marketing

Why every coach needs to write a book 1

 in Guest Post  tagged book / clients / coaching / expert / Karen Williams / marketing / service / tools / writing

In this week’s guest post business coach and book mentor Karen Williams focuses upon:

Why every coach needs to write a book

By Karen Williams

"Why every coach needs to write a book" by Karen Williams

When I qualified as a coach in 2006, I got caught up with the hype of the industry. I was hooked with how I could create a decent living, make a bigger difference in the world, and that this would be easy to run a successful business. But it never happened that way in the early days.

Although I was told about niching, and I knew it was important, it wasn’t drummed into me that I had to be an expert.

Even though as a coach you don’t need experience of a topic to do an effective job, many clients will be seeking someone with expertise in the area where they need support. It’s not enough to ask a few good questions as people don’t buy coaching, they buy the result and outcome that they are looking for.

Plus if you think about your niche – if you have one – there are plenty of people doing something similar to you, so you need to know what makes you stand out.

When I did research for my first book in 2009, I was horrified by the statistics that indicated how few coaches are successful.  So what is the difference that makes the difference?

Did you know that most successful coaches have written a book?

That’s why you need to do the same!

Of course if every coach wrote a book, then the market would be saturated with knowledge (and books!). Also it’s not just about writing any old book, it’s about writing the one that supports your business and showcases your expertise.

Many of my clients are writing their books, and I’ve had three published myself, so this is why you need to write and publish your book.

  1. It helps you to get clear on where you are an expert and what it is that you actually do.

Finding the thing that you do well is notoriously difficult as it’s hard to see what others can see. The stuff that you find easy and what you are good at is often where you need to specialise.  And working on this stuff – like doing the passions and talents exercise that you can find in my third book – will help you to discover where you shine.

  1. It enables you to put your mark on the world, and reach more people who need your help.

When you write a book you lift your head above the parapet. Although scary, it makes it easier for others to find out what you stand for and reach the people who need you.  There’s only so much networking, social media and speaking that you can do, so it allows you to maximise your time too.

  1. By aligning your book with your business you can use it to leverage your expertise – it is a marketing tool that can get you more clients.

A great book is a better marketing strategy than an email, business card or a tweet. When you have the systems in place to take people to the next steps in your product funnel, you can grow your business, have multiple streams of income, and get noticed by the people who need your help.

  1. It is cathartic to get your thoughts and ideas on paper, and it helps you to develop tools to assist your clients.

Many of my clients find that writing a book is incredibly empowering, as it allows them to get their stuff out of their head. They get clear on what they know that helps their clients and also do research if there are gaps in their knowledge.  It can help you to develop your personal signature system, the thing you want to get known for, and also enhance the toolkit that you regularly use.

  1. When you write your best book, you will get noticed by the right people.

Writing a book will help you to demonstrate your credibility. It shows where you’re an expert, and allows you to display your wisdom. Not only will it increase your reach, you’ll be able to attract bigger players in your industry who are potential joint venture partners, affiliates, and willing to support you to create the change you wanted when you started.

Are you ready to write your book?

I’d love your comments on this post as I know that writing my three books (with two more on the way) has certainly grown my business, and my clients are sought after speakers, are getting great PR, and are known for what they do.

To find out more about why your business needs a book, you can download your free eBook at www.yourbookisthehook.com/ebook.

About Karen Williams

Karen WilliamsIf you’re ready to write your book, stand out and become more visible, contact Karen Williams for a free business strategy session.

You can also sign up for her next event Your Book is the Hook Live on Saturday 25 April where she’ll be showing you how to write the book that will get you more confidence, credibility and clients.  She also runs an annual writing retreat in Spain and you can join her this year from 24-29 September 2015.

Karen is a Business Coach and Book Mentor and has been running Self Discovery Coaching since 2006. She predominantly works with coaches, consultants and therapists who want to write a book that is the hook to grow their business. She helps them to plan, write, publish and promote their book and use it as a strategic marketing tool to get more clients, make more money and do what they love.

She is known for helping her clients to succeed by standing out from the crowd, getting noticed and being an expert in their business. She is the author of Your Book is the Hook, How to Stand Out in your Business, and the Amazon no. 1 bestseller The Secrets of Successful Coaches.

 

Why do we have to niche our services?

 in Guest Post  tagged clients / coaching / Julie Crowley / marketing / niche

In this weeks guest post Julie Crowley focuses on that subject of your niche.

Why do we have to niche our services?

By Julie Crowley

"Why do we have to niche our services?" by Julie Crowley

I know that the general advice is to niche your business services so that clients can find you (/me) and ‘we’ stand out from ‘the crowd’.   But which crowd?

I am pretty sure that most if not all of us have, at one time or another, questioned this aspect of our ‘business’ (versus service provision).   Do you agree?  Should you and I niche to satisfy the marketing advisors?

But maybe it isn’t about the clients, or the marketers or about our business at all – but about us, ourselves.

I have this internal debate with myself on a regular basis!  Should I? Shouldn’t I?  And why (not)?

I decide – at that point – one way or the other.  I can slip back on what I have decided too at times!  But, like my clients, things change.  I change.  I grow, learn, develop ideas and try new things.  That’s what coaching is about after all!

Question dice

But niching…it’s difficult (at least for me) to decide what you are, or I am, what we want – and can – offer our clientele.

Like many of you, I guess we want to offer whatever we can, to whoever we can and get them where they want to be! Our focus, our aim, our own SMART targets!

