nlp coach

How to get coaching clients 1

 in Guest Post  tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / Coaching Prosperity / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / connections / contacts / conversations / executive coach / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / selling / Steve Chandler

In today’s guest post successful coach Steve Chandler shares his expertise and thoughts about reaching more people, selling coaching and solving problems.

How to get coaching clients

By Steve Chandler

I run a prosperity school for coaches that teaches them how to get clients which is my passion and mission in life which is why I love this site of Jen Waller’s so much….it is such a SERVICE to coaches.

Most of the coaches I work with make the mistake of thinking in the plural. They always talk about “more clients” and “more contacts” and making more connects, all in the plural. And that demoralizes them. Because the mind can only do one thing at a time. So when you give it more than that…like thinking you need “more clients” it shuts down and becomes depressed.

Rather than reaching “more people,” what about reaching one person?

But really reaching that person in a deep, profound and transformative way…so that her world is altered by talking with you. And then you might move on to another person, and do the same with that second individual.

You will increase your billings when you slow down. Not when you speed up, trying to reach more and more people.…it gets back to who you are BEING with people that grows your practice rapidly…. you coaches all have a great WAY about you, and a totally supportive, problem-solving way of being….. so make sure that individual human beings get to experience you during the day…..it’s not all about contacts and marketing and scamming and spamming and spreading the WORD about you…..it’s about connecting with one real person.

That’s your true strength and source of wealth.

GROW your coaching practice by coaching. Any time you get a speaking gig or a training gig make sure your package contains some coaching in it….integrate coaching everywhere……this coming week INCREASE your conversations for coaching….and if you have an upcoming speech, call them and say, “Did I tell you my talk comes with four coaching sessions? I’m sorry I forget to mention that. To whom shall I deliver the coaching?”

I have a friend who started coaching a year ago…he has created, for himself (because it’s always a creation) very very high professional self esteem. He can’t STOP the inflow of coaching clients, and I mean this literally….he went on a vacation and the person next to him on the plane asked him what he did for a living and he said he worked with people so that the life they were living could be lived more fully with more fun and less fear, more financial security and less frustration and they were talking about his coaching for an hour on the flight…that person begged him to take him on as a client….a casual conversation with another couple at dinner resulted in the same thing and finally his wife asked him to not mention his profession any more until the vacation was over. It isn’t that he brags about himself…it’s the opposite…he is excited about the PROCESS of coaching people.

I know what it’s like to not make money at coaching. I remember telling my wife Kathy a few years ago that I simply could not COULD NOT sell my work, sell my seminars or coaching, and that I was now going to get a job as a copywriter and creative director at a small ad agency. At least we would have a regular living…maybe get 9k a month in salary. Benefits. A job to go to.

Then it hit me. If I had to, absolutely had to, if my life depended on it, I could sell a company a $9,000 seminar. So, as an experiment, I went to work contacting people AS IF I HAD TO DO THIS AND EVERYTHING DEPENDED ON IT. Not like I was playing around with it trying it out. Within three days I had sold a 9k workshop. So I had made a month’s wages right there. Then I played the game of having to sell ten more of those in the next 50 days. And I did it. It was just a game, but I played it as if it were my whole life being at stake. That made it more fun. Then I hired a coach to make sure I’d NEVER EVER let that growth curve that I had begun with selling taper off. And believe me he did not.

So my question to you is What would you do if you had to have enough weekly billings to support your family? If you had to? Please answer that one, not for me but for you. And not from pressure but from fun.

