As a coach you may not feel motivated by standard marketing principles that tell you that a well-defined niche will contribute to your overall business success. But you recognize that if you want business success you’ll likely have to get more specific about who you’ll be working with.

You hear the question “who is your ideal client?” and you begin working through a description. For some, this is when their niche becomes clear. For others, this is a process that evolves over time.

Recently I was working with a new coach and we were discussing her target market. I asked her to think about what her ideal client would Google if they were looking for solutions that her coaching would bring. Additionally, where do they hang out? What do they read? What are their hobbies? What recreation and entertainment do they enjoy?

“How do I know that?” she asked.

“Where do you want them to hang out?” I asked. “What do you want them to read? Do you want to work with people who are interested in art or in science or in sports?

A brief pause and an ah ha moment: “Well those are two completely different questions! Who is my ideal client and who do I want my ideal client to be are two different questions.”

She had been guided by the belief that there was a “right” ideal client that she needed to look for “out there.” She perceived the need for identifying and getting to know them via external research. With a different perspective, she shifted to thinking about discovering her ideal client by looking internally to describe the clients that she wanted to work with. This shift brought her new energy and insight.

At the risk of offering one person’s story (by permission) that may be understood only by a few, I’m sharing it, certain it will click with readers who need to hear it. For others, if you’re in the process of defining your niche or target market, here are some additional thoughts.

• Invite God into the process through prayer.
• Allow God’s timing.
• Do what you can with the clarity you have.
• Learn more about who you want to coach by coaching.
• Who do you want to coach? Who would you love to work with?

Defining your niche or target market is important because it helps you most effectively focus and leverage your marketing efforts. But focusing on a niche market doesn’t limit you to coaching only in that market. If your heart is stirred to coach someone who does not fit your “ideal client” description you can of course always choose to do that! Use the 80/20 principle. Who has God called you to work with 80% of the time? That is likely your target market.

Do not neglect real Person-To-Person contact!

Setting up your coaching business requires an immense amount of focused energy. If you are in the process of creating a coaching business or ministry, you know exactly what I mean. You can get focused on choosing a logo or creating your intake forms or developing your website or learning new technology.  Etc. You can get stuck in these places. You know what I mean, right?

All of these things need to be done to create your business. But, ironically, they can also get in the way of developing relationships with potential clients. It’s important to have a website with a freebie and a blog and a newsletter, but if you develop a list from those activities that doesn’t result in real live conversation you likely won’t be selling your coaching services to this list.

Much of a coaching business can be developed virtually. Using social media and sending out newsletters can be important to relationship-building, but we can’t hide behind these efforts. Ultimately to enroll clients in our coaching groups or one-on-one coaching programs, we need to reach out in real life.

By “real life” I mean it’s important to reach out over the phone or in person and have a voice-to-voice conversation. So concurrently with your business set-up, do not neglect real, live, relationship-building.

I want to challenge you to think of someone you know right now who is a potential client. Especially if they have indicated an interest in coaching with you! Call this person! Or email this person, suggest scheduling a call and include possible meeting times! If this person is a local contact, schedule coffee and meet in person!

CHALLENGE

Who will you reach out to today? This week? This month?

Schedule your answers on your calendar and make those personal contacts!

Stress happens when we are operating outside of our strengths. When it comes to creating a successful coaching business or ministry, it is important to be aware of our strengths and our personal resources so we can leverage them for success.

In addition to your coaching skills, the following are strengths or resources that can contribute to your success as a coaching business or ministry owner. Take a moment and consider what of the following are strengths you possess.

• Speaking
• Writing
• Traditional Networking
• Cultivating Relationships
• Social Media Savvy
• Teaching
• Selling
• Creativity
• Organizational Skills
• Business Skills
• Tech Skills

What of the above are the strengths you can leverage for success? Of the remaining, what is crucial to your business or ministry success? Of the remaining crucial activities, what are your options? You have options.