But limiting ourselves as it might seem – is that the answer?  We suggest to clients that they explore their own potential, try lots of things or just focus on the one straight (!!!) path to their goals.  To our goals.

So niching is an oft-appearing cliché for me in business. It’s here now again, raising it’s (ugly?) head. But I think this is healthy and useful, it keeps me on the ball, it keeps me focused on my clients and it helps me look at my own journey and development too.  Keeping my eye on where I am going – and checking the direction is right for me, making sure my steps align with my goals too!

So what niches are my options?  What do I want to offer, or show to clientele that I can offer?  Who am I now that I wasn’t last year, or at the start of my business services?   Who do I want and aim to be – and when?

Just like our clients, we are always looking forward, monitoring goals, managing steps, acknowledging achievements and hopefully too, giving ourselves those ever-necessary (and fun!) rewards.

I have niched into careers, and something I am still keen on but no longer my whole focus.   Why I wonder?  Because it did work for clients – it gave them/gives them a clear trigger, a clear focus on the ‘problem’ that’s arisen for them hence they are looking for guidance, motivation, inspiration or/and the rest of what coaching can offer.

I have focused on managing the psychological self – self awareness, personal power, personal development and personal change.  Psychology plays a big part in my practices.

I am unsure if niches are just short phrases or words that clearly spell out what the outcome might be for all to see, or whether it is to help me as a life coach decide what I do best or my current focus.

Question mark

I will think on this one, as my clients do, work through the step by step action plan, monitoring and acknowledgements and ponder the decision of what my next niche might be.   And who it will be for, my clients, my professional self, or society at large to judge me and decide my worth in the coaching forum!  For me my clients needs come first so that is where I will be starting …

About Julie Crowley

Julie Crowley, Personal Counsellor and Life Coach based in Lees, Oldham as Clear Mind Life Coaching & Counselling.   My aim as a coach is to help clients explore their potential and find out their real goals in life – or at least now!  Developing their “personal power” to create the life they want to live by exploring their inner self – practically, emotionally, psychologically and leaving with more awareness than they came with for more effective steps “For a better personal future” and the tools and techniques to use in future …

More information:

My website and blog www.clearmindco.co.uk offers comment and ideas about people, thoughts, feeling and life plans …as well as counselling concepts and focus too.

I am also on Facebook – Twitter – Linked in – CLEAR Connections

Mindset Secrets to Successfully Selling Premium Coaching Packages

 in Guest Post  tagged boundary / client attraction / clients / coaching / codependency / fear / high end / Ling Wong / marketing / mindset / package / preconception / program / self-worth / selling / value

In this week’s guest post Ling Wong uses her expertise and knowledge as she shares:

Mindset Secrets to Successfully Selling Premium Coaching Packages

By ling wong

"Mindset Secrets to Successfully Selling Premium Coaching Packages" by Ling Wong

A lot of business trainings tell us to sell coaching packages instead of single sessions, and raise our fees while we are at it so we can earn more, work less and have more energy to deliver our best services to our clients. Some of these trainings probably showed you how to design a program and price it.

Sounds good in theory, but… let me ask you – how much are your clients actually paying you? Do you consider the amount you are paid “premium”? (hmm, can you take just one or two new clients a month to pay the bills and more?)

Maybe you have a premium package sitting somewhere on your website, but you somehow have never been paid a “premium” fee; or you revert back to selling the “old” lower-cost packages when the rubber meets the road, i.e. during your sales conversation, because fears and doubts creep in and you chicken out.

If you (intellectually) know offering a premium package is better for your business, and you also have the knowledge to create the package – why aren’t you selling it? Where is the disconnect?

YOU, hold the answer. It’s all in your head.

Everything can sound good on paper, until it comes time to ask for the money.

There are a lot of fears, pre/misconceptions and judgments around “selling”, self-worth and value. Until you bust through these mindset hurdles, you will never feel completely comfortable during a sales conversation.

Your comfort level in asking to get paid is proportional to how much you ultimately get paid.

Preconception

Nobody likes being pushed into buying, and we may perceive people selling to be “bad” because some salesperson gave us bad experience. If you had bad experience with sales people, it is easy to equate selling as “dishonest,” and who wants to be perceived as such? Of course you don’t want to, so you hold back from selling.

Plus, there are many unfavorable images we associate with people doing selling – e.g. the used car salesman, the late-night infomercial dude, even that pushy MLM friend who won’t let you off the hook until you reluctantly sign up for stuff that you don’t want.

What if I tell you, selling = serving? What if you can serve your potential clients while you sell them your services? Educational marketing is a great example. You give people information and provide value to raise awareness about a problem. When they understand the problem they have actually has a solution and you, standing right there, provides that service – they will want to seek you out without you pushing your wares.

I sign a lot more clients after I changed my approach in my discovery sessions from constantly worrying about “what can I say or ask to get them to buy my stuff?” to “what questions can I ask to help this person see a solution to her challenges?” This change in attitude can give the energy behind sales conversations a major overhaul.

QuestionHow can you lead your potential clients into exploring working with you by serving them?

Fears

What kind of selling works? Genuine selling. The kind that you don’t hide behind scripts and templates. The kind that you put yourself forward and connect with your potential clients. But our fears are making us hide… instead of making the connection so critical to getting “yes” from potential clients.

The Fear of Not Being Good Enough can make you feel that you, being yourself, are not enough. It makes you feel there gotta be a script that holds the key to the perfect sales conversation. Maybe you fear that you don’t know enough so you keep babbling on about what you know and where you were trained… completely negating the potential client (who just wants to be heard and be given a damn solution!)

