Business Development

This weekend I attended a one-day event in Boulder with one of my mentors, David Neagle, and one of his clients, Suzanne Evans.

They are calling it the More Life Tour.  Boulder was city number two of eight.  I highly recommend you attend one of the remaining.

The whole day is about helping coaches and other service professionals exponentially grow their businesses.

I was a little concerned that the low ticket price of $57 would mean a day-long, back-of-the-room sales fest.  They did sell at the back of the room AND they delivered fantastic, usable content.  And, I met some wonderful people – including David and Suzanne!

Ann Strong with David Neagle and Suzanne Evans at the More Life event in Boulder, Colorado.  July 31, 2010.

How fun to meet my online mentor in person . . .

Do something great for yourself, your business and those incoming clients just waiting for you and get yourself to one of these events.

Sign up today to be one of the first 25.  I did and the VIP reception was a fantastic Q & A with David and Suzanne – more than worth the price of admission . . .

Step out from behind the computer, dear one!

A question to ponder – ask yourself:
“Who would I need to be to exponentially increase my coaching business income?”  Ask yourself each morning upon waking and each evening as you fall asleep and listen for guidance. 

Take that new awareness to the More Life event that you attend.  I’d love to hear your experience . . .

The cost of growing a thriving coaching business is high.

It requires that you give up your need to:

• look good
• please others
• politely avoid the truth
• constantly be nice

And, it requires that you give up your natural inclination to spend too much time focused on yourself, concerned about:

• not looking perfect
• not being good enough
• not knowing how . . .

The cost of growing a thriving coaching business: consistently choosing real courage even when you:

• feel self-conscious
• think you aren’t good enough
• fear you don’t know what you’re doing

The cost of growing a thriving coaching business: giving up the idea of unattainable perfection and replacing it with:

• walking your talk
• consistently doing your own inner work
• telling the truth to yourself and to your clients, even when it’s uncomfortable
• hiring your own coach

If you haven’t been consistently doing your own inner work, walking your talk or working your own coach, and yet you still know to the depth of your being that you are here to serve by coaching, then commit in this moment to doing what it takes to choose courage.

That choice and commitment makes you the kind of person that others would like to learn from, be supported by . . .

If you can’t or won’t walk your own talk, do your own inner work or hire your own coach right now, then be compassionate with yourself.

But don’t lie to yourself.

Tell yourself the truth.  Kindly and firmly.  And, then choose to do something else right now.

The cost of being a thriving coach is high. 
It involves real courage.
Every day.

Choosing and committing again and again . . .

What can you do in this very moment to choose and commit and then take action?

* * * *

If you’d like to do something with me:

One-on-One Coaching Opportunity
I will have an opening in September to begin coaching, mentoring, consulting one-on-one with a new client.

Small Group Immersion Coaching, Mentoring, Consulting
I am also starting to have conversations with a few coaches who would like to receive intensive coaching, mentoring, consulting with me for 9 months in a small group of 3 to 5 coaches.

Both of these opportunities require your commitment to courage.  Daily.

Even though the cost is high, the fulfillment is beyond anything you can imagine right now.  Truly.

I am here to teach you how to serve clients so fully and so deeply that you offer them a life-changing experience of themselves that they have never had before.  Serving clients in this way naturally grows your coaching business.

I can tell you from my own personal experience that serving in this way is more than worth the high cost of courage.

If either of these opportunities call to you, let’s talk.  Call me on my direct line at 303.399.8737.

Here’s to thriving – the willingness to be courageous, even when it’s scary!

Lots of love to you!
Ann

P.S.  Even if you’re not sure you’d like to coach with me or join a small coaching group right now, if you feel called to explore Living more courageously, let’s talk.  Call me during my open office hour Fridays, 10 – 11 am MT . . .

I included this short teaching story from Michael Neill in the last blog post and then had several conversations about the concept.  So, I decided that I’d like to dive a bit deeper into its richness and brilliance.

Give yourself the gift of five whole minutes to read or re-read this and allow it to soak into your bones.

“Imagine that everyone you speak to is a multi-millionaire, and that if you can just say and do the right things around them, they will share some of their money with you.

When you’ve done that for a few moments or even a few minutes, stop and clear your mind before going on to part two . . .

Now, imagine that you are secretly a multi-millionaire, and when you meet people, you are deciding whether or not to share some of your fortune with them.

When I (Michael) first tried that out for myself, I recognized that in the first instance, they had something I wanted and I became increasingly more needy (and creepy) in my attempts to get it from them.

In the second instance, I was the one with something valuable to give – and in choosing who to offer it to, I was not looking for the most pathetic, hopeless victim in the room.  I was looking for the person who would be able and willing to take what I have to offer and create something beautiful with it.”

When I (Ann) was deciding whether or not to offer my “riches” to someone, I became very interested in who they were and what they were up to.  I became curious as to whether they could truly receive the value I had to offer.

