Structure Breeds Freedom and Abundance!

Sounds totally counter-intuitive, right?!  How can structure lead to freedom? Doesn’t it lead to putting us into a box? Or keeping us playing small?  The opposite of structure is freedom.  Without structure shouldn’t we be able to do anything we want, however we want, how often we want?  That is what we so often hear from coaches who are in purgatory; stuck between the worlds of hobbyist vs. business owner.

The way so many coaches define structure is what we call the tug-of-war mentality of the entrepreneur:  “Either I have structure in my business and I am confined to playing small in a box OR I abandon structure and live free; live the life of my dreams doing what I love.”  These are conflicting views, and therefore the problem with this either/or tug-of-war is that neither side wins. It always ends up in a stalemate; each conflicting view pulling in equally opposing directions.

As a coach, it is time to redefine “structure” through the perspective of Both/And.  You leverage the skills, resources, and people that integrate a sense of focused structure that paves the way to your greatest freedom.

It takes quite a bit more brain power, energy and time to reinvent the wheel each time you interact with a prospect, a client or a member of your team.  And that is precisely what you are doing when you buy into the illusion that structure and freedom do not go hand in hand.  When most coaches hear the word “structure”, it’s like fingernails on a chalk board.  The right-side of their brain, the part that is what makes them creative and outstanding coaches, goes off like a red warning light.  They quickly believe that if they apply any structure to their day, their activities and how they work with their clients, they then won’t be able to “be fully present” to support their client in the best way possible or to do what they love.  And they also fear they won’t be able to live the life of their dreams.  We have been so fearful of the extreme end of the spectrum, labeled “corporate structure”, that we have abandoned the power of structure and the elements of structure that lead to our greatest freedom.

The 3 elements to leveraging structure into freedom:

1. Knowing What to do in your business
2. Knowing How to do “it”
3. Doing “it” consistently every time

Element #1 “The What”

This element of structure is all about the actions and activities you experience on a daily basis within your business. The “what” includes things such as:

• Attracting prospects and referral sources
• Collaborating with strategic partners
• Guiding contacts through your sales funnel
• Integrating exquisite client support
• Implementing the best practices when it comes to billing and payment processing

Element #2: The “How To Do It”

This element of structure is all about the specific steps you take when you are involved in the above-listed activities.  In every activity in your business there is a specific sequence of steps that, when done in sequence, will generate the greatest flow and quickest results.  When we reinvent the wheel each time we engage in these activities, we waste brain power, energy and time “figuring it out.”  When we can identify in advance the sequence of specific steps, the “how” becomes effortless and we recoup much of our time and energy to put towards other result-based activity.

Element #3: Consistency

It is not just enough to know the specific sequence of steps to take in each business activity, but rather it’s also about doing the sequence consistently each time.  It is in this consistent application where we truly leverage our time.

Once you’ve identified the steps to take, how to take them and the best sequence to take them in, you begin to realize you are saving time, money and energy to focus on things such as:

• More clients in the same amount of time
• Doing more of what you love (vacations, travel, etc.)
• More time with your family
• Using your entrepreneurial creative juices to develop your next vision

It is through structure that we recoup our time.  It is through structure that we reclaim our power and energy;  not the extreme type of structure often experienced in corporate settings where you are in a box (literally, a “cubicle”) and are limited in what you are able to do.  As the entrepreneur wearing all the hats within your business, it is these elements of structure that allow you to quickly and easily go back and forth between the various hats and leverage your strengths to yield the quickest and greatest results.

Are you ready to stop the tug-of-war stalemate in your business and to integrate the Both/And approach to structure?  If your answer is yes, we invite you to join our Business Success Inner Circle of coaches growing their businesses, and making a big difference (and big money, too)!  We so believe in this business growth program, we are offering the first two months FREE! But don’t take our word for it.  We are biased.  Try it for yourself!

Leave a Comment

Auto Draft

Leave a Comment

Auto Draft

Leave a Comment

Auto Draft

Leave a Comment

Get Your Panties Out of a Wad and Make More Money

Every day, coaches waste time, money and energy trying to master “the perfect” marketing strategies for their business. They know that if they just get it right and integrate the one, perfect, magic marketing strategy into their business, it will be the answer to their prayers – they’ll coach more clients and make more money. And more importantly, they’ll finally be successful at what they set out to do.

Entrepreneurs get so consumed with the various marketing strategies in the world of business that they focus so much time, money and energy learning and perfecting the strategies, and hardly any time integrating the strategies; much less seeing the results.  There are so many choices – speaking venues, webinars, free teleclasses, networking, advertising, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, sample sessions, authoring a book, and on and on and on.  People get caught up in making sure they select the “right one” because if they don’t, they fear their business will surely fail.  Don’t get me wrong. Marketing is essential in business. And the strategies I’ve listed will bring success.  The problem is that too much focus is placed on them while little or no focus is placed on what a coach is naturally good at (and loves to do).  Why make it harder than it has to be?

This leaves coaches with, as Kate and I call it, their panties in a wad and all out of sorts. They are frustrated because they’re making no headway toward getting clients. The “perfect” marketing solution they just knew was going to be “the one” to lead them to their success has not generated the results they hoped for.  And when one strategy doesn’t work, they are off to spend more time and more money locating the next “perfect” strategy to be the answer to their prayers.  This vicious cycle leaves a coach distracted from the goldmine right in the palm of their hands.  But they are so focused on marketing, they aren’t cashing in on the results that could be achieved in their business, simply by being the best at what they do – supporting their clients.

When a coach can place their attention toward integrating Exquisite Client Support, the ripple effect can begin.  You see, you are already magnificent at supporting your clients during the coaching session. It’s true, right? You’re an amazing coach and your clients LOVE how you support them.  The misconception is that this level of support is only done during the actual coaching session.  The truth is that when you can apply this same level of support from the moment they become a potential client, all the way to the end of their coaching agreement, and beyond, you create raving fans, which leads to referrals of new clients.  Your clients actually do your marketing for you!  And when you provide this level of support to your clients, they experience a faster return on their investment and accomplish even more than they originally set out to with you.  This leads to extended client agreements, and a bigger impact on your bottom line.

The key to integrating this type of support is to leverage your time, to automate the interaction and to bring consistency to the way in which you support your clients.  The goal is to spend less time as you provide more in-depth support – and it is possible.

I had someone once tell me that they experienced success in their business not because they mastered the absolute, perfect marketing strategy, but because they simply became the best at what they did.  Their clients loved them; they got the results they originally desired (and beyond) and regularly referred new clients to them, to the point they had to create a waiting list. In fact, one client was willing to wait 6 months to work with her because she was so good.  Imagine having a waiting list of your A+ clients.

When you place your attention externally on trying to figure out the right marketing to apply in your business, the typical result is analysis-paralysis.  So get your panties out of a wad, recognize the goldmine within you and become the best at what you do.  Cash in on the amazing way you are already supporting and being of service to your clients. It’s time to take it beyond the coaching session.  And the result will be an increase in your revenue, extended client agreements, and raving fans willing to wait 6 months to work with you.

Are you ready to cash in on the goldmine in the palm of your hands, to be the best at what you do? If your answer is yes, we invite you to join our Business Success Inner Circle of coaches, growing their businesses, and making a big difference, and money, too!  We so believe in this business growth program, we are offering the first two months FREE! Try it out; you will soon be leveraging your own strategic partners to create more clients and to make the difference you are meant to make.

Leave a Comment

Charging What You Are Worth

Have you ever had the following battle in your head (be careful, this is treacherous territory you are venturing into)?

“I’m fresh out of school and just starting my coaching business so people won’t pay as much for my coaching services as they would a more experienced coach.”

OR

“If I can just get them to understand how coaching works, i can justify my prices so they’ll want to hire me.”

If you have ever had these thoughts (and by the way there are many others) then you are not alone.  Many coaches buy into these two myths when it comes to setting up their coaching model and establishing their prices and, as a result, lose hundreds and even thousands of dollars each month.

This article will bust through these myths and equip you with what is necessary to charge what you are worth and what you deserve.

First – stop selling coaching.  If you attempt to sell coaching as a service you will immediately create the resistance within the prospect of, “Is this worth spending my money on?”, and the only battle in front of you is to overcome ALL of the objections the prospect has as to why they shouldn’t spend their money on your services.  Start selling the end results.  Remember those MasterCard commercials when they portrayed two or three examples of how much something cost, and the final example (which by the way was always the end result) was always “…priceless!”?  When you help the prospect paint the picture of the end result they will accomplish in their life as a result of working with you, your services now become “…priceless!”

Second – stop discounting all that practice coaching you did with your peer coaching buddies while in school.  Did you know on average that when a coach finishes their coach training they will have acquired over 350+ hours of coaching?!  That isn’t anything to dismiss, yet when you have the thought of “I’m a new coach so I should charge less”, you are doing exactly that – discounting the time, energy and investment you made in your coach training.  Start owning all the hard work and investment you’ve put into yourself and account for those hundreds of hours you completed during your training.

