How do you avoid common pitfalls and mistakes when creating your value proposition for business coaching?

As a business coach, you want to attract and retain clients who value your expertise and guidance. But how do you communicate your unique value proposition (UVP) in a way that resonates with your ideal audience and sets you apart from the competition? In this article, we'll explore some common pitfalls and mistakes that can undermine your UVP and how to avoid them.

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1 Be clear and specific

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when creating your UVP is to be vague or generic. You don't want to use jargon, buzzwords, or clichés that sound like everyone else. Instead, you want to be clear and specific about what you do, who you do it for, and how you do it differently. For example, instead of saying "I help entrepreneurs grow their businesses", you could say "I help female solopreneurs scale their online coaching businesses with proven strategies and systems".

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Naomi-Rose Everly

LinkedIn Visibility & Positioning Strategist | Helping experts become the only person their ideal clients want to work with
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A statement needs to have movement in it. If you deliver transformative results, you’re taking your prospect from where they are now to where they need to get to. Make sure this is reflected in your statement.

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Andrew Brown

Interior Design Career & Business Success with YourCoachApproach
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I think I agree with the sentiment but not the expression. Firstly, both statements above make heavy use of jargon. 'Solopreneurs' and 'proven strategies' are jargon. Because they're not expressions people ordinarily use in every day life. Secondly, the right jargon at the right time can be very powerful. For instance, I use the phrase 'client' not 'customer' and 'studio' not the more common expression 'business'. Why? Because that's the language of those that use my services; Interior Designers.

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2 Focus on benefits, not features

Another common pitfall is to focus on the features of your coaching, rather than the benefits for your clients. Features are the aspects of your service, such as the number of sessions, the duration, the format, the tools, etc. Benefits are the outcomes, results, or transformations that your clients can expect from working with you. For example, instead of saying "I offer 12 weekly coaching sessions of 60 minutes each", you could say "I help you achieve your goals faster and easier with 12 weeks of personalized coaching and support".

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Naomi-Rose Everly

LinkedIn Visibility & Positioning Strategist | Helping experts become the only person their ideal clients want to work with
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In my experience, the biggest the problem you solve, the bigger the pay cheque. What problem are you solving for your clients and what will that be worth to them? If they can read a book and transform their situation without you, they don’t need you.

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Andrew Brown

Interior Design Career & Business Success with YourCoachApproach
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Indeed, focus your marketing and selling on solving their problems, satisfying their needs and wants. Rather concentrating on selling your processes.

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3 Validate your UVP with feedback

A third mistake is to create your UVP based on your assumptions, opinions, or preferences, rather than on the needs, wants, and pain points of your clients. You don't want to guess what your clients value or what makes you unique. You want to validate your UVP with feedback from your existing or potential clients. You can do this by conducting surveys, interviews, testimonials, or case studies. For example, instead of saying "I have 10 years of experience in business coaching", you could say "My clients have increased their revenue by 50% on average after working with me".

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Naomi-Rose Everly

LinkedIn Visibility & Positioning Strategist | Helping experts become the only person their ideal clients want to work with
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Getting feedback from potential clients is critical. Instead of just assuming what they want, design it with them. With the right line of questioning your prospect will design your package for you and therefore, jump at the chance of working with you.

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4 Tailor your UVP to your niche

A fourth pitfall is to try to appeal to everyone with your UVP, rather than to a specific niche or segment of your market. You don't want to be a jack of all trades, but a master of none. You want to tailor your UVP to your ideal client profile, persona, or avatar. You can do this by identifying their demographics, psychographics, challenges, goals, motivations, and frustrations. For example, instead of saying "I help people overcome their fears and limiting beliefs", you could say "I help introverted women overcome their fear of public speaking and boost their confidence".

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Naomi-Rose Everly

LinkedIn Visibility & Positioning Strategist | Helping experts become the only person their ideal clients want to work with
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Niching used to be about the above, but actually that’s quite limiting. Niche your business around the problem you solve and then run campaigns into demographic and psychographic groups.

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Andrew Brown

Interior Design Career & Business Success with YourCoachApproach
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Absolutely! Business coaching is a very over-supplied industry. And without a niche, you can't properly understand and therefore address the specific needs, wants, and problems of those you serve. Put another way, you'll struggle to stand out.

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5 Test and refine your UVP over time

A fifth mistake is to think that your UVP is set in stone and never change it. You don't want to be rigid or complacent with your UVP. You want to test and refine it over time, based on the feedback, data, and results that you collect. You can do this by measuring the effectiveness of your UVP in terms of conversions, retention, referrals, satisfaction, and loyalty. For example, instead of saying "I have the best business coaching program in the market", you could say "I have a proven business coaching program that adapts to your needs and goals".

By avoiding these common pitfalls and mistakes, you can create a compelling and distinctive UVP that showcases your value as a business coach and attracts your ideal clients.

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Naomi-Rose Everly

LinkedIn Visibility & Positioning Strategist | Helping experts become the only person their ideal clients want to work with
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Visit my profile and take my 18-question Scorecard to see if your business is structured to make LinkedIN work for you and whether your UVP is strong enough!

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How do you avoid common pitfalls and mistakes when creating your value proposition for business coaching?

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4

5

1 Be clear and specific

2 Focus on benefits, not features

3 Validate your UVP with feedback

4 Tailor your UVP to your niche

5 Test and refine your UVP over time

Business Coaching

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How do you avoid common pitfalls and mistakes when creating your value proposition for business coaching?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Be clear and specific

2 Focus on benefits, not features

3 Validate your UVP with feedback

4 Tailor your UVP to your niche

5 Test and refine your UVP over time

Business Coaching

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