Become A Certified Coach » Coaching Business

Why Would a Therapist Want to Become a Life Coach?

Barbra — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:12:56 +0000

Melissa Quiter, MA

Guest article by Melissa Quiter, MA

Why would a therapist want to be a life coach, and vice versa? Here’s my personal story.

I started out as a coach and then decided to become a psychotherapist. I remember often wondering why so many coaches were ex-counselors? I learned quickly it is because the counseling world is FULL to the brim of regulations and red tape. There are so many levels of tape to ensure that counselors are up to par that they end up losing many counselors. When coaching started to become more widely known and accepted, I believe that many counselors found a way out of the tape!

What I discovered is that psychotherapy is like marketing. Under the umbrella of marketing are advertising, PR, sales, etc. Under the psychotherapy umbrella there is coaching, mentoring, teaching, etc.

What I learned in coaching, and specifically the program I went through with Marion Franklin, is that coaching is very closely aligned with one theory that I learned in my counseling program called Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). The premise of SFT is to focus on goals and make plans for their achievement. There is a psychological bent if you are working on that type of goal, but there doesn’t really have to be, which is why I believe it is what coaching uses (not to imply that there are not many methods for coaching as well).

When I was a coach, there were many coaches offering services that I now realize are truly counseling. I know there is a fuzzy line and we all may have different definitions of what is appropriate to work on with a coach and what isn’t.

I know that as a coach it seemed almost impossible for me not to go deeper into the psyche, which is why counseling was so much more appealing. Of course, I know that I am more energized by the deeper layers while simultaneously being able to offer ongoing goal acquisition.

All of that said, I believe my coaching ability mixed with my psychotherapy training is why I have had a full schedule since almost my first month of practice. I called my practice Melissa Counseling & Coaching. I wanted to take advantage of both of my skill sets and offer layered assistance.

When I was in school, I was often criticized by professors for my “coaching” approach. I used it when I felt it was appropriate (based on my exposure to both skill sets). I often heard that I was being too “coachy.” (I don’t really think these professors even know what coaching is fully!)

What was very validating for me was that the clients I was working with or practicing with always reported that my approach was helpful, direct, and much more to their liking than past experiences with counselors. I have had the same comments in my own practice. I believe that is what sets me apart from other counselors. My ability to coach and counsel and to know when it is appropriate to use which skill set. (If you can offer that distinction, Marion, you will be doing a great service to your counselor students!)

I believe this is a good trend for counseling as it widens the breadth of services that we offer. I do wonder, though, if it doesn’t make coaching businesses that don’t/cannot offer the deeper work limited (not including business-focused coaching as I believe this has a huge leg-up on any psychotherapy offerings)? I would be interested to know how this trend will help the coaching world?

About the author: Melissa Counseling & Coaching offers services in the Austin/Round Rock area of Central Texas. Individuals and couples seeking new perspectives, skills and strategies for engaging life’s adventures are invited to call. For detailed information, contact Melissa Landi-Quiter, MA, LPC, NLP at 512-381-0833 or via email: Melissa@MelissaQuiter.com

8 Questions Potential Coaching Clients Ask (And What to Say in Response)

Barbra — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:29:17 +0000

One of the things that prevents coaches from actively marketing their coaching services is simply not knowing what to say. The solution is to anticipate and prepare responses to the most common questions a potential client might ask. This is just the same as preparing for a job interview – you give some thought to the typical questions and practice what you are going to say. Of course, you can’t anticipate all the questions and you certainly don’t want to come across like a robot, but it does help to be prepared.

Here are the most common questions I get asked about my coaching services, along with some suggestions on how to answer.

1. What do you do?

The key here is to keep it short and give concrete examples of what you help people with. Make your examples very specific and tailored to what regular people can relate to. Avoid coaching-type language such as “personal development, authentic life, and transformative experience” which leaves most potential clients totally confused.

“I’m a ______ Coach. I help people with things like ______, ______, and ______. :

2. How does that work?

Don’t go into a long explanation of the coaching process. A couple of short sentences will suffice.

“I meet with my clients once a week. We develop goals and a plan to meet those goals. And then I help them stay on track.”

3. What’s your background?

Again, keep it short and sweet. People don’t want your entire career history. They ask this question for one of two reasons: 1) they’re curious about coaching and wonder what it takes to become a coach, or 2) they’re intrigued by the idea of coaching with you and want to know a bit more about you.

“I’m an experienced coach, and I specialize in ______. I’ve been doing this type of work for ___ years.”

If you are a new coach, you can still answer this question with confidence.

4. Can you help with _________?

Answer honestly. If it’s clearly outside your area of expertise, say: “I don’t help people with _______, but if you’re interested I can probably recommend someone who does.”

If you’re not sure, or you think the presenting issue is not the real issue, say something like: “Tell me more about what’s going on with _______ for you.”

If you know you can help, say: “Sure, that’s exactly the type of thing I help with. Tell me more about what you want to achieve.”

5. What’s your process?

This question is similar to #2 “How does it work?” but needs a more detailed answer. The person is expressing some real interest in coaching with you, as opposed to just curiousity about coaching in general.

It’s very important to have a process. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but you do need to be able to describe a method or roadmap that you follow.

“Well, I have a ___ step process. It starts with an assessment to find out exactly where you’re at. Next there is the _______stage, where we ______. This is followed with ______, then ________ and finally _________. By the end of the process, you will have achieved _______.”

6. What theory underlies your approach?

In the ten years that I’ve been coaching, I’ve only been asked this question once. My mind went blank and I was completely tongue-tied. You may never be asked this question, but just in case it comes up I want you to be able to avoid the embarassment that I went through!

“The main theory I draw from is _________. Have you heard of that? No? Well, it’s a solid approach for _______. The main idea behind it is _________.”

7. How much does it cost?

“When I do groups, it costs $___ for a 6 week group. When I coach people individually my fee is $___ per month.”

8. If I was to sign up, what happens next?

“I have a group starting on _______ and we meet at 12.30pm for an hour each week for six weeks in _______ (name of city). Would you like to register now?”

“For individual coaching, we can get started this week if you like. We’d set a time to talk on the phone, and I’ll ask you about what you want to achieve. Then I’ll explain the program to you, and we can make a plan for exactly how to achieve your goals. Would you like to set up an appointment now?”

Notice that I asked for the business: “Would you like to _____ now?” This is very important!

Practice, practice, practice

You need to know exactly what you are offering and be able to speak confidently about it.

Prepare answers to these questions and practice answering them until you feel confident with your replies.

Ask several different friends or family members to ask you the questions (mix up the order and wording of the questions to make it more realistic) and practice, practice, practice! Be careful not to rush through your answer.

Answer with a smile

Keep in mind that when people ask you these type of questions, they aren’t trying to test your knowledge or trip you up. They are simply curious. They want to learn more so they can decide whether hiring you would be of benefit to them. So keep your answers short and simple, and reply with a smile.

Share your answers with us!

I hope you enjoyed reading the article and using the templates to create your
own answers. If you’ve got questions or would like some feedback on your answers, just post your answers in the comments section below.

Why I Quit Facebook (And What It Did to My Income)

Barbra — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:28:00 +0000

I quit Facebook two months ago.

Since then, my business revenue has increased significantly. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

I know you’re wondering: But don’t you miss out on important information?

Frankly, there are lots of other ways for people to contact me if they really want to tell or ask me something. Most of what gets shared on Facebook is fun (in the case of personal friends) or promotional (in the case of business associates). It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the information, it’s just that there’s so darn much of it!

My mind was just getting TOO FULL.

And a full mind can’t think creatively about business.

What quitting Facebook did for me

By shutting off the fire hose of unnecessary information that Facebook had become for me, my mind became free to work on the important stuff.

The other thing that quitting Facebook did for me is remove an entire level of “keeping up with changes”. Let me explain: according to online marketing experts, it’s now important to have your business on Facebook. Oh yeah, and on Twitter. And LinkedIn. And GooglePlaces. And YellowPagesOnline. And. And. And.

The problem with having your business active on all these social networking sites is that not only does it take time to set up your page or listing, but you need to maintain it with current and useful content. You need to get people to “like” it, or leave a review, or comment. Then you have to respond to said comment or review. AND THEN the platform changes its rules or operation, and you need to redo all that stuff. It’s a full-time job just keeping up with it all!

So I decided I simply wouldn’t.

Did I give up?

No, what I did was set priorities. I realized that I can’t do it all. By quitting Facebook I will miss out on some business opportunities, but I will free up room in my head to do focus on my priorities:

1) give great service to my existing clients
2) complete unfinished products (so that I can start selling them)
3) meditate and exercise daily (to increase productivity and creativity)

So how’s it working?

In one of my business ventures (my fill-in-the-blank bio templates), my revenue has increased more than 50% in the past two months.

What happened was this: because my mind was less cluttered, I started thinking creatively about how to sell more bio templates. I decided to try lowering the price. As soon as I did that, my sales doubled. The net result is that my monthly income increased by about 50%.

This would not have happened if I hadn’t uncluttered my mind. Even if I had the bright idea to try a lower price, I wouldn’t have had time to implement it because I’d have been too busy trying to keep up with my social networking sites.

I don’t hate Facebook

Let me be clear about one thing: I don’t hate Facebook. In fact, I think it’s a great service and someday I may reactivate my account. Facebook wasn’t the problem: it’s what using Facebook (and other sites like it) was doing to my mind. MAKING IT TOO FULL.

Yes, I will miss out on some business opportunities by not taking advantage of Facebook business pages and all the other “must do” social networking things.

But my 50% increase in revenue has convinced me that my business runs better when I stay simple and focused. That’s the only way that I can have the calm, clear, creative mind that I need to prosper in my business.

What about you? Does quitting _______ (fill in the blank with your favorite or most time-consuming social networking site) appeal to you? Why or why not?

Shelving “ReadyToGo Coaching Business” Program

Barbra — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:47:11 +0000

As Kenny Rogers sang, “you gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em”. It’s clear that with regards to the “ReadyToGo Coaching Business” program, it’s time to fold ‘em.

Last week I wrote this post asking for feedback on my proposed program to give coaches a brand new website along with the business marketing support they need to succeed.

I asked for feedback because I found myself dragging my feet on doing the final few details needed to get the program out there. That’s not like me. Quite the contrary: when I’m excited about a new venture I work like a happy maniac getting it done.

My intuition was telling me that maybe there really isn’t a need or demand for this program.

Hmmm…what to do? That’s simple: Ask my customers.

There’s nothing more valuable than feedback

I sent out the program outline and asked people to let me know if it is something they would sign up for now. I decided ahead of time that 10 enthusiastic “yes” responses plus a minimum of 20 “maybe” were necessary to go forward.

I got lots of feedback but not nearly enough “yes” and “maybe” responses. Many people said things like (italics added):

Very cool! Although it’s not for me since I already have my website in place, I am sure there will be a lot of interest in this! Nice to see it in one place. I have taken many separate workshops over the years to glean this wisdom.

In fact, I was pleased to discover how many coaches on my mailing list have their website and other marketing pieces completed (see some nice examples here and here).

The bottom line

It’s time to fold ‘em. There is not enough demand for the ReadyToGo Coaching Business program. My thanks to Kenny Rogers and all the folks who provided feedback, as it saved me a lot of work!

Will Coaching Go the Way of Windsurfing?

Barbra — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:18:12 +0000

This morning I was talking with another experienced coach trainer about the state of the coaching industry. She commented that after 10 years providing coach training, she’s concluded that 90 – 99% of people who want to be coaches aren’t really serious, and that’s the real reason they are struggling.

I’m afraid I have to agree. It’s astounding to me how many people expect to enter a highly paid profession without investing in appropriate training and business development.

“I want to be a coach but…”

Several times a week I get an email that is a variation on this:

I want to be a coach but I don’t have any money. What should I do?

On my grumpy days I’m tempted to reply:

So you want to enter a profession that pays on average $100 an hour. That’s two or three times what a school teacher or nurse earns. And yet you think you can do this without investing in training?

But I don’t do that, of course. The questions are posed sincerely, so I answer sincerely. I usually refer the questioner to my Beginner’s Guide to Become a Life Coach, Julia Stewart’s guest post on Top 10 Reasons to Become a Certified Coach, and suggest some free resources such as the SCM free coach training.

Reap what you sow

And you know what? You can’t really blame people who want the short-cut to a coaching practice. The coaching industry itself has perpetuated the “teach from the beach” and “everyone’s a coach” message right from the start. It’s a shame, because it shortchanges both coaches and clients: coaches because it sets up unrealistic expectations; and clients because they get mediocre coaching and then conclude “coaching doesn’t work”.

So where is the coaching profession heading?

Here’s an analogy that comes to mind for me. My husband is a serious windsurfer. About 20 years ago everyone was getting into windsurfing, only to find out that it’s actually a really technical sport that requires a great deal of dedication to get good at. The majority of people dropped out and now there are much fewer people doing it, but the ones who remain are really serious about investing the time and money into doing it well.

I wonder if the same thing will happen with coaching. It will be interesting to see.

7 Modules: Proposed Ready-to-go Coaching Business Program

Barbra — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 03:44:55 +0000

I’m very excited about the potential for a dynamite program that will not only give coaches a brand new website, but also the business marketing support that will help them succeed.

I’m collaborating with an excellent marketing coach, and I’ve got the program outlined.

I only have one problem: I don’t have a clear idea about whether or not people really want this program.

I’ve had a lot of people writing and asking – “when is it going to be ready?”

But I know from past experience that there’s a difference between people expressing interest in something and actually signing up for it.

And I’m at the stage of my life and career where I really don’t want to do the work of creating something that doesn’t sell :)

So, could you help me out? Just reply to this email with a “YES” if you know you would purchase this program. I’ve got the outline (subject to change) and price details all written out below.

READY-TO-GO COACHING BUSINESS

All training is by video and PDF, except for the marketing parts which would be by teleconference.

Module 1: Introduction

Orientation
Marketing a coaching business (includes one year of marketing support throughout the program.)

Module 2: Professional Identify

Professional quality photo
business phone and address
your title (what will you call yourself?)
biz cards
logo and header design (optional)

Module 3: Website and Autoresponder

decide on URL
purchase hosting
fill out templates for website content
send completed templates to Barbra’s VA
review completed website and autoresponder with VA

Module 4: WordPress Website Training

accessing your site
dashboard
change header
add new pages
edit content
add images

Module 5: WordPress Blogging Training

how to use your blog
templates for writing blog posts
where to get ideas
how to get search engines to notice you

Module 6: Autoresponder Training

As part of your website set-up, you will be provided with an
autoresponder account and free report that you can give away on your website to start building a mailing list. This module will teach you how to manage your mailing list and send out broadcasts.

Module 7: Coaching Program

You will receive a facilitator’s manual and training on how to deliver a six-week coaching program in the Life, Business or Career coaching
areas.

In summary, you get a professional coaching website, blog, autoresponder, free report, website content, professional bio, and coaching program provided. You also get training on how to use all your new tools, and support from a marketing coach.

Additional costs on top of program cost:
$100 for web hosting
$20 biz cards

Program cost:

INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $997 (or 4 payments of $297)
Eventual price will be $1897

Is this for you? If so, please comment below and say “yes, I’m in for
sure” or “maybe”.

Thanks for your help!

Pilot Program Assessment: “Readymade” Not Possible, But “Ready To Go” Certainly Is

Barbra — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:41:04 +0000

Our three month pilot program wound up at the end of October. After reading the feedback from the seven participants and analysing the pre- and post-program survey data, here are my conclusions.

“Readymade” is not possible, but “Ready To Go” certainly is

I had my VA do all the technical work of getting the websites and autoresponders (the free report that website visitors can subscribe to) set up. This worked out very well.

I also provided a free report for the coaches to give away on their website (this helps them start building an email list). And I provided a facilitators manual for a six week coaching program that they could use as a service offering.

The template system works

Providing the business infrastructure parts of business cards, website, autoresponder, blog, and a coaching program to deliver greatly increases coach confidence and puts them ahead months if not years in their business development. Doing this in a templated format (allowing each coach to customize their materials if they wish) creates ease and reduces cost.

See some examples of the websites here:

Edna’s website (Edna use the template wording provided, and wrote some blog posts)

Kelly’s website (Kelly changed some of her wording and added more pages)

Support is critical

People are always going to have questions. A lot of those questions can be answered in print or by training videos, but it’s also necessary to have a way for folks to get help on something they are stuck on.

Each coach is unique

Starting a coaching business requires each coach to assess her own skills, background, motivation, time available, strengths, and preferences and determine how to make that into a business. No small feat, and clearly not something that happens quickly or easily.

Three months is not long enough

Three months is not long enough to get coaches to the point where they are earning money from their coaching business.

All the pilot program coaches recommended that the program be longer, and I agree. Although in the past I have said that I don’t want to provide a longer program, I now realize that I may need to relent on that point. I have been thinking about all sorts of different configurations, ranging from 6 months to 12 month program, from complete self-study (lowest cost) to comprehensive small group mentoring (highest cost).

But the bottom line

When I really search my heart, the question I am left with is “why?” Even if I decided to offer a longer, more comprehensive program, why duplicate what’s already offered by many other excellent providers?

Build on the successful parts

The most successful part of the pilot program was the provision of the website, blog, autoresponder, website content, professional bio, and coaching program. I’m happy that that part worked out so well, and am giving some thought into how the provision of those pieces might be provided to more coaches. If I do provide those pieces, I also want to be able to provide or at least refer coaches to an expert who can help them with the business marketing side.

And the exciting news is…

I’m talking with a fantastic business coach about a collaboration: I’ll provide the technical parts, and she’ll provide the business training and support. I’m very excited about the potential for a dynamite program that will not only give coaches a brand new website, but also the business marketing support that will help them get to their destination with a flourish! Stay tuned for more details in the New Year.

Networking Tip: Volunteer for a Cause

Barbra — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:54:01 +0000

Here’s a great networking tip shared by pilot program coach Edna.

Hi Barbra and fellow coaches,

As I was tentatively handing out my hot off the press Coach Edna business cards, I received an invitation to help out with this Vancouver benefit.

Once I’d agreed to help, I was invited to submit a short bio, which I quickly wrote up.

Now I’m featured on the volunteers page as a Life Coach and money magnet. Take a look!

http://www.aid4indiapakistan.ca/volunteers.htm

There was some controversy about whether I should include the sentence about my husband and two dogs at the end. What do you think?

Talk about networking success, not to mention backlinks to her website! I’m thrilled for Edna.

I like the hubby and dog mention, particularly because Edna’s dogs are in the photo with her. I’ve added this as #12 on our list of promotion ideas – volunteer for a cause, and get your bio and website listed on their website.

Checklist for Website Information

Barbra — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 06:36:15 +0000

Whether setting up your website yourself, or getting someone else to do it for you, it’s a good idea to have a master checklist where you summarize all the necessary information. Below is a checklist for you to use (it’s based on the one each pilot program coach filled out so that my VA could set up their web site and blog).

A. MAIN INFORMATION

1.Your name:

2.Your email address:

3.Your website domain:

B. HOSTING INFORMATION

1. Name of hosting company:

2. Hosting company username:

3. Hosting company password:

4. If your domain is not registered at your hosting company (e.g domain from GoDaddy and hosting from Bluehost), then specify domain compnay, username and password.

5. What email address would you like to set up to go along with your domain name (e.g. name@yourwebsite.com)?

6. What email address do you want name@yourwebsite.com redirected to (optional)?

C. WEBSITE INFORMATION

1. What name do you want at the top of your website (check one)?

___ domain name

___ your business name(please specify)

___ your first and last name

___ other (please specify):

2. Do you want a tagline at the top of your website? If so, please specify.

3. Do you have a logo or other graphic image you would like used on your site? If so, please attach file.

4. What static pages do you want in your navigation menu? Check all that apply (we recommend a maximum of six for best results) and attach a separate document indicating the wording you want on each page.

___HOME

___ABOUT

___SERVICES

___RESOURCES

___FAQ

___SHOP

___WORKSHOPS

___BLOG

___CONTACT

___other (please specify)

5. What images do you want to use? Please describe the image and indicate on which page you would like it placed. A good source for free images is Microsoft ClipArt. Another good place to purchase photos inexpensively is istockphoto.com

Top 4 Spots in Google: More Excitement for Jacqui

Barbra — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:57:03 +0000

Take a look at this screenshot, which shows today’s Google results for the search term “habit change coach uk”:

How did Jacqui achieve this?

I think three things are contributing to Jacqui’s amazing Google rankings:

1) she has the search term “habit change coach” in her url
2) there are fewer coach websites in the UK than in the USA, so competition for search terms is lower
3) she has been blogging regularly, which keeps her website fresh. Google likes that.

Note that the website “Life Coaching with CBT” that used to come in in first place is now #7. Jacqui has displaced that site.

Great news from Jacqui: “I got my first paying client!”

Barbra — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:58:24 +0000

Just received this exciting email from pilot program coach Jacqui:

Hi Everyone,

Just have to share my exciting news – I have my first paying client – one to one sessions starting tomorrow!

Dare I say that this lady saw my poster, recognised my name from 20 years ago and has just phoned me.

Very exciting!

I’m so pleased for Jacqui, as she has been working very hard. Especially nice that the client came from the simple, inexpensive, low-tech technique of putting up posters.

ReadyMade Or ReadyToGo Coaching Business?

Barbra — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:49:49 +0000

Taking a fresh look

The thing that’s starting to dawn on me is that maybe it’s not possible to provide a readymade coaching business. I can provide a readymade coaching website, autoresponder, marketing materials, handouts and teaching materials. But those elements don’t make a business. It takes time and ongoing effort to develop a business, and it can only be done by the business owner.

That’s not to say that my concept of readymade coaching business is completely flawed. I don’t have to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”. There are parts of the pilot program that have been wildly successful. One participant commented that just getting the website done was worth the cost of the course.

I’m now thinking that a better name would be “Ready To Go Coaching Business”. Instead of implying that the coaching business is already made/completed, the new name conveys that the building blocks of the business (website, autoresponder, business cards, marketing plan, handouts and teaching materials) are in place and ready for the coach to “go forward” with building their coaching business. What do you think?

Roz’s Coaching Business Card

Barbra — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:22:13 +0000

Here’s a great example of how you can design your own business card online. Roz Neilson used a business card template from Vistaprint to make her own business cards. Her card features a full-color photo along with her business contact information. She also choose to have a useful calendar printed on the back of the business card – a little trick that encourages people to hang on to your card. I think Roz’s business cards look wonderful, and I bet her potential clients will agree.

Fantastic Results for First Workshop

Barbra — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 21:36:57 +0000

One of the pilot program coaches reports:

I did my first free call yesterday and was pleasantly surprised 8 or 10 people called in. No clients, but it was fun, informative and inspiring.

This is fantastic results for a first workshop. Not only did the coach get a great turn-out, she enjoyed herself. What she needs to do now is continue developing a relationship with those eight or ten participants. That way, they will keep her “front of mind” for their own coaching needs and also for referrals. I asked her if she got the email addresses of her participants (very important for follow-up) and this is her response:

Yes! I have those. I structured the call and the lead up to the call to gather such things. Now I’m working on (thinking about) what to do to follow up and where I want to go next.

I kept my agenda which I spent all day writing out and refining (can re-use it), recorded the call, asked for feedback from the attendees and have now modified my ideas somewhat in preparation for another attempt.

I forgot to allow for the dog barking! Got myself a little stressed out just prior to the call over that. Pomeranians aren’t the calmest breed around. I should have arranged for her to be out for that hour. Nevertheless the dog lovers on the call said it was okay. But it was stress I could have avoided.

I need to work on my sales presentation skills and how to handle objections. The price was good. People were interested.

Listening to my recording I hear I could be much more enthusiastic sounding, louder, etc. and there’s still lots of room for improving my speech habits (in short, better get to Toastmasters!).

Some people had trouble with the phone line. I didn’t ask them to mute, so there was quite a bit of background noise at certain points. At times I couldn’t tell if someone was speaking to me or not, couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. There’s a skill to doing classes by phone. It’s easy to forget that when I’m used to hearing people like you who do it so well and calmly manage to remind people to mute, etc. Made me think doing it in person would be better. I would have a sign up sheet available rather than wait for people to email me.

