MM Newsletter

1. Announcements/Offers

Free Listing in Links Directory

We have a links directory for coaches, trainers, counselors, therapists, fitness trainers, consultants and other service professionals. Get yourself listed – for free! All you need to do is link back to our site. This increases both your link popularity and ours with Google – meaning we both come up higher when people do a web search.

To submit your site to our directory, visit:

http://www.life-coaching-resource.com/links/

When did ‘Ten Super Coaches’ Become ‘Seventeen Super Coaches!?’

With your copy of the ’10 Super Coaches ebook’ you currently get a free expansion pack including another seven interviews!

“I was working on a marketing strategy that was going to cost quite a bit of money when I bought the ebook. It made me realise there is a MUCH more direct, and less expensive method. Saved me several hundred pounds and gave me a kick up the rear end to do something else. Thanks!”

Neil Gilbranch, United Kingdom

“Why reinvent the wheel when you can see how successful people are already producing results you want? Don’t hesitate, buy it today. The ’10 Super Coaches’ ebook has given me the confidence and inner strength I needed to build my business, I have been able to fine-tune my fees, and I have offered sample sessions with success.”

Denise Simons, New Zealand
RELATE Coaching

Visit http://www.10SuperCoaches.com

2. FEATURE: How to Use Audio on Your Site

Note: Proudly reprinted from Mentor Monthly #33

A popular trend I am sure you have noticed is audio on web sites. In this article I’ll show you exactly how to create and compress your own audio clips for your web site!

Why Use Audio

The hardest part of selling on the internet, whether services or products, is fostering a relationship. The internet can be cold, faceless and voiceless. And people want to buy from people they know. Hearing your voice creates an instant connection and makes it easier to trust you.

Also people have different learning abilities. People who learn best auditorily will remember your content more easily.

Audio also adds interest and gets attention. Because of this, audio works best if used sparingly. Know your audience and test your results.

What Can You Do with Audio?

You can find many creative ways to try out audio:

• make an introduction to your site and let them know you are a real person (see the SolutionBox left side bar)
• give people a feel for your sincerity and enthusiasm
• let your audience know exactly what you want them to do e.g. get your newsletter, sign up for a free course, download a free ebook
• record speeches, teleclasses and interviews to sell or put on your site (with permission, of course)
• deliver audio lessons and classes
• provide enthusiastic, persuasive product descriptions
• provide sample previews of things you want to sell

How to Create Audios

Has this sparked some ideas for you? Are you ready to learn how to make your own audios?

I’ve created a free audio/video presentation on how to record audio and convert it into different formats. You’ll learn how to convert to streaming Flash, MP3, Real Audio and Windows Media File. We’ll cover three different programs I like to use. And, I’ll show you how to put the converted audio onto your web site.

Access your free 17 minute training video here:

http://www.solutionbox.com/video/audiotraining.htm

Action

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Enjoy!

P.S. Got a comment on this article? Add it to the blog.

1. Announcements/Offers

For Serious Players…

Ready to really BUMP your practice to the next level?

Ready for advanced training on creating long-term marketing engines?

Then listen in to this extensive collection of my most powerful mentoring sessions over the last three years, with your own copy of:

“EXPLODE YOUR COACHING PRACTICE™: Proven Practice Building Secrets to Give You More Clients Than You Can Handle.”

Get your copy now:

Explode Your Practice

2. FEATURE: Branding in 4 Simple Steps

You have a name for your business and have even determined your focus or niche. Great!

Now, how do you let others know about you? How do you market your products and services to your chosen audience in a way that they will understand and relate to?

It all comes down to something called branding. Here is a simple 4-step process for defining your brand from the audio Branding Basics which you can hear on disk #2 of the Explode Your Practice CD set.

So, what exactly is a brand? A brand can be thought of as a set of perceptions a prospective (or existing) client gets when they hear the name of your coaching practice or see the logo you will be designing to represent it.

The important thing to remember here is that it’s not the same as the actual products or services you sell. Instead, it’s a feeling a person has.

