Archives – December, 2008
Many businesses struggle in January but it is boom time for coaching. People are predisposed to making changes in their lives at this time of year. Get out and get some speaking opportunities where you can talk about the process of change. Do a workshop on the topic of change.
Workshop Outline
You can develop a workshop that inspires people to define they changes they would like to make, gives them a plan for making those changes and holds them accountable for the changes. Gear the workshop to the group you are talking to for example
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December 31, 2008
Stop trading time for dollars! If you have been coaching for very long at all you have come to realize that, your time will place a limit on your income. Some coaches are able to charge extremely large amounts for coaching but the vast majority of coaches have to stay competitive with their market. To increase your income likely you will have to coach more hours then there goes you freedom and flexibility. Multiple streams of income will increase your revenue without increasing your work hours.
What multiple income streams are possible for coaches?
All coaches should have a niche that they specialize in and within that niche; there are multiple topics to focus on. For example, I coach coaches on how to grow their coaching business so possible topics are, marketing, introductory sessions, pricing, internet marketing, networking, sales, writing and many more. Each one of these topics is a possible product. You can learn a lot more about earning multiple streams of income in my home study course "Coaching Business Blast Off"
What is a product?
You can and should develop several products from any coaching topic within your niche. A coaching product can be
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December 30, 2008
Smart coaches know they need an internet presence so their first action is to hire a web designer to build a beautiful website. Do not do this! It is important for any business to have an internet presence but an expensive website is not necessary or the best option available. I got a website right away and spent hours working on a template that turned out mediocre at best.
What are the benefits of a website?
A website is more like an electronic brochure. The best thing about a custom website is that it is custom and you can have it exactly the way you want it. I have seen some wonderful custom websites but I never wanted to spend the money to have one made. You can also use a template style website and make modifications that you would like. A website will allow you to
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December 27, 2008
My experience is that I will make a change only when the pain has risen to the level that I can no longer tolerate it or I am extremely uncomfortable. I would like to say that I am brighter than that but that has not been the way it has played out in my life.
The truth about all coaching clients is that they are human and like all humans, they have certain basic needs and desires. As different as we would like to think we are, all humans have a need for love, feeling valued, purpose, and a desire to be happy.
Coaching Clients Want Something
Coaching clients want something they do not have or they do not want to lose something they do have. A person that goes to a relationship coach could be looking for coaching to help them get the relationship they desire or preserve a relationship that is on the brink of break up. A client that comes to a career coach wants to improve their satisfaction with their choice of work or they may need to make a change on order to succeed in their current position.
Coaching Clients Desire Change
Coaching clients and potential coaching clients do not want
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December 25, 2008
Suzan Schmitt “Zee” The Coach Marketer
Suzan is a natural born marketer, no kidding, she really is. It’s not her fault she was born into a family of marketers…her father was an advertising agency owner and he told her not to go into marketing and advertising. So you see she simply had no choice but to get a degree in marketing and continue to flourish in the advertising industry for another 25+ years.
Suzan unintentionally began coaching coaches when her coaching business took off quickly and other coaches began to ask her how she did it. Suzan realized that what came “natural” to her after years in sales and marketing was a skill that she could use to help other coaches become successful.
Suzan has worked for radio stations, television stations, advertising agencies, and has owned her own advertising agency over the last few decades. She was the Research Director for Fox Owned and Operated station KRIV-TV in Houston, an Account Executive for KLOL-FM & KILT-FM Houston, Account Manager for Mediacomp, and owner of Production Specialist a regional advertising agency.
Suzan lives in Austin, Texas and enjoys her life as a Coach helping clients and other coaches. She has been happily married to Tom for 22 years, and has one son in college, and two toy poodles. Suzan has been a fitness trainer and group exercise instructor for many years so she has the power to decalorze foods at will, especially chocolate.
You can contact Suzan “Zee” she often goes by Zee at…
suzanschmitt@gmail.com
http://www.zeecoachmarketer.com
December 24, 2008
What is a niche?
A niche is an area of specialization. It is a market segment that particularly suits your talents, experience, knowledge, and personality. It is a market segment that you can make your own, because it fits your expertise and your passion. A niche must also reach a viable market that is hungry for a solution to a pain or need.
