
Hosted by I Love Coaching Co. · EN

You think you know who your avatar is. You're probably wrong.Not because you haven't thought about it. Not because you lack experience or expertise. But because most coaches are describing their avatar from the top of the mountain, in language that makes total sense to them and zero sense to the person at the base.That is the avatar problem. And it is not the avatar's problem. It's yours.In this episode, Adam and Jess are naming the thing that sits underneath every marketing frustration, every slow launch, every "I don't know why this isn't working" moment in a coaching business. If you are not getting enough clients, your avatar clarity is almost certainly part of the reason. It's not the only variable, but it is the one that makes every other variable harder to fix.The avatar problem shows up in a few specific ways. Some coaches have it because they are trying to speak to everyone and therefore speaking to no one. Some coaches have it because they have built their messaging around a job title or industry rather than a lived problem they have actually solved. And some coaches have it because they are so deep in the expertise of their niche that they've lost the ability to speak in the language of someone who hasn't arrived there yet.Adam and Jess have had every version of this problem themselves. The challenge was called the "10K Coaching Offer Challenge" for years. The intensive was the "Quarter Million Coach Intensive." Both were named for an old version of an old avatar, built around aspirational income language that made sense to them and filtered out the exact coach who needed them most. When they ran their own positioning through the Maslow Mountain filter, they renamed both. Not because the content changed. Because the avatar did.IN THIS EPISODE: - Why "if you don't have enough clients, you might have an avatar problem" is the fastest self-diagnostic you can run right now- The Rory Vaden principle that actually defines who you are built to serve (and it has nothing to do with credentials or certifications)- Why the specialist always beats the generalist, and the cardiac surgeon story that makes it click permanently- The two ways coaches speak about their avatar publicly, and why only one of them generates referrals- Adam's 30-year-old tennis evaluation sheet and the moment he realized he should have been coaching serves, not tennis- The relevance pitch framework, what it is and why "internal niche, external relevant" is the rule that ends the verbal vomit problem- What happened to the challenge participant who walked in with a five-minute monologue and walked out with a six-word sentence- Why imposter syndrome, silo-building, and unclear avatar language are the exact same problem wearing three different outfits- How Adam and Jess renamed both their challenge and their intensive after running their own language through the Maslow filterTHE BIG IDEA: Your avatar is not defined by who you want to serve. It is defined by who you are actually built to serve, the person walking the path you have already walked. The coach who gets clear on that stops chasing clients and starts attracting them. But here is the part most coaches skip: your language for that avatar cannot come from the top of the mountain. You have to climb back down, remember what it felt like to stand at the base, and speak from there.MEMORABLE LINES FROM THIS EPISODE: "The avatar problem is not the avatar's problem. You have an avatar problem because you don't know specifically what you solve.""We don't want you to appeal to the masses. Do not appeal to the masses. We want you to appeal to a very small subset of the masses because you are a specialist in this space.""Internal niche, external relevant. That's the key.""I can't tell you the majority of the nurses that were in my son's NICU room, but you bet your bottom dollar I can name first and last name the doctor who did my son's heart surgery.""The worst language that we hear comes from the people who build in a silo the most."YOUR ONE THING THIS WEEK: Run the two-question self-diagnostic. First: do you have enough clients? If the answer is no, your avatar language is worth a hard look. Second: take your current way of describing what you do and read it out loud to someone who has no context for your niche. If they look confused, ask more questions, or go quiet, that is not engagement. That is polite disengagement. Start there. Simpler, cleaner, more specific to the problem. Not to the credential. Not to the methodology. The problem.CONNECT WITH ADAM AND JESS: If this one hit close to home, come