This post is for coaches who are tired of hearing THE WORST POSSIBLE BUSINESS ADVICE from so-called marketing “gurus”who tell them…
“Pick a niche.”
“Define your ideal client avatar.”
“Coach for free.”
“Put yourself out there.”
“Slip into their DMs.”
As far as I’m concerned, they may as well be saying:
“Drive yourself crazy.”
“Waste your time,”
“Forget about making money.”
And here’s what they don’t want you to know about what they’re actually thinking:
“I think I’ll just keep repeating what other “gurus” are saying because I don’t really know what I’m talking about.”
It’s a cruel version of the old telephone game where you keep whispering something into the ear of the person beside you and they turn to the next person and do the same and in the end it ends up being “The WORST Possible Advice Coaches Hear.”
The first one in particular, “Pick a niche,” just may be the most cringe-worthy advice coaches hear all the time. And I’m pretty sure you don’t need me to tell you why.
Common sense tells you it’s BACKWARDS. Seriously. This is the WORST of the WORST.
Not to mention that it’s OUTDATED, COUNTERINTUITIVE, ABSURD, RIDICULOUS and just plain WRONG.
Here’s why: When you’re trying to turn your coaching practice into a coaching business, the last thing you need to do is narrow your client pool. It doesn’t make an ounce of sense! And advice that doesn’t make sense is your first clue that it ranks right up there with the WORST possible advice coaches are hearing.
You love to coach, you need some cash flow, and you’re not ready to reduce your chances of either one of those, especially when you have a calendar that’s wide open.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place to talk about this whole niche thing, but if your client roster isn’t at least 90% FULL, now is not the time.
In fact, it’s never actually about picking a niche. Once you have the necessary, fundamental, foundational pieces of your business in order, your niche will pick you.
So now, what the BEST POSSIBLE ADVICE coaches can hear?
Slow down. Way down. And think. What do you need to do first?
BAD advice tells you to go out and do a bunch of things that never add up to a business, like, get a website, post on social media, “let people know how you can help them.” (You can practically HEAR your audience’s eyes rolling to the back of their head with that piece of really bad advice, because they hear the same spiel all the time and they’re tired of it.)
I help people live their best life.
I empower women to get unstuck.
I can help you lose without dieting.
I teach people how to practice mindfulness.
I can fix your overwhelm.
Yup, you and the next coach, and the next coach, and the next coach.
Which means… common sense now… you have to figure out how you’re going to stand out from all the coaches!
Let me repeat that because it is THE BEST ADVICE you will ever hear:
YOU HAVE TO DETERMINE WHAT WILL MAKE YOU STAND OUT FROM ALL THE OTHER COACHES WHO DO WHAT YOU DO!
And here’s the hardest part to hear: You cannot do this alone. I couldn’t do it alone and it took me THREE YEARS to be able to admit that.
That was over 10 years ago, when I finally hired someone who actually knew what they were talking about; someone who practiced tried and true marketing and sales principles that weren’t mere tools and tactics.
And now I teach coaches how to do the same. It’s THE VERY FIRST STEP I teach because without this step, NOTHING ELSE WILL WORK.
I know that sounds dire.
It’s meant to.
I teach coaches how to write tiny books that make them stand out from the vanilla crowd of coaches who all speak the same language but insist they are unique, despite the fact that they’re not making money… at least, not enough to make them jump for joy because their business is giving them everything they want.
Yes, I know, you’ve probably already spent a lot of money on coaching programs and business “gurus” who never got you anywhere.
That stinks.
No, it really does.
But it’s not a “waste of money.” Now you know what you don’t want.
Now go find what you really need, which is a coach that can tell you exactly how you and your business will be completely different after working with you and it has to be concrete, not pie in the sky.
I’ve got your back, Coach.
You deserve better but it’s your responsibility to go out and find better.
If you’d like some help with that, CLICK HERE.