Yes, sometimes as you operate your coaching business or ministry, you must do things that are not in your wheelhouse. Hopefully that will be only up to 20% of your time. Last week, my friend Mary Verstraete of the Center for Coaching Excellence posted about personally functioning with convergence. The goal is “80 percent of who you are overlapping with 80 percent of what you do.” Click here to see her post Are You a Want-to-Be?

Otherwise, find creative solutions to deal with what you need to get done but you aren’t good at. Delegate. Hire someone. Barter. Let it go.

Are you trying to do something and you just need to let it go?

For example, if you’re not a speaker, you don’t have to make yourself into a speaker. Unless God has given you a specific directive to speak, consider the other ways to let people know about your coaching business or ministry.

What are you doing that you need to let go of?

You can’t do it all. You can’t be good at it all. Be aware of your strengths and intentionally leverage what you do best.

Aspiring coaches have responded to “What are your biggest questions as you consider becoming a coach?” New and experienced coaches have shared answers to “What were your biggest questions as you considered becoming a coach?” and “Looking back from the experience you’ve gained, what were the important questions you didn’t know to ask?”

In December I’ll announce a new resource I’m creating that will address the core questions.

In the meantime here are sample questions aspiring coaches shared, with some resources that help answer the questions.

• What exactly is coaching? How is it different from counseling? Here is a free download that helps define coaching and compare it to counseling and other helping professions.
• Where do I start? What kind of training is involved? Start with training. Find what you need to know about credentialing and training options in my book The Complete Guide to Christian Coach Training here.
• Can I support myself as a coach? Will it pay enough to be sustainable? Here is a short recording that discusses “can I make money as a coach?”

   

Following are sample questions experienced coaches said were the important questions they didn’t know to ask:

• What will my focus/niche be?
• How will I get established and find my initial clients?
• Should I market myself as a “Christian Coach” or as a Coach who is a Christian?
• A great way to address these questions is to work with a coach to find the answers that apply to you uniquely.

If you’d like to add your voice to this, you can still contribute by completing the survey here:

If you are thinking about becoming a coach,
please answer one question: HERE

If you are an experienced coach,
please answer a couple of questions:HERE

I’ll be sharing a couple of my intake forms in this post, but first let me recommend samples at the following:

• The appendix of Christian Coaching: Helping Others Turn Potential Into Reality by Gary R. Collins, PH.D.
• The Coaches Toolkit in Co-Active Coaching by Kimsey-House et al.
• For members of the International Coach Federation, find sample coaching agreements in the member benefit area at the website.

I begin orienting my clients with an email including “Welcome to Coaching” in the subject line. The email has a customized written coaching agreement attached and includes a link to a webpage with instructions and intake forms. My clients complete and return the forms to me via email before our first scheduled session.

Here are samples of intake forms I use with my clients:

Session Prep Form: I include a session prep form with my intake forms and in my initial session I explain the value of completing this form 24 hours prior to each scheduled coaching session. I provide this for my clients as a Word document so they can fill it in and return it to me. Click here to see what mine looks like.

Coaching Forward: Three Basic Keys: To underscore the value of the prep form and to further help my client best understand how to maximize our time together, I include an instructional form I called “Coaching Forward: Three Basic Keys.” Click here to see what mine looks like.

1. A Calendar – Some of you are gasping because you can’t imagine life without your calendar! However, I have found it not so uncommon for aspiring and new coaches not to have and use a basic calendar. Using a calendar is probably not optional if you are expecting success, although there are many different options for what to use and how to do this. Some love electronic calendars but others work best traditionally, on paper. Yes, you can use pencil and paper if that’s your thing. Just do what works for you! Reference it every day. I suggest intentionally including the specifics of your calendar in prayer every day.

These are the tools that work for me:  Google Calendar on my desktop and phone. Evernote for lists, notes and more on my desktop and phone. And a new tool this year (involving pencil and paper!) for meaningful planning – a Passion Planner found here.