find us at ilovecoachingco.com. That is where our upcoming events live, where the community is, and where you can connect with us directly. If you are ready to stop building alone and start getting real feedback on your avatar and your offer, the Sellable Offer Challenge is the place to start. ilovecoachingco.com/challenge If you know a coach who keeps saying their marketing isn't working but can't explain who they help in one clear sentence, send them this one. That is exactly who this episode is for.Follow the show: @ilovecoachingco on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and FacebookKEY THEMES: - Avatar clarity as a business diagnostic, not a branding exercise- Maslow's Mountain as a positioning filter- Specialist vs. generalist in coaching- Relevance pitch: internal niche, external relevance- Lived experience as the foundation of authority- Silo-building and its relationship to imposter syndrome- Public language vs. enrollment language for coaches- Feedback as a competitive advantage in offer development

You've got the message. You know who you're talking to. So why isn't the marketing working?That's the exact question Adam Roach and Jess Webber dig into in Part 4 of the Maslow Mountain series. This is the episode where the internal work you've done on messaging finally has to go public, and it turns out that's where most coaches hit a wall they didn't see coming.The conversation starts with a distinction that sounds simple but cuts deep: marketing versus performing. If you've been tweaking your message to fit the room, adjusting your language based on who's watching, or changing what you lead with depending on the platform, that's performance. Marketing is something different. It's a clear, consistent message people start to associate with you before you ever show up. It's reputation built in advance. And the gap between those two things is costing coaches real opportunity every single day.Adam and Jess also get into the owned versus borrowed media question, and they're not gentle about it. Borrowed media, your social platforms, your Instagram followers, your TikTok audience, works until it doesn't. You don't own any of it, and one algorithm change or account suspension can erase years of effort overnight. The more durable play is building something you own, getting consistent there first, and then using borrowed platforms to invite people into it, not the other way around.What you'll learn in this episode:Why most coaches are performing instead of marketing, and exactly what the difference looks like in practiceThe "see vs. seek" framework: why you want people actively looking for your solution, not just noticing you existWhy you get tired of your marketing before your market does, and what to do about itThe owned vs. borrowed media strategy ILC uses to control their marketing machineHow Adam and Jess grew ILC's email open rates from under 20% to nearly 67% by fixing message-to-avatar alignmentWhat a lead magnet actually needs to do (and why a simple Google Doc outperformed a professionally designed one)How to build marketing that keeps running even when you're not in the roomThe big idea here is the machine. When your messaging is accurate, when it lands with the right avatar at the right place on the mountain, marketing stops being something you have to push. It starts being something that pulls people toward you while you're doing everything else. That's not a dream state. Adam and Jess are living it right now, and they show the receipts."You want people to seek you versus just see you. And that's a big difference." — Adam RoachResources Mentioned:ILC Community + New Lead Magnet: ilovecoachingco.comUpcoming Sellable Offers Challenge: ilovecoachingco.com/challengeInstagram: @ilovecoachingco / @adamrroach / @thejesswebberYouTube: youtube.com/@ilovecoachingcoTimestamps:[00:00] Intro + Series Recap (Parts 1–3)[03:11] Marketing vs. Performing: What's the Difference?[05:39] See vs. Seek: The Framework[07:06] Why Coaches Quit Marketing Too Soon[09:02] Owned vs. Borrowed Media[13:18] The Dangers of Building Only on Social (Real Story)[15:34] ILC's Email Data: Open Rates from Sub-20% to 67%[18:54] How to Build a Lead Magnet from What You Already Do[23:39] The Machine: Marketing That Runs Without You[27:03] ILC's New Lead Magnet + Sellable Offers Challenge Teaser[28:04] Sneak Peek: Episode 5 — The Avatar ProblemReady to stop guessing and start growing? The ILC community is where coaches build businesses they're actually proud of. Head to ilovecoachingco.com to check out the new lead magnet and the upcoming Sellable Offers Challenge.

