How to Identify and Attract Your Ideal Clients in 2026

SUMMARY

In this episode, John & Angie discuss essential strategies for coaches and entrepreneurs to attract clients, build sustainable businesses, and avoid common pitfalls. They share personal experiences, practical tips, and insights on targeting the right audience, leveraging marketing channels, and maintaining focus.

Keywords:

coaching business, client attraction, marketing strategies, target audience, business growth, referrals, webinars, social media, niching, strategic focus

key topics:

Target audience identification and niching

Effective marketing channels and strategies

Building a referral-based business and reputation

The importance of strategic focus and avoiding distractions

Using webinars and content marketing to attract clients

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Evolution of Client Attraction Strategies

01:31 Reflecting on Past Mistakes in Business Marketing

02:57 The Importance of Knowing Your Target Audience

04:26 Deciding Who You Want to Work With and Who to Avoid

05:44 Building a Clear Client Profile and Filtering Clients

06:37 The Role of Research and Industry Knowledge

08:11 Effective Communication and Outreach Strategies

10:15 Focusing on B2B vs B2C Strategies

11:54 Creating Offers That Resonate with Your Target Market

14:07 Using Content and Industry Insights to Position Yourself

16:05 The Value of Specialisation and Niche Focus

18:03 Building Visibility Through Media and Speaking Opportunities

20:00 The Power of Referrals and Networking

22:04 Being Strategic and Focused in Your Marketing Efforts

24:09 The Shift from Free to Paid Offerings for Serious Clients

26:15 The Importance of Consistent Effort and Strategic Action

27:58 outro.mp3

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

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2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 90

Coach Energy and Consistency: Handling “That Client,” Emotions, and Authority in Sessions

SUMMARY

John and Angie discuss how coaches manage their energy and consistency across sessions, including whether they show up the same with every client and how reactions to “that client” can signal a coach’s own challenge in navigating difficulty. They explore adapting energy to different clients while still leading the session, and identify a risk point when a coach’s view of a client’s potential becomes clouded by triggers or poor rapport. They cover handling clients who overtalk, ask constant questions, assert disruptive authority, or arrive with strong emotions, using tactics such as slowing down, labelling emotions, asking what the client needs most, and pivoting if the client won’t discuss what’s wrong. They emphasise empathy without being pulled into clients’ emotions, holding space, rescheduling when needed, and building both process and intuition skills.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Coach Energy Consistency

00:59 Show Intro 01:15 Dreading That Client

01:58 Roster Energy Management

03:41 Why It Feels Hard

06:52 Adapt Without Losing Authority

09:37 Handling Power Challenges

13:00 When Clients Won't Share

14:32 Reschedule or Refocus

18:42 Empathy Without Absorbing

23:06 Warmth and Competence

27:23 Process vs Intuition Balance

27:48 Wrap Up and Listener Call

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 89

How Coaches Can Become More Known: Strategic Podcast Guesting, Speaking, and Content

SUMMARY

John opens the Coaching Clinic without Angie, who is busy applying the show’s advice with new clients, and shares key ways coaches can become more known to generate lead flow. He outlines the main pillars: developing clear IP by knowing exactly who you help, then using authority builders like a book, a podcast or a YouTube channel, speaking engagements (often starting locally and for free), and a focused social media channel rather than trying to be everywhere. He emphasises podcast guesting as a low-cost, accessible, and powerful approach when done strategically, noting most pitches are generic, poorly researched, and “spray and pray.” He recommends personalisation, demonstrating familiarity with the show, and proposing valuable conversation topics, and offers the first three free classes of his Strategic Podcast Guesting mini course via show notes or presentinfluence.com or direct from this link: https://app.hiro.fm/channel/podcastguest

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why Being Known Matters

00:40 Three Pillars Overview

00:57 Books Podcasts Speaking

01:31 Podcast Guesting Advantage

03:20 Social Media Focus

03:41 Do You Need Fame

04:47 Why Pitching Fails

05:54 Strategy Over Spray

07:29 Personalised Pitch Tactics

09:16 Free Guesting Mini Course

10:45 Wrap Up And Next Steps

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 88

Keeping Coaching Sessions on Track: Handling Clients Who Talk Too Much.

SUMMARY

John & Angie discuss a common coaching challenge: clients or prospects who dominate calls, talk over the coach, and leave no space for productive coaching. They argue that effective coaches must stay in the “driver’s seat” or “pace car,” setting expectations up front that interruptions may occur to prevent unproductive rambling or to pause to address important nuances. They share tactics such as politely interrupting, redirecting, summarising what was said, asking clients to nutshell the point, and helping clients choose the most impactful focus for the session. They emphasise balancing empathy and respect with maintaining control, avoiding laziness or over-talking as a coach, and finishing on time to avoid creating expectations of overruns. When breakthroughs occur near the end, they suggest acknowledging them and carrying the topic into the next session with preparation tasks.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Coaching Call Problem

01:54 Control the Conversation

03:15 Be the Pace Car

05:55 Polite Interruptions

08:26 Preframe Expectations

11:05 Teach Clarity Fast

12:36 Summarise and Refocus

17:20 End on Time

21:25 Wrap Up and Next Time

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 87

The Business of Coaching: Vision, Strategy, and Avoiding Costly Mistakes

Angie and John discuss the dos and don’ts of building a coaching business, reflecting on how they started with little guidance and often spent money on marketing and setup that didn’t work. They emphasise creating a clear vision of what “success” looks like (lifestyle solopreneur vs. scaling with staff), understanding finances and time constraints, and following a general progression from one-to-one coaching to groups and then scaling. They warn against getting distracted by non-priorities, overspending without a strategy, and growing too quickly, sharing an example of a startup that scaled fast and had to lay off its team. They critique coaching “job” postings that are actually franchises or MLM-like models, urging due diligence, and stress the value of trustworthy mentorship plus expert advice on legal structure and tax efficiency.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Business of Coaching

