LinkedIn Content Strategy for Business and Sales Coaches | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for business and sales coaches: how a Melbourne business coach reached 32 founders and business owners in 5 weeks
We read every reaction on 10 posts from a Melbourne business and sales coach. 363 people, 32 founders and business owners. Here is what brings buyers, what brings peers, and the 5 posts we’d publish next.
Max Sawyer · Netwarm··11 min read
The creator in this case studyA Melbourne business and sales coach
Followers33,591
Posts~2 a week
SellsBusiness coaching, sales training and sales consulting for business owners and their sales teams, NDIS coaching and mentoring, and two books including How to Sell Without Feeling Pushy
PeriodSep 21 – Oct 26
Ideal client: owners and CEOs of small and mid-sized businesses whose sales depend on them or on a small sales team, and who want more sales without sounding pushy.The challenge: The coach has 30+ years of coaching and a new book on selling without feeling pushy. The posts mix leadership pep talks, book news, questions on trust and teams, and a personal story. They draw 50 to 120 reactions each, and a large part comes from other coaches, consultants, marketers and creators. In the book launch post, the coach writes that too many good business owners hold themselves back because they don’t want to sound pushy. Which posts reach those business owners?
These numbers are from 27 October. Your audience has already moved.
New business owners turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
About 1 in 11 readers is a buyer.32 founders and business owners reacted in 5 weeks: 8.8% of the 363 people who reacted. 44% are coaches, consultants, marketers, speakers and creators.
Selling posts bring almost twice the share.The posts on selling and the book reached 9.9% founders and business owners, against 5.7% for the questions on trust and teams.
3 of them are Hot right now.They reacted to 5 posts or more. One of them reacted to 7 of the 10.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The coach posted 10 times between 21 September and 26 October: a book launch, book news, a real estate team that read the book, leadership pep talks, two questions on trust and teams, and a personal story.
The LinkedIn algorithm shows a post to the people who reacted to the last ones, then to people like them. A coach with 33,000 followers reaches a lot of other coaches, consultants and creators, because they react to everything. Reach can’t tell them apart from a business owner who needs help with sales. Who reacted can. We sorted every person who reacted by role.
10posts in 5 weeks
363people reacted
32founders and business owners
8came back 3+ times
Audience by roleThe 363 people who reacted, by roleFree
Founders, CEOs, owners, MDs and directors32 · 8.8%
Coaches, consultants, marketers, speakers and creators160 · 44.1%
Everyone else171 · 47.1%
44% of the people who react are coaches, consultants, trainers, marketers, virtual assistants and LinkedIn creators. Several of the most regular readers are in this group. They push reach, and they rarely hire a business coach.
The 32 buyers are founders, CEOs, business owners, managing directors and directors: owners of small product and service businesses, technology and software companies, and a few healthcare and finance firms.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level24%
Director, VP3.9%
Manager10.5%
Independent10.7%
Other51%
IndustriesBusiness owners onlyNetwarm
Small businesses: products and local services25%
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See all industries and company sizes in your free scan.
Core audience8 business owners engaged 3+ times · 3 engaged 5+ timesNetwarm
8 founders and business owners keep coming back. One of them reacted to 7 of the 10 posts.See your regulars
Engager company sizeEveryone who reacted, by company sizeNetwarm
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See which company sizes your business owners work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach business owners
Most coaches judge a post by its reactions. A coach who sells to business owners should judge it by who reacted.
We tagged each of the 10 posts by topic, then measured the share of founders and business owners among the people who reacted.
Your topicsWhat your 10 posts were aboutFree
10posts
Selling and the book4
Leadership pep talks3
Trust and team questions2
Personal story1
Topics that attract business ownersShare of each topic’s reactions from business ownersNetwarm
Selling and the book9.9%
Personal story9.0%
Leadership pep talks7.4%
Trust and team questions5.7%
One topic brings 1.7x more business owners than another. See which.See which topics
Selling and book posts bring 1.7x the share of founders and business owners of the questions on trust and teams: 9.9% against 5.7%.