Don’t forget that little voice in your head that keeps saying “who are you to ask for that much money?”

The Fear of Not Being Worthy can cause you to confuse “self-worth” to what people are paying you for – i.e. our services that will give them results. When you don’t feel worthy of being paid, guess what… you don’t get paid!

The Fear of Lack can make you discount or settle for the client purchasing a smaller package even though you know she needs something more extensive because you don’t want to end up with nothing! By settling for less, at least you get the client to pay you something… (note how this makes you come from a place of lack, and not one of service)

The Fear of Being Vulnerable can get you to puff up as a protective mechanism, setting up a wall that prevents you from deeply connecting with your potential clients (people buy high-ticket items with emotions, you need to make that connection). Or, maybe you are afraid of being criticized so you hide from having conversations with potential clients or JV partners. If you hide, they can’t find you!

The Fear of Rejection can make you not ask for more money under the misconception that you will get more “no’s” if your price is higher. If you have this fear, the problem is not the price, the problem is you not having figured out how to communicate the value you deliver.

Question

Can you recognize when you fears kick in during your sales conversations?

Boundary and Codependency

In this article, I explored money boundary and codependency extensively. Here is the highlight:

  • If you are undercharging and not asking for a “premium price,” you may feel that you need to give everyone access to your service and you have the limiting belief or misconception that you can “help more people” by charging less. (You are trying to give everyone your stuff whether they want it or not – and this, is a violation of the other person’s boundary.)
  • If you are over-delivering (e.g. going overtime during your sessions, writing pages after pages of support emails, “throwing in” extras), essentially giving “premium” services without being compensated for it, you may be feeling responsible for your clients’ results even though they need to do the work to succeed. Because you feel responsible, you would bend over backwards – compromising your own boundaries in order to “help” that person with the misconception that somehow, you can do the work for your client (By the way, the client may or may not want to be helped, so in a way, you are violating that her personal choice.)
  • If you have been constantly discounting, you may be buying into the client’s money stories and somehow made felt responsible that your fee will turn into the cause of her distress so you discount to make yourself feel better. (By the way, you have no rights to decided for the other person what she can or cannot afford… it’s her priority and her decisions to make.)
  • If you have been giving away services for free – STOP! This is martyr mentality stemming from a fear of not being worthy (you are trying to prove to yourself that you are) and can turn into victimhood that kicks you off the driver’s seat altogether.

When your boundary is overstepped, it is you who allows that to happen.

QuestionIf it’s your boundary crime to commit, can you recognize your triggers and “rehearse” what you can do or say in those situations?

Self-Worth vs the Value of Your Program

I have a bone with the phrase “charge what you are worth” – I explained it in this post.

If you can separate your self-worth from the value you deliver through your program, then the question “how can my time be worth that much” will not even enter the equation.

Focus on the value your clients get out of your program or service package, not how much time you spend on the phone with them.

If they get a more out of your service than what they pay you, then offering them your package is doing them a service. The key, again, is to communicate effectively so they understand the value of your program, and the impact it has on their lives.

ExerciseWrite down how your work impacts your clients in the areas of health, career, finance, relationship and personal growth. Then put a monetary value (wherever possible) against each item. Now, add it all up and see for yourself how much value you deliver. Can you charge more?

***

Selling, and selling high-ticket items, is not scary. You can sell more with integrity by having the right mindset and perspective, overcoming your fears, strengthening your boundaries, and properly communicating the value of your offer.

About Ling Wong

Ling offers “Business Soulwork + Marketing Activation” to help coaches nail their Messages, claim their Superpowers and muster up the Guts to monetize their Truth so they can build a purposeful and profitable Personality-Driven business that is a full expression of their individuality and creativity.

Through her “left brain meets right brain” approach, Ling helps her clients tap into their intuition and ground those light bulb moments with practical strategies and marketing tactics to build a profitable and sustainable business.

Ready to Nail Your Message, Claim Your Superpowers and Monetize Your Truth for a Personality-Driven business? Get your FREE “Monetize Your Truth Mindset + Marketing Training” here.

Client-Attractive Pathways to Meet Your Coaching Clients Where They Are And Beyond

 in Guest Post  tagged attract client / coaches / coaching business / coaching clients / get clients / marketing / Olivia Lobell / potential coaching clients

In today’s guest post Olivia Lobell, The Enlightened Entrepreneur Authentic Business Success Mentor, focuses upon finding coaching clients.

Client-Attractive Pathways to Meet Your Coaching Clients Where They Are And Beyond

by Olivia Lobell

"Client-Attractive Pathways to Meet Your Coaching Clients Where They Are And Beyond" by Olivia Lobell

Have you ever had the feeling that sometimes we’re so close to our own coaching business that we don’t see the forest through the trees? Or is it that we forget to see the trees, and only see the big forest? Hmm well either way, one thing I do know for sure is that it’s important to take time to get some new ideas and insights on the way you’re meeting new clients. This week’s article is all about client-attractive pathways to meet your coaching clients where they are… and beyond!

First of all, it’s important to consider the different client-attractive pathways you provide for potential clients to get to know you, to connect with you and your services, to begin their working relationship with you.

The reality is some clients meet and are so excited that they want to work with you in every way possible (that would be your raving fans)! Others are a little more cautious and that’s okay too, as long as that person is moving forward in the process of becoming.

