As coaches, our primary skill set revolves around our ability to support others to achieve their full potential. We are experts at inspiring change, fostering growth, and delivering impactful support. But to build a thriving coaching business, there’s another crucial skill set we must embrace: marketing. In fact, the most effective way to achieve a thriving coaching business is to make learning effective marketing skills our priority.
It’s not enough to be an excellent coach because no one really knows what coaching is – or they think they do and they’re wrong – so trying to sell coaching is futile and very frustrating! Its essential therefore that we coaches are also effective marketers.
Why Bother?!
Why should we bother with marketing, I hear you ask? Well, if we can’t attract and engage clients, we can’t make a difference in their lives. It doesn’t matter how awesome our coaching skills are if we don’t have anyone to coach (ouch, right?). That’s where marketing steps in. By focusing on improving our marketing skills, we can reach more people and help them understand why they need coaching. That in turn means that we can make a bigger impact, and ultimately, we get to build a more successful business.
Marketing isn’t about selling a product; it’s about communicating value. As coaches, our ‘product’ is our coaching skills and most importantly the life-changing transformations we can support our clients through. When we prioritise learning effective marketing skills, we learn how to communicate the value we provide in a way that resonates with potential clients.
“You’re Talking About Me!”
Good marketing is about translating the outcomes of our coaching into a compelling message that speaks directly to our audiences. Let me be specific here. We learn how to communicate the value we provide in a way that helps potential clients recognise themselves in what we say. This means that rather than trying to describe what coaching is to uninterested parties, potential clients come to us to say ‘I read what you wrote and you’re talking about me!’. Good marketing is simply talking to a group of people we care about, about something that really matters to them.
Unfortunately, many coaches shy away from marketing because they see it as ‘salesy’ or inauthentic. Effective marketing is about as far from this as it’s possible to be. Good marketing is all about authenticity, connection, and communication. It’s about showcasing who we are and the transformation we facilitate for our clients. It’s not about convincing someone to buy something they don’t need; it’s about presenting a solution to someone who really needs it.
The Sad Truth…
The sad truth is that if we don’t prioritise marketing skills, we’ll never attract the clients necessary for our success. Without effective marketing, we limit our reach, our influence and our income. No matter how powerful your coaching skills are, they won’t translate into a thriving business if people don’t know about you. You can’t build a coaching business if you’re a ‘best kept secret’. An inability to attract clients will prevent you from building a sustainable and profitable coaching practice.
Understanding and implementing marketing strategies are also crucial for positioning yourself as a go-to coach with your audience. To stand out in a crowded market, we must differentiate ourselves. This differentiation comes from effectively marketing our unique value propositions. This means helping our potential clients understand that we are the perfect fit for them and can absolutely help them reach the goals/outcomes that they want in life.
In Conclusion…
To build a thriving coaching business, coaches must prioritise learning effective marketing skills. It’s not enough to be a fantastic coach; we must also be fantastic marketers.
By taking responsibility for growing our coaching business and learning how to market comfortably and effectively, we can not only build a sustainable and profitable business but also extend our reach and make a bigger impact. Remember, the value we provide as coaches is enormous. To unlock that potential value and the potential of our businesses, we must learn to communicate that value effectively through our marketing efforts.
Should we talk? This is my diary.
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