The following is taken from David’s interview with Andrea Molloy in 10 Super Coaches.
What are your coaching niche(s)? How did you discover this?
Our practice specializes in personal (mainly socio’s 1&2, primarily 25-40 year olds) and corporate coaching (within organizations that respect coaching as a discipline, predominately market leading organizations and 3 month contracts for a team rather than individual executive coaching) – we identified these areas in our original business planning process.
Personally my niche is in personal coaching and media related fields (ie writing books, magazine articles).
How would you suggest coaches find their niche?
Look at your background and experience, the areas where you already have respect and a healthy reputation…that will easily lead you to your niche. In a way, you need to analyse your personal ‘brand’ – people do judge you on what you look and sound like, so make sure you reflect how you want to be perceived, and that will lead you to your niche too.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Andrea Molloy in 10 Super Coaches.
What were the biggest doubts you had in your early months?
My biggest fear was not getting enough clients to make a living – I focused on my business plan and kept positive! Sure, it was a process, I didn’t launch my practice and then immediately get inundated with clients on day one, it was a process of carefully building up public awareness and trust.
What was most disheartening for you while building your practice?
Often I met people who were cynical and disinterested in coaching, dismissing it as a new-age warm fuzzies fad. I had to consciously hold my head high and be confident abou the power of coaching and remind myself that these people were not my ideal clients, while not judging them in return.
What was the most interesting or exciting thing for you about building your practice?
The success stories! It’s an incredibly rewarding career (especially when you partner with a client on their road to success), and it also allows you a flexible, autonomous work environment. This has enabled me to write my first book, whereas if I had been in a regular full time ‘day job’ I doubt I would have progressed so quickly in my own creative goals.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Andrea Molloy in 10 Super Coaches.
What advice would you give coaches about charging clients?
Don’t undervalue your services, do your market research. Find out what other coaches are charging locally and position yourself well. Don’t apologize for your rates either, be confident in stating your fees so the client appreciates your worth – they need to feel they are getting good value for their investment.
Do you recommend offering free coaching?
We offer potential clients the opportunity to chat with a coach for half an hour, to answer any queries they may have about the coaching process and so the coach can learn more about the client’s specific requirements.
