Every Leader a Coach

Gain Traction in Your Coaching Business with Metrics That Matter

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Close-up car tires are dirty on the mud.

I’ve been working with my team of coaches on selling and helping them enroll more people in our training program, and they asked me to help them get more traction. They felt they had good products and offerings but needed that little push to get going.

Instead of just jumping in and telling them what to do, I started thinking out loud about how we gain traction in other areas of life. Now, I’m a car guy, so of course that’s where my mind went.

We talked about how when your car is stuck, what are some ways to get traction for your tires immediately, that doesn’t cost any money? Well, one is letting some air out of the tires. That gives you more of a tire surface to help you get going.

Another is to warm up the tires because warmer tires get a better grip. Lastly, instead of racing out there, spinning your tires, and then braking, just go at a nice pace.

Then I turned it back to the group and said, okay, what are some ways we can get traction as coaches (that also won’t cost money)?

Measures of Success

The group came up with the idea to establish metrics that track your actions. Instead of focusing solely on the end goal of signing up a client, we can create measures of success along the way. This approach helps us feel like we’re making progress and being successful, even if we haven’t closed a deal yet.

Here are some examples of metrics you can track:

  1. Number of follow-ups: Set a realistic goal for how many people you want to connect with each month. It could be 5, 10, or 20 people—whatever feels achievable without spinning your wheels.
  2. Engagement activities: Track the different ways you interact with potential clients, such as:
    1. Sending resources or books
    2. Scheduling complimentary sessions
    3. Having meaningful conversations about their challenges
  3. Content creation: Keep track of the marketing efforts you put out there, like articles, social media posts, or speaking engagements.

By focusing on these action-based metrics, you’re measuring things you can control, rather than just the final outcome. This approach helps you stop spinning your wheels, gives you a sense of progress, and helps maintain motivation for business development.