You've worked on your messaging. You've used AI to help clean it up. You've rewritten your bio three times. And still, the right people aren't responding.Here's the problem Adam and Jess zero in on in this episode: most coaches are writing from where they are, not from where their people are. That gap is costing you conversations, clients, and trust.This is Part 3 of the Maslow Mountain series, and it's probably the one you've been waiting for. Parts 1 and 2 built the foundation of understanding your avatar and nailing your payoff. This episode is where it all lands, because if your messaging doesn't meet your person on the level of the mountain they're actually standing on, none of the rest of it matters.The conversation gets specific fast. Jess flags the "I help blank do blank" formula as the single most common messaging mistake coaches make, not because the structure is wrong but because the language is always too generic, too aspirational, and too far from where the person actually is right now. Adam pulls in the psychographic lens: what does your avatar think, feel, and need at this exact moment? Those are the three questions that need to drive every piece of messaging you put into the world.They also get honest about AI. It's a great thought partner. It's a lousy content creator unless you've done the foundational human work first. And in a world where people can now feel the difference between a real person's message and a generated one, leaning on AI without that foundation isn't just ineffective. It actively erodes trust.What you'll take away from this episode:Why "I help [avatar] achieve [outcome]" is killing your conversions and what to replace it withThe specific question you need to answer before writing a single word of messaging: where is your avatar on the mountain right now?Why aspirational language repels the very people you're trying to attractHow to remove ego from your messaging without removing yourself from itThe difference between specificity and complexity (and why your audience wants one, not both)What Taki Moore gets right that most coaches get completely wrong about authentic messagingWhy storytelling outperforms information dumping every single time, on social, on stage, and everywhere elseThe big idea:Your messaging has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with them. The coaches who land clients consistently aren't the most credentialed or the most polished. They're the ones whose words make their ideal client think, "How did they know that's exactly where I am right now?" That feeling is trust. And trust is what closes.Notable quote:"Stop the peacocking and just really start being you. Even if you're a manatee." — Jess WebberResources Mentioned:Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller (referenced: guide vs. hero positioning)Taki Moore — go watch his recent reels for a masterclass in authentic, avatar-first messagingILC Community: ilovecoachingco.comInstagram: @ilovecoachingco / @adamrroach / @thejesswebberYouTube: youtube.com/@ilovecoachingcoTimestamps:[00:00] Opening: Episode 3 of Maslow Mountain and the messaging problem[00:29] Why AI is a copilot, not a content creator[02:37] What happens when you rely solely on AI for messaging[04:10] The "I help blank do blank" trap[05:30] Think and feel: the two messaging filters that build trust[06:36] Why specificity is the trust builder (and it doesn't mean fancy language)[08:26] Push pause: your one action item from this episode[09:01] Active cringe face and why aspirational language misses the mark[11:00] Social media is not about you, full stop[12:53] The hero vs. guide shift (Donald Miller reference)[14:00] Jess's keynote story: what happened when she removed the info dump[15:50] Taki Moore as a case study in authentic positional messaging[18:28] Authenticity vs. ego: the distinction that changes everything[20:57] The peacocking problem and the permission to stop[22:43] Preview: Part 4 is coming, and it's about letting your message work without youJoin the Community:Ready to build a coaching business where the right people actually find you? The ILC community is where coaches stop guessing at their messaging and start building something that works. Head over to ilovecoachingco.com.

You've got the credentials. You've built the thing. You know you can help people.So why does selling it still feel like pulling teeth?In part two of our Maslow's Mountain series, Jess and Adam go deep on the concept that separates coaches who consistently sign clients from the ones who are stuck explaining their offer over and over and still hearing crickets.That concept is payoff language.Not a list of deliverables. Not a menu of options. One clear sentence that tells your ideal client exactly what changes for them when they work with you.Here's what we cover in this episode:What payoff language actually is and why it is never a list of what your client gets (modules, PDFs, sessions, access to the GPT you built at 2am). People don't buy logistics. They buy the emotion on the other side of the logistics.Why imposter syndrome is a payoff language problem. If you feel like you don't know enough, aren't ready, or can't confidently talk about what you do, you don't have a credibility problem. You have a clarity problem. Fix the payoff, fix the confidence.Outcomes vs. deliverables and why coaches get this backward. Most coaches default to deliverables because