LIFE COACH STEVE MITTEN MCC

December 2004

IN THIS ISSUE

1) PERSONAL GROWTH - What's your stake?

2) MARKETING TIP - Recipe for a marketing breakthrough.

3) COACHING TIP - What to do when the coaching goes dead.

4) SOS MARKETING TELECLASS - The next of this popular "build-your-practice-on-a-budget" program beginning in January.

5) $100 donation to the World Wildlife Fund announced - thanks for forwarding this newsletter on to so many people.

1) WHAT'S YOUR STAKE? (What would you defend at all cost?)

In the days of the wild west when warriors of the Crow Indian Nation were threatened, they would tether their left leg to a wooden stake that had been pounded into the ground; so as to say, "To defend this ground I give my life." Such a clear and passionate message was a powerful deterrent for most interlopers.

Few of us encounter the type of extraordinary situations where we might give our life for our family, friends, freedom, world peace, or other causes or principles important to us.

But what about the less dramatic? What do we give our life to everyday? Think about it. Today, what did you consciously or unconsciously give your time and energy (your life) to? How did what you spent your time on match what is truly important to you?

If you are like most of us, there is a big gap between what we hold to be important, and what we spend our time on.

As this current year draws to a close, I invite you to consider what your stake is, and whether the choices you make on a day-to-day basis reflect those priorities. If they do, congratulations. If they don't, what do you intend to do about it?

AS FOR ME

As the New Year approaches, here is my stake..... what I am committed to for 2005:

Peace, health, environmental sustainability and ongoing learning.
If I do not have inner peace, I cannot contribute to peace in the world. (I want to continue to stamp out any trace of fear and its various manifestations; worry, judgments, rushing around, being self-conscious, having a shortage mentality, trying to force outcomes, not being present, etc.)
If I am not healthy, if I am tired, I cannot be of much help to others.
If I do not live in a sustainable way, I cannot help the world recover from its untenable levels of consumption.
If I do not continue to learn, grow and evolve, I will not move past my current limitations.
My family, friends, clients, colleagues and neighbors.
It is with and through the people in my life I laugh, learn, love and make a difference.
The growth and prosperity of the coaching profession.
Coaching is the most powerful agent of positive change the world has seen in centuries. I am committed to the success of the profession and its practitioners.

"If you don't stand for something, you may fall for anything."

2) RECIPE FOR A MARKETING BREAKTHROUGH.

I was helping my youngest daughter Jill make the annual batch of gingerbread last weekend, and I got to thinking about the recipe. I loved the idea that someone had taken the time to figure out all the right ingredients to make fantastic gingerbread, and then chose to share it with us. All Jill and I had to do was follow the instructions and presto......delicious gingerbread.

I wish it was that easy to help people market their businesses. Unfortunately, no one formula works for everyone; because each individual is a big ingredient in the recipe, and everyone is cooking up a different dish.

However, having worked with hundreds and hundreds of independent professionals over the years, I would like to submit an meta-formula for making a marketing breakthrough.

There are 3 ingredient categories; The Being, The Knowing, and The Doing.

Marketing Breakthrough Recipe.

3 Parts "Being"
1 Part "Knowing"
2 Parts "Doing"

Being.
This is foundational. If you do not have the "being" right, nothing will happen. In other words if you are coming from a place of fear, shortage, or a you-got-to-do-this-for-me attitude - expect struggle. Conversely, if you ground yourself each day in an enthusiastic, confident, unattached-to-the-outcome, courageous, how-can-I-be-of-help attitude - wonderful things can happen.

Knowing.
You have to know who your clients are, what problems they have, how your solution compares to all others, how to best package your solution, and how best communicate it to your prospects. (Seems like simple stuff, but you would be amazed at how few people know their market this well.)

Doing.
You may be one of the spiritual illuminati, and possess an encyclopedic knowledge of marketing, but if you never communicate with the rest of the world, you will not have a successful practice. To get breakthrough results, you must take consistent action. If you are new to marketing, it can take between 3-5 hours of direct action to gain a new client. As you get more focused on a niche, the time requirement drops considerably, but you still need to act.

Instructions.
Always start with the "Being". Fold in a generous dose of "Knowing" what your clients want, and how to contact large numbers of them at one time. And then form your ingredients into a sustained, and enthusiastic course of action.

Enjoy the rewards.

"The breakthroughs you want, are always found just outside your current comfort zone."

3) COACHING TIP - WHEN THE COACHING GOES DEAD.