If you are like me, you don’t ever want to push or pressure potential clients to work with you. It’s not comfortable, it’s not the way we want it to be, and it’s not attractive either (quite the opposite, it can make you look “sales-y” or desperate). You certainly don’t want to spend time trying to work with people who are not interested, not willing or not committed to moving forward. On the other hand, some clients are not instant, and situations can change unexpectedly at any moment. Someone who is not ready today or tomorrow may be ready next week, next month or a couple of months down the road.

From my own experience, for example, many potential clients meet me the first time when I am speaking at a coaching community, networking meeting, or other live events. These are short low cost or no cost speak-to-shine-your-brilliance-and-sell-your-coaching-services presentations, meaning different “client-attractive pathways” that introduce potential coaching clients to my own coaching business so that they can discover me in various pathways and I can meet them where they are… and beyond.

From there on, some people then attend a workshop or webinar, others decide to do some coaching and mentoring. Other professionals in our industry may decide to invite me to be a speaker at their next event or summit. And there may be a few people who just want to be part of our community, connect on social media sites or be fan on Facebook, so that they can stay in touch, learn more from what I offer and work with me down the line.

As you can see, there are different client-attractive pathways to meet your coaching clients where they are… and beyond. The more client-attractive pathways you provide to people to be able to discover you, the more you create opportunities to meet coaching clients where they are… and beyond.

So how do you do that?

In order to meet your coaching clients where they are… and beyond, it’s a great idea to consider all the ways clients can work with you, all the levels of your coaching business you do, and all the various pathways you provide clients that give you the greatest access to all many coaching clients who value what you offer (and vice versa).

Now I want to give you 3 different places to consider to be able to create more client-attractive pathways that your clients can experience when meeting you for the first time and/or entering into a coaching business relationship with you, and it gives you some great ideas and insights about new simple, yet powerful pathways to meet your coaching clients where they are… and beyond!

3 Places to Meet Your Coaching Clients Where They Are … and Beyond

Your clients are most likely to be in 3 different places on their own journey when discover you and your coaching services. So when you’re looking for ways to meet them where they are at, you need to be thinking about all three. Here they are:

1. Geographically,

2. Financially and

3. Psychologically (in other words, in their mindset).

Let me show you an example to clarify what I mean.

You may offer a local live in-person event, and you know that not everyone is going to be able to show up at that location, that date and that time. Geographically: They may live very far away or have family obligations that prevent them from traveling. Financially: They may not have the financial resources to attend the event. And psychologically (from a mindset perspective), they may not be able to give that gift to themselves quite yet. So to meet those potential coaching clients where they’re at, you could, for instance, record the event both in audio and video, or maybe you want to take advantage of a more advanced technology we have nowadays and open up a livestream, giving people an opportunity to experience your event from the comfort of their home or office, and at a fraction of the cost of the full ticket plus travel expenses.

You see, as you start to think about it, you’ll find that there are many things that you can do to meet your coaching clients where they are… and beyond. Let’s look at each one of them a little deeper:

Meet Your Coaching Clients Geographically Using Technology.

Technology is a great way to bridge the geographic gap. As you may have seen, heard or experienced yourself, you can have coaching clients from different countries all over the world participating in your live events online via livestreams, webinars, teleseminars, video trainings, and so forth, where people can get instant access through the internet or dial in from all over the world. Technology plays a huge part geographically. You also can use audio CDs, DVDs and other virtual resources as client-attractive pathways to teach your “transformation” – the work you are here to teach – without people needing to travel. Isn’t that brilliant?!

Meet Your Coaching Clients Financially Using I.F.Os. (Irresistible Free Offers)

For coaching clients who either don’t have the resources or who are not quite ready to make the financial commitment to themselves so that they always would have the resources, you can offer different irresistible free offers (I.F.O.), no cost or very low cost client-attractive pathways into your teachings and more in-depth coaching packages and programs. These could include your FREE GIFTS such as, articles, special reports, e-books, calls, teleseminars, webinars, videos, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTE: At the same time you do want to meet your coaching clients where they’re at financially by providing an array of options, it’s important to keep giving your ideal clients the opportunity to step up, the opportunity to move to the next level, and the opportunity to take a quantum leap. The transformational truth is there is a tight correlation between the level of investment someone makes and the amount of action they take. And, of course, the amount of action they take correlates to the amount of results they enjoy. I like to call it “Law of Attraction in Action” or the “Law of G.A.D.I.” Ripple Effect (Law of G.A.D.I. – Go And Do It!), which lead us to our next point beautifully.

Meet Your Coaching Clients Psychologically Using I.P.Os. (Irresistible Paid Offers)

Coaching clients (and people in general) are all in different places around giving themselves the gift of transformation, the gift of expansion, the gift of growth. The common challenge is that many of your coaching clients who are weak in that area are the ones who most need to show up and benefit from your coaching packages, programs and services. So, that’s why it’s extremely essential to acknowledge and meet them where they are at, but also give them what they need so that they can overcome their own internal obstacles and come and get the amazing results, outcome and transformation that you provide. Making a very clear, irresistible paid offer (I.P.O.), complete with compelling content, limiters and incentives is the key.

The bottom line is that you want to help, serve and support your coaching clients at the highest level. So, yes, use technology and offer different price points and free gifts, but also inspire and encourage them to stretch beyond their comfortable zone, beyond where they are now, beyond where they think they are capable of so that they can start and continue the process of becoming the person they are meant to become and finally be who they were put here on the planet Earth to be!

