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.
Ask for referrals of the ones he/she is not willing to do; e.g., they can’t pay enough. Offer to go along and assist at their talks. Many really are open to this kind of help. Or ask them what kind of help they could use. Many new speakers apprentice, and again, a local chapter of the NSA is a great place to find a speaker that one can shadow. Also, the local chapters of NSA have mentoring programs that match up new speakers with experienced ones.
The following is an excerpt from David’s independent report on coaching training and certification.
If you’ve done thorough research, this might not be too important to you. However, you’ll have more peace of mind joining with a company that has a generous refund/cancellation policy if you’re not satisfied with the training and/or service. Often this shows they are confident in their service, and that they have a low refund rate.
If they don’t provide refunds at all – it’s possible that it’s to support your commitment. But you need to satisfy yourself that they don’t have a list of complaints against them by disgruntled students.
In any event, it’s a good idea to view testimonials, and even contact current or former students to have a chat before signing up.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
Rather than go through the theory of what you could provide when you start coaching, I’ll simply tell you what I provide:
- A List of Common Coaching Goals
- A Self Coaching Form (Preparation Form to fill in for each session)
- The ‘6/3 Goals Form’ (which helps them set out three goals with milestones and possible strategies)
- Our Coaching Agreement (which includes my policies and procedures).
While these forms will be available to coaches later in the year as part of a paid package, I wanted to give you one of the forms here free of charge:
I’ve included my coaching agreement here to give you an idea of the areas you could consider covering. Please note that as I am not a lawyer I cannot give you legal advice. I therefore recommend you get legal advice specific to your country and do not rely on this agreement for legal protection.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
Coaching is still relatively new, so if this were a baseball game your ‘First Base’ to get to would be getting three solid testimonials. Do whatever it takes to get three managers or executives to work with you for three months each. Take a pay cut if necessary, coach in exchange for a donation to charity, or even better — charge what you like and offer a 100% money back guarantee. Let them know up front that you’ll ask for a testimonial backed by their name and company at the end, which you will only expect if you’ve done a great job.
The following is an excerpt from David’s independent report on coaching training and certification.
A breed of training company has emerged which provides your initial training at a discount, in exchange for a percentage of your future coaching revenue. This ongoing payment pays for certain support structures such as business cards, client referrals, ongoing training, and a license to continue using the technology.
By contrast, most non-franchise companies will still provide you with training, and a lifetime license to use their technology, forms, and client programs, for an up front fee.
Be wary of franchises that require a percentage of your income or a high annual fee. Some of them even charge twice as much as ICF certified training programs. You should not go into one of these companies unless they can put you in touch with several coaches who have gone through their program, and earning a good income – and who don’t have a financial interest in you joining!
