Sales = Getting Punched in the Face

If you want to build a coaching business that lasts, you have to get comfortable with sales.

Not sleazy, pushy, fake sales, real sales. The kind that happens when you put yourself in front of people you can genuinely help, and confidently say, “I can help you reach your goals.”

That’s it. That’s sales.

But for a lot of coaches, that’s terrifying.

“I Don’t Want to Be Salesy”

That’s the most common thing I hear from coaches when we start talking business growth. “Sales” has a bad rep.

Snake oil. Pressure tactics. Empty promises.

But that’s not you. And that’s not what we’re talking about.

We’re talking about sharing your expertise with people who need it, so you can build trust and create a win-win relationship.

If you truly believe in your coaching, hiding from sales is actually doing a disservice to the people who would benefit from your help, and to yourself.

What Sales Actually Looks Like (In Real Life)

Here’s a look at one of our coaches, Hannah (not her real name).

Hannah is a coach who runs a cohort-style program. She’s been steadily building her email list through offering free resources and lead magnets like PDF's and live and recorded webinars. Every few months, she ramps up her list growth before launching her program, that’s what you see in the chart below.

Those big upward spikes? That’s her big lead generation push before a launch, attracting new potential clients into her ecosystem.

Those steep drops? That’s the launch itself — when she starts selling.

Every time she sends sales emails, people unsubscribe.

Ouch. That’s rejection. That’s the part most coaches can’t stomach.

That drop is what sales feels like in real time.

You’re putting yourself out there.

You get a lot of punches in the face. A lot of punches IN THE FACE.

People say “no,” they unsubscribe, they reject you, sometimes they even reply and complain.

But... some people say “yes.”

Every Sale Comes With a Lot of Punches in the Face

Every time you sell, you’ll lose some subscribers. You’ll get a lot of unsubscribes, a lot of cold shoulders, maybe even a snarky reply or two.

That’s normal. It’s the cost of playing the game.

But over time, if you keep showing up and doing launches like Hannah, the baseline keeps rising.

Your list gets bigger.

Your audience gets warmer.

Your sales get stronger.

Sure, the unsubscribes suck, but they’re also doing you a favor by cleaning up your list and filtering out the freebie hunters who were never going to buy anyway.

The Balance: Nurture + Sell

There is a balance to this though. You don’t just sell, sell, sell though, that’s how you burn your list.

You nurture between launches:

• Share useful insights.
• Celebrate client stories.
• Offer tips that help your audience get small wins.

Then, when it’s time to sell, you’ve earned the right to make an offer.

Hannah is prolific at creating content consistently.

The Real Lesson

Growth isn’t ever a straight line up, it looks like a saw blade.

Up during your build-up phases, down during your launches, but always trending higher over time.

When you start putting yourself out there, expect the hits before they happen. You’re going to face a lot of uncomfortable things:

• Unsubscribes and rejections
• People ignoring your emails
• Moments of self-doubt when you see your numbers drop
• People replying to complain that you’re selling to them
• People talking behind your back or criticizing you just because you’re marketing — sometimes potential clients, other times your peers or competitors
• The quiet stretches when you wonder if anyone’s even listening

If you expect these things ahead of time, they’re easier to handle. You won’t be blindsided and you’ll know they’re part of the process. Instead of taking it personally, you’ll keep going, knowing that every coach who succeeds has been through the same storm and kept selling anyway.

If you want your coaching business to grow, you’ve got to be okay with those drops, many tiny failures. Because each one means you’re doing something bold: you’re selling.

And not selling? That’s actually the riskiest move of all.

Because if your business isn’t growing, it’s dying.