Occasionally I get really irritated by stuff I read. Sometimes, I get so irritated by it that it leads to my creating articles, posts and videos to talk about my irritation. Be Authentic they say! What does that even mean?
This is one of those articles. The posts and video have already been released into the world and I’m still irritated. Please bear with me dear reader, while I get this off my chest.
A Murky Industry
The industry in which The Coaching Revolution operates is murky. There are some utter charlatans out there. Organisations selling material that tell you they’re actually selling a turnkey solution to your marketing problems; online gurus who tell you that they’re your answer to your prayers; the list is long. I speak to dozens of people who have been bitten by these charlatans, so I hear the horror stories.
We have succeeded in becoming a beacon of integrity in this industry, I’m proud to say.
Murky Messaging
Every now and again I come across some ‘advice’ that this murky kind of charlatan offers to coaches. This morning, I read a whole post about the importance of being authentic in your marketing. There was no specific, pragmatic, actionable advice in this post, simply a word salad of ‘coach-attracting’ language; authentic, true-self, heart-centred, honest-to-goodness. Words like that.
The comments under this post were legion. Coaches falling all over themselves to say that they were authentic in their marketing messages, that they were the epitome of heart-centred. That they build rapport with their yet-to-be-engaged clients by telling their authentic story, from the heart. Coaches who find the idea of marketing their coaching or – God forbid – selling coaching are eager to hear that all it takes to build a coaching business is a bit of old-fashion authenticity.
It’s Not About You!
I feel like a stuck record.
The Coaching Revolution’s simple marketing process has proved itself over and over again. We see constant and clear evidence that what we teach works, and so I am speaking with authority here.
Effective marketing is not about you! The focus should not be about your authenticity, or your story, or even your multiple qualifications (yes, qualifications are vital; no, your clients don’t care about them).
The ability to attract clients isn’t based upon your demonstrations of personal authenticity. Obviously, your personal authenticity is absolutely vital to your role as a coach and I always assume its presence. However, ‘your role as a coach’ is referring to the delivery side of your business and not the marketing (client attraction) side.
Your ability to attract clients depends upon your ability to articulate – in crystal clear language – the benefit to your potential client of working with you. Specifically, what outcomes your client can expect from working with you.
Remember, there is only one star of your marketing strategy – and it’s not you! Stop trying to convince people of your authenticity, talk in simple and clear language and tell them what they can reasonably expect from being your client. It’s that simple.
Should we talk? Here is my diary