2. Scheduled Office Hours – Often aspiring and new coaches think of their schedule as wide open, with maybe a class and a client session here and there. Otherwise the hours in the day are up for grabs. Are you available for coffee? Anytime! Can you help paint my kitchen on Thursday afternoon? Of course! Will you be the event coordinator for the next conference? We’re meeting every Monday afternoon for planning. OK! Sure, as an entrepreneur working from home, you have flexibility! But set office hours and invest in establishing and growing your business or ministry during your those hours. If you take “time off” of office hours, do so intentionally and reschedule what you had on your work schedule just as you would if you were employed for someone else.

Check out this excellent article at Inc. that references office hours and other great habits for working from home.

3. A Plan – What goes on your calendar and what besides classes and client sessions do you need to plan? Well, a lot actually! Hopefully, you are learning about all the aspects of putting together a coaching business or ministry through your training program and by working with a coach. Pulling it all together and establishing your unique plan is essential. Don’t worry if your plan for 2015 isn’t crystal clear right now. It’s essentially a work in progress anyway. God regularly reshapes and even redirects our plans as we daily bring them to prayer, right? But write down what you do know about how God is leading you in 2015 and then set goals and determine next steps and take action!

Here is a practical article from ICF with great tips for developing your plan.

4. Your Passion – Don’t create a plan, schedule office hours and put stuff on your calendar without it all reflecting your personal passion and sense of purpose. If you are not sure of your passion or purpose, work with a coach who can help you get clear on what matters most to you and how you can align your work and life accordingly in 2015!

Find Christian coaches at the Christian Coaches Network here.

If you’d like to work with me as your coach you can find info here. For coaching support for any of the areas mentioned above, email me to let me know you are interested and we will schedule a time to talk about how coaching can support all the best for you in 2015!

Don’t begin this year without a calendar, scheduled office hours, a plan and your passion!

WAYS TO DISCERN OPPORTUNITIES BY JUDY SANTOS

As coaching for Christians becomes better known, a fertile ground is provided for opportunists. Sometimes, opportunities arise to be involved in coaching companies, training situations, speaking engagements, media opportunities, etc. Some are great – others are not. Here are some guidelines and things to watch for that may be helpful in making decisions that you will not later regret.

Used by permission.

As an admitted coaching geek, I want to wholeheartedly recommend the IMPACT eSummit! Aspiring, new and established professional coaches will find a wealth of information, education and community. The pre-conference day is today and already attendees have been blessed with rich inspiration and actionable learning! But you haven’t missed out yet! The main IMPACT 2014 eSummit is scheduled for NEXT WEEK – September 29 to October 3. And you can register to receive recordings of all sessions if you can’t attend the live sessions.

When you’re ready to register just click here.

The location is at your convenience – you can participate from wherever you are with Internet and/or phone access. And the content is absolutely fantastic – last time I counted there were 27 speakers and 38 sessions! Wow!

The topics include everything from coaching skills to business development to integrating faith with the practice of coaching. The speakers are from a variety of training backgrounds and niches. Many speakers are notable pioneers in Christian coaching and many hold impressive credentials. I’m excited to hear it all!

There has never been an event like this, with this much rich content specifically for Christian coaches! In my opinion, the value far exceeds the financial investment for anyone who is serious about becoming a coach or growing a coaching business or ministry. You can even get ICF CCEUs for many of the sessions if you choose. If you can’t attend all the sessions in real time, you can pay a bit more to receive the recordings of all the sessions.

Check it out and register here.

Not a Christian Coaches Network member? You don’t have to be to attend the conference, but I definitely recommend getting an annual membership to CCN at the same time you register for the conference to result in great savings and a remarkably reasonable cost for the combination. (I’ve been a member since 2003!)

I’ll be moderating the evening sessions of the Impact eSummit and I hope to “see” you there!

In the spirit of full disclosure, the link in this post is an affiliate link which means I may receive compensation as a thank you from CCN for referring you. If you prefer a non-affiliate link, simply go to the Christian Coaches website here.