I think her presentation was a great success. The main thing is that she enjoyed it – which means that her participants probably enjoyed it as well. A super start to building a list of people who will keep this coach “front of mind” for their own coaching needs and also for referrals.

I’d also like to mention that not only was this the first time this coach did a public presentation, it was also her first time doing a teleclass. The courage that it took cannot be underestimated, and the resulting boost to her confidence will be huge. If you’re reading this and thinking “I wish I could do that”, take a deep breath, set a date and do it! That’s what this coach did and look at her results.

Networking Tips for Introverts

Barbra — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:27:55 +0000

Do you find networking difficult because of your introverted nature? What’s that you say…glad handing at a social event not your thing? Nancy Ancowitz, a coach, consultant and speaker based in New York, provides these tips on how introverts can become comfortable with self-promotion (full article at Vault.com ).

You don’t need to brag to promote yourself.

Enlist event organizers to introduce you.

Use visualization techniques to avoid being overwhelmed by large group events.

You don’t have to respond quickly.

Don’t apologize for what you don’t know.

Keep track of details.

Stay in touch with existing contacts.

Take advantage of your writing skills.

Use the telephone.

Feedback From a Pilot Program Coach

Barbra — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:52:05 +0000

This thoughtful email from a pilot program participant, with my remarks in bold and italic.
Hi Barbra,
Monday’s class was enlightening and your email afterwards much appreciated. Lots of thinking and too much to write, so have kept it relatively short and can send more if you would like.

Speed – could it be unrealistic for those who come on this course to convert networking into free or paid talks so quickly?Yes, I’m beginning to think that’s the case. How important is it to maintain the same time frame for normal participants? What would be the pros and cons of extending the course time frame? It’s certainly possible to extend the time frame. However, then it becomes just another “how to build a coaching business” course, not a “Readymade Coaching Business”. There’s nothing wrong with a longer program, but it’s not what I set out to do and it’s not what I’m interested in offering. I’d rather refer people to some of the good programs that are already out there.

Marketing – we were all going along smoothly, and then the marketing came along. It was reassuring on Monday’s call to know that I am not alone in having difficulty finding even one person to attend a free talk.It would be interesting perhaps to discover how many people will choose your course because of this very offering – marketing to get clients.

I’m going to be blunt here. You say “we were all going along smoothly, and then the marketing came along.” In my view, the reason participants were all going along smoothly was because up to that point I was doing most of the work (getting the website and autoresponder in place).

At the same time, I do believe that each participant was doing the best she could with the resources she had available. More often than not, when people take on a big project it’s the inner work (overcoming fear and developing belief in oneself) that is the biggest challenge, and the biggest progress. That inner progress is not readily visible to the outside world.

Might it be an idea to ask future participants 2 marketing questions :

1. What does marketing mean to you?

2. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being high, how would you rate your enjoyment of networking?

You are a great coach, and your habit change program is an excellent system. Every pilot scheme, in order to really learn has to have ups and downs – just like a real adventure. Question is, how to make the most of this wonderful opportunity?!

One of my biggest learning curves on this course is how few of us have actually spent the ten hours a week you asked us to commit to marketing.

Yes, this has been somewhat surprising to me. Each person who committed to the program said something along the lines of “I’m ready to finally do the work required”, but most haven’t. On the other hand, that’s not unusual. I can think of many examples in my own life where I have signed up for something and then did not do the work that I committed to.

Is this the norm now, to agree, but not to deliver? I shall have to rethink my understanding of commitment when I have clients going through my courses.

Good question. I think it’s human nature. We are enthusiastic at the beginning of a project, and then have difficulty with the follow-through. That’s why people hire coaches! So does that mean that the pilot program coaches need more coaching? More support structures? That seems to bring us back to the idea of a longer program, and as I wrote above, I’m not interested in offering a longer program.

I Made a Classic Coaching Mistake Today

Barbra — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:39:07 +0000

We had our Monday morning pilot program coaching call today. After I got off the call, I checked in with myself about my tone during parts of the call. I realized that I sounded frustrated at times.

Everything provides a learning opportunity, right?

Here is my “self-coaching” about my frustrated tone:

COACH: frustration usually happens when things aren’t going the way one thinks they should.So what wasn’t going the way you thought it should?

CLIENT: lots of big questions about the challenges of getting clients; questions that we didn’t have time to address.

COACH: what made you think you didn’t have time?

CLIENT: because today’s time was over

COACH: what about next week?

CLIENT: next week we have to move on

COACH: why, what’s the hurry?

CLIENT: the course ends in 4 weeks

COACH: so?

CLIENT: I need these people to be successful by the end of the course.

COACH: so it’s all about you, then.

CLIENT: ahhhh….

Yup, I made the classic coach mistake of imposing my own agenda. Very tricky situation to be coaching someone where you feel that your success is dependent on their success. I was aware that there was a danger this could happen with the pilot program, and today it did.

In light of this, I’ve taken a step back. I’ve asked the coaches to rethink the start dates for their six week paid program:

I want each of you to think about what feels right for YOU. Make it challenging enough to provide a bit of a push, but not so challenging that it feels impossible. If it happens before the end of the program, that’s fine. If it is next month or the month after or even not until January…that’s fine too. There’s only 2 requirements: 1) that you set a date, and 2) that you feel comfortable with your date.

I need to remember that the point of the pilot program is to find out if the model works, not to prove that the model works.

Rejection Has a Silver Lining (If You Are Open to It)

Barbra — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:55:17 +0000

Today Coach Edna shares some of the ups and downs of her coaching business marketing efforts. In particular, notice how she handled the rejection after someone criticized her business card, and what happened next:

An opportunity came from the one person who rejected my business card! When I first handed my business card to her, she told me everything she didn’t like about it and handed it back.

Perhaps she felt sorry for me, I don’t know. But, because she knows me as a great listener and that I’ve been working on becoming a coach ‘forever’, she then decided to invite me to help out in her community, to meet people who may need a coach and so they can get to know me, and eventually trust me enough to hire/recommend me.

I would never have believed that the card I couldn’t give away would be the most effective. Just goes to show I don’t know much about real life marketing, and what I assume to be true is likely to be wrong. What I learned was, simply having a business card and handing it over at the appropriate time, is itself a valuable exercise. It’s what you do and say after the exchange that leads to an opportunity.

I’m sure that because I didn’t react defensively to this perceived rejection of my card, it conveyed a message about my ability to coach. In her eyes, I am now ready to be introduced as a coach to her community. That’s almost as good as certification. I’m still working on IAC certification, but much less concentration on it. I decided it’s more important to be able to attract clients.

As Edna says, simply having a business card and handing it out gives you an opportunity to show your stuff as a coach. It’s what you do and say after the exchange that often leads to an opportunity.

P.S. You can see Edna’s business card here. I think it’s lovely.

Coaching Business: First Page in Google Already

Barbra — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:59:11 +0000

Today I searched for “habit change coach” in Google, and guess whose web site came up on the first page for Canada and the USA? Habit Change Pilot Program Coach Ebbie’s site SmartHabitChange.com.

And when I search for “habit change coach” in Google UK?

Jacqui’s site HabitChangeCoach.co.uk. Take a look:

To say I’m thrilled is an understatement

Getting your coaching business on page one of Google is a great achievement at any time. To do it with a brand new web site after only one month is a testament to the power of three things:

a domain name with the keyword phrase in it
great search engine optimized (SEO) web site content
some good backlinks

The cool thing from the point of view of the pilot program is that Ebbie didn’t have to do much work to get this ranking. Ebbie choose the great domain name of “SmartHabitChange.com” and wrote her bio for the “About” page. Beyond that, everything else was done by the ReadyMade Coaching Business program (I provided the website content and my virtual assistant set up the website).

Jacqui’s been busy making daily blog posts, which has increased her traffic to an astounding 1000 visitors in her first month. By checking her web site statistics, Jacqui has discovered that visitors are finding her site by typing in “habit” and “coaching” into Google. Do you think these people are potential clients for Jacqui? Hmmm…I think so!

First client interview for Jacqui

Not surprisingly, Jacqui has an interview with a potential client booked for later this week. This client liked what she saw on Jacqui’s web site and contacted her for coaching.

What this means

These results are a testament both to the coaches, and to the effectiveness of my ReadyMade Coaching Business program. And in the bigger scheme of things, if the ReadyMade Coaching Business model works, more coaches will have successful coaching practices which will lead to more people leading happy, fulfilled lives. And that’s my ultimate goal.

How to view your subscriber list in MailChimp

Barbra — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:40:22 +0000

I’ve talked about the importance of having a mailing list for your coaching business. In the ReadyMade Coaching Program we set up a mailing list along with a free report for you, so you don’t have to do a thing. The program we use for the mailing list and autoresponder is called MailChimp.

However, sometimes you might want to view your subscriber list to see how many people you have signed up and where they are located in the world.

If you want to view your subscriber list in MailChimp, here’s how:

1. log in

2. go to Lists

3. you’ll see a number, and then underneath the words “View List”. Click on View List

4. Next screen brings up the subscribers. If you click on view beside the subscriber, you can where in the world they were when they signed up for the free report!

Why is a Mailing List Important?

Barbra — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:31:36 +0000

Habit Change Pilot Program coach Jacqui reports that after only two weeks of having her website operational, ten people have signed up for her free report.

I’ve been looking at Mailchimp – rather exciting – ten people have signed up for the newsletter and some are complete strangers, so habitchangecoach.co.uk is reaching into HongKong and America as well as Scotland.

Why is a mailing list important?

Jacqui now has 10 people that she knows are interested in habit change. And they have connected with her through her website. Who do you think they are going to contact when they decide to hire a habit change coach?

In addition, Jacqui can continue to stay in touch with these folks, sending them useful information about habit change. Eventually she may decide to offer a habit change coaching group over teleconference. The people on her mailing list will be perfect candidates for that group, and because a teleconference is not location-specific, it doesn’t matter that they are located all around the globe.

How did Jacqui get that free report?

The free report and the signup form are all included in the ReadyMade Coaching Business program. Jacqui didn’t have to do a thing.

What’s The Absolutely Best Way to Get Coaching Clients?

Barbra — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:18:55 +0000

OK, maybe there’s no absolutely best way to get coaching clients. But one of the best ways is to get your local newspaper to write an article about you.

As an example, I noticed the article below in my local newspaper today. It shows a photo of fitness coach Tara McNeil working with a client. If you can get something like this published locally you will have it made!

Three things to note:

1) the article has an “angle” (full-figure fitness)
2) newspapers like photos
3) it is promoting a class that will be held at the local parks and recreation department.

So how do you get something like this published?

A few tips:

newspapers are more likely to publish something that has a community angle than something that is obviously promoting your business.So a free course is good, as is something offered through the Chamber of Commerce or the Parks and Recreation Department. Something with a charity or volunteer angle is also good.
look at the bottom of newspaper articles for the email address of the reporter who wrote the article. Then phone or email them your “pitch”.
the easier you make it for the reporter, the more likely they will take you up on your offer.

Related suggestion

Contact your local continuing education outlets (e.g. college, parks and rec department or elder college) and offer your services as an instructor. That gives you tons of free publicity and establishes you as an expert in the community.

Business Networking: Fee and Free Options

Barbra — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:45:30 +0000

One of the Habit Change Coaching Business requirements is to join a local business networking organization such as the Chamber of Commerce. The cost to join the Chamber varies depending on your city, but averages about $200 a year. In my opinion this is money very well spent if you make full use of the member benefits.

However, if the investment is not affordable for you right now, there are other options. You can join free networking groups in your local community, or even start a business networking group of your own.

For example, one of the pilot program coaches sent me this message:

A friend and I are starting our own business networking forum here in our town which we have been ‘talking’ about for months and never moving forward … all set for inaugural meeting on 23^rd September. So, all is forward march!!!

For this coach, the cost of joining the Chamber was prohibitive. Instead of just accepting that limitation, she is starting her own networking group. Talk about self-empowerment!

Coach Business Card

Barbra — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:43:47 +0000

I received this business card in the mail today, along with a lovely note from Coach Edna. I was touched by Edna’s words – her note made my day! I showed it to my husband and he said “I can see why you love coaching. It must be so gratifying”.

Yes indeed.

