Stop Marketing Your Coaching Wrong
Most coaches make this fatal mistake:
They list features instead of painting transformation.
Think about this —
No one buys a mattress because it has 2,000 pocket springs and premium memory foam.
They buy the promise of waking up feeling unstoppable. Ready to attack the day. No more brain fog or back pain.
Yet when you market your coaching, you're probably falling into the feature trap.
You proudly showcase your:
Weekly check-ins
Macro tracking
WhatsApp support
But here's the truth:
Nobody cares about WhatsApp support.
What they want is peace of mind knowing they won't waste hours Googling nutrition questions at 11pm before a big competition.
They want to stop feeling lost and confused about their nutrition.
They want to focus on their sport while knowing an expert has their back.
In this guide, I'll show you how to transform your boring coaching features into benefits that make athletes instantly understand your value.
You'll learn to speak directly to what they really want:
More time
Less stress
Better performance
Let's break down how to position your services so potential clients get it immediately...
Table of Contents
The Core Principle
Remember: Features tell, benefits sell. Your potential clients don't buy what you do - they buy what it does for them.
Understanding the Difference
Features (What You Offer):
Weekly check-ins
Macro tracking
Meal plans
WhatsApp support
Monthly progress photos
Body composition analysis
Recipe database access
Benefits (What They Get):
Transform each feature into a client-focused outcome:
Instead of "Weekly Check-ins," say:
"Never feel lost or unsure about your progress again"
"Get immediate solutions when challenges arise"
"Stay motivated with consistent support that keeps you accountable"
Instead of "Macro Tracking," say:
"Finally stop guessing about your nutrition and know exactly what works for your body"
"Gain complete confidence in your food choices"
"Achieve your goals without obsessing over every meal"
Instead of "WhatsApp Support," say:
"Get expert answers right when you need them most"
"Never feel stuck or alone on your nutrition journey"
"Save hours of frustrating Google searches with direct access to your coach"
The Power of Loss Aversion
Understanding loss aversion is crucial - people are more motivated to avoid losses than to achieve equivalent gains. Here's how to leverage this in your messaging:
Converting Features to Loss-Prevention Benefits:
Instead of "Nutrition Planning," focus on preventing losses:
"Never bonk during a crucial match again because of poor fueling"
"Stop leaving medals on the table due to suboptimal nutrition"
"Prevent career-shortening injuries that come from poor recovery nutrition"
Instead of "Performance Monitoring," emphasize avoiding setbacks:
"Avoid the mid-season energy crashes that can cost you your starting position"
"Don't waste another season wondering if your nutrition is holding you back"
"Ensure you're not undermining thousands of hours of training with incorrect fueling"
Tips for Writing Loss Aversion Copy:
Identify what your client could lose:
Performance opportunities
Career longevity
Competition results
Training investments
Time and effort
Use powerful prevention-focused words:
"Never again..."
"Stop..."
"Prevent..."
"Avoid..."
"Don't risk..."
"Protect..."
Connect to real consequences:
Lost playing time
Missed opportunities
Wasted training efforts
Career implications
Financial impact
The Benefit Formula
To convert any feature to a benefit, ask yourself:
"What does this feature enable the client to do?"
"How does this make them feel?"
"What problems does this solve?"
"What are they avoiding?"
Real-World Examples
Weak (Feature-Based):
"I provide comprehensive meal plans with detailed macronutrient breakdowns."
Strong (Benefit-Based):
"Eliminate mealtime stress and confusion while knowing exactly what to eat to reach your goals. No more wondering if your nutrition is holding you back."
Strong (Loss Aversion):
"Stop undermining your training with guesswork nutrition. Don't let poor fueling be the reason you miss your next PR."
Pain Points to Address
Remember to address these common client concerns:
Fear of failure
Lack of time
Confusion about nutrition
Past disappointments
Fear of wasting money
Need for accountability
Desire for certainty
Putting It Into Practice
When writing your marketing materials:
List all your features
For each feature, write down:
The immediate benefit
The emotional benefit
The long-term benefit
What losses it prevents
Connect these benefits to your client's deepest desires and fears
Balance positive benefits with loss prevention messaging
Example Transformations
Before (Features):
"12-week nutrition program with weekly check-ins, custom meal plans, and 24/7 messaging support"
After (Combined Benefits and Loss Prevention):
"Transform your relationship with food while achieving your dream body - without the stress of figuring it out alone. Stop leaving results on the table due to poor nutrition, and finally get the clarity, confidence, and support you need to reach your goals. Don't let another season go by wondering 'what if?'"
Remember: Your clients don't care about your processes - they care about their results and what they might lose without your help. Always translate your features into outcomes that matter to them, while addressing their fears of loss and missed opportunities.
Identifying Your Customers' Needs and Desires
So how do you identify your customers' needs and desires? The key is to understand their pain points and what they're looking to achieve.
What problems are they trying to solve? What outcomes are they hoping to achieve? By understanding these things, you can tailor your messaging to highlight the benefits that your product or service provides.
Here’s an exercise you can do with ChatGPT if you cant think of them yourself:
Prompt: - You'll need to ask a question related to your niche/audience, and what they want.
- **What topics are most important to [persona] who are trying to [topic]?**
- Ask for related topics given one of the returned results.
- **For the topic of "[topic]", list potential subtopics for discussion.**
- Ask for fears, frustrations, goals, and aspirations. These are the things you should write about.
- **For the subtopic of "[topic]", what are common fears, frustrations, goals, and aspirations? Return your answer in a person's own words, like you would get in a survey or product review.**
How To Use Visuals To Sell The Benefits of Your Coaching:
One of the biggest factors that actually limits sports nutritionists is their ability to communicate their value to athletes.
Your ability to earn money as a nutritionist is not reliant on your ability to coach - it's actually reliant on an athlete's ability to believe that you can achieve that result for them.
If they don’t believe that you can help them… they won’t buy your services.
So if your ability to earn money is limited by an athlete's understanding, when communicating with an athlete you have to do everything in your power to minimise any chance of misunderstanding when communicating the value and the benefits of your nutrition coaching service.
To minimise this chance of athletes misunderstanding the benefits of your coaching program or protocol, you must use visuals to sell the benefits of your program. Most people are visual learners; this minimises the risk of an athlete misunderstanding you.
The best visuals to make are ones that demonstrate a change between two states and position yourself as the key to achieving that transformation.
Here are some example visuals:
