Overcome Your Fear
Easier said than done, right? As Thomas Fuller once said, “One that would have the fruit must climb the tree.” You know better than anyone: success requires effort. You help your clients understand that every single day. Now it’s time to work for yourself: overcoming self-doubt is not only possible, but it will prove extremely helpful in your business.
Health coaching is an increasingly competitive career and in order to build your coaching business, you need to stand out from the crowd. For many of us, especially the shy and timid, self-promotion seems impossible. Talking about yourself can be really unpleasant. Several years ago I hated talking about myself to other people, because it seemed selfish, rude and I thought that no one would be interested. However, I have realized that people do actually want to hear about you, otherwise they will have no reason to hire you.
Think about why you became a health coach in the first place. Health coaching is the art of helping people improve many different areas of their lives. Coaching is a fascinating and honorable career path, but how can you help people if you cannot be heard?
I have found some sneaky ways to alleviate my fears and promote myself and I would like to share them with you.
The most helpful thing I have learned is to talk about what you enjoy. Is there something you could talk about with friends all day and it would still seem interesting to you? What is your favorite part about being a health coach? Carefully consider these questions and your answers to them. Talk about those things to your current clients, to your potential clients or if you are speaking in public, to your audience.
In college when I made presentations to my classes about a topic I was not interested in, I would dread the presentations – I would physically tremble and my face would turn bright pink (and hot to the touch). I realized that this was not only a horrible experience, but it was also ineffective and I saw that my audience hated it, too.
In an effort to put an end to my fear, I began creating presentations about what I loved instead of what I thought my professor and my audience might love. So I became selfish. I started speaking to my classmates about topics I loved, because I liked it more and I actually enjoyed presenting. Not only that, but my audience enjoyed it, too, because I was no longer visibly nervous or miserable. Classmates would come up to me later telling me how interesting my topic and presentation were, as I tried to keep my jaw from dropping in shock!
Choosing to talk about what you love will make promoting yourself much easier and more pleasant. Plus, when people can see that you are enthusiastic about a topic, they also become interested and motivated and will want to buy your services.
Don’t be afraid to be “selfish”. Talking about yourself won’t kill you! Request testimonials from your best clients and ask them to tell their friends about you, too. Although it can be difficult to ask, it will make a difference in growing your coaching business. It may seem selfish to you at first, but it really is just a necessary part of growing your client base and it will get easier over time.
Ask yourself the question “What do I love about my job?” Then tell people the answer! When people find out that you are passionate about what you do, they want to work with you. Potential clients will trust your abilities, based on the fact that you are genuinely interested in helping your client improve. Trust is essential to keeping your current clients and attracting new clients.
The great thing about health coaching is that no matter which aspects of health are the most interesting to you, there will always be people who want a specialist to help them improve those areas. When you tell people about your specialties, it will help you find clients who want your help.
For example, if your favorite aspect of coaching is helping people with stress management and healthy eating, use this to your advantage:
- When someone asks you what you do as a health coach, say “I specialize in stress management and healthy eating, and I also work with people to…”
- Write the words “Expert in Stress Management” on your resume, website or even business card.
- Show and tell your potential clients that you have training, education and certificates.
- In your marketing be sure to use words that make you sound professional and put your expertise on display.
When people know that you have specializations, they will have a reason to choose you as their coach. There is no reason to be timid; words don’t bite.
In every conversation, keep in mind that anyone can be your potential client. When you hear someone talking about how difficult it is to maintain a balance between their career and their family, tactfully mention that you are a health coach and that you have worked with many people who feel the pressures of work-life imbalance. You don’t have to talk about yourself and your business for 30 minutes as if you were in a seminar; just mention your line of work when it is appropriate and the conversation will then naturally flow from there.
Getting attention never hurt anyone. However, being unnoticed will definitely harm your career. If you focus on what you love, talking to people and promoting yourself will get easier and easier. As you practice more and more, you will overcome your fear and shyness your health coaching business will grow, rewarding you for your effort.
Do you have a public speaking story you would like to share? Where do you stand on public speaking? Please comment below. I always love receiving your feedback and it will give me a chance to get to know you better.
Thank you for sharing this time with me.
To Your Success,
Karen
Appreciate your bringing up what is sometimes the hardest – letting others see your light and talents in a positive light without ego. I think it takes constant practice to learn how to phrase and promote yourself. Would welcome future posts on the subject – how you came about defining yourself and the confidence building skills you use before promoting. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks for your feedback Julia. Public speaking is definitely one of those things that take practice for most people. As I said, talking about what I love and believe in really changed the entire process for me. Now I can talk and talk….
Hi Karen.. great article. I recently started to enjoy public speaking. When I first started speaking about 2-1/2 years ago, I was SO nervous and I found myself looking at one person the whole time. Well, I just kept plugging away at different venues and eventually got to this place where I wish I had more opportunities to speak. I actually enjoy it quite a bit! Thanks for your great advice regarding marketing. I am at the threshold of getting myself out there big time. Keep up all the great work!
Hi Charlotte!
Thanks for sharing. I just loved your story. It’s the true definition of busting through your fear and conquering. Congratulations! Just keep putting yourself out there. There more speaking you do the more opportunities will come your way. Keep on doing what your doing because you are truly making a difference in the world. 🙂
Karen, I love public speaking and have so much fun. I have been blessed to be enrolled in public speaking school at my congregation for most of my life. It is amazing to see how it all comes into play with my business. Some concerns come up but I hug them and send them to get me a drink of water. Thanks Karen!
Hi Bette,
Thanks so much for commenting. You are definitely an outgoing spirit that impacts people every single day. No doubt your years of public speaking experience plays a huge role in that. I’m a true believer that no part of our journey is ever wasted… it’s just getting us ready for something that is yet to come. 🙂