There’s a persistent myth amongst our professional community that sales conversations are uncomfortable, pushy affairs in which you convince reluctant prospects to work with you. This myth exists because most coaches approach client acquisition backwards.
Coach training teaches us to give away coaching for free to demonstrate its value. The premise is that people can’t understand the benefit of coaching until they experience it. We’re encourage not to reveal our fee until the client has had this wonderful experience. This approach creates the exact scenario coaches dread – ambushing potential clients with unexpected prices after delivering free value.
Let me tell you a secret – if you market well, you never need to give away coaching for free as a client acquisition tool, or have an uncomfortable conversation around pricing ever again.
Why Discovery Calls Aren’t The Best Tool For Client Acquisition
Many (most?) coaches, particularly new coaches, rely on discovery calls – free coaching sessions designed to demonstrate value. The potential client has no idea what they’re there for, no understanding of costs, and no clear picture of what the coach actually offers.
This sets up an uncomfortable dynamic. The coach delivers free coaching, then reveals pricing at the end. The potential client often feels ambushed with an unexpectedly high price. The coach battles I’m too expensive! mind monkeys and worries about seeming pushy.
Even when discovery calls do generate clients, coaches often lose control of pricing because they’ve given value first and revealed cost after. The power imbalance means clients feel entitled to set rates based on their own price expectations.
Most people say thank you and don’t engage the coach – those who do often negotiate down from the coach’s preferred rates.
What Proper Marketing Creates
When marketing works effectively, the person booking a call already knows what you do, for whom, how much it costs, and what your coaching packages include. They’re not there to be convinced – they’re there to confirm you’re the person they hope you are.
This fundamental shift changes everything.
Instead of trying to demonstrate value through free coaching, your marketing has already created understanding through clear messaging. Instead of surprising people with prices, they’ve seen your prices set out clearly on LinkedIn and on your website (if you have one), they also received your rate card before the call and they chose to proceed with the call.
Where Chemistry Matters
When someone receives your pricing information and still shows up for a conversation, their presence tells you they’re comfortable with your rates and ready to invest. They’re not there for free coaching – they’re there for a genuine chemistry check.
They want to verify your authenticity (one of two essential ingredients for effective coaching marketing, alongside ethics) and discuss how the problem you address shows up specifically for them.
This creates a natural, consultative conversation between two people exploring whether they’re a good fit to work together – which is a happy, comfortable outcome.
Transparency Is Ethical
Coaching Revolution coaches are completely transparent about pricing, and so anyone put off by rates won’t book a call. We send pricing details by email to everyone who books into our diary. We don’t ambush people with a price, nor do we hide it for our own protection. If they’re uncomfortable with the investment, they’ll cancel.
When this happens initially, it can feel disappointing, but the truth is that person wouldn’t have become a client anyway – you’re saving everyone’s time. When your diary is full, you’ll be glad not to be wasting your time.
The people who keep the appointment with you after seeing your rates are there because they’re genuinely interested in working with you at your stated prices.
The Ethical Framework
This approach aligns with ethical marketing principles designed explicitly for client acquisition, not coaching delivery. I often have conversations with coaches who are confused about applying ICF coaching ethics to their marketing, worrying about being unethical if they’re invested in gaining clients.
Here’s the thing – non-attachment to outcomes works for coaching delivery, not business development. The ethics of our coaching delivery cannot apply to our client acquisition, how could it when we are very invested in the outcome of a sales conversation?
When coaches understand this distinction, they can approach client acquisition confidently, because they know they’re building something sustainable rather than compromising their integrity.
What the Conversation Actually Looks Like
When marketing works properly, sales conversations become straightforward professional discussions. There’s no need for horrible, sickening, pushy tactics because the persuasion part of the client acquisition process happened in your marketing content over weeks or months.
The structure of a sales call is simple:
- Greet them and explain the conversation structure
- Ask about their specific challenges and how they’re affecting their life
- Listen carefully (you’re already good at this part)
- Confirm this is a significant problem they want solved
- Briefly describe what working with you looks like
- Mention the relevant package and investment
- Ask what they’d like to happen next
No tricks, no pressure, no uncomfortable sales techniques. Just two individuals having a conversation about working together.
The Real Transformation
The most significant change isn’t in the conversation itself – it’s in your entire client acquisition process. When you do this work properly, everything becomes different, from how you show up online, what you write about, how you present your services, to how you think about potential clients.
The people you end up speaking with are ready to work with you. There’s no persuasion or uncomfortable selling involved because that work happened in your marketing.
This is what ethical, effective client acquisition actually looks like – transparent, authentic, and comfortable for everyone involved. The sales conversation becomes the natural conclusion of a marketing process that’s already done the heavy lifting.
When you stop trying to convince people and start attracting those who are already convinced, everything changes – including how those final conversations feel.
An Opportunity
If you’d like the opportunity for a robust conversation about this, why not join my free challenge, Nail Your Niche? There’s even an option to upgrade to a VIP version, which gives you 3 x 60-minute group mentoring sessions with me for just £99 (inc VAT).
If you’re ready to challenge your thinking about the reality of client acquisition for coaches, register for the challenge by clicking here.
Recent Comments