Authentic Business Success in Action

Your turnNow it’s your time to thrive. After reading this article, knowing what you know now, write a list of the different client-attractive pathways you can create in your coaching business to meet your coaching clients where they are… and beyond. Choose one that is the easiest, fastest and brings the most impact and income potential to your coaching business to start with. Make a decision, make a commitment and apply the Law of G.A.D.I. – Go And Do It! And more important, take the very next first step today! And that my dear friend will bring you authentic business success as an enlightened entrepreneur when it comes to meeting your coaching clients where they are… and beyond! 🙂 Client Attractive Pathways to Meet Your Coaching Clients Where They Are… and Beyond

QUESTION: What’s stopping you from meeting your coaching clients where they are at? Please share your comments below. We’d love to hear from you. And remember, I’m here when you need me. Let’s thrive together today, tomorrow and beyond, shall we?!

About Olivia Lobell

Olivia Lobell is author of The Enlightened Entrepreneur and founder of AuthenticBizSuccess.com, a company devoted to teaching enlightened entrepreneurs all over the world how to build a thriving business around their blessing, attract more ideal clients and make a lot more profits while being authentic and aligned with their passion and purpose.

Walking her talk, Olivia went from a ‘soul-searching’ journey in her life, not feeling fulfilled and completely lost inside, although successful outside, to a ‘soul-singing’ entrepreneurial journey, opening her own company, writing her first book, creating her own signature system, and becoming who she dreams of being: an enlightened entrepreneur as a coach, author, speaker, trainer, leader, and expert.

Olivia, known by many as The Enlightened Entrepreneur Authentic Business Success Mentor, specializes in helping other coaches, authors, speakers, trainers, leaders, and experts charge what they’re worth and get it so that they can share their message, mission and vision out there in a big way, and finally experience both spiritual fulfillment and financial success in their business and life.

Through her transformational books, coaching and mentoring programs, and live events she shows her students and clients how to make a difference and get well-paid doing what they love. She is the leading voice for the emerging authentic business success as an enlightened entrepreneur movement.

Meet Olivia online and get your FREE Audio CD: The #1 Secret to Authentic Business Success as an Enlightened Entrepreneur, and receive more free training today at AuthenticBizSuccess.com.

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Olivia_Lobell

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3 Ways You May Be Unknowingly Rejecting Coaching Clients

 in Guest Post  tagged become a coach / clients / coach school / coach training / law of attraction / make money / manifestation / marketing / spirituality

In today’s guest post Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez shares on the topic of finding coaching clients or in this case:

3 Ways You May Be Unknowingly Rejecting Coaching Clients

by Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez

"3 Ways You May Be Unknowingly Rejecting Coaching Clients" by Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez

When it comes to coaching clients you are either attracting them or rejecting them. When you are in the right place of attracting clients they come to you, but when you are not in the right place of attracting clients it can seem like an uphill battle, that doesn’t produce consistent results. In other words you are constantly using up a significant amount of energy chasing clients, instead of them chasing you. The thing about having a coaching business is you need clients to succeed. Now if you are in business not to generate income that is okay, but many coaches are in business to generate income, so if that is you then this article can be beneficial.

As a coach, I have faced the struggles of attracting clients. I felt like I was doing everything right, I would spend weeks if not even months on a product launch, only to receive less than exciting results. I would spend hours writing numerous articles, specifically to attract clients, lead free tele-seminars as an attempt to secure new clients, as well as promote new programs and products through social media. But even after doing all of those things, sadly no clients were on a mad hunt for me.

Then one day it all changed. I learned 3 critical client attracting secrets that were hidden. And the things that I learned were causing me to subconsciously repel clients. I want to share these 3 things with you, if you are a coach who is doing everything you know to do, but you still are not attracting the clients you desire and deserve.

1. Not Being In Alignment With Your Assignment:

I had to really get a clear picture of my purpose, and why I was here on earth. Sure, it seemed like I has a passion to help everyone do everything, but that was not my assignment. I had to really seek divine guidance to gain the understanding, and wisdom regarding who I was called to help. Now there are many, many groups of people here on earth. But finding out your assigned group can make all of the difference. When you get in alignment with your assignment, you are powerfully connecting with a group of people, that you have been designed to provide solutions for. This means that they have a persistent problem, and you have the powerful solution. So you are solving a specific problem, for a specific group of people.

From my perspective, when it comes to having your assignment revealed to you, it is extremely important to seek divine guidance, because it might be something that you are missing when you try to figure it out on your own, or when you try to seek the advice of others. Why not go directly to the source that created you for your assignment? When you ask your source for divine guidance and wisdom, it is like having an assignment GPS, that leads you directly to your assignment destination. The last thing you want to do is realize you have spent countless years of your life, out of alignment with your assignment. That is very frustrating… trust me, I know.

2. Not Having The Right CAM (Client Attracting Mindset):

When it comes to attracting clients, how is your mindset? What are your subconscious thoughts? Are you subconsciously repelling clients, because you feel undeserving? Or because you are thinking you are not going to be able to attract the clients, you really want to work with? Or are your prices in some way speaking that you are not confident about your coaching skills, or your ability to produce results?

The way you think is extremely important when it comes to attracting clients. Whatever you think you will produce, this is a spiritual law. So that means that regardless of what you do, if your mindset isn’t on the pathway of receiving, then it is on the pathway of blocking. So you can be blocking the manifestation of your clients, because your thinking isn’t in alignment with what you want to receive.

Your CAM is extremely important to your ability to attract clients. The right mindset will produce the right results. Now this doesn’t mean you think positively about attracting clients once or twice, and you automatically see results. Now, that can possibly happen, but if it doesn’t don’t give up. Keep thinking the right thoughts until you see favorable results.

