Listen to this post: How to Turn Your Expertise Into Coaching or Consulting Offers (2026 Guide)
You know the moment. Someone pings you on Teams with, “Got five minutes?” You fix the thing, explain the shortcut, calm the panic, and send them on their way. By lunch you’ve done it twice more. You’re the go-to person, the human helpdesk, the one who “just gets it”.
And yet your knowledge only earns thank yous.
This guide shows a simple path to turn your expertise into coaching or consulting offers that people can understand, budget for, and say yes to. You’ll choose a lane, shape one clear offer, set a sensible price, and find first clients without fancy funnels or endless posting.
Start with the right lane: coaching, consulting, or a simple hybrid
Photo by cottonbro studio
Before you design anything, decide what kind of help you’re selling.
Coaching is guided change. You help someone think clearly, make decisions, build habits, and stay accountable. You ask strong questions, reflect patterns, and keep them moving. The client does the work, you hold the frame.
Consulting is diagnosis and direction. You assess what’s happening, recommend a plan, and often build parts of it. The client is paying for your judgement and your track record.
A simple hybrid is common in 2026 (sometimes called “coach-sulting”). It looks like coaching with a clear plan and measurable milestones, or consulting with light accountability so the plan actually gets used.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Aspect | Coaching | Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| What you sell | Clarity, accountability, skill-building | Answers, strategy, fixes |
| Your stance | Guide and partner | Expert and problem-solver |
| Client effort | High (they implement) | Medium to high (you may deliver parts) |
| Best for | Behaviour change, leadership, confidence, performance | Systems, processes, launches, audits |
Why demand is strong right now: remote and hybrid delivery is normal, clients are buying smaller projects they can approve quickly, and “specialist” is beating “general”. People pay for narrow help like ADHD-friendly work routines, return-to-work support after illness, learning support for managers, or transition support after redundancy.
Rule of thumb: choose the lane that matches how you enjoy helping and the outcome you can produce reliably. If you love asking and guiding, lean coaching. If you love diagnosing and fixing, lean consulting. If you do both well, start hybrid but keep it simple.
A quick self-check: what kind of help do people already ask you for?
Answer these in five minutes:
- Do people want your plan, or your encouragement?
- Do they ask you to fix it, or help them stay on track?
- When you help, do they thank you for speed, or for calm and clarity?
- Are you most proud of the result, or the growth you saw?
- Do you get pulled into the work, or do you naturally step back and guide?
One skill, two frames:
- Skill: helping someone prepare for an interview.
Coaching offer: practise answers, manage nerves, build confidence, and create a prep routine.
Consulting offer: rewrite CV, tailor applications, build an interview script, and create a target-company list.
Pick a niche by choosing one painful problem, one clear audience, and one promised result
Focus beats “I can help anyone”. When your offer is for everyone, it feels like fog. People don’t buy fog. They buy a torch.
Use this formula:
I help (who) with (problem) so they can (result) in (timeframe).
Keep the promise realistic. You can promise a process and a target outcome, not guaranteed life changes.
Examples:
- Career: “I help mid-level managers with interview prep so they can speak with confidence and land a stronger role in 6 to 8 weeks.”
- Business: “I help independent shop owners with stock and cashflow planning so they can stop last-minute panic and feel in control within 30 days.”
- Health: “I help new mums rebuild gentle strength and routines so they can feel steadier and sleep better in 8 weeks.”
If you want UK-specific setup basics for coaching, see starting a coaching business in the UK.
Turn your expertise into an offer people can say yes to
Your offer isn’t your full brain. It’s a container: a defined start, a defined end, and a defined outcome.
A common mistake is trying to “include everything” to look worth the money. That usually makes the offer harder to buy and harder to deliver. Clients don’t want your library. They want the chapter that solves today’s problem.
Start with:
- One main offer (your core package).
- One lighter option (optional), like a one-off audit or a VIP session for those not ready for a package.
Packages often work better than single calls because change needs repetition. One call can inspire, but a package builds momentum. In 2026, clients also like clear scopes they can approve without long procurement.
A simple place to begin is a framework. You can build your own, but it helps to see how others structure it. Here’s a useful reference on turning expertise into a framework: step-by-step framework guide.
Map the transformation: before, during, after
Think in three scenes, like a short film:
Before: what’s true on day one? What’s messy, stuck, or stressful?
During: what milestones will they hit, and in what order?
After: what does “better” look like in the real world?
Example (CV and interview consulting package):
- Before: CV is generic, interviews feel shaky, applications are scattered.
- During: role target set, CV rebuilt, LinkedIn tightened, interview answers practised, application plan created.
- After: a clear role direction, a CV that matches it, and a repeatable interview prep routine.
Set boundaries early, because they protect you and the client:
- What you will do (deliverables, sessions, feedback windows).
- What the client must do (prep, homework, decisions, attendance).
- Out of scope (24/7 messaging, rewriting endless drafts, job guarantees, therapy).