I had a person call me this morning about a program of mine he was considering that cost $10,000 to join and he was scared and skeptical and uneasy about it and I said to him, “How much time do you and I have right now?” and he said he had an hour, and I was in San Diego and needed to begin my seminar there in a little over an hour so I said, “Good! Let’s say you have paid your 10k, you are in my program already, and you and I are working together, we have time traveled into the future, what is the first challenge in your life that you would want you and me to SOLVE together? What would that be? And he told me about a big challenge he had and I asked a lot of questions about it and found out all his thoughts and feelings about it and all his wife’s thoughts and all his thoughts about his wife’s thoughts and we then looked at how his future would always be the same unless he ERASED this pattern in his life that he had set in motion and REPLACED it with a thoroughly re-written future, which he and I proceeded to WRITE for him on the SPOT. The hour ended WAY to soon for him and he said the check was on its way.

So that’s why I always say DEMONSTRATE…do your good work for them…..if you do, they will ask YOU if they can work with you. Coaches are always trying to sell people the concept of coaching instead of just DEMONSTRATING its power.

To whom will you demonstrate today? Honor your computer and the clients it hold for you that you don’t realize are there.

Set an hour or two aside to surf lazily through emails you have received over the past six months. Put some Hawaiian music on. Surf some more. These are clients you are looking at. Send each one of them a simple e-mail that says, “How can I serve or assist you right now? What’ the biggest problem you face?” ((or something like that that you like even better than that.))

You will be surprised at your responses…and when you get a response that is positive (and you’ll get many), answer that one with this: “Call me.”

Then when they call, don’t “sell” them, but solve their problem. Tell them the truth about the source of the problem. After the conversation, they will hire you.

About the Author/Further Resources

Steve Chandler is the author of dozens of books including the current bestseller, Time Warrior.

You can reach him at www.stevechandler.com.

Steve has generously offered to share pdf copy of his book “The Life Coaching Connection: How Coaching Changes Lives”. If you would like a copy drop an email to St***************@*******************co.uk

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

5 Tips when starting a new job 1

 in Guest Post  tagged believe in self / business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching psychology / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / HR / Karen Wise / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / new job / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / pictures / positive feedback / skill / test

In this week’s guest post Karen Wise shares her expertise as an Organisational Development Consultant and Coaching Psychologist about starting a new job.

5 Tips when starting a new job

By Karen Wise

Starting a new job is never easy. There’s lots of “new” things – new colleagues, new environment, new boss, and generally new ways of doing things.

But how often do you think about the fact that You are the “new” person? Whilst you’re on a massive learning curve about your new organisation and role, the people around you are also learning about who you are, how you think, your behaviours and responses to the every-day things that occur in the office.

It’s just as important that they learn the right things about you as you are inducted into the organisation.

Because of the nature of my work I’m always the “new” person – so I have developed a few techniques to help me. Below are a few tips to think about when you next start a new job and how to make the most of it:

1) Pictures of Family & Friends.

Most workplaces allow you to bring in personal items such as photos of your family, your friends. I often bring in a recent picture that my kids have drawn and I find that it’s a great ice-breaker. Asking someone about these pictures is an easy way to start a conversation with new colleagues and a way to get to know them better beyond the job they do.

2) What are you good at?

It may be that you’ve able to manage difficult conversations with irate customers; or you’re able to touch-type at 90+ wpm. Find opportunities within the first few days of starting your new job to demonstrate this skill.

3) Give positive feedback:

In the first few weeks you’ll come across a lot of new and different things. If you see, hear or learn about something that you find interesting – tell them. If you like the way that someone does something – tell them. People like getting feedback when it’s compliment and it also highlights to them about what you like or enjoy too.

4) “The Test”.

It’s very likely that in the first few days or you’ll be given a particularly important job or task to do. View this as “The Test”. Think carefully about what’s required; ask questions if you need to clarify your understanding of what’s required; put extra effort in to ensure that you do this job to the highest standard possible; and make sure you do it within the required timeframe.

5) Lastly, believe in yourself.

Always remember that you were recruited to the post because your boss believed that you could do the job. You will probably have many doubts within the first few days or weeks about whether or not you’re good enough. When you have these thoughts just stop. And remember. You were recruited because you have the potential to do really well in this job. Believe in yourself.

