21 Indispensable Marketing Tips For Coaches
Patrick McFadden • June 11, 2013
The biggest challenge for many coaching businesses is the marketing.
While there are many ways to start marketing your coaching business, the key though is finding the ones that fit and work for you. It doesn’t matter how great your coaching is, if no one is aware of you, you’re dead.
The twenty one marketing tips below do work, but I recommend you only choose 3-4 to implement and do with them with consistency and excellence.’
- Be clear on what you can and cannot
provide.
- Lead a workshop through your local church, Chamber of Commerce, or civic group.
- Identify 30-40 referral sources. Become a resource of information for them.
- Give away a one-hundred point check-list in your area of expertise.
- Speak to a group 2-3 times a month.
- Create a 20, 40 and 60-minute presentation on your area of expertise.
- Start a free newsletter.
- Offer to help someone in the news who could use your help.
- Be an expert on a local radio show.
- Have three basic programs and pricing packages.
- Join a local Coaching organization.
- If you are looking for corporate clients, use Nurture Marketing: https://www.nurturemarketing.com/
- Underpromise – Overdeliver.
- Experiment with talk radio ads.
- Continue contact with your clients. Do 90-day, 6-month checkups.
- Send birthday cards, anniversary of coaching success benchmarks, etc.
- Join three organizations whose members would be ideal clients for you.
- Have lunch twice a week with someone you can learn from.
- Write at least one note of encouragement each day to someone.
- Recognize that 20% of your work time in the first year should be spent in marketing developing trust and rapport.
- Have a remarkable “ Elevator Speech.”
You don’t have to implement 21, but you do have to select at least 3 or 4 and do those excellently and consistently.
Question: What 3 or 4 do you think will work for you?
Understanding platform intent, sales cycles, and what actually works in high-ticket home services
1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.
Most marketing firms talk about tactics. We help our clients see the bigger picture.