3. Not Taking Divinely Inspired Action:

Doing what you are being divinely led to do is huge. It is not just about being in alignment with your assignment, and having the right mindset, but it is also about doing something. Listen closely to what you are being led to do to attract clients. Don’t do things out of desperation or simply because you see another coach doing something.

Also, anytime you feel divinely inspired, write that information down. Don’t just let divine inspiration pass you by. You might get the inspiration in a dream, or as you are waking up, or you might get it at another unexpected time. So keep a pen or pencil and a notebook handy, so you can capture all of the divine inspiration you are given. And don’t be scared to think out of the box or to take a leap of faith. When you are being divinely inspired there is just a “knowing” and peace on the inside, that confirms you are moving in the right direction.

About Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez

Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez is the founder of The Character and Self-Esteem (CASE) Institute, where she provides life coach training and certification, to purpose driven individuals, and The Women Coaches Prosperity Institute, where she provides education and inspiration to help women coaches prosper financially, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Shauntel is also  the founder of the Thought Transformation Institute, providing opportunities for certified coaches, to become a Certified Thought Transformation Coach. The education and certification is for coaches who have a passion to inspire and empower clients, to let go of thinking that is holding them back, and embrace the right way of thinking that will fuel their success.

To find out about becoming a Certified Life Coach, please visit http://www.thecaseinstitute.com. To find out about education and inspiration for women coaches, please visit http://www.womencoachesprospering.com.

 

Article Source:  3 Ways You May Be Unknowingly Rejecting Coaching Clients

 

Insecurities of a coach – how to avoid them sabotaging your success 1

 in Guest Post  tagged business / Charlotta Hughes / clients / coaching / insecurities / marketing / networking / sabotage / self-doubt / value

In this weeks guest post Charlotta Hughes shares her experience and knowledge.

"Insecurities of a coach - how to avoid them sabotaging your success" by Charlotta Hughes

Insecurities of a coach – how to avoid them sabotaging your success

By Charlotta Hughes

Being a coach, may that be life, business or corporate coach, is a wonderful profession. As I hope you agree!

It can, however, also be challenging. Business wise and emotionally.

Let’s quickly explore the business challenges faced by coaches today. Contrary to many training providers message to aspiring coaches, the market is very competitive and many coaches struggle to find enough clients to run a sustainable business.

There are a number of reasons for this that I’ve experienced and witnessed; both personally and in my coach mentoring clients. They include that:

  • The market is pretty flooded with coaches. It’s sold as an inspiring and easy way to earn money, on your own terms. Whilst it’s incredibly inspiring when you work with great clients, it’s pretty tough if you can’t get them!
  • Coaching isn’t yet a regulated profession meaning the market gets even more flooded as individuals with no relevant qualifications nor experience are free to call themselves coaches.
  • The lack of regulation also challenges the reputation of coaching, and some are skeptical about its effectiveness due to a bad experience with a cowboy or cowgirl, or simply have heard of bad experiences by others.
  • Great coaches are not always great business people. For some, their emotional sensitivity can act like a saboteur of their business mindedness and focus. Whilst it’s part of what makes them fabulous coaches, it can leave them a little vulnerable to the competitive, hard nosed reality that many experience.

Some or all of the above hurdles, can result in self-doubt. Self-doubt around whether you’ve chosen the right profession, whether that ‘calling’ you enjoyed early on is to be trusted and maybe even whether you’re actually any good as a coach.

Such a spiral of negativity and self-doubt can, if left uninterrupted, result in any manner of self sabotage.

Whilst self sabotage is a concept many coaches have knowledge of and regularly help clients recognize and overcome, ironically, it’s also a concept that many coaches themselves accidentally fail to recognise and address in themselves and in the development and maintenance of their coaching practices.

Here’s a few tips on how to ensure you stay in control and don’t allow yourself to inadvertently sabotage your own success or enjoyment:

1. Accept that you’re selling a service not YOU. When identifying what you offer as yourself, rather than a service, you may feel inflated pride when someone buys your services. This feeling can be very seductive! However, the flip side to this is that you’re also vulnerable to feeling rejected when someone says no thanks. You then find yourself taking an emotional nose dive! Too extreme a high and too severe a low. Reframe your thinking and consider it as you would an offer of a free coffee – if you turn it down, it’s not personal to the coffee shop. You’re just not in the mood, you don’t know how delicious their coffee is or you haven’t got time to stop. The same goes for coaching.

2. Don’t expect yourself to be perfectly happy and confident always. Just because you help others maximize aspects of their lives doesn’t mean YOURS has to always be perfect. After all, we accept there is no such thing as perfect and wouldn’t expect our clients’ lives to be. So why set ourselves up to fail like this?

3. Don’t knock a little bit of self doubt. It’s the thing that might ensure you keep learning and listening. It’s what makes and keeps you great and it could be key to your success. If you had none, ever, always knowing you’re right and excellent, you’d run the risk of becoming pretty unbearable. It also helps you relate to your clients, increasing your level of empathy and ability to coach them effectively. Keep it in check though – it needs to be at a healthy level!

4. Are you uncomfortable networking and marketing your services to your contacts? Do you worry they might not respect coaching? Remember, you’re not contacting them for validation but to let them know what you offer. They don’t need it? That’s fine! Like it’d be fine if they don’t need new paper to a paper salesman. S/he’d rather you bought some but s/he’s not personally affronted that you didn’t.

