Ever wondered why those killer self-promotion skills that got you promoted in corporate just aren't working for your coaching business? Sarah breaks down the fundamental difference between marketing yourself as an employee versus marketing your coaching services to clients.

Spoiler alert: they're complete opposites!

Key Takeaways

The Visibility Trap

You know those colleagues who effortlessly climb the corporate ladder? They've mastered the art of staying visible and making their contributions known. While this skill is gold in the workplace, it's actually counterproductive when building a coaching practice.

The Weighing Scales Metaphor

Think of your coaching business like old-fashioned weighing scales:

One side: All your delivery skills (coaching qualifications, certifications, NLP training, personality profiling tools, etc.)

Other side: Your client acquisition skills (problem articulation, solution communication, visibility in the right places)

The catch? These two sides are complete opposites and equally important for success.

The Outcome-Focused Shift

Instead of showcasing how qualified you are, successful coach marketing focuses on:

• The specific problems your coaching solves
• The outcomes clients can expect
• How working with you transforms their situation

Ditch the Coach Speak

Terms like "holding space" and "thinking partner" mean nothing to potential clients. Your marketing needs to speak their language, not coach language.

The "Aha!" Moment

Most coaches struggle with marketing because they're trying to use employee mindset skills in an entrepreneurial context. The skills that made you promotable won't make you profitable as a coach.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

• What specific problem do I solve for my clients?
• How can I describe the outcome of working with me without using coaching jargon?
• Where does my ideal client spend their time, and am I visible there?
• Am I talking about my qualifications or my client's transformation?

The Bottom Line

Your coaching qualifications prove you can do the work, but your marketing skills determine whether you'll get the chance to. Master both sides of the scale, and you'll have a thriving coaching business.

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Are you busy with your coaching business but not seeing clients? You're not alone. Most coaches mistake activity for progress, spending time on tasks that feel productive but don't actually generate clients.

The Reality Check: Posting generic content about coaching, endlessly tweaking your website, and networking with other coaches isn't marketing—it's passive activity disguised as strategy.

Why Most Coaches Struggle with Client Acquisition

The biggest barrier isn't tactical—it's psychological. Success in client acquisition starts with accepting two uncomfortable truths:

• What you're currently doing isn't working
• You don't know how to fix it (yet)

This takes courage, especially for successful professionals who assume business development should come naturally.

The Coaching Culture Problem

The coaching industry has created some damaging myths:

• "Good coaching sells itself"
• "Marketing is sleazy"
• "If you were good enough, clients would just come"
• "Focus means missing opportunities"

The Bogeyman Myth: The idea that terrible coaches with great marketing are stealing your clients. Sarah's been looking for these mythical figures for eight years—they don't exist.

What Active Client Acquisition Actually Looks Like

A real client acquisition process is focused, strategic, and repeatable. It includes:

The Marketing Foundation:

• Choosing a viable, credible audience
• Developing a detailed ideal client avatar (ICA)
• Identifying real, urgent problems your audience faces
• Creating messaging that demonstrates both authority and empathy
• Consistently publishing targeted content

The Niche Nightmare (And Why It's Worth It)

Narrowing your focus feels like closing doors, but it's actually opening the right one. More reach doesn't equal more clients—it equals less clarity. When you focus, you give people a door they can recognise and walk through.

The Bottom Line

Client acquisition doesn't just happen—you build it slowly, consistently, and strategically. Without a process to generate clients, you don't have a business. You have a hobby.

Once you accept that client acquisition is a learnable skill, everything changes. You stop guessing, stop chasing, and start attracting the right people with the right message.

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Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start building your coaching business? You're not alone. In this episode, Sarah explores why waiting for the perfect plan keeps coaches paralysed and how small, consistent action creates the momentum and clarity you're seeking.

Key Topics Covered:

Why "perfect planning" is actually holding you back - and what successful coaches do instead.

The truth about getting started - spoiler alert: nobody feels ready at first.

How to figure out what steps to take when everything feels overwhelming.

A simple way to build momentum without having it all figured out.

A Featured Solution from The Coaching Revolution:

£99 Monthly MembershipA nurturing, affordable space designed for coaches taking their first steps, featuring:

• Real client acquisition strategies without gimmicks
• Clear answers to marketing questions
• Confidence-building through small, directionally correct steps
• Community support from fellow coaches
• Structure and encouragement without pressure to have everything figured out

Perfect for working with Sarah's team without committing to a full program yet.

Key Takeaway

You don't need everything perfectly lined up—you just need the right direction and willingness to take the next small step. You're closer than you think.

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The coaching industry has a dirty secret: 80% of trained coaches can't make a sustainable living. In this episode, Sarah exposes the seductive lie that's keeping thousands of talented coaches broke and disillusioned.