STEP #1: Solidifying Your Target Market

As you did when you launched your business, start by identifying your target market. Who are they specifically? What demographics can you identify about them? What’s their age? Gender? Race? Marital status? Income level? Where do they live? Work?

Then try and go one step further to see if you can identify some lifestyle characteristics for them as well. Where do these people hang out? What do they like to read? What movies do they enjoy? What restaurants do they eat at? What associations do they belong to?

All of these factors can tell you even more about your target audience such as what’s important enough to them that they will spend both time and money on it.

Can you use this information to sell your products and services in a unique or interesting way? Take some time to think about it.

If you are struggling with this exercise and just can t seem to come up with anything, try focusing on the individuals you have coached in the past or are coaching now. Are they your ideal client? If so, why? What characteristics are you drawn to that make them an ideal client for you? If they aren’t your ideal client, that s OK too. Thinking about why they might not be ideal can lead to some insights too.

STEP #2: What?

Once you have your target market defined as specifically as possible, consider the key message(s) you’d like them to remember when they hear the name of your business or see your logo. What word or words do you want them to instantly recall? When thinking about a company such as Harley-Davidson, it’s pretty easy to identify a couple of words that represent this brand, such as freedom or independence.

STEP #3: How?

Descriptive words (like the ones you may have come up with in step #2) typically have a feeling or emotion associated with them and these feelings or emotions can be captured through the use of symbols, images or even the colors you select.

Again, thinking back to Harley-Davidson, the colors they chose are black and orange. Black conveys a sense of power, strength and independence, and the orange is a unique color orange (some say the specific mix is a trade secret). Color is just one way that Harley-Davidson stirs up what they want its riders to feel when they are cruising down the highway on a motorcycle made by the company.

How do you want your prospective clients to feel when they see the name or logo associated with your business? Think about how symbols, images and colors can convey those emotions and feelings for you.

STEP #4: Put it all together

Now comes the fun part! Working with a graphic designer (try someplace like elance.com), pull everything together – the key message(s), symbols, images, colors, feelings and emotions – intoa logo for your business.

Once you have some ideas drawn up, test them out on your clients, friends, or R & D Team. What impressions do they get when they see your logo? How does it make them feel? Would they hire you based on what they see?

Depending on feedback you receive, make any necessary changes and keep testing until you are satisfied with the results.

Using this basic 4-step process, you can create a powerful brand that will be easy to recognize and remember, excites you when you are talking about it to prospective clients and will virtually sell itself as it conveys the feelings and emotions you want it to.

Tip: If it excites you, and excites your potential clients, you have a winner!

Good luck and I am looking forward to seeing your unique brand on the Internet soon!

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Action

1. Announcements/Offers

For Serious Players…

Ready to really BUMP your practice to the next level?

Ready for advanced training on creating long-term marketing engines?

Then listen in to this extensive collection of my most powerful mentoring sessions over the last three years, with your own copy of:-

“EXPLODE YOUR COACHING PRACTICE™: Proven Practice Building Secrets to Give You More Clients Than You Can Handle.”

Get your copy now:

http://www.ExplodeYourPractice.com

2. FEATURE: “I’ve Got a Client – Now What?”

So … you’ve done 50 or so trial sessions. You’re feeling a little more confident in your skills as a life coach. You’ve even signed up a couple of paying clients. Congratulations! You’ve mastered the first session.

Now you may be wondering what structures you will need to have in place to support an on-going coaching relationship with a client?

It might help to think of it this way: it’s their game, they are in charge of defining the goals (“calling the plays”), identifying key strategies to achieve those goals and completing the action items you assign them each week.

However, it’s your rules that they have to play by. You define when, how often and for how long each coaching session is. You hold them accountable for accomplishing any tasks they have agreed to. You celebrate their success with them as well as get them “unstuck” when they are struggling.

Until you have written down the rules – also known as your policies – you don’t really have a coaching practice. Answering these questions, and putting them into a document, really brings your practice into existence.

Here are a few suggestions for “rules” from the series “How To Set Up a Client” which you can hear on disk #1 of Explode Your Practice CD set.

