Archives – July, 2009
Who has time to spend in social media? Coaches ask me if they should "waste" time with social media and my answer is an emphatic yes! Social media marketing is very effective if you do it right and with purpose. Some coaches get into trouble with social media marketing because they get too caught up in the social part and forget about the marketing part. I set aside a certain amount of time each day for social media marketing and try not to exceed that time limit.
You should make sure to post to your blog at least three times per week. Posting on your blog draws the search engines to your blog and gives
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July 29, 2009
That facts are that there are only so many hours a week that a coach can work with clients our earning power is limited by time unless we develop multiple streams of income. Many coaches ask me how they can create products because they don't understand what a product is.
Coaching products are information products that help people in your target coaching niche. Information products can be ebooks, eworkbooks, teleclasses, telecourses, audio recordings, and webinars or any combination of these.
If there is anyone in your target coaching niche who would like to learn and get more information to help them learn, grow and change then you have a market for your own information products. Many of these products begin as simple articles.
This process is called
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July 26, 2009
The hardest part about writing a great life coaching article each week is generating new article ideas so I have discovered several idea generating strategies. Sometimes an idea just enters my brain and screams to be written but that is the least common method of idea generation for me.
Get Coaching Clients with a Great Topic
Many times I come across a common problem that my coaching clients have and I address that issue. I know it is a common problem because I hear about it in many ways. Often I get questions on the same issue several times over a week or two. I see that people are talking about the problem when I am in a relevant forum or group.
I like to read articles and blog posts from other people in my target coaching niche to see what they are talking about and get ideas from that. I never duplicate another coaches' work but I do get ideas from reading their information. Sometimes those ideas are not related to the main topic but are sparked by a portion of the article or blog post.
I also like to
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July 25, 2009
A client who chooses to coach with you is investing a lot in the process and the coaching relationship. They must feel very comfortable with you and the decision to coach before they will sign up and begin coaching.
Client invest money, time, emotion, and trust in the coaching relationship so they must have a great deal of motivation to make the choice to coach. You can help them gain that motivation by using these tools of persuasion.
The Law of Social Proof
The law of social proof states that people look to others such as their family, peers, and friends before they make a decision about something. Seeking social proof is seeking social validation prior to making a purchase.
Social proof is looking for social validation prior to making a decision. The law of social proof is easily seen in the buying behavior of teens and other tightly knit groups.
You can offer your potential clients social proof by using testimonials in your sales materials. The more social proof in the form of satisfied customers with glowing testimonials the more they will trust you and want to coach with you.
The move valid the social proof the more convincing it will be so be sure to include photos of the person giving the testimonial. Video and audio testimonials lend a great deal more credibililty so use them if possible.
The Law of Scarcity
The law of scarcity states that when choices are limited or availability is threatened the more exciting and valuable the resource. In other words you are more eager to have something that you know is available in a limited quantity or for a limited time.
So to demonstrate the law of scarcity let me tell you that I only have a few seats left for people who would like to be in my weekly teleclass and mentoring program "Zee Inner Circle".
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July 17, 2009
We would all like to have more influence in our personal lives and our business. Robert Caldini, says that there are certain laws that apply to this great power and that we can harness those laws and use them to effect the outcomes of our interactions with others.
I would like to share two of those laws with you and discuss how these laws can help you attract coaching clients and how you can use them to persuade clients that coaching with you is a choice that will help them reach their desired goals.
The Law of Reciprocity
The law of reciprocity states that when someone does something for us or gives us something we feel a sense of indebtedness and we want to reciprocate in an effort to relieve that sense of obligation. When you take the time and effort to go the extra mile for your clients then they will feel an increased sense of indebtedness and loyalty. You can give to a potential client by helping them pinpoint what their problem is and showing them that there are many possible solutions.
Learn more about many client attraction strategies in my "No Sales Required Client Attraction" home study program.
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July 15, 2009
Persuasion is a skill that can be very helpful in coaching. Our goal as coaches is to help the client see past their limiting thoughts and beliefs to achieve their objectives. Sometimes those limiting thoughts and beliefs limit the "sight" of the clients so dramatically that we must help them see any available options and opportunities. The first opportunity we want to help a client see is the value they will receive from coaching.
Robert Caldini wrote the book "Influence-The Psychology of Persuasion." His research suggests that there are laws at work in our society and that we can count on the laws to hold true when it comes to influence and how we interact with others. Let's examine a couple of these laws and see how they can be applied to your coaching business.
The Law of Consistency
This law states that we have an unconscious need to stay consistent. We have a need to be consistent in the things we do, the things we say, the things we believe, and our other behaviors.
So anytime we are placed in a situation or position that violates the law of consistency we have the unconscious need to return to a position of consistency. What does that tell you effective persuasion? It says that as we work with someone we need to work with them in a way that allows them to be consistent.
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July 14, 2009
The key to having an attentive and involved audience when you are speaking is to make sure that you have researched the group you are speaking to. If you are addressing the needs, desires, and challenges of the group then they will be captivated.
I am sure you have been at an event where the speaker seemed to be speaking directly to your challenge or concern at the time. You were probably hangin the the speakers every word and wondering how he or she knew what was going on in your life.
This will be true for you when you have researched your audience properly and you address their challenges, needs and desires. But the truth is sometimes we misevaluate and things don't go as well as we would like so what do you do then?
The Only Thing You Can Control is Your Preparation and Response
You cannot control the audience. If people are fidgeting, going to the bathroom, talking to the person next to them, or sleeping there really is not anything you should or can do about it. Certainly do not call out or chastise the audience member. Just find the people who are interested and talk to them. It would be nice if everyone was kind and respectful but they often are not and it is not your job to control them or their behavior.