Here’s what Edna wrote:

I’m thrilled to have a business card. Not only does it give me a practical networking tool for our next assignments, it’s a tangible reminder that, at last, I’m in the coaching business ‘for real’. I also love the look on my friends’ faces when they see it. I’ve been talking about, and studying, and spending time and money on coaching for years. This convinces them that now I’m serious!

And more importantly, it convinces Edna herself.

I remember when I first started taking art classes. The instructor encouraged us to frame and hang some of our paintings, because that’s what artists do. She said it would help us to start seeing ourselves as real artists, rather than just someone who takes art classes. I think she was right on.

What would having a business card do for you?

It’s not as hard or expensive as you might think. The Habit Change Pilot Program coaches got their business cards at Vistaprint.com for an average cost of $20 including shipping for 250 cards.

Don’t wait for the perfect time, or the perfect logo – just go ahead and order some today. The cards are not carved in stone – if something changes in your business, you can just order new cards!

Freaked Out? Sorry, No Time for That

Barbra — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:27:25 +0000

The pilot program coaches now have their website, autoresponder and business cards all taken care of. I’ve provided them with a poster to advertise their free workshops. Their job now is to spend a minimum of 10 hours a week marketing those free workshops and paid coaching groups.

The idea is simple: lots of people come to the free workshops, some of those register for the six week coaching group, and then a few of those sign up for individual coaching. Rinse and repeat until you have a full practice.

This is where the rubber hits the road.

In response to the news that it’s time to start booking at least one free workshop a week, one participant said she was freaked out at the idea of doing that. She doesn’t think her public speaking skills are good enough, and the thought of doing a workshop terrifies her.

Say what?

I know that public speaking is the #1 fear of most people, but I assumed the pilot program coaches would be different. For one thing, they knew what was expected when they applied for the program. As Jacqui wrote in a comment:

Reading through [the program application], I was immediately excited, then terrified at the thought of the dreaded networking, and then elated at the opportunity to face my fear and overcome it, hence I applied to be a guinea pig.

I expect the coach who freaked out feels much the same way: it’s scary but she’s up to the challenge. It’s that kind of attitude that makes me love working with coaches in general, and this group of coaches in particular.

Taking a step back

If someone has the training, education and life experience to identify themselves as a professional coach, wouldn’t it follow that they have the confidence and skills to facilitate a group? Seems to me it comes with the job description.

Maybe I need to clarify with the pilot program coaches that it is not a formal Toastmasters-type speech they will be giving. They will be facilitating a workshop using a pre-written script.

Of course, even with a pre-written script you need adult education skills – the ability to introduce a subject, invite input, listen, reply, and manage the group. Those are high level communication skills, but by definition a coach can do that. After all, coaching is all about using high level communication skills to bring out the best in people.

So what’s the problem? I think it’s a matter of confidence, and I’m confident all the pilot program coaches will do a great job with their workshops. As the saying goes, they will “feel the fear and do it anyways”.

There’s no time for fear anyways!

If this was a traditional coaching development program, I would spend time coaching the freaked out coaches on their fears.

However, this isn’t a traditional program. This is an action program that assumes coaches are ready to do what’s needed. I told applicants up front that I would not be coaching them on their blocks.

So even though I’m sympathetic about the fear, I won’t be spending much time talking about it. We will be moving on.

No to Modules, Because It’s Called ReadyMade Coaching Business for a Reason

Barbra — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:26:37 +0000

I had one of those “whack on the side of the head” moments today. It happened when I was driving on the freeway, but fortunately it was just a metaphoric whack.

I was thinking about the suggestion (received from many coaches) that I break my ReadyMade Coaching Business service into short, lower-priced modules that people could pick and choose from. That way, coaches would not have to commit to such a big financial and time investment.

WHACK!

Then it hit me: it’s called ReadyMade — not Do It Bit by Bit — Coaching Business.

My whole idea is to provide everything a coach needs to hit the ground running with a successful coaching business. And to me, everything means everything.

I simply would not feel good providing a modular program, because I think it would perpetuate precisely the problem I am trying to solve!

From A-Z in one program

This means that my service will not appeal to people who prefer modules. That’s fine. Those folks are not my target audience, and there are plenty of other business building courses out there for them.

My service is for people who want to implement A-Z in one go, and start making money as soon as possible.

If an interested coach already has a website and therefore doesn’t need that part of the service, no problem. They’ll get a credit with my Virtual Assistant for something they do need done.

Dare I call this revolutionary?

When I first started talking about my “big idea about to hatch”, I dared to call it revolutionary. If you know me at all, you know I detest hyperbole. So I didn’t use the word “revolutionary” lightly.

What’s revolutionary about my service is that it takes coaches from “no business at all” to “completely done and successful business”. No one else is doing that at an affordable price.

To date, the only way for a coach to do that is to invest at least $6000 to hire a team of various professional services including mentor coaching, professional writing, web designer, virtual assistant, and curriculum design.

Speaking of price

Speaking of price, the money solution came to me along with the whack. Coaches will have the option of paying with a monthly payment plan, just like they do when they hire a mentor coach.

An additional upside to this model is that it will attract coaches who are really serious about finally making their coaching business a success. Coaches who see the value of investing $297 for six consecutive months to get from A-Z in record time are the folks I want to work with. Those who don’t see the value are not right for the program. Perfect screening mechanism.

Can I Really Provide Coaches With a ReadyMade Coaching Business?

Barbra — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:03:08 +0000

Utopia comes at a price

Can I really provide coaches with a ReadyMade Coaching Business for under $2000? That’s the question sparked by yesterday’s post, where I wrote about my doubts.

In short, I’m beginning to question whether I can achieve my goal of providing coaches with “everything they need to hit the ground running” at a price that coaches are willing and able to pay. But I’m motivated to find a way!

Should I use a module approach?

In response to that post, Cheryl commented that a module approach might solve the cost problem. Coaches could purchase just the modules they need as their finances allow.

I like the module idea. It allows coaches to purchase what they need , when they need it, and as they can afford it.

Although the module approach solves some problems, it does create some new ones. My main concern is that coaches may purchase a module or two and then find that they can’t implement it successfully because they don’t have the complete context for starting a successful coaching business.

New business people often don’t know what they need because they don’t have the big picture. It just seems like an overwhelming mess of details and conflicting information to the uninitiated.

The problem I’ve noticed

The Internet has so many courses that sound great (and often are great as far as they go) but the purchaser gives up because implementing the course turns out to be more complicated than they thought it would be. I am speaking from personal experience here! I have many expensive courses sitting unused on my hard drive.

It would be quite easy for me to make a bunch of $199 or $299 modules and put them up for sale. But my feeling is that will not achieve my goal of providing coaches with “everything they need to hit the ground running”.

I’ve seen that done many times and coaches end up poorer but no further ahead. I’m just not interested in creating something that doesn’t work, and my experience tells me that courses without context and support don’t work.

And quite frankly, it’s the support that is expensive.

Of course, there are semi-automated ways to address the support issue, but the challenge is maintaining an acceptable service level.

Custom hot rod vs. Toyota

In her thoughtful comment, Julia Stewart wrote:

Unless you can put this program on a mass-production conveyor belt, I don’t think you’ll be happy charging $1800 for the whole thing. And mass production goes against the very nature of a unique one-to-one customized service, like coaching.

Although the the phrase “mass production conveyor belt” has a negative connotation, I’m not rejecting that concept. Mass-production is not always a bad thing. Just ask all the people enjoying their high quality, budget-priced Toyota vehicles.

I agree with Julia that coaching is a “unique one-to-one customized service”. But does that mean that setting up a coaching business needs to be a one-to-one service?

As Edna pointed out in her comment, with my knowledge of the software and technology available today, I may find a happy balance between “custom” and “mass-production”.

Technology may be the game-changing ingredient.

Pilot Program Diary: My First Doubts

Barbra — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:21:09 +0000

I’m feeling a bit discouraged about the habit change coaching pilot program today. On the one hand, the seven coaches have accomplished a tremendous amount in these first three weeks:

selected a coaching business name and domain name
got website hosting
obtained a business address
ordered business cards
got a professional photo taken
wrote 5 pages of content for website, based on writing templates I provided
developed answers to the eight most common marketing questions that a coach encounters
joined their local Chamber of Commerce
made a master list of local places to promote their services

And my Virtual Assistant and I completed some major technical things for each coach as well:

set up an auto-responder account
wrote free report to give away on each coach’s website, plus two follow-up autoresponder messages
set up websites and blogs (see an example here)

Later this month the coaches will receive the participant workbook and facilitator’s manual for the six week group coaching program. I’ll be training and mentoring the coaches and how to market and deliver the group coaching.

That’s a lot of progress in one month for coaches who have been trying to get their coaching business going for years.

So why am I feeling discouraged?

To get these coaches to this point I’ve done a lot of hand-holding. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have no problem with this. For one thing, I think it’s absolutely necessary for new business owners to have someone to ask these questions of. It’s precisely the lack of this type of support that causes many coaches to abandon their dream of having a successful coaching practice.

In addition, it’s useful for me to experience first-hand the types of questions and difficulties the coaches run into. That way, if I decide to proceed with the Readymade Coaching Business service, I will know what kind of support I need to set up .

But there’s the rub

The level of support required is time-consuming and therefore expensive.

Basically I am providing a “done for you” package that includes:

mentor coaching
business set-up consultation
marketing consultation
website design and implementation
virtual assistant services
curriculum development
professional writing services

The question I have to ask myself is: will coaches recognize what they are getting and be willing/able to pay what it is going to cost?

What it typically costs to set up a coaching practice

Let’s take a step back and talk about what coaches normally pay to set up a coaching practice.

In my early years, I spent about $10,000 on coach training, website development, business cards, memberships, training, and mentoring.

If I take out the $4000 I spent on coach training, and just looked at what I spent on business development and mentoring, that’s still $6000.

Not to mention literally thousands of hours of self-study, learning how to set up and use automated services for my newsletter, auto-responder, shopping cart, teleconferencing, audio recording and editing, and much more.

So what makes me think that I can boil all this down into a $1200 or even $1800 package for coaches?

My original goal

My goal in starting the pilot program was to give coaches “everything they need to hit the ground running” as a habit change coach.

It’s becoming abundantly clear to me that this is a tall order.

I remember early on in this project, Julia Stewart commented on my blog that she was skeptical that I would be able to do this:

… as you well know, many coaches have an unrealistic expectation about what it will look like to have their own business and that’s one of the main causes of their lack of success.

And it’s not just the new coaches. Recently, a master coach told me that she’s tired of everything she has to do to get clients. I asked her what she was doing and she said, ‘Nothing!’ Some coaches seem to be looking for a coaching practice that is more like a job with a guaranteed paycheck (aka ‘clients’), but no boss!

At the time Julia’s comments only served to galvanize me. I thought “I know exactly how to do it – I’ll show her!”

Now I’m beginning to wonder

Julia has been in the coach training business as long as I have. Like me, she has mentored hundreds of new coaches. Over the years, she and I have talked a lot about the joys and challenges of helping coaches get going.

One of the observations we’ve often made is that not only do most coaches resist the business side of coaching, they also don’t budget for what it costs to set up a business. That’s the “unrealistic expectations” that Julia mentions above.

Maybe that’s why so many coaches complete their training but never get a business going.

But I’m getting ahead of myself

To put things in perspective, the pilot program coaches are making fantastic progress. That’s not in question. Whether they get clients within the next few months remains to be seen.

What’s troubling me is the cost. Can I provide coaches with “everything they need to hit the ground running” at a cost they are willing and able to pay?

Or do I need to take a hard look at what I’m offering, and downsize it to fit coach’s budgets?

What do you think? If the results from the pilot program prove my system works (i.e. each coach is moving confidently forward with a website, blog, autoresponder, business cards, a program to deliver, and paying clients by the end of the program), what do you think is the dollar value? And more to the point, do you think coaches will recognize the value and pay it?

Rookie Life Coach? You Can Still Sound Experienced (Because You Are)

Barbra — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:14:01 +0000

Today one of the pilot program coaches send me this email:

I have been working through the eight marketing questions to develop my own replies.

I have a problem with the “What’s your background” question.

