Prosperous Coach Blog - Rhonda Hess

90 Day More Joy and Prosperity Challenge

June 1, 2011 | Read 20 comments and join the discussion

You know how when the house is clean you feel somehow freed up and renewed? Or that great feeling when you purge old clothes and stuff from your life?

Our businesses need that kind of clearing to be healthy too. But it’s not just about catching up on filing or clearing off your desk. It’s about reducing energetic drags… the things that get in the way of innovation, creativity, and courage to take big leaps.
cleaning out energy drains from your coaching business

I’m on a big jag to clean up my life and business. Something came over me. Maybe it’s something in the stars. A friend told me today’s eclipse is all about letting go of big things that are holding you back.

Or maybe it’s just that I’m tired of feeling tired. I’m done with that! So I’m cleaning up my act in every corner and cranny of my life and biz.

Last weekend, my husband and I cleaned out our garage (our storage unit really). We did a lot of recycling, shredded old documents, cleared out the stuff from our mother’s passing and moves, passed forward things others need that we don’t any longer, and took stock of what we still have.

I felt like a huge weight was lifted off me with one project. And I’m ready to get back even more energy.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Release. Receive.

How does this relate to your coaching business?

Continue reading 90 Day More Joy and Prosperity Challenge

Topic: Abundance Tools for Coaches

Read More About: Abundance, Business Tips, Practice Management

3 Things I Wish I’d Learned 13 Years Ago

May 19, 2011 | Read 6 comments and join the discussion

I’ve been an entrepreneur for 13 years, but I’m still learning things that make me feel like slapping my forehead. Know what I mean? Something comes along that’s just so smart and eye-opening that I think I should have known it years ago. Or I should have come up with it myself!

In just the past week, I’ve had three such light bulb moments. So I thought I would share them with you. The resources linked in this post all taught me things I wish I’d known when I started my coaching business 13 years ago. Things to know when you start your coaching business

I’ll give you one highlight from each of them.

Why People Don’t Buy From You

Brendon Burchard has put up a free video series to market his Total Product Blueprint program. For your opt-in, you get three meaty videos outlining:

The basic structure of an information product, and the 12 types of information products with money-making potential.
How to market information products.
What makes information content valuable and how to take your teaching to a deeper level.

This is worth the investment of time (nearly 3 hours). I learned things on these videos that are going to improve my ability to get clients and make money. Brendan is planning on taking these videos down tomorrow, so grab it while you can by opting in here.

(I’m not affiliated with Brendan’s campaign, and I’m not encouraging you to buy – just to learn.)

Brendan teaches that there are six universal reasons why people don’t buy. Or to turn that around, six shifts your marketing must accomplish for people to buy from you:

Continue reading 3 Things I Wish I’d Learned 13 Years Ago

Topic: Coaching Business Tips

Why do we believe the Big Fat Lies about Internet Marketing? – by Michele PW

May 12, 2011 | Read 1 comment and join the discussion

This is a guest post by my friend and colleague, Michele Pariza Wacek…

I am on a MISSION to shine a great big TRUTH spotlight on all the Big Fat Lies you’re most likely telling yourself about Internet Marketing right now.

However, I can only do so much.

I can tell you what the truth is. And you may even believe it. (In your head that is.)

rhonda-hess-internet-marketing-lies But then, come the darkest part of the night, you’ll wake up in a sweat. And you’ll be thinking: “What if Michele is wrong? What if the reason why I’m having so much trouble succeeding on the Internet really IS all about me?”

During the day it’s easy to be rational. We understand in our heads that some marketing strategies will succeed, some will fail, and the best way to grow a successful business is to analyze why the failures failed and use that information to create more successes.

But in the dead of night, all of those good, objective intentions can fly away, leaving us alone with our doubts, fears, frustrations and anxiety.

So what IS it about these Big Fat Internet Marketing Lies that can wreak such havoc in our mental and emotional health?

Continue reading Why do we believe the Big Fat Lies about Internet Marketing? – by Michele PW

Topic: Online Marketing for Coaches

Test Your Coaching Niche – Will It Go the Distance?

April 28, 2011 | Read 9 comments and join the discussion

Coaches are taught to choose a coaching niche based on what we are passionate about. That approach to niching speaks to us, because we’re people of the heart. We tend to think that if we follow our true purpose, the money part will take care of itself.

test your coaching niche Then there’s the real world of business. Coaches make money by selling a service. Like every other business, we have to get in front of people who don’t already know us, and show them that we offer something they are willing to pay for.