Instead of feeling needy and creepy because I was trying to get something, I shifted my focus to learning about the other person to see if or how I might be of service to them.

Wow!  That feels so much better in my body and in my psyche.

What did you notice shifted for you?

Feel free to post your own experience in the Comments.

 

I have something precious, unique and valuable to offer. Oh, how I have squandered it. You, too, have something precious, unique and valuable to offer? How have you been squandering it?

No judgment here. Simply observing, reflecting and choosing a new way of being.

More than once I have tried to convince someone to hire me. Or signed on a client who was not going to receive all I have to give. Or stayed in a romantic relationship that frustrated both of us.

Once I even tried to talk Richard Gere into marrying me. Okay, I’m kidding about Richard Gere – really he tried to talk me into marrying him! Anyway, you get the idea . . .

When we work with people one-on-one or in a small group, we can only work with a few fortunate folks. Our time is extremely finite. Even if you chose to work 24/7, you only have those 24 hours each day to offer to someone.

Why wouldn’t we offer those hours only to people we would totally love to have as clients?

Scarcity thinking.

I better try to get anyone who crosses my path. Do you have a pulse? A checkbook? Okay, you’re in!

Wait, I love to work with people who take immediate action. You love to work with people who deliberatively think things through. Yet, I have a couple of deliberative clients who are trying my patience and draining my energy and you have some impulsive go-getter clients who are driving you crazy.

Do you see the easy fix here?

Let’s use this short teaching story from Michael Neill to shift our way of being:

“Imagine that everyone you speak to is a multi-millionaire, and that if you can just say and do the right things around them, they will share some of their money with you. When you’ve done that for a few moments or even a few minutes, stop and clear your mind before going on to part two . . .

Now, imagine that you are secretly a multi-millionaire, and when you meet people, you are deciding whether or not to share some of your fortune with them.

When I first tried that out for myself, I recognized that in the first instance, they had something I wanted and I became increasingly more needy (and creepy) in my attempts to get it from them.

In the second instance, I was the one with something valuable to give – and in choosing who to offer it to, I was not looking for the most pathetic, hopeless victim in the room. I was looking for the person who would be able and willing to take what I have to offer and create something beautiful with it.”

With whom do you most want to share this precious, rare commodity who is you? Now there’s niche marketing working for you! Feel free to post your own story in the Comments.

Last week, I called six of my coaching colleagues to ask them if they have a coaching colleague who is actively looking for more clients and who might be interested in taking my new, nine-month Client Enrollment Immersion Program.  I didn’t reach any of them directly, so I left lovely, informative, succinct voice mail messages.  Or so I thought!  After a few days none of them had called me back.

What, they have their own busy lives?  I’m not their first priority?  Not even in the top ten?  Alas . . .

I could’ve taken it personally.  I started to go there.  But it turns out I didn’t have time!  While impatiently waiting for my colleagues to call back, I got three referrals – one from a current client, one from my coach and one from my hard-working website.  I no longer had time to take anything personally, as I used my time wisely to talk with these three new precious referrals!

Moral of the story?  I need to show up and do my part: call the people I’m inspired to call to fill my program.  Then, I need to get out of the way and allow the Universe to deliver the right people.  Without the slightest concern as to whether or not they came via the route I thought they should!

Feel free to share your thoughts and insights in the comments . . . 

I recently raised my coaching fees. I had been preparing for a few months by getting VERY clear on what would make my coaching services worth the new fee. A steep learning curve, to say the least!

And, I am thrilled by what I have learned. It’s simple, profound and absolutely life-changing.I have a new commitment and confidence that our coaching WILL get my clients to the goals they set when I am willing to ask them the hardest questions. And when they are willing to move through the discomfort of answering the hard questions and then the fear that often accompanies the change as they take new actions based on their answers.

This isn’t always easy work for either of us. But it does bring the change they needed to achieve what they desire.

When someone is considering hiring me as their coach, we need to know before we start working together if I am the best person to ask the hard questions for them. We also need to know if they are actually willing to perceive themselves differently to answer the questions honestly and make the required changes.  I’ve been amazed by how quickly it becomes clear if we will or won’t do the tough stuff well together.

These initial conversations fall into two distinct categories.

The people who are ready to receive huge value from coaching often tell me things like:

• I feel really confronted right now.
• This is right on and I had no idea this is where we’d go.
• This brings up stuff for me.
• I can see now I really need to change some things.
• I’m scared and I know it’s what I need to do.

The people whom I’m not going to be able to help right now say things like:

• I can’t make our meeting because I have to take care of a client.
• I am not willing to spend that kind of money.
• I had really hoped you’d give me a magic pill. (Yes, someone actually said this!)
• I’m going to wait until I get (fill in the blank) in order.
• My husband doesn’t want me to spend any more money on my business.