About the Author/Further Resources

Karen Wise, MCIPD is an Organisational Development Consultant and Coaching Psychologist, with over 12 years’ experience of working in Human Resources roles up to and including Director level within the NHS in the UK. Karen now runs her own consultancy and coaching business, with a particular interest in outplacement coaching. She is also currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Coaching Psychology at the University of East London. You can follow Karen on twitter (karenwise) and read her weekly blog on working in HR in the NHS at www.karenwise.wordpress.com

Coaches Need Coaches Too

 in Guest Post  tagged Angus MacLennan / business coach / business coaching / Business Essentials / business plan / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching entrepeneurs / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching the coach / coaching training / executive coach / financials / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / marketing plan / message / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / successful coaching business / time management

In this week’s guest post Angus MacLennan shares his expertise and thoughts about what a coach should have if they want to succeed.

Angus is also offering a special offer to readers of Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog. You’ll find the details at the bottom of this page for you to read after this post.

Coaches Need Coaches Too

By Angus MacLennan

Every coach should have a coach if they want to succeed! I have a coach and I have coached many coaches over the last few years. Coaches who were great at helping their clients get the results they need but not so good at making a living from coaching. The reasons tend to be the same – they need help with what I call the Business Essentials.

Some of the basics that need to be covered in any coaching business are:

  • Clear Message – have a clear and concise message.

Many coaches try to be all things to everyone they meet. You need to have a good answer when someone asks you what you do and you need to get it across quickly. I recommend you have a niche and know how to pitch to them – across social media and face to face. If you can’t explain your offering and how to buy it in four points then you are overly complicating it. Keep it simple and interesting and people will want to know more.

  • Business Plan – without a plan you are guaranteed to struggle.

Keep it simple. A one page plan is a good place to start. Make sure you answer all the questions you need to in that one page and you will know where your business is going and what you need to do to get there.

  • Marketing Plan – you need a marketing plan to succeed.

Coaches who want to be successful need to create a plan and work it consistently. Something simple is what I recommend. If it is longer than one A4 page then you are going into too much detail. It should cover online media, networking, referrals, direct marketing, newsletters and advertising. Focus on where your target market “hangs out”. Remember that action gets results and massive action gets massive results.

  • Financials – always be on top of your incomings and outgoings.

Have a simple schedule to invoice and a procedure to follow up with anyone who pays late. I personally ask all my clients to set up their retainer payments by Standing Order payable at the beginning of the month. Charge fees that reflect the actual cost of doing business. The money you charge for one hour actually pays for the many hours you put into the client including your preparation time and follow up time.

  • Time Management – manage your time or it will manage you.

If you are not getting the results you want then go back to basics. Have a prioritised To Do List, SMART 90 day goals and make sure you manage your interruptions. I recommend the Spinning Plates Process. It’s a great process to get your business and life under your control. Create a weekly schedule that includes all the key results areas in your business and then stick to the plan until you start seeing the results.

Running a successful coaching business is not easy but it can be simple. Focus on the Business Essentials and make sure you have someone to hold you to account and you will get the results you deserve. Get yourself a coach!

For an introductory Coaching Session follow the short link http://bit.ly/bLrhrM

Have a great day.

Angus MacLennan

About the Author/Further Resources

My name is Angus MacLennan and I am a Business Coach who gets results with motivated Entrepreneurs and SME Business Owners by providing practical no-nonsense support.

I enjoy writing articles about Business Growth and Development and I am lucky enough to be published in the UK, USA and Australia and to have my work incorporated into multiple training and support programmes.

My mission is to deliver a quality service to help every client develop their business and enable them to have the work/life balance they want.

Over the past 7 years I have had hundreds of hours experience coaching business owners across three continents.

I am a Master Practitioner of NLP, a Master Results Coach and have a Degree in Industrial/Organisational Psychology and a Post Grad Dip in Personnel Management.