Third – implement systems and processes so that you are 100% sure that you can and will deliver on what you’ve promised your prospects.  Many coaches attempt to get their clients without having a solid business foundation in place.  What they don’t realize is that when they run their business this way, the often unconscious energy within themselves is, “Oh crap, now what do I do?!” when it comes to servicing their clients.  Nothing wreaks havoc on a coach charging what they are worth than an underlying worry and doubt about making sure their clients are getting what they deserve.  If you do not have systems in place and you are not 100% confident you can deliver for your clients, you will diminish the fees you charge – because you have to; you’re only providing mediocre services to your clients so they should only pay you mediocre prices for what you do.

So how do you establish your prices?

Here are a few pieces of information that will help you formulate your model and your fees:

1. On average, a successful coach in this industry is charging in the upper $300’s to low $400’s/month for private 2-3 coaching sessions/month.  And $150 – $200/month for group coaching.
2. The average one-on-one coaching agreement duration is for 6 months. The average group coaching duration is 3 months.
3. New coaches should charge no less than $350/month for their services (that is my personal opinion and not backed by any research other than the hundreds of coaches I’ve worked with over the years)
4. Pro-bono and Barter clients should be limited to a set number (1-2 clients/month at most)
5. “Friends & Family” discount should be limited to a set number (1-2 clients/month at most)

A few Key Points to know you’re on the right path to charging what you are worth:

1. When you think you’ve set your fee, double that number (now we are getting somewhere); I’m serious!!!  Most coaches, without realizing it, charge only HALF what their services are worth!  Double the number and stand fiercely for the difference coaching makes in this world!
2. When you think of the dollar amount you’ve set as your monthly fee and you have this slight sensation of vomiting – you’re close.  Then practice saying that fee into the mirror to get used to the number rolling off your tongue.
3. When you hear a prospect say, “That’s all you charge for your services?” – You’ll know you’re on the right path because what you actually charge ($400/month) is considerably less than “…priceless!”
4. When you can proudly (even though it scares the crap out of you) stand for the fees you are charging and think, “Damn, I’m getting paid this much to do what I love”, you’ll also know you’re on the right path!

Be fierce when it comes to setting your business model and prices.  You, better than most, know how powerful the impact of coaching is on someone’s life.  Be fierce and be greedy because the business of coaching is changing lives, one person at a time. Demand nothing less than what you deserve. Demand nothing less than what the client deserves. And you both will walk away knowing the world is a better place because of it.

11 Comments

Auto Draft

Leave a Comment

Auto Draft

Leave a Comment

Exquisite Client Support… Extending the Ripple Effect of Your Coaching

Impact.
We are seeking greater and greater ways everyday to extend the ripple effects of our skills, strengths and services that we provide to our clients.

But, have you ever struggled with how to provide more, give more, and do more without falling prey to exhaustion and overwhelm?

Ever wondered how you can accomplish even more when your time is already exhausted?

Savvy business owners know a little secret.
They’ve integrated what I call Exquisite Client Support to help facilitate the optimal coaching experience.

The impact that we make on this world is directly related to the level of service that we provide to our clients.  With the thousands of coaches that I’ve worked with over the years, I’ve observed that a coach who supports their client only at the time of the actual coaching session is only somewhat successful, and it takes a lot of effort to keep that level of success maintained.  But when a coach can provide exquisite support to their clients before, during, after and in-between the coaching sessions, their level of impact is increased and the ripple effect is expanded.  So how does a coach provide more without working harder and putting in more hours?

Support Before The Coaching Session

A coach can provide support to the client before the coaching session even begins through what is often called a “Call Strategy Form.”  In this form, the client is able to collect their thoughts, challenges, and questions and provide them to the coach prior to the coaching session. This helps the client to cultivate focus and consistency not only within their coaching, but in their life overall; for how we do one thing is how we do everything.  This also helps the coach prepare for the best way to support and guide the client to their desired goal.  When preparation can be done before the coaching session even begins, the time during the actual coaching appointment can be leveraged and a sense of laser-focused coaching is accomplished in a short amount of time.  I have known coaches that utilize this type of form to accomplish more in a 20 minute session than a coach who works with their clients for 60 minute sessions.

While this Call Strategy form aides in the increased level of impact your coaching can have with your clients, automation of this form can ensure that you are not tied to your computer sending emails, reminders and forms to your clients every minute of everyday.  Discover how you can automate the sending of this form prior to the appointments and even integrate it into an automated appointment reminder.  As your client is prompted about the reminder notification, they are also prompted with direct access to this form so they can quickly and easily complete the information prior to their session.

