We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susie Lawrence a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Susie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

I’m a coach and if I were starting over today I would do the same things I have done only I would have done them sooner and with expert help. Too often we think we should be able to figure things out on our own. I don’t know where this idea comes from. How should we know how to do things we’ve never done before.? There is no weakness in asking for help. My business would have taken off sooner if I had picked a niche sooner. At the time I was afraid of limiting my pool of potential clients. When you are trying to speak to everyone you dilute your message so much that it doesn’t really resonate with anyone. I needed to be crystal clear on who I was helping and what problem I was solving.

Once I selected my niche, I would’ve gotten marketing help much earlier. I don’t have a background in marketing. Hiring a marketing coach has helped me tremendously. I have learned so much about messaging and what message resonates with my potential clients.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For those who may not have come across my work before, I’d love to share my journey and what I do. My name is Susie Lawrence and I specialize in helping coaches master authentic sales , turning leads into successful client sign-ups. My 25 year career in sales began with a series of traditional sales roles where I had to master extensive product knowledge for every new item I sold. This experience, while challenging, laid the foundation for my deep understanding of the sales process and the importance of building genuine connections with clients.

I left my corporate sales job and began coaching, realizing that my true passion was not in selling products but in empowering others to succeed. This shift allowed me to leverage my sales expertise in a more personal and impactful way. Today, I offer a range of services aimed at helping coaches enhance their sales skills without feeling salesy or pushy. My flagship offering is a 6-week program designed to teach coaches how to master a simple sales process that converts leads into paying clients.

I solve a critical problem for coaches who work tirelessly to get potential clients but struggle to convert these leads into paying clients. Many coaches feel uncomfortable with the sales aspect of their business, fearing they’ll come across as pushy. I teach them how to get oil the right mindset. How to get unstuck from knowing what to do and move into taking action. I teach them how to structure their calls, build trust, handle objections, and close the sale in a way that feels natural and authentic.

What sets me apart is my unique approach to sales training. I focus on helping coaches embrace their individuality and use their personal stories to genuinely connect with potential clients. This method not only makes the sales process more enjoyable but also more effective. I believe that when coaches are confident and authentic, they can create powerful connections that lead to long-term client relationships.

I am most proud of the transformations I’ve witnessed in my clients. Seeing coaches go from feeling insecure about sales to confidently signing up clients is incredibly rewarding. Their success stories are a testament to the effectiveness of my approach and the potential within each coach to thrive in their business.

For potential clients and followers, I want you to know that my work is rooted in a genuine desire to help you succeed. I understand the challenges you face and am committed to providing you with practical, actionable strategies to overcome them. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your coaching business to the next level, I’m here to support you every step of the way.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about my journey and my work. If you’re interested in transforming your sales approach into a powerful tool for growth, let’s connect and explore how my 6-week program can help you achieve your goals.

How did you build your audience on social media?

In the beginning of March 2024, I started intentionally building my audience on LinkedIn. I have grown my audience to over 4K this week. I have really experimented with different kinds of posts. I’m always surprised by the posts that perform the best.

My approach to building an audience is the same approach I use for sales. I keep it authentic and genuine. People want to know who you really are, what you have struggled with and how you are succeeding. They want to be able to relate to you. Some of my posts with the most engagement have been “behind the scenes” posts about creating my webinar or shooting my free video. Too many people are only sharing their highlight reel.

So my advice for anyone starting out. Share who you really are! There is only one of you. You will attract your people.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn from my corporate career was learning to spend my time differently. When you have a corporate sales role there’s a big emphasis on activity, metrics & KPI’s. Companies are paying you for your time so they want to see a lot of activity. When I started my business I learned that just being busy doing stuff wasn’t going to move the business forward. I learned that I needed to focus my activities on things that had the biggest impact. A large corporation has the luxury and money to worry about websites, logos and branding. These are all important things but the most important thing to do when starting a business is generating revenue. Your website, logo and branding can come after you have money coming in. It’s important to make the mental shift from employee to CEO when you start a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.susielifecoach.com
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/susielawrence