Posts that brought the most business ownersShare of business owners in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1Sometimes the greatest reward isn’t selling a book11.7%
#2I just want to say a huge thank you9.2%
#3My Story: almost 21 years ago, I found myself at the lowest point of my life9%
#4Happy Monday! Leadership isn’t just about what you achieve this week8.5%
#5I’m very excited to announce the release of my second book8.2%
For comparison, the Passionate Leader post had 117 reactions, among the most of the period, and reached 7.1% founders and business owners. The question on lying reached 5.3%, the lowest share.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from business owners
These rules come from what worked on the coach’s own profile, and from the best-performing posts by business coaches and sales trainers on LinkedIn over the last 3 months.
1
Start with a scene from a real client conversation. “Last week, I was speaking with the Director of a well-known real estate agency” puts a buyer in the room. Business owners read it as proof that people like them buy, not as a book promotion.On this profile: the real estate team post reached 11.7% founders and business owners, the highest share of any post with 30+ reactions.
Name the selling fear business owners feel. “I don’t want to sound pushy” is the line business owners say to themselves. Say it for them, then show the way out.On this profile: posts on selling and the book reached 9.9% founders and business owners, against 7.4% for leadership pep talks and 5.7% for questions on trust and teams.
Show the listening move in plain steps. Not “listen more”, but what to ask, what to repeat back, and when to stop talking. The reader can use it in their next meeting.Across the niche: a closing specialist with 1.5k followers drew 1,410 likes and 46 comments with three listening steps.
Tell the low point, then the lesson for a business. A personal story earns the reactions. The business lesson at the end is what makes an owner see you as their coach.On this profile: the My Story post drew 113 reactions, the most of the period, and 9% founders and business owners.
Turn one client into a before and after. One owner, one habit, what changed and in how long. It shows what coaching does better than a list of benefits.Across the niche: a CEO coach’s post on one construction CEO and his team drew 307 likes and 37 comments.
Give the exact words to say. Business owners want lines they can copy into their next sales meeting. End with “Which one will you try?”, not a general question.Across the niche: an enterprise sales coach’s “5 ways to ask for next steps without sounding needy” drew 36 comments on 87 likes.
When business owners read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for business and sales coaches
We compared the share of founders and business owners by the day each post was published (Melbourne time). Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday had 3 posts each and Friday 1, so the gaps are a direction, not a law.
Share of business owners by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
9.8%
Mon
7.3%
Tue
8.3%
Wed
6.4%
Fri
Monday brought the highest share (9.8%, about 8 founders and business owners per post). Wednesday came second (8.3%), Tuesday third (7.3%).
Every post went out between 6 and 8 a.m. Melbourne time, so there is no hour to compare yet.
Put the posts that carry the business (client stories, selling advice, the book) on Monday and Wednesday morning, and keep pep talks for the other days. At about 2 posts a week, a Monday and a Wednesday post is enough.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target business owners
Each post follows the rules above, in the coach’s voice. Swap in your own details before posting: the real story is what makes it land.
1Ready to postClient story
The team that read the book over the weekend, two weeks laterRule 1: a scene from a real client conversation. Modelled on the real estate team post, the highest share of founders and business owners of the period.
Hook
Two weeks ago, a Director in inner Melbourne asked his eight salespeople to read my book over the weekend.This week I called him back to ask what had changed.His answer surprised me. 😊The team didn’t make more calls. They asked more questions.One of his agents told him: “I used to talk for the whole appraisal. Now I let the owner talk first, and I write down their words.”Another stopped sending the same follow-up email to everyone. She now sends one line about what the seller said mattered most to them.Three things his team changed in two weeks:1. They open every meeting with a question, not a pitch.
