Coaching Biz Tips

What's on Your TA DA List This Week?

We started something new this week in my Empowerment Group: a weekly TA DA item. Here's the deal:

• Pick a "stale" task on your To Do list -- something that's been stuck on the list for too long. It needs to be something that would make you feel ten pounds lighter if you could just get it off your list.
• You're serious (no kidding, SERIOUS) about getting it off your list THIS WEEK, whatever it takes (even if it's just letting go of it.)
• One of the group members came up with the idea that it might be more enjoyable if we consciously decided to have FUN while doing it, so we all agreed that we're going to be playful and enjoy doing our TA DA items. And if it stops being enjoyable, we're going to put it down, walk away and do something else for a while until we can bring joy and playfulness back to the task again.
• We're posting our TA DA items on our Empowerment Group forum so that everybody can see what's going on and celebrate together.

My TA DA item for this week is to add four more articles to my keep-in-touch email system. The articles are written, I just need to format them and load them into my autoresponder; and it's been on my To Do list for over two months! YEE HAW!

So what I'm wondering today is:

What's on YOUR TA DA list this week?

Feel free to post your TA DA below and I'll celebrate with you when it's done. =^)

How to Make Good Decisions Quickly

I have a friend who is a smart, savvy businesswoman. She runs a successful business, is raising two teenagers as a single parent, and has overcome her share of life's challenges along the way.

On stuff like politics, major life illnesses and tough-love parenting of teenagers, she's the Queen of Quick and Decisive Decision-making. But pick a paint color? Choose a movie? Decide between Tex-Mex or Thai for lunch? It's painful to watch.

Web 2.0 and Social Networking for Coaches

I've been Twittering for about 9 months now, with surprisingly good results: lots of great connections, excellent response to questions I've posted, and actual NEW CLIENTS who came to me not through my regular marketing channels, but via Twitter. What's not to love?!

As I was sharing this good news with a friend a while back, it occurred to me that it might be time to give this whole Web 2.0 thing a closer look from a marketing strategy perspective.

Tips for Marketing Research and Keywords

"Kathy, do you have any tips for narrowing searches with keywords when doing market research?"

• Think of what your customers/potential visitors would be likely to type into search engines in order to find the information/services your site offers.

A Little Thank You Goes a Long Way

I’m grinning from ear to ear right now. It’s a 17,000+ watt grin.

Last year, I wrote a short note to the folks at TeachingSells.com to let them know how much I appreciated the program.

Teaching Sells is by far the best online learning program I’ve seen yet. Thanks so much for what I can only imagine is a HUGE amount of brilliant creative teamwork behind the scenes. You guys ROCK! ~ Kathy Mallary, spiritspring.com

5 Keys for Success in 2009

2009 is shaping up to be a "make it or break it" kind of year for all kinds of businesses, including coaches.

Your first instinct may be to hunker down and wait it out. I remember being glued to the TV back in September 2001. Part of me was absorbed in what HAD happened, while another part obsessed over what MIGHT happen. That left very little of me for what WAS happening in the present moment.

What Will You Do Differently in 2009?

It's that time again… Time to look back and take stock of all that I've accomplished and let go of in the last year, and to look ahead to plan for the next 12 months. And what a place to stand, here on the brink of 2009! It's like trying to tread water in a rip tide or something.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want to approach 2009 differently. In the past, I've tended to focus on setting goals and making things happen; but these days, things are shifting and changing so fast that it's hard to imagine what's going to happen next month, let alone a year from now.

3 Tips and 10 Questions for Top-Notch Testimonials

Testimonials are one of the most valuable marketing tools for any business.  Before they buy something from you, prospective customers are looking for proof that you actually deliver the benefits and results that you claim.

The obvious first step to getting good testimonials is to meet and exceed your customers' expectations. But you don't have to wait and hope for the best; you can (and should) be proactive about seeking out testimonials. In fact, it helps to guide the process along a little.

How to Get Top-notch Testimonials

Set the stage early on. Let your client know from the start that you will do your best to earn a glowing testimonial from them.

Listen for it. When a client expresses gratitude or gives you positive feedback during a coaching session, ask them if you can write down what they said and send it to them for approval. Most clients are more than happy to let you do that, especially since you're doing all the work!

Whatever you do, do NOT ask them to write you a testimonial. Think about it from your customer's perspective; asking them to write you a testimonial sets them up for a massive case of writer's block! It's like writing an essay for a final exam. And that kind of "off-the-cuff" testimonial either tends to be so hyped ("Fabulous! One in a million!") or so vague and flat ("I like her style" "He's a great coach") as to be unusable anyway.

You'll get far better results by asking them some specific questions. Here's an example of a testimonial worksheet that I use with my own clients:

Dear <Client>:

I was wondering if you'd be willing to provide some feedback for a testimonial so that others will know what to expect when they work with me.

I know it can be a bit daunting to sit down to write a testimonial, so I came up with a list of questions to help the process along.  If you'll send me your answers, I'll edit them into a testimonial format and send it back for your approval before I use it.

Feel free to edit or omit a question if you like.

1. What made you decide to work with me? Was there an obvious advantage or anything specific that made me stand out in some way?
   
   
2. Most people are confronted with some kind of challenge (or opportunity) when they decide to work with a coach. What situation were you dealing with, and what did you initially want me to help you do?
   
