Often I have coaches come to me when their coaching business has stopped growing or they want to reach a goal and they have not been able to get past some road blocks.

Most people are surprised when I begin to ask question about how they could be limiting their own success. Most of the time when we feel limited we look to outside factors such as other people, the economy, competition and an array of other things.

Seldom do we look at how we could be causing our own limitations without recognizing it. The fact is that we cannot control most outside factors but we can control our perception and our response.

You can also control what you are thinking once you are aware of your thought. You can focus your thinking on what you desire to happen and the steps you will take to create the outcome you desire.

Fear of success

I know you are probably thinking “who would have fear of success”. Well, if you are not having the success you desire in your internet business then you could be having fear of success.

Fear of success is actually the feeling that you are not deserving of success. Usually fear of success is rooted in a false belief that we acquired in our early years and our family or close friends. These beliefs can come to us overtly or subtly.

Some of us had people telling us we were no good or that we would never make anything of ourselves. Others got the idea that other people always did better than we did. I had the idea that I would never be able to achieve as much as my brilliant father had. What a lie that turned out to be.

Almost everyone has these types of limiting beliefs and most people never recognize it. It really does not matter where the belief originated but it is important to take the time to contemplate what limiting belief you may have.

The point is that we have to recognize these limitations before we can change them. So give some thought to the false beliefs that could be holding you back from achieving success greater than you have ever dreamed of.

The next step is to refocus your thinking on what you want and the steps you will take to make it happen. I suggest you visualize already achieving the outcome you desire and feeling what it will feel like when you have reach that goal. Allow yourself to feel every feeling you will feel once you have achieved the goal and focus on those positive feelings.

Make it a daily practice to project yourself into that place of success and feel those feelings of satisfaction. By actually placing yourself in that place in your mind you are training you subconscious mind to take you there.

As a new coach are there question people ask about your coaching that make you squirm?

Face it, coaches who are just starting a coaching business often shy away from networking events because of the questions people ask that you stumble over answering.  It is time to get over it and learn to answer those questions with confidence.  Why not turn the question into an opportunity to invite someone for an introductory coaching session?

What do you do?

This is a common first question many people will ask at a networking event.  You probably ask the same question of others.  Your reply to this question should never be “I am a coach”.  That statement can be included in your answer but your answer must be far more complete because many people do not know what coaching is.  Include four key elements in your answer.  Describe what you do, as a coach by stating whom you are, whom you help, how you help them, and what they get from your help.  Who you are is your name and niche catch phrase.  For example, “I am

the coach marketer”.  Whom you help describes your niche coaching market.  I help new coaches and coaches that want to grow their coaching business.  How you help them reflects the challenges you help your niche market overcome.  I help my customer get more coaching clients and increase their revenue.  What they get details the benefits received by your clients when they overcome their challenges.  My clients get more coaching clients so they can have the income and lifestyle they want while doing the work they love and help others.

Here is another common tough question.

How many clients do you have?

Even though coaching has been around for a long time there are still a ton of people who do not know what coaching is or how it could help them.  I meet people every day who have no idea what coaching is or how I could earn a nice living doing coaching.

The person asking this question may not have heard of coaching and may be surprised that there are coaching businesses that help people in this way.  This question is easy to answer if you have a full schedule of clients but if you are a new coach with few clients, this is a tough question.  There are two ways to answer this question.  You can tell them the limit on the number of clients you see per week, “I choose to see 15 clients per week maximum” or you can ask a question that addresses their underlying question.  Most people, who ask this question, really want to know if you are a good coach and if you can help them.  Tell them “that is a great question and I find that most people that ask that question really want to know if I am a good coach or if I can help them.  That is why I offer an introductory coaching session.  My introductory coaching session is a great way for people to experience what coaching is like so they can determine if coaching can help them”.  Now you have answered their question next you want to ask if they are interested in finding out more about your introductory coaching session. 

We will cover more difficult questions in my next blog post.  I would like to know what questions make you crazy so we can work on good answers.  Also, what challenges in your coaching business are troubling you?

Remember the purpose of an introductory session is to get clients to coach with you.  An unstructured sample coaching session does not achieve that goal.

Build Rapport

People need to know, like, and trust you before they will want to coach with you.  Building rapport is the first step to this process.  There is an old sales motto that says, “like, likes, like”.  What that means is that people are attracted to people that they see as similar to them. 

Find Things You Have in Common

We like people who have something in common with us and who “act” like us.  When you first begin a conversation with a new client, ask them to tell you a little about themselves and look for things that the two of you have in common. 

Pay Attention to Their Personal Communication Style

Remember people like people like them so try to mirror some of their actions and behaviors.  You are not doing this to be manipulative you are doing this to be observant and to improve communication.   

Explore and Stimulate Their Desire for Change

Ask the client what part of their life they want to change. Remind them to deal in reality but explore all possibilities.  After they answer continue to probe deeper by asking things like how would that look specifically, ask them what else that would look like, ask if there is anything else until you feel they have explored their desire deeply. 

Stimulate Their Desire for Change

Our desire will increase as we become clearer about exactly what we want.  You can help your client become more clear by asking what those changes will look like, what they will feel like, and what possibilities those changes will create.

My home study program "No Sales Required Client Attraction" gives you a guide to walk you through a sure fire introductory session.

Uncover Hidden Barriers, Limiting Beliefs, and Limiting Thoughts

No tricks to this step, just ask the client what could be holding them back from making the changes and reaching these goals.  Ask them if there is anything that is stopping them or standing in their way to making these changes.

