Discover Your Coaching Niche

There are a number of widespread and damaging myths circulating about getting coaching clients.  These have been repeated so many times that new coaches believe they must be true. 

In truth, there are many effective ways for you as a coach to get clients.  But the first step is understanding what doesn’t work and why. If you were only to avoid sabotaging yourself by not adopting these myths, you would already be ahead of many, many coaches.  So read on, and discover the top seven myths about getting coaching clients.

1. They’ll Find You

Myth one is that if you’re a good coach, clients will find you.

This is the “If you build it, they will come” idea – the one memorably proposed by Kevin Costner’s character in the film Field of Dreams.  It’s rubbish. 

If prospects don’t know about you, they cannot possibly get in touch to ask you to coach them.  You’re as likely to get clients “just because you’re good” as you are to find a black cat in a coal-hole at midnight.  On a moon-less night and with a blindfold on.

2. Free Taster Sessions

Myth two is widespread, and it is if you give away free coaching sessions, those prospects will convert to clients.

Ask experienced coaches who have used this strategy how effective it is.  The fact is people take the free session, and you don’t see them again.  That’s if they turn up in the first place.

This is a case of the prospect valuing your service at the price they paid – zero.  Value yourself – don’t give away your services!

3. Advertise

Myth three – if you advertise you’ll get business.

No you won’t.  The only sure thing about advertising is that it will cost you money.  Professional services like coaching are not really amenable to advertising.  Coaching is not like plumbing, where a Yellow Pages advert is a good investment.  Coaching is not an “emergency buy”.
 
Similarly for radio, (and heaven forbid) TV advertising, billboards and notices in newsagents.  These media are very unlikely to target the kind of market you’re after.  The only time advertising will work for you is when it’s highly targeted on a narrow niche.

Myths 4-7 will follow in subsequent postings.

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