Special Offer

Angus is happily setting aside time for anyone who comes via here for an Introductory Coaching Session. He will also give 3 readers 1/3 off his 3 month program if they sign up before the 8th July.

What to include in your email newsletter 3

 in Guest Post  tagged building a customer base / business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / Djanira Cortesão / email / executive coach / experience / ideal clients / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / marketing / newsletter / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal / personal coach / personal development / topic

In this week’s Friday guest post Djanira Cortesão shares her expertise and gives practical advice to coaches about what to include in your email newsletter.

What to include in your email newsletter

By Djanira Cortesão

I strongly believe a newsletter is one of the best tools coaches can use to build a solid customer base and grow a sense of community around their business.

In my experience working coaches, I’ve seen the positive results that come from sending a quality newsletter filled with useful information and tips.

Once you get the hang of it, sending a newsletter is simple. And the return on investment for the time and effort you put into preparing a newsletter will pay off.

However, many brilliant and talented people just like you have fears and anxieties associated with trying something new. When it comes to marketing, a lot of coaches are apprehensive about what to say. If this is how you feel, you are not alone.

At the most basic level, you might be asking yourself what kind of information to include in your newsletter.

The short truth is your newsletter can be super-simple and straight forward. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. In fact, it’s best if it isn’t fancy or complicated. I suggest writing a simple one-page resource of news, advice and your latest offers each month.

But although it truly is that simple, to get the best results, I recommend that you think strategically about what to include in your newsletter.

Here are some points to think about:

Make it Friendly With a Personal Touch

While you obviously do not want to divulge the sordid details of your personal life (please don’t), share a short personal note that reveals a bit of your personality.

Keep it brief – just long enough for your readers to glimpse a side of you that is not strictly business. Let your subscribers see you are a genuine person they can get to know, like, and trust.

Keep the language fairly casual and personable. Strive to convey that you are a knowledgeable professional who is easily approachable. You want them to approach you, so they can hire you, not revere you from a distance. In other words, avoid sounding stuffy.

Cover Relevant Topics

The information you share should be information your subscribers can actually use. Include a featured article or a list of tips that addresses a common problem for your customer base.

If you write content that gets results for your readers, you will also begin to experience results for your own business.

To determine what is relevant, look around your industry. Look at what other coaches are writing about, participate in social media and message boards, or even survey your clients and subscribers to find out directly what they want you to cover. Your newsletter should speak specifically to their wants and needs.

Make sure the topics are relevant to your business goals as well. If you have an upcoming offering, gear your content toward that offering. Also, list your recent blog posts, articles, or press releases, and announce upcoming appearances and events.

Additional Tips

Simple newsletters often perform very well, but if you have your heart set on a more elaborate publication, there are a number of popular elements you can include.

You may choose to feature a direct offer of one of your services or products, spotlight a client, vendor, or one of your readers, add audio or video clips, recommended products or services that you use, include polls or surveys, or run a contest.

Remember, the idea behind sending a newsletter is to keep people interested in you as a service provider. Your newsletter is a marketing technique that builds your reputation and establishes you within a community of people who can benefit from your services and expertise. Keep this in mind, and the content will practically write itself.

About the Author/Further Resources

DJ8Djanira Cortesão helps extraordinary service providers reach their ideal clients, unlock hidden revenue streams and grow their businesses organically. She offers group marketing workshops and 1-on-1 marketing mentoring, as well as insightful marketing newsletters and articles. Design a life of abundance with Djanira — online at: DjaniraCortesao.com and @djaniracortesao.

 

Games and surprises

 in Guest Post  tagged Andy Lucas / business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / executive coach / fun / games / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / playful / school mini-bus / Spring to Mind / surprises / word game

In today’s guest post Andy Lucas shares his expertise and experience and invites you to have fun…

Games and surprises

By Andy Lucas

Somebody recently asked me if I would describe myself as a “coach”. I told them I’m more like a “school minibus”.