Your Policies and Procedures

Decisions to make when you set up your coaching practice:

• How many times a month will you meet and how long is each coaching session?
• Will you only coach over the phone or in person as well? If both, will you have a different fee structure for each one?
• What if the client needs to cancel or reschedule? Do they lose that session or if they tell you 24 hours in advance will you look for a substitute time?
• What if you need to cancel or reschedule? Does the same 24 hour advance notice apply to you too?
• What basic information do you need to collect from the client?
• What if the client needs support in between sessions? Will you encourage them to email or call you?
• If so, will there be a limit on the number of emails or on the length of the phone calls?
• And who calls for a coaching session? Does that change if the call is international for one of you?

All of these rules can be written in your operations manual, and in the welcome packet forms so everyone is clear about expectations.

Train Your Client

It’s up to you to let the client know what you expect of them. Some expectations of the client might include:

• Be on time and ready for the call each week (and that goes for you too!).
• Complete their assigned homework for the week unless they have renegotiated a deadline with you beforehand.
• Be prepared with what they want to discuss during the coaching session.
• Pay their monthly coaching fees in full by the date you have agreed to with them.

Of course, a coaching relationship involves two people. Some expectations the client may have of you:

• Check in with them on previous homework assignments and question them when something hasn’t been completed – hold them accountable.
• Track the client’s progress towards a goal.
• Be on time for every session, no matter what.

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It’s worth repeating: It’s not until these policies and procedures are defined that you really have a coaching practice. Answering these questions, and putting them into a document, really brings your practice into existence.

Enjoy setting up your practice!

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Want more? This plus 100 other topics are covered in more detail in the full Explode Your Practice CD set, available now.

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Action

1. Start your “rules list.” Use the questions above as guidelines.
2. Put your rules (policies) in writing.
3. Share your own rules at the blog, and post again the results once the sessions are done!

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a comment on this article? Add it to the blog.

1. Announcements/Offers

What People are Saying About ’10 Super Coaches’

To find out how 10 ordinary coaches are earning $30,000 to $1.4 million per year, and how you can do it too, click here:

http://www.10SuperCoaches.com

“I’ve been doing the ‘invitation to an exploratory session’ or simply reconnecting with past clients, and it is definitely working for me. At first, I felt I was moving outside my comfort zone….but amazingly, things are really happening! I’ve had some great responses, I have doubled the size of my prospect list, and have arranged for three exploratory meetings already. This simple exercise has re-energised me. Fantastic – thank you!”
Christine Musson, United Kingdom

“Hearing the ideas of others who already have successful coaching businesses was very helpful. Some of my own ideas were reinforced, and I learned over and over what actually works. Your program has helped me tremendously to get myself moving toward my goal. Thank you David for sharing all your expertise!”
Eloise Becker, USA

Visit http://www.10SuperCoaches.com

2. FEATURE: Tips and Techniques for Signing Up Clients

Gaining confidence as a new coach is largely a matter of coaching as many people as you can.

After 50 sessions, regardless whether or not you sign up any clients, you will have learned much about yourself, your particular style of coaching and how best to have that conversation all new coaches dread: asking the prospective client if they’d be interested in continuing the coaching relationship on a paying basis. Here are a few pointers from the Explode Your Practice training series available on CD.

Tip #1. Fifty sessions can seem overwhelming to a beginning coach, so start by finding five people whom you would love to coach and invite them to do an exploratory session with you.

Tip #2. When asking someone if they might be interested in doing a session with you, be very clear in your mind why you want to do a session with that person and then communicate those reasons to him or her in an open, honest and authentic manner. For instance, if you know someone who is successful in business, let him or her know that through coaching, you’d like to help duplicate that success in other areas. This insight and concern for their well-being is sure to resonate with potential clients.

Tip #3. In order to conduct an exploratory session, you don’t need to have a bunch of paperwork prepared ahead of time. The objective here is to coach, not to perfect the forms you use during “intake” to learn more about your clients, their specific challenges and how you can best support them. That can come later once you are more confident in your own skills and abilities.

