Cindy Hillsey

Recapping January – March 2012 guest posts 1

 in Guest Post / site news  tagged Amber Fogarty / Angus MacLennan / beliefs / blue monday / business / change / Cindy Hillsey / clients / coaches / coaching / content / counselling / goals / guest post / habit / ideal client / Karen Williams / Karen Wise / knowledge / Lenny Deverill-West / Liz Scott / Lorraine Hurst / Marie Yates / marketing / Mei Qi Tan / mindset / networking / new year / niching / Nicky Kriel / Parallel conversations / plans / Relationship / relationships / Richard Nugent / success / Toni Knights / websites

Over the next few days I’m going to briefly recap the last years worth of guest posts that appear here each Friday.

Today we start by looking at the first three months of this year.

Image showing first January on a diary with pen on isolated color background with fine clipping path.

January

In the first post of 2012 Amber Fogarty shared how she is in the “habit change business” discussing something she talks about a lot with clients in “Developing Better Habits”.

Coach and trainer Lorraine Hurst then followed with a post that could be of use to both yourself and your clients. “Blue Monday – what colour will yours be?” was published just prior to the third Monday of the year – read the post to see the significance of that date!

Coach and author of “Secrets of Successful Coaches”, Karen Williams, shared her expertise and knowledge in the third guest post of the year: “How does your mindset affect your business?” Read how Karen believes mindset, marketing and business knowledge will affect a successful coaching business.

The final post in January saw Karen Wise sharing a personal experience in the post “Relationship drama.” How familiar is this incident in either your own life or with what your clients tell you?

Image showing 14th February a Valentine day with heart symbol & message.

February

As we started the second month of the year, coach Marie Yates turned her attention to the action taken to the goals and plans made at the start of the New Year. This post contains a series of questions to assist you to make progress. Read “The warm up is complete… It is time for the main event.” 11 months since this was first published – what would your answers to these questions be today?

Liz Scott loves bringing coaches together to share experiences and knowledge. Her post focused upon “Parallel conversations and coaching”, using her personal experience as a lesson to be used in coaching sessions.

Lenny Deverill-West shared how he has been practically incorporating other teachings into his own work with clients. Read more about what he is doing in “The Coaching Aha!”

Social Media coach Nicky Kriel discussed errors she’s seen coaches make attempting one particular marketing approach. Are you making any of the blunders featured in “5 Big Mistakes that Life Coaches make Networking”?

March

March

Coach Richard Nugent invited you to “Explore Some Half Truths Of Coaching” with the aim of getting you to think about your own professional beliefs that could help you be more successful.

A coaching website is on many new coaches to do list, in the second guest post in March Mei Qi Tan shared her expertise and knowledge about what to focus upon. Read her post “Websites: It’s not just about content – it’s about users.”

Coach Angus MacLennan, who delivers practical Business Support to Business Owners, turned his attention to the subject that can have many new coaching business owners scratching their heads in the post “Niching Has Failed”

How to market your coaching is an often requested topic, in our next guest post coach Cindy Hillsey shared her expertise and knowledge in “Marketing and your Ideal Client”

In the final guest post in March Coach Toni Knights discussed what she considers to decide if it is necessary to refer clients for additional help, in her post “Identifying When Clients Need Counselling”

Visit tomorrow

Come back tomorrow for a post recapping April – June, or if you can’t wait, clicking here will bring a list of every post that has been published on this site labelled as a guest post.

January & Febuary image © Indianeye | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
Visit tomorrow image © Renata2k | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

Could a Master Mind Group Benefit You and Your Business? 1

 in Guest Post  tagged accountability / brainstorming / business coach / business coaching / business growth / charging / Cindy Hillsey / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / experience / growth / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / master mind group / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / safe place / success / Virtual Partnering

As we approach the end of 2012 and the start of 2013 Cindy Hillsey focuses upon a specific type of resource in today’s guest post.

Could a Master Mind Group Benefit You and Your Business?

By Cindy Hillsey

Master Mind. Join a Master Mind group. Come Master Mind with us! After a while the term Master Mind becomes diluted and we are not sure what exactly it means.

The term Master Mind originates with Napoleon Hill and his business classic book, Think and Grow Rich. Hill defines a Master Mind as a “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” What Hill is saying is that a Master Mind is simply a group of two or more people who come together for a specific purpose. Since Think and Grow Rich was published in 1937, the Master Mind concept has evolved and is one of the many tools business owners use to keep themselves and their business on a forward path.