You can control how the room is set up. Make a plan for how you want the chairs arranged and the room set up if you are able to have any control over the room set up the sound equipment, and how you prepare for the event. Make sure you check the room set up and the sound before people arrive or have someone do that for you.Check your audio set up before you speak. Be relaxed and prepared and everything will be fine. Practice your workshop or speech the night before. Don't take yourself too seriously and be Ok with a mistake by remembering that when you make a mistake and move on the audience will like you better because they will see you are genuine.
NLP Exercise to Relieve Pre-Speaking Jitters and Fear
If you find that you have some jitters before you speak this simple yet powerful exercise will work to relieve the stress.
Close your eyes and place all of your fear in your left hand. Picture what it looks like, what color it is, what shape it is, how it feels, if it is hard or soft and focus on expanding it. Make the fear as large and strong as you can make it in your hand.
Next imagine calm, confidence, knowledge, success, and positive energy in your right hand. Let the positive energy intensify in your right hand and picture its power increasing.
Take and deep breathe and raise your powerfully positive right hand above your head then bring it down to smash the fear in your left hand. You can make a noise as you do this or do it silently. Be sure to exhale as you smash the right hand into the left hand. You have now allowed your power and confidence to destroy any fear or anxiety that you had.
July 9, 2009
Fear of not being perfect holds many coaches back from speaking and sharing their coaching skills and knowledge with people who want to and need to hear their message.
As coaches we know better than to allow this thinking to hold us back but it is so hard to see when it is your own fear that is paralyzing you. Plus, fear of public speaking is very common so we can always find someone to understand our fear and agree that we should avoid public speaking.
You Do Not Have to Be Perfect
You don't have to be perfect to achieve success as a speaker! Your presentation does not have to be flawless, you do not have to tell jokes, and in fact you can even screw up and still have a successful presentation. All the audience cares about is that they get some benefit from the experience. As long as your audience believes that they have received some value from you then in their minds you are a huge success.
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July 8, 2009
The single most effective way to get many coaching clients quickly is to speak or do a workshop. Your presentation must be created with purpose and a goal. You need to know what you would like to communicate to the audience and what you would like them to do in response to your presentation.
It is important to answer some questions about the purpose of your presentation before you develop it. How do you want your audience to feel, what do you want to motivate them to do, what nugget of knowledge do you want them to take away with them?
Answering these questions will help you focus your presentation and it will help your delivery. We all perform better when we know what our goals are.
Have One Main Goal for Your Speaking
You cannot have multiple goals for one speaking event and achieve all of them to your maximum capacity. For example your goal could be to talk to people about breaking off a relationship and how to do it in a way that is viewed as kind by the other person. Then that is your goal and all you have to do is show the audience how to do that one thing.
Pick Three Main Points to Get Across
The formula is very simple just pick three main things you want to communicate and determine what tools you want to use to get those three points across. You can use tools like power point, audience input, discussion, and small group discussion.
Power Point has been over used but it can be helpful if you want to show a diagram or chart. Be sure you need to use Power Point before you use it because your audience will ignore it unless it is relevant.
Audience input is a great way to get people involved and turn the presentation into a conversation. People always like what they have a hand in creating.
Discussion and Small Group Discussion are a great way to make people feel good and enjoy your presentation. People love to talk and they really love to talk about themselves. If you can have a discussion where each participant has an opportunity to express their view or talk about their needs then you will have a sure fire way to get your audience involved in what you are sharing.
Introduction and Conclusion
Add an introduction to tell people who you are, what you will be speaking about and how that will benefit them. Follow your three main points with a conclusion that includes gratitude for the opportunity to speak, recap what you covered and invite them to get more with an introductory coaching session.
Great presentations can be very easy to put together and fun to deliver. There is nothing more gratifying than you give a presentation that gives other people value and be thanked for it. So go write your presentation and schedule yourself to deliver it.
July 7, 2009
There is an old description of fear as an acronym of false evidence appearing real. I believe this is true when it comes to the fear most people have about public speaking. I would like to debunk several of the common fears about public speaking because I know that it is the single fastest way to fill your coaching schedule with clients.
Speaking is Inherently Stressful
Fear of public speaking is the most common reason coaches do not get out and attract new clients with speaking and workshops. Our magic magnifying mind make us think all sorts of things and creates fears that are not based in fact.
Speaking for many people is actually no different than speaking for a few people. We have a message we want to deliver and we are going to speak to them and do our best to communicate our message. The only difference is the number of people listening. Our message does not change making the delivery more difficult so there is no true reason for greater stress. Yet, our minds still tell us we need to freak out if we are speaking to a large group of people. You can get around this stress as many other people including myself have.
Know Your Material
When you know your material very well then stress is reduced greatly because you don't need to rely on notes or a power point presentation. When you write your own material and rehearse it you will be able to deliver your message with ease.
I suggest that you develop one presentation that relates to your target coaching niche and deliver that same speech or workshop for every speaking opportunity. As the material become old and needs refreshing create a new presentation or workshop. Soon you will have several presentations that you can deliver at any time even with short notice.
Speak Often
The best way to get over the fear of speaking is to get out and speak on a regular basis. I suggest you start by delivering your presentation to friends then small groups and finally larger groups.
It is a good idea to speak at least two times per month. You must be consistent in your speaking or it will be like starting over every time you speak. So even if it is not your nature, books yourself to speak at different groups two or three times a month over the next two months.
You can fill your coaching schedule and earn the income you desire by speaking on a regular basis and you can share your knowledge to help others along the way.
July 6, 2009
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