Professional Coaches » Business Coaching

Having “The Talk” With Your Client

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:17 +0000

Recently, a friend of mine had to have "the talk" with his son. You know what talk I'm talking about. The Talk. Like many kids, the realization of "the birds and the bees" was alarming and apparently he walked around in a state of shock for a while afterwards.

If you're a business coach, you have a similar awkward job with your clients as you help them understand their business and how it is changing. Things may be really cooking for them as a successful start-up with two or three employees full of hubris… and all of a sudden they realize that they can't handle things the way they are and they need to make changes. They contact you to help them. You talk them through the process of adding staff, creating systems, and all that kind of stuff. It's just like a business version of The Talk: You need to explain how things are really done now that they are growing up.

One of the primary ways that your client's business is going to change is in its culture. Once, a couple of people – probably co-owners – sat around a table 24/7 brainstorming and selling. It was crazy and messy and fueled by coffee and convenience store snacks. Those may have been fun times and the owners will look back on those as fondly as we all reflect on our carefree childhoods. But as the business grows, things change: They can't simply add another half dozen employees and expect business to still take place in that one room 24/7. Non-owners, for example, will have different motivations. They'll want to go home in the evenings. They'll care when they get paid. They won't feel the same sense of ownership.

That is exactly what happened to Method, a cleaning products company that grew. In their early days, they were that fresh-faced aggressive business that was able to combine fun and work in a way that only entrepreneurs can. But then things evolve and they soon found themselves with a group of employees that couldn't be sustained by that culture.

I read about them in an article at BNET called "Taming the Type-A Culture Gone Wild". In the article, author Melanie Warner describes how free spirited and collaborative things were and how they changed as the business grew. Suddenly, the entrepreneurs found themselves needing to formalize a culture where once they let the culture be defined by the few people who worked there.

The article reports that they successfully created five rules – "Collaborate", "Care", "Innovate", "Keep Method weird", and the odd-yet-humorous "What would MacGyver do?" – to help define the corporate culture.

The article in BNET was just about culture but if you're a business consultant, there's a good chance that your clients will need guidance in far more than cultural shifts. They'll need to be coached in successful hiring (and eventually, successfully firing), administration, vision-casting, and more. They may do these well now but these skills need to be formalized and that is where you come in. You need to walk them through what they need to do and you need to help them formalize and systematize various aspects that were once carefree. But it often starts with culture.

Are you ready to have "The Talk" with your clients?

Brought to by you by: Contemporary VA - Run your business instead of running in circles.

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter. Follow the team to stay updated on business resources we deliver that cover strategies and tips, social media and more!

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4 Things that High School Taught Me About Coaching

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:54:20 +0000

When I look outside of my office window around 8AM and around 3PM, I see herds of high school students wandering first to school then home again. It takes me back a few (okay more than a few) years to my high school days. And while I’m thinking about it, it inspired this blog. So, here are 4 things that high school taught me about coaching.

1. High school students seem to be always just one Facebook Wall post away from a crisis: Sam was seen with Brenda, what could that mean? Or, Joe didn’t say hello to April, it’s the end of the world. The same holds true for some of our coaching clients: They are in a potential state of near crisis. I do mean this humorously but not disrespectfully. Our clients don’t know the stuff that we’re working with them in. It is a big deal with them. Our job is to navigate the situation with some sanity.

2. High school students need to balance dreams with reality. They might aspire to be a teacher or cop or rocket scientist but they also need to face reality. Do they have the marks to make it? Do they have the dedication? You don’t want to crush their dreams but you also don’t want them to run down a futile path. Again, that’s like our job as coaches. We need to help our clients understand their dream of (for example) creating the next Twitter with the reality that (for example) they have no social networking experience. Our job is to help them find a real path that will take them close to their dream.

3. There are a lot of things competing for the attention of high school students: Their school work, an after school job, a budding romance, friends, and all that kind of stuff. These take on a priority in the student’s mind and it’s hard for the lower prioritized stuff to get the attention it needs. It’s the same as a coach: We can give plenty of advice and guidance to our clients, but we’re only speaking into their lives for an hour or two a week. The rest of the time they’ve got work to do, family life to live, the dog to walk, and the garbage needs to be taken to the curb. Our job, then, is to help them follow through on the advice we give (obviously we don’t want to do the work for them) but to make it easy for them.