Tip #4. An easy way to conduct an exploratory session with someone is to simply spend 30 minutes to an hour identifying three goals he or she would like to set, but may lack the structure to actually implement. Out of those three, also really get firm with the client on which is the most important goal. Ask, “Which of your goals would make the biggest difference in your life if you were to take that first step towards achieving it?” If you try and handle all three in 30-60 minutes you’re likely to get bogged down and lose focus.

IMPORTANT: Have fun with the session! You won’t die – honestly!

Tip #5. In order to naturally segue into the conversation to convert prospects into paying clients at the end of the coaching session, ask how the session felt for them. Did they enjoy it? Did they feel supported during the session? Do they feel inspired to do something about their goals? If they do, follow-up by asking them if they would be interested in learning more about the coaching structure and how you can support them in the attainment of their goals.

Tip #6. Track your responses from each person you ask to commit to an ongoing coaching relationship with you. Include the yes’s, the nos and the reasons for both. This information can be invaluable in discovering what is working for you as well as how to combat the objections people may have to coaching. Armed with this data, you’ll be much better prepared for that conversation when the time comes to have it again.

Challenge them to commit

Tip #7. Sometimes the key to converting prospective clients is to identify the most pressing goal they are struggling with at the moment and then challenge them to “be bold” and take that first step towards fulfilling it – sign up for a month’s worth of coaching where they will have the opportunity to experience firsthand how the process truly supports what they are trying to accomplish in their lives. If you have to, really dig to find out what it’s going to take for them to commit to the process.

Tip #8. If money is at the root of the objection, don’t be quick to offer up alternative arrangements. Let them think about it a bit first before discussing possible options. Let them really take a look at what they value in their life, and where they spend money.

Then, you might offer options such as one month of coaching at half price and if they see the benefit and value of it in their lives, then subsequent months are at full price. Another idea is if they agree to commit to a three month contract, you will give them the third month free. Or, you could offer a “volume discount” of sorts, the longer the contract they commit to, the greater the discount they receive. For instance, for a three month contract, they would receive a 10% discount off the full coaching price, for a six month contract, they would receive a 20% discount off the full coaching price and for a nine month contract, they would receive a 30% discount off the full coaching price.

Tip #9. Perhaps most importantly though, assure prospective clients that coaching is a fun experience and can involve as little as a phone call once a week if they so choose, or 100% of their waking hours – they get to decide. If they would like action items and want to be held accountable to completing them, that’s their choice. The structure of the relationship and the role you are to provide for prospective clients is entirely up to them, providing you feel it’s in their best interest. How easy it that?

Signing up clients is at the heart of building your coaching practice. Keep these tips in mind as you conduct your exploratory sessions and you are sure to convert prospective clients to paying ones!

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Want more? This, and 100 other topics are covered in more detail in the full Explode Your Practice CD set, available now for shipping anywhere in the world.
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Action

1. Make a list of five people with whom you’d like to do an exploratory session.
2. Contact these people, keeping Tip #2 in mind.
3. When you’ve scheduled the sessions, post at the blog, and post again the results once the sessions are done!

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Enjoy!

P.S. Got a comment on this article? Add it to the blog.

1. Announcements/Offers

What People are Saying About ‘First Fifty Clients’

How Did A Former Helicopter Rescue Nurse Get 17 Life Coaching Clients in Just 3 Months?!

Find out at:
http://www.FirstFiftyClients.com

“David’s strategies helped me get my coaching business up and running with 17 clients after just three months! And I couldn’t believe I had $3,000 a month coming in just from helping people with their lives!”
– Estelle Gibbins, Brisbane, Australia

“I have applied the information, with terrific results. I started last Monday, making a deal with myself to have a new client each day. So far, that has occurred – and I have ten new clients!”
– Julie Gleeson, USA
The Art of Living

Visit http://www.FirstFiftyClients.com

2. FEATURE: How to Design a Teleclass

A teleclass can be a very effective way to get a start with potential new clients.

And – a great way to ‘add value’ for existing clients.

In a way, it’s expensive for you to provide one on one time. By speaking to groups of people, your cost per person plummets. People can then access you at a lower price point (e.g. $75 p.m instead of $300 p.m) so you can reach a much greater market!

