Half the battle of working with a client is getting them to like and trust you on a personal level. They need to connect with your personal brand in a way that makes them feel comfortable and willing to work with you.

According to a report by Quicksprout, one of the ways to build your brand is to be your true authentic self. Putting on a show and pretending you are someone you are not can turn a client off and have them see right through your act.

Thirteen members of Forbes Coaches Council share their top branding tip to help clients feel as if they know, like, and trust them. Here is what they had to say:

1. Show Your Human Side

Coaching should feel like more of a personal connection than a typical business meeting. In a first session, I share highlights of my personal life about my family and what I do for fun. I try to include personal anecdotes as examples during coaching conversations. It accelerates establishing strong rapport and chemistry, and role models how leaders can connect with people through storytelling. – Bonnie Davis, Destination Up

2. Tell An Authentic Story

As an offering of invitation to prospective clients, I’m constantly challenging myself to tell personal, vulnerable stories so clients can see themselves in me and my experiences. When someone meets you online, remember that they’re only seeing a representation of the human you are. You have to go steps further in offering and communicating your humanity to develop a relationship of trust. – Dave Ursillo, DaveUrsillo.com

3. Don’t Hide Behind The Expert Mask

As a coach, a top branding tip to help clients feel as if they know, like and trust you is to show your client that you were once them. This means becoming savvy at positioning yourself as an expert without hiding behind that mask. One way to do this is to stand on your story so that your clients know where you come from and what you have been through. You instantly become more relatable. – Lisa Guice, Lisa Guice Global-Vision, LLC

4. Be Clear On What You Don’t Do Well

Start with what you do well and love to do, but be crystal clear on what you cannot help people with — because your passion and expertise aren’t there. Then, branding becomes much easier: what you excel at and love is left over. My clients trust me because I speak to a few key areas instead of covering it all. That helps me jump into their challenges with incredible passion and dedication. – Leila Bulling Towne, The Bulling Towne Group, LLC

5. Demonstrate Vulnerability And Listen

Trust is the cornerstone of an effective coaching relationship. The most powerful way to build trust is to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Also, active listening is one of the most critical aspects of a great coach. This allows you to ensure your feedback is relevant and on point. Focusing on these two skills will get your clients to open up and position you for breakthrough moments. – Dave Fechtman, Velocity Advisory Group

6. Be Consistent

Prospective clients observe published content and accomplishments long before they become clients. This helps prospects get to know you. It takes time do develop trust, so being consistent in communication (social media posts, newsletters, etc.), showcasing thought leadership, speaking, and offering valuable information on a regular basis, is at the core of branding for a coach. – Tamiko Cuellar, Pursue Your Purpose LLC

7. Focus On Them

Don’t make your branding about you. Make it about your client. What is their world like? What are their problems? How do you solve those problems? Talk solutions rather than about yourself. Most people don’t understand what coaching is about until they experience it anyway. -David Butlein, PhD, BLUECASE Strategic Partners

8. Start A Conversation

It’s an old-school idea, yet it’s still so important to communicate in order to gain rapport. Talk to people and ask good questions, like “Do you want some support with that?” Be genuinely curious about others. Even when posting online, create conversational content. Branding is not about a logo, tagline or color scheme. It’s all about being a real person and starting conversations that inspire. – Hanna Hermanson, Dream Life is Real Life

9. Create A Visibility Strategy

If you want to expand your brand and generate more revenue, you must have a visibility strategy that should include speaking, social media posts, video via Facebook Live or your own YouTube channel, media (radio, TV, podcasts, etc.) Having a visibility strategy allows your ideal clients to experience you and to see how what you do can and will move their business or life forward. – Nicole Roberts Jones, FIERCE Factor Lab

10. Offer Content They Value

Create and distribute valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. Instead of pitching your services, provide truly relevant and useful content to your clients to help them solve their issues. Share articles, post blogs, or write case studies to let clients “test drive” your acumen. – Sheri Nasim, Center for Executive Excellence

11. Give Them A Sample

When approached by a new client (especially with no experience with what coaches do), I offer a sample. I suggest that rather than me trying to explain what coaching involves, we set a timer and let me coach them for 30 minutes. After that experience, I’ll answer their questions and we mutually decide to part or talk about scheduling the next session. No costs for the client except their time. – Bill Gardner, Noetic Outcomes Consulting, LLC

12. Have A Great Squad

Taylor Swift made “the squad” popular again. It started with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. — the Rat Pack. Your brand needs a squad. When your brand is associated with the ICF, Forbes, Harvard, Georgetown, these are brands they already know, like and trust. As a recent Forbes article stated, “having positive brand perception is key to being remarkable to the space.” – Dean Miles, Bridgepoint Coaching & Strategy Group

13. Collect Testimonials

Regardless of how much you believe in your products and services, your potential customers may still be skeptical. Regardless of how authentic and valuable you attempt to be, your potential customers may still not believe you, simply because of your biased position. Therefore, testimonials are your saviors. Build trust and credibility with social proof. Let success stories do the selling for you. – Nader Mowlaee, The Straight Line Systems