I asked AI to save me time. Instead, it sent me down a rabbit hole that cost me an hour and nearly my sanity!

More ideas. More suggestions. More enthusiastic encouragement. And absolutely no closer to what I actually needed.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of Small Business Talk for Coaches, I share how my AI brainstorming session went spectacularly off track, what a dramatic Bathurst 1000 fuel disaster taught me about trusting technology and why coaches need to think beyond the answers AI gives them.

When does a tool designed to save us time actually start costing us time?

Because sometimes AI isn't failing at all. It's doing exactly what we asked.

And that's the problem. Listen to this episode to get the real answer.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your marketing may not be failing. You may just be starving it of the conditions it needs to grow.

In this episode of Small Business Talk for Coaches, Cathy shares a lesson from two veggie beds growing side by side. Same soil. Same seedlings. Same care. One thrived. One struggled. The difference was sunlight.

And that is exactly what can happen with your marketing.

Before you ditch the strategy, change platforms or chase another shiny tactic, look at what is happening around it. Is your message clear? Are enough people seeing it? Are you being consistent? Is your marketing actually leading people into conversations?

🎧 Listen in before you throw out a strategy that may simply need more light.

What part of your marketing is sitting in the shade?

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most coaches assume silence means no. Often, it simply means not yet.

Your next coaching client may already be in your world. Someone who attended the webinar, replied to an email, had a discovery call or quietly raised their hand and then disappeared.

In this episode of Small Business Talk for Coaches, Cathy explores the follow up gap that could be costing you clients and why staying connected does not have to feel pushy, awkward or salesy.

Because sometimes the problem is not getting more leads.

It is what happens to the ones you already have.

🎧 Listen now and take a look at who might already be waiting in your world.

Support the show: https://smallbusinesstalk.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can post consistently on LinkedIn and still hear crickets.

Because posting is only one part of the puzzle. If you are waiting for the algorithm to put your content in front of the right people at exactly the right time, you are relying on hope rather than strategy.

In this episode, Cathy Smith is joined by LinkedIn and marketing growth expert Sarah Hughes to unpack what actually creates client conversations on LinkedIn.

They talk about building the right network, using shared connections, strengthening your profile, reaching out without awkward cold DMs and creating content that sounds like you rather than a marketing department.

You will also hear why your LinkedIn profile matters beyond LinkedIn itself and how the right strategy can help people find you through Google and AI search.

🎧 Stop waiting for the algorithm to find you. Start using LinkedIn as the relationship building tool it was meant to be.

Support the show: https://smallbusinesstalk.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“That sounds exactly like what I need. Send me the details.” You do. Then silence.

Before you question your price or rewrite your offer, consider what that potential client took away from your conversation.

In this episode, Cathy Smith shares how she walked away from one car dealership and bought the same product from another. The difference offers a valuable lesson for coaches whose promising enquiries go quiet.

Explore the three kinds of trust behind a coaching decision: trust in you, your process and themselves. Learn how to help potential clients picture working with you, make room for their unspoken questions and agree on a clear next step.

They felt understood. Did they leave understanding?

🎧 Listen now and take one practical idea into your next client conversation.

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“I am just a coach.”

How often do you play down your expertise because you don’t want to sound as though you are bragging? What feels ordinary to you could be exactly what a potential client needs.

Your qualifications tell people what you have studied. Your stories, insights and experience help them understand how you can help. Are you sharing those or hoping people will work it out for themselves?

In this episode, Cathy Smith explores how to use your clients’ words, draw on the experience you already have and stop underselling your contribution. Learn how to show people what you bring to coaching without feeling you have to prove yourself.

🎧 Listen now and find a more comfortable way to talk about why someone would work with you.

Support the show: https://smallbusinesstalk.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You keep telling yourself it is not ready yet.

The offer needs one more tweak. The website needs another change. The post needs a better graphic.

Yet what if all that preparation is the very thing keeping clients away?

In this episode of Small Business Talk for Coaches, Cathy Smith shares the surprising result of a pottery class experiment and explores the point where preparation quietly becomes procrastination. She also reveals how coaches can appear busy and visible on social media while still avoiding the conversations that build a business.

If you have an idea, offer or message sitting on your computer waiting to be perfect, this episode is for you.

Support the show: https://smallbusinesstalk.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your potential coaching clients may already want your help.

Have you made it feel safe enough for them to ask?

They are reading your posts, visiting your website and considering booking a call. Then doubt steps in. Will I be pressured? Will my question sound silly? What happens if I reach out?

After a surprising peck at her office window, Cathy recognised the missing step between attracting attention and receiving the enquiry.

🎧 Listen now and discover whether your marketing is opening the door or giving potential clients another reason to stay silent.

Support the show: https://smallbusinesstalk.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.