Cathy Liska 
Many new coaches say their biggest challenge is marketing themselves as a coach. Consider this conflicting thought process: I want to help people by coaching and at the same time I am uncomfortable telling people what I offer. How will you market yourself as a coach? Start with defining your goals, considering your obstacles, and then plan how you will move forward.
Goals: What do you want from your marketing efforts?
- Database of contacts
- Build relationships
- Referrals
- New clients
Obstacles: What could hold you back?
- Uncomfortable selling – feel guilty pushing own services
- Easier to sell others than self – seems natural to refer others while uncomfortable offering own services
- Lack of knowledge – unsure of what works or how to do it
- Time constraints – with a full schedule having time to do it is challenging
- Lack of funds – it takes money to run ads
Options for Moving Forward:
- Choose to focus on inviting people in (inbound marketing)
- Provide value through content marketing
- Collaborate with others for marketing
- Partner with others for referrals
- Choose a coach training school that provides information and resources for marketing
- Schedule a small amount of time on a regular basis
- Use free resources such as social media and public speaking
- Market while earning as a trainer or facilitator
When you put in the effort to market yourself and just do it, then it gets easier. Learn from others, learn from your mistakes, evaluate, and adjust. Keep investing the effort and ultimately you will reap the rewards of success.
