To build a successful coaching business you need to effectively market your coaching services.
Your marketing will be most effective when you know who your ideal coaching clients are (your target market) and what your coaching helps those clients achieve (your niche).
If you haven’t figured out your target market and coaching niche, this video will help!
Post your questions and comments below and I’ll personally reply!
“I hired Michelle when I first launched my coaching business. I appreciated her sense of humor and fun, and was impressed by the CAGR system and Michelle’s marketing knowledge. One of the biggest benefits of working with her learning how to adapt the CAGR marketing principles to my specific business needs.
After taking time off to have a baby, I’m returned to my part-time coaching practice with a comprehensive marketing system in place, thanks to our work together.  Now I’m a part-time coach with a thriving, rewarding and well-paying practice. Thanks, Michelle!”
Marla Beck, MFA, CTACC
Life Coach for Writers
“My coaching business was essentially just an idea before I learned the Coach & Grow RICH system.
I found the entire program to be valuable because it is a comprehensive system that shows exactly how all the pieces to building a successful coaching business fit together.
Before I learned the system, I didn’t have any clients. Right after I learned it, I signed my first client at $250 a month. Then shortly after, my next client at $350 a month. My business continued to grow from there.
The Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. system gave me a fantastic foundation to build my coaching business on.”
Jen Kunkel
Life Coach
“My coaching business did not exist before I joined the Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. program! What I really like about the system is that it helped me to learn how to structure my consultation calls so that I attract clients rather than try to push my service on them and also, to work around the money objection. Despite the fact that my coaching business is new; with the help of the system I have already secured several clients and scheduled more consultation sessions. It changes the focus when I concentrate on consultation calls, and it takes a lot of the pressure off. Michelle’s Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. program has truly helped me with gaining more self-confidence and I am so happy that I have already secured new clients after just a few consultations! Thank you Michelle!!!”
Dora Farkas, PhD
Finish Your Thesis
I’ve had a “side hustle” as a career coach for several years. All word of mouth – mostly referrals from one therapist who works with women with generalized anxiety. I’ve developed a curriculum and workbooks I used in my 1:1 coaching. A few people have described my approach as holistic. This is because I ask my clients to look at their core values and what they want from their life before we explore career (this will impact the amount of money they need to make, the time they’ll need to pursue non-career interests, etc.). Additionally, we work on stress, mind, and time management so they are making these choices in a responsive rather than reactive state.
Now that I’m making a go of my coaching business full-time I need to get more clear on what all of this really means. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
I work with 35+ year-old women who are questioning their career choices.
I help them disentangle all the elements of career success and fulfillment, decide what’s most important to them, and determine the career path that will get them where they want to go.
What do you think?
Great informative video and well presented. Its going to help me define my target market more specifically.
Thank you for this video. I loved the break down of the 8 different niches. For me, I am pursuing my passion with life coaching. I help young men and women ages 25-40 who are feeling overwhelmed and disconnected with their life to find peace, passion, and purpose through self-awareness. I help connect them back into their mind, body, and spirit to gain clarity on their truest desires and guide them through their transformational process.
Any suggestions/recommendations? I feel like its a bit vague…
Such a great video. Simple, to the point and discovered at the perfect time for me. Will definitely be checking out the rest of your resources.
Thank you for your video. I’m looking on how to get this niche down. My passion is working with Christian women especially those that are in need of healing/miracle in their life either from their past or from a health condition. Thank you.
Thank you!
Great stuff Michelle. I’m in the formative stage of developing a coaching practice and this post/video will definitely help me refine my targets. Glad I found you and I’ll be back frequently!!
Glad the video was helpful Chuck!
What is your yearly income and what did you start out making? How did you market yourself, what did you find was the most lucrative. Where did you get your training and what is the least expensive but a very good school for someone to get certified. You may answer to my email…rather than here…thanks very much..
I would really like to know more.
Glenna
Greetings I wanted to say that the video was extremely helpful. I am just starting my coaching business and I am very excited.
Thank you.
Joyce
Great video, but still stuck. I have been doing this for 4 years and can’t seem to
get it right. My niche now is holistic habits for solution orientated women. I tried autism moms and self-care, but their focus is so much on their kids. I have a son who is 25 on the autism spectrum. I’m not sure what i could focus on with the kids because I don’t have a degree in that area. Thanks Peggy Heaton, CHC
Thank you Michelle. When I started my buisness 7 years ago I didn’t ask myself these questions about my target market. Going backwards again reinventing my buisness.
Reinvention is good!