I can remember being at school. In fact in my imagination I can go there right now, sitting in the classroom listening to my favourite teacher – Miss Chevus. She always invented great games for us to play. It was much more fun than doing lessons. Whenever she explained a new game to us we became very playful. And sometimes she made us even more excited by saying she had a surprise for us.

I wonder if you’ve noticed what happens to you when you find out somebody has a surprise for you – a surprise birthday present, a secret guest at a party, a special treat, a holiday to a secret destination. I wonder what you remember about the feelings you have when you get that sense of anticipation.

I think Miss Chevus had quite an influence on me, because now, as a coach, I like to make up games for my clients.

I remember a client called Jane came to see me because she wanted to feel good more often. She told me a bit about her life and the way she had been feeling lately. And she told me she would like to feel happier and see herself being more contented. She wanted to feel that way even when she was trying to work things out in her head and when she was going about certain daily chores.

I asked Jane: “Have you ever noticed there are certain words that always make you feel good? Maybe you can think of such a word right now. I wonder if you hear yourself saying that word more often on a day when things are going well for you. Or have you felt really good just because you’ve seen somebody else using this word in a conversation?”

Jane thought for a moment. Then she looked up and smiled at me. “There are all kinds of words that make me feel good. I can think of some names of places, countries I’ve visited, landscapes I’ve seen where I’ve been transformed into an amazing state of happiness. Wow, I feel good just thinking of them. If you just say the word “sahara” to me I’m there in the plains and I feel so happy and free.”

And as I watched Jane I could see her face change and I could hear her voice sound soft and calm as she told me all about her visit to North Africa.

A Game You Can Play with a Word

Well here’s a game you can play, but only play this game if you want to feel good more often. You might want to follow the procedure very carefully so you complete the whole game and get the really good feelings. Or you might like to explore different ways of playing it to get the best results.The rules of the game are very simple. Just pick one word at the start of the day – the kind of word that always creates extremely good feelings in you. If you want to make sure you have chosen the right kind of word, just say the word to yourself a few times and notice what kind of feelings it creates. This isn’t the same as affirmations, so I don’t want you to pick a phrase or a sentence – just pick one word.

Then, during the course of the day, see how many times you can deliberately introduce the word into conversations with other people or even during the conversations in your head. Try and do a bit of both. Use the chosen word at least ten times in the day to get the best kind of results.

You might enjoy noticing the mental images and pleasant feelings that naturally arise from your chosen word. And I wonder what you notice about how good you feel at the end of the day just by letting the sound of this word do its magic, at a deep and unconscious level..

I was still curious to discover what other words might make Jane feel good. I asked her if there were any words about actions, ways of doing something or just descriptive words that might resonate. Jane laughed immediately and said, “Some of my favourite words are “laughing”, “exhilaration”, “freedom” and “bliss”. I have a friend who really likes the word “guacamole” He has this neat trick of dropping the word randomly into conversations. No matter how I was feeling before, when I hear him say “guacamole” I just find myself smiling and giggling inside. I love it because he can be so silly sometimes”

Miss Chevus regularly shared games and surprises with us. I think she must have enjoyed seeing us all responding to her with great anticipation, eagerly awaiting the surprises. We always knew she had lovingly created these experiences for us. I don’t suppose we even realised how much we were learning at the time. But some time later I was certainly aware that I knew a lot of stuff and that Miss Chevus had taught me some really cool things. She seemed to know how to get us perfectly primed to absorb this stuff at a deep unconscious level. My eager mind was using these things in its own unique and resourceful way.

Then, as time passes, I find I have learnt a lot from these games. And these learnings have just effortlessly integrated into the mind’s pool of knowledge. Perhaps there is some correlation between having fun and learning. Or maybe it’s that anticipation which fosters the ability to understand more.