I may have had many years in the corporate/training and development environment and perhaps ‘coaching’ (in one form or another) came naturally to me BUT I am very much a ‘rookie’ life coach with little real coaching experience. How does one get around this?

Answer

I would say “I have had many years in the corporate training and development environment where a big part of my job was to bring out the best in people. I’m now using that experience as a life coach.”

How do you answer the “what’s your background” question? Please share in the comments section below.

Marketing Your Coaching Business: 8 Questions You Might Be Asked

Barbra — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:09:58 +0000

Having completed the coaching website and business card modules, the pilot program coaches are now starting the marketing segment of the habit change coaching program.

The first task in marketing any service is to know what you are offering and be able to talk about it. Together we developed answers to these common questions that might come up when marketing coaching services:

What do you do?
How does that work?
What’s your background?
Can you help with X? How?
What’s your process?
What theory underlies your approach?
How much does it cost?
If I was to sign up, what happens next?

Practice, practice, practice

You need to know exactly what you are offering and be able to speak confidently about it.

Prepare answers to these questions and practice answering them until you feel confident with your replies.

Answer with a smile

MailChimp: Free Newsletter and Autoresponder Service

Barbra — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:58:08 +0000

For years I’ve recommended Aweber as my email newsletter and autoresponder service of choice. I still like Aweber for its great service and reliability, but I’m setting up the pilot program coaches with an alternative service called MailChimp.

MailChimp is the new kid on the autoresponder block. From what I can see, it provides everything Aweber does, but with one critical difference: it’s free for the first 500 addresses. That’s a cost saving of $20 monthly for the pilot program coaches. As we all know, money is tight when starting a small business so every penny saved counts.

Here’s a video about MailChimp.

Coaching Business Website: Getting Started With WordPress

Barbra — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:40:57 +0000

Note: In this article I use the terms website, blog, and site interchangeably. These days, there’s not much difference between a website and a blog in terms of how they are set up.

Getting a business website set up is a major challenge for most coaches. There are so many options and decisions to be made.

I’ve made it simple for the pilot program coaches by recommending that they get a self-hosted WordPress business website.

What does that mean, you might be asking!

If you find all this terminology confusing, you’re not alone.

Let’s start by explaining what “self-hosted”, “hosted” and “WordPress” mean.

Difference between hosted and self-hosted websites

Self-hosted means that you purchase a domain name and website hosting and upload your business website content to your hosting account. Rates for website hosting range depending on the features you want, but expect to pay about $10 a month for a reliable web host with good customer support.

Hosted means that you register at a service such as Blogger or LiveJournal or WordPress.com and set up your site for free. You don’t have to buy a domain name (although you can) or pay for website hosting because your site is hosted by the service.

Why WordPress can be confusing

WordPress is software that is used to run websites and blogs. What makes it confusing is that there are two versions: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Simply put, the “.org” is the self-hosted service and the “.com” is the hosted service.

OK, so what does “self-hosted WordPress site” mean?

A self-hosted WordPress website means that you have done each of these four steps:

1) purchased a domain name

2) purchased website hosting from a company such as Bluehost or Hostgator

3) installed the open source software called “WordPress” on your domain at your hosting service

4) uploaded (published) your website/blog content to your site.

Because you installed WordPress on your domain at your hosting service, this is referred to as “self-hosted”.

Note: “Self-hosted” is also referred to as “hosted on your own server”.

I already have www.mywebsite.wordpress.com – is that the same thing?

No. This is why it’s confusing. There is a free service located at www.Wordpress.com. This service uses the open-source WordPress software to provide free websites/blogs. Because these sites are located on free hosting, this is referred to as “hosted” sites.

So why bother paying for hosting?

Use of the free WordPress.com service is subject to their terms of service. For example, you are restricted as to what kind and how many advertisements or affiliate links you can put on your site.

Pros and cons of hosted (WordPress.com) versus self-hosted (WordPress.org)

Both use the WordPress software, but in different ways:

With WordPress.org, your blog or web site is hosted on your own server. Don’t be put off by the “.org” in the name – your business website or blog will be titled www.yourwebsitename.com or whatever domain name you have purchased. This is important, because it means that your business website is entirely under your control.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that you will need to register your own domain name and get paid hosting. Not only does this cost money, but it’s more technically challenging than going with a hosted solution.

Community pool or private pool? It's your choice

Wordpress.com is a third party hosting of the WordPress software. This also has good news and bad news.

The good news is that it is free and easy to set up a WordPress.com site. You don’t have to buy a domain name (although you can if you want), and you don’t have to pay for hosting because your blog is hosted by WordPress.com. Therefore, your website url will look like www.yourwebsitename.wordpress.com.

The bad news about WordPress.com is that it places some restrictions on what you can do with your blog, such as only allowing one affiliate link. This may or may not be an issue for you.

An analogy would be that with a hosted solution like WordPress.com you are swimming in the community swimming pool so you have to follow the community rules. If they say “no skinny dipping” then you can’t do it. In contrast, a self-hosted site (which you get by purchasing your own domain name and hosting) is like a private swimming pool in your own backyard. If you want to go skinny dipping, it’s entirely up to you!

Bottom line

I’m recommending the pilot program coaches get a self-hosted WordPress site.

Pilot Program Diary: Coaching Business Without Tears

Barbra — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:05:30 +0000

Things don't have to be complicated to be beautiful.

When I was in university struggling through upper-level statistics courses, there was a little handbook called Statistics Without Tears.

Boy, did I relate to that title!

I was reminded of that book today when I received an encouraging email from one of the pilot program coaches.

She was referring to how frustrating and time-consuming it is to get the website part of a coaching business taken care of. Here’s what she wrote:

This pilot program is reminding me that the reason I do all this computer tweaking is to coach. Thanks for being proactive and giving us the best tools to enable us to actually coach before the computers get us too frustrated. Not only is there a lot to learn, it changes a lot (sometimes at inconvenient times).

I was gratified to read her email, because that’s exactly what I’m trying to achieve with my Readymade Coaching Business concept. I want to help coaches get their business up and running quickly so they can actually get out in their communities and coach people.

Perhaps instead of calling my service “Readymade Coaching Business”, I should call it Coaching Business Without Tears.

Pilot Program Diary: Getting Business Cards

Barbra — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:51:02 +0000

Here’s the advice I gave the pilot program coaches about how to get started with business cards.

1) don’t wait until you have a logo designed – getting a logo is a “nice to have” thing but not necessary to get started
2) since your website is just a “starter version” at this point, get relatively plain business cards that will go with whatever website template you end up choosing
3) the best way to do this is to get a plain white business card that has your photo on it

What email address for business card?

Once you have a domain of your own, you can set up whatever email address you want.

I’m recommending the coaches use name@website.com on their business cards. My VA will set it up so that any email address to name@website.com will redirect to the coach’s main email box. This way they will have a professional email address for their coaching business, but they won’t have to check two different email accounts.

Ordering business cards

You can order business cards from a local printer or from an online supplier. I find it easy and inexpensive to order from Vistaprint.com. Vistaprint regularly has special deals where you can get 250 business cards for $3.99 or $5.99 plus shipping.

If you get to Vistaprints website and you don’t see one of these special deals, do a Google search for “vistaprint promo” and you’ll get a link to one of their special deals.

When you’re ready to order from Vistaprint, choose:

1) Premium business cards

2) The default matte finish with 80 lb paper is fine. If you want to
splurge (I think it’s another $12 or so), getting the upgrade to 100 lb
paper is worth it in my opinion.

3) On the next page, where it says “Style” – choose the style “upload
photo or logo”

4) It will give you some options. Choose the blank template that you
like. NOTE: I’ve tested the photo templates and found that some of them make
the photo the ENTIRE size of the biz card (with writing superimposed over
it). If this happens, just choose a different template and try again.

5) Doubleclick where it says to browse for and upload your photo or logo

6) Fill in your name and details using the lines on the left side of the
page (easier than typing directly onto the template)

7) If something doesn’t fit in the space allotted, put your cursor on one
of the little “handles” (small square box surrounding the text) and drag to
expand

8) You don’t have to fill in all the blanks. For example, if you don’t
want to put a fax number, just leave that line blank or substitute it with
something else – maybe your facebook or twitter name

9) Also, these days you don’t necessarily have to have a physical address
on your card. It’s personal preference. You do need a physical address,
though, if you expect people will be mailing you things (like cheques!)
or coming to your office in person.

10) Once the card is to your liking, scroll down and put a check mark in the
spot that asks you to verify that the card is to your liking (or some such
wording)

11) Click next

12) Pay

If for some reason you don’t want to use Vistaprint, another good online company is OvernightPrints.com. I’ve used them and have been very happy with the service and products.

Selecting a Domain Name and Hosting for Your Coaching Business

Barbra — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:47:06 +0000

Pilot Program - Coach Jacqui

Each of the seven pilot program coaches has now successfully registered a domain name and purchased website hosting.

Although the actual process of registering a domain name and purchasing website hosting can be done in 10 minutes, it’s the decisions that have to be made before (what domain name? which hosting company?) that tend to be time-consuming.

Here are some tips that hopefully will make the decisions easier for you.

How to sign up for website hosting

Choose your domain name* and then follow these instructions to get hosting set up.
Go here to sign up for hosting
The best deal is to sign up for a year of hosting.
Click “Sign up now”
Where it says “I need a domain name” – you enter your desired domain name (no www.)
Follow the prompts to pay.

*Of course, the phrase “choose your domain name” is easier said than done! Here are some tips to guide you.

Domain name tips

There are a number of considerations in choosing a domain name. I recommend choosing your namesurname.com if it is available. (e.g. www.susansmith.com)

Failing that, look for coachname.com (e.g. www.coachsusan.com)

Another option is to use keywords that describe your business. One of the pilot program coaches choose www.SmartHabitChange.com, which is a nice domain name because it describes exactly what the website is about.

Try to make your domain name highly identifiable with you (that’s why I recommend getting namesurname.com if it is available). This is because you want people to be able to easily find you online by typing in the first thing they remember about you – which is usually your name. If your name is also your URL, they’ll automatically know where to go.

Does it have to be .com?

What if you can’t get the .com domain of your choice? Should you settle for the .net or .org? Or would it be better to get a country-specific domain (like .ca for Canada or .co.uk for UK)?

Here’s my opinion:

1) get the .com if you can.

2) if the .com is not available, try different combinations of the words you want.

3) if you can’t get a suitable .com, get the country-specific TLD. This can work quite well if your target market is the local community (which is generally where coaches get most of the clients anyways). In fact, you actually benefit from having a local domain because your potential clients know they’re dealing with a local entity, which is often what they want.

4) I wouldn’t get a .net or .org simply because people will never remember it – they’ll always type in .com – which very well may take them directly to your competitor’s website!

What about hyphenated domain names?

Short answer: don’t.

It’s brutal to have to say a hypenated domain name outloud (such as when introducing yourself at a networking meeting), and people will forget to type in the hyphens when searching for you.

Tips for a Complimentary Coaching Session

Barbra — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:24:49 +0000

My office, and happy honeysuckle

One of the pilot program coaches sent me this email today:

I am corresponding with a new potential client. Do you have any good advice on handling complimentary coaching sessions and getting them to buy? Please let me know. Thanks!

Here’s the reply I sent to her:

Don’t try to accomplish too much
Don’t give advice
interact as a professional, not as a friend
have an approach that you can describe – not just “we meet and play it by ear, whatever comes up”. People feel more secure and hopeful knowing that the coach has a plan.
Don’t be afraid of offending the potential client – if you hear or sense something that you think might be a blind spot for them, point it out in a neutral manner. That will provide huge value to them and differentiate you from “talking with a friend”
Have a couple of frameworks (ways of looking at the world) or quotations “in your back pocket” to pull out and offer where appropriate. For example, if someone is talking about wanting to do something but being afraid of the risks, I’ll present the framework “risk is always reducible”. If the client seems intrigued by that idea, I’ll coach them on ways to reduce the risk of the venture.
Before the session, practice out loud the language you will use for asking for their business. Something like, “Susan, what has been of most value to you from our session today?” … “Great, I’m glad to hear that OR Yes, I heard you make that shift too. That’s the type of progress that my clients typically make every session. Would you like to sign up for coaching now?” Be proactive, don’t wait for the client to bring it up. It’s your job to do that, not theirs.
If the client wants to think about it, that’s fine. I usually say “That’s a good idea. Getting started with coaching is a big decision. When would you like me to contact you to follow up?”
Don’t try to accomplish too much (I know I’ve already said this, but it is deliberately repeated). Keep it clean and simple for the client. There will be a lot of buzz going on in their head. If they can experience three things from your complimentary session — 1) feeling heard, 2) getting one new way of looking at their situation, and 3) getting a sense of hope – then they will hire you.