Why Coaches Avoid Picking a Niche
Many coaches hesitate to pick a niche because they are afraid that if they narrow their target to a smaller specific group of people that they will miss out on too many potential clients. You can be a generalist coach but
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December 22, 2008
What should I charge? This is the first question that stumps many coaches and it is easy to understand why that is the case.
The key for a new coach is to fill your coaching schedule and ensure that you can cover your expenses. Many coaches start coaching part-time until they have established a small client base and feel comfortable marketing their coaching business. I started by coaching 100 one dollar sessions so that I could reach the requirements of ICF and gain confidence as a coach.
Determine your monthly business financial needs.
All businesses have expenses and coaching is no different. There are all sorts of expense that can go unrecognized like photo copies and membership fees. List all of your monthly expenses such as telephone, office rent, gas, merchant fees, office supplies, advertising, marketing, networking expenses, business tools, website charges, and continued education. You must know what your
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December 21, 2008
Every coach I know thinks his or her business must have a website right away. So did I and boy was I wrong. Many coaches go out and hire a web designer, at great expense, to design an elaborate coaching business website. I didn do that because I am cheap instead I spend hundreds of hour trying to put up a website with a template based hosting site.
You do Need To be on the Internet!
Internet presence is important to any business today but a website is not always the best place to begin. I believe coaches working with clients in their local area need to have information on the web and I believe that coaches who want to attract clients from all over the world absolutely need a presence on the Internet.
Step One
The first step is to look at who your niche market is and where you will find them. Evaluate your own technical abilities and determine how they will affect your decisions about Internet marketing. Your budget will also affect your decision. This key decision and everything else you need to know about how to have your own successful coaching business is included in my home study course "Coaching Business Blast Off".
Website or Blog what is the difference to you as a coach?
Today websites and blogs can look very similar and operate in much in the same way. I tell clients to think of a website as an electronic brochure and a blog as an educational advertising tool.
Websites
Websites are static and the information on them does not change very often. They are great for sharing information about your business and your products.
Blogs
Blogs are more fluid and changing. Many blogs are designed with the ability to create pages and can look very much like a website. The biggest difference between a blog and a website is that the information on a blog can be frequently added to, in the form of blog posts. Most people update the blog posts or information on their blog several times a month even daily. The advantage of this method is that it makes your blog up to date like a Newsletter. These updates also bring the search engines around on a regular basis. Blogs are far easier to set up and can be very adaptable.
I Like Typepad
I suggest that my clients try to set up a blog first and I direct them to Typepad an easy to use and inexpensive blogging platform. They are able to select the design of their blog and get it set up in a little time as a couple of hours.
Some website hosting providers offer website templates that are easy to work with but they tend to be less adaptable and are often more expensive than a blog.
If you liked this post then read "What's in a Domain Name".
December 19, 2008
How many coaches do you know who have graduated from coaching school and still have not had their first paid coaching session? Statistics indicate that most coaches do not build a coaching business that is a sustainable full time occupation. If you want to be a full time coach and have a super charged coaching business you have to take action.
Coach
Sounds stupid I know, so ask yourself if you could be coaching more. I said coach. One of the main reasons coaches don’t have a coaching business is because they don’t have enough experience to have confidence in their own coaching. So coach! Coach people for a low rate and office, in coffee shop do whatever it takes just get enough coaching experience to have true confidence in your ability to serve others through coaching. You may not be perfect but you will help your clients if all you do is listen well. Most people don't ever have the opportunity to talk about their challenges out loud with another person who listens well. So even if you have little experience and guide the session only a small amount, your clients will benefit. Some of the people you coach at a discount will have such a great experience that they will continue coaching at a higher rate and tell others about you and the benefits of coaching.
Network
I hear you saying "I don't like networking because it is like selling. If your marketing helps people then you are giving not selling. People cannot coach with you until they know who you are and how you can help them. Join several network groups in your community and look for power team partners. Visit many groups in your city to get your name and face known. You may not decide to join many of the groups but
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December 17, 2008
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