Find Your Coaching Confidence

Key Points:

0:00 – Client and Referral Update
The call opens with a coach sharing that she is helping a current client and receiving referral leads from that relationship.

0:31 – Consulting vs. Coaching
The group discusses how many engagements can become a blend of coaching and consulting, especially when clients need hands-on help.

1:01 – Fighting the Process Internally
A coach shares that she initially struggled with whether she was supposed to strictly follow Jumpstart 12 or adapt to what the client actually needed.

1:34 – Finding the Balance
The group talks about the tension between wanting to be a coach and realizing some clients need consulting support.

2:39 – Filling Client Knowledge Gaps
A new participant shares that when talking to prospects, she often sees gaps in their knowledge and naturally fills those gaps as a consultant.

3:32 – Clients Do Not Know What They Do Not Know
The group agrees that clients often do not know what they are missing, so some consulting may be necessary before coaching can be effective.

4:24 – Proposal and Estimate Support
One example is helping clients build proposals and estimates, especially when they do not know how to structure them easily.

5:09 – Juanita Introduction
Juanita introduces herself as a brand-new member who signed up that week and has her first potential client meeting coming up.

6:27 – Montgomery and Maxwell Air Force Base Connection
Juanita shares that she is currently in Montgomery, Alabama, and originally from San Francisco.

7:25 – Danny Introduction
Danny introduces herself as the CFO of Focused.com and shares that she has worked with Karl for nearly 13 to 14 years.

8:01 – Flexibility and the Coaching Lifestyle
Danny talks about the flexibility of working from home and how many people transition from corporate skills into coaching or consulting.

9:46 – Shawnita Introduction
Shawnita shares that she is in Michigan and North Carolina and is returning to Focused after stepping away for health reasons.

10:27 – Serving Women Business Owners
Shawnita explains that she wants to serve women business owners, especially women transitioning out of corporate due to burnout or being pushed out.

11:14 – Knowing Your Worth
Danny shares how uncomfortable it was early on to charge more, even when her mother encouraged her to raise her hourly rate.

12:27 – Research the Market
Danny recommends researching comparable services and understanding what people are already paying.

13:00 – Be Flexible Without Undervaluing Yourself
The group discusses balancing the need to pay bills with the need to charge appropriately for valuable work.

13:45 – Small Start Can Become Big Opportunity
Danny shares that her work with Karl started small but became a much larger long-term opportunity.

15:00 – Helping Clients With Numbers
The group discusses how getting a client’s numbers organized can open the door to profitability and growth.

16:35 – Use Support and Advisors
Danny reminds the group to use advisors and support resources instead of struggling alone.

17:06 – Shana Introduction
Shana introduces herself from Seattle and shares her CPA, tax, bookkeeping, and corporate background.

17:50 – Why Shana Started Her Business
Shana realized that many business owners were profitable on paper but had no cash in the bank.

18:30 – Bridging Historical Data to Future Planning
Shana explains that she helps clients move from historical accounting data into actual planning and future cash flow clarity.

19:20 – Focused Adds Professionalism
Shana says Profit Acceleration helps her appear more professional as a solo business owner.

20:00 – Hybrid Coach and Consultant Identity
Shana shares that some clients call her a coach, some call her a consultant, and others still see her as a CPA.

21:00 – Joint Ventures Instead of Doing Everything
Shana explains that Focused helped her realize she does not have to do everything herself. She can joint venture with marketers, accountants, and others.

22:00 – CPA Firm Client Example
Shana shares a story about a CPA firm owner who was working herself to death and underpricing services.

23:00 – 25% Price Increase Win
After three months, that client raised prices by 25% and gained more confidence.

24:00 – Clients Need to Feel Your Confidence
The group discusses how when you know your value, clients can feel it.

24:45 – Know Your Tools
Danny emphasizes that knowing the tools and speaking from genuine confidence makes a major difference in client conversations.

