Myth #10: If I'm a Great Coach, Clients Will Automatically Find Me

We’re diving into a topic I know so many of you are navigating. Let’s talk about the myth of “If you build it, they will come.” First of all the movie doesn’t even say that. It says, if you build it HE will come.

I know, I know... we all wish it worked that way, right? But today, we’re going to debunk that myth, explore why coaching is different from a coaching business, which absolutely requires marketing, and break down some simple, actionable strategies to find those clients you’re so passionate about serving.

Let’s dig in!

The first thing you need to know is that marketing isn’t a curse word. It’s not the devil in your business. It’s not slimy or scary. Marketing is sharing. It is simply sharing who you are and how you can help people. If you never tell anyone, how will they know? They are out there and they need you, but if you don’t put in the effort to help them find you, then all those divine appointments will never come. How would you have found your favorite stores, coffee shops, or places to travel if they’d never told you they existed? They weren’t manipulating you by sharing about themselves, they were doing you a service.

I have a lot of clients who, just like me when I started out, don’t know what they don’t know. They are like an artist who just wants to paint, but doesn’t realize that to make a living doing art you have to sell it and therefore people need to find out that you paint. If no one knows you paint, if no one knows you paint well, if no one knows you paint things they love looking at, and if no one knows that your art is not only beautiful but it’s for sale and could be theirs to hang in the living room, then you never become an artist that people know about and buy art from, which in turn means you need to have a full time job to support your hobby of painting.

Everything that brings in money only does so because people find out about it and decide they want it, then choose to invest in it so that it can be theirs. That’s business. And a coaching business is no different. If you want to have a business, you’re committing to not just becoming good at what you offer as a coach, but to learning how to tell people about it. You also need the system of processes that every business needs in place in order to succeed. If you’ve started your coaching business but need those processes in place I invite you to check out my Called to Coach Course. I teach you the SOCOCA system that will set you up to grow your business and scale it. But I will tell you, this course is for you only if you’re ready to invest in doing the real work you need to do to be a business owner that’s taking responsibility and action.

Why You Need Marketing for Your Coaching Business

Let’s face it. Being great at what you do—whether you’re a life coach, business coach, leadership coach, or whatever niche you’re in—doesn’t automatically mean clients will flock to your door. There’s this pervasive myth that just because you’ve got the skills, the people will come. The reality?

Marketing is key.

Think about it: visibility is the first step to connection. If people can’t find you, they can’t hire you. Building a coaching business requires putting yourself out there and communicating your value. It's not about being loud or obnoxious, but about getting your message in front of the right people.

I see this a lot, especially in the early stages of coaching businesses. So many coaches believe if they just “create the thing” and wait long enough, clients will magically appear. But that’s simply not the case.

The Problem – Not Marketing Your Business

If you’re a talented coach and you start your business with passion and excitement, put up a website, spend time making those ever-important social media posts... and then all you hear are crickets but no clients, this leads to just sitting back, thinking, “I’m great at what I do. Why aren’t clients knocking down my door?” That will shift over time to, “I thought I would be a great coach, but no one’s knocking on my door.” And eventually, you’ll start thinking, “I must not be a good coach because no one knocks on my door."

Here’s the thing: Your visibility and outreach are key. Without consistent marketing, networking, and getting in front of the right people, your talent doesn’t have a chance to shine.

If you’re not engaging in marketing strategies that work for your target audience and you rely too much on your offer “selling itself,” the newsflash you need is: that doesn’t usually happen.

The Solution – Actionable Marketing Strategies

So, what do you do instead? Here’s the good news: There are simple, actionable strategies you can implement to get visible and start attracting those clients.

Create Content

Start recording everything you’d want someone to know. Simplify this by imagining one person who’s a sponge for wisdom and knowledge. Talk like you have someone in front of you whose entire focus is to learn what you have to share, who’s thirsty for your experience and story. Someone who wants everything you’re willing to pour into them. Make your ideal client avatar like this. I call this person Solomon because King Solomon only desired wisdom, over riches and power. Imagine someone who pursues everything you know and are willing to pour into them. Then start recording it all either verbally into a note on your phone or in a voice recorder app, or by writing it all out in documents in your phone.

I know you might want to write it with pen and paper, and while I won’t tell you not to, I will say it’s going to require more work later. The goal is that you start creating a bank of content that will benefit you later and help you have things for a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel when you’re ready. It can also become pieces of what you share in public speaking opportunities. The good news is that when you first start doing this no one is reading or listening, and you can just give yourself time to learn.

You’ll have a season where all you’re doing is creating crappy rough drafts. This is how it goes, it’s how it’s supposed to be, so don’t beat yourself up about what you put out there. There are no police. This also allows you to see what rises up when you do this- things like fear of rejection or criticism. This stuff kills creativity, but it’s all in your head. No one is waiting for you to say something so they can smash it so try not to sabotage yourself and say you can’t create content because someone might disagree. This is real life and you’re invited to it. This is entrepreneurship. This is Kingdom life. We don’t shrink back for fear of the world because He Who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Develop a Marketing Plan

It’s time to get intentional about how you market your coaching business. Don’t just post on social media for the sake of posting. If you don’t have an account for your coaching yet, start one under your name (mine is coachlauramalone) in the place where you are most likely to show up consistently and where you think your ideal client hangs out. You probably know I don’t do much on social media, but I have my podcast as my organic marketing tool, and I’m saying this to those of you who like social media and are preparing for a long-form content platform like podcasting and such.