I love seeing this pattern. I KNOW the people who feel scared and willing will receive huge value from our coaching and will be thrilled with the outcome and investment. I also know that the people who aren’t yet taking full responsibility for themselves, their lives and their businesses, blame many external circumstances on them not being able to achieve what they most desire.

Ah, the joy of hard questions!

Feel free to post your thoughts and insights about asking and answering the hard questions in the Comments.

I recently heard an interview with Bill Baren, who coaches entrepreneurs, in which he talked about one of his businesses as a kid.  He made good money carrying groceries.  Apparently where he lived, there was a gap between where the grocery shopping cart could go and where the shoppers’ cars were parked.  So, he offered the service of carrying the groceries from the cart to the cars.

In the interview, he talked about paying attention to what his customers each needed specifically and finding out when his best customers shopped, so that he could be there for them.  He built a nice business by paying attention to what service and when to service, then charging for that service and then taking the money to the bank!  How simple.  How often overlooked.

He also talked about how he still does that today.  He pays attention to what specific service his clients want and need, he offers that service to them when they need it, and then he puts the money in the bank.

Listening to his interview challenged me to pay even more attention to what services my clients need.  I love this clean and clear business model.  And I love the direct correlation between offering a valuable service and putting money in the bank.  When I offer services that my clients don’t want or need, then those services aren’t valuable.  Even if I think they are!

So how about you?  Would you like to ask your potential clients what services they are looking for?  Would you like to ask your clients what additional services or deepening of services they want?  Sure beats guessing!  Or worse, thinking we already know – because we know better than our clients and customers!

Feel free to post your findings in the comments.

About a month ago, I wrote two issues of Sacred Space Notebook about attracting clients by having high-value conversations with more potential clients.  That must have put something powerful in motion inside me.  Since then I have gone to a deeper level with clients, potential clients, colleagues, family and even strangers who might receive value from spontaneous coaching!

And I am fascinated to notice that simultaneously I am taking my “job” as an agent of transformation more seriously and I am holding it more lightly – having tons of fun with each of these precious connections.  From a tough money conversation with a client to a strategy session with my niece about initiating conversation with a guy she’d like to know better to putting accountability in place with the cable guy to take the next step in making his dream of opening a restaurant a reality . . .  Everyone has goals, dreams, desires.  And, how great is it to have a job that helps people take the action to create the life and work that is uniquely, beautifully theirs?!

I’m not sure why I had been stingy with these rich initial conversations in the past.  Maybe it didn’t feel “appropriate” to talk to the cable guy about his dream.  Or maybe I felt concerned about pushing a client too hard.  Or maybe I didn’t want to come on too strong with a potential client.  What all of those “excuses” have in common: me feeling self-conscious about me.

I’ve noticed that I’ve become more willing to put my focus on the other person, allowing myself to be less focused on my image. And, I can tell you that is working for me!  My life and work feel more gratifying, more playful, more fulfilling, more exciting, more meaningful.  Each morning, I’m curious as to what gifts I might be able to give and to whom. 

The fabulous by-product: more people hiring me.

And, it seems to be working out quite nicely for the others: clients, potential clients, colleagues, family and strangers, alike!  I’m sure there will probably come a time when I offer coaching to someone in one of these conversations and they won’t want it or they’ll feel offended by what I say.  That’s a risk I am becoming more willing to take because the price for not taking it has become way too high!

So what about you?  How can you put yourself out there more: serving more, offering more of the best of you?   

Feel free to post your comments . . .

 

 

Last week, we talked about becoming willing to step past the fear of real conversations with potential clients and not taking a “no” as personal rejection, but rather as practical information.
 
By focusing our conversations on what’s most important to our potential clients, we more consistently relax about the conversation AND make it easy for them to become clients.

So, how do we know what’s most important to them?  

We ask directly.  For example, since one of my primary focuses involves helping my coaching clients attract more clients, I will often ask in an initial conversation something like, “So, tell me a bit about your biggest challenge in attracting clients.  And, what is working best for bringing in new clients?”  

If you are a career coach, you may ask something as simple as, “What's going well in your job search?  What have you found most frustrating about finding your ideal job?”  If you’re a health coach, you might open a conversation with, “What's your strongest habit for keeping yourself healthy?  What keeps you awake at night right now about your health?”

Then once you move into the meat of the conversation, you can continue to ask clarifying questions like, “So, I hear you saying that plenty of people ask about working with you and few hire you.  If we could put a structure in place to help them know the value of working with you, how valuable would that be for you?”

As you listen both on the surface and deeply, you cannot also at the same time feel self-conscious about whether or not you can “get this person as a client.”  And, you will clearly hear their situation and know if you are the best person to help them and specifically how you could help them – it truly is that easy!

Try it out!  Use this approach for yourself and feel free to share your results in the comments.