How can you benefit from finding, and joining, a Master Mind? Here are some ways:

Believe me I know transformation isn't easy

  • Growth – Not only business growth, but personal growth is a benefit of joining a Master Mind. Many times we think we don’t have anything to contribute; however, we must remember no-one else has our exact experiences and perspective. We are all unique and see through different filters. Sometimes it’s the most basic question or comment that opens up new perspectives for the Master Mind group. Everyone has something to share in a Master Mind group and deep connections are usually made among the group members.

Resources and New Perspectives

  • Resources and New Perspectives – Think of your Master Mind group as your very own Board of Directors. They are all there to help you grow as a person and grow your business. No-one has all the answers. Remember the saying, ‘two heads are better than one’? Well, all the heads in a Master Mind group are better than one! The ability to brainstorm and gain new ideas and perspectives are like gold. Where else can you get such an unbiased perspective? (Family and friends mean well, but they often don’t have the proper perspective.)

Safe place

  • Safe Place – What goes on in each Master Mind group stays in that particular group. This is the space where you get to share your fears, triumphs, and the in-between. You receive unconditional support from the group. Just knowing you have a place to go and share can mean the difference between moving forward in your business and staying right where you are.

Know How

  • Experience – In a Master Mind group, you have the collective wisdom of everyone in the group! How cool is this? Perhaps you have a member who is an expert in marketing, or one who is an expert in building websites. The collective experience is one of the greatest benefits of being in a Master Mind.

No excuses

  • Accountability – This one is huge! As entrepreneurs, it is easy to get caught up in many little things, and lose the vision of the big picture. How many times have you said you were going to do something to move forward in your business, but it never happened? A Master Mind group can help to keep you accountable to what you say you are going to do. The last thing you want to do is make a commitment to the group and then show up and report that you’ve done nothing. Having the accountability to the group can give you that extra push to get it done and make something happen in your business!

Could your business use a shot of collective brainstorming? Is it time for you to join a Master Mind? Only you know that. Keep in mind, there are many different types of Master Mind groups. Some are set up for a certain period of time, some are created for just idea generation only, for accountability only, or they can be designed around a specific industry. Some have a cost to join and others do not. The key is to find the one that feels good to you and that meets the criteria you are looking for. And, if you can’t find one that specifically meets your criteria, create your own!

Welcome to success

If you are considering joining a Master Mind, I’d like to let you know that I am opening up two groups that will begin in January. You will find all details at: http://virtualpartnering.com/mastermind/

Here’s to getting 2013 off to a great start!

Happy Holiday’s to you all!

About the Author/Further Resources

Cindy Hillsey, CPC, ACC, is a Business Coach and the owner of Virtual Partnering, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cindy has an extensive background in small business, both online and offline. By combining her experience, business skills, and her coaching skills, she is able to offer her clients a unique perspective to help them achieve their business goals. She works primarily with women who are Coaches and Virtual Assistants (VAs), who have lots of ideas and ambition and who want to own their own business. Cindy helps her clients see past where they are stuck by clearing the fog; see the possibilities, feel the excitement, discover the ‘how-to’s’, and acquire a confidence in themselves and their business. Cindy gives her clients hope! Her motto is: Think it! Create it! Market it! Helping women in business bridge the gap between their desires and their results.

Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Davenport University. She is a certified coach through the International Coach Academy. Along with being a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), she also holds the Associate Certified Coach designation through the ICF.

Cindy’s websites:

http://virtualpartnering.com

http://zenhillenterprises.com

Connect with Cindy:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualPartnering

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cindyhillsey

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyhillsey

 

 

 

Marketing and your Ideal Client 1

 in Guest Post  tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / Cindy Hillsey / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / ideal client / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / market niche / marketing / niche market / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / target market / Virtual Partnering

How to market your coaching is a often requested topic, in today’s guest post coach Cindy Hillsey shares her expertise and knowledge in:

Marketing and your Ideal Client

By Cindy Hillsey

Ideal Client. Target Market. Niche Market. They all mean the same thing, right? Wrong!