What Address Should You Use for Your Coaching Business?

Barbra — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:15:00 +0000

There are many details I’m asking the Readymade Coaching Business – Habit Change pilot program coaches to decide on this week. One such detail is: What mailing address will you use for your business?

It’s wise to think about this before you get started with your coaching business website and other services. The options are:

1) your real street address

2) a post office box (check at your local post office)

3) a UPS mail box or “virtual office” address

Personally, I use my real street address because I started out that way years ago. Now I wish my home address was not plastered all over the Internet, but it’s too late for me.

If I was starting out today, I would use an alternative.

Realistically speaking, it probably doesn’t matter because these days anyone can find your street address and phone number in various look-up places on the Internet, even if you have not knowingly published it.

But personally I wish I had minimized it as much as possible.

Where will your address show up on the Internet?

There are two main places where this issue is most relevant:

1) domain registration (unless you choose the private registration option)

2) your newsletter/autoresponder service

Domain registration: Your address may be visible

When you purchase an internet domain (URL), your contact information including your street address gets registered in the “WhoIs” registry (yes, that’s the real name of the registry!). This happens automatically unless you click the button that says “make domain registration private”.

Depending on which domain registry company you use, you may or may not have to pay extra to have the information private. Many people use GoDaddy as their domain registry – at Godaddy it costs about $7 – $10 extra for private registration. At other domain registration companies such as Bluehost (the hosting company I use and recommend) private registration is included at no extra cost.

Newsletter/Autoresponder: Your address will be visible

By law, newsletter/autoresponder services are required to include a postal address at the bottom of every message.

Perhaps you’ve never noticed it, but if you look at the bottom of any email message sent through a newsletter/autoresponder service — such as Aweber, ConstantContact, or MailChimp — you’ll notice 2 things: 1) an unsubscribe link, and 2) the postal address of the person or company who sent you the email.

What this means is that every time you send out an email using your newsletter or autoresponder service, your postal address will show up at the bottom of the message. If you work from home and don’t want recipients to see your home address, then you need to use an alternate address.

Where won’t you address show up?

It’s OK to use your street address for things like website hosting where the information is confidential between you and the service (note that although domain registration and website hosting are often purchased from the same company, the two services are separate things when it comes to the postal address issue).

Your street address does not have to be on your website – that’s under your control.

Habit Change Pilot Group: First Mentor Coaching Session

Barbra — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:06:21 +0000

Roz from South Africa

We had our first mentor coaching session (via teleconference) of the Habit Change Coaching Pilot Program on Monday. It was exciting! We have seven coaches in the group:

Roz – South Africa
Edna – Canada
Jacqui – UK
Cheryl – Tennessee
Ebbie – Colorado
Kelly – Georgia
Robyn – Florida

I’m glad I limited the group size. Each coach has lots of questions and has been sending those questions to me by email. That’s perfectly fine for this small group, but if the group was larger I would quickly become overloaded with individual emails every day.

This is valuable feedback for me, as it tells me that if I offer this program to a larger audience I need to find a way to get those questions answered in a more efficient manner.

The first “learning opportunity”

As we gathered on the conference line, the first thing that became apparent was that my usual method of recording (AudioAcrobat) was not going to work with Skype (I am now using Skype exclusively; I no longer have a landline in my office).

Fortunately, one of my smart participants suggested I download Pamela for Skype. I was able to do that in just two minutes and start the recording with no problem.

The next “learning opportunity”

Roz was also using Skype to call in from South Africa. Since it was her first time using Skype, she didn’t know how to enter the participant access code. A bit of investigation solved that problem. The screenshot below shows the solution.

How to enter an access code when using Skype

Once we got those little glitches sorted, we were able to move on to the main topic of the meeting: getting each participant set up with a domain name, website hosting and business cards. I’ll talk about those details in tomorrow’s diary entry.

Top Ten Reasons to Become a Certified Coach

Julia Stewart — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:11:36 +0000

Julia Stewart

Julia Stewart is a coach, coach trainer and seminar leader who uses her creativity and humor to expand people’s thinking and inspire them to work brilliantly. She’s President of School of Coaching Mastery and has been helping coaches pass difficult certifications since 2003.

Is there really any good reason for a business or life coach to get certified?

That’s a common question amongst coaches and it’s hotly debated on a variety of coaching blogs. Some say no, coaching is an entrepreneurial business, that there’s no reason for any coach to get certified and that certification is just a money-making scheme made up by coaching schools and organizations.

Others say coaching is a profession and that it’s in every coach’s best interests, not to mention consumers’, for standards to be set and upheld, otherwise any charlatan can call him/herself a coach. Clearly coaches, themselves, are divided on this topic.

Are there any laws that require coaches to get certified?

Currently, most nations, such as the US and Canada, have no laws that require coach certification, although in the State of Israel, which may have that largest number of coaches per capita of any nation, there is currently a serious attempt to pass a Coaching Law that would require credentialing in order to practice coaching there. What happens in Israel could influence coaching’s legal status in a number of other nations in the near future.

If there’s no law requiring coach certification where you live, should you get certified?

That depends on who you are. To understand why, I’m going to share some facts and opinions that I’ve gathered from over 300 coaches, to help answer the question, ‘Do You Need Coach Certification?’

Just to be clear, these coaches self selected to fill out a survey that I created that could help them decide if they should pursue coach certification. They may or may not represent a good cross sampling of coaches. However, the survey has run for over two years and since then, I’ve checked the results a number of times and the percentages remain remarkably similar; so I think the numbers a pretty revealing, at least about coaches who are curious about becoming certified coaches.

Let’s first go back to that age-old argument between coach-entrepreneurs and coach-professionals.

Professionals tend to believe in training and credentialing and their own integrity often dictates that they pursue both when they choose to become a coach. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, learn by doing and innovating and they tend to get impatient or skeptical or both, when it comes to formal education or jumping through hoops. So which group represents most coaches?

[Time out: Was it Family Feud where the game-show host would yell, ‘Survey Said?!’ Anyhow…]

Survey Said?!

Less than 18% of our 300+ coaches identifies him/herself as an entrepreneur, only. But then, only slightly more than 23% identifies as a professional, only. A full 59% identifies equally with being an entrepreneur and a professional! No wonder so many coaches are confused about coach certification! Their inner entrepreneurs and inner professionals are at odds over it. But you could look at these findings another way: 82% of coaches surveyed believe coaching is at least partially a profession, so…

#1 Reason to become a certified coach: Your inner professional tells you that you should get certified.

Not surprisingly, a similar number of coaches to those who feel like professionals, just over 83% in this case, say they believe getting certified will help them feel more competitive in the marketplace. Less than 17% believe certification will have no effect on their competitiveness in the market, so…

#2 Reason to become a certified coach: It will help you feel more competitive in the coaching marketplace.

I also asked this question in a more pointed way: Will getting certified help you sign more paying clients? 74% said, yes it would. That’s almost ¾ of the coaches who responded! Only 26% thought coach certification would have no effect on their ability to get coaching clients.

#3 Reason to become a certified coach: It will help you get more clients.

Here’s a related question: Are you thrilled with your level of coaching success? 20% say, yes. Another 80% wishes they were more successful. Most people, coaches or non-coaches, wish they were more successful. Given that most coaches surveyed believe certification will help them be more competitive and get more clients…

#4 Reason to become a certified coach: It’ll help you be more successful.

That brings me to another quality that differentiates entrepreneurs and professionals: it’s how they feel about having to jump through a few hoops. As mentioned above, Entrepreneurs tend to not like jumping through hoops, but professionals are willing to do that in order to earn the right to be called professionals. In fact, they actually feel kind of good about it.

So what does the survey say?

When asked about how they feel about jumping through hoops, 20% of survey respondents said it makes them feel rebellious. 53.5% said it gives them a sense of accomplishment. 26.5% said, both! Hmmm…80% get a sense of accomplishment, at least in part, from jumping through hoops! Could that be pretty much the same group that feels like professionals? Yes, upon deeper analysis, I find this is the case, so…

#5 Reason to become a certified coach: Jumping through hoops to get certified gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Here’s a different kind of question: Are you a famous author, speaker or TV personality? If you’re famous already, you can skip getting certified, because you already have credibility. Of those surveyed, 99% said they weren’t already famous. Less than 1% said that they are famous (a total of 2). I’d love to know who they are! Anyway…

#6 Reason to become a certified coach: You’re not famous.

Here’s another question that may speak most to the professional coaches: Do you prefer to be the best? 79+%. Good enough? 15%. Don’t care? 5%.

#7 Reason to become a certified coach: You prefer to be the best.

Professionals who want to be the best are generally keen to learn all they can. Getting certified is a huge motivator for learning more and becoming better at what you do. So no surprise, 40% of coaches prefer to learn all they can before they do something. 12% (entrepreneurs?) would rather just jump in and do it. 48% like to jump right in AND learn all they can! That’s 88% who want to learn all they can either before or after they jump into coaching, so…

#8 Reason to become a certified coach: You want to learn all you can.

But what if coaching is just your hobby? Certification is probably a lot less important than it would be if coaching were your career. What did our respondents say about that? 89.5% say coaching is their career. Only 10.5% say it’s just a hobby. So…

#9 Reason to become a certified coach: Coaching is your career.

Finally, coaches are a pretty intuitive bunch of people. They don’t just make decisions to do something just because logically they ‘should’. So I asked them, Based on your intuition/gut/spirit (Not you fear or insecurity), do you want to get certified or not? Over 75% said intuitively they do want coach certification. The remainder said they did not.

#10 Reason to become a certified coach: Your intuition/gut/spirit tells you to.

So there you have it! Regardless of whether coaching is an entrepreneurial business or whether you legally have to get certified, 75% or more of coaches said they WANT to get coach certification. Are you one of them?

If so, I have a special offer just for readers of this blog: I’m offering five free 30-minute coaching consultations on your biggest certification problem. No strings attached. If you’d like to take me up on this offer, share your biggest question or concern about coach certification below in the comments section and then go here to sign up. I’ll choose the five coaches who I think I can help the most. Thanks for reading!

Vote for Your Favorite Habit Change Tagline

Barbra — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 06:43:58 +0000

I’m working on developing a list of website taglines for the coaches in the Readymade Coaching Business – Habit Change Coaching program. Which of these do you like / dislike and why?

Learn From a Habit Change Expert
Change your habits now…so you won’t have to later.
Better living through better habits
Making healthy habits a habit
Better habits. Better life.
Good habits. Good life.
Solutions for a good life
Cutting Edge Techniques for Lasting Habit Change
Habit Change Coaching: Because We All Need a Little Help Sometimes
Habit Change Redefined

Please leave me a comment with your opinion below!

Typical Questions Coaches Have When Starting a Coaching Business

Barbra — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:31:35 +0000

As you know if you’ve been following my Habit Change Coaching pilot program diary, I’ve got six coaches undertaking a pilot program to determine whether my Readymade Coaching Business concept actually works.

A week ago I notified the six participants of their acceptance into the pilot program. They all sound keen and excited :) I asked them to accomplish three specific tasks prior to our first mentor coaching teleconference on August 16.

Purchase domain name and hosting
Get professional photo
Start reading The Habit Change Workbook: How to Break Bad Habits and Form Good Onestextbook

Below is a representative sample of the questions I received in relation to these three initial tasks. The questions are helpful because they give me feedback on what people find confusing when starting a coaching business.

Questions about Domain Name

I haven’t set up yet with the hosting company because I’m still not sure what domain to use.
I’m thinking about using an Umbrella name like X (for when I set up Pay Pal) that I can use for both my massage business and my coaching business. I have never taken credit card payments in the past for massage.
I am getting stuck on a new business name. The name I used before was X because I couldn’t narrow down a niche to coach on back then. Will a generic name like that still work for your business idea or should I try to come up with one that is more niche specific or would one even more generic work—something like MySurname Enterprises or something?
I bought a domain name from X web hosting company. How do I transfer it or is that something your VA will do?
Before I set up a website I need some advice on business structure (sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.) What are your thoughts on that?