4. Fashion is a ridiculously important element in high school. (I guess it’s important outside of high school, too, actually, but it seems to be more critically urgent in high school because of the impact that it can have on peer relationships). This kind of "cool" also appears in our work, too. I don’t know about you, but I often get clients who come to our sessions with the latest, most fashionable flavor of marketing idea to implement in their business. My job, in these cases, is to help them weigh the value and determine whether or not it’s truly going to help their business. As mom said, just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s right.

Brought to by you by: Contemporary VA - Run your business instead of running in circles.

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter. Follow the team to stay updated on business resources we deliver that cover strategies and tips, social media and more!

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Coaches on Coaching

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:44:14 +0000

This is a great video about coaching. It’s actually just a 3 minute teaser for a much longer (paid) coaching video but it’s still a fantastic synopsis about what coaching is from different perspectives. But it’s not just a video for beginner coaches: I’m a coach and every time I watch this I think "hey, that’s a great way to think about coaching". It gives me a new perspective and "refreshes" my thinking on what my opportunities are with my clients.

Brought to by you by: Contemporary VA - Run your business instead of running in circles.

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter. Follow the team to stay updated on business resources we deliver that cover strategies and tips, social media and more!

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Getting Referrals

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:08:22 +0000

Chances are, a lot of your new clients come through marketing efforts that you’ve done – perhaps advertising or social media or something like that. It’s important to have new clients but these clients are, in a way, "expensive". You spent time and energy and money on the marketing to get the new client in the door. So the profit you earn from that client is determined only after you subtract the marketing spend you make. (If you spend $1000 on marketing in a specific period and you bring in 5 clients as a result, your marketing spend per new client is $200).

If you want more profitable clients, or if you want to save money and time by marketing less, you should work on generating more referrals from your existing clients.

Referral clients are great clients to have. They take very little marketing effort on your part to become clients. (That’s because they’re responding to word-of-mouth from a trusted friend, which is the most credible form of marketing that we all respond to). And, once they are clients, they are more likely to be loyal clients because they come to you fully trusting and understanding what you do (rather than clients who showed up through a marketing channel who might not totally trust you or who might not fully understand what you can do for them).

Better clients at less marketing cost? That is a great combination! Here’s how to develop more referrals:

Get into the habit of asking your current clients if they know of anyone else who they might refer. Now, a word of warning is important here: Obviously, you don’t want to hassle your clients so you need to find a tasteful way to do it, and perhaps after every meeting is too frequent. You’ll need to decide. You can invite them to refer others simply by saying, "Phil, I’m enjoying our time together. I have a space open and rather than fill it with a brand new client, you’re welcome to recommend someone who you think might benefit from my services."

Consider a group session or a luncheon in which they invite friends. This will need to be low-key (so the friend doesn’t feel that you’re going to pitch to them throughout the session) and the friend should obviously get a tremendous amount of value out of it. If you’re confident that you can deliver great value and win a client’s friend to your service, consider saying something like this: "Pam, we’ve been talking about your friend Teri for a while. I’m interested in meeting her and hearing about her business first hand. I think she can help you with your business, too. Instead of the two of us meeting in my office for our next session, why don’t you invite Teri to meet me for lunch? We’ll talk about your business plan and see if there’s a way that she can help you."

Consider creating an invitation-only webinar or teleseminar and telling your clients that they and their friends can participate. This content should be highly valuable but, at the end, can include a short pitch about your services.

Brought to by you by: Contemporary VA - Run your business instead of running in circles.

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter. Follow the team to stay updated on business resources we deliver that cover strategies and tips, social media and more!

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Something We Can All Use a Little More Of

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:39:13 +0000

Over a year ago, a client came to me with a problem. He had four businesses and he was looking for help with starting a fifth one.

One of his businesses was over 5 years old and had been successful in the first few years. However, its success diminished recently as it funded the start-up of businesses #2, #3, and #4. Then, this fifth business was being investigated and the client needed some help with some of the ins and outs of the business.

