If any of your coaching takes place over the telephone, one of the services you can offer your clients is to record the telephone call and provide it for their review later. (Disclaimer: If you are recording any telephone call for professional reasons, you should let the other person know and you should ask for permission first). 

Basically, the easiest way to get started now, without any fancy equipment, is to use a system like the ones offered by RecordiaPro.com, RecordMyCalls.com, or FreeConferenceCalling.com… but there are many others. Most of the systems work something like this: You create an account at one of these sites then you call them and conference call your client. You have your conversation, then you end up with an audio file (often an mp3) as a record of your call. 

So, here are a few ways to use this:

1. In any telephone coaching scenario, talk to your client over the phone then deliver a recording of the call. As a bonus, send them a transcription, too.

2. In telephone seminars, have numerous people dial in and listen to you (and they may or may not ask questions, depending on your preference) and have your seminar recorded as an mp3 to use as a podcast.

3. Get a transcription of your call to be used in various ways (as a blog series, in an ebook, as the foundation for a guide or manual, etc.)

Your conversations are valuable and by recording them, you are preserving them to be reused by you and by your clients in the future.

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When I first became a coach, I used to read everything I could about coaching. Everything. If it even had the word "coaching" in it, it was in my reading list. (Which means I can now coach kids hockey whenever I'm needed!) After a while, it all started to sound the same and I began an evolution to where I am today: Now, I read as widely as possible.

Of course, I still have a few key coaching resources that I turn to again and again (insert shameless plug for this blog here). They are in my Google Reader and I'm a faithful and loyal follower. But as soon as I started reading more widely, I found that I became a better coach because:

* I could relate to people more effectively. Chances were, I'd just read something interesting related to what was important to them.

* I began to develop my own unique and creative coaching tools: An article about watercolor painting therapy inspired me to introduce a creative drawing component into my own practice that clients have responded to.

* I could more easily draw a link between "the outside world" and my coaching services, helping me acquire more clients because I could see things from their perspective.

I'd recommend the following:

* Bookmark a handful of coaching resources (of course) and don't ever stop honing your craft.

* Read one national newspaper or newsmagazine

* Read one local newspaper if you have local clients (and if you live in a bigger city, opt for those neighborhood newspapers instead of your city paper)

* Read a general content magazine that covers a wider range of information like Readers Digest or Salon

* Read a magazine of a hobby that you find interesting

* Avoid tabloid or celebrity gossip magazines (well, you can read them in your spare time but I don't think they're applicable here)

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Several years ago I was in a business coaching group. There were a number of us – maybe 12 or so? – who would gather for weekly meetings and talk about our businesses while networking. One day, the session opened with the group leader asking us to describe our business experience while using the analogy of a roller coaster. So some people talked about Ferris Wheels and some people talked about Merry-Go-Rounds, and I sat there with a bad attitude, rolling my eyes and asking myself "why did I pay to do this?"

Years later, my thoughts have changed on the matter. Although I think that the roller coaster analogy itself may have been weak (and the leader never did anything with it beyond asking us to describe our experience), I've come to realize the value of the analogy in general.

An analogy is when we describe something and show how it is similar (analogous) to something else. Analogies help us to clarify our thoughts, put words to our feelings and to analyze situations. 

Clarifying our thoughts

Sometimes we can get so caught up in a particular moment that we lose sight of its true importance (or we get stressed out about it even though it is totally unimportant) and an analogy can help to clarify what we are thinking. Sometimes there are so many things to think about in one given moment that we lose sight of the one thing that needs to be thought about.

Put words to our feelings

Sometimes a situation is so complex that it begins to feel insurmountable and we can become overwhelmed with it. The more complex it becomes, the harder it is for us to know how we feel about it and that not only stresses us out but it also causes us to stop acting. Analogies help us to express what we feel, particularly at times when we can't express it with more conventional "I'm sad" or "I'm scared."

Analyze situations

As mentioned, sometimes a situation is complex that we don't know what we are going to do. A analogy helps us to figure out (even in a slightly imperfect way) what the situation really is like and that helps to put us on a path towards figuring out a solution.