5. Insecure about justifying the value of coaching to those who are successful without it? There are people who complete a marathon without much training. It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have got a better time, or wouldn’t have enjoyed the run more, with the right training

6. Don’t confuse wisdom with common sense. Often intuitive coaches feel their insights, deductions and conclusions are obvious and therefore undervalue them. In the words of Brian O’driscoll, “knowledge is knowing tomatoes are a fruit. Wisdom is not to put them in a fruit salad.” You have the knowledge and wisdom and you’re a great coach because of the very fact that they feel obvious to you.

If some or all of the above resonate with you, try having them nearby as a reminder to call upon whenever you feel the self doubt creeping in along with the classic avoidance techniques (or self sabotage if you will) such as procrastination, missing deadlines, avoiding the calls to potential clients or spending time on negative self talk. Use them as a way to centre yourself, pull yourself out of autopilot responses and crack on with the next positive thing. Make your coaching practice the wonderful experience it truly is, for your clients and yourself!

About Charlotta Hughes

Charlotta HughesCharlotta has been coaching professionally for over 12 years and in March 2013 she won Life Coach of the Year, awarded by the national body Association of Professional Coaches, Trainers and Consultants.

Her background is within Human Resources and she started her busy coaching practice, be me life coaching, in January 2007.

Charlotta specialises in coach mentoring, confidence, direction and entrepreneur coaching.

Her academic qualifications include professional Life and Corporate Coaching qualifications. She also has a BSc (hons) in Psychology & Computing, an MA in Human Resources Management and she is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Ch*******@**************ng.com

+44 (0)7720 839773

www.facebook.com/bemelifecoaching.com

@charlottahughes

Did “Marketing” Kill Your Fire For Your Business?

 in Guest Post  tagged business / clients / coaching / fire / Ling Wong / marketing / motivation / process / spark

In today’s guest post Ling B Wong shares on the subject of marketing.

"Did "Marketing" Kill Your Fire For Your Business? (Aka, Death By Marketing)" by Ling B Wong

Did “Marketing” Kill Your Fire For Your Business?

 (Aka, Death By Marketing)

by Ling B Wong

Have you had this experience… you started out doing something in your business with passion, with fire. You tried to do it justice by learning all the business and marketing stuff on how to make it work, make it better, make it reach more people, make it make you a living… etc. (Whatever that training program sales page tried to convince you… ) A few months later, you find yourself in a rut, chasing your tail on the hamster wheel but no longer know why the hack you are doing that for.

Most of us get into what we do because of our passion for the “craft” – regardless of what results you deliver, whom you serve, and how you do it. We started a business so we can do what we do best and do it the way we see best without others telling us what to do and how to do it.

We did not start our businesses (along with the stress, the “uncertainty” and the foregoing of health insurance) just so we can market our businesses.

We started our businesses because we are passionate about what we do (e.g. a specific process of coaching, an expertise topic, the tools, and knowledge… the “geek” stuff.) We started our businesses because we want to express ourselves and share our gifts through something that we can (theoretically, at least!) have complete control over so we don’t have to compromise our message, our integrity, our truth.

We want to make our lives about something we stand for… We want our lives to be more than punching the clock.

Yet, after a while, probably a few trainings and programs later, taken with the intention of furthering our business so we can spread our message and help more people, we realize slowly but surely how our expression, interaction and decisions has become more and more driven by what we were “told” to be “marketing best practice” than by our individual vision and expertise (as in, our superpower, secret sauce and unique process that actually help our clients achieve results.)

We made ourselves follow some canned processes that require us to cut off our limbs so we can fit into a “tried-and-true” box. We become stifled by “blueprints”, and if we don’t yield the “results as advertised” we conclude that there is something wrong with us, or we are just not good enough. (So we went onto purchasing more of these trainings, further stifling our originality, draw us down the comparison trap and somehow, make us feel even more inadequate!)

We were told, training after training and program after program to SHUT THE HELL UP about your process and just talk about the “results”, the “benefits.” We were told that nobody cares about our “process”, our “tools” – essentially, our passion for our “crafts” – our superpower, our secret sauce. In fact, this is said over and over again so frequently that it is accepted as “truth” – hey, when was the last time it was being questioned and challenged?

Have we ever thought that being told over and over again to shut up about our process, tools and “how we create results” because “people will just glaze over” is sending our subconscious a message that our passion for our “craft” is not important? That nobody cares? That we should leave it at the door so we can create canned marketing messages that “people will understand” – because you are aiming for the lowest common denominator?

How is this different from being told to leave your dream at the office door and get settled in the cubicle? (At least, you get health insurance, appear to be “gainfully employed” and don’t have to fumble when explaining what you do at the cocktail party!)

What if we can MAKE OUR PROCESS OUR MESSAGE?

Humor me, just ask… What if?

What if we can geek out about what we do, how we do it, AND make it magnetic to our ideal clients? What if, we can have our cake and eat it too?

Here is what I know: It is much easier to find your passion and then wrap some marketing content around it, than to find something hopefully marketable and then make yourself get truly passionate about it. You are not a used car salesman. Picking a “niche” because others tell you that it will work, is not going to work for the long-run.

What if, you can lead with your “craft”, then package and position your passions and superpowers in their fullest glory into marketable and profitable offerings without leaving any part of YOU behind?

What if you don’t have to cut off an arm and a leg so you can stuff yourself into the “marketing box”?