My Friday Reports documented my business projects, challenges and accomplishments for the week. Every week I’d submit my report to my mentor coach for accountability. The reports helped keep me focused and highlighted opportunities to celebrate. They became a tool (from coach training, recall the term “structure”) that ensured my moving forward.

This practice illustrates the value of mentor coaching – of coaching in general really. In theory I could’ve written reports and “submitted” them to myself, but I wasn’t likely to do that. The structure established by the coaching relationship fueled the success of my Friday Reports and contributed to propelling me forward.

I’ve passed this tool along to many of my mentor coaching clients and here are a couple of creative ways they have managed their reports:

• One client opens the report document on her computer at the beginning of the week and adds to it throughout the week. On the day she submits her report it is already completed and ready for her to email to me.
• Another client works a four day week. On the first day of her week, she writes the report as she wants to see it completed on the fourth day. (And isn’t this an awesome use of vision-casting and “closing the gap” to achieve that vision!) She refers to the completed report throughout the week and uses it to guide her.
• Friday reports were my thing. I have clients who do Monday reports, Thursday reports, etc. It’s all about what works best for the client, right?

What would your best version of “Friday Reports” look like? How could your version of “Friday Reports” propel you forward?

I want to recommend an addition to your launch – the dedication of your business.  A celebration.  Maybe even a commissioning.  In essence, I recommend an actual event scheduled for a specific date and time, when you focus and formalize your intention that this is God’s business.  Ten years ago, I did this myself and the memory of this serves as a powerful marker of God’s presence in what I do.

I chose a day of dedication for my business and began by inviting those in my inner circle to participate by writing words of encouragement and prayers of dedication for my business and ministry.  I asked trusted friends and associates who were part of my personal, professional and ministry networks to participate.  I invited them send either an email or a physical letter or card by a specific date.  When I received the emails, I didn’t read them.  Rather I printed them off and put them in an envelope to be opened on dedication day.

On dedication day, a friend hosted a small gathering of my trusted supporters.  I took the emails and cards from friends and associates with me to the event and we read each one aloud.  Then those present shared from their hearts and prayed for me, my clients, and my business.  There were prayers for the present and for the future.  Prayers of gratefulness for what had been started and prayers of expectancy for things to come.  Prayers that God’s purposes would be accomplished in my business and that God would be glorified through my work as a coach.  And then we celebrated (with food, of course, and laughter) the excitement and joy of a new adventure and all that was to come.

Over the past ten years, I’ve been able to reference the precious memory of this event as a marker of my intention to have been about God’s business from the start.  When doubt or discouragement loom, I don’t have to try and remember what my prayers were back when I started this work or if I was actually listening to wise counsel.  I have a memory of an actual physical event that was shared with others that represents to me my intention to invite God’s presence into all aspects of my work as a coach.

If this stirs desire in you to take action…

• Perhaps you’ve already started your business and a dedication as I’ve described sounds like something you wish you’d done.  Please don’t let that stop you!  It is possible to do it now!
• Suggestions for whom to invite as participants in your dedication include family, friends, pastors, mentors, ministry co-workers, your mentor coach, your coach trainer(s), your coach training classmates, buddy coaches, other Christian coaches, etc.
• As you receive words of encouragement and blessing from your supporters, consider where God is drawing your attention through the words people are sharing, the scripture, etc.  An example from my experience included a scripture reference that has been very meaningful for all of these ten years since:  “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith.  Be courageous, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love.”  1 Corinthians 16:13-14u
• Put your collection of emails, letters, cards, etc into a special binder or file.  Write down your thoughts documenting your experience and your sense of what God is telling you and where God is drawing your attention.  You also might include your business mision and vision.  Perhaps include a copy of your coach training certificate or your ICF credentialling.  Include anything else of meaning – i.e. pictures, etc.  Keep this file or binder available and refer to it periodically as you continue your prayers and rededicate your business and ministry over the years.
• If you choose a dedication day and want me to pray for you on that day, please let me know.  I would be honored to pray for you!