Magnify and Clarify the Pain if They do Not Make Changes

This sounds cruel but humans are motivated to avoid pain and we buy things based on emotion rather than logic so in order to help them you must make sure they have a clear motivation to change.  

Let the Know that They are Not Alone

We see our problems and challenges as situations that face only us.  Often we feel that we are the only person in the world that this is happening to and no one else has ever faced this specific challenge.  We feel alone in our suffering.   

Add Clarity and Direction to Your Plan for Them

Give the client an outline of the main areas of challenge you suggest they begin working on.  Explain how your coaching strategy will address those areas.   

Explain Your Coaching Structure and Fees

Explain your coaching fee structure making sure you have at least two options and ask which one they think is right for them.

If you like this article be sure to read "5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Get Coaching Clients"

What is a Power Team?

A power team is a group of three to six noncompetitive business people who have similar customers and there is a natural synergy between the businesses.  For example, a doctor, a nutritionist, and a health and wellness coach or an accountant, a lawyer and a business coach could comprise two power teams. 

Be Friends and Be Consistent

Get to know your partners by meeting together regularly and giving them a sample of your services. Once they know, like and trust you they will want to give you referrals because it helps them help their clients. They become a center of influence themselves, they will want to be helpful to you, they believe in your service, and they want to benefit from a cooperative effort.

Be a Valuable Resource

Become a valuable resource for your partners by passing on qualified referrals that are ready to use their services because they

Is there anything on the back of your business card?

How many times does someone ask you to tell them what a coach does?  It happens to me often and when I was a new coach, I would fumble my words or say something ineffective.  Coaching is a very difficult thing to describe.  Coaching is super hard to describe if you have not narrowed down your niche. 

Put it on the back of your business card.

I starting thinking that if it was hard for me to describe coaching then it would be really hard for others like friends or clients to tell people what I do and refer me.  It was time to order new business cards when I realized

If you are a new coach that has not been able to get your business to the level you would like, you are not alone! Many coaches graduate from coaching school and hit road-blocks to getting their coaching business to the level that they can go full time. Here are five things

1)     Not defining you niche

 I started out calling myself a "Life Coach" and found that did not define what I had to offer clearly enough for people to know how I could help them.  It is impossible to reach a market if you have not clearly defined who that market is and howyou can help them.  Many coaches shy away from defining a niche because they are afraid they will miss some clients if they do not try to appeal to everyone.  By defining your niche, you are better able to relate to potential clients by specifically identifying their needs and how you can help them.

2)     Not working to position yourself as an expert.

 I hesitated to present myself as an expert but then I thought who wants help from the average Joe, nobody.  People want to know that you understand them and their needs.  To position yourself as an expert list areas that you have worked in, areas that you are self-educated in, areas that you have experienced difficulty and triumphed, or areas that you have studied as a hobby.

3)     Not getting in front of people so they can get to know you    and what you can do for them.

I didn't like the idea of selling but I quickly figured out that

Find Strategic Alliance Partners

I tried all sorts of networking events and groups and what I found was most effective for my coaching business was to align myself with some dynamic referral partners.  Strategic alliance partners are an effective tool for success and attract qualified clients. Strategic alliance partners are in businesses that appeal to the same target client that you are looking for.  For example, a weight loss or fitness coach could become allied with a nutritionist, fitness trainer, and massage therapist.  Find three or four people who you feel you can give referrals to and that will have customers that can use your services.  Look for partners that have been in business for a while, know people, and have a client base that is complimentary to yours.

Your Partners Need to Know, Like and Trust You

I found that these relationship need to be nurtured to be productive.  Get to know your partners by meeting together regularly and giving them a sample of your services.  Once they know, like and trust you they will want to give you referrals because it helps them help their clients.  They become a center of influence themselves, they will want to be helpful to you, they believe in your service, and they want to benefit from a cooperative effort.

Become a Valuable Resource

Become a valuable resource for your partners by passing on qualified referrals that are ready to use their services because they trust your recommendation. 

You can make others look good by being a person they can refer others to who will make their clients very happy and make them look good for referring you.  Be a customer of the people in your alliance so that you can speak from personal experience about their products.  Connect them to other people who could be resources for their business. Learn exactly how to grown your coaching business with my home study course "Coaching Business Blast Off".

Givers Get

Give away some of your valuable knowledge and materials like a free session, articles, teleclasses or eBooks.  Teach them something like how to have a better sixty-second introduction.  Recommend material that will be helpful to them when you come across it or give away someone else’s material with their permission.  You can also pay a commission for product sales or referrals by creating an affiliate relationship.

Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse

When you approach people about becoming strategic partners always start with how you can help them.  Find out about their business and co-actively figure out what you can do to help them.  The law of reciprocation will take hold and they will soon be looking for ways to help you in return.  Make it easy for them to refer you by having things they can offer to their clients like free reports, workshops or teleclasses. Learn more client attraction methods with "Coaching Business Blast Off".

What I Learned

1)  The best networking tool is strategic alliance partners.

2)  My partners need to know like and trust me.

3)  I need to become a valuable resource for my strategic alliance partners.

4)  Give away my valuable information.

5)  Make my offer of a strategic partnership an irresistible offer.

If you liked this post then you will like "New Year is a Great Time to Sign Up New Coaching Clients".

Does it make you nuts when you offer a free introductory session and people are not eager or don’t take you up on your offer? 

People have to perceive value before they will get excited and eager to have an introductory session even if it is free.  There is a way to position your introductory session that will make people crazy for it.

Make your offer exciting and irresistible by giving is a powerful headline. 

Magazines have done this for decades to attract readers who are just skimming the front cover.  You can use this same time tested method by giving your introductory session

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