Questions about Website Hosting

I already have a blog with wordpress. Can I transfer this over or start a new one with your site?
the other hosting company said I had to wait 60 days to transfer the X domain, but they said I could still use it. That was kind of confusing.

Questions about Paypal

Please could you help me to use PayPal. I have set up with my bank account, but cannot see anywhere to set up with a credit card. I am confused.

Questions about Professional Photo

These are pictures that were taken a few months ago by a photographer friend of mine. Are they good enough?

Questions about Textbook

I can’t locate the textbook in my country. Do you know if it is available as an ebook?

Questions about Program Logistics

Which bridgeline service do you like?
About the group coaching we will be doing. Will it be done in person or over the phone? If it is over the phone, how much expense will be involved with landlines and conference call numbers and all that?

First Steps in Organizing Coaching Business

Barbra — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:20:56 +0000

We are just one week away from the official start of the Readymade Coaching Business – Habit Change Coaching pilot program. I’ve asked the six pilot program coaches to do the following in preparation for our first meeting on Monday, August 16:

Domain name and hosting

Let’s get a head start on this. Please contact me for assistance if you haven’t already. If possible, I want to get everybody set up on the same hosting company for ease of administration. Don’t purchase a new domain name – a free domain name is included in the hosting package.

How do you do this? It’s not as intimidating as it sounds.

Choose your domain name and then follow these instructions to get hosting set up.
Go here to sign up for hosting
The best deal is to sign up for a year of hosting.
Click “Sign up now”
Where it says “I need a domain name” – you enter your desired domain name (no www.)
Follow the prompts to pay.

You’ll get an email with your password and login details. Save this because you’ll need it later.

Professional photo

You’ll need this right away for your Habit Change Coaching website and biz cards. A really good photo is important for coaches because we are in the relationship business, and like it or not, people make judgments based on photos.

If you can afford it, get a professional photo done. Prices vary widely but try posting an ad on Craigslist or Kijiji, or your local college art department. You should be able to find a young photographer just starting out who will do it for $50.

Alternatively, get a friend to take about 30 photos of you and you can probably get a good one from the bunch. Here are some tips for DIY:

Do it outside (you don’t want to use a flash)
Choose a cloudy day or shady place (to avoid harsh shadows)
Stand in front of something neutral, like a solid colored building or a green bus
Wear an attractive color
Get close – head and shoulders work best
Crouch down on your haunches and lean forward – this gives a flattering angle. See photo of my friend here that illustrates this: dawnolson.com (her daughter took this photo in a park)

Textbook

Please purchase or borrow from a library the book The Habit Change Workbook by James Claiborn and Cherry Pedrick. Start reading it and make notes of things you find interesting. These notes will form the basis of your first blog posts.

In my next diary entry I’ll let you know how the coaches did with the preparation tasks.

Readymade Coaching Business – Pilot Program Outline

Barbra — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:47:09 +0000

Month 1: Website, Email Newsletter, Biz Cards, Becoming an Expert in Niche

1. My VA will set up your website. It will be a self-hosted WordPress site. Self-hosted means that you own the domain. Your web address will be something like www.yourname.com or www.thehabitchangecoach.com (I’ll help you decide).

2. You’ll write content for your website, based on my templates.

3. We’ll also get you set up with an email newsletter list and a
free report to give away to subscribers.

4. You’ll order your business cards, using a template provided.

5. You’ll read several books on habit change, and summarize key
learning points to use as articles on your blog.

Month 2: Marketing (Networking, Free Talks, Sample Sessions)

1. You’ll join your local Chamber of Commerce or another strategically-chosen business group.

2. You’ll make a big list of places to give free talks (all materials will be provided)

3. You’ll schedule and deliver those free talks to promote your paid group that will happen in month 3.

4. I will be teaching you how to deliver the Habit Change Program – a 6 week group coaching program.

Month 3: Deliver your first paid coaching program

Month 4: Start second group. Begin converting group clients into individual clients.

If you’re interested in being part of the pilot project, send a blank email to habit-change {at} aweber.com, and I’ll be in touch with details.

Why the Habit Change Niche?

Barbra — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:55:34 +0000

My idea has hatched!

I’ve been hinting for the past few weeks that I’m up to something big.

That “something” involves a particular coaching niche that my research tells me has TONS of clients looking for coaching.

I have been coaching in that niche for years, and want to empower other coaches to do the same. More than that, I want coaches to be COACHING, not messing around trying to learn how to set up a business. So I will provide coaches with everything they need to “hit the ground running” as a working coach.

What is that “something” I’ve been hinting at?

It’s a template-driven system that provides coaches with a ready-made coaching niche, including:

training in how to coach in this niche
a marketing plan that tells them exactly what to do to get clients
a niche website with blog, and ready-made written materials and templates for ordering business cards, etc.

But what’s the niche?

The niche is… (drum roll)… Habit Change.

Why the Habit Change niche?

it’s specific and easy for clients to grasp. Unlike general life coaching, clients know in advance what they are purchasing and what they will achieve
clients will PAY to eliminate an unwanted habit and replace it with a healthy habit
clients are often directed to change a habit or else (from their doctor, spouse, creditors, etc)
there are many sub niches (nail biting, fitness, sleep, junk food, procrastination, chronic lateness, excessive Internet use, over-spending)
it’s a niche that lends itself well to a systematic coaching program based on effective, well-documented techniques – therefore I can design a coaching program that even relatively new coaches can deliver with confidence

Here’s the thing

I’ll be totally frank with you. The last thing I want to do is create yet another program that drains coach’s wallets without paying off in increased income.

In other words, I only want to offer this system if it works. So I’ll be testing it with a small group of coaches first.

If you’re interested in being part of the pilot project, send a blank email to the address below, and I’ll be in touch with details.

Send a blank email here to get details:

habit-change {at} aweber.com

You’ll receive all the details by return email.

Habit Change Coaching – Pilot Program outline

Readymade Coaching Business: Would This Work for You?

Barbra — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:27:20 +0000

I’m sitting on an egg that’s getting ready to hatch. It’s a system that provides coaches with a ready-made coaching business.

I think it could make a huge change in how quickly and easily coaches start earning money.

I don’t want to say too much about it right now, because it’s still in the incubation stage (pardon the bad metaphor!) But I would like to share the general idea and get your feedback.

OK, here goes:

I’ve been mentoring coaches for over 7 years and one thing never changes: the majority of coaches find starting a coaching business side a major challenge. As many coaches have lamented, “I know how to coach but I don’t know how to start a coaching business.”

In particular, new coaches get stuck on these 3 things:

deciding what services to offer (their niche)
getting a website up
finding clients

Sadly, many coaches give up because they can’t get their coaching business off the ground. And that’s a shame because they have so much to offer the world.

My idea:

What if I could provide new coaches with a ready-made coaching business? One that is in a hot niche (that I know has tons of paying clients eager to hire them), a website already populated with content, and a step-by-step plan for getting clients that WORKS.

So that all they have to do is follow the coaching business plan.

You’re probably wondering what coaching niche I’m talking about.

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag prematurely (or should that be the “chick out of the egg” – oh, a cliche and a bad joke all in the same sentence!)

What I can tell you now

- I’m setting up an institute that will address a particular coaching niche that my research tells me has TONS of clients looking for coaching

- this niche has many sub-niches within it, so coaches will be able
to choose their own specialty within it

- I have been coaching in that niche for years, and want to empower
other coaches to do the same

- I want coaches to be COACHING, not messing around trying to learn
how to set up a business

- so I’ll provide coaches with everything they need to “hit the
ground running” as a coach in my institute

Where I’m at with this idea

I’m trying to define exactly what I will be providing to member coaches. I know coaches will need some combination of these three things:

1) training in how to coach in this niche
2) a marketing plan that tells them exactly what to do to get coaching clients
3) a coaching website with blog, written materials and templates for ordering business cards, etc.

The thing that I am mulling over is whether the program should
include all three things, or just #2 and #3. Basically I’m trying to decide whether to offer both the coaching program and the business program, or just the business program.

Maybe I should offer all three things but priced as separate modules so people can choose what meets their needs? But my gut feeling is that most coaches will need all three in order to be successful.

What do you think? Pros and cons? I’d love to get your reaction to this. Just post your comments below.

Job Opportunities for Life Coaches

Barbra — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:13:19 +0000

Job opportunities for life coaches normally involve being self-employed or working for a coaching firm. Although an increasing number of organizations hire in-house life coaches, those job opportunities for life coaches are rare.

There are several different ways to begin a career as a life coach. Many people choose to start their own life coaching business on a full-time basis. Others choose to do it on a part-time basis, and still others get involved with coaching simply to boost results within their current job.

Taking life coach training is incredibly rewarding, in that you learn communication skills that will help you in all areas of your life. And the practice of life coaching – helping clients overcome a personal obstacle or attain an important life goal – is extremely satisfying. This is what you can expect on a regular basis if you choose to become a life coach.

As a self-employed life coach, you will typically meet with clients in-person or over the telephone on a weekly basis. In fact, the majority of life coaches meet with clients on the telephone. This is a popular and viable way to deliver coaching services, but there are many other ways. For example:

• Group coaching
• Coaching franchise
• Workshops and retreats
• Print, audio or video courses
• Email coaching
• Instant messaging coaching
• Coaching membership site
• Teleclasses
• Writing and speaking

In addition, there are lots of ways to coach without actually having the title “coach”. Many people get coaching skills training in order to be more effective in their main job – whether that is as a parent, mentor, manager, or even something as seemingly unrelated as a doctor or a salesperson.

Is a career as a life coach for you? First, ask yourself if you enjoy working independently, and if you have what it takes to start a small business (because that’s what you’ll most likely be doing). These are all things which are possible when you become a life coach, but of course you need to realize that starting a life coaching business presents some challenges. In order to motivate others, you yourself also need to be motivated!

If you’re thinking of becoming a life coach, be sure to read my article Beginner’s Guide to Become a Life Coach

What was Thomas Leonard Really Like? A Candid Interview with Andrea J. Lee

Barbra — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Barbra: Andrea, let’s start at the beginning. Can you tell us how you came to work for Thomas J. Leonard and Coachville?

Andrea: Complete and utter luck, actually. Well, if I had to give credit somewhere, it would be to computers, and the internet. Which in itself is interesting, because without those two things CoachVille certainly wouldn’t have grown the way it did either! So I guess it’s a good moment to appreciate technology.

Long story short, it was after I’d been in my first business several years. Jaded and quite discouraged, I was researching a new career on the internet and came across this thing called life coaching. This was in 2000. How many of us have this story in common, eh? Through Coach U, I found Thomas’ website, and there I really perked up at the photos of him and his dog, in the desert. At the bottom of that page was a little sentence that’s actually still there. It said “please say hello.” I did, with an email that went something like this:

Hi Thomas, just saying hi as you invited. I just discovered coaching, Coach U, and am at the is this for real? quick call the Better Business Bureau stage.

To which he replied…

hehe, yes coaching is real and so is coach u. it’s good to question!

This intrigued me, so I continued the internet search and found the Coaching Scoop ezine with a request for volunteers in it. Specifically, then Manager of CoachVille Steve Davis was looking for transcriptionists for the Real Interviews which were these 7 minute recordings. My internal dialog went something like this:

“Aha, I’ll get a free education while doing some volunteering. This way I can find out how real this coaching thing is.”

Barbra: So how did you go from being a volunteer transcriptionist to being the General Manager?

Andrea: Well, that was kind of funny. One of the recordings had a word on it, a place name that I didn’t know. It was Sebastapol California. Being my nerdy diligent self, I wrote to Steve saying, this transcription is done, and, I’m not sure about this word, Sebastapal or whatever.

I came to know later that it was this and a few other things that made an impression on Steve, so that when Thomas approved a budget for $2000 to hire a part-time customer service helper, Steve wrote me and I accepted. It was a huge compliment and I really owe it to Steve for all that’s happened since.

