I spent my first year as a general life coach. The positioning seemed safe: anyone could be a potential client. That openness created a specific problem.
Marketing to everyone meant my website copy stayed vague. Potential clients could not tell if I was right for their situation. I booked 3 discovery calls monthly, converted one to a paying client, and spent €150 on Facebook ads reaching people who were not actually looking for coaching.
Focusing on career transitions changed the math
I rewrote my site for people leaving corporate jobs. My ad spend dropped to €60 monthly targeting LinkedIn users with specific job titles. Discovery calls jumped to 8 per month because visitors immediately knew whether my service matched their need.
Conversion improved because I could speak directly to career-change fears instead of general life improvement. Clients found me through search terms like switching careers at 40 rather than life coaching, which has 10 times the competition.
The lesson was about marketing efficiency. General positioning required broader ad spend to find the small percentage interested in coaching. Niche focus let me target people already searching for my specific solution.
Budget-conscious coaches benefit from specialization earlier. Smaller audiences cost less to reach when you know exactly where they gather.