Support During The Coaching Session

During the coaching session, it is often helpful for a coach to take notes. Not write out every word that the client says (although I had been known to do that early in my coaching business), but comments, thoughts, observations, statements by the client that triggered a certain response, etc.  You want to be sure that not only do you have a secure place to capture these notes, but more importantly that you have an organized way of saving these notes for future reference and access.

Did you know that on average, Americans waste 55 minutes each day; 27.5 hours each month; 2 months each year trying to find stuff they know they have, but can’t find?

Many coaches will attempt to be in the moment, be present and not take notes or reference past sessions, while this can be effective, the jotting down of important nuggets can equip you with insight as to the best way to support the client.  It will also shed light on what is NOT being said in the coaching sessions, which can also be a great source of coaching.

Support After The Coaching Session

Our clients hire us because they believe we can help them get to where they want to be.  During the coaching sessions there is great learning that is experienced by the client and it is the art of our coaching skills that provide them with the best support during the actual session.  Another key component to exquisite support, that cultivates what Ken Blanchard calls “raving fans,” is to provide accountability after the coaching session is complete.

It has been our experience when we talk with clients, that when a coach provides support after the coaching session in the form of quick and simple follow up, that the client feels heard, stood for and they have a deeper sense that their coach is really supporting them in accomplishing their goals.  This increases the trust factor between coach and client and therefore results in deeper levels of coaching, additional topics that the client desires coaching around as well as extended coaching agreements with the client.  By creating raving fans through the simple act of follow up after a coaching session, the client is also more likely to refer the coach to their colleagues, friends and family.

The exquisite level of support that is offered after the coaching session can make a huge impact on the success of your business. You can increase your revenue from the same, existing clients by discovering additional topics of coaching.  You can make more money through the added referrals that are generated as a result of the raving fan referrals.  And you can deepen the impact of your coaching by supporting the clients to strengthen their learning.

Support In-Between The Coaching Sessions

While providing support to your clients before, during and after the coaching session cultivates a high-level of client support, what really takes you to the exquisite level of client support is through the offering of support in-between the coaching sessions.  This exquisite level of support also becomes a value-added benefit that you can offer prospects in your marketing. Most coaches only provide support during the actual coaching session. But when you make the offer to your prospects and you tell them that their investment for coaching will get them the coaching package PLUS, support and preparation before each session, PLUS support and interaction in-between each coaching session, now the client feels like they have access to your skills, strengths and wisdom on an on-going basis and make their investment much more lucrative.  It will be easier for your clients to see that you not only provide the service they are purchasing, but they are also getting so much more as well.

The key to providing support in-between each coaching session is to leverage tools and technology so that you can also leverage your time.  For example, at The Coaches Console, we saw the huge benefit for this level of service and integrated a feature we call the “Client Log.”  A client can log in to a private and secure place of the coach’s website and access a place where they can post questions to their coach, journal their Aha’s and “light-bulb” moments that occur after the coaching session is over and even upload documents to share with their coach.  And in this Client Log, the coach can also post replies, comments and share documents/materials with their client as well.

As coaches we know that while there are often huge “light-bulb” moments that occur within the actual coaching session itself, it is when the client takes that learning and integrates it into their life that the biggest shift occurs and the greatest learning happens.  Providing support to your client in-between coaching sessions through a tool such as the Client Log is a way to facilitate that level of learning with your clients.  Through this level of exquisite support you are teaching your clients to fish, rather than giving them a fish.

Remember the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins?  That is exactly what you are doing in your coaching practice when you offer support before, during, after and in-between the coaching session.  You are offering exquisite level of client support and therefore are taking your business from good to great.  So what type of coaching experience do you desire for your clients to have:  Good or Great?  Integrate these levels of support to help facilitate the optimal coaching experience for your clients and you will deepen the impact and extend the ripple effect that your coaching has on this world.

1 Comment

Are you a Hobbyist, or a Business Owner?

Do you even know?

Do you even realize how this one, single insight can impact the level of success you have in your business and with your coaching?

If you don’t know this answer or don’t even realize the importance of this distinction, then you may be hitting upper limits of your level of success and not even realize it. If that is the case then no matter how great your efforts, no matter how impeccable you implement the best strategies you will not be seeing the results you desire.

There are two potential levels at which you can participate in being a business owner as a coach. That of a Hobbyist. That of a Business Owner.

