The following is taken from David’s interview in 10 Super Coaches.
When you started out did you coach face to face, or by telephone?
I did both. Initially I thought it had to be face to face, then I moved to phone coaching because I got a client in Melbourne and I was in Sydney at the time.
Now what I’ve found is that I actually prefer phone coaching. I do quite leveraged sessions, I work for twenty five minutes a week with people and I think if I was going to coach face to face it would probably be more appropriate to do forty minutes, maybe longer.
I’ve moved more and more towards voice only, over the phone. Also, if you do expand to a national practice or an international practice you’re going to have to do a lot of phone coaching, it’s just the only way to do it.
I say to new coaches, do what feels good.
What do you think new coaches need to be reminded of?
New coaches starting out may forget that once they’ve done fifty sessions, they’re going to be a lot more confident. And once they’ve got ten clients and they’ve got several testimonials under their belt and some really grateful clients, your confidence does increase a lot.
The other thing that I think helps is realizing that you don’t have to be a guru. You really don’t have to be any kind of incredible mystic that has the answers to everything, you’re simply there for support and to coach them as best you know how. It’s up to the client what they do with that.
That’s a major, major shift and all coaches go through it, or need to go through it, at some point.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Philip Cohen in 10 Super Coaches.
What method did you find most effective in getting your initial clients, and what advice would you give to coaches trying this method?
Use your database. However, one important lesson I had to learn was to not prejudge the people I contacted. People who I thought couldn’t afford coaching, found a way to pay for it. “Ask and ye shall receive.” If you don’t ask, you have said “no” for the other person.
Did you coach your friends and colleagues? If so, what invitation did you use that worked best and felt good for you?
I had no problem coaching colleagues. However, I made a distinction between friends and acquaintances. I don’t like coaching friends because it’s too easy to have the relationships blend into one. I didn’t want to take the chance of losing both a client and a friend. My current coach is a close friend, however, we’ve both been coaching for a lot of years and know how to set up the relationship so there’s no problem.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Anna Dargitz in 10 Super Coaches.
What training, experience and qualifications did you have when you started coaching?
The most important qualifications to coach masterfully are self-awareness and advanced communicating skills. There are many ways to obtain them. I chose transpersonal/spiritual psychology training, world myth and religion and family life. I obtained a PhD in clinical psychology. I worked in mental hospitals, outward-bound programs, Jungian psychology training schools and private practice. I was an executive director of a non-profit educational institution, a wife and a mom. Life teaches self-awareness and communicating skills to the ready learner in all kinds of environments.
The following is taken from David’s interview in 10 Super Coaches.
How would you suggest coaches find their niche?
I think there are two ways that you can do it. Firstly I would say – relax. If you don’t find your niche straight away it doesn’t matter. You can coach everybody and anybody for a couple of years and just see how it goes.
Secondly, you can work with a mentor coach, which is a great thing to do. I’ve worked with somewhere between eighty and a hundred coaches and one of the main things we do first is look at who would they like to coach, and what they would like to coach that person on.
Now once you choose your niche, it doesn’t mean that’s the only group you have to work with, but you can focus your website and your business cards and your business name on that niche and still coach other people who might be attracted to you.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Marcia Reynolds in 10 Super Coaches.
What top three methods, in order, did you use to get your clients in the first 2 years?
Public speaking: I worked hard to develop my skills and this part of my business so I would be hired as a keynot speaker for big conferences. This helps me to attract many possible clients at once. I have worked with speaking coaches, attended acting workshops, joined the National Speakers Association (where I get to see great speakers and learn marketing techniques) and began speaking everywhere I could to practice. I now coach people in public speaking as I think it is vital to success in most businesses.
Writing: I write articles, audio programs and books. People read or hear my ideas and contact me. Some of my products are in bookstores. Others are self-published. I sell them on the Internet and at my seminars and speeches. I give books away to potential clients…this works better than a brochure. My book is only 60 pages…a quick read that teaches as well as tells people about my outlook on personal and professional development.
Publicity: I learned how to attract reporters through emails pitches and press releases. This is how I received my first client that was not a referral from a friend.