Many coaches reach a point with a client where they notice that the coaching feels "dead". In other words, there is a lack of energy, commitment or progress.

Ebbs and flows of energy are a natural part of a long-term coaching relationship (as clients prepare for, execute and recover from changes). However if the lack of energy persists, here are a few places to look - and as always, start with yourself:

How are you showing up to the call, well-rested, prepared, full of anticipation and excitement (or are you bored or full of dread)?
Are you fully present and focused on the client (or multi-tasking or daydreaming)?
Are you calling forth, or coaching the most empowered vision you have of your client (or colluding with their gremlin)?
Are you working on something that is truly important to your client (or re-arranging the clutter on their desk)?
Are you coaching them as a person (or are you coaching the circumstances of the story they tell themselves that keeps them from acting)?

Assuming you are doing powerful coaching, where else might you look?

Has the client come to coaching on their own initiative, or are they simply going through the motions in compliance with a boss or partner. (Until a client shows up in a coaching relationship willing to change, there will be little progress.)
Is the client stuck in an unhealthy emotional state that would necessitate a referral to a therapist?

If the client is healthy, and you can honestly say that you are coaching powerfully and holding your client to be creative and resourceful, and yet nothing is happening, then it may be time to have a little chat. You may want to check in with them and see how they think the coaching is going. Share your concerns, that you sense you could be of more use to them and see what they say. (Sometimes you are being of more use than you imagine.)

If you have tried everything and there is still no response, it may be time to risk getting fired. Tell your client the polite yet direct equivalent of, "I really care about your success, and if you don't show up with more energy or commitment to coaching, I don't think I can work with you anymore. I don't want to be party to you playing life small or wasting more of your precious time."

Good luck.

"Struggle is growth waiting to happen."

4) NEXT SOS (Sick Of Struggling) MARKETING TELECLASS - STARTS JANUARY.

"This was EXACTLY what I was needing to hear and learn."

"I want to let you know how much I’m enjoying the SOS course and how much VALUABLE INFORMATION I’m getting from it."

Thank you SOS members for the joy of working with you this last year. I appreciate your kind words, but my best reward is seeing you move ahead with your coaching businesses.

I will be starting a new SOS program in January. As usual this will be the marketing-your-practice-on-a-budget program in which I share everything I have learned from my years in coaching. I love delivering the program and I am delighted that so many past participants have put to use so much from it. (You can see the recent testimonials at http://www.acoach4u.com/marketingprogram.htm ).

This program comes with a satisfaction guarantee and is designed with the intent that you will find it the single most valuable business building exercise you've ever been part of. (Many participants realize over a 500% return on investment within the first few sessions, and it still costs less than $25 per session BEFORE your discounts.)

If you are interested in joining us, you will need to act quickly. Go to http://www.acoach4u.com/marketingprogram.htm . Check out the program. I am thinking that either Tuesday the 11 or Wednesday the 12 of January look like good dates. (Typically, to have this work for people around the world, the best time of day is 2 PM EST (11 AM Pacific). If you are interested, please send me an email to let me know if you are in. (steve@acoach4u.com).

Next, direct anybody else you think might benefit from the course to the same link so they can reserve a spot and earn you both a discount. (Remember this is a win-win proposition, they get 10% off for being referred by you, and you get 10% off for each referral that signs up. (The sooner you start referring, the more discounts you can earn.) And there is always a 100% money back guarantee you can access anytime in the first month.)

I would love to have you join us, and help make 2005 a great year for you.

5) HELP THE WORLD BY SIMPLY FORWARDING THIS NEWSLETTER.

Thank you for forwarding this newsletter to your colleagues. I have just today donated $100 to the WWF in recognition of all the new subscribers that joined us last year.

The WWF, http://www.panda.org/ is a strong international agent of responsible conservation. Whether they are working to save the Siberian Tiger, Polar Bears in the high arctic, marine reefs in Malawi, or lobbying for responsible forest management around the world, they make a difference. You can too. IF YOU FORWARD THIS FREE NEWSLETTER TO ANYONE, AND THEY SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THEIR OWN FREE COPY, 10 cents will be be contributed to WWF. To receive this newsletter simply send an email to please sign me up.

Coach and live with heart,

Steve

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Life Coach and Business Development Specialist Steve Mitten B.ApSc, CPCC, MCC helps individuals, professionals and leaders find their niche, be their best and make an impact. Contact mailing address is 2141, 131B St., Surrey BC, Canada, V4A 9J5.

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