Hobbyists can articulate a general direction for their business. They grasp the idea of business discipline, but tend to think it’s too early to get it fully under control — or feel they don’t have time.  Hobbyists’ planning, goals, priority-setting and sense of business purpose also tend to be less focused, more difficult to understand.

Business Owners, on the other hand, can clearly define how they will make a difference in the world, and who they will serve. They know it takes a thriving, profitable business to create that difference. Far more than Hobbyists, they have practical, well-grounded faith in the discipline and the systems that build greatness in any business. Because they are clear and specific, Business Owners’ strategies, articulation, priorities, choices, goals and even words have more impact.

Are you a Hobbyist, or a Business Owner?

How The Hobbyist Will Experience The Business of Coaching:

1. Business and client support is reactive versus proactive. They figure out the answers as they go.
2. Jack of all, master of none.
3. Provide the support to their clients on a situational basis. Things are unique to each client and situation and often done differently each time. There is customization in how they support and work with their clients because the hobbyist only coaches when they want to coach.
4. Run their business manually with limited technologies and support resources.
   
5. Coach few clients and continue to dream of having a deeper impact on the world.

---

How The Business Owner Will Experience The Business of Coaching.

1. Build a strong foundation up front for their business.
2. Collaborate with great people to leverage their own time.
3. Use the right technologies, tools and resources to simplify and automate tasks that don’t produce new business directly.
4. Use effective internal systems.
5. Use their systems consistently.
6. Coach more clients, make more money, and make a far greater difference in the world.

---

Both types are great coaches. And in our five years since founding The Coaches Console, we have also learned that Hobbyists share the dream, but not the discipline. Business Owners are different; they take disciplined action to make their dreams, and many more clients’ dreams, come true. It’s vital to your success to know which approach you desire and which approach you are taking each moment. Otherwise growing your business will seem like you are pushing a boulder up a hill.

It’s understandable if, as a Business Owner, you feel overwhelmed sometimes. There’s so much to learn, such an array of new skills to master. You’d be less than human to feel otherwise! Hobbyists feel that pressure too. The difference is in how they respond. Hobbyists think they need to learn every single thing, as in everything. They never will, of course, but they beat themselves up for not knowing it all, and even for having just “average” skills.

Really, the Hobbyist’s response to pressure is a kind of perfectionism: Like all forms of that Holy Grail, it’s not reachable. Not on this planet, anyway. Still, on and on the Hobbyists go, endlessly expecting what amounts to a long list of daily miracles, then blaming themselves for endlessly falling short.

Business Owners don’t attempt the impossible. Their outlook is a lot more useful, and healthier, especially on two points:

1. They’ve learned to be comfortable with the stress that accompanies life as an entrepreneur.
2. They focus on their greatest strengths, and find systems, tools and experts (assistants) to help them with the things they don’t do as well. They don’t waste time trying to learn things they’ll never be good at. Instead, they “leverage their community,” surrounding themselves – from the outset — with experts and resources.

Every single part of the Hobbyists’ business carries the same weight. They haven’t identified specific actions that bring new clients, business growth and income. Stress and pressure drive Hobbyists back into their comfort zone, where they keep on spending all their time and energy on the same things – the activities they know how to do and/or love to do. Business Owners, on the other hand, understand that running a business means wearing many hats, and that some actions help build your income a lot more than others. They know how to choose which hat to wear, and when.

Hobbyists know they need to market. They do learn specific strategies and try them out, here and there. But they don’t do it consistently enough, and they don’t create a system to help them market and sell. Business Owners take a different view. They know marketing is the lifeblood of a healthy, vibrant practice. To them, “marketing” is a description, just a header referring to a more specific idea that they find far more important and exciting: Marketing is a conversation. It’s a way of helping others by sharing a great tool with them. And wanting to tell them!

Business Owners think differently, choosing a “One-to-Many” mindset. That means they realize that, to double their practice, serve more clients and charge higher fees, they must leverage their relationships. So they build strong networks and partner with like-minded colleagues.

So are you a hobbyist or a business owner?  The real question is: are you reaching the level of success you desire?  If you are, then exactly where you are – hobbyist or business owner, is perfect. If not, take a closer look at the distinction to identify where you are and where you want to be. Then place your attention on closing that gap. As you do you will begin to have the desired impact you wish to have on this world.

Are you ready to become the Business Owner you know you can be?  If your answer is yes, we invite you to join our Business Success Inner Circle of coaches, growing their businesses, and making a big difference and money too!  We so believe in this business growth program we are offering the first two months FREE! Try it out, you will soon know if you are a Hobbyist or a Budding Business Owner!

Leave a Comment

Next Page »