they haven't identified a simple, low-Maslow language outcome yet. They're speaking from the summit of the mountain to someone still at base camp. And base camp doesn't speak summit.Why one offer beats six every single time. Confused people do nothing. Adam and Jess break down exactly why trying to solve for every scenario before you've nailed the first one is the fastest route to nobody buying anything.The First Chapter Framework. You don't need to teach the whole book. You just need to start at the beginning, deliver on the promise of chapter one, and let confirmation bias do the rest of the work for you.Speaking the language of where your avatar has been, not where you are. The coaches who get this right are the ones who can stop thinking about where they are going and start talking to the person they used to be. Rory Vaden calls it being most powerfully positioned to serve the person you used to be. This episode is the tactical breakdown of what that actually looks like in your marketing and your messaging.If you are building a coaching or consulting business and your sales conversations feel like convincing people instead of connecting with them, this episode will change how you think about positioning your offer.This is part two in an ongoing series on Maslow's Mountain and how understanding your avatar's hierarchy of needs is the foundation of a coaching business that actually works. If you missed part one, go back and listen there first.Ready to build your payoff and package it into an offer? Join our 3-day challenge at ilovecoachingco.com/challengeGet the free Get Paid to Coach PDF at ilovecoachingco.com/get-paid-to-coachFollow us @ilovecoachingcoKeywords: coaching business, coaching offer, payoff language, how to sell coaching, coaching marketing, imposter syndrome in coaching, coaching niche, how to sign coaching clients, deliverables vs outcomes, one offer strategy, coaching transformation, coaching business strategy, Maslow's hierarchy of needs coaching, how to price coaching, messaging for coaches, coaching for consultants, coaching business growth, life coach marketing, business coach offer, how to build a coaching business

Most coaches stand at the top of the mountain and yell down to their clients to "reach their full potential." But if your client is struggling to pay their bills, they can’t hear you. In this episode, Adam Roach and Jess Webber introduce a 7-part series on Maslow’s Mountain, a framework that will change how you view your positioning, messaging, and client relationships.The 5 Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsLevel 1: Physiological Needs – The base camp of survival including food, water, and basic shelter.Level 2: Safety Needs – Moving from simple survival to physical and emotional protection and the development of trust.Level 3: Love and Belonging – Shifting from self-protection to community, acceptance, and professional intimacy.Level 4: Esteem Needs – Developing respect, recognition, and confidence within the relationship and the community.Level 5: Self-Actualization – The summit where an individual reaches their full potential.The "Coach's Trap"The biggest mistake coaches make is standing at Level 5 (Self-Actualization) and trying to throw a rope down to someone at Base Camp. If your marketing speaks to "living your best life" while your avatar is worried about "keeping the lights on," you will lose their trust and their business.From Hero to SherpaTo truly succeed, you must stop trying to be the "Hero" who flew to the top and start being the Sherpa guide who walks arm-in-arm with the client from wherever they are."It is truly the lens or the filter through which you should run everything in your business." — Jess WebberResources Mentioned:Get Paid to Coach Guide: Ready to stop shouting from the peak and start guiding? Grab our free guide to help you transition from Hero to Sherpa.Website: ILoveCoachingCo.com

What if you could fund your lifestyle by group coaching just one day a week? That's not a fantasy. It's the exact framework John Meese has spent 13 years building, testing, and teaching, and he's bringing all of it to this episode.John is the author of the new book Sold Out Coach and the founder of Sold Out Coach Club, where he helps coaches and consultants build sold out group programs that earn at least $10,000 per month working 90 minutes per week. His alignment with the I Love Coaching mission is no coincidence: both worlds are built on the same conviction that coaches deserve to build something that's genuinely theirs, on their terms.This conversation wraps up our 7-part series on transitioning from one-to-one to one-to-many coaching with a perspective from someone who has coached hundreds of coaches through exactly that transition, and watched almost every possible version of what goes wrong.What You'll LearnWhy most coaches struggle to describe the promise of a group offer after they've mastered one-to-oneThe "one-to-few" bridge: why starting smaller changes your ability to sell transformation at scaleWhy you should stop selling the medicine and start selling the cure, and what that actually looks like in practiceThe "curse of knowledge" trap: why your expertise makes it harder, not easier, to communicate your offerHow John helped a client go from "I want to help people show up authentically" to "I help you radiate authority" in a single coaching sessionWhy imaginary