And this, I believe, is where the confusion sets in for many business owners. How many times have you read an article, attended a seminar, and/or just had a conversation with someone where all three of these terms are used interchangeably? I’ll bet by now you don’t even hear those words anymore. And if you do, do you really understand what they mean and how they apply to your business? Unless you are clear about what these terms mean for your business, you will more than likely struggle with marketing your business.

I have a number of clients who contact me with what they call ‘marketing problems’. They are having a difficult time filling their practice. During our conversations, I find they don’t really have a marketing problem so much as they have an Ideal Client problem. They are trying to be everything to everyone. When I ask them who their Ideal Client is I am usually given a broad, vague answer such as: women, or women in transition, or Coaches, etc.. While that sounds great, it doesn’t tell me who your Ideal Client is and why she’s ideal.

If you don’t know who you are doing what to, how can you do it? And therein lies the real problem: It’s not about marketing, but about knowing who you are marketing to and why at a deep core level.

Let’s talk a bit more about Target Market, Niche Market, and Ideal Client. These terms do not mean the same thing. Please don’t confuse them as they serve different functions.

Target Market – This is a grouping based on one or more common characteristics. For example, age, sex, location, occupation, product purchases, etc.

Niche – This is primarily an occupational grouping. For example, Sports Channels, Financial Planners, Coaches, CPAs, VAs, etc.

Ideal Client – This is the person (and yes I am going to refer to this as one person even though you will have several of the one person) who you connect with at your core. This is the person you know extremely well, so well, in fact, that you can list their problems as though they were your own problems. You understand their values, desires, beliefs, as well as you understand your own. It is because of this deep understanding that you are able to offer effective solutions and/or guidance to your Ideal Client.

Here’s a visual of the above:

Target market, Niche market and Ideal client by Cindy Hillsey

It is this concept around the Ideal Client that will allow you to address the problems of your Ideal Client, offer solutions to your Ideal Client, and create the content on your website that speaks to your Ideal Client. In turn, this will allow you to market more effectively and easily. Once you know who are doing what to the rest of your marketing becomes easier.

Let’s take a moment and review some essential elements of the Ideal Client:

  • It’s counter-intuitive in the sense that it is most effective when your Ideal Client is highly specific and narrow.
  • When you try to be everything to everybody, you end being nothing to anybody.
  • There is a common center of interest and/or lifestyle of your Ideal Client.
  • Your Ideal Client exists in a sufficient quantity.
  • Your Ideal Client has the ability to pay you.
  • (Hint) Your Ideal Client is really you on some level!

What does having an Ideal Client do for you and your business?

  • An Ideal Client provides you with a clear vision and an obvious focus.
  • It enhances your credibility and your reputation.
  • It increases the demand for your services because of the specialized market.
  • It greatly simplifies marketing and increases your return on investment (ROI).
  • It provides a firm base from which you can expand your business.

So, how do you go about determining who your Ideal Client is? One way I would suggest is for you to write a story about your Ideal Client. Give him/her a name, an education, a family life (single or not), a social life, a business, and write about the problems they have in their business that you can help them solve. Get very detailed. Let me repeat that…get very detailed. I want you to know this person like you know your family!

These questions should help you begin to craft your Ideal Client:

1. What are the basic characteristics of your Ideal Client? (demographics, age, gender, salary, education, location, etc.)

2. Who are your clients? Are they business executives, artists, small business owners, micro business owners?

3. What kind of values does your ideal client have? Do these values match yours?

4. What exactly do your Ideal Clients do? How do they need your help? (Be very specific in your answers to these two questions.)

5. How do your Ideal Clients treat you? Do they pay on time? Do they understand you are a business owner and treat you as such?

Whether you know exactly who your Ideal Client is or not, please take the time to answer the above questions so that the next time you are asked, “Who is your Ideal Client? You can answer them without hesitation!

About the Author/Further Resources

Cindy Hillsey, CPC, ACC, is a Creative Small Business Coach and the owner of Virtual Partnering, based in Grand Rapids, MI. Cindy has an extensive background in small business, both online and offline. By combining her experience, business skills, and her coaching skills, she is able to offer her clients a unique perspective to help them achieve their business goals. She coaches women entrepreneurs who wish to express their creativity through their business by helping them put a solid business foundation in place step-by-step so that they can grow their business while fostering their creativity.

Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Davenport University. She is a certified coach through the International Coach Academy. Along with being a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), she holds the Associate Certified Coach designation through the ICF. In addition, Cindy is currently working on obtaining her Certified Coach designation through the Creativity Coaching Association.