If you're not using analogies in your practice, you may want to think about starting. They are a great way to get the conversation going and to get clients unstuck.

A few things you should know about analogies:

* Analogies will always be imperfect. There is never an exactly comparable analogy. Your job isn't to highlight how an analogy is flawed but rather to explore how the client sees the analogy as comparable and why they chose that particular analogy.

* When asking clients to give an analogy, give them some parameters. Don't just say: "give me an analogy" but rather ask them to give you an analogy within a certain definition. The roller coaster is on example. Or you might say, "Imagine that you are an animal. What animal would you be? Why? What animal would your competitors be? Why?" You should try to pick an analogy type that your clients find engaging. (A person with an interest in aircraft, for example, might be interested in creating analogies about how his or her business is like a particular airplane).

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I didn't really know my Twitter follower well, but I was surprised and impressed that they took the time to respond with something more than simply "congratulations on your improved productivity". In fact, they added value to my Twitter experience and that meant a lot to me.

You can do this too in your coaching business. Start by following people who would be key clients or evangelists for you. Watch their tweets and respond appropriately with your own form of mini coaching. Make sure you add value and be as helpful as you can.

In TweetDeck or HootSuite (or whatever you use), set up a list to search and post content related to your area of expertise. If you're a productivity coach, set up a list to search for "productive", "productivity", "time management", etc. If you're a job coach, set up a list to search for "unemployed", "lost job", "resume", "CV", etc. If you're a marketing coach, set up a list to search for "marketing" "marketing strategy", "target market", etc. If you're a relationship coach, set up a list to search for "love", "hate", "break up", etc. Over time, you'll need to refine these ("hate" is a wide-open keyword that may not always be relevant to your relationship coaching, for example).

Check out http://wthashtag.com to find hashtags that might be relevant to you, too, and make sure that you have included them in the list of items you're searching for.

Now, read these tweets and respond to them with helpful advice. You might want to only take a few minutes every hour to work on this, or spend a large block of time in your day to focus on it for a while. The most important thing is to find something relevant to say.

To that end, you might want to create a few resources or blogs that you can link to in specific circumstances. Likely these will be common scenarios that you see tweeted frequently. For example, if you spot someone tweeting that they are frustrated by their own procrastination, you can link to a blog you've written on "4 ways to beat procrastination".

Don't forget to follow people who you've responded to so you can see if and how they respond to your advice and interact with them if they talk about your advice.

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Just over a year ago, I had a client approach me and ask me to coach them in their businesses. They owned three small businesses but weren't seeing success in any of them. We met every other week and spent the first couple of months figuring out what his goals were and what was going on in his business.

By the end of the first two months, we had a game plan mapped out and the plan was to implement it, making small tweaks along the way. Month after month we'd meet and it was always the same: There was some reason why he couldn't quite keep up to the plan we'd mapped out. He was busy with his day-job. Christmas. Spring break. His car broke down. He and his family went on vacation. Month after month. We tweaked his plan, made adjustments, but the story was always the same.

Due to some family commitments, he couldn't meet over the summer. So when we met again at the end of September, almost a year after our first meeting, there was no noticeable difference in his businesses. "We need to update the plan," he told me in a recent meeting.

And that's when I told him what the real problem was. I said, "We have a plan – it's a good one. I know it works because I've coached many others to success using a similar plan. The problem is with implementation." He tried to counter with various excuses and, as professionally as possible, I pointed out that they were just excuses.

We talked about how to fix it and I promised that I would coach him through implementing his plan but he needed to commit to action.

He said he would. But, two months later, he hadn't done a thing. At our last meeting he pointed out that Halloween was busy for him and he wasn't sure he'd be able to do anything until after Thanksgiving. And that's when I decided enough was enough.

As coaches, our job is to help our clients. I know that most of you would bend over backwards to help your clients achieve their goals. But we also have a responsibility to our clients in another way, too: If they are wasting their money and their time, we need to tell them. A coach is still a coach if he or she ends the relationship with someone they can no longer help. In some cases, you might pass on their name to another coach who specializes in a different area, or you might follow up with them 3 months later with the view of signing them on in the future if they need your help again. But, as professional coaches, we have a responsibility to our clients to help them – either by coaching them or by NOT coaching them!

