Building Your New Life Coaching Practice
By Steve
Mitten B.ApSc, CPCC, MCC
Want to
know what's the single most powerful way to build your new
life coaching practice?
When you are just starting out, the single
most powerful way to build your coaching practice is
to give your coaching away.
Let's face
it, selling coaching can be
tough. And
unfortunately most of the training schools do a poor
job of equipping coaches with the skills they need to
fill their practices.
Too many good coaches are stuck in the paradox
of providing a service that is highly valued by 98.5%
of the people that experience it, and yet the coaches
themselves struggle to fill their practices.
Think about
it. Coaching
is a new profession. Less than 1 in 1,000 of your prospects
has ever tried coaching. They simply don't know what
it is. Most
people just don't have a clue what the benefits of coaching
are. Would
you buy something that you didn't understand?
Not likely.
So unless you have unlimited time and a colossal
budget, running ads, sending out announcements, simple
networking, and many of the conventional ways of promotion
are relatively ineffective.
Here's the
important secret.
A great coaching experience
sells coaching.
Note, the word here is experience not description.
You definitely don't want to fall into the very natural
trap of trying to explain coaching to prospects. You
can be as eloquent as a poet, and yet your finest words
will at best translate into a state of bemused interest
- which is not enough for most prospects to make the
leap of faith required to become clients.
The single most effective way of communicating
the very powerful benefits of coaching - and getting
more clients - is by giving away experiences
of great coaching.
When you give
people a great experience of
coaching, they connect emotionally to; who they really
are, what is most important to them, what is possible
for them, and they begin to see that coaching is a powerful
way to realize their heart's desire.
If you are a competent coach and you do this
with 3 qualified prospects, chances are you will end
up with at least one new client.
So, the bottom-line
here is if you want to build your practice, find ways
you can give away your coaching. Whether you are doing
personal coaching, business coaching or executive coaching,
you can find a dozen very effective ways to connect
with prospects, and help them see how coaching can change
their lives.
Coaching is
a great profession. It really helps people.
And the market for coaching is huge. (Less than
1/10th of 1 % of the civilized world has
ever experienced coaching.)
However you can't succeed in coaching by simply
being an order taker.
Get going.
Think creatively about how to get in contact
with the largest number of the people you want to work
with. Be
authentic. Seek to add genuine value. Be unattached
to the outcome. Be fearless. Be organized.
Seek the support you need to be great.
Continue to develop as a coach.
And if you give away 6 good experiences of coaching
this week, to qualified prospects, chances are you'll
end up with a few new clients.
Good luck and remember, FREELY SHARE YOUR GIFTS.
P.S. - I love to help coaches find the most
natural and effective way of expanding their practice.
When you find your true niche, it is amazing what can
happen. Feel free to contact me at steve@acoach4u.com
and set up a time to chat.
**********************************
Steve Mitten CPCC, MCC, 2005 ICF President, works with
leaders, executives and independents wanting to create
extraordinary meaningful and successful lives. Steve
is devoted to raising standards in the young profession
of coaching and through his coaching programs and book,
Marketing Essentials
For Coaches, has helped hundreds of coaches find
an affordable and authentic path to commercial success.
Article is free to be reprinted as long as author's
bio remains intact.
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