How to Get Coaching Clients

Here’s where a lot of coaching advice goes wrong.

It tells you to build a funnel before you’ve had a single real conversation.

But nobody hires a coach because a funnel was clever.

They hire you because they trust you. They heard you, read you, or someone they trust said, “Talk to her.”

So every step below is about one thing: getting in front of the right people in a way that builds trust.

step 1Say exactly who you help and what changes

“I help people live their best life” could be anyone.

The person you could really help scrolls right past it.

• “I help people reach their full potential”
• “I help women step into their power”
• “I’m a life coach for anyone feeling stuck”

Compare those with:

• “I coach engineers in their first year as managers”
• “I help nurses moving into leadership roles handle their first team”
• “I coach founders through their first round of hiring”

The second list tells the right person: this is for me.

It also tells you where to look for them — which makes every other step easier.

step 2Start with 20 real conversations

Before posts, before a website, before a funnel — talk to people.

Not to sell. To learn how your future clients describe their problem, in their own words.

Start with people you already know:

Twenty conversations like that give you three things.

The words to use in every post. A clearer niche. And sometimes your first clients — because they already know you listened.

step 3Show your thinking where they already are

Pick one place your clients spend time. For new managers, that might be LinkedIn. For new moms, a few Instagram accounts and local groups. For founders, a newsletter or two.

Then post something useful there every week:

• A real question from a conversation (with no names): “How do I give feedback to someone who used to be my peer?”
• Your answer, in a few short lines
• One small thing they can try this week

One place, every week, for months.

That’s how a stranger turns into someone who says, “I’ve been reading your posts for a while.”

step 4Borrow other people’s audiences

Building your own audience is slow. Borrowing one is faster.

Plenty of people already gather your future clients in one place:

• Podcasts your clients listen to — guest on them
• Newsletters they read — offer a guest piece
• Professional groups and meetups — offer a free talk
• Coworking spaces — offer a lunchtime workshop for members
• Communities and associations — run a session for their members

The pitch is the same every time: a useful session for their people, no hard sell.

One talk puts you in a room full of exactly the right people.

step 5Go to companies, not just individuals

Many companies pay for coaching for their people — especially for new managers and leaders.

The buyer is usually an HR or learning and development lead.

Look for companies with a reason to need you now:

Culver already has a coaching program. Skip them.

Then write to the people lead — one detail, one offer, one small question:

Notice what it doesn’t promise. No outcomes, no numbers it can’t back up. Just what you do.

step 6Run a discovery call that isn’t a sales pitch

The discovery call is where trust turns into a decision.

Spend most of it listening:

1. 01
   Ask what’s going on

   “What made you book this call?”

2. 02
   Ask what they’ve tried

   “What have you done about it so far?”

3. 03
   Ask what better looks like

   “If this went well, what would be different in three months?”

4. 04
   Explain how you’d work together

   Format, length, price. Plainly.

5. 05
   Let them decide

   “Take a day. I’ll send a short recap.”

Then follow up — thoughtful, not pushy:

1. Same dayThe recap

   What they said, in their words, and how you’d work together.

2. Day 3Something useful

   One idea from the call they can use either way.

3. Day 7Simple question

   “Would you like to start, or is the timing not right?”

4. Day 21Leave the door open

   “No pressure — my door’s open whenever you’re ready.”

The recap is the follow-up that matters most. It proves you were listening.

step 7Earn referrals and testimonials — the honest way

Happy clients are your best source of new ones.

Ask at the right moment — when they tell you something changed:

Keep it honest:

• Promising a promotion, a raise or any income figure
• Writing testimonials for clients or “polishing” what they said
• Showing one client’s best result as if it were typical
• Paying for reviews or offering discounts for 5-star ones

The FTC requires proof for claims in ads. Client endorsements should reflect what clients typically experience — or clearly say what’s typical.

Say what you do. Let clients say how it went.

What to do this week

1. 01
   Write your one-line niche

   Who you help, and what changes.

2. 02
   Message 10 people you know

   Ask for conversations, not clients.

3. 03
   Post once, where they are

   One real question, your answer.

4. 04
   Pitch 3 organizers

   A free session for their members.

5. 05
   Write to 5 companies

   The people lead, one detail, one question.

Or hand the finding, the pitches and the follow-ups to your AI team — and spend the week coaching.

Questions