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1. Schedule a time and stick to it… and make sure your clients honor it. Hold that telephone time with the same regard you would if you had a face-to-face meeting. Expect the same of your client and, if necessary, implement a cancellation fee if you don’t receive advanced notice that they won't be there.

2. Have a plan. Create an "agenda" and share it with the person. In face-to-face coaching, I'll have an agenda but I rarely share it with the person, but prior to the phone call I like to email the agenda to the client. I'm not sure why I've done this (using it in one circumstance but not the other) but it has worked out well for me.

3. Take advantage of the tools available. If I'm on the phone, I will also frequently use a webinar service (like WebEx) to create an audio/visual experience. Or, if we're on Skype, I'll use the webcam and other Skype features as necessary. Those technologies are there; put them to good use.

4. Provide a transcript of the call. Record the call and send it to a transcriptionist and send the audio file and a PDF transcription to the client. That way, they'll have a record of your call in two formats – one to listen to again if they want, and one to review on occasion. And, you can re-use some of the material from these calls, too! Simply remove the client-specific references and smooth out the phrasing and when you collect several calls together, you've got an ebook.

5. Focus and expect the other person to do the same. DON'T multitask on the phone. Treat the telephone meeting just like you would treat a face-to-face meeting. Don't also read a book or tweet or eat or email other people. Your client won't feel that you're fully engaged and your coaching will be less effective.

6. Use a handsfree headset. Using a regular phone cradled in your neck isn't very comfortable for you. And using a speaker phone isn't very nice for your client. You'll either end up with a sore neck or you'll end up repeating everything you say. A handsfree headset allows you to interact with the client in the webinar, for example) freely.

The telephone gives you opportunities to coach clients who aren't located near you. It broadens your potential client base and helps you grow your business. And, your telephone coaching will be noticeably more effective when you follow these six tips.

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1. Take a vacation. Coaches (like many other people) are overworked. A vacation puts everything aside for a while and allows you to enjoy yourself. And your clients’ problems will percolate in your subconscious while you’re tanning on the beach.

2. Read an industry-leading book in the industry of each of your clients. If you have a NASA rocket scientist in your life coaching class, pick up a copy of his or her favorite rocket science book. You might understand 10% of the book but I promise you that your client will appreciate the effort AND you’ll understand so much more about your client!

3. Get coached. They say that doctors make the worst patients. I think that it’s a good idea to sit on the other side of the desk from time to time to be reminded of what it’s like. Here’s what will happen: You’ll be sitting there thinking, "Am I getting my money’s worth from this coach? It doesn’t feel like it. Oh wait; is this what my clients think about when I’m coaching them? I’d better make sure they feel it." Happens every time.

4. Take up a hobby that allows for personal expression: painting, writing, drawing, music, dancing, whatever. Get your creative juices flowing. It’s a great way to unwind after taking on the stresses and problems of your clients.

5. Tell your clients about yourself. Break down the wall of professionalism slightly and share a bit of yourself with them. Don’t reverse the coach/client relationship, of course, and don’t say anything that would diminish your credibility ("I was so drunk this weekend…"). Find some anecdotes from your life that are related to your work and share them.

6. Visit your clients in the environment in which they are being coached. You will gain a ton of insight into your client from this visit. HOWEVER it is fraught with danger so be careful. Ask their permission, give them plenty of warning, keep the visit short, and only mention coach/client relationship if your client gives you the okay to do so.

7. Write down your processes. Think about an average client who comes to you with an average situation. Write down the processes and ideas and strategies you would do to walk that client through to a solution. Be as detailed as possible. You might get to the end and simply think "well, that was interesting" and be done with it. But most people who try this will discover something about themselves and about how they work. They might find new opportunities for tools to use. And some of you might even have a resource that you can give away or sell.