We sat down to look at his business plan. It seemed sound; it was based on research; the projections were realistic. All projections but one: When was he going to spend the time on this business? I asked about the other business he ran (which he had started before coming to me so I wasn’t as familiar with them). He admitted that they were all struggling. He made a livable 5 figure income each year, which came in primarily from 2 of the businesses.

So I asked him: You have 2 businesses that earn you 5 figures; 2 more businesses that earn next to nothing and you want to start a fifth business? He also talked excited about a sixth business as well. To make matters worse, these businesses didn’t share anything in common; they were spread across 4 (soon to be 5) different industries.

This client lacked focus. Focus is something we can all use a little more of sometimes.

Focus is about identifying just a few things we want to do and then eliminating everything else
Focus is about working within a methodology that is the best we have and ignoring other options even if they seem good
Focus is about excelling at something and accepting that you won’t excel at other things

In business, for example, you might be tempted to try all kinds of marketing channels but you’ll be more successful when you stick to a handful. Or, in your coaching practice, you might be tempted to offer a variety of services but you’ll be more successful when you focus on just a couple.

Focusing does mean giving something else up. And what makes it challenging is that we often have the "grass-is-greener" mentality about the thing we’re giving up! But when we lack focus, it steals our attention and energy and our ability to get a good amount accomplished on one thing.

Now, of course it’s okay to try new things. After all, we’d never get anywhere if we didn’t. But we just need to be careful that we’re not adopting new practices without first testing them and giving thought to how they might benefit us.

One of my favorite books on focus is Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt’s book The Power of Focus. Pick up this book; it is well worth the investment for your business and for you to help your clients to focus!

Contemporary VA - Run your business instead of running in circles.

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The Top of The Stairs

admin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:37:47 +0000

Recently, a client told me that he had been bumping his head on the ceiling. He wasn’t any taller since I’d last met him and the context of the conversation was about business. His business, specifically. He was an entrepreneur who had built a successful business but now, he told me, he was bumping his head on the ceiling of growth. He knew he needed to grow but he didn’t know what the right next step was.

We chatted about this for a while as I inquired about what he thought the next step of his business was and what had been the experience of others who had done similar things. Finally we discovered together what the right next step was. It turns out, without realizing it, he had recently achieved his goals in business.

When he started his business he had wanted to create a growing, successful company that was enjoyable to work in and that provided him and his family with a sustainable income. Nothing elaborate, just the good honest hardworking dream of an entrepreneur. He wasn’t seeking fame or fortune, he just wanted to do his own thing and provide for his family.

What he needed, we realized, was a new vision; not just a next step but an entire next staircase!

So together we started creating a roadmap for the future. Rather than looking at the next step for him (which was unclear because there was nothing more for him to achieve) we started looking at what was at the top of his dream staircase. Did he envision an even more prosperous business that he could sell before retirement? Did he want to create something to pass on to his children once they’d grown? Did he want to achieve fame and fortune after all?

It turns out, in his particular case, he wanted to create a business that was somewhat automated, not so he could leave it for weeks and sit on a beach, but just so that he could start spending more time with family as his children got older.

As soon as he said that, it all started to click into place. By looking at the top of the staircase, we could immediately see what steps needed to take place to get there. In his case, he needed to start exploring various automation software, employee training, and (in a little while) a business manager.

Rather than thinking that he had reached the top of the staircase, we changed his thinking so that he had just reached a landing in a much larger staircase.

Now it’s your turn. You might not be there yet. But you may eventually get to that landing. It would be helpful now to consider what the top of the staircase is for you and what steps you need to take to get there.

Is the vision you have for your ultimate business success achievable through the steps you’re taking now? In some ways, this entire "staircase" exercise is an exit strategy exercise but it involves a greater emphasis on the steps you need to take today to get there. Spend some time with your clients working through this process to help them envision what’s at the top of their staircase.

Contemporary VA

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Three Skills Everyone Should Have

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:53:58 +0000

Murphy’s Laws says that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Recently, I was reminded of this during a particularly crazier-than-usual week. It was a veritable flurry of mini-disasters. Now, I realize that in the big scheme of things, my flat tire or missed appointment or forgotten tasks are minor compared to the struggles and trials of other people in the world. However, when taken together, it was still an exhausting week for me!