25:30 – Nikki Introduction
Nikki introduces herself as the GovCon Architect in Southern California, focused on government contracting.

26:30 – Confidence Changed the Close
Nikki shares that she was getting people to talk with her but not close until she worked on showing up more confidently.

27:30 – Sales Coach Feedback
Her sales coach told her she was coming to sales conversations too meekly and needed to show up as herself.

28:30 – $200 Million Company Example
Nikki shares an example of a large company owner who wanted to work with her after seeing the way she thinks and challenges assumptions.

29:30 – $500/Hour Advisory Offer
When the prospect did not want the $5,000/month retainer, Nikki offered hourly advisory at $500/hour.

30:00 – Urgency and Long Sales Cycles
Shana asks how to create urgency because some prospects trust her but take a long time to close.

30:45 – Large Investment Requires Trust
Nikki explains that a $3,500/month investment may take time because it is a meaningful financial commitment.

31:30 – Focus on Outcome
The group discusses focusing less on your background and more on what the client will get from working with you.

32:00 – Ask Better Questions
Nikki explains that when prospects start asking too many questions, the coach may have lost control of the conversation. The coach should guide with questions.

33:00 – Solve a Small Problem Early
Danny suggests solving a small problem for the prospect right away so they experience value.

34:00 – “Light the House on Fire”
Danny shares advice from an accounting partner: show the client the problem clearly, then show that you have the extinguisher.

35:00 – Give a Taste, Not the Whole Cow
Nikki agrees that giving a small solution or useful insight can show what you can do without giving away everything.

36:00 – Ask What Waiting Costs Them
The group discusses asking questions like, “What is the benefit of waiting?” to help prospects see the cost of delay.

36:30 – Simulator Question
Juanita asks whether the simulator should be used regularly with new clients.

37:00 – Simulator as Micro PAS
Danny explains that the simulator is like a micro version of PAS and gives prospects a quick taste of the value.

37:30 – Close With the Simulator
Nikki notes that some coaches close with the simulator because it quickly shows profit opportunity.

38:00 – Show It on Your Phone
The simulator can be used in a networking event or casual conversation to show what small changes can do.

39:00 – Juanita’s Background
Juanita shares her background in publishing, sales, marketing, and business planning.

40:00 – Existing Business Network
Danny notes that Juanita’s network of small business owners could be a strong source for first clients.

41:00 – Consultative Sales Experience
Juanita shares that she has experience with consultative sales and would be willing to help the group with that.

42:00 – Purpose of LeadHER Circle
The group discusses how LeadHER Circle creates a smaller, women-only space where participants can learn and contribute.

43:00 – Live Events Discussion
Danny brings up live events as a client acquisition strategy and asks if Juanita has experience or interest.

44:00 – 10 Events Over 10 Weeks
Danny summarizes the live event training recommendation: 10 events over 10 weeks with a goal of 10 people attending.

44:30 – Adrienne McGill Example
Danny mentions Adrienne McGill as someone who runs live events regularly and would be a strong resource.

45:00 – Getting the Right People in the Room
Linda says the key challenge with live events is getting enough of the right people in the room.

45:34 – Teach, Do Not Just Sell
The group discusses how live events work better when they are framed as teaching rather than selling.

46:00 – JVs and Referrals Matter
Danny emphasizes the value of joint ventures and referrals, especially with accounting firms.

46:30 – Accounting Firm Referral Story
Danny shares how one accounting firm became a steady referral source after someone heard she specialized in cleaning up bookkeeping.

47:17 – Turning Away Business
The referrals became so strong that Danny eventually had to ask the firm to slow down because she could not handle the volume.

48:00 – Mutual Referral Relationship
Danny explains that the relationship worked because she also referred clients back to the accounting firm.

49:00 – Accountants as Strong JV Partners
The group discusses why accountants can be excellent JV partners because they often have hundreds of business owner clients.

50:00 – Shana’s Current JV Model
Shana shares that she now refers tax and bookkeeping work to trusted partners and takes a cut, while they refer profitability and growth clients back to her.

