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?

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!

3 Powerful Questions to Spur You to Action

1. What exactly am I putting off?
It may only be one part of something that’s holding you back. If you can uncover what that is, you can focus in on the solution or reach out for help to move past the block. For example, you might not be making those calls to enroll new clients because you don’t know what to say. Okay so write a working script, practice it and be willing to flub up for a while.

2. What are all the possible reasons I’m putting this off?

I’m afraid (Summon courage and trust you are in the right place and time.)
This is it 90% of the time, right? I call it garden variety fear because everyone has it and it’s a part of life. The thing is, you’ll likely always have fears come up when you’re doing something important, so it’s best to treat fear as a friend. Be present to it, understand it without judgment and watch it melt away.

I need inspiration (Brainstorm to ignite a spark of generative energy.)
I’m lucky that my husband, Seth, is willing to be a sounding board for most anything I want to process. I’ll pour out my thoughts and he jots notes, while throwing in a comment or question to draw me out and reflect my wisdom back to me. Who could help you brainstorm right now?

I need to boost my brain power (Exercise, eat good fuel, deep breathe fresh air.)
I need to play (Go outside, draw, paint, laugh, play with someone.)
I need to rest (Sleep, do nothing, meditate.)
These are all about self care. No one can endlessly generate without the stuff that fuels creation. Even God rested, right? So we need to GET AWAY from work frequently. If you can’t get away and be present, then take just one little step toward your project, then take a break. Build momentum as you refuel.

I need accountability (Set intention, make it public, then celebrate what’s done.)
Having an accountability partner is the most powerful tool for big endeavors. Nothing spurs you on like declaring your intentions every week to your coach or a colleague. Learn how to hold yourself accountable for completing lots of little things that lead you to finishing that one big thing.

I’m not in touch with my Big Why (Reconnect with your ultimate outcome.)
What is the ultimate outcome you’re going for? It’s the reason why you need to do these things you’re putting off in the first place. For example, you’re getting your website launched because you want to be a coach in high demand and build a list of future ideal clients. Staying in touch with your big why gives you courage and tenacity to see it through.

I need true commitment (Put your resources 100% behind it or let it go.)
If you’re putting things off chronically, it may be that you lack true commitment for your big why. Or your big why doesn’t really hit the sweet spot for you. With true commitment you’re motivated to dedicate enough time, energy and money, while temporarily sacrificing something else, to prioritize your big goal. Either it’s time to fortify your commitment, sacrifice distractions, or let this goal go and move on. You know best.

3. What little step am I willing to take right now?
The key to continuously moving forward is to break big tasks or projects into doable bite sized high payoff actions. HPA’s are actions that count the most. They feel a bit squirmy because they take you out of your comfort zone. Set a goal every day to do 3 high payoff actions first, before you move on to the more mundane or easier to do’s. If you do it the other way around, you may put off what will get you what you really want the fastest.

Okay, try this out and let me know how it works for you. And share in the comments below your story or anything you’d add.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: What Are You Putting Off Now?

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.

More Web Pages Get Mobile Friendly

Mobile ready web pages are hot, hot, hot!

According to Nielsen forecasts, half of Americans will own a smart phone by the end of 2011. More internet searches are being conducted from smart phones and more people are accessing their email from mobile devices.

If your home page or blog isn’t mobile ready, your visitors may be bouncing from your site in frustration.

Have you ever searched for a site on your smart phone and groaned because it’s so hard to read and navigate? Most web pages look like hell on a mobile browser unless they’ve been designed for it.

If your site is on WordPress, install the WP touch PRO plugin and test it on various mobile devices. Otherwise, have your web designer create a separate mobile friendly template that opens when your site is accessed through a mobile device. My blog is now mobile friendly!

You could even be really cutting edge and put a QR code on your business card that can be scanned by a smart phone and immediately open your mobile friendly website. (You might have used a QR code for your boarding pass on a recent flight.) It’s a clever way to build your list if you’re handing out a lot of cards.

A New Business Savvy Breed of Coach Emerges

Entrepreneurs are experiencing one of the few bright spots in this economy. Find your own staying power by listening closely to the people you serve, innovating for the times and clever positioning.

More than ever it’s critical that coaches stand out in the crowd and position their services as essential. Coaches will become more business savvy and determined to ride the wave to the top. Their moxie, can-do mindset, consistent high touch connection and good old fashion closing skills will win clients over.

No one wakes up saying “I need a coach”. So selling coaching is out!

Smartly targeting a unique audience and client centric marketing is in. By focusing on a viable market and offering them exactly what they’re ready to invest in right now, coaches will easily beat the odds and boost profits, even in a downturn.