Somebody recently asked me if I would describe myself as a “coach”. I tend to think of myself more as a school minibus. Climb on board and have some fun!

About the Author/Further Resources

Andy lives and works in Brighton. He is an NLP trainer (Society of NLP), coach, hypnotherapist and meditation instructor with a particular interest in Hawaiian Huna and Yoga Nidra.

Visit www.springtomind.co.uk for more details about Andy’s work.

Click here to read Andy’s previous guest post, “The source of personal power?”

Become A Confident Coach 2

 in Guest Post  tagged business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / confdence / contract / executive coach / experience / Hannah McNamara / Karen Williams / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / Michael Neill / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / Self Discovery Coaching / The Secrets of Successful Coaches / toolkit

In this week’s guest post, Karen Williams shares her thoughts and expertise about becoming a confident coach.

Become A Confident Coach

By Karen Williams

As an experienced coach, mentor and the author of The Secrets of Successful Coaches, I often work with new coaches who struggle to have the confidence to become known and get clients.

They may believe they lack the confidence to coach. They may be scared of their abilities or lack of experience, worried they will get stuck or are not yet ready to tell people what they actually do.

I had a session with a new coach a few weeks ago and one thing she said to me was that she was expecting an inquisition and it didn’t come. We were just having a conversation – although, a constructive one at that. You don’t have to be formulaic, following the GROW model (although the principles are great), you just need to be or do what your client wants at that particular time.

When I interviewed Hannah McNamara for The Secrets of Successful Coaches, she said to me:

“It’s actually got nothing to do with you and your abilities; it’s what that client needs at that given time. Sometimes they need to be coached, sometimes they need to be taught, and sometimes they just need to offload. And they don’t want someone saying, ‘So what are you going to do about it?’ They just want to hear ‘Oh God, that sounds awful.’”

I love this philosophy. It is not about enforcing our thoughts or ideals onto our clients but being there for them. But on the other hand, I also advocate that sometimes we need to be tough too. If a client wants to achieve an objective but is putting up barriers in the way or is not doing what they say they will do, we have the right to challenge them supportively, to help them to achieve it or to check that this really is their goal.

When I talked to Michael Neill about running a coaching business, this was his advice:

“Be an amazing coach. It starts with your ability to make a difference. If you can’t do that very well, work on your coaching, not on your business. One problem is that a lot of coaches don’t get that coaching is a business, but there are also a number of coaches who don’t seem to get that effective coaching is at the heart of the business. They put all their energy into marketing and getting a website, building their newsletter, raising their profile, but they are not very good coaches yet. First, learn how to change lives – then you can figure out the marketing.”

Very pertinent, I’m sure you will agree. Many coaches, when they qualify, will concentrate on the business skills; but they need to become great coaches too.

So if you want to become a confident coach, here are my six top tips:

1. Learn how to be a great coach

This is more than getting a coaching qualification. Get practice in asking questions, listening to others and building rapport. This can be in a coaching situation with a client, or it can be just in day to day conversations with other people.

2. Get experience

When I qualified, I didn’t have a clue how to market myself as a business. So to become a great coach, I asked in a forum whether anyone wanted pro bono coaching and got 2 clients this way. This gave me the opportunity to further my experience and as one of these became a paying client, this kick-started my business too.

3. Develop your toolkit

You don’t have to attend all the different types of training available, but having a toolkit of resources will help you and your clients greatly. This starts from you and your own skills, and you can build on these with the knowledge you have, the information you can share and the resources you have at your finger tips.

4. Don’t be afraid to get it wrong

Sometimes you just need to put yourself out there and go for it. And don’t worry if you think that you will get something wrong. To be honest, your client won’t know what you were going to say and if you mess up, they probably won’t notice. And if they do, what is the worst that can happen? Learn from it, get it out of your system, and then move on.

5. Contract with your clients

One piece of advice that I give my mentoring clients is the importance of contracting with your client in the first place. Get their permission and find out how they want you to bring them back on track, whether they want you to make suggestions and explore your mutual expectations too.