Or, you can ‘audition’ your services, so to speak, for 20-200 people at one time. Wouldn’t you rather do a trial session for 200 people over 1 hour, instead of 200 hours!?

Holding regular teleclasses can also help you keep your practice fresh with new ideas, and give you a solid base for generating materials to use in future gatherings – or even as stand-alone products!

Ideally, you should have an online presence in order to attract enrollees, but you can start with just a few email addresses. The investment you make in creating a website and newsletter pay dividends as they help potential clients get to know you and your business. Announce your teleclasses online, and send reminders to your newsletter subscribers.

Another tool you’ll need is a teleconference bridge. This is easier than it sounds, as there are a number of free telephone conference services available on the internet. These services allow you to schedule your call in advance and automatically email instructions to your participants. They need only to dial in and provide a pre-designated login code. Most free services will require your participants to make a long-distance call. Some offer a toll-free number for an charge of approximately $.10 per minute. One free service is www.FreeConference.com.

When Bigger Isn’t Better

What’s the ideal size for a teleclass? Ideally, your class should consist of at least four people – enough to generate questions and conversation. Some limit their class size to a maximum of six. This keeps the group intimate and workable. By keeping your class small, you have a better chance of getting to know the participants and their needs.

If you go above 8, your time doesn’t count as ‘coaching’ time for the International Coach Federation certification guidelines, but you get to reach many more people! So there’s a trade-off between numbers and the quality of coaching. Many of the classes I do are more like lectures. We have so many people on a given call, we often have to mute the participants because of background noise.

Note, too, that I don’t think I’ve ever charged for a teleclass. I’d like to, and soon – it’s just that I’ve used teleclasses as freebies; lead-ins to upsell to another product such as my coaching services, a partner’s products for commission, and ultimately my own products.

How many sessions should you provide in a teleclass series? Well – it could be just a one-off teleclass. Or, you could provide four, eight, or even 12 sessions, usually weekly. Multiple sessions becomes a ‘course,’ which is appealing to both the clients and often the coach. Consider offering your first class session as a freebie, so clients can “try before they buy.” If they like what they hear, it’s likely they will sign up for the rest of the course.

Teleclass Structure

Here’s a tried-and-true formula for a four-week teleclass series, whether the focus is on job search, weight loss, or relationships.

First teleclass: In your first session, begin by focusing on participants’ goals and vision. Use a conversation-starter to get things going. For example: “Do you want to be the locomotive in your life, or the caboose? Which one are you right now?” Determine where your participants are in relation to their goals, and how ready they are for change in their lives.

Second teleclass: After your participants have clearly outlined their goals, you can focus on strategies for change. What is one step each participant can take to get on the right track toward what they want? Discussing this question in a group format will generate ideas and excitement. As an added bonus, you’re creating a support structure!

Third teleclass: In the third session, it’s time to focus on action. It’s time to move up to the “locomotive,” so to speak, and leave the “caboose” behind – where it belongs. Participants can commit to one or more action steps, and prepare to share their experiences in the final teleclass.

Fourth teleclass: Wrap up the teleclass by reviewing all the previous topics (goals/vision, strategies for change, action). Allow participants to share what they’ve learned. Give them an opportunity for one-on-one coaching with you – perhaps at a special introductory rate if they are new clients. If interest is strong, you can schedule an ‘advanced’ teleclass for the group.

TIP: Have participants buddy up in pairs, so they can support each other during the week, particularly in completing action steps. I also love the idea of a discussion board online, so people can ask questions, and share what’s happening. Now you have a community!

Teleclasses are a great way to create camaraderie and generate client relationships. Customize a class for your niche – and have fun with it!
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Action: Create a teleclass

1. Come up with a compelling topic for a teleclass. What is your niche? How can you tailor your class to your audience? What FOUR major things should participants know to be more successful in this area?
2. Optional advanced: Schedule your class. Make a commitment!
3. Post details at the blog.
   – and check in with your results after your class has begun.

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Enjoy!

P.S. Got a comment on this article? Add it to the blog.