Stop Building, Start Executing: The Coach’s Ultimate Guide to Systems That Sell

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room for business coaches: we love systems. Heck, I’m a systems guy myself. There’s nothing that pumps my tires quite like mapping out a new workflow or dreaming up an automated marketing funnel.

But I’ve got to be brutally honest with you, and myself, if all you do is build systems, tweak processes, and sit back polishing your tools, guess what you’re doing? You’re procrastinating. And that, my friend, is why your client roster is stuck, and your revenue’s not climbing.

In today’s post, I’m diving deep into what I call “the execution problem” for coaches. Inspired by my recent interview with Carl Diffenderfer, a coach who lives and breathes systems, I’ll lay out exactly why most coaches plateau, how to break free from perfectionism, and what you actually need to do to build a business coaching practice that pays, stays, and refers.

The Myth of the Perfect System

Let’s be real: creativity is a double-edged sword for us coaches. Our creativity lets us brainstorm lead magnets, develop email sequences, and concoct all sorts of sales scripts. But as Carl put it in our conversation:

“Too many coaches love to be creative, and they love to build things, but they don’t love to execute things.”

Sound familiar? You spend six weeks perfecting a 37-step onboarding system… but haven’t actually onboarded a new client in two months. You create a killer webinar funnel… but never launch the ad campaign to fill the webinar.

This is the critical point: Systems don’t matter unless you work the system. And working the system is where the money and the impact live.

Why Coaches Get Stuck in “System-Building Mode”

Three reasons, straight and simple:

• It’s safer to build than to sell. Sitting at your computer, wrestling with your CRM, you feel productive. But you’re not risking rejection.
• Perfectionism kills momentum. We tell ourselves the email has to be just right, the tags have to be organized, the sequence must be flawless before we dare hit send.
• Lack of focus on results. We fall in love with the process, forgetting the client or the goal on the other side.

I’ve been there too. As Carl shared in the podcast:

“I sat on a database of 5,000 people for how many years, and I never actually organized them so that I could actually send an email. And that list went from a warm list to a cold list.”

Let that one sink in! Opportunity cost isn’t just lost sales; it’s lost relationships and lost momentum.

Flipping the Switch: From Builder to Executor

Here’s how you reclaim your time, energy, and, most importantly, your coaching results.

1. Build Tiny, Execute Fast

Dream big, but act small. Instead of engineering the perfect lead-gen system, pick one aspect and nail it today. Public speaking, live networking events, joint ventures, pick one and execute. As Tony Hsieh did with “one minute of world peace,” start with the bite-sized version and iterate from success, not theory.

“Take something small, do it well, and you’ll start to see more results faster from that.”  Carl Diffenderfer

2. Run on 80% Complete 

No system is ever perfect on the whiteboard. Get it live fast. If you’re building an email campaign, send the first message by tomorrow, even if the rest of the sequence isn’t done. Tag your hottest prospects now, rather than waiting for the labels to be perfect. Progress beats perfection by a mile.

3. Make Execution a Daily Habit

Block time every day to do the proactive, “hunting” work Carl recommended. Don’t hide behind content creation or tech tweaks. Call three prospects. Book a live event. Follow up with last month’s leads.

If you feel resistance, lean into it. That’s where the next level lives.

4. Don’t Fear the Mess

Your CRM will be messy. Your scripts will change over time. Client feedback will send you back to the drawing board. That’s not failure, that’s feedback. Clear road, clear mind; messy road, creative mind.

As I like to say: stop executing on ideas and start executing on plans.

What Happens When Coaches EXECUTE Systems

I’ve coached thousands of business owners and built automation tools that can find $100K in new profits in less than 45 minutes. Here’s what separates the winners:

• They act before they’re ready. They launch the event, send the sequence, call the prospect even if the backend system isn’t “just so.”
• They refine after real-world feedback. Every iteration is worth more than another week tweaking in the dark.
• They’re accountable to results, not ideas. If you aren’t seeing client growth, more leads, or bigger wins, look in the mirror, not out the window.

Carl took a client from $1M to $5M, but he didn’t do it by sitting in planning mode. He prioritized action, followed up, iterated, and stayed in the game even when it was uncomfortable.

Start Executing Today

• Pick ONE outreach system (calls, live events, JVs) and execute on it this week. No tweaks, just action.
• Dust off your email list, segment the top 50 prospects, and send a value-packed message TODAY.
• Schedule a block every morning for proactive outreach, not admin or “preparation.”
• Reflect weekly: Are you building or truly executing?

Want an “operating system” you can plug into any small business to multiply profits, without months of fiddling? I’ve built one. It’s the same system my top coaches use to accelerate their own wins and create raving, high-paying clients.

Book a call to see how you can install it and finally start executing at the level your goals require.

Stop building. Start executing. That’s where your transformation begins.

Ready to take action? Book a call and let’s unlock your next breakthrough.