avatars pay with imaginary money and real conversations are the only thing that worksThe $10,000 threshold: why John won't take group coaching clients who haven't already sold at least that much in one-to-oneThe gap problem: why applying online course marketing tactics to a group coaching offer kills conversionsHow to close the gap between you and a potential client and why that single shift unlocks salesHow a client with 35,000 email subscribers who hadn't made a sale in nine months added $100,000 in revenue with one simple emailHow another client crossed $500,000 in revenue in his first year with only 550 email subscribersThe power of positive peer pressure inside a group and why group coaching delivers more transformation than one-to-oneTimestamps00:00 Introducing John Meese and why this is the perfect series closer01:04 What John does: fund your lifestyle group coaching one day a week02:41 The biggest challenge coaches face going from one-to-one to one-to-many03:55 Why going one-to-few first changes everything05:41 What is your actual offer? Why this is so hard for coaches to answer06:34 Stop selling the medicine, sell the cure07:52 Live example: helping Dr. Leslie Davis find "radiate authority" in real time09:34 The onion layers of language and why your expertise works against you10:21 Does this work for beginners or do you need one-to-one experience first?11:16 Why imaginary avatars pay with imaginary money11:37 The $10,000 one-to-one threshold before building a group program13:00 How ILC's framework and John's framework align13:49 The two biggest pitfalls coaches make going one-to-many14:49 The gap problem: why course marketing tactics kill group coaching sales16:00 How to close the gap and what that looks like in practice16:44 Case study: 35,000 subscribers, zero sales for nine months, then $100,00017:43 Case study: 550 subscribers, $500,000 in year one18:07 How to get the book and the special offer for I Love Coaching listeners19:54 Why group coaching delivers more transformation than one-to-oneQuotes From This Episode"If you can build a sold out group coaching program at the core of your business, earning at least $10,000 per month group coaching 90 minutes per week, you can buy back your time and do everything else from a place of abundance." - John Meese"Don't sell the medicine, sell the cure. The medicine is the stuff you have people do to create change. The cure is the promise. The transformation. Once they say yes to that, then we talk about the medicine." - John Meese"Imaginary friends pay you with imaginary money. You are creating a real solution to a real problem for real people. That has to come from real conversations." - John Meese"Once she said 'I just want to help them radiate authority,' you could feel it. That's it. That's the offer. Everything else she teaches is the means to an end." - John Meese"His audience didn't change. What changed was he closed the gap. One email, subject line: 'quick question.' Hundreds of replies. $100,000 added to his business in the first few months." - John Meese"Positive peer pressure is precious. In one-on-one coaching, I tell you to do something and maybe you will, maybe you won't. In a group, you have to come back with a straight face and tell the whole room you didn't do it." - John MeeseResources + Next StepsGet John's new book Sold Out Coach plus his free crash course at soldout.coach/love (special link for I Love Coaching listeners with discounted preorder and early access)Download the free Get Paid to Coach guide at ilovecoachingco.comJoin the $10K+ Coaching Offer Challenge at ilovecoachingco.com/challengeREAL Coach Method Membership at ilovecoachingco.com/discover

You've defined your payoff. You've done the math. You've built your audience, chosen your channel, connected with the right people, and enrolled your first group members. And then most coaches just... stop. They move on to the next thing. They never collect the proof.That's the step that quietly stalls everything.This is the final episode in our 7-part series on scaling from one-to-one to one-to-many coaching. And proof is the step Adam and Jess both call the second most important behind payoff itself, and the most consistently overlooked. Done right, one testimonial collected in 2023 can still be generating leads in 2026. That's not an exaggeration. That's a real story from this episode.If you've listened to the full series, this is where the flywheel starts to spin.What You'll LearnWhy proof is the most skipped step in the entire framework and what it costs coaches who ignore itThe one offer, one conversation, one payoff, one testimonial flywheel and how it compounds over timeWhy case studies and client stories do more selling than anything you could ever say about yourselfThe Amazon reviews analogy: why buyers want proof from someone other than the sellerWhy your one-to-one clients are the runway where you test the outfit before you mass produce itWhy collecting proof from multiple clients matters because your clients will surprise you with the language they use to describe your impactThe difference between hero language and guide language in your testimonial and case study contentThe two components every piece of proof needs: empathy and competenceA simple three-question video testimonial framework that a successful coach used to blow up his one-to-many offer fastWhy proof works backwards through the entire