Getting customers

Get Clients as a Coach or Consultant: What Really Works

By Artur Neumann. Updated October 10, 2026.

I have sold services worth up to 100,000 euros. Without cold outreach. Without a big ad budget. My tools were a simple contact form, a short email and a punctual phone call.

That sounds too simple. Yet this is exactly where many coaches and consultants fail. They post diligently on social media. They hope to be seen. And they wait for inquiries that never come. The problem is rarely skill. The problem is the missing system.

My system has six steps: dream client, offer, references, sales process, conversation and email list. I show you each step the way I take it myself.

Why you struggle to get clients as a coach

The usual diagnosis is: not enough reach. I think that’s wrong. I know people with huge reach and a shaky business. Some have hundreds of thousands of subscribers and no client base of their own. If the platform changes its rules, they are left with nothing.

You lack clients for three reasons:

1. You don’t know exactly whom you want to reach.
2. Your offer is vague and hard to pass on.
3. There is no clear path from inquiry to closed deal.

You can fix all three in a few weeks. You don’t need a budget for that. You need clarity and a few uncomfortable decisions.

Step 1: Define your dream client

Without a defined dream client, the rest doesn’t work. You can’t focus your marketing. You can’t build an offer that fits. And you can’t write texts that hit home.

There is also an effect many people underestimate: dream clients know dream clients. People move in similar circles. A good client refers you to more good clients. A difficult client brings you more difficult clients. That’s why I am very selective.

I choose my clients so that, in theory, they could also be friends. People I would go out to dinner with. That sounds soft, but it is economic thinking. I have often delivered projects, and word about the work got around. Then someone from that circle got in touch: “I saw what you did. Can you do that for me too?” This effect still carries my business today.

Step 2: Build an offer that is easy to pass on

An offer sells when it is concrete. Four traits decide this:

Sell results, not hours. Hours are poorly paid. A package with a clear result benefits both sides. The client knows what they get and what it costs. You earn more when you work fast and well.

Describe your offer as a before-and-after scenario. Where does your client stand today? What problems do they have? Where will they stand after working with you? They must understand exactly this before they buy.

Your unfair advantage is your story. Experiences nobody can copy. They make your offer credible and set it apart.

The partner test

Your client must be able to explain your offer at the kitchen table in the evening. When their partner asks, “What are you paying 5,000 euros for?”, they need a simple answer. Otherwise someone talks your deal to death while you’re not there. So phrase your offer so clearly that anyone can pass it on. I show how to put this clarity into words in my guide on how to write sales copy.

Step 3: Get three top references, even without a client base

Three well-known names from your niche have more impact than 100 anonymous testimonials. That’s exactly why I deliberately worked for little money at the start. I wanted to get my foot in the door. After that, I raised my prices step by step.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Define your premium client circle. In which groups does your target audience move?
2. Write down ten well-known people in this scene.
3. Create a goodie up front for each of them. For example, a compact analysis with three concrete tips.
4. Contact the person and keep at it until you get a clear yes or no.
5. Work for free or on special terms. Book this as a marketing cost.
6. Agree on the testimonial: a quote, a short video, a photo together.

A single star client can make the difference. The scene watches this person. If they work with you, doors open to everyone else.

Step 4: Build a simple sales process

A sales process makes inquiries predictable. Mine looks like this:

1. The prospect lands on my offer page. Through a referral, through Google or through a piece of my content.
2. They read the sales copy and maybe watch a short video.
3. They fill out a contact form: name, email, phone number and “How did you hear about me?” I ask for nothing more.
4. The thank-you page explains the next step. For example: I will get back to you within 24 hours.
5. I write a short email: “Thank you for your inquiry. Shall we talk on Tuesday at 3 p.m.?”
6. I call at exactly the agreed time. Not earlier, not later.

No application form at the start

Many people build long qualification funnels before they even have clients. That keeps away 90 percent of the people you could learn from. At the start, talk to as many prospects as possible. Every conversation sharpens your offer, your message and your sense of which clients fit. An application form only makes sense once your model has proven that it works.

Appointments without a booking tool

I don’t use a calendar tool. I suggest appointments myself and only offer afternoon slots. My mornings belong to focused work. That is positioning too. If you are always available, you rarely seem in demand.

From a price of about 1,000 to 2,000 euros, I always sell in a conversation. Selling on the phone is easier than through text alone. And afterwards, both sides know where they stand.

Step 5: Sell in a conversation, not in a show

Forget the pushy salesperson mode. In the higher price range, it does harm. I have normal conversations between two people. In our minds, we sit on the same side of the table and look at the project together.

My process: I greet the prospect and show that I have prepared. Then I ask open questions and let them talk. There used to be a note stuck to my screen: “Let them finish.” I like to talk, so I needed this reminder.

During the conversation, I qualify. I want to find out if we are a good fit. The client doesn’t buy advice. They buy a result. My job is to find out which one. If it fits, I make concrete suggestions and show references. Then I name the price. After that, I stay silent and wait for the reaction.

One sentence changed my sales calls: “My model isn’t right for everyone. Let’s find out if it’s right for you.” This attitude flips the dynamic. I don’t talk anyone into anything. I check the collaboration just as much as the client does. I explain why this reversal works in my article on sales psychology.

Step 6: Build your email list as your own foundation

Own the casino instead of playing in it. That’s my image for depending on platforms. If you only build on Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn, you are playing in other people’s casinos. Accounts get blocked, algorithms change, reach disappears. Your email list, on the other hand, belongs to you. It is your business asset.

That’s why my rule is: every piece of content leads to a landing page with an email signup. A lead magnet serves as the incentive. These formats work in almost any industry:

• A report in the format “7 Reasons Why…” on your core topic
• A report in the format “7 Mistakes in…” on the typical errors of your target group
• A case study with real numbers and a real process
• A short video course with a checklist or template

The effect of your own list is directly measurable. When I send an email today, I often see the first orders within a few minutes. I describe the complete setup in my guide on how to build an email list.

Premium prices: why cheap costs you clients

If you are only a bit cheaper than the others, you have no strategic advantage. Either you are radically cheap, or you deliver noticeably more quality. In between, you become invisible.

I chose quality. Premium prices are not an end in themselves. They pay for reserves, good tools and real service. With prices that are too low, you work against yourself. Care no longer pays off, so the work suffers. The client gets mediocrity and doesn’t recommend you. With healthy prices, you turn the spiral around. You deliver good work, get good references and attract good clients again.

Visibility: expert status is perception

Expert status only exists in comparison. Among gardeners, a sales pro counts for nothing. Among salespeople, many look up to him. You can shape this perception without pretending to be someone you’re not.

A photographer from the US shows how. He runs separate websites for bottle photography and food photography. Same person, same camera. But each site looks like a highly specialized provider. Clients buy specialists, not generalists.

For you, this means: choose one topic and communicate it consistently. Regularly publish structured thoughts on your field. Show how you think and work. Combine this with your references. I describe how this turns into a brand in my article on how to build a personal brand.

Your plan for the first four weeks

• Week 1: Define your dream clients. Phrase your offer as a package with a fixed price. Do the partner test.
• Week 2: Build an offer page with sales copy, a contact form and a thank-you page.
• Week 3: List ten well-known people in your niche. Create and send three goodies.
• Week 4: Hold conversations. Create a lead magnet. Set up a landing page for the email list.

That’s the complete system. No magic, no guru knowledge, no ad budget. Just craft in the right order. Today you can speed up many of these steps with AI, from sales copy to lead magnet. I show what that looks like in practice in my article on how to get customers with AI and in my overview of AI for business owners.