Authenticity; Your most powerful marketing tool

Originally published in v12n1 and reproduced with the permission of choice, the magazine for professional coaching

Author: Carl Dierschow, ACC

Most coaches I’ve met entered this field because they have a deep and abiding passion for helping others to succeed. Often this is based on a deep appreciation for the support that they’ve received from oth ers during their lifetime.

Then you start a coaching business.

This can be a startling experience for new coaches, be­ cause you quickly find that your job is now marketing and sales. If people don’t know about you and the value coaching can provide, they won’t hire you. And you got into this profession because you wanted to help people.

Coaching and marketing are different skills, and you need to master both.

The most powerful coach marketing I’ve seen is built on integrity and authenticity. Clients won’t hire you unless they trust that you can deliver the results they’re looking for: improvements in their life, career, or business. They’re only going to trust you if they see that playing out in you and your messages.

Imagine that I’m thinking about hiring you to help me fix my business. I’ll look at your relevant experience, hoping that you’ve solved problems like mine before. I’ll ask your previous clients whether they were satisfied with the results.

But quickly my scrutiny turns to who you are, and whether I can imagine opening up to you about some sensitive areas. I want to see who you really are through your marketing. In conversation, I want to be able to imagine what it will be like working with you.

This doesn’t mean that you’ll want to disclose everything about yourself from the very beginning. After all, coaches are human too, with all the same doubts and failings. But what you show should be consistent with who you really are and how you work, so you attract the right clients.

I’ve also found that there’s a deep power that comes from authenticity. Coaching taps a great inner strength, both from the client and the coach, which propels you on the journey of magical progress in a coaching engagement.