feels Hard
Photo: Getty Images
“It's not working. I'm following the steps to enrollment that I've always followed but they aren't working. Something's wrong.”
This has been a common theme in my conversations with coaches recently. They are actively engaged in money-generating activities (i.e., connecting, inviting, serving conversations), and yet those activities aren't producing the same type of results they have in the past.
This has led them to question themselves—which on one hand is great. Reviewing your enrollment process for the sake of learning is a way to grow, especially if you bring that review to your coach.
What's not great is when the questioning leads to doubt, panic, and judgment. Those qualities leak into your actions and create blocks in the system.
WHAT TO DO WHEN ENROLLMENT FEELS HARD
1. Monitor Your Meaning Making
Is telling yourself “it's not working” helpful?
I don't think so. Cementing that story in your mind only programs your reticular activating system to find more evidence for how your efforts aren’t working.
If you are serving someone, then the coaching is working. You are doing your job. That isn't dependent upon the number you see in your bank account.
What's not working is that you aren't getting the financial result you want right now.
Here's the thing: the external results are never up to you.
You cannot control a prospect's yes or no. You can only control how you show up and respond to the results you see.
Maybe there's an opportunity to redefine what success looks like in your coaching practice. This can help alleviate the pressure you're putting on yourself and each conversation to get money in the bank. Coming back to a relaxed place inside is the best thing you can do for your work and life.
Or, maybe it's time to change the ways you bring in money. That might look like engaging in new communities to connect with new people, creating a new offer, or getting a part-time job.
No matter what monitoring the stories you’re creating in your mind is a clear path to bring yourself relief.
2. Answer The Question: Where Does Money Come From?
If you've never considered this question, now is the time.
Often our first response is, “clients,” but that's not true. You know this if you've ever received a refund check or cash for your birthday. That money didn't come from a client.
So, where does it come from?
My answer is: Source.
(Life/God/Nature/Creation are all interchangeable here.)
The more I remind myself that I'm not doing life by myself, the easier it is to trust the unseen Intelligence. I'm talking about the energy of abundance and our access to its flow in our lives—because that is something we can connect to today.
Note: I'm not talking about the human-made inequitable systems at play that can impact one's financial situation. Those aren't things we can personally change right now. And, I'm focusing on ways you can help yourself in this moment.
3. Read The Room and Adapt Accordingly
Sometimes the “issue” is an element of our enrollment process…and, sometimes it's not.
Sometimes there are bigger shifts happening on the planet and our willingness to see and respond to those accordingly can help us help ourselves and others.
Everything in life goes through seasons of expansion and contraction. This is no different for the economy (aka money).
As much as Covid brought in its own form of contraction, it was also a time of expansion for many in the coaching profession. Prospects weren't vacationing. They had savings and suddenly more time on their hands (depending on the age of their children!). Time and money available to more freely invest in coaching and courses.
The world has since opened back up and people have full options again for where to spend their money. Many are “making up for lost time” from Covid. While at the same time, there are also higher levels of layoffs and union strikes. These combined mean that people are more considerate of where they invest their resources.
This isn't bad news. I share this not to trigger fear, but to open your awareness so that you can more easily adapt.
If you expect your enrollment to stay the same all the time you will find yourself frustrated and disappointed. Comparing what's happening now with what was happening last year will keep you stalled. The only thing that will move you forward is meeting what is and opening up your creativity.
Here's a real-world example:
My meditation teacher launched a new mastermind group in December of 2022. It was a six-month program for 24 people at a fee of $25K. She had over 800 people apply to be a part of the program and it filled within two weeks. Because of the high response rate, she anticipated the next round of the program would fill just as quickly. Six months later she opened enrollment again to a lot of interest, but no sign-ups.
Rather than collapse into a depression and crawl under a rock, she read the room and pivoted in real-time. She changed the program to a smaller amount of time and fee. It filled within a month or so after that.
Had she been caught up in judging herself or fighting to keep the program as it was prior, she wouldn't have adapted to meet the new creation that wanted to be born in the moment.
Flexibility, adaptability, and innovation are gifts that come during times of contraction.
This might mean you create a new offering or package—one that has even more value for your prospects. It might mean you go back to the basics and look at what you were doing when you started and implement those foundational steps again. It might mean you focus on expanding your community or speaking or something else.
Your creativity is one of your greatest assets. Nurturing it, listening to it, and removing the very human fears that get in the way of honoring it is the way through.
If you've been perplexed by your results of late, I hope this article provided a new perspective, relief, and inspiration.
If you want to share your experience, please do. You can email me at hello@amberkrzys.com.
Wishing you ease as you strengthen your adaptability muscle!
With loving,
Amber
