Turning two negotiation coaches into a business

Sharp & Gentle teaches business owners and C-level executives how to negotiate. Which sets up a problem that most expertise businesses never quite solve.

You cannot sell negotiation training to people who negotiate for a living by telling them you are good at it. They will assume you are negotiating with them while you say it. The professional community has to reach that conclusion on its own, from evidence, before any offer is made.

What we did

So the content had to demonstrate the skill rather than describe it — specific, usable, the kind of thing a reader can try in their next meeting and notice working. We started on LinkedIn, because that is where the buyers already are and where professional reputation is actually built.

From there it grew into a full digital communications strategy: the website, a YouTube channel, Instagram. We worked out where the real pain points were and built a funnel around them — quality leads arriving at the site, then converting into either an online course purchase or a seat at a live teaching event.

The result

One properly established business, two coaches recognised as experts in their field, and more than 450 students through the events in the first 18 months of working together.