What are your predictions for coaches in 2012? Share them in the comments section below.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: What’s Hot and What’s Not for Coaching Businesses in 2012

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#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!

#4 WordPress

I’ve had three previous websites and now all my web pages reside on WordPress. Ahhh! What a relief. I can get into every page on my site to tweak it by myself. Putting out my blog is a breeze. And, WordPress just keeps pumping out snazzy plugins that save time and spread the good word of my blog to a bigger group of my tribe. Never build a website on anything else!

#5 OptimizePress

Here’s a new one for me… this little inexpensive tool makes squeeze pages and sales pages perfectly. The designers researched the best fonts, colors and layouts. All you have to do is plug in the copy and then play around with the look and feel of the page. You can create a sales page in ½ the time and never wonder if it will convert!

#6 Dropbox

Every important document or file in my business is on dropbox so my team can get at it. It uploads or downloads docs in seconds. It’s easy to update a doc and then pop it back up there. Nothing works as well for sharing files and it’s free!

#7 Hootsuite

This tool streamlines social networking like nothing else. Instead of hours, it makes it easy to spend minutes connecting and sharing on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. And yes, it’s free!

#8 FreeConferencing

Need a bridgeline? This is another free service that’s as good as any paid conference line. It records, has a great dashboard to control your calls and sends you a concise report after each call showing who dialed in and how long they stayed!

#9 Google Calendar & Time Driver 

These two free systems work so beautifully in concert. I schedule my time on Google Calendar and let clients schedule time with me on Time Driver. Time Driver marks anything I post into Google Calendar as busy so I never double book!

#10 Aweber 

No list of ace entrepreneurial tools would be complete without Aweber. I’ve used this list management/ email campaign company for ten years and so have most of the top bloggers and Internet marketers. Aweber is a professional service with 24/7 customer service, continual upgrades and lots of groovy tools, including the most friendly and effective pop up.

Share your favorite tools and services in the comments below. And I hope you get into the ones I’ve listed above.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: My Favorite Things for My Coaching Biz

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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?

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:

• What do you want your life to be like?
• Who do you want to be?
• How do you want to feel? How will you best take care of yourself?
• What are the powerful mindsets you want to cultivate?

2. What are your overall business goals?

What do you want to earn? How much profit are you aiming for? How much will you grow your list? Think about the metrics and specific results you’ll manifest.

My bold goal this year is tripling my leads list. That means I’m looking for more fun, simpatico promo partners and alliances.

3. What improvements will you make to your biz?

What could be better leveraged? What needs to go away? Do you want to change up your business model? Create new programs?

4. Who do you want to attract as clients?

Go beyond your target market and think about the characteristics, the attitudes and traits of the individuals you would love to work with this year. Who are your ideal clients?

I’m calling in can-do, heartful entrepreneurs who want to make fast progress with personalized support from me.

5. What alliances do you want to make? 

What types of peers, colleagues, promotional partners and spheres of influence would you like to play with this year? Who could help you grow your list, get you in front of your target audience, or collaborate well with you?

6. How many promotional campaigns will you run?

What will you offer? (Look back to your financial goals and think about how you’ll earn that.) When will your programs launch? What’s the promotional period? How can you give yourself plenty of time to do each campaign boldly and without overwhelm?

Most entrepreneurs forget to plan well thought out promotional strategies and that keeps their results small. Don’t worry about the details yet, just get down the number of campaigns what you’re offering and the launch dates. Later, you can chunk down the details.

7. What support systems do you need to ease your way?

Who will mentor you and shorten your learning curves? What 3rd party systems or software will assist you? Who do you want on your team?

These 7 steps will take you far and inspire you to go deeper. In my next post I’ll cover some of the finer details for your planning.

Did I forget anything you’d include? Share those tips and also what’s been holding you back from planning in the past. Or, if you are a planner, share how it’s helped you have better results.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: 7 Quick & Fun Steps to Biz Planning Your Whole Year

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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).

Here are just 14 reasons from the top of my head that speak for having a thorough business plan:

• It increases your chances of long-term success
• It gives a structure
• It is your space to think over all aspects of your business
• It puts your business ideas on the test and shows their feasibility
• It keeps you on track
• It helps you gaining clarity
• By writing it, it helps you generating additional ideas
• It makes you think outside the box
• It shows the holes in your plan
• It gives opportunity for adapting or changing your actions
• It will give a feeling of security, having thought of all important issues
• It helps you create a future vision for your business and uses this as a base to define your next actions (as opposed to starting coaching and waiting where it will lead)
• It gives measurable objectives and indicators to evaluate your success
• It showcases your commitment to your coaching business

Convinced?

Do yourself a favor and start at the very first step. If you are well ahead in your business building already and still not getting results, chances are that it is the lack of business planning that causes this.