framework, making enrollment easier, channels more effective, and audience growth fasterWhy a testimonial from three years ago can still be generating inbound leads todayTimestamps00:00 Welcome to the final step: Proof00:55 Why proof is the second most important step and the most forgotten01:21 The flywheel: one offer, one conversation, one payoff, one testimonial02:03 What proof actually is and why it's really about evidence03:29 The Amazon reviews analogy: buyers want proof from someone other than you05:13 Why groups built without proof fail before they start07:10 The fashion runway analogy: one-to-ones are where you test before you scale08:27 Why you need multiple testimonials, not just one, to be prescriptive10:17 How to match the right proof to the right room and the right person10:53 The flywheel explained in full12:24 Why your clients will surprise you with what they say when you actually ask13:22 Guide language vs. hero language in your proof and evidence14:05 Empathy and competence: the two components every piece of proof needs15:03 The three-question video testimonial framework that works16:09 How one testimonial created ongoing connection opportunities for Adam17:13 Why a testimonial from 2023 is still generating leads in 202618:07 How proof works backwards to strengthen all seven steps20:11 Full series recap: all seven steps in sequence22:01 Where to go nextQuotes From This Episode"You've spent all this time building your payoff, your avatar, your channels, your enrollment. And then people go backwards and feel like they have to prove themselves all over again to get the next person. You don't have to sell if you have the language around what you've done." - Jess"The proof doesn't have to come from you. That's the whole point of this step. It comes from your clients, and that changes everything." - Adam"Not every outfit on the runway makes it into the store. You need feedback from multiple one-to-one clients before you know which story lands in the marketplace." - Jess"We haven't worked with Dan for two years and that testimonial still has people calling me asking about working with him. Evidence from 2023 is still driving revenue in 2026." - Adam"My favorite thing that people suck at is they don't go ask their clients what they actually got from the work. You will get completely different answers than you assumed, and those answers will change the way you talk to everyone else." - Jess"Proof works backwards. When you have it, enrollment gets easier, your channel messaging gets better, connecting with people gets faster, and your audience grows. The whole framework tightens." - JessResources + Next StepsDownload the free Get Paid to Coach guide at https://ilovecoachingco.comJoin the $10K+ Coaching Offer Challenge at ilovecoachingco.com/challengeREAL Coach Method Membership at ilovecoachingco.com/discoverWant to see all seven steps in action live? Come to the challenge and watch Adam and Jess run the entire framework in real time

Most coaches transition from one-to-one into group and immediately make the same mistake: they keep doing sales calls. They try to customize the offer for every person. They build the whole thing before inviting anyone into it. And they show up as the hero of the story instead of the guide.All of that creates friction. And friction kills enrollment.This is Step 6 in our 7-part series on scaling from one-to-one to one-to-many. By this point you have your payoff, your math, your audience, your channel, and your connection system. Now it's time to actually invite people in, and that looks very different than the way you've been closing one-to-one clients.In this episode, Adam and Jess break down the mindset shift, the language shift, and the tactical setup you need to enroll people into a group offer without a single sales call.What You'll LearnWhy the tactics that closed your one-to-one clients will actively hurt your group enrollmentThe difference between a sales call and an integrated next step, and why one creates friction and the other removes itWhy "book a call with me" at the end of a masterclass or challenge is leaving money on the tableThe two types of buyers in every room: tactical buyers and emotional buyers, and how to speak to bothWhy your one-to-one reps are the exact foundation your group offer is built onThe Donald Miller guide framework: victim, villain, hero, and guide, and why you must identify as the guide to enroll at scaleWhy standing at the mountaintop yelling "come on up" is the fastest way to lose the people who need you mostThe 20% conversion benchmark for group enrollment and why the other 80% are not lost foreverWhy confusion about payment or process kills enrollment before it startsHow to use the challenge model as a live example of integrated next steps done rightWhy confirmation bias means your buyers will spend with you again if the first experience deliversTimestamps00:00 Welcome to Step 6: Enroll01:25 Quick recap of Steps 1 through 501:54 The top challenges coaches face when enrolling into group02:34 Why one-to-one closing tactics don't translate to group04:33 Why ending a masterclass with "book a call" creates unnecessary friction05:14 The three real enrollment blockers: unclear payoff, friction, and over-building06:41 Why your one-to-one reps are your group's foundation07:07 Invitation vs. offer: the language shift that changes everything07:45 Tactical buyers vs. emotional buyers