After reading the other comments, I had no choice but to watch and listen to the video. I’m in the health coaching business and have yet to identify my niche. I am in the early stages of business planning, but I continue to get people who reach out to me seeking help. This video will help me clarify my WHO and WHAT, so that I can move on and no longer be stuck where I am. THANK YOU, Michelle! I am grateful for your expertise and help in this area.
Glad the video was helpful Shandelier!
Great video. it was just what i needed as I’m becoming more of the CEO of my company and not merely the technician. Clarity is extremely important to me and your video as well as this entire site has been a definite gift to me.
I’m sincerely grateful.
Thank you Carmen! So glad the video was helpful.
Great video thanks Michelle.
RE: Who/What Statement
I am planning to go into career coaching with a who/what statement looking something like this: “I am a career coach and I help professionals align career choices with their own personal values and beliefs systems so that they can lead more balanced, enriched and fulfilled lives”.
As I have been running through ideas for specific target market possibilities, I’m having trouble ‘nailing it down’as the WHO (professionals) is so broad. Any tips/suggestions would be much appreciated!
Steve, think about what type of professionals you’d most like to work with based on your past experiences, where you already have connections and who you are most passionate about serving!
Thank you for this video that I enjoyed watching as it is helpful to decide wheich niche and whom I should start my life coaching career with
Dear Michelle, it is great video. I am new to coaching and still deliberating on the niche parts. I am thinking of coaching working women – probslems like work life balance, stress ,management etc .. Do you think it is a good paying market and there is enough demand for retining life coaches? I am in India
As a lover of business and hnereprtneurseip I am all for starting your own thing ! It takes extreme work, dedication and talent but if you feel your ideas and business plan is that superior, than more power to you! Being self-employed and the leader of your own business would open up many doors to freedom of expression and coaching style. However, it is a tough thing to do, financially, legally and individually it is a very testing process. It may be a safer bet to start looking for work throughout your post secondary schooling, and continue to develop your own ideas and plan as you gain the knowledge and experience to create your own successful company one day ! I’d like to hear how this pans out, and even support you in such a drive ! All the best .
Thanks for the great video! As someone who helps coaches find their ideal niche, this really hit home.
I totally agree that to find your niche, you need to understand WHO you help and WHAT solution you provide. It’s also important to address your WHY – why should people work with you and why do you what you do.
I personally like to start with your WHAT because I think it’s important to find a solution that leverages your passions, strengths and experiences.
It is a synergistic process though and it’s important to put all the pieces of the Niche Puzzle together.
Thanks Cindy – and yes you are right the “why” piece is also key!
I found your video helpful. I have defining my target market and niche. My who are burnout teachers and what is stress management. Helping teachers with stress and burnout to renew their love of teaching or start a Internet business. Is this a viable niche and target market?
Hi Mary – Glad the video was helpful. The best way to determine if your target market and niche is viable is through research. I recently created a special report on this topic and you can receive it as a gift by taking this short online survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LFDHS39. I think it will be very helpful for you. In addition, I recommend researching online to see if there are other coaches working in your area. If so, that’s a good sign. If not, it’s probably because it’s not a great area to focus on.
In general, I would guess that the “teacher” target market typically doesn’t have a lot of extra disposable income so you might want to explore group coaching as a more affordable option for them!
Thanks Michele. Your are right. I do not think teachers are seekers. I am now looking a women baby boomers living with a chronic condition and are in the pre-retirement stage. My what is creating stress management plans.
Michelle. Thanks. Narrow to preventing heart disease for women baby boomers through stress management plans.
Great information on video. My interest is in coaching women who are in transition who are in their mid-life awakening generally around age’s 35+, these are women who have been divorced, widow or experiencing the empy nest & want to return to college, start a career but simply don’t know how to where to start & they are afraid. I’m also interested in coaching women about self-care. How do I define this niche? I consider my self a personal life coach. I’m having a difficult time identifying my niche. Any suggestions?
Hi Christina – Good news! It sounds like you are more clear than you think. Your WHO is mid-life women who are going through a major life transition (e.g. divorce, widow, empty-nest) and your WHAT is that you help them on figure out what they really want to do in this next phase of their life and support them in creating a plan and having the courage to get into action and make it a reality.
You will likely coach them around self-care, but I don’t recommend having that be your WHAT.
A good WHAT is something that keeps your ideal clients awake at night. It’s a big, important challenge they have that they want to solve. Navigating major life transitions and deciding what’s next fits in this category. Self-care… not so much.