The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
Exercise
- List the Top Ten Reasons someone should hire you. What are your strengths?
- List everything you can think of that you have done in your life – including training, experiences, insights, etc. Cross out anything that doesn’t add to your credibility or express who you are. (Suggestion: check with a fellow coach on this to make sure you are not throwing out valuable information that you are blind to.)
- Write a half page Bio. Then go through and cut it down to two to three paragraphs that really describe you well.
- Search the internet and print off three bios that sound attractive to you (yet don’t rely on hard facts you cannot replicate; e.g., a Doctorate in Psychology). Use these to inspire ideas and rework your bio.
- Have a friend who is good with words or marketing, edit it to give you a Bio that sounds great! A great sounding Bio can make an amazing difference to your confidence.
- Run your Bio past three friends or colleagues who you would like to coach and that represent your target market. Use their feedback and suggestions to further improve it.
- Put your Bio on your web site, and in a handy electronic file where you can easily find it (to insert in an e-mail, or to forward to a prospective client or audience).
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
I believe it makes sense for your client-gathering strategies to depend on how far you are along the coaching ‘curve’. If you have at least a year’s experience in coaching, and an existing client base, then I suggest you jump ahead to Advanced Marketing Strategies.
However, if you’re still building up your confidence, then I’m going to outline here a strategy, which I have found to be the fastest for building confidence, and getting your initial clients. (Once you are confident and have a full practice, revenue increases, your attraction increases, and you’ll know more about who you want to coach.)
The following is taken from David’s interview with Rachel Pryor in 10 Super Coaches.
Would you advise coaches to pursue certification?
Yes, yes and yes. There are just too many people who set themselves up as coaches – it is getting increasingly clear that those with certifications stand out.
If so, at what stage in their practice, and through which accrediting body?
Certification requires a certain number of client hours, so that might determine how soon you can become certified. I went straight for the highest certification there is (CCMC with CoachInc, and CMC with the International Coach Federation) because I had more than enough client hours (2500+). I certified after 3 years coaching.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Ernest F. Oriente in 10 Super Coaches.
How would you recommend coaches start to build their business?
I co-authored a book with my partner Judy Feld, titled ‘SmartMatch Alliances’. If we were building a business in 90 days and we put the driving principle of SmartMatch Alliances into play, we could catapult our business from nothing to something and be moving forward at a rate that is simply extraordinary.
The interesting piece, or the challenging piece, is that many and most coaches are not using this formula, and quite frankly they’re not building businesses that thrive and exceed their expectations. Many, many coaches are not making enough to even be considered a paycheck.
It took us thirty two thousand words to put this formula together. It took the entire first half of the book to explain the concept of ‘living in the world’ and having maximum exposure and having the foundation in place so that you can serve those who are your exact perfect audience.
The once you have that in place, the alliances, and all the additional services that you might provide for that audience, it just falls right into place like dominoes, it’s extremely easy.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Jim Earley in 10 Super Coaches.
What top three methods, in order, did you use to get your clients in the first 2 years?
Normally I wouldn’t mention this one, but the thing I did the least, but which brought me the client that kept me in business, was cold calling HR directors. I only pursued the torture of cold calling for six months, but netted a client that provided up to $25K in revenue in a couple of years.
I joined the Minnesota chapter of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development), volunteered to serve on the newsletter, became newsletter editor, and was invited to join the board. I participated up to my ear lobes in that organization for about five years. That gave me lots of visibility and credibility with people in the training and development circles.
I also bartered a membership in an Inner Circle group; a facilitated peer coaching group for business owners. This was a miracle of the highest order. It gave me the opportunity to rub elbows with people accustomed to making a lot of money. It also gave me a source of accountability (I didn’t want to look like a chump there). In time, it led to some business.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
3. Once you’ve decided to go ahead, consider professional coach training. This will give you resources, insights, tools, and support. It will also help you to build your coach network — other coaches you can call on for help and advice. You should pick a school which has happy, successful coaches. Do you require face-to-face training, want the flexibility of teleclass (phone conference calls) training, the multidimensional impact of online learning, or a combination of these? And shop around — prices vary. For a list of training schools and the specials we’ve negotiated, visit: http://www.becomeacoach.com
4. Work with a coach to build your practice. Some people skip Step 3 and jump straight to working with a coach to enter the industry. People in this category are usually those with existing transferable skills (e.g. counselling, or a lot of personal development training). Or, they are people short on cash, who want to generate some revenue from coaching before they invest in a proper training course. A coach can help you avoid common mistakes, and build your practice faster, with less effort than you would on your own. What business systems do you need in place? Where will you find clients? How will you keep your clients? And how do you keep your chin up if you lose three in one day!?
Some new coaches like to combine Steps 3 and 4 by finding a training program which supplies them with a coach.
