Hello Expert Coach Program Community! This share is intended to acknowledge your courage and commitment to serving the best clients for your niche -- and to illustrate the power of win-win. I was in a paid workshop for public speaking and we were put in a breakout room of three people. We were to share our pitch and support each other. When the first person pitched (Person A), I provided encouragement and some copywriting suggestions to help them draw out their unique value proposition. But when I shared my coaching niche and pitch -- the third participant (Person B) launched into so much eye-rolling I feared she'd induce macular degeneration. She didn't need help, so many people she knows are going into coaching, she's vetted so many already -- and what distinguishes me when there's so many other coaches out there? Now, there's a big difference between someone genuinely wanting to know more about what you do -- versus someone intent on making you feel like you're a 'dime a dozen' in a crowded field. I've worked in the entertainment industry and the producers that felt that way about the talent (actors, writers, directors, crew) got a rude awakening as more and more talent stopped wanting to work with them. And the answer to what distinguishes any of us is quite simply: connection. People either connect with the message and method or they don't. And when I pointed this out to Person B, I added that I don't work with skepticism energy -- only optimism, which means we would not be a good fit. It has to be win-win. Of course, the moment I said 'no' -- the tone changed. It was like lightning hit. Person B then said, "I wasn't interested before, but now I'm fascinated." Only, my position wasn't a ploy. It came from the heart. I am not starting a coaching business to buy a bad boss. We are free to design our program, niche, audience, and define our worth. At the same time, I am grateful to Person B because once I got past the superior tone, I realized there were underlying objections that a potentially kinder, and more win-win client might also have but not necessarily state.