I was running a discovery session the other day and asked my client this question…
āWhat factors influenced you when you bought your last car?ā
He told me, āIām blind.ā
Embarrassed, I apologized awkwardly…
…until he interrupted me…
āBut… I have a car.ā
He went on to describe the leather seatsā¦
…the rims on the wheelsā¦
…the smooth ride.
He obviously loved his car.
Weird?
Yes.
He confessed as muchā¦
…that owning a car he couldnāt drive didnāt make sense.
As impractical as it wasā¦
…someone had sold a blind man a carā¦?
Inconceivable!

How could that even happen?
The blind man bought that car…
…not for what it could do for himā¦
…but for the dream it represented.
It was at that moment that I realized that people donāt buy coachingā¦
…they buy the dream.
It was at that moment that I realized that people donāt buy coachingā¦they buy the dream.”
Coaching is a means to an end.
The coaching your client gets can serve to help your client fulfill a desire.
That fulfillment of your clientās desire is called a ābenefitā.
Those benefits may ultimately make some of your clientās dreams come true.

Hereās a more tangible example of DREAMS versus BENEFITS:
Letās say a guy buys an electric drill.
Heās not buying the drill because he wants a drill…
…itās because he wants a hole somewhere.
A drill is just a means to an end.
The hole is the benefit of having that drill.
But even that simple hole represents a dream that goes way beyond the hole.
The DREAMā¦
…of fixing something for your kids…
…or installing new shelving to organize your closet.
…of being the handy hero…
People donāt buy the product or service…
Whether itās a drill…
…or your coaching.
They buy the benefits.
The drill is just a product…
…but the hole is where the value is…
…and what that hole representsā¦
No one really wants a drillā¦
…or even the hole made by the drill.
They want the dream.
Itās the same with your coaching clients.
They want the benefits that your coaching will provideā¦
…and the dream that those benefits make possible.
What makes a dream different from a benefit?
Dreams are like hair extensions…
…they make benefits bigger, longer, and fuller.
They put your clientās desires on steroidsā¦
…by pushing the value beyond what those benefits alone could provide.
There are 4 main ways that your clientās dreams go way beyond plain old benefits:
DREAM BIGGER: More complicated or grander results.
When your client achieves a benefit, that benefit can trigger bigger results.
This ābiggerā domino effect isnāt guaranteedā¦
…but it might epitomize the dream that your client imagines for themselves.
EXAMPLES OF DREAMING BIGGER:
- Instead of just losing weight so your client looks good in a bathing suit at the beach, they might enter and win a bodybuilding competition.
- Instead of just making a single sale, your client could sell so much that they double their business.

(NOTE: If youāve been waiting to start your coaching business, or were wondering if you can do it profitably, then you need to watch this video. In the video, Iāll explain how to How to Build a Profitable Coaching Business in 30 Days. Click HERE now to watch the video.)
DREAM LONGER: Results that are farther into the future.
The long term benefit is part of the dreamā¦
Benefits tend to be shorter term in nature while your client has to think long term to access their dreams. On a long enough time line, almost anything your client desires might be possible.
Think about itā¦
- What do your clientās short term benefits make possible in the long term?
- How might a short term benefit open the door to a long term dream for your client?
EXAMPLES OF DREAMING LONGER:
- Buying an amazing house might become a dream life in the long term.
- Finding a soulmate might lead to a dream family in the long term.
- Saving money day to day might make a cushy retirement dream possible.
DREAM DEEPER: Emotions and results that are more intense, more important, and have deeper impact.
Instead of trying to get clients to buy into what they think they needā¦
…give them a chance to experience the depth of what they desire most.
This includes:
- Their highest aspirations and values.
- Their ideal identity for who they could become.
EXAMPLES OF DREAMING DEEPER:
- Your client achieving their āidealā weight offers the deeper dream of becoming someone who is healthy and beautiful.
- My blind client with the car felt good about it because it hit a deeper nerve for him⦠perhaps status or confidence.
DREAM WIDER: Results that impact more areas.
Some benefits will create a ripple effect on other parts of your clientās lifeā¦
…or even their entire life.
EXAMPLES OF DREAMING WIDER:
- If your client achieves great communication and connection with their kids, they could also improve how they manage their team at work.
- Increased income allows your client to contribute to their favorite charity.
- If your client becomes more disciplined in one area of their life, it will likely offer them broad benefits over the rest of their life.
Do you see how dreams walk the extra mile…
…beyond where benefits stop?
If you get nothing but a single benefit, the journey ends there.
The dream keeps goingā¦
…far beyond the fulfillment of your desire.
Coaching is more valuable than most products…
…because coaching is all about the dream.
Coaching is more valuable than most products…because coaching is all about the dream.”
Itās not about losing the last 10 poundsā¦
…or making 6-figures.
Itās the DREAM beyond the benefits.
So if people arenāt buying your coachingā¦
…itās because they donāt connect working with you to achieving their dream.
If you can discover your clientās dreamsā¦
…even when theyāve forgotten them (or given up).
If you can serve your clientās dreamsā¦
…despite the barriers your client faces.
If you can communicate your clientās dreamsā¦
…more clearly and concisely than they can themselves.
…Then your client will automatically see your coaching as the key to their dreams.
Colette āKey to Your Dreamsā Coiner
Dr. Colette Coiner, PCC, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT
Associate Dean, Master Coach University
drcolettecoiner@coachestrainingblog.com
858-232-3739
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