Coaching Business Tips

Archive for 'Coaching Business Tips'

What Are You Putting Off Now?

January 23, 2012 | Read 6 comments and join the discussion

Sometimes it’s a good idea to put something off. You make a conscious choice to postpone a task or a project because it’s for your highest good, or the timing will be better later. But I find the main reasons I put things off for my coaching business have more to do with my state of mind.

I looked into this recently because there was an important project I put off all week and then guilty thoughts about the thing occupied my entire weekend. No good!

Have you ever done this?

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Here’s the scenario… you wake up and think about that thing you’re putting off, your mind wanders to it through exercise and breakfast. By the end of the day, you feel like you’ve been royally nagged. It’s almost as if some part of you really wanted to get going on that thing while the rest of you resisted. Big energy drain!

So I created these questions to manage my states and stop wasting energy and it’s working!
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Topics: Coaching Business Tips

Read More About Business Tips, Mindsets, Powerful Questions

What’s Hot and What’s Not for Coaching Businesses in 2012

December 27, 2011 | Share your comment

As the new year approaches I thought it would be fun to share my 3 predictions for what’s in and what’s out for coaches in the coming year.

Webinars Overtake Teleseminars

I’m not saying that teleseminars are out, but webinars are certainly IN! Have you noticed there’s more webinars being offered than ever before? One reason is that social media has raised the desire for visual cues. When I browse through my Facebook news feed, I tend to focus faster on posts with photos, graphics and videos. What about you?

Another reason webinars are gaining popularity is that attendance rates are higher and people enjoy the chat function. When there’s something to follow along and a way to connect, attendees stay longer on calls and multi-task less. And if you’re promoting through webinars, that means more clients and higher income.

A well-done set of power point slides delivered as a pdf handout may accomplish the same thing for a teleseminar. In either case, the quality of the visuals and timing will affect results.

Also, there are new systems for webinars, such as Evergreen Business Systems, which makes distributing webinars so much easier. The replays are more interesting that audio alone.

Of course, the big downside to webinars is the cost of the webinar recording systems like GotoWebinar and the potential for technical difficulties. But, like any 3rd party system, invest in it with intention to use it frequently, which justifies the cost while you get more technically savvy.

Continue reading What’s Hot and What’s Not for Coaching Businesses in 2012

Topics: Coaching Business Tips

My Favorite Things for My Coaching Biz

December 20, 2011 | Read 6 comments and join the discussion

Thank you for following my blog. In gratitude for your big heart, your big goals, your courageous actions – I’m sharing some of the tools and support systems that have made this past year so much easier, more joyful and more profitable for me.

#1 My Fabulous Online Business Manager

An online business manager is much, much more than a Virtual Assistant. She keeps me on task, on track and manages all my promotions and projects. She’s always hip to what’s hot and new in marketing, online tools and trends. She streamlines my email, takes care of customer service and keeps all Prosperous Coach web pages, documents and processes up to date. Sorry to say my OBM is booked but you can find a good one too at the link above.

#2 My Ace Webmaster – Nichole Betterley

There are web designers and then the more rare, web MASTER. Nichole is bar none the finest designer/coder. Not only did Nichole make my website beautiful, clean and easy to navigate, she keeps it that way. And when I want to add some new fangled system like Digital Access Pass for my membership programs, or Evergreen Business Systems so I can get webinars out there big time to my market, she digs in and finds the most elegant way to code it so it works like a charm.

#3 Erika Ruggiero Graphic Designer Extraordinaire

It used to take so long and cost so much to get a little thumbnail graphic done for a new product, program or bonus, but Erika is lightening fast, has great sense of style and keeps her prices so affordable. Yay Erika!

Continue reading My Favorite Things for My Coaching Biz

Topics: Coaching Business Tips

7 Quick & Fun Steps to Biz Planning Your Whole Year

October 26, 2011 | Read 15 comments and join the discussion

We spend a lot of time thinking about our futures, but strangely the subject of business planning still causes folks to groan and procrastinate… many to the point of never planning at all.

Here’s what I know… if you don’t plan for your business you’ll make less and have less fun. It’s true. I still shoot from the hip as much as the next entrepreneur, but over and over I’ve witnessed that the more I plan, the better I do – both financially and emotionally.

What if planning could be fun and inspiring? What if you could do it quickly?

I just whipped together my plan for next year and I feel great! Plus, now it will be really easy to break it down into baby steps so I never have to wonder or worry whether I’m taking actions that will payoff.

Ready to play? Keep this simple at first. Just jot some thoughts down. Then it’s simple to go back and add more structure and details.

1. What are your personal goals for the year?

Fun Business Plan Goal Success Before you do anything else, decide when you’ll take vacations! Get the “me time” and “family time” in there because your well-being always comes first. For next year, I’m taking all of May and December off. Woohoo!

Then, consider how you want your days to flow. I’m planning office hours for Monday – Wednesday, no more than three calls a day.

Consider the theme or overarching inner game for your year. For me, this coming year is about JOY, REST and FUN. I’m going to do more celebrating and less sweating the small stuff.

Then answer these questions:

Continue reading 7 Quick & Fun Steps to Biz Planning Your Whole Year

Topics: Coaching Business Tips

Business Plan, A Neglected Factor – 14 Reasons Why You Absolutely Must Have One – by Erika Kalmar

September 1, 2011 | Read 1 comment and join the discussion

This is a guest post by my friend and colleague, Erika Kalmar, the Coaching Biz Start-Up Strategist …

One of the often seen mistakes of coaches is that they start setting up their business on the wrong end. Sometimes it is due to overwhelm, at other times due to lack of planning, but conclusion is – many coaches do not start where they should be, the #1 step they would need to take and this is preparing a business plan.

So what, you may ask? Everyone is free to choose their first steps, right? Some might feel starting up with their website, others with their Facebook Fan Page and again others might jump straight into creating their products.

The thing is – if you also belong to this group of people, then you are not following a long-term plan but acting on a short term strategy basis, working on a to-do item on your list.

Do you see where I am getting at?

How will you know that this strategy or to-do item will really fit the big picture, the vision of your business – and most importantly, that this is the best way to fulfill your business vision?

Because this is exactly what is happening if you tackle individual steps instead of the “big picture” first – you are working on short-term goals, hoping that it will ever contribute to your long-term one (that you might not even be aware of at the time).

Continue reading Business Plan, A Neglected Factor – 14 Reasons Why You Absolutely Must Have One – by Erika Kalmar

Topics: Coaching Business Tips

5 Ways to Right Size Yourself to Empower Your Coaching Clients

June 7, 2011 | Read 3 comments and join the discussion

You know how certain clients are a perfect fit for you? They come to the table fully responsible for their feelings, decisions and actions. They’re hungry for the gifts of coaching, no matter what they look like. They allow it to catalyze their own wisdom and intelligence.

Those folks are showing up empowered and fully stepping into their role in the co-creative relationship.

But what about the flipside when it feels like a client comes to a session resistant, as if their arms are folded across their chest. Coaching seems to bounce off them. Or worse they bring the expectation that you’ll fix things for them, but aren’t willing to be part of the solutions. What’s going on there?

Power dynamics.

Empower Your Clients - Rhonda Hess For coaching to happen, both coach and client must show up co-creative, resourceful and whole.

How can you do your part?

How to Stop Shrinking or Inflating Your Power

Most coaches I meet genuinely want to help others. In fact, it’s often a driving force in their lives to give.

I know I have that “helper” archetype. And I’ve gone many turns around the spiral learning to be conscious about the heavy shadow side of that noble desire. Do you feel me?

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Topics: Coaching Business Tips

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

Topics: Coaching Business Tips