Choose a delivery model that fits your life and builds trust fast
Pick the model that you can deliver well on a tired week. That’s the real test.
One-to-one (coaching or consulting)
Best for high-trust, personal change, or sensitive topics. Typical include: weekly or fortnightly sessions, light between-session support, templates or worksheets.
Group coaching
Best when the problem is shared (career change, leadership habits, accountability). Typical include: weekly call, office hours, a simple community space, and a shared curriculum.
Project-based consulting
Best when the outcome is a “thing” (audit, strategy, set-up, process fix). Typical include: a discovery call, a clear scope, 1 to 3 delivery milestones, and a handover.
Remote delivery is standard now. Keep tools basic: video calls, shared docs, a calendar link, and one place for notes. Fancy tech doesn’t create trust. Keeping promises does.
Price, proof, and a clean way to sell without feeling pushy
Pricing scares people because it feels like guessing your own worth. Reframe it. Pricing is a signal of the outcome, the level of support, and the risk you’re taking on.
Try not to anchor on hourly rates. Clients aren’t buying time, they’re buying a result and relief. Packages also make it clearer what’s included, which lowers awkward back-and-forth.
In early 2026, many buyers prefer smaller, clearer projects. That makes a “starter package” and a short beta round a sensible move.
If you want ideas on how to describe and sell offers without sounding like a brochure, this is a solid reference: creating and selling coaching offers.
Set your first price with a beta offer and clear outcomes
A safe starter method:
- Define the outcome in plain words (what’s better, and how they’ll feel it).
- Estimate support: sessions, reviews, messaging, templates.
- Pick a package length: often 4, 6, or 12 weeks to start.
- Choose a fair beta price that reflects a discount for feedback and case study permission.
- Offer limited spots (3 to 6 is plenty) and a clear start date.
Offer two payment options:
- Pay in full (simple, often with a small saving).
- Monthly payments (more accessible, still clear).
One-sentence offer script (no hype): “I help [who] with [problem] so they can [result] in [timeframe], using [method], with [what’s included].”
Example: “I help new team leaders who feel overwhelmed create a weekly leadership rhythm in 8 weeks, using guided sessions and practical templates, with fortnightly check-ins.”
Build proof quickly: case studies, testimonials, and simple tracking
Proof doesn’t need big numbers. It needs clarity.
Track:
- Baseline (where they started).
- Milestones (what changed, and when).
- Result (what’s better at the end).
Proof examples for coaching:
- Habits kept (three weeks of consistent planning).
- Decisions made (role change chosen, hard conversation held).
- Confidence shifts with specifics (presented to execs, asked for a raise, set boundaries).
Proof examples for consulting:
- Time saved (reporting reduced from 6 hours to 2).
- Process fixed (handover checklist stops missed steps).
- Revenue lift (only when you can evidence it, and avoid claiming your work was the only cause).
Always ask permission, offer anonymity, and keep private details private. Trust is part of your product.
For a broader overview of selling expertise online, including coaching and consulting formats, see selling expertise online.
Get your first clients in 30 days using simple marketing that compounds
Your first clients usually come from people who already trust you. Marketing is just making it easy for that trust to turn into a conversation.
In 2026, trust builds through repeated touchpoints: a helpful post, a quick voice note, a useful introduction, a short call that leaves someone clearer than before. Consistency beats chasing every platform.
Aim for small actions you can repeat:
Network outreach: past colleagues, friendly peers, ex-clients, community groups.
Referrals: ask directly, but gently.
Partnerships: people who serve the same audience (recruiters, accountants, therapists, fitness studios).
Short helpful content: one idea, one example, one takeaway.
One free training session: a 30-minute lunchtime talk on a narrow problem.
Don’t pitch features. Talk in outcomes: “Here’s what changes,” not “Here’s what I include.”
A small weekly plan: outreach, content, and conversations
Try this rhythm for four weeks:
- Send 10 warm messages to people who already know you.
- Post one helpful insight (a story plus a practical tip).
- Book two short calls (15 to 25 minutes) to diagnose and see fit.
- Reach out to one potential partner.
A simple outreach message template: “Hey [Name], quick one. I’m offering [who you help] support with [problem] so they can [result]. If you know anyone dealing with that right now, I’d be grateful for an intro. Happy to send a short summary you can forward.”
Keep the goal modest: conversations, not conversions. Sales pressure drops when your next step is simply “let’s talk”.
Conclusion
Being the go-to person doesn’t have to stay a free role. Choose your lane (coaching, consulting, or a tidy hybrid), pick one painful problem for one clear audience, and build one offer with a start, an end, and a real outcome. Price it with a short beta round, collect proof with simple tracking, and use calm, consistent marketing to get in front of people who already trust you.
Your next step is small but powerful: write your one-sentence offer, then book three conversations this week. The offer doesn’t need to be perfect, it needs to be clear.