And if you haven’t started up with your business yet, now you know how to start at all (a so common question I receive from my coaching clients).

And by the way, if you need a really comprehensive tool for that, check out My Fireproof Coaching Business Plan here. This was the very plan (the revised version) I used myself for building a successful coaching business and it gives you plenty of useful hints of things to include you might not even have thought of.

For those of you who are not planning to purchase this business plan for the moment – still go and check out that link, you can use the content description as a cheat sheet for preparing your own plan.

Ready, steady, go!

Erika Kalmar Coaching Biz Start-Up Strategist supports coaches in building a rock solid foundation that is authentic, stands on multiple income pillars and fits with the lifestyle of their design. Get a free copy of her “Create Your Business Brand Brilliance” Workbook at www.GetReadyToCoach.com .

Erika is hosting the Giveaway For Coaches virtual event that offers business building gifts for coaches from the desk of 13 experts, valued over $2,000. The Giveaway starts on September 1.
Claim your free gifts now at: http://prosperouscoach.com/giveaway.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: Business Plan, A Neglected Factor – 14 Reasons Why You Absolutely Must Have One – by Erika Kalmar

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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.

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?

What I know is that empowering clients begins with “right sizing” myself. My intention is to show up as powerful as I am without inflating or deflating myself through my thoughts, words and actions. Because I know if I’m not right sizes it will upset the power dynamic and disempower my client.

It’s not a set it and forget it sort of thing. It requires centering before beginning any session.

Here are 5 ways to help your clients feel empowered.

1.  Hit the reset button before sessions.

• Take 5 minutes of quiet to breathe and reconnect to yourself.
• Value yourself intrinsically.
• Own your gifts, talents, and skills (as different but not more than your clients.)
• Show vulnerability without being self-deprecating.
• Get your needs met outside the coach/client relationship.

2. Let your clients take full responsibility for their role.

• Charge fees that pay you well.
• Never adjust fees to get a client.
• Treat clients as resourceful adults.
• Don’t do your clients work for them.
• Set time boundaries and ask clients to honor them.

3. Promote original thinking and self-starting.

• Verbally appreciate your client’s unique abilities.
• Praise self-awareness, intuitive action and insights.
• Reward initiative with enthusiasm and ask about their next steps.
• Challenge them to do more than what’s comfortable.

4. Spark their wisdom without manipulating.

• Let go of assumptions of what you think they know or don’t.
• Ask their opinion about how to best coach them.
• Ask a lot of direct open-ended questions. Let go of impulses to lead.
• Own your opinions as just that, don’t make them wrong for theirs.

5. Listen for their truth.

• Validate their feelings without taking them on.
• Separate your story from their story.
• Ask questions to help them separate facts from interpretation.

What are other ways you’ve found to empower clients and stay out of the trap of fixing or saving them? Share your thoughts here.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: 5 Ways to Right Size Yourself to Empower Your Coaching Clients

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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.

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:

• They must understand what you’re offering.
• They must want and value it.
• They must believe you.
• They must believe they can do it.
• They must believe they can afford it.
• They must WANT IT NOW!

Why Selling Coaching By the Hour Wastes Your Time

Max Simon, being the generous guy that he is, has posted an hour of the video footage from his last live event on his blog here.

This is Max sharing the love with his tribe of entrepreneurs – and whetting our appetite for his next event in the process.

There’s a lot here, but right at the beginning he offers this provocative piece of advice: Quit working with people by the hour. Don’t ever do it again.

His point? People don’t transform in one hour, and if you to have to keep re-upping the relationship after every session, that’s not an efficient use of your time. Instead, enroll people for longer-term, higher-priced programs where you can foster a deeper transformation.

How to Enchant Your Audience

Guy Kawasaki has a new book called Enchantment, on building influence as an entrepreneur. As always, Kawasaki’s writing is sharp, easy to digest, and funny. This book is directly relevant for coaches, because the heart of it is about how to achieve trust.

According to Kawasaki, “enchantment” is the purest form of marketing – the process of delighting people with a product or idea. The three pillars of enchantment are likability, trustworthiness, and a great product.

Here’s what he says about how to be trustworthy:

• Trust others first. You have to trust your customers before they will trust you.
• Be “a baker not an eater”. Eaters want to get their slice of the pie. Bakers believe that you can always bake more pies – everybody can win. Those are the trustworthy people.
• Default to yes. If your people ask you for something, you will say yes. Always be thinking how you can help people.

You can harvest the main points from the video here, but I recommend heading down to your local independent bookseller and picking up the actual book.

Comment below and let me know what you think of these resources – or share your own recent favorites.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT: 3 Things I Wish I’d Learned 13 Years Ago

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