Executive coaches face a clear challenge today: despite a booming market, many can't access the highest levels of business leadership. On one hand, the global market for coaching business leaders is projected to reach $16.6 billion by 2028 (approximately £13 billion at current exchange rates). Yet many coaches and consultants find themselves unable to grow their practice and connect with board-level clients.
We’re finding that many coaches struggle to find work through new channels, particularly when it comes to accessing higher-value clients and initiating meaningful conversations. Without the necessary credibility to stand out in a competitive field, coaches often hit a ceiling that limits not just their revenue potential, but also their ability to influence leadership and transform organisations that truly need their expertise.
As a result, we're witnessing a widening gap between coaching capabilities (and their perceived value) and access to C-suite executives, leaving many coaches unable to scale their practice beyond middle management or influence at the level of business they truly aspire to reach.
What’s behind the executive coaching credibility gap?
Many executive coaches take the same approach to business development that any other type of organisation would. However, the specific nature of coaching means these tactics can't be solely relied upon to generate positive responses, interest, or perception from senior executives.
Common approaches we see include:
- Third-party lead generation: working with agencies or platforms to start conversations, an approach that often generates high quantities of leads with limited prospect of conversion.
- Self-serve marketing: coaches independently trying to generate leads, which takes up valuable time that could be used pursuing coaching excellence.
- Network referrals: relying exclusively on personal connections, which is generally a limited and quickly exhausted pool of prospects.
- Technology shortcuts: looking for quick fixes that promise much to the client but don’t deliver the relationship ‘fit’ C-suite executives are looking for.
Why the traditional approach doesn’t work with the C-suite
These ideas all might seem suitable at first glance, but there are two reasons that they don’t work in this context. The first is that it requires the coach to spend time learning and applying a disciplined business development strategy that will naturally generate a lot of rejection and ignored contact. And the second is that when trying to build the deep connection that the C-suite is looking for, there really is no shortcut to success.
As a result, traditional business development approaches struggle to convince prospects of:
- Trust: board members and CEOs need to have complete trust in an external coach before inviting them into their inner circle. Coaches who don’t have established relationships or prior experience dealing with C-suite people can find it difficult to establish that trust and credibility.
- Proof: similar to the previous point, executive decision-makers will always look for evidence of a coach’s success at the same level as them and their peers. Robert Cialdini’s ‘Social Proof Theory’ finds that 95% of people are imitators and only 5% are initiators, which underlines the value of executives that are persuaded by the actions of others.
- Personalisation: executives want coaching services that meet their specific needs, rather than a cookie-cutter approach that is of limited relevance to them. Too many coaches lack a clear, differentiated methodology, which leads to generalised offerings that blend into the competitive landscape.
The new way to bridge the boardroom
All this means a different approach is needed in order to close off the trust gap, build authentic social proof, and offer clearly defined, personalised products. And the best way to do this is by using proven strategies with clear objectives and benefits, such as:
- Leveraging established credibility: partner with industry thought leaders who have already established trust at the executive level, such as Dr. John Blakey’s track record with FTSE 100 CEOs, entrepreneurs and sports teams. This credibility by association enhances your own market positioning while building the confidence and approach needed to secure the high-level assignments you truly want.
- Adopting proven frameworks: use established methodologies with documented success metrics that are most likely to resonate with executives and the issues that matter to them. Master classes in frameworks like the "Nine Habits of Trust" or "Force for Good" can put those issues in the right language and context to stimulate C-suite engagement.
- Enhancing personal brand development: develop your own personal brand, ideally assisted by accredited coaches, to emphasise your unique strengths and demonstrate your clear understanding of the executive mindset.
In summary: The next steps to connect with executives
It’s important to note that every executive coach is in a different position with their expertise and offering, and so some will benefit from the above strategies more than others. However, we’ve found those that benefit the most tend to be the coaches that:
- Only attract middle-management assignments, despite years of experience
- Struggle to articulate distinctive value to senior-level prospects
- See diminishing returns on marketing despite significant investment
- Fail to resonate with senior-level markets
If you’re in this position, then you may well stand to benefit from expert support, including masterclasses, group mentoring and the experience of a renowned executive coach.
Joining The Coaching Circle can give you access to all the skills and know-how you need, guided by Dr. John Blakey and helping you build three solid foundations: established credibility, proven frameworks and mentored development. In particular, our Professional Pack delivers a comprehensive selection of resources and support services that can help you take your coaching practice to the next level.
To find out more on this pathway to transformation, explore professional development with The Coaching Circle today.