Looking for ways to develop a successful marketing mindset that will help you grow your coaching business? Below are nine winning fundamentals to get your marketing approach right:

Focus on the right thing. Too many coaches become passionately in love with the wrong thing. They fall in love with the technical aspect of delivering coaching. The service. Obviously enjoying the delivery of your service is important, but as a coach your primary focus and love (metaphorically) should be your clients. Only by having a strong client focus will you be able to develop a winning marketing mindset.

Overcome your fears. We recognise that a significant proportion of coaches feel uncomfortable with elements of the marketing process - endorsing their abilities; closing a sale; committing a client to a contract etc. But it’s critical to recognise that these are all essential elements of marketing and of business in general. You must overcome these personal barriers. And the best way to do that is to recognise your resistance to them and actively seek ways to improve in those areas.

Remember, these barriers exist solely within your own perception. They don’t exist within your prospect’s reality, only in your mind. What is the absolute worst outcome of you asking a prospect if they’d like your professional assistance to attain their goals and better their life? That they don’t take up your service. Well, if you don’t close they’re not going to take up your services anyway, so you’re vastly improving your chances of converting them if you ask.

Be determined to succeed. You need to be absolutely determined that you are going to succeed. If you just want to succeed, but you are not willing to go the extra mile, you will get swept aside by those that are more determined. If you are truly determined, you will be confident and this confidence will automatically show in your business and be transparent to prospective clients, peers and the general public. Prospective clients will want to be associated with you, and clients will want to continue their involvement.

Persevere. Coaches with a marketing mindset embrace challenges as part of life and part of business. If you perceive challenges as impassable barriers you will never develop a marketing mindset. It’s crucial you accept you’re going to confront hurdles as part of business. How you perceive these hurdles, as opportunities or barriers, will drastically influence your level of success. Perseverance is a key ingredient in developing a winning mindset.

Remain positive. Literally nothing destroys a marketing mindset more than a negative attitude. A marketing mindset is a ‘can do’ attitude. Faced with the same challenge, the coach with a positive ‘can do’ marketing mindset will find a way; the coach with a defeatist attitude will submit and fail.

Set Goals. As a coach this is something you should know a lot about. Set yourself specific, achievable, stretch goals.

Plan a strategy. Establish a specific plan of action to attain your goals. Identify what resources you’ll need and the possible challenges you may confront.

Implement your plan. This is the most difficult part - implementation of your plan. Modify it where required, change your goals as others are attained, modify your plan if flaws are perceived, but always continue implementing. Non-action is the precursor of business failure. If you continue to implement, your business will always sustain forward momentum. If you have momentum, your direction (goals and plans) can always be adjusted.

Keep marketing. Your success or failure hinges on your marketing. Always maintain your marketing mindset. Always be focussed on marketing. People get caught up in the day to day ‘operation’ of their businesses and put marketing aside. This is a recipe for disaster.

How effectively you market will be the most influential determinant on the success (or otherwise) of your business. Marketing is not difficult or confusing, but it does require significant ongoing diligence and attention. The moment you lose focus on marketing your business is the moment your business performance will suffer.