Imagine your passion for your “craft” – the process, the tools, the knowledge – is a beach ball. By nature, a fully-inflated happily-filled beach ball floats. Many marketing trainings tell you to push the beach ball down and keep it underwater because “most stuff sink”! Hmm, let’s make the beach ball “sink” so it can “fit in”. If it’s happily inflated, you will have to keep pushing it and keep pushing it so it stays down. The moment you stop fighting it pops up and you feel you have failed the task. Eventually you get tired of pushing it down 24/7 so you DEFLATE the beach ball by letting your passion go. The sadly deflated beach ball sinks, and fits in.

Have you lost the fire by denying certain aspects of your passion? To get out of the rut, you look for more programs and trainings – getting sucked into quick fixes with big promises. You keep banging your head at it and think that somehow you can find that spark from outside of you. Like, someone is going to hand it to you on a silver platter for $297.

Yet those trainings keep telling you to shut up about your passion for your “craft”… and slowly but surely, you drink the kool-aid and instead of questioning what’s going on and what is true for you, you follow the instruction, do the homework, and water down your voice.

I know an awesome spiritual mentor who was once told to “put her anger and rage away” by a “marketing guru” because “it won’t sell.” She struggled for a long time with some watered-down messages. Luckily, she found another mentor who encouraged her to put it all out there. She launched a program called “Rage To Riches” – yes, she is SELLING the raging and angry part of her – and now she is raking in 5-figures per month.

Instead of stifling our unique blend of process, tools, knowledge and experience, what if we can MAKE OUR PROCESS OUR MESSAGE and use “marketing” to make it work for our business?

Yes, we may still be “opening the door” with some “results and benefits”, but what about the next layer? Are people really going to pay you the big bucks if you sound just like your competition? What makes YOU special? What makes your potential clients choose you instead of someone who makes the same “lose 10 pounds and feel energized” promise?

Everyone is having a variation of the same “elevator speech” – same “talk about the benefits, the frustration and hey don’t forget about the fears!” What makes you different is not replacing a few words and call it a day.

What differentiates YOU is your process, what you actually do to create results for your clients – YOUR way. Your unique process is not some “x-month program” handed to you by your coaching school or other training programs.

You cannot buy some outline and handouts off the shelve and squish yourself into the box because you think you are not good enough or you don’t know enough to create your very own process. (Those materials do have a place in helping you get up and running faster and easier, but the foundation of your business should not be built on mindlessly regurgitating these materials.)

Your process is a gem that is a crystallization of all your passions, knowledge, tools, life experience, value, gifts and superpower. It is YOU as the whole package.

I have read enough sales pages to tell you that I don’t give a hoot about the “benefits” anymore because they say pretty much the same thing… “x clients in 30 days!” “6-figure business in x months!”… I buy because of the person behind the copy. I want to know what she stands for, what tools she has at her disposal, how she approaches the subject matter, how she delivers her materials – because during the process is where results and magic happens. I want to know that this person I am working with is not regurgitating something I have heard before, some cookie-cutter system others are also regurgitating.

When I land on a coaching/training program sales page, sometimes I know within 10 seconds that I have to join that program without finish reading the first paragraph. Why? I can sense the energy of the author and know instantly if it’s something original, something with GUTS, something that is a good fit for me.

Your potential clients can sense your energy, passion and enthusiasm through your communication – even if it’s only written words. If you don’t write about something you are completely passionate about, if you dole out some canned, watered-down stuff, how can you expect your readers to “feel you” – to get inspired enough to work with you?

Broad stroke promises on just the results and benefits do not communicate a truthfulness and establish the trust you need to make meaningful connections.

Here is the irony. I have seen quite a few “certification programs” that train coaches to deliver business and marketing coaching. Guess what they are selling – yes, the PROCESS! They are selling the process (what some later turned into a signature system) that turns around and tell us, hey stop talking about your process! No one cares about the process… but apparently droves of people care enough to shell out thousands of dollars to get certified. Hmmm… let’s just think about that for a moment, OK?

A lot of business coaches also advocate creating a signature system. So it’s about the process, right? In my opinion, signature system is a great marketing communication tool because when done right, it succinctly tells people what you do and how you do it – tying the process to the benefits/desired outcomes. HOW YOU DO IT. Yep – the process.

Don’t get me wrong, I love marketing and I approach it as an art form – a form of self-expression. Not the canned version that plays “Simon Says.” Marketing communication is about understanding who you want to serve, and how you serve them then communicate it so your ideal clients understand the value you deliver (simple, right?)

Who is to say that your process – which is a crystallization of all your passions, knowledge, tools, life experiences, value, gifts and superpower – is not an important part of your message? I would want to know these things before I decide to pay a load of money and hire someone!

If you can’t fully accept all of you and put all your uniqueness out there; if you hide behind canned, watered down “results” that you *think* people want to hear – how can you expect others to fully accept and embrace your genius?

About Ling Wong

Ling Wong, Business Artist and Chief Freedom Fighter at Slideberry, provides Business Soulwork + Marketing Activation for Coaches and Done-For-You Content for Health & Wellness Practitioners.

Ling helps her clients supercharge their actions not only through practical strategies and marketing tools, but also through their growth and development – so they not only grow their business, but also LET THEIR BUSINESS GROW THEM. Through her “left brain meets right brain” approach, she helps her clients uncover their truth and tap into their intuition, then ground those light bulb moments with practical strategies and marketing tactics so they can build a profitable and sustainable business that is a full expression of themselves.

Download Ling’s “4 Keys To Enrolling High-Paying Clients” training here:  http://slideberry.com/more-clients-please-free-training/

 

 

 

 

Article Source: Did “Marketing” Kill Your Fire For Your Business? (Aka, Death By Marketing)