47. The Trust Factor: Turn Curious Leads Into Confident Coaching Clients

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Today, we’re digging into what really makes someone feel safe saying yes to coaching with you—before they ever book a call or read your proposal. If you’ve ever had someone say, “This sounds great, I’ll think about it…” and then disappear, this one’s for you. 

I break down why buying coaching feels risky, what a “trust recession” actually looks like in your business, and how to design your touchpoints so they send a clear message: it’s safe to take the next step. 

Instead of obsessing over your pitch or dropping your prices, you’ll learn how to reduce perceived risk and make it easier for the right people to move from curious lead to confident coaching client.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why coaching feels risky to buyers
• The nervous system side of buying decisions
• The 3 ways every touchpoint sends a trust signal
• The four biggest trust leaks in most coaching businesses
• How to share the risk so saying yes feels reasonable
• Building a Trust Ladder in your business
   

Thrive in 5: Choose-Your-Own Trust Builder

For this week’s Thrive in 5, pick one of these actions to start with—and add more as you have time. 

1. Clean up one key touchpoint
   Choose something like your LinkedIn headline, website hero section, or email signature. Make it clear who you help, what you help them with, and what the next step is if someone’s interested.
2. Choose one consistent nurture channel
   A simple monthly email, recurring check-ins with warm leads, or showing up regularly on the platform where your people actually are. Pick one you can stick with.
3. Add or upgrade one client story
   Turn a specific situation you’ve helped with into a short testimonial or mini case study that shows what was going on, what changed, and what’s better now.
4. Decide on one risk reducer
   This might be a clearer cancellation policy, a smaller starter package, or a low-cost first session so people can experience your coaching before committing longer term.
5. Sketch your Trust Ladder
   Jot down your “small yeses” (content, lead magnet, workshop, discovery call) and your “bigger yeses” (intensives, short packages, ongoing coaching). If there’s a big jump, add one step in between.

To make this easier, I created the Trust Builder Prompt Pack—a short set of prompts you can plug into ChatGPT to: 

• Look at your touchpoints through a trust lens
• Spot where you’re probably leaking trust right now
• Brainstorm small, doable fixes that align with you and your clients

You can grab it here: Trust Builder Prompt Pack

Tune in, pick one trust tweak to implement this week, and start turning more of your curious leads into confident coaching clients.

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