Cindy’s websites:

www.virtualpartnering.com

www.chatsondemand.com

Connect with me:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cindyhillsey

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cindyhillsey

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyhillsey

Does Your Coaching Business Reflect the YOU of Today?

 in Guest Post  tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / Cindy Hillsey / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching business / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / environment / executive coach / ideal client profile / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / refer / skillset / Virtual Partnering / website / welcome pack

In today’s guest post Cindy Hillsey shares her expertise and asks about your coaching business.

Does Your Coaching Business Reflect the YOU of Today?

By Cindy Hillsey

There seems to be a common thread among all my coaching clients right now, and that thread is that their business no longer reflects who they are today! I thought this would be a good topic to discuss today. My question to you is this: Does your business reflect who you are today or does it reflect who you were?

Recognizing how hard it is to keep current in a changing environment my hat is off to you if you said your business reflects who you are as of today! If you are like the majority, however, your business more than likely still reflects the you of the past. How do you know if your business still reflects the old you?

Here are some signs:

1. You have skills that are not listed on your website and your current clients don’t know about these skills.

2. You are being asked by your client to do things that are beyond your skillset and you cringe thinking about doing them.

3. You no longer like/want your current clients (or a majority of them)!

4. You have a static website rather than a dynamic one.

5. Your Welcome Packet hasn’t been updated since you opened your doors for business.

6. Your work seems like work – the thrill is gone!

7. Your clients no longer refer you.

8. You’ve entertained the idea of getting a J-O-B.

If you found yourself nodding your head yes to any or all of the above questions, it’s time for you to spend some quality time working ON your business and giving it a new lift! Put some business bounce back into your business!

Here are some things you can do:

1. Take an honest look at your skillset. See what still works and what you still enjoy doing. Purge the rest.

2. Make a list of new skills you would like to acquire. (Hint: If you find yourself putting the word ‘should’ in front of a new skill, ask yourself this question: Is it because *I* want to learn more information about this particular skill OR is it because I think I *should* know how to do this because everyone is doing/needs this?)

3. Update your Ideal Client profile! (This is also a good exercise as it helps you to determine what skills to keep, what skills to acquire, and what skills to purge.)

4. If you can’t create a new website yourself, put on your CEO hat and find someone who can capture the new you in your new website.

5. Do you still need a Welcome Packet? If so, update it and keep is short, sweet, and simple! Only collect the information you need.

6. You may want to consider hiring a business coach to refresh, refocus, and re-energize both you and your business.

7. If your client no longer refer you, see the above 6 items and begin to work on them now!

8. You really need to hire a business coach to figure out if this is really where you need to be or if you are just feeling dead-ended in your current incarnation.

It is important to continually adjust and tweak your business as the environment changes. If you don’t, you risk becoming out-of-date and obsolete. You’ll be like the food item in the pantry that has an expiration date stamped on the bottom – Best if used by xx-xx date!

About the Author/Further Resources

As a Business Coach, I work with Service-Based Entrepreneurs, and I specialize in working with Virtual Assistants and Coaches. Visit http://virtualpartnering.com for my FREE mini e-course on, The Six Basic Keys Every Business Should Have, along with other free resources.

Connect with me:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualPartnering

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cindyhillsey

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyhillsey

Who Is Your Ideal Client and Why Do You Need One?

 in Guest Post  tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / Cindy Hillsey / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / communication / executive coach / ideal client / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / marketing / niche / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / sports coaching / target market / Virual Partnering

As a coach do you already know who is your ideal client? In this week’s guest post Cindy Hillsey shares her thoughts and expertise about how to identify your ideal client and why that’s important.

Who Is Your Ideal Client and Why Do You Need One?

By Cindy Hillsey

The topic of the Ideal Client is being discussed more and more frequently these days. Look around you. How many times have you read an article, attended a teleseminar, and/or had a conversation with someone where the topic turned to, “Who Is Your Ideal Client?” Why do you suppose this is? In fact, you may have gotten to a point where you’ve heard this question posed so often that you dismiss it with a wave of the hand and think, “of course I know who my Ideal Client is, who doesn’t?!” A truism in business is that if it’s a recurring theme it means that it’s not only important, but that it’s not being done by the majority. If everybody was doing it, there would be no need to discuss it.

