If you’re like most entrepreneurs I have the privilege of working with, you are great at what you do. Your skill set and experience are solid—after all, you’ve likely spent a decade or more mastering your craft.

And you’re smart, self-aware, and growth-oriented.

Except, you have a problem: getting clients still feels a lot harder than it should be.

If you’ve ever wondered why some people (who aren’t half as talented as you 😉) seem to attract opportunities effortlessly—while you feel stuck in the background—keep reading for the biggest client detractors to avoid.

P.S. if you have a coaching business, you can now access a masterclass bundle with all my trade secrets of selling, marketing and delivering coaching. It’s juicy.

Seven client detraction techniques (to avoid)

1/ You're sitting on a goldmine (but nobody can see it)

Here's the thing about authority: it's not just what you know and your skillset—it's how you think. You've got years of brilliant problem-solving rattling around in your brain.

But all those frameworks, decision-making patterns, and "I've seen this before" moments that make you amazing at what you do... they're invisible to potential clients. It’s not enough to tell people how good you are—you need to show your brain in action.

The fix? Start documenting your "obvious" stuff—think questions you always ask in client calls, the specific way you tackle problems that feels totally natural to you, how you wrap up an engagement. That's your IP. Turn it into something tangible that makes people go "Oh my, they really get it."

2/ You’re not positioning yourself as an authority

Times are competitive. We’ve truly left the Attention Economy and entered the Authority Economy where leveraging your depth of expertise matters if you want to build a scalable, profitable business - not just have your 5 seconds of fame.

So we can’t get away with “Hey, I’m a designer/coach/speaker—hire me here’s a hot tip!” We have to craft messaging that speaks to your big ideas, industry insights, and a clear mastery of your craft — and connect these back to what you are offering clients.

The fix? Move beyond what you do and consider your big why. Find the deeper mission behind your work—your One Big Idea as I call it—and build a message around it. This becomes a magnet for aligned clients who choose you over generic service providers. And, you can go deep on this One Big Idea, but wide on how you showcase it—that’s what turns heads.

3/ Your "vibe" is off

I know, I know "vibe" sounds fluffy, especially if you're doing serious work. But having a strong point of view isn't just about what you say—it's about how you say it. And, what your work looks like, aesthetically speaking.

You don’t need to hire a top copywriter or designer for every touch point of your business. But you do need to know WHAT your vibe is, and then own it.

The fix? Identify what makes conversations with you different. What words of association would you want someone to have with you? This is an exercise in brand perceptions I’ll do with clients who finally find the language to explain their work. Once you get your own vibe you need to own it, use it, and be consistent with it.

4/ You're posting the wrong types of content

We’ve all heard of content pillars by now and you probably have yours. But let me double check: is sharing your business building journey relevant to your ideal clients?

You see your content isn’t just what you / your mates want to see, it needs to move your ideal client through the buyers journey. Your audience doesn't care about your business-building journey—unless that's the transformation they want for themselves. I can talk about my business from time to time (because that's what I help clients with), but if you're a leadership coach for tech executives, don't be surprised if your "behind-the-scenes of my content creation process" posts aren't landing. Your audience is thinking about managing hybrid teams and scaling operations not your latest business epiphany.

The fix? If sales are slow, for a period of time, only create content relating to your ideal clients' pain points and desires, not just what's interesting to you. If you're not sure what that is, look at your last three client conversations—what were they actually struggling with?

5/ Your offers are too specific, or, too vague

Let's talk about the Goldilocks zone of authority-based businesses:

• If your offer is too broad ("I help businesses transform their culture"), people won't understand what they're actually buying and will have a hard time figuring out how to hire you

• If your offer is too rigid or complex ("My 12-step organisational alignment framework with 4 assessment phases..."), clients could rule themselves out of needing your offer, thinking "well we don't need all that, Tina covers some of these 12 steps internally etc etc"

And you won’t always know why they aren’t buying, because they might not have identified this is the reason themselves. But trust me, it is.

You need to find the Goldilocks Zone of specificity.

The fix? Clarity without rigidity—a clear structure that feels tailored but not overwhelming. Think "I help tech companies reduce turnover by fixing their management systems" and allow the specifics to be worked on a client-client basis (even if behind the scenes you have your framework!)

6/ You're exclusively trying to convince strangers

The highest-paid consultants I know never rely on social media—instead, they're speaking at industry events, running small workshops, and having interesting conversations that get shared in trusted circles. Most of your leads will come through warm networks, referrals, and coffee chats.

I wrote more about this concept here:

10 Trend Predictions for Coaches, Consultants & Experts in 2025 Ellen Donnelly · Jan 15 Read full story

The fix? Scalable marketing techniques are great for growing brand awareness, but real sales momentum comes from relationships. If you're only relying on cold leads, you'll feel the cold too. Make your expertise visible where your network already gathers.

7/ You haven't been doing this long enough

Many of my clients land their biggest opportunities a few months after us working together. That’s because at this point, the groundwork has been laid, they’ve built momentum, and they’ve committed to the right actions for long enough to see that compound return. Great businesses are built intentionally, with solid foundations, and take time. The news you didn’t want to hear today — I know!

The podcast appearance this month might lead to your dream client... next year. So when you are planting these seeds weekly, things eventually turn around in your favour. Becoming known is a compound effect. Every article, talk, and meaningful conversation is a deposit in your authority bank account.

The fix? Stop assuming "it's not working" when you haven't given it enough time. The experts you admire? They've been hammering the same message for years, not months.

What detraction techniques might you have been guilty of? I hope this post has given you some direction, please consider sharing it with a fellow entrepreneur who might need to see it today, or hitting ❤️ always helps to know if these are resonating!

If you are seeking support with your business growth, let’s chat.

And remember…. You can learn my biggest lessons from building a coaching practice for five years inside right here. (Inclusive of a 1-1 session with me until the end of Feb).

Until next time,

Ellen from The Ask.