2. They repeat the customer’s words back before they answer.
3. They ask for the next step, kindly and clearly, at the end of every meeting.None of it is pushy. All of it builds trust.After 32 years in sales, this is still what I see: good people don’t need more pressure. They need better conversations.Business owners: what is the one habit you wish your whole sales team had?#Sales #SalesTraining #Leadership #BusinessGrowth
Visual · Single imageA photo of the book on a meeting room table, with the line “Not selling more. Selling better.”Check before postingThe follow-up call and the two agent quotes are written as a plausible scene: use what the Director really told you, with no name or agency, or call him before you post.
The 7 questions that replace a pitchRule 2 and the lead magnet: name the fear business owners have about selling, then offer one useful page from the book. Modelled on a business coach’s “most sales die at the offer” post and the comment-keyword offers that work in sales.
Hook
Most business owners I coach don’t hate selling. They hate sounding pushy.So they wait. They hope the customer brings it up. They send a proposal and never follow up.And good businesses lose sales they should win.After 32 years in sales, here is what I teach instead: stop pitching, start asking.The 7 questions I give every client:1. What made you look for help now?
2. What have you already tried?
3. What happens if nothing changes in the next 6 months?
4. What would a great result look like for you?
5. Who else needs to be part of this decision?
6. What would stop you from going ahead?
7. What would you like to happen next?Ask them. Then listen. The customer will tell you how to sell to them.I put the 7 questions on one page, with what to listen for in each answer, from my book How to Sell Without Feeling Pushy.Comment QUESTIONS and I’ll send it to you. 😊#Sales #BusinessOwners #SalesTips #Leadership
Visual · Single imageA clean card titled “7 questions that replace a pitch” with the seven questions listed.Check before postingMake the one-page sheet before posting and share it through a Reveal link, so you see who opens it. Check that the 7 questions match the ones in your book.
The $100,000 debt and the first business goalRule 4: the low point, then the business lesson a business owner can use. Modelled on the My Story post, the most reactions of the period, and a sales expert’s rock bottom post.
Hook
21 years ago I owed more than $100,000 and had lost my home. The first thing I wrote down was not a dream. It was a sales target.A messy divorce had taken almost everything. I could have waited for things to get better.Instead I took one page and wrote three business goals:1. How many conversations I needed each week.
2. How many of those had to become clients.
3. What each client was worth to me.That page did not fix my life overnight. But it told me what to do every Monday morning.Today I see business owners in a different kind of hole. Sales have dropped. The team is waiting for answers. They are working harder than ever and don’t know which number to fix.My advice is the same one I gave myself:Stop trying to fix everything. Pick the three numbers that bring in the money, and work on those every week.It worked for me. It has worked for the 500+ businesses I’ve coached since.If you are in a tough place right now, you are not alone. ❤️What are the three numbers that run your business?#Business #Leadership #Sales #Coaching
Visual · Single imageA handwritten page with three goals and a date, or a photo of you today.Check before postingThe three goals are written as a plausible version of your story: use the real goals you set 21 years ago.
The owner who stopped answering every callRule 5: one coaching client, one moment, then the steps. Modelled on a CEO coach’s construction CEO post (307 likes) and on the clients you describe in your own story.
Hook
A business owner I coach used to answer every customer call himself. Even at 9 p.m.He had 12 staff. But every sale went through him.When we started working together, he said: “My team can’t sell like I do.”So I asked him: “Have you ever shown them how?”He hadn’t. He just took the call, every time.Here is what we changed in 90 days:1. He wrote down the 5 questions he asks every new customer.
2. Two of his team sat in on his calls for two weeks.
3. Then he sat in on theirs, and said nothing until the call was over.
4. Every Friday, the team shared one sale they won and one they lost.Three months later, he takes the important calls. His team takes the rest. And he is home for dinner. 😊Your team doesn’t need you on every call. They need to hear how you sell.What is one thing you still do yourself that your team could learn?#Leadership #Sales #BusinessCoaching #SmallBusiness
Visual · Single imageA simple before / after card: “Every call: me” on the left, “The important calls: me” on the right.Check before postingThis is a placeholder client case in the right shape: replace it with a real client, no name, and keep the real numbers (staff, weeks, result).