51:15 – Trust and Referral Quality
Shana explains that her struggle is not the type of business but trusting the people she refers work to, because her name is on the line.

52:15 – Niche vs. Experience
Shana shares that she initially thought she needed to focus only on trades, but realized experience and getting reps may matter first.

53:00 – Referrals Open New Industries
Shana shares that an HVAC client referred her to a daycare owner even though she has no daycare experience.

53:45 – Addressing Industry Experience Objection
When a prospect worried Shana did not have automobile experience, she agreed and then reframed the issue around profit.

54:30 – Combining Their Expertise With Yours
Shana’s line was that the client’s industry expertise plus her profit expertise would make them unstoppable.

54:52 – Niche Is Mainly for Marketing
Nikki explains that niche is important for marketing, but you can serve clients across industries if they need your expertise.

55:30 – Closing and Next Call Reminder
The group closes by reminding everyone about the Get Your First Client call immediately after.

Five Key Takeaways

• Coaching and consulting often overlap, especially when clients have knowledge gaps or need hands-on help.
• Confidence changes the sales conversation. If you show up too meekly, prospects may not believe you can lead them.
• The simulator is a strong early sales tool because it gives prospects a quick taste of the Profit Acceleration process.
• Joint ventures and referrals can become a major source of clients when the relationship is mutually beneficial.
• A niche is useful for marketing, but you do not have to reject good clients from other industries if they need your expertise.

Notable Quotes

“They don’t know what they don’t know.”

“Knowing your worth and how much you can charge can be so scary.”

“You have bills to pay as well.”

“You need to be genuine, and you need to know your stuff.”

“You’re not a cost, you’re an investment in their business.”

“You need to light the house on fire and then say you have the extinguisher.”

“Give them a little nibble and a taste of what you can do.”

“The simulator is like a micro version of the PAS.”

“You’re the expert in profit.”

“Their expertise combined with my expertise, you’re unstoppable.”

“Niche is important for marketing.”

Action Steps from the Call

1. Decide where your work naturally falls on the coaching-to-consulting spectrum.
2. Do not fight the process if a client needs some consulting support.
3. Look for knowledge gaps that need to be filled before coaching can work.
4. Be clear about what work you will do and what work the client is responsible for.
5. Research comparable services so you feel more confident charging appropriately.
6. Practice saying your price without apologizing.
7. Remember that small engagements can grow into larger long-term opportunities.
8. Use your advisor and support team when you are unsure where to find resources.
9. Build joint venture relationships with people who serve the same business owners.
10. Refer work to trusted partners when it is outside your core offer.
11. Make sure referral relationships are mutually beneficial.
12. Use the simulator with new prospects.
13. Practice showing the simulator on your phone.
14. Use questions to keep control of the sales conversation.
15. Focus on the outcome for the client, not just your qualifications.
16. Solve a small problem early to show value.
17. Ask what waiting is costing the prospect.
18. Consider live events if you have access to a local business network.
19. Use live events to teach valuable strategies, not just pitch.
20. Build a niche for marketing clarity, but stay open to qualified referrals outside that niche.
21. When asked about industry experience, agree honestly and then reframe around your expertise in profit, cash flow, or growth.
22. Protect your reputation by only referring work to partners you trust.

Resources & Tools Mentioned

• LeadHER Circle
• Focused.com
• Profit Acceleration Software / PAS
• Profit Acceleration Simulator
• Jumpstart 12
• Advisor Support
• Government Contracting
• GovCon Architect
• Live Events Training
• 10 Events Over 10 Weeks
• Joint Ventures
• Referral Partners
• Accounting Firms
• Bookkeepers
• CPAs
• HVAC Contractors
• Automobile Industry
• Daycare Owner
• Construction Firms
• Professional Services
• Government Contract Proposals
• AI Tools
• Market Research
• Consultative Sales
• Get Your First Client Call