So I started in customer service in this (cough) part time virtual job, and it all seemed rather surreal, but it was to get even more so. I worked mostly with Steve at that point, and a few months later for some reason Steve was away, I think on holiday. During that time Thomas said to me “I think you’d be a great General Manager of CoachVille.” Of course, I really had no idea if I would be or not, but you know, if Thomas thought so, then okay, I would try it.

Not so short after all, Barbra, but there you have it! Now you know exactly what I mean by ‘complete and utter luck.’

Barbra: Those were heady years at Coachville (during your tenure as General Manager). What was a typical day like for you?

Andrea: Heady! And very busy. I worked pretty much all day, breaking for lunch and dinner, and most evenings I would put time in also. It wasn’t just that there was an overabundance of work – it was that the work was so compelling and magnetizing that the rest of my life came to pale by comparison.

Why would I do other things when there was this wild world of CoachVille to help build? When there was so much to open my eyes to and so much to express, as I discovered myself through my work? The work itself was what you might imagine: website creation, event management, customer service email, product creation and a lot of project management to take Thomas’ ideas (which usually came in the form of announcements) and make them happen.

Barbra: Yes, I remember those announcements often came at the speed of lightening. He was such a creative genius (and I don’t use that term lightly) and he was very skilled at delegating to others.

Andrea: For sure. He once wrote an email to the R&D team titled ‘Thomas, the Bottleneck’ and then shortly thereafter claimed the theme of ‘Absence of Dread’ in the Absence of program he was leading. Someone in that program wrote to tell me that Thomas had been saying my name a lot in class because Absence of Dread meant delegating things to Andrea!

Barbra: Did you feel appreciated by Thomas? By the CV membership?

Andrea: I did feel appreciated by the members as a whole, yes, because there was a lot of feedback coming through the R&D team for the work we were doing to advance the coaching profession.

As for Thomas, overall I’d say no, I didn’t feel appreciated by him.

Once in awhile he would express appreciation for sure. I have a card he mailed to me which said “Andrea, thank you for everything you do, especially the things I don’t know.” I found this really touching, probably precisely because it was quite rare.

Barbra: I appreciate your honesty in sharing that, Andrea. I must admit I had a bit of a hidden agenda in asking you that question. I’ve never told you this but I was at that first Coachville conference in Las Vegas in early 2002. And I remember at the end of the three days Thomas did his thank you’s from the stage, and he didn’t mention your name! And I had seen you working your butt off the entire time. I’ve always been curious about whether that was just an unfortunate oversight or whether that was typical of Thomas.

Andrea: Well, I’ll tell you something I’ve told I think only one person, my coach at the time. It was after the Las Vegas conference when I told Thomas I was upset that we hadn’t had time to sit down together. It was the first time we’d met in person. His response was pretty much ‘oh well’ which I now understand easily, because guess what, it wasn’t about ME and I had been trying to get my needs met through work. But what was even funnier was when I heard that Jan had said to Thomas “You treat your dog better than your team” and Thomas’ reply was “I do treat my dog very well don’t I?” LOL.

Barbra: That is very funny!

End of Part 1 – Scroll down to read Part 2.

Would you like to coach with Andrea? She’s offering a rare opportunity starting later this month. Click the banner below to save $300 on her new program.

Interview Part 2:

Barbra: We left off talking about the heady days of Coachville’s beginnings in 2000 and 2001. How much help did you have during that time?

Andrea: As you probably remember, there were a certain number of volunteers who took part in various projects, so there were always a few hands on deck. Officially though, on CoachVille’s payroll there were essentially these people, not throughout, but for a while:

(1) Tina Forsyth, who started as a volunteer and became Event Manager, part time.

(2) Dave Buck, who taught classes, led events, and co-created content.

(3) Susan Austin, who also started as a volunteer study group manager I believe, who became a co-leader of classes and events with Thomas.

(4) There were also Lisa Micklin (affiliates), Marki Talley (ezineville), Judith Buddle (customer service), Jan MacGregor (customer service) Bryan Yambao (graphic design and CS), and Shari Horne (project based web design) who were also involved in some of the more technical aspects of the work of CoachVille, in their specific areas.

Barbra: That’s a trip down memory lane hearing the names of all those terrific Coachville folks! Thomas did have an amazing way of attracting good people towards his projects.

Andrea: Yes, for sure. On a very day to day basis, though, I’d say there was me, Tina and Susan. We used to say that it was a team of 3 running the place, and more or less that was true, if you don’t count the various people we outsourced to.

Barbra: What did you enjoy the most? What was most exciting?

Andrea: The pace and variety as well as the constant stream of evolution. Working at CV was like watching an ocean, always changing, and part of a giant expanse of something significant. Being tested to my limits of intelligence, judgement, speed of response, conflict management, creativity. Coming to believe passionately in the work itself, for the sake of this thing called coaching.

Barbra: If you had to choose just one thing you learned from Thomas, what would it be?

Andrea: It would be about flow. As versus struggle, sure, but also about finding a zone for living in that suits me.

Barbra: Did Thomas have a dark side? If so, how did it show up?

Andrea: Oh sure he did, and I think it showed up for lots of people who worked with him. It’s like I have fun saying, “Working with Thomas was like Heaven and Hell at the same time.” :-)

Barbra: For example?

Andrea: Well, he would sometimes disappear for days at a time, unresponsive to emails or telephones, and no one would know what had happened. He would be very unrelenting and some would say lacking in compassion for the humanity of others, and their capacity to keep up with him, even though they did their best.

Barbra: Isn’t that interesting. So even though he knew all about the value of compassion for the humanity of others, he wasn’t always able to practice it. How human!

Andrea: Yes, he was human like the rest of us. I remember the way he let go of a Virtual Assistant while I was still a volunteer. It was difficult for him I know, because she had let him down, but it wasn’t the most graceful of endings.

Then there were people who felt they had been used by him. They volunteered, and didn’t get access to him the way they thought they might, so they became upset and Thomas wouldn’t much care. For Thomas I really think the way to understand it is that he championed people by not meeting, or acknowledging any neediness in them. He didn’t pander, that’s for sure.

Barbra: In a sense that’s the ultimate sign of respect.

Andrea: Yes. I think some people were surprised to learn that he wasn’t touchy feely and about making you feel good. And if you tried to get your needs met that way with him, you were in for a bit of a shock.

Barbra: It sounds like sometimes he took that to an extreme.

Andrea: I think so. Sometimes it would surface as a rough or brusque way of being with people. Also, his sensitivity and creativity could show up in a dark manner. He couldn’t and wouldn’t take criticism, as it would impact him a lot, so he would turn off relationships that were that way. He was so creative that I think he felt lonely, so sometimes he used his projects to meet his personal needs. All in all, Thomas was very human, I think, and thank goodness for that!

Part 3 – A Candid Interview with Andrea J. Lee

Barbra: Andrea, You were CV’s Business Manager at the time Thomas passed away. What were your immediate business concerns when that shocking event happened? What did you learn about business (e.g. contingency plans, succession, communications) from that experience?

Andrea: My thought process certainly had its share of four-letter words I can tell you that. I wondered ‘how would we deliver on our promises?’ especially to Graduate School of Coaching members. And how could we (myself and the team) hold the ship together in order to be there for the community? What were we going to say to the community? How could we communicate this horrific thing, his passing?

For me, the most difficult part was holding it together on the business end, since there really was only me. And though I had no idea how I was going to do it, I was not about to let Thomas’ memory down.

Barbra: What was your first priority?

Andrea: My goal then was to carry forward with as smooth a transition as I knew how. I returned to my hotel room early from his memorial service in order to draft the first CoachVille Member news to go out to the membership.

Oh Barbra, how I painstakingly chose the nuggets to go in that news. A photo of his dog Fringe looking sad at the top, evoking Thomas, but not a photo of Thomas yet, it was too soon. Setting up a website where everyone could vent, and communicate their feelings, and all of that…what a blur.

Don’t ask me how, but I knew that somewhere in the chaos that was about to happen there needed to be a calm in the storm. So I just proceeded to try and do that.

Barbra: I recall that you made a decision to go ahead with all the scheduled live events.

Andrea: Yes, of course, more pragmatic issues followed pretty quickly. We had quite a few live events planned for right away. So we communicated with everyone that the show would go on, with Dave Buck and Susan Austin at the forefront, doing so through their grief.

We had Graduate School classes and an incredible, now completely absurd-seeming promise to deliver 1000 hours of content, without Thomas.

What wasn’t really obvious, and may still not be, is that the revenue model for CoachVille, though lucrative in some ways, only worked because Thomas worked for free, and Thomas working was like I don’t know how many people working. No way were we going to replicate that.

So, the entire business was going to need to change, or go completely under. Because of the conflict Dave Buck and I had at
that time, I wasn’t around to carry it forward, so it really fell to Dave to either fulfill Thomas’ promises or not. To his credit I think Dave did the thing he felt was right to do, tough as it ended up being for him.

Barbra: Looking back on it, what were the business lessons learned?

Andrea: As a whole, the lessons learned about business are pretty universal. Always have a contingency plan – failsafe the viability of the enterprise. Who would take over for your business if you were to disappear? Would they have what they needed to carry forth the mission? Have you educated them and provided for them, or are you handing them a giant (unfair) headache? (Not everyone will care about their business continuing after their death mind you, so this will be something to consider on a case by case basis.)

Barbra: What has it been like going through the TJL materials? What criteria have you used to select what will be created?

Andrea: The criteria evolve as I consider what markets we’ll be targetting, but I’ll tell you the things that are foremost in my mind.

First, that there is a certain amount of content that should, and always will, if I can help it, be free. From that then, of course,
the question needs to be, okay, how do we fund those free things?

This was another place where people have been misled, by the way. It seemed to the world that CoachVille was a profitable, wonderful business that if they only copied, would mean great profits, etc. Well, not only did Thomas fund much of CoachVille with his own time, all that he made free was funded from his pockets too. So, it’s a caveat I’ve wanted to make openly public for a while. The CoachVille model of generosity while marvelous, is something to be careful with when trying to replicate.

But I digress. There is of course, a lot of packaging and formats of material that will be for-fee. And after that, the criteria really are simple. What will be of most benefit? What needs to be preserved, so as not to fade away forgotten? What’s easiest to create for now, so we can keep in motion? What’s most enjoyable to complete, both for us as the project owners, but for the market. What will be revenue-generating so we can sustain ourselves well and be around for a long time, because you know, there is a lot of work here and we want to be around long enough to do it thoroughly and well. And last but not least, requests and feedback from the community I take seriously into consideration as well.

Barbra: What are you hoping to achieve with your Thomas Leonard Success Strategies coaching program?

Andrea: Many things. As you know I’m a business coach, so I want the program to help business owners grow themselves and their businesses. I know with my heart of hearts that there is a meaningful way of thinking about business that is useful to learn from Thomas.

But more than that, my hope is to recreate some of the energetic
spark, and flow, that existed when Thomas was alive. That spirit of
mischieviousness and profound creativity. With the group coaching
classes where I’ll share Thomas stories to set the stage, I hope that the sizzle of energy will become a hallmark of this group coaching program.

Barbra: There are so many programs for coaches. What’s different about this one?

Andrea: Again, lots of things, and my answer above I think covers the most important, along with the fact that the material is 100% unique. But here’s just one more, very practical reason. This program is the only one that will end up being actually worth more money than what was originally paid.

Barbra: How’s that?

Andrea: Originally we planned to ship 6 print books and 4 CD sets (multiple CDs) to print program participants. That has now increased to 7 print books and 5 CD sets, because we’ve uncovered some more very precious recordings that would be wrong to exclude.

Barbra, each of these items a la carte will be an enormous amount more than what we’re charging now for the program. Thomas said “Add
value for the joy of it” and we’re taking that to heart. My hope is that this program will be talked about for decades to come as the thing that took a stand for value, and regenerated Thomas’s energy around underpromising and overdelivering.

Barbra: Sounds terrific Andrea, good luck with it. And thank you for doing this interview, I really enjoyed it!

Andrea: Thank YOU Barbra, for the fun interview!

This has been the final installment of my interview with Andrea. Would you like to do business coaching with Andrea? Click the banner below to learn more.

You Can Do It! Fridge Magnets

Barbra — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:12:00 +0000

My CompassVIP.com fridge magnets arrived today. I ordered them instead of standard business cards.