What I wish every coach understood.

Read time: 4 min.

We were supposed to finish at 4:15.

At 5:15, she had to snap me back to reality:

"Should we watch the time?"

I'd completely lost track. Two hours flew by like twenty minutes.

This was my first session with a new client. Someone with serious depth. The kind of expertise that takes years to develop. And here's what made the session fly by: she got it immediately.

Most coaches I work with take weeks to understand what I'm about to tell you. Sometimes months. They resist it because it feels wrong.

Not her. She understood in one conversation.

The breadth of her expertise — all the incredible ways she could help people — was precisely what was keeping her stuck.

Here's the real mistake

You can do so much.

You've spent years developing your skills. You understand human behavior at a deep level. You can help people with relationships, career transitions, confidence, health challenges, mindset blocks, trauma, identity work.

All of it's true.

And because you're capable of all that, you try to sell all that.

Big mistake.

When someone asks what you do and you say "I help people reach their full potential" or "I empower people to step into their power"…

What does that actually mean?

• "Unlock your potential" → Sounds great. But what do I get?

• "Increase awareness" → Okay. Awareness of what? What changes?

• "Step into your power" → Cool phrase. What does that look like on Tuesday morning?

These things aren't untrue.

But nobody can evaluate whether they need them.

Examples that make this clear

Vague: "I guide people through their journey"

Specific: "I help new moms adjust to motherhood"

Vague: "I help you step into your power"

Specific: "I help anxious people feel calm"

Vague: "I help you unlock authentic connection"

Specific: "I help couples stop fighting"

See the difference?

One version you can picture. You know if it's for you or not.

The other version sounds important but means nothing.

What you're probably thinking right now

"But I'm SO much more than one specific thing. This feels limiting. Like I'm putting myself in a box. Like I'm selling myself short."

I know.

You're right — you are more than one thing.

But let me tell you about Tony Robbins.

The guy's worth $600 million now. He's coached presidents. Billionaires. World-class athletes. Celebrities. His name alone carries so much weight that people hire him before they even know what problem they need solved.

But that's not where he started.

Tony didn't show up in 1983 saying "I'm Tony Robbins: Life Strategist to the World."

He started with NLP. Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

One specific methodology. One clear approach. Something concrete that people could evaluate and say yes or no to.

He trained directly with John Grinder, one of NLP's co-founders. He built firewalking into his seminars as a tool for breaking through fear. He published Unlimited Power in 1986, entirely focused on NLP principles.

Specific. Provable. Actionable.

He got results with that one thing. Real results. People vouched for him. He built credibility through actual transformation, not through making broad claims about what he could do.

Then he expanded.

Now "Tony Robbins" is the brand. The name itself is the proof.

But if Tony had said back in 1983, "No, NLP feels too narrow. I'm capable of so much more than that. I'm not going to limit myself to one thing..."

He'd still be exactly where he started.

The path that works

Phase 1: Prove One Thing

Look at where you've already gotten results. Where people keep asking you the same question. Where someone said "That really helped."

That's your starting point.

Not the thing that sounds most exciting. Not five different offers because you're capable of all of them.

One specific transformation you know you can deliver.

You go all in on that.

Phase 2: Let Results Talk

Stop filling your website with claims about what you can do.

Let your results do the talking.

The transformations you delivered in Phase 1 become your credibility. When your clients describe exactly what changed, that's worth more than any ‘About Me’-page you could write.

Your credibility stops coming from your claims. It starts coming from their proof.

Phase 3: Expand With Trust

Once you've proven yourself in one area, everything else gets easier.

People already trust you. They've seen what you can do. New offers are easier to sell because you've already proven yourself.

The coaches who try to skip Phase 1 and jump straight to Phase 3?

They're the ones who never really get their business off the ground.

Back to this week’s session

My client had incredible range. Real capability across multiple areas. The kind of depth that only comes from years of dedicated work.

All true. All valuable.

But she also understood something most coaches don't: trying to communicate all of it at once means nobody understands any of it.

So we pinpointed.

We looked at where demand already existed. Where people were actually asking for help. What specific transformation she could deliver better than anyone else.

Not because that's all she'll ever do. Not because she's "limiting herself."

Because that's where she starts.

That's where she proves herself. Where she builds the credibility that makes everything else possible down the line.

And she got it immediately. No resistance. No "but what about all the other things I can do?"

Just clarity. Just momentum.

That's why two hours felt like twenty minutes. We weren't fighting. We were building together.

Most coaches take weeks, even months, to get here.

She got it in one conversation.

Your turn

Where have you already seen demand?

Not what you think people should want. Not what sounds most impressive or comprehensive.

What have people actually asked you for?

That question you keep getting asked. That specific problem people keep bringing to you. That thing you almost take for granted because it feels "too simple" or "too narrow" to build a business around.

That's your signal.

That's your starting point.

Stop inventing new offers when you already have proof of what people actually want.

Lean into that demand. Get specific. Deliver clear transformations. Build credibility.

Your full range of expertise isn't going anywhere. It's still there. It'll always be there.

But if you lead with everything, you'll convince no one.

Lead with one thing. Prove it works. Let the results speak.

The expansion comes later, and it's infinitely easier when you've already built trust through real, tangible transformation.

I’m rooting for you.

Much love,

— Martijn