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But there is a tool that is extremely helpful, no matter kind of coaching you do. This tool can help any coach. It’s the SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and it has been an integral part of the business world since the dawn of time. (Or, at least it seems that way).

To perform a SWOT analysis, simply take a regular sheet of paper and fold it into quarters. Then in each quarter right one of the words – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats – so you have all four on the page.

Now it’s time to analyze. To do this well, it’s best to first clearly define what you are analyzing. If you’re a business coach, you might be helping your client analyze an entire business or a market segment or the competition or a new product or a new joint venture. If you’re a relationship coach, you might be helping your client analyze a recent date they went on or how they view themselves. If you’re a productivity coach, you might be helping your client analyze their schedules or a recent project they started. You need to clearly define what you are analyzing or else the analysis can carry on too long and get out of hand.

Start with strengths. These are the internal strengths of the situation – perhaps of the person or the business, if that’s what you’re analyzing.

Then move on to weaknesses. These are the internal weaknesses of the situation.

Next, move on to opportunities. These are the external elements that can be used to improve the situation.

Last, work on threats. These are the external elements that risk the failure of the situation.

Often, for people new to the SWOT analysis, strengths and opportunities often get repeated, and weaknesses and threats often get repeated. However, they are different: Strengths and weaknesses are internal while opportunities and threats are external.

Take as much time as you need on this part for the more it’s filled in, the more useful it will be in the next step:

Next, start making connections and leverage what’s there. Use the following questions to help you:

1. Are there strengths that can be used to minimize weaknesses?
2. Are there strengths that can be used to leverage opportunities?
3. Are there strengths that can be used to mitigate threats?
4. What weaknesses are real problems and what weaknesses are minor?
5. How can these weaknesses be resolved, strengthened, or eliminated?
6. Which opportunities are worth pursuing?
7. Which opportunities are dependent on something else?
8. Which opportunities should be backburnered?
9. What threats are real problems and what threats are minor?
10. How can those threats be resolved or eliminated?

Lastly, you need to create an action plan from the SWOT analysis, drawing on actionable tasks that need to take place to turn those earlier theoretical connections into reality.

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When that happens, it’s easy to get stressed out and to become overwhelmed. In fact, many people ironically procrastinate when they are too busy. It’s not that they are lazy; it’s usually because they don’t know where to start! In this blog, I’ll list a number of ideas that you can use to help you manage your business (and your sanity) when things go crazy.

1. List everything but don’t prioritize yet. Go for a 5 minute walk – just a mental break. Let your subconscious work for you while you’re thinking about something else momentarily.

2. Come back to your desk and prioritize your work. I can’t write much here about that because everyone’s priorities will be just a little different; but in general, give them priorities A, B, and C. As a coach, it’s likely that your schedule is more than a list but also includes daily appointments that are revenue generators. So those are "A" priority but time-specific.

3. Look at all of your "A" priority work that isn’t time specific. You probably have a long list. Pick something that will be fast to do and do it first. Then, pick something that is the next fasted to do and do it next. Then pick something else that is third fastest to do and do it. The purpose of this action is to start generating some action on your list of work. If you can develop a critical mass then you’ll find procrastination much harder to do and your productivity will rise.

4. Set goals for yourself periodically through the day. When you reach that goal, go take a break.

5. If your list is really long and still overwhelming, try asking yourself this question: "I’m feeling stressed now about my high amount of to-dos. At what point will I feel like I’m on top of my workload?". Rarely is it when everything is crossed off your list. More often, it has to do with capturing a bit of down time.

While you’re working on this list, keep a piece of paper beside you where you can capture any ideas or thoughts that come to mind while you’re working. On other days you can follow these rabbit trails but on busy days you can just write them down to get them off of your mind.

You’ll also want to make sure that you eat a balanced meal and that you’re rested. If you need a short nap, there’s a chance that you’ll actually get more done if you take the nap then come back than if you try to push through your fatigue.

A hectic schedule is not pleasant! It can stress you out and rob you of your effectiveness. But if you follow these steps, you’ll be more likely to keep your sanity and get back on top of your game quickly.

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