What Successful Coaches Do Differently

Show Notes

What do successful coaches do?

They are often not the loudest. They are often not the smartest. They are often not the prettiest. They are often not whatever thing that you are waiting on, thinking that you have to be because they are not. They are just general people.

And yes, some have qualifications. Some have lots of certificates and some have a body of work over a number of years. Others do not.

So there are coaches in all sorts of different areas that are successful. There are a few common things that these coaches have.

They All Started Somewhere

They started on chapter 1. Yes, some of them are now on chapter 20. They did not start by being the most famous or the most successful. They started just where everybody else did. Just like you and me at the bottom of the pile.

One of the things they did was keep showing up.

They generally had confidence in their ability. Sometimes they had to talk themselves into it. They kept showing up. They kept posting. They kept networking. They kept going out and meeting real people and talking to them whether it be online or in person.

A lot of them did it in person because that is how long they have been around for. Others have become successful quite quickly because they have been out there telling people that they are coaching and specifically what they do.

They Start With a Niche

If you look at all the big coach names today they all started with a specialty. Once they honed that skill then they got bigger and sometimes eventually went back to more general coaching.

Tony Robbins started with NLP. Yes, he coaches on just about everything now. It was a long time before he expanded into weight loss and other areas.

Brendon Burchard was similar. He started talking about motivation after hardship. He had a car accident and that became his awakening moment. He also had business qualifications so he started coaching in business and later moved into higher level business coaching.

Brooke Castillo was the same. She started in weight loss then branched into money mindset and eventually general coaching.

Most successful coaches started with some sort of niche or focused area. That is one of the things that made them successful because they became very good at articulating what they did and how they helped people.

They Have Clear Messaging

Don Malcolm says the easiest way to describe coaching is:

Who is the demographic?
What are the 2 pain points?
How do you help?

So:

“I help new coaches establish thriving coaching businesses that give them consistent client flow and build their confidence.”

That gives people clarity immediately.

People know:
• who you help
• what the problem is
• how you solve it

That is what successful coaches do. They can articulate who they help, what problem they solve and how they solve it.

If you are a leadership coach, what kind of leadership coach are you?
Do you help CEOs?
Founders?
Small business owners?
Emerging leaders?

Be specific.

Do not say:

“I help coaches and consultants and trainers and…”

By the second “and” people have forgotten who you help.

Facebook did not start with world domination. It started in one dormitory, then one campus, then expanded.

Your coaching business can work the same way.

Simple messaging really does work.

Instead of:

“I empower transformational breakthroughs”

You could say:

“I help overwhelmed business owners gain clarity and direction.”

They Build Relationships

Another thing successful coaches do is build relationships not just audiences.

They build relationships with:
• clients
• past clients
• prospects
• referral partners
• joint venture partners

Quite often people are not ready to buy immediately. You have heard me say before only around 3% are ready to buy now. The rest need nurturing and trust building. That is exactly how coaching works too.

Relationships and trust matter more than ever especially now with AI. People are craving human connection.

They Provide Value

Successful coaches also provide value.

A really good tip I heard this week was about people holding back too much in their free content.

If your free content is not your best work people may assume your paid work is not great either.

You still need to demonstrate your value.

Tell people what they need and why it matters. The implementation and support is where coaching comes in

They Take Action

Another thing successful coaches do is they do not wait.

They do not wait for:

the perfect website
the perfect book
the perfect confidence level
the perfect timing

They act. They fail fast. They learn. They tweak.

A B+ idea out in the world is far more valuable than an A+ idea sitting on your computer.

Confidence often comes from doing. Act first.
Confidence grows later.

Ask yourself:
“What would the future successful version of me be doing right now?”

They Focus on Serving

Successful coaches also focus on helping people rather than constantly focusing on themselves.

Think about your ideal client.
Would this help them?
Would this support them?

When you shift your focus toward serving people the pressure often drops away.

Stay visible even when things are slow.

That might be the exact moment your future client is finally ready to buy.

They Understand Delayed Results

Successful coaches understand delayed results.

Business is built like a house. You need foundations first.

Sometimes things shift. Algorithms change. Lead sources dry up. That is why it is important to have multiple ways to generate leads and build relationships.

Momentum builds over time. How do you make a river? One drop at a time.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Plant the seeds. Water them. Nurture them. Then watch them grow. The only thing guaranteed to stop you is giving up.

If you have hit a stumbling block recently that is okay too. Get support. Build your confidence back up. Borrow belief if you need to.

Sometimes a single conversation can completely change your direction.