I think as coaches and entrepreneurs we are notorious for thinking we're not enough and feeling like we don't have enough experience to be considered an expert. We downplay what we've done and discount our experiences, especially if we're a newbie.
If you've heard me talk about this before, you know I always say that whatever you sell, it's most likely a commodity. The difference is YOU - you bring your journey, your struggles, your lessons learned, your personal insights and your story. YOU are the only expert at you, so it's impossible not to be an expert.
I also believe in the Be-Do-have model. After all, you have to BE before you have and BEING means you'll DO as if you already ARE. So if you want to act, think and feel like an expert, there are a few things that you should start owning right away. Not only will it let you sit confident in your truth, but it will also increase your bottom line profits.
Here are the 5 things that the expert entrepreneurs know to be their truth:
1. They have non-negotiables: They decide the qualities of the people they want to work with. They have a target audience. They are only available for those clients that they set out to serve. They don't get a lead and then try to fit a square peg into a round hole because that's when disaster happens - the client wants something you can't deliver or tries to get around your "rules of engagement".
2. They have clients that appreciate them. If a client doesn't appreciate you, it's not a good fit. Their clients don't try to run the show, they know who's the guru and they depend on your expertise to lead, advise and give them guidance and structure. Expert coaches have clients who trust them.
3. They don't get sucked into their client's money story. They don't act desperate, trying to make up for their clients limiting beliefs. They don't get sucked into their client's fear or sob story that they don't have enough money. Expert entrepreneurs say their price with a straight face, their price resonates with them, they know their worth and they sit back and wait for the clients to rise up to their level. They also know there's more than enough abundance to share with everyone and a few fantastic, aligned clients makes for a more enjoyable experience than many clients they've tried to accommodate and appease.
4. They're not afraid to say there aren't any guarantees. Their clients know that it depends on the their own coachability, faithfulness in taking action and how much they can digest in their coaching sessions. They also don't feel the need to overwhelm their clients with too much information (from a fear of underdelivering) in a short amount of time -- they can feel into how much their client needs at that moment.
5. They aren't afraid to ask their current clients if they are interested in additional packages. If their clients need more, they suggest and offer it. They suggest more time because they're the expert and they know that their client needs more of them. They know what it takes and they're not afraid to say so.
If you're struggling to feel like enough, try using the above suggestions and own your expert status. It's simple - to feel like an expert, start acting and doing like an expert and the feelings will come, along with the clients that don't argue or give you objections for hiring you as their coach.