It’s funny that we know things and then forget about them only to be reminded of them again. (If only it would stick!!!). During this past week I was reminded of 3 skills that everyone should have. And believe me, I covet these skills and wish that I reflected them more often!

Skill #1: Acceptance of adversity. When things go wrong – and they will – we need to accept it. That doesn’t mean that we have to like it, but it does mean that we have to simply acknowledge that it has happened and move on from there. There have been plenty of times in my own life and in the lives of people I coach where we face adversity and fly off the handle. Tempers flare, frustration mounts, and there’s yelling, swearing, and tension. It happens and I admit it here because I know this happens to other people, too.

But our lives will dramatically improve when we respond in a more constructive, accepting position when we are face adversity. Rather than flying off the handle, we need to accept that something challenging has happened and then we need to move on from there.

Skill #2: Flexibility. When things go wrong – and they will – we need to get flexible. Once we’ve accepted the adversity as having happened (skill #1) we need to move off of it and start working toward a solution. Flexibility means that we get creative to develop a solution to solve the problem or at least to keep us going in spite of it.

Flexibility in the face of adversity also means that we need to continue on with other things in life, too, even if part of our life is impacted by adversity. (For example, when I got a flat tire last week, I still had to get dinner ready and get the kids to bed regardless of the added tire stress).

Skill #3: Asking "What can I learn from this?". When things go wrong – and they will – we need to ask ourselves "what can I learn from this?". I was reminded recently during a huge rainstorm we had when our neighbor’s pool overflowed and ran down our sloped backyard and into our basement. Until then, we didn’t even know that our backyard sloped ever so slightly toward our house. So we did something about it.

In trying to figure out what you can learn from each situation, you can transform every experience into a personal coaching experience and you will grow from it.

Possessing these three skills – accepting adversity, being flexible, and learning from the situation – will transform how you face challenges. These skills are must-have skills for anyone and they make ideal coaching topics to help your clients, no matter what kind of coaching you might do.

Contemporary VA

@contemporaryva on Twitter. Follow us to stay updated with our many resources that include business, accounting and bookkeeping, social media, and much more!

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Playing it Safe

admin — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:40:14 +0000

When it comes to coaching, careers, and life in general – what is the effect of "playing it safe"?

Playing it safe means not taking chances or risks. It means not making changes. It means not taking a true leadership role in your life or career. It means standing still. And it means never knowing ‘what could have been’ or reaching one’s true happiness.

Most people of great success didn’t get there by playing it safe. Can you truly find happiness by playing it safe or do you only find stale contentment?

It’s imporatant to encourage ourselves, our clients, our family and our friends to be courageous and make changes, take control and move forward.

We should ask:

What would make me happy?
What steps would it take to get there?
What will happen if I don’t take those steps? Or, what WON’T happen if I don’t take those steps?
If I just play it safe, where will I be in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years? The same place I am now?

I think it’s important to include those keywords "if I just play it safe" when we’re encouraging one, or ourselves, to go for happiness. There seems to be something motivating about that phrase.

Playing it safe doesn’t build one’s self-esteem. It doesn’t allow a person to realize their true capabilities or to really put their "drive" in high gear. It’s a place of complacency, of cruise-control. Living on cruise-control gives you no chance to really experience your travel.

If you roll down the windows and enjoy the wind, crank up the radio, feel the bumps and potholes, and control everything about your journey you can really appreciate and navigate your path. Taking the wheel puts your destination in your control rather than just arriving wherever it takes you.

Even though we can’t control everything that happens in life, we can ultimately control our happiness by asking ourselves "now that this has happened, what is it that will make me happy?", and daring ourselves to not play it safe so that we can navigate our way to to the place we want to be.

What are your views when it comes to "playing it safe" and happiness? Is there a particular approach you use? Do you have any stories or successes about how not playing it safe gave way to happiness or how playing it safe gave way to just settling?

Karen J. for Professional-Coaches.com

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Asking the Right Questions

admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:42:23 +0000

Asking “the right” questions isn’t just a coaching topic. It’s an everyday life topic.

I’ve heard of this approach before but I recently read the manuscript of a book soon to be published that discussed this ‘thought’ and it reminded me of how powerful it is.