Again, just taking imperfect action here, not looking for perfection out of the gate. Begin to create valuable content that speaks directly to your audience. Think about their struggles and how you can provide solutions. Also, networking is vital! Don’t wait for people to find you—go out and meet people. Whether it’s in person or online, get connected. And speaking engagements are amazing too. Sharing your message in front of a live audience is one of the best ways to build authority and attract clients. Offer to speak to businesses, church groups, school classes, etc.

Leverage Testimonials and Word-of-Mouth Referrals

Word of mouth is one of the strongest marketing tools you have. Ask your friends and family to share what you do with others. Ask your current clients for testimonials. People trust recommendations from those who’ve walked the path before. Plus, as you build your client base, encourage your satisfied clients to refer others. This not only strengthens your reputation but also brings in a steady stream of potential clients.

Put yourself out there and position yourself to share what you have to offer!

Your Secret Weapon is Storytelling

One of the most powerful marketing tools you can use is storytelling. People connect with stories. It’s how we relate to each other, how we learn, and how we build trust. Share your journey, your struggles, your successes, your "why." When you open up and let your audience see your heart, they’re far more likely to resonate with you and want to work with you. Start putting all of this into the content you’re creating and see what it turns into.

I want to encourage you here because I know it can feel daunting, but if you get a first draft out then you’ll have something to refine. You can make everything better later. But if you never start- you never refine. Whether it’s a story about yourself, a how-to guide about something your ICA needs, a checklist you think would be helpful, or a video tutorial of you doing something people will want to learn, all of this requires experimentation. Do it once, then refine and do it again. After a while, you will learn how to do it quicker and better, but you have to pioneer your own road.

Does Imperfect Action Scare You?

If you like for things to be perfect the first time without hard work, entrepreneurship probably isn’t for you. I’d say coaching will always be a challenge for you as well because it’s a transformational journey. You might want to consider either looking for a different path to take, getting a coach for yourself to help work through this desire or need you have, or simply doing the work until feeling uncomfortable with taking imperfect action is normal and you can be emotionally regulated while you do it. Practice makes progress.

And I’ll say this as well, because for some people who want to coach but not run a business this can work: Another option is to be a coach who works for someone else, letting them do the work of bringing clients to you or paying you to coach their employees. You can get practice doing this by offering it to your church or a local nonprofit you can volunteer for. Or if you can coach people in a job or role that you used to be in, you could probably offer your services to companies that employ people like this. Then you won’t have to build your own business. You can just coach.

But if you want the freedom of working for yourself, you’re going to actually have to work for yourself. You’ll be the only one doing it all, and while it’s a lot to do just to get a client so you can coach, it will all work together for good with Coach Jesus at your side helping out. Ask Him which way to go and let Holy Spirit guide you. When you run your own business you begin to see how you judged all the people you worked for in areas you knew nothing about because they were pioneering and building and working so hard doing things you never knew about until you became an entrepreneur yourself.

It’s like being an artist who becomes a gallery owner that showcases and sells art.

• You can be an artist and work a different job to pay your bills.

• You can be an artist who does the work to sell your art to pay your bills.

• You can be an entrepreneur who loves art and wants to serve the world by putting it on their walls.

Each one has different fruit produced by what you put into it, so you need to figure out which fruit you want. Do you just want to coach but would rather work for someone so you don’t have to find clients? Or do you want to coach clients who find you because they learn from you and believe you’re the best coach for them so they choose you?

I personally have loved my journey of learning to coach, learning to create content, learning to tell others how I can help them, learning how to build and grow my business on my own terms and at my own pace, learning how I can make it work better for me and also better for my clients, and operating in freedom the whole time. And now I’m like the gallery owner because I want to support the artists in growth, exposure, and profit, but I also get to help the world know what’s possible by promoting them and sharing what they offer. I found a way to create a business that allows me to coach AND do business while I support, equip, and promote coaches who are doing exactly what I believe in.

Recap

I hope this has been a wake-up call for those of you who’ve been waiting for clients to magically appear. Remember: building a coaching business doesn’t happen by accident- it takes intentional marketing, which means you have to pursue connection and purposefully communicate. You aren’t just a coach, you’re a business owner, and that requires a completely different skillset and mindset. I’ll teach you about it in Called to Coach when you’re ready.

Recapping today’s takeaways: You need to market to find and attract clients. Content, visibility, networking, storytelling, and leveraging word-of-mouth are all crucial pieces of the puzzle.

If you haven’t already, start mapping out your content creation and marketing plans. Don’t wait for it to magically happen- create it by getting visible and building relationships and telling people:

ILC, IHP- “I’m a Life Coach, and I Help People.”

Reader Challenge:

Take action today!

1. Write down three ways you can intentionally market yourself this week—whether it’s posting valuable content, reaching out to potential clients, or networking with others.

2. Identify one platform where you can consistently share your expertise (blog, podcast, YouTube, social media, or speaking engagements).

3. Say out loud: "I’m a life coach, and I help people." Then, tell at least one person what you do and how you can help them.