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Coaching Is Hard (for the Client) [E224]

Coaching Is Hard (for the Client) [E224]

Chris Cotton Weekly Blitz Sep 08, 2025 6 min
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About this episode

Coaching can be a daunting experience for clients who often feel uncertain and overwhelmed. Coach Chris Cotton shares personal insights from his own journey as a client, emphasizing the importance of making clients feel comfortable and supported. He discusses the necessity of communication and accountability in the coaching process, warning against 'ghosting' your coach, which can hinder progress. The episode also highlights the role of reassurance in leadership and the importance of engaging with clients to foster trust and growth.

Topics: client experience coaching challenges communication accountability leadership reassurance ghosting your coach
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This is the aftermarket radio network.
It's your weekly Blitz with Chris, keeping you in the game.
Are you ready to supercharge your auto repair business?
This is Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix AutoShop Coaching.
The weekly Blitz is where industry expertise and business innovation collide, revving
your engines for the week ahead.
Every episode has game-changing insights, up-to-the-minute industry updates, and practical tips to shift
your business into high gear.
We're talking about stuff you didn't even know you didn't know, folks.
This episode is brought to you by Shop Marketing Pros, the experts in marketing for top-tier
auto repair shops.
If you're running a successful shop and want to take you to the next level, Shop Marketing
Pros is without a doubt your best option.
From websites and SEO to social media and digital ads, Shop Marketing Pros helps
shop owners just like you and me fill our bays, grow our revenue, and build
the life we've been working for.
If you're ready to take the guesswork out of your marketing, I want you to visit ShopMarketingPros.com
forward slash Chris and get a free digital marketing inspection and start building the
shop of your dreams today.
The title of this episode is Coaching Is Hard and then In Parentheses or whatever
for the client.
I want to talk today about something that hit me really, really hard recently.
Coaching is not hard for the coach.
It's hard for the client and I'll tell you why.
First new clients step into coaching not knowing what to expect.
They don't know if they'll succeed, how long it will take, or what results they'll see.
They just gave this joker a bunch of money.
As far as we know, he's trying to scam us.
They might feel doubt.
They might feel fear or be overwhelmed.
But all the meanwhile, the coach knows they'll be okay.
They've guided hundreds, maybe thousands before, but the client doesn't have that
same certainty.
It's easy for me to forget how scary this is on the client side.
For me, it's routine, but for them, it's brand new.
I don't know why this never struck me before.
You think it would, but for whatever reason, it just hasn't because we just fall into
that role as a coach and we're just ready to go.
Recently I started a fitness program with trainers, doctors, nutritionists.
In the beginning, I felt overwhelmed, unsure of the process.
They're asking me for all this information.
I'm wondering if I'd be able to stick with it.
In that moment, I thought, my God, is this how my coaching clients feel?
That fear of the unknown, that uncertainty about the journey, it kind of hit me like
a brick and that experience reminded me exactly what it feels like to be the client again.
So flashback to when I first signed up for coaching as a shop owner, I had the same
feelings.
I was nervous.
I was unsure.
I was hoping but not knowing if it would work and that memory connects perfectly
with what my clients face today, I think.
As coaches, we need to get better at making clients feel comfortable.
We can't assume they see the same certainty we do.
It really comes down to the small gestures, the small things, explaining the process,
showing the roadmap, reassuring them and making a big difference.
Our job is not just to guide the business, it's to guide the person through uncertainty.
I'm going to throw you a little encouragement.
If you're new to coaching, here's what I want you to know.
It's going to be all right.
They've done this before and if you're not with us as a client and you're with somebody
else, they've done this before and we've all seen it work countless times.
We have a clear path forward for you.
Even if you don't see it, you will improve and you won't be alone.
You don't need to carry the weight of knowing how this all turns out.
That's why you hired a coach.
Before I wrap up, I do want to say one thing.
A lot of times people ask me, well, what's your guarantee that this is going to work?
What assurances do I have that this is going to work?
I will tell you, if you put in the work, you will be successful at it.
If you don't put in the work, you won't be successful at it.
That comes on several levels and it brings me to this topic.
If you listened to the last episode, number 223, somewhere in there I said, don't ghost
your coach would be a great topic for a podcast.
I couldn't figure out how to make it a full podcast, so I'm going to add it
in here.
This is too important to skip.
100% of the people that fail at coaching are the ones that ghost your coach.
Don't ghost your coach.
If you take the phone calls, if you show up for the Zoom calls, if you engage in the
process and actually talk to your coach, things will get better.
I can absolutely guarantee you that.
But if you ghost your coach, if you duck the calls, if you hide from the hard
conversations, if you stick your head in the sand, things will never get better.
And listen, don't be embarrassed.
In situations way worse than yours, everybody thinks they're special.
You're in your own little punchbowl bullshit.
You are not.
Nothing you're dealing with is too big or too ugly for us to handle together.
What matters is that you're present.
You're accountable and you stay in the fight.
That's where real breakthroughs happen.
I want to take this one step further before I close.
Are you making your clients feel safe and confident?
I mean your customers, the retail customers that walk into the shop.
Leadership is as much about reassurance as it is about strategy.
I'd like to give another shout out to our sponsor, Shop Marketing Pros.
They're the only marketing company I recommend and they handle all of the
marketing for my own shop as well.
If you're serious about growth, you need strategies that actually work,
better websites, higher Google rankings, and ads that bring real customers
through your doors.
I want you to go visit shopmarketingpros.com forward slash Chris and partner
with a team that understands your business because every great shop
deserves marketing that's just as great.
I want to thank you for tuning in to the Weekly Blitz.
Remember, it's time to rise, grind, and keep your mindset positive.
Until next time, this is Coach Chris Cotton signing off.
Don't ghost your coach for crying out loud and have a great day, everybody.
You've been listening to the Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton
on the aftermarketradionetwork.com.
Follow Chris on your favorite podcast listening out.
Let him know what you'd like him to cover.
His email is in the show notes.
Chris is all for advancing the aftermarket.

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