7 Mistakes You’re Making with Your Coaching Offer (And Why Clients Choose Your Competition Instead)
You’ve spent months crafting what you think is the perfect coaching offer. You’ve poured your heart into designing a program that could genuinely transform lives. Yet somehow, your ideal clients keep choosing other coaches: coaches who might not even be as qualified as you.
Here’s the brutal truth: your expertise isn’t the problem. The issue lies in how you’re packaging, presenting, and positioning your offer. While you’re busy being an amazing coach, your competitors are busy being amazing at selling coaching.
Let’s fix that. Here are the seven critical mistakes that are sabotaging your coaching offer and sending clients straight to your competition.
Mistake #1: You’re Trying to Be Everything to Everyone
Why this backfires: When your coaching offer promises to fix “life, business, relationships, health, and spiritual alignment,” potential clients can’t figure out what you actually do. They see a generalist when they need a specialist.
Your competitor who focuses solely on “helping burned-out executives transition to purpose-driven careers” immediately resonates with that exact person. Specificity wins every time.
You think casting a wider net catches more fish, but it actually catches nothing. Clients don’t want a coach who might be able to help them: they want the coach who definitely specializes in their exact problem.
The fix: Pick one transformation you deliver exceptionally well. Get known for that one thing first. You can always expand later, but trying to be everything from the start makes you invisible in a crowded market.
Mistake #2: Your Pricing Strategy Is Completely Backwards
This isn’t just about charging too little or too much: you’re pricing without understanding what your clients actually value.
You’ve probably made one of these pricing mistakes:
- Underpricing because you don’t feel “ready” yet (spoiler: you’ll never feel ready)
- Overpricing without proven results to justify premium positioning
- Copying competitor pricing without understanding your unique value
- Pricing based on your own financial comfort rather than client investment capacity
Here’s what’s really happening: your clients aren’t choosing based on price alone. They’re choosing based on perceived value and confidence in results. A $2,000 offer that sounds wishy-washy loses to a $5,000 offer that promises specific, measurable outcomes.
The reality: If you can’t clearly articulate why your offer is worth the investment, neither can your clients. Your competition isn’t necessarily cheaper: they’re just better at communicating value.
Why Aren’t My Coaching Programs Selling?
Let’s address the elephant in the room. You’re probably making this about you when it should be about them.
Your offer description sounds like this: “I help women find their purpose and create aligned businesses through my signature 6-month program that combines mindset work with strategy.”
Your competitor’s offer sounds like this: “In 90 days, you’ll have a clear business plan, your first paying client, and the confidence to charge what you’re worth: guaranteed.”
See the difference? One is about what the coach does. The other is about what the client gets.
Clients don’t care about your methods, frameworks, or how long you’ve been coaching. They care about their problems getting solved. Your offer needs to lead with their desired outcome, not your process.
Mistake #3: You’re Not Using Social Proof Strategically
You think testimonials are just nice-to-have additions to your offer. Wrong. Social proof is the difference between “I’ll think about it” and “Where do I sign up?”
But here’s where most coaches mess this up: you’re collecting weak testimonials that don’t actually sell.
Weak testimonial: “Lisa was so helpful and supportive throughout our coaching journey. I learned so much about myself and feel more confident now. I highly recommend her!”
Strong testimonial: “Before working with Lisa, I was stuck at $3K months and constantly undercharging. Within 8 weeks of implementing her pricing strategy, I landed my first $8K client and have a waitlist for the first time ever. The ROI was immediate.”
Your competition understands this. They collect testimonials that speak directly to specific results their ideal clients want. They showcase transformation, not just satisfaction.
How Do I Package My Expertise Into an Irresistible Offer?
Stop thinking about packaging your knowledge. Start thinking about packaging transformation.
Your expertise is the vehicle, not the destination. Clients don’t buy coaching hours: they buy outcomes. Yet most coaches package their offers like this:
- “12 weekly 60-minute sessions”
- “Access to my online portal”
- “Email support between calls”
- “Bonus workshop on goal setting”
This is a list of features disguised as an offer. Your competition packages transformation:
- “The exact system to go from confused about your niche to booked solid with dream clients”
- “Weekly strategy sessions to eliminate overwhelm and create clear action steps”
- “Direct access to me when you’re stuck so you never waste time going in circles”
- “The client attraction workshop that fills your pipeline without social media burnout”
The difference? One focuses on what you give, the other on what they get. Package the transformation, not the transaction.
