Coaches Toolbox - March 2007

Do you ever get caught up in the vocation of coaching rather than the selling of your coaching services?

*Rachel Lewis offered a clear delineation between marketing versus selling of coaching services. 

Here are 5 tips on selling your coaching services:

1.  Focus on the value and secondarily on the process.
2.  Have a repeatable process (everyone wants a map on how to achieve their goals.)
3.  Be clear about your accomplishment stories.
4.  Understand your client’s business and what matters most to them.
5.  Agree (through collaboration) on the program and fees in conversation and through written follow-up.

* Rachel Lewis spoke on the topic of sales and contracting for corporate coaching at our March meeting. She also recommends the following books/processes on sales (organizational):

--The New Solution Selling by Keith Eades
--Spin Selling by Neil Rackham
--Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: The Demise of 20th Century Selling and the Advent of Helping Clients Success by Mahan Khalsa.

Coaches Toolbox - February 2007

*Crucial Conversation: A discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong. Some examples are: Ending a relationship, dealing with a rebellious teen, critiquing a colleague’s work, asking a friend to repay a loan, and talking to a co-worker who behaves offensively.

How emotional do you get when you have to handle a crucial conversation?  One of the ways to gain control over your emotions is to ask yourself questions, which brings blood back to your brain and helps you think more rationally about how you want to handle the conversation.

When you’re in reaction mode in a conversation, one thing to look at is the stories you make up:

1.  Victim (it's not my fault),
2.  Villain (it's all your fault)
3.  Helpless (there's nothing else I can do)
When you catch yourself in one of these modes, ask yourself:
1. Victim Story: What am I pretending not to notice about my role in this situation?
2. Villain Story: Why would a reasonable, rational person behave this way?
3. Helpless Story: If I really wanted these results, what would I do?
Answering these questions help you shift to a less-reactive position, so you can open up the dialogue and have a more productive conversation.

Top 10 Keys to Success As a Coach

Sandy Vilas, current owner of CoachU, coached us at the BCE this month demonstrating laser coaching and then moved on to the Headliner event. The Headliner presentation had two parts: Who you need to be, and what to do to attract a full practice.  

Here are the top 10 keys of who you need to be as a coach:

1.  Have a ‘full practice’ attitude.
2.  Give people the experience of coaching.
3.  Create massive value and support whether they hire you or not.
4.  Be a superb listener.
5.  Exhibit grace, love, wisdom, compassion.
6.  Be outrageous, speak the truth.
7.  Acknowledge who are as ‘coach’ and keep learning.
8.  How would you answer this question, “What are the 10 great qualities about me that are attractive to others?”
9.  Have no expectations and be committed anyway.
10.  Be open, honest, intimate, and vulnerable.
11.  BONUS: Be a model in all ways: integrity, values.