Sharing your credibility story is a great way to get everyone in your network on board with your new identify of “coach”.

As I mentioned last week, sometimes your network doesn’t “get” why you chose to become a coach.  You can help them to get on board and support you in this new endeavor by creating a brand that aligns the person they know you to be with your work as a coach.

When I work with my clients on this re-branding process, I have them form a credibility story so that anyone who hears it thinks, “Oh, I totally get why being a coach is the perfect job for her.”

In order to build a credibility story, you first need to know that there are three types of credibility that you can pull from:

1. I’ve walked in your shoes (i.e., I was where you are now once upon a time and went on to achieve success and transformation).
2. I’m a maker of champions (i.e., I’ve helped many, many people reach success).
3. I have experience, education and credentials in this arena.

You only need one form of credibility to create a strong credibility story, but almost all my clients have depth of credibility in at least two areas when they begin working with me. If you have all three, you’re really golden.

To build the credibility story, we unpack your personal history. Some things in your history are a direct connect (“I struggled with weight loss for years, but then I overcame my struggles with food and finally lost the weight. Now I’m a weight loss coach”) and other things are more indirect (“In my corporate career, I was known as the go-to person for advice when making difficult decisions. People were always knocking on my door to seek counsel”). It can be helpful to work with a coach yourself to uncover the more indirect links between your prior work and your coaching.

Your credibility story essentially answers the following questions: Why did “all roads lead to Rome?” How is it absolutely divine that you’ve become a coach? How have you walked in the shoes of your clients? What from your past makes coaching a perfect fit for you today?

One last note is that building credibility is much easier when you are niche-specific. When you are out in the world and people ask you what you do, stating, “I am a life coach” is much less impactful than stating, for example, “I help Women of Color even the corporate playing field.” I have LOTS of articles on the value of niche and how it can help you if you want to learn more.

As always, I love to hear your thoughts, comments and feedback!

With appreciation,

Tara Butler Floch