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I had a great conversation with Sports Success Consultant Jonathan Griffin this week, after he contacted me and asked to take me up on my free 30m telephone consultation call offer.

Before Jonathan saw me speak at the recent Coaches and Consultants Superconference, he was pretty-well confused about web sites. He wasn't sure what his website should look like, nor more importantly how to get one created without spending thousands and thousands with predatory web design companies…

After watching my presentation about just how straightforward it can be to set up a proper-looking, 'normal' website using inexpensive easy-to-use blogging software like Wordpress, he immediately took action. Within a few days he'd registered his own domain – www.jonathangriffin.co.uk – got his own low-cost hosting account, installed a copy of Wordpress and instantly his website was live!

Although Wordpress is designed primarily as blogging software, its also immensely flexible and can easily be used as a 'content management system' i.e. a means to create and edit basic pages on your website. For example, I used Wordpress to create a website for a local Osteopath client of mine, even though it doesn't have a blog at all. But now at least the Clinic owner and all the practitioners can edit and update their pages themselves without having to pay the web designer they had to previously.

During our call, I was able to give Jon some further pointers about where to find the best Wordpress themes, what some of the key plugins are you need to allow you to track your website visitor statistics, easily embed videos onto your pages, and ensure that all your pages are naturally optimized to rank well in Google search engines.

We also discussed the vital importance of building an email list via an opt-in page and again, I gave Jon some useful resources to use to kick-start his new coaching business.

So, if you're a coach or consultant who currently either don't have a website at all, or have one that your not happy with and would like to change or at least take control of, then you too need to contact me and request a *free* 30m telephone consultation.

Because my time is limited, however, so are the number of spots available, and these will be filled strictly on a first-come first-serve basis. So, don't delay, and I look forward to also getting you 'unstuck' with your website soon.

On Sunday I had the opportunity to talk to a group of about 40 Coaches at the Coaching and Consultants Superconference in London.

Although it was the first time I'd spoken in public to such a group, the subject of my presentation was one that has long been dear to my heart. That is… helping coaches and small business owners (or 'solopreneurs' as they say stateside) to create websites that are simple-to-use, yet immensely powerful business marketing machines.

I started the presentation by asking the audience where they were at currently in using the web. Although it wasn't a surprise, I was still amazed that about 40% of the audience admitted that they still didn't have any kind of website at all. As a service provider in today's economy, how much longer do you think you can survive without at least some kind of professional-looking brochure website?

I asked the audience to contribute some of the greatest problems and pains they're currently experiencing with their websites. There was no shortage of suggestions and they covered the full spectrum including:

• How to get traffic
• How to easily edit their website and therefore feel in control
• How to use email marketing effectively
• How to create squeeze pages that will help build targeted lists of followers
• How to easily add audio and video files to a website

and more besides…

I then started to tell my story of being a naive new business-owner some three years ago, in partnership with my wife, and how we made bad decision after bad decision, wasting thousands of pounds on a website that became out-of-date in a few months and had to be written-off completely.

Fortunately, I subsequently discovered the power, ease-of-use and flexibility of blogs, and Wordpress in particular, from which point I never looked back. Soon I had the full functionality of a multi-page 'company brochure'-type website.

Our new site not only reflected the professional nature of our business – an Italian delicatessen in Bath – but my wife and I soon discovered the marketing muscle you will develop by regularly publishing high-quality articles to your very own blog.

My wife Licia's story is an amazing one. In short, thanks to the recipes, stories and photos that she'd published on our blog/website, she was invited to be a guest-expert by the top UK national food magazine 'Olive'.

Not long after she was invited to appear on a high-profile National UK TV show called 'Cooking The Books'. On this TV Show Licia was the 'expert' who had to judge the winner out of the two celebrity chefs that were competing to create the best dish during the program!

The point here is this. That if you publish quality information to a blog about your subject of expertise – whatever that may be – then you will…

• Build a following of people who interested in and like you.
• Become a recognized expert inyour niche – similar to being a published author.
• Increase your core knowledge and expertise thanks to the reflections you are making on your work in public. You will also become better at explaining and teaching these concepts to other people.

All three happened to my wife, but are also entirely relevant if you are a coach or consultant wanting to become better-known and achieve greater authority in your niche. And if you don't have a niche, well, that's the place to start…

In addition to creating easy-to edit brochure websites and the power of blogging, I went on to discuss putting audio and video on your website, creating squeeze pages, writing sales letters and how email marketing is one of the most important tools you need to drive traffic to your website and build your audience of loyal followers.