6. Just do it!

Whether you want to visualise a great coaching session, use affirmations, act ‘as-if’ you are a confident coach, or just get on with it, this is the next step.

Here’s to being a confident coach!

About the Author/Further Resources

Karen Williams is a qualified coach and NLP Master Practitioner. She has been running Self Discovery Coaching since 2006, specialising in helping career changers and those facing redundancy to find a job they will love. She also works with new coaches to enable them to create a successful business and turn their passion into profit.

She is the author of The Secrets of Successful Coaches, which is based on spending time with 11 inspirational performance coaches and sharing their strategies for success. Her book was published by Matador this spring and is available on Amazon or via her website www.thesecretsofsuccessfulcoaches.com.

Karen has also created a great toolkit for coaches with the Self Discovery Success Club to enable them to have the best techniques for both themselves and their clients. You can get a month’s free membership when you buy a copy of her book.

I “Sell” Coaching! 1

 in Guest Post  tagged belief / Billy Moyer / business coach / business coaching / charging / client / clients / coach / coaches / coaching / coaching courses / coaching qualifications / coaching skills / coaching techniques / coaching training / decision makers / executive coach / leadership coaching / life coach / life coaches / life coaching / needs urgent / nlp coach / performance coaching / personal coach / personal development / products services / selling / SOS Coaching Network

In this week’s guest post Billy Moyer shares his thoughts and experience about what he thinks is the most important thing that we do as coaches …

I “Sell” Coaching!

By Billy Moyer

One of the biggest misconceptions in the coaching industry is that we are coaches first. We are sales people first and that is the most important thing we do. That is not to take away from the power of our coaching, but it is impossible to coach someone if you do not first sell them on working with you.

I work with a lot of coaches as part of my company, the SOS Coaching Network. I ask coaches what their biggest challenges are and I always get the same answers: Business development and sales.

Why are business development and sales the biggest challenge? Most coaches focus too much on everything else. They want to create their own content, when they could easily use someone else’s.

The SOS Coaching Network offers great content that is customized for the coach to make it look like it is theirs. We do this to get the coach to focus not on creating content, but on selling that content! Coaches are the masters at “I will make those calls later”, “I have to finish writing this article” or “I have to go speak to a group of non-prospects.”

The key to success in coaching is the same as every other industry, SELLING!

We just hired a new associate and eventually he will do coaching himself. But he has no background in it. He was simply a client who really took a liking to the business and decided he wanted to be a part of it. His background is in sales. He is the perfect person to bring on. His focus for his first six months will be to sell our services. He will not do any coaching. After six months of selling this business he will be more ready to build a successful coaching business than 90 percent of people who come into the business.

Here are some reasons people fail at sales:

  • Inadequate Preparation
  • Working with the wrong decision makers
  • Talking products and services too early
  • Failure to make needs urgent
  • Failure to uncover and influence decision criteria
  • Key concerns not addressed
  • Lack of belief

Lack of belief is really an important one to focus on. I can always tell when a “coach” does not believe in coaching. How do I know? They do no invest in coaching themselves. How can you sell someone else on coaching when you do not believe enough in it to have a coach?

The keys to success in selling coaching are simply belief and accountability. You can get both of those by investing in your own coach. If you want to grow your coaching business then commit to it. Get out there and find prospects. Get on the phone. Make sales! Hire a coach to hold you to these things. If you do all of this, you will be successful in this business.

Remember you are not a coach. You “sell” coaching!

About the Author/Further Resources

Billy Moyer is the co-founder and president of the SOS Coaching Network, which unites an elite group of coaches, trainers, and consultants from around the world, providing them with personalized programs, one-on-one and group coaching, and tools to help them succeed in the rapidly growing coaching industry. He is a Coach to Coaches. Learn more at www.soscoachingnetwork.com.