Why Marketing Yourself Makes You Feel Vulnerable & How to Build Your Confidence

If you feel vulnerable or uncomfortable marketing your business, you are not alone. For some coaches, the feelings extend beyond mere discomfort and ventures into the realm of physical reactions such as nausea, sweating, and, in some instances, even tears. Today, we’re exploring this topic and offering a few strategies we think will help if this is something you are facing right now.

A few months ago, we touched upon a related topic in an episode titled “Crushing Self-Doubt – How to Tackle & Overcome Imposter Syndrome.” If your apprehension about marketing your coaching business and programs is rooted in imposter syndrome, we highly recommend checking out episode 333 for helpful tips and insights.

As a quick refresher, Imposter syndrome, loosely defined, is the nagging doubt that undermines one’s abilities, making one feel like a fraud. While imposter syndrome is one condition that can hold you back from marketing your coaching business full on, what we’re discussing today is something completely different. It’s more of a physical reaction brought about by the feeling of vulnerability. What we’re doing today is exploring what’s causing that vulnerability, so you can turn it around.

For many coaches, marketing their program offer isn’t just business, it’s personal. Of course, it feels personal because ultimately you are your brand. Your business is built around you and what you have to offer. Often, being a health coach is part of your identity. We totally get that and understand how all of those things can feel intertwined and connected.

Vulnerability often stems from a core fear. There are multiple fears that arise when you are inviting someone to work with you…

Fear that they won’t see the value in your coaching program
Fear that they won’t believe that you have what it takes to help them reach their goals
Fear that they’ll say it’s too much money
Fear that your program won’t get the client your promised results

In researching this episode, we Googled, “Why do people fear selling”?

The answer that came back was…

“This innate anxiety—about social rejection drives most people’s fear of selling. The fear of the customer rejecting you as an individual, instead of merely rejecting your offer, is at the core of most people’s aversion for this kind of interaction.”

So, at the core of the vulnerability lies a fear of rejection. Ouch! None of us want to feel rejected so that’s why it’s important to embrace certain strategies that will help you separate our personal connection to the outcome of any sales conversation.

Here are 5 strategies you can start using this week:

1. Take on pro-bono clients.

One way to build your confidence when it comes to marketing your program, and something that we always recommend, is to take on 3 clients for free and coach them each for a 30-day period. Be up front with them that goal is for you to practice your coaching skills and in return will be anxious to receive their feedback in the form of a testimonial. We both took on pro-bono clients when we first started out and it really does build confidence. The best part of this practice run is that you’ll get to discuss your program with them, marketing it, without the pressure of asking for the sale. This is a perfect time to ask friends and colleagues for referrals. And more often than not, at least one of those clients will turn into a paying customer after the 30-day period is up.

2. Stop making assumptions.

One of the mistakes coaches make when marketing their program is to assume that their would-be client is going to have certain beliefs about the program, particularly as it relates to the investment. It’s easy to put our limiting beliefs off on our potential clients without even realizing it. When that happens, you are basically sabotaging the relationship right from the beginning.

3. Don’t take ‘no’ personally.

We know that’s easier said than done but here’s a reframe that should help you overcome taking it personally. When someone says no to working with you it really has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. In essence, they are saying no to their desired outcome and/or reaching their health goal. It truly has nothing to do with you or your program.

4. Shift your perspective.

How would it feel to think of yourself as “sharing information” about what you do? Or “showing benefits” or “sharing your passion?” If you feel uncomfortable or anxious about “selling”- find a way to shift your perspective to one of sharing information rather than “convincing someone to buy.” If you reframe your perspective to one that feels like you’re sharing information and giving your potential client the opportunity to make the desired changes in their life that can be the mindset shift that makes the conversation feel uplifting rather than salesy.

5. Keep practicing!

To overcome the physical symptoms you feel right now when you’re inviting someone to join your coaching program, just know it gets easier the more you do it. Make a point of making at least one offer every single week. That could be in your Facebook group, through email, on a discovery call, or on your social media accounts. Let your audience know that you have an open spot in your coaching program, or invite them to book a discovery call. You can do this at the end of some of your posts to make it easy. On average it’ll take someone 10-12 times of hearing your offer before taking action.

If getting better at discovery calls is one of the skills you want to work on this year we also have an amazing episode called: How to Lead a 1 on 1 Discovery Call that Results in the Client Saying Yes. It’s episode # 24 which we will link up in our show notes. This episode will give you a proven framework for running successful discovery calls which will lead to building your confidence when marketing your coaching program.

Let’s recap our 5 confidence boosting strategies: