The Simplest, Most Predictable Sales Funnel For Coaches

Most coaches are told they need complicated funnels, social media, or paid ads to get clients.

But I’ve sold over $1.5M of coaching without any of that - using what I call the Full Roster Funnel.

This simple, 5-step funnel has worked for my clients too:

• Gemma, a business coach who hit £20k+/month and retired her husband

• Grace, a procrastination coach who used it to have her first $110k launch

• Ryan, a financial coach who’s funnel generated $1m in annual revenue

In this article, I’ll walk you through the funnel step by step so you can use it in your business.

Let’s begin with Step 1.

Step 1: Create Content So Good They Can’t Ignore You

Your content is at the top of the funnel. This is what attracts your ideal clients and positions you as someone who can help. Your content should be:

• Specific: Instead of generic self-development or business advice, your content should be laser-focused on the problem you solve for your paying clients.

• Generous: The content you create should be so valuable that people would be willing to pay for it as part of a course. Don’t hold anything back.

• Findable: Your content needs to be easily discoverable - whether through SEO, YouTube, social media, ads, or strategic partnerships.

For example, I have an blog post called The Top 25 Highest Paying Coaching Niches that consistently ranks #1 on Google:

This article breaks down different coaching specialties and the problems they solve. By optimizing this content for search engines, I'm able to drive free traffic to it and get leads.

You don’t need to use SEO like me, you just need to choose one main way of getting in front of potential clients consistently. If you’re not sure what the best strategy is for you, take my free Coaching Archetype quiz. In about 60 seconds, it will tell you the best lead generation strategies based on your strengths.

Some people will find out about you, consume your content, and apply for a consult right away. Especially if they came in warm from a referral. So always include a call to action to work with you.

Others will need a bit more nurturing, which brings us to Step 2.

Step 2: Offer Them A Lead Magnet That Actually Helps

Once someone lands on your content, the next step is to get their email address. The simplest way to do this is with a basic newsletter opt-in. But offering a free resource (i.e. a lead magnet) often converts better.

Most lead magnets are junk. Your lead magnet should be:

• Relevant: Your lead magnet should be closely tied to the problem that your coaching solves. For example, my client Grace offers a procrastination handbook. It’s perfectly aligned with her core offer, so it acts as a filter.

• Low-effort, high-value: Don't ask your leads to put in a ton of work - a simple cheat sheet, template, or quiz is often more effective than a lengthy ebook or video course. In other words, it should provide a quick win.

My favorite type of lead magnet is an quiz. For example, my article on coaching niches has a free quiz people can use to find their niche. Learn how I create this type of quiz here.

Step 3: Be Their Favorite Email To Read Each Week

Now that you've captured your leads' email addresses, it's time to start nurturing them with a weekly newsletter. This is the "meat and potatoes" of the Full Roster Funnel. It's how you'll build trust, provide value, and position yourself as the best coach for them.

Your newsletter should be a mix of:

• Nurture content: This is the weekly content that keeps your subscribers engaged. Examples include interviews with experts, how-to guides, and perspective-shifting insights. You can also repurpose your top of funnel content for your weekly newsletter.

• Conversion content: Once a month or so, you'll want to include a more sales-focused piece of content. For example, you can share the results of past clients and then invite people to book a consult with you.

Case studies are one of the best ways to convert emails subscribers into clients. They have people imagine what it’s like to work with you. Here’s how I create my case studies.

I recommend a 3:1 ratio of nurture to conversion content (3 newsletters each month are nurture, one week is conversion). This weekly cadence tends to get you the most clients without burning through your list. The key is to strike a balance between providing providing value and gently moving your leads towards the next step of booking a call with you.

Step 4: Make It Easy For Them To Apply For A Call

At this point in the funnel, you've built awareness, gotten leads, and nurtured them with your weekly newsletter. Now it's time for you to send them to your application. Let’s talk about the best way to do that.

Your application page should be simple and straightforward, with:

• Clear criteria: Outline the specific criteria you're looking for in a client, so you can filter out unqualified leads and not waste your time.

• A streamlined process: Explain exactly what will happen after they submit their application, including when they can expect to hear back from you.

• Call to action: Make it easy for people to apply by keeping the form short. You can always gather more details during the actual consult.

You can also send people to your calendar first, instead of an application form, like my client Andrew Capland does on this page:

Keep your application page simple, with only one action to take (filling out an application or scheduling a call). Remove header and footer navigation if possible.

The stronger your lead flow is, the more you can filter upfront. These days, I have a very detailed application page that includes my pricing. But I wouldn’t start there. Just sell people on the call itself and then over time you’ll get more data about which types of clients are most likely to convert.

Step 5: Turn Consults into Clients (Without Pushing)

Finally, we arrive at the moment of truth: the consult where you'll convert the right people into paying clients. This is where the rubber meets the road, and it's critical to have a proven sales process so you’re not winging it.

My 3C Sales System has three key steps:

1. Clarify: Ask about the persons’s situation, challenges, and what success would look like for them.

2. Connect: Clearly articulate how your coaching program can help them achieve their goals.

3. Close: Handle any objections, discuss pricing, and secure payment to officially onboard them as a client.

Don’t make these consults a hard sell. They should be a collaborative exploration of how you might be able to help, with you auditioning the client. By focusing on your potential client’s problems, and the impact of those problems, you'll naturally guide them towards investing in a solution.

If someone needs to think about it at the end of your call, book a second call to check back in with them and then talk through their initial concerns. The “one call close” is overrated, especially if you charge high-ticket prices for your coaching.

How To Maximize The Full Roster Funnel

When executed correctly, the Full Roster Funnel can be a powerful way to get high-end coaching clients. I’ve used it to make a reliable six-figure income while only working about 25 hours a week.

Here's a quick recap of how it all fits together:

1. Create valuable, niche-specific content that attracts your ideal clients and positions you as an expert. Track website visits.

2. Offer a compelling lead magnet to capture those visitors' email addresses and turn them into leads. Track new email subscribers.

3. Nurture those leads with a weekly newsletter, providing more value and building trust. Track open rate, click through rate, and replies.

4. Invite qualified leads to apply for a consult with you. Track how many consults you book and how the application page converts.

5. Use a proven sales process to convert those leads into paying clients. Track conversion rate on those calls (new clients/consults).

The beauty of this funnel is it's predictability. Once you have the core components in place, you can continue to track, refine, and optimize each step. No more sitting in your home office and praying for the next referral to come in. You just support your clients, book consults on autopilot, and then live your life.

But there’s a big difference between knowing how the funnel works, and making it work for you.

👉 If you want to use this funnel to get high end clients, apply for a strategy session. I’ll audit your business, identify the key areas of improvement, and create a customized plan for you. Then you can either implement it on your own or, if we’re a fit, work with me for ongoing support.