It’s the focus of energy. Negative vs. positive. It’s the theory that if we ask questions that evoke negative thoughts, we stir negative emotions and bring a person’s energy down. But, if we ask questions that evoke positive thoughts, we stir positive emotions and, therefore, positive energy.

Instead of asking “what’s wrong”, ask “what’s right” and work from there. This allows a person to think of good things which enhances their positive energy. Positive energy lends a hand to motivation.

Figure out how to fix a problem by focusing on what’s right, what’s working and how to build on the “what’s working” factor rather than wallow in a sea of how to fix “what’s wrong”.

“What’s wrong” can oftentimes feel way too overwhelming and it causes a person to look at all of the negatives rather than the positives. Think about it…negatives can be DOWNright draining!

Personally, if I think of “what’s wrong” I begin to develop a dreary list and feel like sinking right into my couch cushions as far as I can sink.

But when I think of “what’s right”, I feel a tinge of positive energy that reminds me of the blessings I do have and motivates me to chase “what’s right”.

So, the next time you or a client are working on a problem, tackle it by focusing on positive energy and “what’s right” rather than giving yourself reason to feel like crawling under a rock.

Instead of thinking “how can I fix what’s wrong”, think of “how can I expand on what’s right and what works”.

This book is ABSOLUTELY a MUST READ for everyone. Coaches, individuals, everyone. Individuals will find it enlightening and coaches may find several great approaches to helping clients tackle any aspect of their life.

It will expand greatly on the topic of “asking the right questions”…as a matter of fact, there’s a section dedicated to just that and it lays out “the 5 right questions”.

It’s not only a very motivational book but a great read. I don’t like boring books and this is certainly not one. There’s a great storyline to keep you interested while you learn many valuable life lessons and how to succeed in any aspect of your life.

You can get on the notification list at The Servant Soul and proceeds will go to a foundation that donates to those in need and performs “random acts of kindness”. It’s not only a fantastic book but a worthy cause.

I guarantee you will thoroughly enjoy this book and take much away from it. You must, must, must add this to your collection.

The author is amazing. I’ve known him a short time and I really can’t put into proper words how amazing he is.

Burke Hedges is one of those people who just brightens your day by speaking to you, even if it’s of nothing in particular. He generates such positive energy and I can see why he’s such a successful author and motivational speaker. If you want to check out some of his other stuff you can do so at Burke Hedges.

I believe that once you read it, you’ll find yourself recommending it to clients, family, friends and even perfect strangers! You’ll find this post in every category because it truly relates to everyone and every situation.

Coaches could create some positive plans for assisting clients based on the contents of the book.

Once the book is released and you’ve read it, please let me know what you think. I’m excited about its release and I think its timing couldn’t be more perfect considering the shape the world is in today.

Karen J. for Professional-Coaches.comSimilar Posts:

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International Coaching Federation

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:41:54 +0000

The International Coaching Federation (ICF), is an organization that not only awards credentials for professional coaches, but also offers a goldmine of information and resources to its members.

According to the ICF, the following are the core competencies of professional coaches:

Setting the Foundation
Co-Creating the Relationship
Communicating Effectively
Facilitating Learning and Results

Regardless of what type of coach you are, these core competencies ring true. Without them, it would not be possible to support or guide clients toward an appropriate goal. But, do these competencies look the same in all types of coaching? Are they applied the same by life coaches and executive coaches? Or is it more about the individual coach rather than the type of coaching? Every coach implements these competencies in one way or another, but depending on the coach, more focus may be given to one competency over another.

Members of the ICF are also listed in a directory on the website. A potential client can enter in several pieces of qualifying information including geographic location and type of coaching desired, and then a list of ICF member coaches is displayed.

This added marketing benefit may be reason enough to join, the additional credentials notwithstanding. For many potential clients, additional credentials can be a relief. There has been some buzz over recent years regarding the regulation of the coaching industry. As such, having additional credentials may put potential clients at ease.

They are in the process of updating and redesigning their website so we’ve found that a few of the links aren’t working but we’re sure they’ll be fixed once they get the kinks ironed out.

Lisa on behalf of Contemporary VA

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