The Problem:

• Traditional coach training ends at certification, leaving coaches to "fend for themselves"
• The myth that "good coaching sells itself" has created a structural flaw in the industry
• AI coaching will further reduce opportunities for associate coaches working below market rates

The Solution:

• Treat coaching as a profession, not a spiritual calling
• Master client acquisition as a core competency, not an optional add-on
• Embrace ethical marketing as a public service that connects coaches with those who need help

What The Coaching Revolution Rejects

• The belief that marketing "sullies" the coaching work
• Training models that abandon coaches after certification
• The gaslighting that struggling coaches just have "mindset issues"

A new infrastructure focused on outcomes over ideology, where graduates:

• Build viable businesses with professional rates
• Create real impact on their own terms
• Master visibility, integrity, and commercial skills

What The Coaching Revolution Rejects

• The belief that marketing "sullies" the coaching work
• Training models that abandon coaches after certification
• The gaslighting that struggling coaches just have "mindset issues"
• 
  

What They're Building Instead

A new infrastructure focused on outcomes over ideology, where graduates:

• Build viable businesses with professional rates
• Create real impact on their own terms
• Master visibility, integrity, and commercial skills

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In this episode, Sarah explores why so many coaches still believe marketing has to be "grubby, grabby, and pushy" – and why they're completely wrong. In this eye-opening episode, discover the secret behind truly effective marketing and why the best examples are hiding in plain sight.

The Invisible Marketing PhenomenonThe most effective marketing is invisible to everyone except its intended audience. While coaches complain about "shouty" marketing tactics, they're missing the dozens of quiet success stories happening right under their noses.

• Effective marketing is laser-focused on specific target audiences
• If you're not the target, you literally don't see it
• Most successful coaches aren't marketing to other coaches
• This creates a blind spot that perpetuates marketing myths

Real Success Stories Featured

Amy Wilkinson - Food Industry Specialist

• Started struggling to market her coaching business
• Now targets women in the food industry specifically
• Built an award-winning podcast and a consistent LinkedIn presence
• Scaled to include associates delivering coaching and training

Sarah Klein - Public Sector Midlife Women Coach

• Focuses exclusively on midlife women in the public sector
• Developed a marketing message that speaks directly to her ideal clients
• Built such a successful practice she became a Coaching Revolution mentor
• Proves marketing can be both effective AND comfortable

This week, instead of looking at what other coaches are doing, study the marketing of businesses that target YOUR ideal clients. What can you learn from how they communicate? How might you apply their focused, comfortable approach to your own coaching business?

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In this episode, Sarah Short explores the intersection of coaching ethics and marketing. She breaks down how coaches can market their services with integrity while still effectively communicating the value they provide to potential clients.

Key Highlights:

Ethical Marketing Defined: Good marketing crosses no core values and promises no miracles. It simply says "I see you and the thing you're struggling with, and I can help."

Marketing vs. Coaching: While coaching focuses on the individual client determining direction and outcomes, marketing focuses on addressing specific problems that can be resolved through coaching.

Focus on Outcomes, Not Process: People buy outcomes, not processes. Effective marketing communicates the transformation clients can expect rather than just explaining how coaching works.

Two Critical Assumptions: Ethical marketing assumes both the coach and client will show up as their best selves. The coach brings professionalism and presence, while the client brings enthusiasm and commitment to the process.

The Importance of Contracting: Clear communication about expectations in initial client conversations separates ethical marketers from those who overpromise and underdeliver.

Sarah reminds us that ethical coaches identify problems that can genuinely be resolved through coaching, allowing them to market with honesty and integrity about the potential outcomes of their work.

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In this episode, Sarah Short explores the transformative difference between bad and good marketing for coaches. She explains how effective marketing doesn't require endless hours but rather a clear message, targeted audience, and consistent implementation. Discover how good marketing is similar to good coaching and can create positive ripples of impact far beyond your direct client base.

Key Highlights:

• Effective marketing can take as little as 30 minutes a day when done correctly.
• The stark differences between uncomfortable "bad marketing" and helpful "good marketing".
• Why good marketing feels aligned with coaching values rather than sales-focused.
• How your marketing content can positively impact people you'll never even meet.
• The importance of consistency and process in marketing strategy.

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In this episode, Sarah addresses a common frustration in the coaching industry: the lack of regulation and barriers to entry.

Rather than dwelling on what we can't control, Sarah challenges coaches to focus on what we can: effectively communicating our value to potential clients through professional marketing.

The Regulation Dilemma:

• Many qualified coaches feel frustrated by the lack of industry regulation.
• Complaining about unqualified coaches entering the field changes nothing.
• Instead of frustration, focus on creating clear distinctions between ethical, qualified coaches and everyone else.

The Marketing Mindset Shift:

• Many coaches view marketing as unprofessional or inauthentic.

• This resistance to marketing is a major obstacle to building a sustainable coaching business.
• With the rise of AI coaching, private practice will increasingly become the primary way to thrive.

Reframing Marketing for Coaches:

• Professional marketing is not pushy or manipulative—it's ethical, clear, and authentic.
• Marketing helps potential clients understand how coaching can solve their problems.
• Not marketing your services denies potential clients the opportunity to find the help they need.

The Problem with "Coach Speak":

• Many coaches struggle to articulate their value in language clients understand.
• Industry jargon like "holding space" and "coaching container" is meaningless to potential clients.
• Focus on outcomes and transformations rather than coaching processes and methodologies.

How Coaches Can Thrive:

• Stop viewing marketing as separate from or in conflict with coaching work.
• Create a clear value proposition focused on client outcomes.
• Speak directly to potential clients' concerns and challenges.
• Consistently refine your marketing approach to connect with those who need you most.

To Conclude:

The coaches who embrace building an effective client acquisition process through marketing will not only survive but thrive—creating careers that bring both financial stability and profound purpose.

--Have you enjoyed this episode?

Find out more and take the FREE quiz at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://thecoachingrevolution.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the FREE Facebook group at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildacoachingbusiness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