“I collaborate with coaches and others who have extensive knowledge.”

Kate Solovieva is a previous psychology professor, a PN master coach, and the director of community engagement at PN.

This quote has turned into one of her defining phrases.

Although Coach Kate has trained thousands of “typical” clients, her area of expertise is coaching fellow coaches.

Through her role as an instructor with PN’s Level 2 Master Health Coaching Certification, as a facilitator for PN’s exclusive online coaching groups, and as a coach in her private practice, she observes all the inquiries and issues both new and experienced coaches encounter from a close perspective.

Coach Kate understands what other coaches are up to.

She has witnessed the successes and the mistakes of countless coaches, and today, she’s going to outline three frequent errors she notices them making.

If there’s one thing Coach Kate desires, it’s for her colleagues to achieve remarkable success; thus, her goal with this article is to assist coaches:

• Cease feeling immobilized by insecurity and doubt—and begin expanding their business
• Learn to perceive their clients more objectively, enabling them to best meet their needs and aspirations
• Clearly acknowledge their roles as coaches (note: they’re not what many coaches believe them to be)
• Channel their innate passion and commitment to a client’s success—without exhausting themselves in the process

We’ll discuss three typical coaching errors and the remedies to address them. Let’s delve into it.

Coaching error #1: Prioritizing coaching over selling

Coach Kate portrays a coaching business as a three-legged stool.

• There’s the coaching leg (your skills and expertise as a coach),
• A selling leg (your capability to market and generate a steady stream of clients), and
• An administrative leg (which pertains to how clients schedule appointments, process payments, and other organizational tools and systems).

“The overwhelming majority of individuals who enter the coaching field begin with the coaching leg,” states Kate.

“They aspire to become the best coach possible, which is commendable. However, to truly excel as a coach, knowledge and theory only take you so far.”

According to Kate, “You cannot achieve your full potential as a coach in isolation, speaking only to yourself in your office.”

This is why she encourages many coaches to resist the urge to wait until their knowledge feels “complete.”

Instead, she advises to simply start selling.

Why?

Coaches who begin selling earlier also get to start coaching earlier.

Over time, they gain an edge over coaches who strive to be “the BEST coach they can” by obtaining a dozen certifications before marketing their services.

Meanwhile, the coach who “doesn’t quite know what they’re doing” but has begun practicing will start to establish their business and coaching experience—and is likely to enhance their chances of overall success.

Solution: Remember to present yourself as a COACH, not an EXPERT

A natural tendency exists among aspiring coaches who want to perform well to acquire those 12 certifications before they start coaching.

“At times, we cling to the belief that we’ll reach a stage where we feel confident enough to handle any question that arises,” Kate mentions.

Because as every coach understands, once you begin explaining what you do, people will have questions. Often, they will ask questions you may not know how to answer, which can be uncomfortable… even embarrassing.

(You’re meant to be the expert, right??)

As per Coach Kate, the belief that you must be an authority with all the answers is founded on a flawed assumption.

“When I enter a coaching interaction, my role is not ‘the expert’