Have you reached that unavoidable moment in the journey of every Coach when it's time to getting clear on precisely what it is that you'll offer your clients, in the form of your Packages? Or are you looking to improve what you offer to attract more Clients and to reflect more closely what it is that you offer? Package creation or overhaul can seem an impossibly daunting task. At least once a fortnight I receive emails or phone calls just like this one:

"Help! I'm in a complete fog with this. I'm confused. I don't know where to go with these packages; I've got to have them. I've got to have them on my website. I've got to have them in my marketing material. I've got to have them in order to sell, and it's a crucial cornerstone to my business. Please take a look at my packages and let me know what you think."

If this is you, then read on for essential, practical advice and ideas on putting together irresistible packages that make you the obvious choice as a Coach for your ideal clients. Defining Packages that deliver outstanding value benefits you in the following ways:

• Attracts (more) clients
• Generates Income
• Raises your Credibility
• Assists you to Clarify Your Voice
• Positions you as an Outstanding Coach

Your packages are a very selective window into who you are and what you do however ...

The first secret to Successful Package Creation is that your packages and, indeed, your whole focus must be benefit and solution driven. And those solutions and benefits must be delivered in multiple ways that are an absolute message to market match, and give enormous perceived value.

Top Marketers such as Eban Pagan and Joe Polish reflect that it is essential to meticulously study the needs, thoughts, feelings, language and hidden dreams and desires of their prospects. Then much time effort and energy is spent finding ways to prove that what they have to offer has value where Where value is understood to mean: "An amount, as of goods, services, or money, considered to be a fair and suitable equivalent for something else; a fair price or return."

Once a level of value has been established, marketers hone the art and craft of explaining that value to their ideal audience in such a way that the essence of the opportunity or solution becomes an obvious choice.

Your start point is knowing who your ideal client would be and then identifying in detail the needs of the customer. If you stepped into the skin of the person you are intending to coach, what are the biggest problems and issues that they face? Now, see yourself as the Solution! See yourself and your packages as the Opportunity for the client to resolve those issues and more.

The way you construct your packages, and then presented those to your clients must meet these criteria:

• Address an urgent need
• Be provided in a range of tangible and intangible ways, appropriate to your client.
• Engage
• Educate
• Entertain
• Make an Offer that Surpasses the client's needs
• Give Choice.

You must offer choice so that it is not a question of whether the client choosest o work with you or not, but which package is best! : a lower priced option, a midrange and a "bells and whistles" package for a high end price. Here are the Logistical considerations that you'll need to take:

Bonuses

In order to stay in the forefront of your prospects mind and to give the very best value and education, include a range of Bonuses in your packages. It may seem counter intuitive to give away your best information, however it has been proven that people often take a package for the bonus. Give, give, give.

I know this to be true, as one of the bonuses of my six-month package is that I create a radio style interview or a product on cd for my clients. As a living business card or instant product is something that many Coaches find attractive, that bonus valued at $495, often sells the package. When you offer a bonus, note that you must be up front about the monetary value of the bonus. The same is so, of discounts. If you are going to discount, be clear about the amount saved.

Remember that people learn in different ways, with different dominant representational systems. Structure you packages so that your bonuses meet the spectrum of learning styles. For auditory learners, for eg: cd's teleclasses; visual learners for eg: books, power-point presentations, audio digital learners for eg: reports, check lists and work books.

Consider what you could most generously add into your packages and then add more.

What Bonuses & Additional Trainings are you going to provide as part of your packages? Here are some ideas:

• check lists
• worksheets
• cd's
• work books
• e-reports
• e-books (note: the ebooks you gift don't have to be your own. Authors give permission for their ebooks to be distributed. Sharon Pearson has done a great one on goal setting, for example, that she gives permission to distribute)
• membership
• dvd's of trainings
• transcripts
• movie tickets
• books
• teleclasses
• webinars
• seminars

(note: the e-books you gift don't have to be your own. Authors give permission for their e- books to be distributed. Sharon Pearson has done a great one on goal setting, for example, that she gives permission to distribute)

Hot Tip: Your bonuses and additional trainings must be so attractive to your prospects that they would sign up just because of the bonus(es)! Be ultra generous it will serve you well. I know a coach who gives a computer with his top package! Generosity is key.

Your packages will need to be presented in an attractive and appropriate way. Consider the metaphor that you might use to describe, conceptually what you offer. (Such as Find the Gold in You, or the Use of Theatre Imagery, or Pioneering)

There are decisions to be made about format, style, content, and the way you Language your offers.

Are you going to produce a table of value, a glossy brochure or a flier?

How are you going to represent your packages on the web? Your style mustbe congruent across your whole brand.

Risk Free Money Back Guarantees assist clients to reassure clients and deal with resistance to signing.

In summary:

Once you have determined who your ideal client is and what their greatest needs are, be utterly generous with the value you bring. Think in terms of giving on and offline, tangible and intangible solutions to your clients that are above and beyond coaching sessions with you. The bonuses may be in addition to time with you – (or they may even replace time with you! (In the case of tele-seminars, group coaching and online trainings, for example). Make sure that you offer at least 3 choices of package. Be generous!

Your packages and all of the fantastic added value inclusions must fit into the overall design of your business model and be aligned with your vision.

Finally, have fun exploring the diverse combinations of products and services you can include to make your packages must-have!