5 ways to ask for the sale without feeling pushyRules 3 and 6: give the exact words, then a question. Modelled on an enterprise sales coach’s “5 ways to ask for next steps without sounding needy” post and the active listening tip on this profile.
Hook
5 ways to ask for the sale without feeling pushy.Most good business owners never lose a sale on price. They lose it because they never asked.Here are the 5 lines I teach my clients:1. “Based on what you told me, here is what I would suggest. How does that sound?”
2. “What would you need to see to feel confident going ahead?”
3. “Is there anything stopping us from starting next week?”
4. “Would it help if I sent you a short summary, and we talk again on Thursday?”
5. “If this isn’t right for you, that’s okay. What would be right?”None of them pushes. All of them ask.And number 5 is my favourite. When people feel free to say no, they are much more likely to say yes. ❤️Which one will you try this week?#Sales #SalesTips #BusinessOwners #Leadership
Visual · CarouselSix slides: the title, then one line per slide in large type.Check before postingUse the lines you really teach, or swap one for a line from your book.
Free forever: unlimited scheduling through LinkedIn’s official API, with images, video and PDF carousels.
06
LinkedIn lead generation: lead magnets that work to target business owners
A reaction tells you someone liked a post. A download tells you they want help with the problem. For a coach who sells to business owners, one page they can use in their next sales meeting is worth more than 100 likes.
These formats work in sales and coaching right now.
Format 1Book lessons + comment keywordShare the lessons from a sales book, then offer the full version to people who comment one word. It turns readers into a list of names.
Format 2Cheat sheetObjections and the reply to each, sorted by reason, with a link to a free set of cheat sheets.
Format 3One-page guideA simple map of how buyers decide in the post, and a one-page guide behind the link.
Our pick for you: “7 questions that replace a pitch”, one page from the book
Our pick for you: “Our pick for you: “7 questions that replace a pitch”, one page from the book”The coach already has a book on selling without feeling pushy. Take the questions it teaches, put them on one page with what to listen for in each answer, and offer it with a comment keyword on the second draft above. Share it through a Reveal link to see which business owners open it.With a Reveal link, every person who downloads it is shown by name, with their role and how warm they are. Your first Reveal link is free.Create your free Reveal link
07
From reactions to clients: who to message, and when
Most founders and business owners never comment. They react, read, and move on. A reaction is the only sign they leave.
A buyer is Hot when they react to several posts in a short time. That is the moment a short, helpful message gets a reply.
Hot right now3 business owners · not contacted yetNetwarm
3 business owners are Hot. See who to message first.See who’s Hot
First messageAn opener for each Hot person, based on the posts they readNetwarm
Hi, I saw you read my post on selling without feeling pushy. Is that something your team is working on right now?Hi, thanks for following my posts on sales. Can I send you the 7 questions I give business owners before a sales meeting?
A first line for each of them, ready to send.See the openers
Netwarm shows who these Hot founders and business owners are, what they reacted to, and when to reach out.
08
FAQ
Posts about selling and real client conversations brought the highest share of founders and business owners on this profile: 9.9% for selling and book posts, against 5.7% for questions on trust and teams. Client scenes, the exact words to use, and a personal story with a business lesson work best.
On this profile, Monday brought the highest share of founders and business owners (9.8%), then Wednesday (8.3%). Posts went out early morning, Melbourne time.
About 2 posts a week was enough here to reach 32 founders and business owners in 5 weeks. Consistency on the best days matters more than volume.
Look at who reacts, not how many. On this profile, 44% of the people who reacted were coaches, consultants, marketers and creators, and 8.8% were founders and business owners.
Netwarm needs no LinkedIn login and does not post or message for you, so there is no risk to your account.
How we made this playbook
We read the first 100 reactions on each of the 10 posts published between 21 September and 26 October 2026: 747 reactions from 363 people. Reposts and duplicates were left out. Comments were not counted.
Each person was sorted by the role in their LinkedIn headline. Role groups are approximate.
The niche rules come from the best-performing posts by business coaches and sales trainers on LinkedIn over the last 90 days.
