Inner Firewalking

Judy Feld on Start Up Costs

Posted by David Wood

The following is taken from David’s interview with Judy Feld in 10 Super Coaches.

What did you spend money on in the first 6-12 months? Could it be done for less?

Had the computer. Developed the website myself. Increased phone bill – that’s about it. Office supplies. Also… business cards and stationary. I don’t think it could have been done for less. My time and attention were the valuable commodities.

What did you charge your initial clients?

I think I began at $250 USD per month (in 1995) for three 30-minute telephone sessions. I always have offered a menu of options.

When did you first increase your fee, to what did you increase it, and why?

I have increased my fees about once a year. Supply and demand and expertise.

What advice would you give coaches about charging clients?

Offer a menu of options. People usually opt for the choice in the middle. Be consistent in your pricing. Don’t raise your fees on existing clients. Loyalty and longevity counts. I have clients I have been working with since 1996. We are partners.

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Top Ten Radical Actions for Finding a Partner

Posted by David Wood

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

1. Declare to all your friends that you’re available. Let them know the type of partner and relationship you’re looking for.

2. Ask 20 people out in the next seven days.

3. Join a dating service (try it!).

4. Get listed on the Internet dating sites (If you’re embarrassed, get over it! This is a non-confronting way to check people out, and it’s fun!)

5. Place a personal ad.

6. Do a personal development course.

7. Join 1-3 clubs/courses where people share a common interest with you, and where you’ll have fun (e.g. yoga, bush walking, dancing, indoor rock climbing, film club)

8. Polish up your life to become more attractive (i.e. list 5 things in your life which you know you should handle, and get them handled! E.g. health, house, car, fight with a friend)

9. List 5 people you would normally not ask out on a date (e.g. they’re not perfect, not your type, probably not interested, you’re not attracted to them), and ask them out! (Trust me – if nothing else, this gets you out, and lubricates the dating wheels)

10. Declare to yourself that you will be single for 6 months, and simply have the best time you possibly can! (You become a magnet!)

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Finding A Client’s Gap

Posted by David Wood

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

Coach: The other way I see it is an enrollment session. It’s a chance for you as the coach to create a gap for them. To really help them see the gap between what they want and what they have, so they are pulled forward and they’re excited. They are lit up. They see, ‘Yes, that’s what I want.’ and ‘Yes, I see it’s possible.’

Client: I don’t know that you’re actually creating the gap, because the gap is always there.

Coach: Well, yes and no. Sometimes they come to you and they’re not even sure what they want or they might want something, but it’s really not lining them up. They think, ‘Oh, this would be good. I want a relationship where we aren’t fighting all the time.’ and you say, ‘Well what would it be like to have a relationship where you are lit up all the time, and you are telling everyone how great your relationship is?’ You’ve just created a gap and that’s your job.

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What is Coaching?

Posted by David Wood

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

Coaching is essentially a conversation between a coach and his or her client, starting with the aim of helping the client to live a fulfilling life. This is most often achieved by helping the client:

(a) Set goals that will add significantly to your client’s life (or as I like to say, and ‘put a BIG smile on your face’).

(b) To achieve those goals.

In this way, coaching can be broken down into two halves and this is a great way to communicate coaching to prospective clients.

You may also help the client live a more fulfilling life by helping them to increase their level of self-awareness. This alone can help someone move forward in any area.

Of course, sometimes the client may want to achieve a specific goal that the coach may not agree with (that achieving that goal will not add significantly to that person’s life). In such a situation, the coach may point this out — either immediately, or over time — and will still be willing to work on achieving the goal.

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Golden Rule: Coach 50 People

Posted by David Wood

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

What holds back most coaches in the early years is lack of confidence. The best way to bust through this barrier: coach fifty people! It doesn’t matter if it’s just a practice session or if it turns into three months of coaching.

Clients are “gold” for you – no matter what the fee. So don’t let your fee or lack of confidence stand between you and coaching many people.

Every client you have gives you:

The feeling that you are really a coach, not a fraud
A practice that looks a little more busy (“Sorry — that time slot is not available.”)
The potential for referrals
Free training!
More and more confidence with every session you do, and lastly
Possible revenue — either immediately or down the track

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Marketing for a Professional Practice

Posted by David Wood

The following is an excerpt of one of David’s coaching sessions in Top Coaching Techniques.

David: Well it’s not quite a plan but it’s the beginning of a plan.

Client: Yeah.

David: Awesome. You got a pen?

Client: Yeah. I’m taking notes.

David: All right, you’re going to love this. Lots of stuff to soak up, so actually I might even send you a copy of the recording because I think there’ll be a lot here. Okay. To start, the writing of the article, I would suggest if you do this you don’t just do one. Writing articles, in fact everything you do here, should be part of a long-term plan. If you’re going to do the article approach, great. Work out when every single month you’re going to sit down and write your article. Have your list of journals or magazines that you’re going to send it to, and cultivate a relationship with them, and get yourself published every month.

Client: Every month?

David: Well, or every quarter or whatever it is, but it’s a system rather than – because it’s so easy to come up with 20 good ideas and try and do them all, but you may not get any impact out of it until the sixth month, when people start to know who you are and they’ve read your second article. So, if you are going to do this one.

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Home

Judy Feld on Start Up Costs

Top Ten Radical Actions for Finding a Partner

Finding A Client’s Gap

What is Coaching?

Golden Rule: Coach 50 People

Marketing for a Professional Practice