   
3. What's your opinion of the coaching & products you've received?
   
   
4. What stands out about what you've learned from working with me? (Biggest insights or light bulb moments)
   
   
5. What is it that I do as a coach/mentor that you find the most valuable?
   
   
6. What's the single most important benefit that you've gotten from working together – ex.: solid business model foundation, more prospects, more clients, more sales, increased profits, more revenue streams, time saved, money saved, better working relationships,  etc.? Please quantify the results, if possible.
   
   
7. What three adjectives best describe my coaching style or approach?
   
   
8. What type of person or situation do you think I might be particularly good with?
   
   
9. What's the one thing that you want me to take away from your thoughts on our work together?
   
   
10. Anything else you'd like to say?

With a little bit of planning and editing, you can have plenty of glowing testimonials!

3 Tips for Deciding on a Niche or a Cheesecake

I was browsing through a new client's website recently (yes, I really do that! I actually go to your website and poke around. Your blog, too, if you have one. Don't worry, I do it late at night while you're sleeping, and I'm gentle. ) Anyway, this client has been trying to figure out her niche for some time, and she's finally at The Point.

The Point

I call it that because sooner or later, all my clients arrive at The Point. The Point is that moment when you realize that you can't move forward without *it*, but you can't stay stuck without *it*, either. It's time to fish or cut bait.

(*It* isn't always about figuring out a niche; sometimes it's about figuring out other things. But in my line of work, it's pretty much Niche/98%, Other Things/2%.)

Here's the conversation I was having with myself while she was peacefully sleeping and I was snooping around on her website:

ME: (Gently peeling her domain name off her email address and pasting it into Google, because apparently she was hoping I wouldn't think to look up her website quite yet.)

MARKETING ME: OK, pretty generic Home page…not bad, but no clues to who the audience is. Could be anybody…

ME: Try the Coaching page, maybe there's some sales copy there.

MME: Nope, just the usual stuff – what is coaching, what's the difference between coaching and therapy, how coaching works, yadda yadda yadda… Enough of this, let's head over to the About page.

ME: Bingo! Look at all this stuff about background, interests, experience. And look down there towards the middle, she actually comes right out and says what she helps people do...

MME: …Not just WHAT she does, but WHO she loves working with, too! OMG, it's all right here!

ME: Wait a minute, I found a drawer full of testimonials...

MME: Will you look at that?!? A whole gaggle of clients, all going on about the same stuff. And every one of them is raving about her.

And that's when it hit me. The problem isn't that she can't find her niche; it's sitting on the tip of her nose. The problem is that she hasn't DECIDED what her niche is.

That's a big problem, when your niche is RIGHT THERE, but you can't decide.

It's like cheesecake

It's like trying to make up your mind at the Cheesecake Factory. You know you love the New York cheesecake with a twist of lemon and a side of warm chocolate syrup, that's the cheesecake you would BE if you died and came back as a cheesecake...

But there are all those other cheesecakes on the menu winking at you provocatively and flaunting their impossibly exotic flavors…and the waitress is asking (again!) "What would you like?" and you say to yourself "Maybe I'll like one of these other cheesecakes even BETTER..."

And suddenly, you hear yourself ordering the caramel pecan turtle cheesecake. It sounds so strange coming out of your mouth, you can't even imagine what it is you just ordered. For a second, you feel giddy. And a little confused. Ah, but then your friend (the one you're having lunch with) says "Hey, I thought you didn't like nuts!" Oh right!  I HATE NUTS! What was I thinking?!? So you get the waitress back and you say "Uh, actually, I'd rather have the New York cheesecake…" And just saying it makes you feel better, it feels like you're back in the groove. The New York cheesecake is YOUR cheesecake, you can taste it already...

OK, kind of got off on a tangent there, but you get my point. It's not enough to know; you have to DECIDE. And deciding on a niche is where a lot of folks get tripped up, especially when there are soooooo many possibilities.  Luckily, the answer is really simple.

Three tips for deciding on a niche (or a cheesecake)

Put the menu down. You don't need to look at every possible flavor combo. Look at what's right in front of you.

 

Trust the groove. That's what your niche is; it's the groovy place where your business lives. You'll know when you're in it; it just feels right. It feels like home.

 

Ask a friend (or your coach!) to remind you as often as needed: NO NUTS.

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UPDATE 1/11/09: My take on niches and cheescakes was reprinted in the January issue of the IAC Voice. Thank you, Linda Dessau (IAC Editor).  =^)

What Are You Rehearsing?

We all spend time and energy preparing ourselves for whatever's next. That's what goal setting and planning are about, right?

But as I was coaching a client the other day, it suddenly became clear to both the client and me that she was spending A LOT of time preparing for stuff she didn't want. In her mind, she was rehearsing for the worst, over and over again. She admitted that it was as if she was willing the worst to happen; and not surprisingly, that's what she often ended up with.

Up until now, she's been in the habit of rehearsing the worst; but now that she can see it, she's determined to create a new habit of rehearsing the best possible outcome. It's already had an amazing effect; her energy is higher and she's enjoying her work much more now.

Here's what I'm wondering today:

What about you? What are you rehearsing?

Post your comments and questions below to join in the discussion!