A manager thinking about leadership coaching visits a coach's website. It is full of inspiring quotes and photos of the coach speaking on stage. There is a "work with me" button that leads to a form. There is no description of what coaching involves, how long it lasts or what it costs. The manager, who needs to justify the expense to their company, leaves to find a coach who explains all of that.
Coaching websites often inspire without informing. Here are the mistakes that lose serious prospects.
Mistake 1: all inspiration, no information
Quotes and stories matter, but serious prospects need to know what they are buying.
Mistake 2: vague programmes
Programme names without detail leave prospects guessing. Describe who each programme is for, what it includes and how long it lasts.
Mistake 3: hidden prices
Many coaches hide prices out of worry. Serious prospects, especially those paying through their employer, need a figure.
Mistake 4: a mysterious discovery call
Prospects hesitate to book a call they do not understand. Explain what happens, how long it is and whether it is free. Discovery calls that never happen are covered in discovery call requests that never get booked.
Mistake 5: no clear audience
Who do you coach? Leaders, founders, career changers, parents returning to work? A clear audience helps the right people recognise themselves.
Mistake 6: no evidence
Honest testimonials, with permission, show that coaching works for people like the prospect.
Mistake 7: no easy way to ask
Prospects often have one question before they are ready to book. A way to ask, at any hour, keeps them engaged. The time this frees up for a solo coach is described in a solo coach's week before and after handling first contact.
Mistake 8: no mention of employer funding
Many coaching clients are funded by their employer. Prospects need to know whether the coach can invoice a company, provide a proposal for approval and report on progress. Saying so on the website opens the door to corporate clients who would otherwise assume the coach only works with individuals.
Mistake 9: a booking link with no context
A bare calendar link invites the wrong people to book and puts off the right ones. A short explanation above the link, describing who the call is for and what happens on it, improves the quality of bookings.
Mistake 10: content with no call to action
Articles and videos attract visitors, but many end without any next step. A short line inviting readers to ask a question or book a call turns content into enquiries.
A parallel in property
Property managers who forget landlords on their websites make a similar mistake: speaking to the wrong audience, as described in property management website mistakes that lose landlords.
Fixing it
Describe each programme clearly, publish starting prices, explain the discovery call, say who you help and add testimonials. Then make sure the assistant learns from the updated pages, as described in how to train your chatbot on your website content.
SpideyChat for coaches answers programme and price questions from your own pages at any hour and captures prospects' details.
A serious prospect's test
Imagine you need to justify coaching to your manager. Can you find what the programme involves, how long it takes and what it costs within a minute? If not, start with that page. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot cover the setup.