Nearly all of us start out thinking we know how to do that, and nearly all of us get humbled when it turns out not to be so easy. It turns out, the money part doesn’t take care of itself.

I’m all about passion, believe me. I completely endorse you following your purpose. But following your purpose is not the whole story – because it’s all about you. It leaves out your tribe.

So, what if you were to look at the whole topic of your niche from the point of view of the people you serve? From that angle, the question is –

What coaching niche would bring you a steady stream of ideal clients?

What coaching niche would connect so powerfully with what your tribe really wants that they would line up to work with you? Either your niche has that potential or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, you have to ask yourself how you are going to take care of the money part.

Test Your Niche

How do you know if your niche has that potential? Try this quick test. Rate your niche on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best) for the following four questions:

Continue reading Test Your Coaching Niche – Will It Go the Distance?

Topic: Niche Marketing for Coaches

What Are You Recognized For?

April 21, 2011 | Read 1 comment and join the discussion

Have you ever felt like you’re all over the place with your coaching business?

Today, you’re speaking at a brown bag association meeting about team leadership. Yesterday you gave a talk at your church about relationships. Next week you’ve got a gig at Borders where you’re giving a career choice seminar. You’re versatile, but are you building a sustainable future?

It feels good to be recognized, so you say ‘yes’ to speaking and training opportunities even if there’s no continuity to the topic or niche market. But what are you recognized for? And is it something you can leverage to become financially successful in your coaching business?

Or maybe you’ve committed to one topical coaching niche (like leadership, career, relationships) but you’re offering that topic to everyone, with no unique market or message. The same question applies. What are you known for? Is it something you can leverage for financial success? Make sure your coaching business is recognized for a distinctive market or message.

If you’re morphing your message to fit any opportunity or potential client you could possibly attract, you’re just making more work for yourself. Leverage comes when the market you’re serving and your message are congruent and consistent. Then you can leverage everything you do, because it’s all aimed at the same target.

If you’re tired of working really hard for every client and never building momentum, the fix is simple. Here’s how to coach more, earn more and market less:

Continue reading What Are You Recognized For?

Topic: Niche Marketing for Coaches

Read More About: Client Attraction, Niche Markets

How to Connect With Your Tribe

April 14, 2011 | Read 12 comments and join the discussion

When I announced last week that I was going to stop publishing an ezine, the response was strong, and mixed. It led to some juicy conversation in the comments on that post, and a lot of personal emails that really touched me.

I know many of you will miss getting the ezine or the full blog post with your email. I feel badly about that. And I know that if you read your email on a mobile device, that makes clicking through and reading the blog online more of a hassle.

But here’s the thing. I want more from you. You all are my tribe. I want to do what I can to encourage you to join the conversation on this blog, because that will make the blog a richer resource for everyone.

I’m also hoping that for most of you, the new way will be more respectful of your time, because there is less coming into your inbox.
How coaches can connect with their tribes

Tribes Need Connection

All this has got me thinking about how coaches connect with their markets. What kind of relationship do coaches want with the people we serve?

It’s become fashionable to talk about business in terms of tribes, but if you haven’t checked out the source of that trend – Seth Godin’s brilliant book Tribes – I recommend it. The message is: business leadership is not about building factories anymore, and it’s not about using advertising to push an idea on people. It’s about connecting like-minded people and leading them to a place they want to go.

By Godin’s definition, a group of people needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate. So the lesson is, if you want to strengthen your tribe, help them communicate.

Continue reading How to Connect With Your Tribe

Topic: Coaching Business Tips

Read More About: Blogging, Business Tips, Online Marketing

Why I’m Going to Stop Putting Out an Ezine

April 6, 2011 | Read 13 comments and join the discussion

I have published an ezine almost since I began as a coach 13 years ago, but I’m finally letting go of it. (If you’ve been getting my ezine, don’t worry. You’ll still get the same weekly content, just in a different format.)

Like other changes I’ve made in my business, this one comes down to a case of taking my own advice. I’ve been telling coaches that a blog is the best web platform for a coaching business. And it is. Right now I’m getting ready to launch Client Winning Websites & Blogs, an online system that teaches how to launch a powerful business blog. So I’ve been thinking about it.

Blogs Invite Interaction

Both blogs and ezines are great ways to connect with your market on a regular basis. But what blogs do better than any publishing medium that came before is to engage readers in the conversation. And that adds HUGE value.

Continue reading Why I’m Going to Stop Putting Out an Ezine

Topic: Online Marketing for Coaches

Read More About: Business Tips, Online Marketing