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

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

This quote has become one of her signature lines.

Despite Coach Kate having coached thousands of “ordinary” clients, her true focus lies in coaching fellow coaches.

As an instructor for PN’s Level 2 Master Health Coaching Certification, a facilitator in PN’s exclusive online coaching communities, and a coach in her private practice, she gains a unique perspective on the questions and challenges that both novice and experienced coaches encounter.

Coach Kate is aware of what fellow coaches are up to.

She has observed the successes and the mistakes of thousands of coaches, and today, she will share three prevalent errors she notices them making.

If there’s one thing Coach Kate desires, it’s to witness her colleagues achieve remarkable success, so her aim with this article is to assist coaches in:

• Overcoming feelings of paralysis due to insecurity and doubt—and beginning to expand their business
• Learning to view their clients more objectively, enabling them to best fulfill their needs and aspirations
• Accurately identifying their duties as a coach (hint: they’re not what many coaches believe them to be)
• Leveraging their inherent passion and dedication to a client’s success—without exhausting themselves in the process

We will explore three typical coaching mistakes along with solutions to address them. Let’s dive in.

Coaching error #1: Emphasizing coaching over selling

Coach Kate likens a coaching business to a three-legged stool.

• The coaching leg (representing your proficiency and expertise as a coach),
• A selling leg (accounting for your ability to market and draw in clients), and
• An administrative leg (which encompasses how clients schedule appointments, process payments, and utilize other organizational tools and systems).

“The large majority of individuals who enter coaching begin with the coaching leg,” Kate explains.

“They aspire to be the best coach possible, which is fantastic. However, merely having information and theory can only take you so far.”

As Kate states, “You cannot achieve your peak coaching potential in isolation, speaking to yourself in your office.”

This is why she suggests that many coaches should reconsider their urge to wait until they feel their knowledge is “complete.”

Instead, she proposes, just start selling.

Why?

Coaches who begin selling earlier also can start coaching earlier.

Over time, they will have an edge over those coaches who wait to be “the BEST coach possible” by obtaining 12 certifications before offering their services.

In contrast, the coach who “may not entirely know what they’re doing” but has begun practicing nonetheless will begin to build their business and gather coaching experience—and likely 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 excel to accumulate those 12 certifications before they start coaching.

“At times, we cling to the hope that we’ll reach a stage where we feel confident enough to handle any question that comes our way,” Kate remarks.

Because every coach knows that once you start explaining what you do, questions will arise. Often, there will be questions you don’t have answers for, which can be uncomfortable… perhaps even embarrassing.

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

According to Coach Kate, the notion that you should be an authority with all the answers is based on a false premise.

“When I engage in a coaching conversation, my responsibility is not to be ‘the expert.’”