Crime #012
Sounding like every other coach in your space, leaving people with no reason to choose you.
The explanation
“A safe space to explore.” “A bespoke approach.” “Helping you unlock your potential.”
Your visitor has read three coaching websites. All three describe themselves in almost exactly the same way.
They understand the general service. What they cannot see is why they should choose yours.
The qualities you emphasise may matter. Listening carefully, adapting to the individual and providing support are valuable. But when every coach claims them, they do little to distinguish one service from another.
This is easy to fall into when you look at competitors for inspiration. You borrow the language that seems normal in your field, then polish it until your website sounds reassuringly familiar. Unfortunately, it also sounds interchangeable.
Your actual work may be much more distinctive. Perhaps you have spent years managing the situations your clients face. Perhaps you specialise in a particular difficult decision. Perhaps your sessions involve practical rehearsal that other services do not provide.
If those details stay out of the copy, a stranger cannot use them to choose you.
Calling your approach “unique” does not solve this. Neither does giving familiar coaching exercises a proprietary name. The visitor needs to understand a meaningful difference and why it matters to their situation.
You do not have to invent something nobody has ever done before. You need to make your particular strengths visible. Otherwise, people are left choosing on price, convenience or personal impression because your description gives them little else to compare. Your expertise deserves a more specific explanation than the standard vocabulary of your profession.
There is always something that gives people a reason to choose one coach or consultant over another, even when it is not immediately obvious. Our job as proposition experts is to find it and make its value clear.
How to fix it
Put your opening description beside those of three coaches serving the same audience. Remove the names.
Which statements could appear on any of the pages without anyone noticing? Highlight them. Those are the places where you need more substance.
Look for differences grounded in your actual work: relevant experience, a specific problem you understand particularly well, a practical method or a distinctive way of supporting clients.
Then connect the difference to its value. “Twenty years in leadership” is background information. “Having managed teams through mergers, I help newly appointed leaders prepare for the difficult conversations that follow a restructure” explains why that background could matter.
Likewise, “Practical coaching” is a broad claim. “Bring an upcoming conversation to the session and rehearse it with feedback” shows what practical means.
Ask previous clients what influenced their choice and what they found particularly useful. Listen for specific details you may take for granted. Use their answers as evidence, rather than assuming your favourite part of the service is what customers value most.
Choose one or two strong distinctions. Give them enough space to be understood and support them with examples or relevant client feedback.
Avoid claiming competitors lack something unless you can substantiate it. Explain your strengths directly.
Finally, show the description to potential customers unfamiliar with your business. Ask: “What, if anything, would make you consider this coach over another?”
If their answer is simply “They seem supportive”, your most useful differences may still be missing from the page. Make them easier to see.
Are you guilty of Crime #012?
Book a free 30 minute call with a senior Buyable conversion expert. We will talk through your website, your goals and where you are losing potential customers.