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Despite how saturated the coaching industry might feel sometimes, there is still room for everyone. Because people are so different, they will not resonate with every coach out there. This is why there are people out there who are waiting for someone just like you.
But how can you intentionally stand out in your ideal client’s mind?
Because as a designer I’ve had website audits where I met amazing coaches, whose passion moved me, but after editing their websites and brands, I realized that their ideal clients were missing out on how amazing they were. And in order for their ideal client to really understand what made them different, they would have to first hop on a clarity/discovery call to figure it out.
But your ideal clients should know what makes you different before they get on a call with you.
And if they can’t tell what makes you different and how deeply you care about your ideal clients, then they might end up working with another coach who only cares about the money and who won’t give your ideal clients the results they are looking for.
This is why intentionally standing out isn’t just a good thing, but it also serves your ideal clients so that they can work with a coach who truly cares about them.
So if you ever feel stuck in figuring out what makes you different, then here are 3 questions that I love to ask my clients to help them stand out online as a coach.
1. What negative experiences have you had with other coaches or service providers?
Sometimes in order to figure out how you want to show up, you have to start by knowing how you don’t want to show up.
And the negative experiences you’ve had are likely experiences other people have had as well. And some people are so traumatized and disappointed that they might have become afraid of investing in coaching again.
This is why you can provide safety through your content, that makes them realize that you are different because you won’t do to them what has been done to you.
Now once you have an answer to this question, you can dig a little deeper and ask yourself:
How did it make you feel? And what can you practically do (or say) to ensure that your clients will never feel this way too?
2. What do you see other coaches do that makes you cringe/upset/angry?
We’ve all seen people in our industry say or do things that make us cringe, or make us upset because it is actually harmful instead of helpful.
So what are those things for you that you’ve heard other coaches say or teach in-person or online that just didn’t feel right?
And once you have the answer to this question, you can dig deeper and ask yourself :
What can you do (or say) differently?
3. What do you believe makes you different?
The first thing that comes to mind is usually the right thing.
It’s tempting to overthink this because you might have seen other coaches who are similar to you, so what makes you different might not feel so different right now.
But you most likely don’t share the same audience with them, which is why it’s okay if the thing that makes you different is something you have in common with another coach. Because there are people that follow you and don’t follow them, and vice versa.
So you won’t reach and impact the exact same audience, which is why there is always room for everyone because there are too many people who need coaching who cannot be served by 1 coach.
And just as inspiration, here are some things that might make you different, in case you don’t know where to start:
- You are heart-centered and an empath
- Perhaps you’re an introvert and use introvert-friendly approaches to serve your clients
- Or you treat each client differently and don’t believe in cookie-cutter approaches
Now take what makes you different and combine it with your personality. And that together is what makes you different. Because at the end of the day, you might have something in common with another coach, but the other coach can never be you.
To close off, here are some places you can practically apply these questions.
- In your website copy. Make it clear as day why they should work with you. You might not like tooting your own horn (I know because I struggle with this too). But saying it will really help your ideal client to make the best decision.
- Your social media content. Allow your personality to come through in your content.
- Your brand. Be consistent, allow your brand to do the ‘talking for you’ enabling people to pick up on the fact that you have a different vibe and that if they work with you they will be in good hands.
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