There was even time for a public demonstration of my new product – the Coaches Squeeze Page Creator…

Look out soon for a forthcoming free report based on this presentation that will detail the "7 Killer Website
Strategies To Kick-Start Your Coaching Business In 60 Days Or Less!"

If you're a coach or therapist with an already established, successful business, then you've probably already asked yourself this question whenever you hear the word 'website'.

Let's face it, if you've already got more clients or patients than you have time for, what possible reason could there be for adding more work and expense to your already busy schedule?

Are you already successful in attracting new bookings? Does word-of-mouth from your existing clients bring you plenty of new referrals? Perhaps you have an effective strategy for leafleting local homes or businesses, and that brings you enough new business as it is?

I recently listened to a podcast interview between Yaro Starak and Leigh Peel about Leigh's successful 'Fat Loss Troubleshooter' blog.  Despite (or I would suggest perhaps thanks to) Leigh's busy schedule as a personal trainer during the day, she has also built up an even more successful blog and internet business, including her popular ebook on weight loss and dieting.

There are many lessons to learn from Leigh's experience about how to grow a successful blog and web business in addition to a successful 'day job', which I won't go into here, but you can listen to the interview and read the transcript at Yaro's blog.

So, if you're already a successful coach of therapist, with a busy day-to-day working life, then I've written this post just for you.

6 Reasons Why Successful Coaches or Therapists Should Have Their Own Websites

1. Its easier to be successful online if you're already successful offline

This should be obvious but is worth emphasizing. If you already have clients, patients and a network of contacts and influencers who help refer new business to you, then a website will only make it quicker and more convenient for people to get in touch with you. A website will allow you to communicate with people collectively rather than purely on a 1:1 basis or via small groups.

2. You've already got lots of useful knowledge and advice to tap into

You've already proven that you have valuable expertise and knowledge. Yes, despite what you might think that is absolutely true. If it wasn't true, would you have any clients at all? In Leigh's case, she is able to publish useful tips and advice to her entire web audience in one go, rather than just repeating the same thing to people individually face-to-face.

3. You've got a ready-made audience from your existing clients and contact network

If you already have clients and patients, then its easy to mention your new website when you see them. A simple "I've started a new website with lots of special tips and advice,  feel free to go and check it out at …." will instantly start to build your audience. And if your content is as good online as it is offline, then your audience is only likely to build up and up.

4. Your perceived authority and expertise will only increase

If you haven't yet published your own book, then a website – and especially a blog – is almost as good. People who write books are perceived as experts, period. So, if you have a blog for the whole world to come and read, with lots of useful content, then in some ways that is even better than being a published author.

Why? Because unless your book is free not everyone will buy it, and of even those who buy the book, only a minority will read it. With a free website however, its much easier for people to consume your content as its free and in bite-size chunks. If they like what they read, they'll devour the rest of your information and will return for more as soon as you have some. Therefore, the more people that read your content on your website, the higher you will be perceived as an expert in your field.

5. You can replace manual labour with automated systems for generating new and repeat bookings.

This is probably the most important reason for having a website if you are already in a successful business. The chances are that your business works thanks to lots of manual processes e.g. answering the phone, making bookings, answering queries about pricing etc, perhaps even chasing payments. Well, if so, then a website can start to automate as many of these processes as you wish.

To start with,  it certainly should capture people's details via an enquiry form. It can automatically send out a reply to that person immediately thanking them for their enquiry. Your website could also offer a page of information in the form of 'frequently asked questions', thereby reducing the number of phone calls with the same questions time after time. Finally, you can even make special offers to people and take orders at the same time. Are you offering a special course of treatments, or a new seminar on a hot topic of likely interest to your existing customers?

6. Google is the new Yellow Pages.

Its a fact that more and more people, especially when they are looking for local services, are turning to Google before going anywhere near the Yellow Pages or other offline directories. So, if you are ranked highly for the following search term 'physical trainer + the name of your town", your details will be the first that they see. no longer do you have to change your business name to be 'AAAA_Your_Name' just to get first in the Directoty listings!

Instead, people will potentially be seeing your name first in the list! And providing your website is of a suitable professional standard, how positive a first impression do you think you'll make? Chances are they'll be contacting you straight away, either by phone or perhaps more likely, that very convenient, simple contact form on your web site. Indeed, they're also likely to sign-up for your e-newsletter or blog at the same time…