The following is taken from David’s interview with Ginger Cockerham in 10 Super Coaches.
What top three methods, in order, did you use to get your clients in the first two years?
Referral Engine – I chose a niche of people who are generous, and let them be my advocates! My clients in the financial services industry are dependent on referrals to grow their own businesses, so they refer naturally, regularly and generously.
Media and Presentations – I love to write so I wrote a monthly column in Today’s Dallas Woman for two years with coaching themes. I presented and coached during those presentations to organizations, financial services companies, study groups for financial reps.
Networking – I became active in the coaching community and volunteered and took leadership roles, I gave back to my clients and community, I shared and received from many, many other coaches, I formed a networking group with other professionals and helped grow their businesses while they helped me grow mine.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Ginger Cockerham in 10 Super Coaches.
What words of advice would you give to a coach starting out?
Coach as soon as possible so that you experience the coaching process really works for others. The shift that comes from hearing someone introduce you with “This is my coach” changes everything. Knowing that by showing up and being a partner with your clients and personally staying out of the way so they can fly is wonderful.
Invest in the best training for you. Investigate and trust that you will find the right training. Learn to be a business person as well as a coach. Develop a network of advocates so that you don’t have to create your business alone.
For me the key has been the expanding and deepening of my relationships with clients and colleagues that have become any advocates in my networking circles. They refer me, support and inspire me. My connections with other people have resulted in meaningful relationships and an abundance of opportunities in my business. It is so much fun to create business within a vibrant network of terrific people.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Ginger Cockerham in 10 Super Coaches.
What if a client brings up a serious life problem – and I don’t have a clue about how to help her/him?
I learned to distinguish between coaching and therapy and referred clients quickly who needed therapy. With the rest of my clients, I recognized that it was not my job to solve my client’s problems – it was my job to be their coach and support and encourage them as they discovered their own solutions.
How can I possibly convince a company that coaching will impact the culture and the bottom line with no established research to substantiate that?
I did pilot programs that would provide results substantiated by their internal records.