and how to speak to both09:04 What an integrated next step actually means09:58 Why vomiting value doesn't move people and micro wins do11:24 The Maslow Mountain visual: stop yelling from the summit12:17 Donald Miller's four characters and why you are the guide, not the hero16:09 The hole in the woods: what guide language actually sounds like17:20 The Sherpa vs. the hero: all your expertise should feel like a path, not a cape19:34 How enrollment as an invitation creates referrals even from people who say no20:45 The 20% conversion benchmark and why it's the right number to anchor to24:21 One payment source, one platform, one portal: why simplicity creates trust26:41 Final summary and call to actionQuotes From This Episode"People do not want to be sold. They're going to do the selling of the thing themselves. The key is making it as frictionless as possible to see that your offer is the next right solution to their problem." - Jess"When you do a masterclass and end with 'book a sales call with me,' you've got buyers who are ready right now, and you just gave them one more step to think about it. Don't do that." - Adam"You can create micro wins for people, small steps that move them up the mountain, and they are so much more willing and committed than you standing at the top yelling down going, hey, come look at the view." - Jess"You are the guide. You are not the hero. The hero is the victim who is willing to transform. Your job is to find them, fight the villain, and help them become the hero." - Adam"If everybody is saying yes, your price is probably too low. If nobody is saying yes, there's misalignment. Twenty percent saying yes is the sweet spot." - Jess"Enrollment as an invitation creates opportunities for referrals as well as yeses. And that is a missed opportunity for a lot of people who show up as a hero instead of a guide." - Jess"Confused people do nothing. One payment option. One platform. One portal. Creating a standard creates confidence for the buyer." - Adam and JessResources + Next StepsDownload the free Get Paid to Coach guide at ilovecoachingco.comJoin the $10K+ Coaching Offer Challenge at ilovecoachingco.com/challenge and see the integrated next step model in action liveREAL Coach Method Membership at ilovecoachingco.com/discoverMissed Steps 1 through 5? Go back and start at the beginning of this series

You've defined your payoff. You know your math. You've identified your audience. You've picked your channel. Now what?Now you actually talk to people.This is Step 5 in our 7-part series on scaling your coaching business from one-to-one to one-to-many. And this is the step most coaches skip entirely, or confuse with selling. Connection is not selling. It is not coaching in the DMs. It is the contact sport that happens before any of that, and if it's not in your calendar, it's not happening.In this episode, Adam and Jess break down what real connection looks like, why active and passive approaches both work depending on who you are, and why the same tactics that filled your one-to-one roster will not fill a group.What You'll LearnWhy connection is Step 5 and not Step 2, and what goes wrong when coaches invert the orderThe difference between active connection (DMs, texts, outreach) and passive connection (email nurture, stages, podcasts) and why both are validWhy you should never sell or coach in the DMs during the connection phaseHow Jess grew her email list by 20% in a week and a half with two lead magnets and what that means for connection at scaleWhy 60-80% email open rates are possible when your nurture sequence is built rightWhat a weekly connection plan actually looks like in your calendarWhy the same connection approach that got you 10 one-to-one clients won't get you 100 group membersThe difference between one-to-one outreach and one-to-many connection systems and when to use eachWhy "systems are just the standards you live by" is the most important sentence in this episodeWhat's coming in Step 6: enrolling people into your offer without it feeling like a sales pitchTimestamps00:00 Welcome to Step 5: Connect00:54 Why connect comes after channel, not before02:06 Audience vs. connection: what the difference actually means03:47 Why coaches invert connect and audience and what it costs them04:42 The "build it and they will come" trap05:55 What active connection looks like in practice06:22 Active vs. passive connection: Adam vs. Jess approach07:38 The rule: never sell and never coach in the DMs09:26 How Jess grew her email list 20% in a week and a half10:19 Why open rates matter more than list size11:00 Why connection has to be in your calendar or it won't happen12:57 Systems are the standards you live by13:48 One-to-one connection vs. one-to-many connection systems14:37 Email, keynote speaking, and podcasting as passive one-to-many connection tools15:04 How the blueprint phases connect to this moment in your business17:15 Why 45-50 DMs in 90 minutes is a real time block, not a side hustle19:07 Why warming people through email first makes DM outreach more effective21:32 Connection needs a system, not a vibe23:53 Preview of Step 6: enrollingQuotes From This Episode"Once you've narrowed down with your math who you need to talk to and how you're going to talk to them, this episode is actually about talking to them. Order of operations, y'all." - Jess"This is the part of your coaching business where it's a contact sport. If