If you believe that passion alone will fill your diary, you’re already on the path to burnout.
This is the silent trap that keeps so many talented coaches broke – they think being good at the “helping” part is enough to run a successful business. But the truth is, there’s a world of difference between being a good coach and being good at running a coaching business.
Why Great Coaches Still Fail
If you have no interest in the science of marketing, you’re already setting yourself up for struggle. You don’t have to love every part of the business process, but you do have to be curious about every step of your client’s journey – from the moment they first see your name to the moment they hand over their payment.
If all you want to do is deliver sessions, you may be better off being employed – because running a business is about far more than the delivery.
You need to ask yourself:
Why did they come looking in the first place?
What societal or personal pressures pushed them to act now?
What made them click on your advert instead of a competitor’s?
Why did they answer your call that day and not the week before?
What was it about your website, your tone, or your offer that made them book a consultation?
When you understand these answers, you’re not just getting better at marketing – you’re gaining a deeper psychological insight into your client.
The 75% You’re Missing
If you only focus on the final step – the sessions – you’re ignoring the first 75% of the process where the most valuable information is hiding. A true professional in a coaching franchise is just as interested in how the client arrived as they are in where the client wants to go.
Imagine this: a client tells you they booked because they saw an image of a man with his head in his hands that perfectly captured their feelings. That’s not just marketing gold – that’s therapeutic gold. You can use that image in your sessions to anchor and reframe their experience.
Or maybe they say it was a single line on your website that spoke to them. That line can become part of an affirmation they repeat between sessions. If they tell you it was the way you said, “This is an easy problem to solve,” then reinforcing that belief in your sessions will keep them motivated and engaged.
When you understand the “why” behind their first step towards you, you can make their journey to the result faster, more effective, and far more satisfying – for both of you.
Marketing Isn’t Just About Getting Clients
The coaches who ignore marketing aren’t just losing out on clients because they don’t advertise – they’re also failing to serve the clients they do get as effectively as they could. Without understanding the journey that brought a client to your door, you’re missing the emotional keys that unlock lasting change.
This is why the most successful people in a coaching franchise don’t separate the roles of marketer and coach – they see them as parts of the same mission. The better you understand the path that led your client to you, the better you can lead them forward.
The Bottom Line
If you only want to do the “fun part,” you’re not truly interested in the psychology of human behaviour – you’re just interested in the last 25% of the story. And that’s not enough to build a business, let alone a sustainable one.
When you embrace every step of the client journey – marketing, selling, onboarding, delivery – you don’t just become a better business owner. You become a better coach. And that’s the combination that will fill your diary and keep it full.
by Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai)