01:36 Starting Without a Handbook

03:44 Roadmaps and Realities

06:50 Vision and Growth Stages

11:24 LinkedIn Coaching Schemes

13:46 Franchise vs MLM Warning

20:05 Scaling Too Fast Lessons

25:36 Spend With Strategy

27:01 Pay Coaches and Value People

30:24 Taxes, Mentors and Wrap Up

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 86

Prepared Coaching: Notes, Energy, and Being Fully Present with Clients

SUMMARY:

Angie and John discuss why showing up unprepared to coaching sessions harms client outcomes and rapport, and why “work before the work” matters.

They emphasise protecting energy and presence by avoiding back-to-back sessions and building in at least 15 minutes between calls to reset, review prior notes, and track action steps. They argue that coaches who wing sessions without notes or tracking may be adequate but cannot be masterful, and that forgetting prior commitments is a “bad look” that can damage trust, renewals, reputation, and business.

They describe notes as a strategic tool that helps clients feel uniquely seen, supports continuity over months or years, and provides a story of the client’s progress when reviewed near the end of an engagement.

They also compare manual note-taking with AI note-taking, noting that AI can organise summaries and action steps, while coaches still capture standout moments and edit them before sharing.

Finally, they debate recording sessions, suggesting that recordings can help coach development and quality assurance, but may distract clients or pull them back into an old emotional state, while well-structured notes may deliver more value for client reflection and transformation.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Prepared or Not

00:58 Willy Nilly Coaching

01:54 Energy and Spacing

04:18 Sweet Spot Scheduling

05:59 Notes and Mastery

09:35 Presence Feels Magical

10:32 Coffee Chat vs Results

13:52 Assembly Line Warning

14:57 Why Notes Matter

16:01 Rocks Pebbles Sand

16:57 AI Note Takers

19:21 Stay Present Coaching

19:58 Recordings For Clients

22:17 Transformation Over Replay

24:15 Final Session Story

25:57 Renewals And Progress

26:29 What Did You Say

28:09 Wrap Up And Next

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 85

We know some problems are good problems to have, but they still need solutions. In this episode, Angie and John discuss the real challenges coaches face when reaching their capacity limits. They share insights on managing workload, setting boundaries, and scaling your coaching business sustainably while maintaining quality and personal well-being.

Key Topics

1. The emotional and mental impact of reaching coaching capacity
2. Understanding and defining your personal coaching limit
3. How solopreneurs can avoid burnout and manage their time effectively
4. Strategies for handling client waitlists and managing client engagement
5. Shifting from one-on-one to group coaching to increase capacity
6. Building a referral network and collaborative coaching partnerships
7. Managing the pipeline and avoiding cyclical business models
8. Setting boundaries around weekends and personal time
9. Preparing clients for wait times and maintaining high-value engagement
10. Planning for business scaling: when and how to expand your team or offerings

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction: Why capacity limits matter for coaches

02:11 - Recognising the emotional overwhelm of hitting capacity

04:00 - The importance of knowing your coaching capacity

05:28 - From one-hour sessions to managing your time effectively

06:48 - The necessity of preparation and session boundaries

07:56 - Handling weekend coaching and personal boundaries

09:26 - Protecting your weekends and personal time

10:14 - Managing client waiting lists and maintaining engagement

12:22 - Strategies for lead flow and pipeline management

14:15 - Transitioning to group coaching to scale capacity

16:33 - Creating waitlists and managing client expectations

17:48 - Planning for business growth and team expansion

20:08 - Delegating coaching to trusted partners

22:13 - Reflecting on future business scalability

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire...

Navigating Client Communication: What Coaches Should and Shouldn't Say.

In this episode, John and Angie discuss the complexities of communication in coaching relationships. They explore the fine line between coaching and consulting, emphasising the importance of prioritising what clients need to hear without overwhelming them. They also talk about the potential pitfalls of sharing personal information and expressing judgments, whether positive or negative. The conversation includes anecdotes about awkward or uncomfortable situations, emphasising the need for coaches to stay detached and focused on the client's growth. Listeners are encouraged to share their own experiences regarding communication mistakes in coaching.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction and Initial Thoughts

00:19 The Challenge of What to Say to Clients

03:18 Balancing Coaching and Consulting

07:25 Navigating Sensitive Topics

10:45 Maintaining Professional Boundaries

15:53 Judgment in Coaching

18:37 Conclusion and Call to Action

Want to contact the show? You can leave us a voicemail. It's free to do, and we might feature you on our next episode. All you need to do is go to https://speakpipe.com/thecoachingclinicpodcast and leave us a message. You can also find our clips and full episodes on the exclusive Coaching Clinic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingclinicpodcast

You can send us a video or voice message on LinkedIn:

John's LinkedIn Profile or go to PresentInfluence.com for coaching enquiries with John

Angie's LinkedIn Profile or visit AngieSpeaks.com

2023 Present Influence Productions Coaching Clinic: scale your business, acquire high ticket clients & master coaching skills 83