you're not out making contacts, if your audience isn't big enough to support the vision you have, this is where you will fail." - Adam"Don't sell in the DMs. Don't coach in the DMs. The only thing you do in connection is connect." - Adam and Jess"Commitment is doing the thing you said you were going to do long after the original mood you set it in had left you." - Adam"Systems are just the standards you live by. If you don't have a system around connection, you have no standard for it. And that shows a lack of intentionality and care for the people you're trying to connect with." - Jess"The same things you are doing to fill your one-to-one will not fill your one-to-many. You need a strategy and a standard of connection consistently over time." - Jess"If it's not in the calendar, you guys, don't wing this part. A lot of us are really good wingers. Put connection into your calendar." - AdamResources + Next StepsDownload the free Get Paid to Coach guide at ilovecoachingco.comJoin the $10K+ Coaching Offer Challenge: ilovecoachingco.com/challengeREAL Coach Method Membership: ilovecoachingco.com/discoverMissed Steps 1 through 4? Start at the beginning of this series so the order of operations makes senseJess's lead magnets: BigIdeasMadeSimple.com

There are more channels available to coaches today than ever before. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, podcasts, email, stages, books, events. The list keeps going. And that's exactly the problem.This is Step 4 in our 7-part series on moving your coaching business from one-to-one to one-to-many. If you haven't listened to Steps 1 through 3 covering payoff, math, and audience, go back and start there. The channel decision only makes sense once those pieces are in place.In this episode, Adam and Jess break down what a channel actually is, why picking too many kills your momentum, and how to identify the one or two channels that actually align with who you are and where your avatar already lives.What You'll LearnWhat a channel is and why your coaching business needs one before it needs contentWhy coaches who try to show up everywhere end up getting results nowhereThe "where does the bear live?" framework for identifying which channel your avatar actually usesWhy the engagement you're getting on personal posts is not the same as the engagement you need for your businessThe difference between social media as a social tool vs. a business growth toolWhy one or two channels done consistently beats five channels done sporadically every single timeHow Adam and Jess each built six and seven figure businesses using completely different channelsWhat commitment actually means when the mood to post has completely left the buildingWhy the coaches you're comparing yourself to have full media teams behind them and you don't need one yetWhat comes next in Step 5: connecting with the audience you're buildingTimestamps00:00 What channels are and why this conversation matters00:47 How to define a channel in the context of your coaching business01:40 Where we are in the 7-part series02:02 Every channel that exists and why listing them all is already overwhelming02:47 Why you don't have to do them all and why the coaches you admire have teams doing it for them04:46 The bear hunting framework: who is your bear and where does it live?06:33 Why loving a channel and your avatar living there are two different things08:57 One channel to start, maybe two, never more right now10:59 Be intentional and systematic before adding anything new12:05 What actually happens when you post educational content and get five likes14:13 Consistency is time on task over time, not a one-week experiment15:57 What commitment really means when results are slow17:27 Why posting three to five times a day is not the message19:22 Smaller and simpler is the strategy right now, not a limitation22:01 Rory Vaden's content diamond is great but not where you start24:06 Everything ILC does is duplicatable and that's the whole point24:38 Preview of Step 5: connecting through your channelQuotes From This Episode"A channel is any mechanism you're pulling to connect with other people. You're going to pick the way that works best with who you are, where you like to show up, and most strategically where your avatar lives." - Jess"Where does the bear live? You have to understand where this avatar is already engaging. Because if you love Instagram but your bear lives on Facebook, you've got a problem." - Adam"The message is not do it all. Don't suddenly become a content machine because that will burn you out and you won't be able to deliver to the group at a high level." - Jess"Commitment is doing the thing you said you were going to do long after the original mood you set it in had left you." - Adam"You just have to figure out what you're coaching, who you're coaching, how they like to consume information, and then build a mechanism that helps you meet them where they are." - Jess"This is not a content podcast. This is a channel podcast. Choosing the channel so you can connect with the avatars you intend to connect with. Very simple." - AdamResources + Next StepsDownload the free Get Paid to Coach guide at ilovecoachingco.comJoin the $10K+ Coaching Offer Challenge: ilovecoachingco.com/challengeREAL Coach Method Membership: ilovecoachingco.com/discoverMissed Steps 1, 2, or 3? Go back and listen to the payoff, math, and audience episodes first before this one