How to Charge Your Worth as a New Coach (Even Without Client Testimonials)
One of the biggest chicken-and-egg problems new coaches face comes down to this frustrating loop:
👉 “How do I charge higher-ticket prices when I’m just starting out? I don’t have testimonials yet.”
And then, of course, the flip side:
👉 “But how do I get testimonials if I don’t have clients?”
It feels like being stuck at the world’s most unfair starting line.
You know the value of your coaching.
You’ve invested in trainings, certifications, maybe even your own mentors.
You’re confident that you can help people—yet, when it comes to charging what you’re worth, you freeze.
Because in the back of your mind, that little voice whispers: “Who am I to charge higher ticket for my coaching business? What if nobody believes me? What if they ask for proof I don’t have yet?”
If you’ve ever thought that way—you are absolutely not alone.
Every coach, no matter how successful they are today, once stood where you’re standing now.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need a wall of glowing testimonials to establish credibility.
Clients aren’t only buying past success stories—they’re buying into your clarity, your confidence, your process, and the way you position yourself as the guide.
In fact, there are powerful ways to demonstrate your authority and charge your worth before you’ve signed your first paying client.
Let’s break down three of them.
1. Clarity That Speaks to Clients
When I say “clarity,” I don’t mean your clarity. I mean your potential client’s clarity.
Here’s the difference:
You might feel clear about what you do, but if a potential client can’t immediately see how your coaching connects to their life, their struggles, and their goals—then it doesn’t matter how clear it feels to you.
Your audience isn’t walking around thinking, “I need a coach.”
They’re thinking:
“I’m burned out and exhausted.”
“I feel stuck and don’t know what to do next.”
“I’ve tried everything and nothing’s worked.”
If your message doesn’t reflect those real thoughts, you’ll lose them before you ever get a chance to explain your value.
That’s why your “I help” statement is so much more than a catchy one-liner or LinkedIn headline. It’s your positioning statement. It tells people:
Who you help (your specific audience)
What you help them do (the problem you solve + the outcome you create)
Why it matters (the deeper transformation or result they’re after)
For example, “I help women in leadership stop burning out and create balance so they can thrive at work and at home.”
That’s not just an introduction—it’s a promise. It paints a picture of what’s possible. It gives the potential client clarity on the transformation they’ll get, which makes it easier for them to justify your price.
Because here’s the truth: people don’t pay for coaching, they pay for clarity. If they can’t clearly see what’s in it for them, your price will always feel “too expensive.”
But when your positioning is clear?
Clients don’t have to guess if your coaching is relevant. They know. And that’s when they start to see your price as not just fair—but valuable.
👉 Inside my free masterclass, Your First $5K Month as a Life Coach, I’ll walk you through exactly how to craft a message that positions you as the obvious choice for your dream clients.
If you’ve been struggling to explain what you do—or feel like people just don’t “get it”—this training is for you. Save your free seat here »
2. Borrow Proof From Your Story (or the Data)
When you’re new, it’s easy to feel like credibility only comes from client testimonials. But the truth is, you already have more proof than you think—you just haven’t framed it yet.
If you don’t have client testimonials, you can borrow proof from three powerful sources:
Your personal story. How have you walked the path your clients want to walk? What transformation have you experienced that now qualifies you to guide others?
Your background or training. Maybe it’s your corporate career, your certifications, or even a lifetime of experience in a related field.
Relevant research or industry data. If you love numbers, lean on the data to back up the problem you solve and why it matters.
Here’s what that looks like in action:
💬 “In my corporate career, I helped teams go from burnout to balance. Now I use those same tools to help women leaders create the same transformation through coaching.”
💬 Or: “Research shows that 70% of people feel stuck in jobs they hate. That’s why I created a 90-day framework to help professionals make a change and finally feel aligned with their work.”
Both examples communicate credibility. You’re not just another coach with a passion—you’re someone who’s lived it, studied it, tested it, and can now teach it.
Because here’s the thing: people don’t just buy coaching. They buy certainty—the confidence that you know where you’re leading them. And if you can ground your offer in your story, your expertise, or in well-known statistics, you give your audience a reason to trust you before you’ve built a wall of testimonials.
👉 Inside my free masterclass, Your First $5K Month as a Life Coach, I’ll show you exactly how to pull from your story and background to position yourself as credible—even if you’ve never had a paying client.
If you’ve been wondering how to prove your value without testimonials, this training is your next step. Save your spot here »
3. Show Proof in the Process
Your credibility isn’t just built on who you are or what you’ve done—it also lives in your process.
Think about it this way: if a potential client asks, “So… how does this actually work?”—could you explain your approach in a clear, step-by-step way?
You don’t need dozens of testimonials to prove yourself. What you do need is a simple framework that shows:
You’ve thought about the journey.
You can guide someone from A → B.
There’s a method behind your coaching.
And this framework doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be as simple as:
💬 “Step 1: Get clear on what you want. Step 2: Identify what’s in your way. Step 3: Create a simple action plan to move forward.”
Even if you only tested this with yourself, with a few free clients, or with beta clients—you’re still showing that your coaching isn’t random. It’s a repeatable process that creates results.
Because here’s the truth: people don’t buy coaching, they buy certainty.
They want to know:
There’s a proven path.
They won’t be left guessing what comes next.
You can explain not just what you do, but how it works.
When you can say: ✅ “Here’s how it worked for me.” ✅ “Here’s how it worked for others I’ve guided.” ✅ “Here’s why it can work for you too.”
…you instantly build credibility. No testimonial wall required.
👉 In my free masterclass, Your First $5K Month as a Life Coach, I’ll show you how to package your coaching into a clear framework that makes your value obvious—and makes it easier for clients to say yes.
If you’ve been struggling to explain what you actually do, this session is for you. Save your free seat here »
The Bottom Line
Here’s what I want you to remember: credibility isn’t just about client results.
Yes, testimonials are amazing—but they’re not the only way to prove your worth. And if you’re waiting for a “wall of proof” before you allow yourself to charge higher-ticket prices, you’ll stay stuck at the starting line.
Credibility also comes from the way you position yourself.
✔️ When you’re clear on who you help and how (your positioning statement), people instantly see what’s in it for them.
✔️ When you borrow proof from your story, training, or credible data, you ground your coaching in authority—even without paid clients.
✔️ When you show off your process—your step-by-step path for transformation—you give people the certainty they need to say “yes.”
When you put these three together, you stop sounding like “just another new coach” and start positioning yourself as someone people are ready to invest in.
Because here’s the truth: clients aren’t just buying coaching. They’re buying clarity, confidence, and certainty. And you can demonstrate all of that before your first testimonial rolls in.
Ready for Your First $5K Month?
If you’re ready to connect the dots and stop guessing, I want to invite you to my free live masterclass:
👉 Your First $5K Month: How to Market, Get Clients, and Build an Online Coaching Business (Even If You’re New).
Inside, I’ll show you how to: ✨ Avoid the 3 mistakes that keep most new coaches stuck in the “no clients” loop. ✨ Package your genius into an offer that people are excited—and willing—to pay for. ✨ Market yourself with confidence, even without testimonials or a huge audience.
📌 Save your free seat here → Let's change the way you build your coaching biz
And if you know another coach who’s still questioning, “Who am I to charge for this?”—share this article with them. We rise faster when we rise together.