Mistake #4: Your Offer Lacks Clear Boundaries and Structure
You think being flexible makes you more appealing. Actually, it makes you look unprofessional.
Vague offers with loose boundaries signal that you don’t really know what you’re doing. When you say “we’ll figure it out as we go” or “I adapt to whatever you need,” clients hear “this person doesn’t have a proven system.”
Your competition offers clear, structured programs with defined phases:
- Phase 1: Clarity and goal-setting (weeks 1-2)
- Phase 2: Strategy development (weeks 3-6)
- Phase 3: Implementation and optimization (weeks 7-12)
Structure creates confidence. It shows you’ve done this before and know exactly how to get results. Flexibility can exist within structure, but the framework should be non-negotiable.
Mistake #5: You’re Selling the Process, Not the Promise
Here’s where most coaches lose potential clients: you’re obsessed with explaining your methodology instead of selling the outcome.
You lead with: “My unique blend of neurolinguistic programming, somatic experiencing, and strategic planning creates sustainable transformation through…”
Stop right there. Your potential client just glazed over. They don’t care about your certifications or techniques. They care about getting their problem solved.
Your competition leads with the promise: “Stop feeling like an imposter and start charging premium prices with complete confidence. Here’s exactly how we’ll get you there in 90 days.”
The promise is always more compelling than the process. Sell the destination first, explain the journey second.
How to Price Coaching Programs That Actually Sell
This isn’t about finding the “perfect” price point. It’s about positioning your price in relation to the value you deliver.
Most coaches price their offers by looking at competitors and either trying to be the cheapest option or randomly picking a number that “feels right.” This is backwards.
Here’s the real pricing strategy:
- Calculate the cost of the problem you solve (lost income, wasted time, opportunity cost)
- Identify the value of the solution (increased revenue, time saved, confidence gained)
- Position your price as a fraction of that value
If you help coaches go from $2K to $8K months, the annual value is $72K. A $5K investment to achieve that is a no-brainer. But you have to make that math obvious in your offer presentation.
Your competition isn’t necessarily cheaper: they’re just better at demonstrating ROI.
Mistake #6: Your Offer Doesn’t Address the Real Problem
You think you know what your clients want. You’re probably wrong.
You’re selling “confidence and clarity” when they actually want “a full client waitlist and premium pricing.” You’re offering “work-life balance” when they need “systems that let them scale without burnout.”
Your competition does the research. They ask their ideal clients: “What’s the #1 thing keeping you up at night?” Then they build offers that solve that exact problem.
Generic problems get generic interest. Specific problems get immediate attention and higher investment.
Mistake #7: You Don’t Have a Signature System
Every successful coach has a signature system or methodology that becomes synonymous with their brand. If you don’t have one, you’re just another coach offering “coaching.”
Your competition has “The 6-Figure Visibility Formula” or “The Authentic Authority Method.” These aren’t just clever names: they’re positioning tools that differentiate their offer from everyone else’s.
A signature system:
- Creates intellectual property you can trademark and scale
- Positions you as the expert in that specific approach
- Makes your offer more memorable and referrable
- Justifies premium pricing through unique methodology
Without this, you’re competing on personality and price. With it, you’re competing in a category of one.
The Real Reason Clients Choose Your Competition
It’s not that they’re better coaches. They’re better at removing friction from the buying decision.
While you’re leaving potential clients to figure out whether your offer will work for them, your competition is making it obvious. They’re addressing objections before they arise, demonstrating clear value, and making the investment feel like a no-brainer.
Your expertise is not in question. Your offer positioning is.
The good news? These are all fixable problems. You don’t need to become a different coach: you just need to package and present your coaching differently.
Ready to stop losing clients to inferior competition? It’s time to audit your offer against these seven critical areas and make the changes that turn browsers into buyers.
Because the world needs what you have to offer. You just need to make sure they can actually see it.
Are You Ready?
If you’re done with trial and error and ready to build with proven frameworks and strategic guidance, here’s what’s next:
Book a Clarity Call with Lisa Benson. Let’s map out your next 90 days with tactical strategy, not theory. We’ll look at where you are, where you want to go, and exactly what needs to happen to get there.
Start with the 9-Line Business Roadmap. Get the framework that helps women service providers scale to consistent $5K-$15K months without burning out or sacrificing boundaries.
Learn About Operation Six-Figure. Our signature coaching system installs repeatable systems for growth—so you can lead like a CEO instead of a scrappy solopreneur barely keeping up.
