signature program


3 Mistakes Coaches Make When Designing Their Signature Programs

Many coaches will have started 2016 with a goal of designing (or redesigning) their own signature coaching program. In this week’s guest post Ling Wong shares:

3 Mistakes Coaches Make When Designing Their Signature Programs

By Ling Wong

"3 Mistakes Coaches Make When Designing Their Signature Programs" By Ling Wong

You have brain full of knowledge. You have a life full of experience. You have a toolbox full of training and expertise.

Yet, you are stumped when answering “what you do and how you do it” question.

Your confidence goes down the drain when you fumble and babble about your coaching program because you have an offer that doesn’t resonate with your value, conviction and superpowers.

If you’ve been struggling to design your signature program, you may be making these mistakes:

1. Using Generic, “Off the Shelf” Program

Many coach-training programs provide students with a 3- or 6-month program they can use right away to get clients.

Or you might have purchased some other pre-written programs that claim to solve all your pain and suffering.

It may work for a little while to help you get your feet wet, but often times regurgitation is not a long-term solution.

When you take an “off the shelf” program, stick it into your business and call it a day, you are stuffing yourself into a box made by others.

These programs are generic. The flip side of “yeah I can probably sell this to anyone” is that they make you sound like everyone else.

They often don’t give you the space to express your value, conviction and opinion. And there is little opportunity for individual expression of your superpowers.

It’s one thing to use these programs as a stopgap move to get things going, but another to be married to it and treat it as a be-all-end-all solution.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you gotta be in the driver’s seat before the wheel can take you anywhere.

2. YOU are not in the program

I’ve worked with many go-getter clients. They take action. They follow directions they’ve learned in trainings and programs. They do the work. They didn’t write one program, they wrote three.

But still, nothing clicked.

Their motivation died when they realized the program they spent so much time and effort to develop didn’t resonate with them.

The reason? They’ve forgotten about the most important thing – themselves! They neglected the WHY that drives the program.

Most people focus on the “what” and the “how” of a program: the information, modality, delivery and execution.

They jump hastily into busywork before they uncover what really, truly motivates them.

They were missing the driving force that goes beyond a target market, a set of tools, or a topic of expertise.

Jumping both feet into the nitty-gritty has caused them to bypass the foundation – the PERSON behind the program.

The PERSON who puts her name and reputation on the program. The PERSON delivering the program. The PERSON who has to live and breathe that program. (YOU!)

The most successful program stems from a set of core value and conviction that transcends modality, delivery format and pieces of information.

There is a golden thread behind the content that ties everything together and give it a unique positioning that makes the “same information” different.

It embodies your WHY so you can stand by it with the utmost conviction.

It takes into account your superpowers so you can deliver it in the most effective way possible.

3. It’s an Exercise in Navel-Gazing

On the other hand, your signature system is not all about you.

You can’t be of service if you’re not relevant to the people you serve.

I’ve seen many practitioners who make their signature programs all about them, their skills, modality and whatever tools du jour.

The disconnect happens when a program becomes a list of stuff you do, and you fail to relate it to your niche.

Niche is how you anchor yourself in the community you serve. It’s not a bunch of demographic data. It’s about being relevant.

You’re going to hear crickets when your signature program fails to connect your skills, expertise and tools with the needs of those you’re marketing to.

When you can articular why you’re relevant to the people that matter to you (your market), you’ll feel excited about what you do.

 When you can articulate how your expertise applies to your peeps, you gain the confidence to actually get out there and talk about it.

It’s not just about selling stuff. It’s about you anchoring into a community that matters to you. It’s about creating an identity of you being valuable and confident.

You know, the stuff that makes you excited to get up every morning 😉

***

This content is part of the “Design Your Signature System Series,” if it resonates, get on the Business Soulwork email list so you can get the upcoming installments in your inbox.

About Ling Wong

Ling is an Intuitive Brainiac. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the multi-talented and multi-passionate coaches, consultants and change agents distill ALL their big ideas into ONE cohesive Message, nail the WORDS that sell and design a Plan to cut the busywork and do what matters, through her intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry.

Ling helps her clients optimize the space between individuality + originality vs. “tried-and-true” marketing so they can express their WHY unapologetically and profitably without reinventing the wheel.

Find Ling and grab her free “How to Find YOUR Winning Formula” Training Series here.