If I were to ask you right now, “Who is your Ideal Client and why?” what would you tell me? Would you be able to do it without hesitation and in a crystal clear and concise manner? Would you have to pause before you answered the question? Very few people can answer this question without hesitation and pause. If you can answer without hesitation and pause, I want to congratulate you. Keep doing what you’re doing! For the rest of us, the ability to answer this question could mean the difference between having clients and not having clients.

While this seems like a very simple question, it really is not. It is a question you should spend a significant amount of time thinking about and getting very clear around. Let’s take a moment and review some essential elements of the Ideal Client:

  • It’s counter-intuitive in the sense that it is most effective when your Ideal Client is highly specific and narrow.
  • When you try to be everything to everybody, you end being nothing to anybody.
  • There is a common center of interest and/or lifestyle of your Ideal Client.
  • Your Ideal Client exists in a sufficient quantity.
  • Your Ideal Client has the ability to pay you.

 

What does having an Ideal Client do for you and your business?

  • An Ideal Client provides you with a clear vision and an obvious focus.
  • It enhances your credibility and your reputation.
  • It increases the demand for your services because of the specialized market.
  • It greatly simplifies marketing and increases your return on investment (ROI).
  • It provides a firm base from which you can expand your business.

I do want to take a moment to make certain you understand we are not talking about a Target Market or a Niche Market. Your Ideal Client is different from your Target or Niche market. People get stuck in the Target Market/Niche Market terminology. As a matter of fact, many times you will hear someone use Ideal Client, Target Market, and Niche Market all in the same sentence. Talk about confusing! Discovering your Ideal Client goes far beyond the Target Market/Niche Market terminology. Knowing who your Ideal Client is at a deep core level is one of the foundational pieces of your business.

It is important to remember that a Target Market/Niche Market is not your WHO. It’s a classification system. Just because you identify someone as an Ideal Client who is in a particular Target Market/Niche Market, it does NOT mean that ALL members of said Target Market/Niche Market are YOUR Ideal Client! It’s more foundational to identify the qualities and characteristics that you want to work with in a person than it is to identify some broad classification, because ultimately no matter what business you are in you end up dealing with individuals, right?

In fact, Target Markets/Niche Markets are actually derived from the more fundamental Ideal Client piece. For example, here are some of the characteristics I look for in my Ideal Client: Female, age 35-45, Service-Based Entrepreneur, who is positive, energetic, and honest. They respect my knowledge. They are do’ers. (This is not a comprehensive list, but will give you a feel for what I’m talking about.) From my clients who fit this criteria, I can clearly identify two Target Markets: Virtual Assistants and Coaches.

Note that I started with the Ideal Client and their characteristics NOT the Target Market/Niche Market. Conversely, let’s suppose for a moment that I insisted that I wanted to pick a Target Market/Niche Market, and I chose Coaches. It stands to reason that because I’m choosing a classification many of the coaches that come to me would not be my Ideal Client, because my Ideal Client is based on attributes and characteristics.

So, how do you go about determining who your Ideal Client is? I would suggest you write a story about your Ideal Client. Give him/her a name, an education, a family life (single or not), a social life, a business, and a problem they have in their business that you can help them with. Get very detailed. Let me repeat that…get very detailed. I want you to know this person like you know your family!

These questions should help you begin to craft your Ideal Client:

  1. What are the basic characteristics of your Ideal Client? (demographics, age, gender, salary, education, location, etc.)
  2. Who are your clients? Are they business executives, artists, small business owners, micro business owners?
  3. What kind of values does your ideal client have? Do these values match yours?
  4. What exactly do your Ideal Clients do? How do they need your help? (Be very specific in your answers to these two questions.)
  5. How do your Ideal Clients treat you? Do they pay on time? Do they understand you are a business owner and treat you as such?

Whether you know exactly who your Ideal Client is or not, please take the time to answer the above questions so that the next time you are asked, “Who is your Ideal Client? you can answer them without hesitation!

About the Author/Further Resources

As a Business Coach, I work with Service-Based Entrepreneurs, and I specialize in working with Virtual Assistants. Visit http://virtualpartnering.com for my FREE mini e-course on, The Six Basic Keys Every Business Should Have, along with other free resources.

Connect with me:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualPartnering

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cindyhillsey

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyhillsey