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I was prepared to write an editorial on the science behind the “aha moment,” but I can’t seem to escape the concept of humility. In fact I’m drawn to it like a magnet on a fridge. So allow me to share some brief thoughts on the topic of humility as we close out 2012.

If scripture teaches humility, then humility must be an important standard of behavior in heaven. If that is so, then God would exemplify the very definition of humility and Jesus would hold to the same standard.

Briefly, using the nativity story as an example, we find proof of God’s humility in His choice of His Son’s birthplace (small and insignificant), his earthly parents (no reputation, wealth or education), the manger delivery room (only the poorest would find themselves thus relegated), and the shepherds (the lowliest occupation).

God further exemplifies humility by entrusting the redemption plan to the helplessness of a baby and the whims of earthly parents. Imagine a champion in swaddling clothes. Would we have done that? Not hardly. We can barely trust our coworkers and close family members with our vitally important stuff. They can’t” do it” or “handle it”  just like we want it.

Jesus also displayed humility by choosing to leave his royal position in order to redeem us. He submitted himself to the lower office of John the Baptist. Being equal with God, He daily submitted to the direction of his Father, not leaning to his own wisdom. He also displayed humility during a Passover meal by washing the feet of his disciples.

But why is humility so important?

Humility is the standard for greatness in the kingdom of heaven. Phil 2:6-11 speaks specifically that Jesus, the son of God, humbled himself to the role and nature of a servant. Because the Greatest humbled Himself to the Least, God would exalt Him to the highest office.

So God has used the criteria of humbleness in order to select those for the greatest assignments. Think of Moses, God choose the meekest to “see” Him. Think of Mary, God choose her because of her humble submission to becoming a societal outcast. Even the Apostle Paul who went from claiming to be the least of the apostles to becoming the foremost of sinners. A great reduction in status as he learned what God was truly requiring of him.

On earth the standard for greatness can be any one of these things: intelligence, salary, title, bank balance, reputation, education, etc. Our standards for greatness have everything to do with achievement or accomplishment.

Listen to the words of Jesus in Luke 16:15 He said to them, “…What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

In short, humility is the litmus test for credibility with God. We may find ourselves on the short end of advancement according to earthly measures, or perhaps we may find some level of success on earth, but only if we have walked the path of humility, will we be worthy to stand in the company of heaven’s greatest.

I hope these thoughts spark some deeper investigation into the concept of humility. My prayer for 2013 is that we will all embrace the power of humility and thus glorify God.

Have a Happy New Year!

While I was driving recently the passage in Luke 17 came to mind. Jesus was on a journey walking the border of Samaria and Galilee in areas not normally traveled by the average person. This is revealed in the fact that he encountered ten men with leprosy who had to isolate themselves from the rest of the population due to their illness. It’s interesting to note that Jesus didn’t take the easy, direct path to his destination. The men called to him across the road, “Please Jesus, have mercy on us.”  Jesus told them to go to their Priests, a custom necessary to confirm a possible healing, and while they were obediently on their way, they were all miraculously healed. One of the men, a Samaritan, later returned to Jesus to thank him for the healing.

As I was thinking about it I realized this story isn’t just about the need to thank someone who does something nice for us. It’s much deeper than that. The lone man who returned to bow at Jesus’ feet to thank him was told by Jesus that his faith had healed him. This man not only received a physical healing but was transformed spiritually, as well. He experienced a change of heart. The other nine missed out (at least at that moment in time) on a significant encounter with faith.

What happens to us when we express gratitude? *Kent State University conducted a study with some of their students related to expressing gratitude through writing letters to people to convey gratefulness for something specific someone had done for them. Students discovered many positive life changes in both physical health and attitude by writing these letters. The more they engaged in expressing thankfulness, the more positive results they experienced.

I’m wondering what life changes would be experienced by our clients by engaging in an activity like this. Can you imagine the benefits in a family, a friendship, a working environment, or a church?

To test it out, why don’t we as coaches try it? Consider writing one letter of gratefulness to someone for the next four weeks and document what emotions or feedback you experience.

You can read more about the Kent State study here:

* http://www.columbiana.kent.edu/news/newsdetail.cfm?newsitem=93f094fd-06b3-015f-a55590d59bfc182d

Sheryl Bullock

www.sherylbullock.com

The most common type of family unit today in North America is the “Blended Family.” Whether due to death, divorce or even foster care and adoption, these families bring together a variety of experiences with a previous history. Being raised in a blended family in the 70′s I experienced the complexities of meshing two households following the early death of a parent in each of the households.

In preparation for speaking on this topic last Spring, I interviewed some parents in blended families to find out what unique challenges they face.

Here are several of them:

• What they had as a couple in Marriage #1 will not be the same in successive marriages. Especially if a first marriage was a fairly happy one and the first spouse died, there is an unconscious expectation the one remarrying will experience much of the same routine and satisfaction in the next marriage. But the people and the situation is different this time. So the marriage will be different too.
• The children in a blended family don’t make the decision to “blend.” The parents do. The children, depending on their ages, are 1-2 years or more behind the parent in acceptance of this new family. Parents are wise to be patient with the adjustment of children in a newly blended family.
• Blended families are born out of loss. Sometimes, even with great effort and love, the losses continue to impact individuals long term.
• Each member handles the adjustment of a blended family in their own way. No two are alike.
• If there is an ex-spouse who is a parent still in the picture, there is another viewpoint to consider. Sometimes there is mutual cooperation in co-parenting and custody issues and sometimes it’s a problematic relationship. This can be especially unsettling for the new spouse.
• Children watch parents for “equality” in the way they are treated in a blended family. You have to be consistent, fair and always evaluating your motives and decisions.  Parents must always insist on respect, but may find they don’t connect with some of their step children no matter how hard they try. They can still have a good marriage and be a supportive role model to step-children.
• In successive marriages, there is an urge to give up if things get rocky. It is more socially acceptable to throw in the towel in a blended family marriage. Each spouse must work on their commitment to keep the marriage strong despite the trials they encounter.

As coaches we have many clients who are from blended families. Even if the client is not pursuing coaching for blended family matters, family dynamics influence all areas of life. Understanding these challenges gives the coach an advantage and understanding of the things their client deals with on a daily basis.

One of the blended family couples I interviewed was Brad and Colleen Bowker. They’ve been married over 25 years now and have a passion for helping blended families grow and succeed. They’ve started a non-profit organization devoted to this cause. I’ve included their contact information at the end of this post.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with referrals or questions you may have about blended families.

Sheryl Bullock

http://sherylbullock.com/contact.html

You may contact Brad & Colleen at:  http://www.newbeginningsministry.org

I want to encourage you from the life of Nehemiah. Additionally, the account of his coming back to Jerusalem and rebuilding the walls provides a practical illustration of the Clarity Model.

The Clarity Model has its genesis in the Scriptures. Over and over again we see common aspects of God’s ways toward man repeated. Once discerned, these ways of God can be of great practical value in our own lives and as we help individuals and organizations around us.

The Clarity Model recognizes five areas in which God speaks and acts. These are:

1. Outcomes – God is concerned about outcomes – eternal, life-long and day by day.
2. Clarity – Truth and beliefs and understanding what He is up to is important to God.
3. Ownership – God greatly desires that we receive what He says for our very own.
4. Structure – God provides a new ‘operating system’ of grace for us to live within and benefit from.
5. Momentum – God is vitally interested in us moving forward toward good outcomes.

The account of Nehemiah is but one passage of many in the Scriptures that informs and illustrates The Clarity Model.

CLARITY

While in Susa, far from the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, far from the land that had seen the glory of David and Solomon, Nehemiah inquired of some travelers from Judah about the Jews who had escaped captivity and about Jerusalem, a city dear to him.

The report was short and painted a very clear picture for Nehemiah. The people left in the land after it was conquered were now in distress. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates had been burned. Nehemiah not only knew that it was true, because it came as a first hand report, but he was very concerned about it.

The Importance of Clarity

Unless we clearly see what is, and imagine what can be, it will be very hard to set meaningful objectives to aim for. Whether it is in my personal life, family, ministry, work or in leadership, getting clarity is vital. Whether it is with your teens, serving at church, serving in government, managing people or running a Fortune 100, clarity rules.

 OUTCOMES

Nehemiah felt the impact of the news he had received. It brought him to tears, caused him to review all that God had said and drove him to prayer. He realized God was interested in His people moving in one direction … back to “the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.” The conditions that could drive this movement, Nehemiah reviewed, were a return to God and those things which he had prescribed for His people.

In his mind an idea began to take shape, a vision of Jerusalem with rebuilt walls and new gates, a city safe for God’s people to live in and worship freely. His heart was right, his mind and passion engaged but his ability to realize such an outcome was impossible.

The Importance of Outcomes

Desired outcomes create pictures in the mind of finished products, achieved goals and transformational results. Outcomes create palpable targets for which to aim and apply all we are and can bring to bear. Outcomes inspire. They determine both the direction and the destination. They provide a beacon of light toward which we travel with purpose.

OWNERSHIP

This desire in Nehemiah’s soul for God’s dwelling place was no slight matter. He didn’t simply agree that it would be something he’d love to hear about happening some day. He took ownership of the dream as his own. Something deep had happened in this man that lay there awaiting the right opportunity to express itself.

And that opportunity did present itself. God, who planted the idea, provided the stage on which to execute it. The king who Nehemiah served so intimately, inquired why, in his presence, Nehemiah looked so sad. From a simply humanistic view of the situation, this inquiry could have gone very badly, but we are privileged to know that God was behind it all.

Nehemiah’s heart was revealed. The depth to which he had taken Jerusalem’s problem as his problem and God’s solution as his motivation became apparent. Nehemiah was allowed to present a well thought out plan to the king that would see him personally return to Jerusalem and begin the rebuilding process himself. While this could have been his end, his ownership of such a grand idea which found its source in the Almighty opened a door no one could have imagined.

The Importance of Ownership

Taking ownership raises taking responsibility to a different plane. It releases the energy to pursue with passion and achieve far more than may previously have been thought possible. Ownership brings grand visions down to executable ‘musts’. Ownership goes beyond simple commitment; It locks in the goal and makes it personal as if nothing else were more important. It is on this very issue of taking ownership that personal or organizational initiatives rise or fall. Ownership will sponser perseverance through the rough times. It will create the passion for excellence and effectiveness. Ownership will determine attitudes and be reflected in all that follows.

 STRUCTURE

Nehemiah created structure for the king. His ‘master plan’ covered all the practical necessities to achieve those things he so passionately put before his ruler. Nehemiah saw God’s gracious hand bringing the king into agreement with what needed to be done. He then set about bringing permissions, resources, Jerusalem’s leaders and those willing to put their hands to the work into alignment with achieving the most ambitious plan undertaken by God’s people for many, many years. A practical man of faith, Nehemiah oversaw the turning of a dream into a reality. It was a well organized and orchestrated work, clear in its objectives and passionately pursued because the people assumed ownership and believed God.

The Importance of Structure

When people, plans and resources are in alignment – projects, programs, companies and causes can experience good success. They move ahead with greater effectiveness and are characterized by a quality of vibrancy others around them lack. Individuals, volunteers or whole work forces are engaged. Priorities are crystallized in everyone’s minds and energy remains focused on achieving those things that matter and best move toward stated objectives.

 MOMENTUM

Those walls Nehemiah and the people set out to raise were built in record time. All along the way Nehemiah watched the progress, responded to the challenges (and there were a lot of them), made adjustments as needed and kept this eye on the final product and just why God had him there.

Several times the work could have come to a halt or reduced to an indefinite stall. Probably many times Nehemiah resisted the urge to allow the people to give up. He was clear what God had said and he knew that if God desired those walls to stand and those gates to lock, God would Himself oversee it’s completion. We all marvel at the leadership Nehemiah displayed as he worked with so many people to rebuild. To this day we point to just how fast those walls went up in the face of so much opposition, potential discouragement and the utter ruin all around.

Nehemiah’s future was decided in a moment. His initial response to the king sent him on a journey that God has seen fit to record for our learning. His behavior creates a picture for us of our Lord Jesus Christ and His work of building and creating something spectacular. What a wonderful historical account.

The Importance of Momentum

So much has failed for lack of getting started. So much has floundered for lack of keeping going. And so much has remained second best for lack of reaching for the very best and settling for less than. Momentum always has as its object a clear direction or well defined objectives or both. Intentional and decisive action, examination of ongoing results and being ready to make needed adjustments are the stuff of getting it done, of seeing good things happen.

 SUMMING UP

As I said, I hoped to encourage you with a short review of God at work in and through Nehemiah.

Additionally you have seen five areas of God’s activity that are, as far as I can tell from the Word, common to our human experience. This should not surprise us. God is a God of order and not confusion. He has created a world that has structure and pattern. You can count them on one hand – five elements that if paid attention to can inform us of where we might need to take action or where we might best zero in for further thought and attention.

These are the five elements of The Clarity Model. You are invited to consider training in what has been called “the Swiss Army Knife of coaching,” because of its practical usefulness in almost any situation. And it is not limited to coaching, but can be used anywhere troubleshooting, good planning and decisions are required in life, work or leadership.

The next Clarity Model Training for Christian coaches starts in October. This is advanced training on an extremely flexible tool for existing Christian coaches. Registration is limited and we already have people signed up. I would anticipate the course filling up shortly. For further information, click here.

Executive Coach, Gary Wood works internationally with leaders, executives and organizations to beat burnout and less stressfully but more effectively move forward significant causes, projects and programs. Gary’s “Clarity Model Training” and book, “52 Solutions for Those Who Need a 25 Hour Day” assists those serious about improving effectiveness and knowing or helping others know, what to do next. Gary’s website is www.gewood.com

How would you like to have a team of marketers working to promote your coaching business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without spending a dime?

Sound too good to be true?  It’s not.

It is the power of viral marketing, and Facebook business pages represent viral marketing at its best. Every time that you make a post, share a link or interact with someone there’s a good chance that you will show up on your fans’ newsfeeds.

Once there, your fans can read your clever post and if they like it, they’ll have the option of clicking “like” or “share” so all their friends (people you don’t even know) can enjoy it as well.  And if those people “like” or “share” it, the post will be shown to their friends and on it goes.

And it’s all free!

Unfortunately, not all news items (the things you post) are created equal. Only a select few will show up in a reader’s feed.

How can you make sure that everyone sees your posts?

Facebook bases their decision (Edge Rank) on three things.

• Affinity – The number of times you have interacted with that person in the past.
• Recency – The more recent the post, the hotter the news.
• Weight – The number of times users have commented on or “liked” that particular post.

To best use Facebook business pages to promote your coaching business you need to post the most ‘likeable’ stuff. It just makes sense.

Let’s begin with what NOT to do:

• Post just for the sake of posting
• Talk only about yourself
• Trying to sell, sell, sell

Instead, your goal should be to genuinely interact with your fans regularly, making your Facebook business page less like a commercial and more like a party.

Here are things people “like” the most:

• Thought provoking questions
• Fun facts
• Short stories
• Pictures
• Personal comments made on their posts

Be friendly and call people by their names. Above all, try to respond to each comment as soon as it appears.

When you keep these rules in mind your Facebook party guests will want to pass on what you write to all their friends, and before you know it, people you’ve never met will be learning all about you.

Kim Avery specializes in helping Christian coaches with bite-sized marketing so they can spend less time marketing and more time coaching. Download her FREE Top Ten Marketing Mistakes NOT to Make here: http://www.kimaverycoaching.com/10-marketing-mistakes-not-to-make/

When you think of marketing, what usually comes to mind?

Most of us think of spreading the word about our coaching.

We think of the activities we do—networking, speaking, writing articles, etc.

But why is it so often that we do all of these things–attend a networking event, do a presentation, send out a few emails—but we don’t get as much response as we’d like?

It likely is because your marketing is built on sand.

Just getting out there and doing marketing activities without having an overarching strategy is like building a house on sand. It might work ok for a while, but the structure will probably be shaky, and you just kind of “pray and wait.”

Without having “marketing bedrock” holding up all of your marketing activities, they won’t make the impact you want, won’t be very memorable, and won’t consistently get the attention and response you want

Here’s a scenario that will show you how to get more attention

Let’s say you’re a life coach. What do you say when people ask you what you do?

It’s probably something like this, “I’m a life coach and I help people grow and achieve their goals.”

Or maybe sometimes you say, “I’m coach people to help them learn how to achieve their faster” or wax artsy and say, “I help people paint a vision of their future and then work to achieve their dreams.”

What do all these responses have in common?

None of them are memorable. They’re ethereal. They have no foundation. And worse yet, they really don’t do much for our bottom line.

You need to dig a little deeper to hit bedrock.

To find it, you need to ask yourself questions like:

1. Who are your ideal clients? Who are the ones you really love to work with, that are fun, and you can see yourself making good money with?

2. What’s the big problem your clients are struggling with? What’s keeping them up at night? What’s driving them bananas?

3.What do you ultimately produce for your clients? What do they really get from working with you? What’s the ultimate end-goal that all of your ideal clients want?

Back to our life coach scenario. As you explore these questions, the following picture surfaces:

• You primarily coach women in mid-life.
• The women you coach are typically struggling with feeling discontented and unhappy.
• You improve fulfillment in the areas of contentment, happiness, and self-worth.
• You realize that in nearly every case, your clients have become content, happy, and fulfilled in all aspects of their life within 6-months.

Tie all that together and you get something powerful…

Ok, now you have something to build your marketing activities on. So you come up with the following marketing mantra:

“I help women in mid-life who are struggling feeling discontented and disconnected, become content, happy and fulfilled with life in 6 months or less.”

Boom! You’ve hit bedrock. This has all of the elements of a powerful marketing mantra: a clear target, a common problem, and clear results in a time frame.

But even more than that, it makes a promise.

…that you can use in all your marketing

Now that your marketing has a foundation, you can work this into every marketing activity you do. You are able to communicate your message with a clarity and impact that you couldn’t before:

• When you’re networking and someone asks you what you do, you use this as your answer.
• You write an article and give it away on your website on “The Six Secrets of Being Content, Happy and Fulfilled Regardless of Your Circumstances.”
• You give a 6-series teleclass on “The Way to Become Fulfilled, Happy and Content No Matter What, in 6 Months or Less.”
• You start the homepage of your website with, “Women in mid-life: Are you struggling with feeling discontented, disconnected, and generally not worth much?” and then “This website can help you find contentment.”
• You write a bi-weekly eZine called “Get Fulfillment” which focuses on practical tips and techniques.
• When someone wants to know more about how you work with clients, you tell them a real success story about how one of your clients went from feeling unhappy and discontented to feeling completely fulfilled in 4 months.

Oh, does that seem a bit repetitive? Not to women in your target market.

It has a theme that repeats itself. And that’s exactly why it works. It sticks to one core message that powerfully conveys what you do. It talks directly to your ideal clients over and over. It speaks to what they want, what they’re struggling with.

Now how does this picture stack up to the real you?

If you don’t have that bedrock to your marketing, a consistent marketing mantra that you communicate in every single marketing activity you do, you won’t see the results you could. You’ll be inconsistent, you won’t get much attention or response, and you won’t get as many clients as you could.

If you don’t have a marketing message like that, you’ll want to get on it.

Don’t try to market more, just market smarter by getting that bedrock firmly installed in your marketing. You’ll soon see that you’ll get much more attention, response and excitement from people you’d love to turn into clients.

Mary Henderson helps self-employed coaches attract more clients and market themselves more easily. Her site is a great resource for any self-employed coach. Download Mary’s free “5 Keys to Attracting High-End Coaching Clients” guide right now at http://www.henderson-marketing.com

I’m the world’s worst salesperson. Really. I couldn’t sell mittens to a freezing Eskimo.

So, for me to try to sell coaching to people who still think that all coaches have whistles hanging around their necks, the game is over before it begins.

You know. You’ve been there.

First, we have to hunt down a qualified prospect and get them to stand still long enough to hear our entire 30-second commercial.   Then, we have to wrestle the very real but barely definable benefits of coaching into words the prospect understands. Finally, if we get that far, we close by stammering out the monthly “investment” they will need to make and …  no wonder selling coaching is hard!

Worse than hard, it’s ineffective as well.

What is a sales-challenged Christian Coach to do?

Get Clients to Look For You

Imagine what would happen if you could turn this whole process up-side down so that your potential client was the one begging (or at least asking) to have time with you.

Let me explain.

Think back to your last major purchase, where did you go to do your research?

If you are like 94% of the population, you looked online. In today’s world when people have things they want to learn and problems they want to solve they go to the Internet to search for help.

They have a need. They want it solved. The information highway is the way to go.

What Does That Mean For You

The key to never selling again is to position yourself so that when your potential clients are looking for help they run across you.

How can you make that happen?

What NOT TO Do

Let’s start with what NOT to do. Don’t assume that they know they need a coach. They don’t. Less than 1 in 10,000 people get on the Internet on any given day and look for a coach.

Instead, they are looking for specific help with their immediate need, and they are Googling keywords to find that solution: better marriage, need a job, weight loss, stress, worry, life balance and more.

A wise coach positions himself so that in your prospect’s Google search, he or she finds you.

What To Do

When you create helpful online content and optimize it so that your information will show up on Google, people will come to you. This is called Content Marketing – intentionally wooing clients to your website by providing relevant, valuable information through online articles, blogs, tools, videos and more.

Every time you post new content, you have the potential to move your website or blog up in the search engines, increase your credibility, tell your story, meet your visitor’s immediate needs, build a relationship and whet their appetite for more of what only you can offer.

While devouring your rich content, sprinkled with information and examples of how coaching can take them deeper still, your web visitor will learn a lot and begin to see the value that one on one coaching provides.

Some will find the answers they need in your articles and go on their merry way. But others, your ideal clients, will want even more of what you have to offer. They will reach out to you to see if you are willing to work with them.

Isn’t it time to stop selling and start helping?

Content Marketing is the easiest way to magnetically draw clients and have them come looking for you.

Do It Now

What is your strategy for posting your content online?

Leave a comment to let us know.

Coaching a Board through Major Decisions – Part 2

Part 2 of 7. This 7-part series of posts discusses how to coach your board through major transition even if you are not a professional coach. Posted on succeeding Wednesdays.

Boards are simply groups of individuals with factors affecting them from within the group and external to the group. It will be essential that you work with individuals to work with the group.

Focus On the Individual

Individuals make up the organization. In many ways, the group will be a reflection of the people who make it up. As you would expect, each person brings certain knowledge, skills and attitudes to the board. The unique characteristics of each person (positive or negative) affect the overall working of the board.

Working with individuals between group calls

It is important not only to work with the board as a whole but also to work with each individual director on the board. Unless intimately acquainted with the members and their history you may not be aware of what dynamics are at play during a board meeting. However, when you are together with the individual member, any number of characteristics of that person will surface. Only then can you begin to draw a composite sketch of the working of the whole board and their individual contributions to it. Take the time to work with each person in between the regularly scheduled calls of the board.

The Coach’s Approach: I book individual coaching calls in between group calls. Again, depending on the nature of the process, you need to set a frequency for both the group calls and the individual calls that serves the board in moving the process forward. I have taken the time to work with two elements.

1. Their participation in the board, specific to the issue I have been retained to provide support around, and
2. Anything they wish to attend to personally and professionally, not necessarily related to the organization, but which could impact their involvement. Simply keep in mind that you have been mandated by the organization to move its purposes forward.

Possible Questions:

For you personally, what will constitute success in this initiative?
How do your experiences and views mesh with the rest of the board?

Empowering Latent Strengths

In the course of working with the individual, you may find latent strengths which have not been used within the board setting. Empower the individual to use these strengths for the good of the board. They may not have thought of it until now because they figured someone else was handling it, or because they did not recognize the skill they had.

Your coaching and encouragement will empower them to step forward. Alternately, they may have experienced initial resistance from others when they ventured to use their strength, causing them to shut down because of it. Some encouragement around this may be in order. Their contribution to the board is vital.

The Coach’s Approach: Discover what abilities and strengths the individual has. Often these may surface because they are frustrated with something on the board. They can see the solution but hesitate for whatever reason to offer solutions or alternatives. In other cases, ask the questions that lead them to identify their strengths, and empower them around using those newly discovered strengths to assist the board.

Possible Questions:

Given the opportunity, how would you bring a solution to the situation you have described?
What have you always done well, since you were a small child?
You have an obvious ability in this area. How can you make fuller use of it on the board?

Harvesting and Articulating Vision

I feel I have benefited from being a harvester of vision. As the leader of an organization, I liked to pick up each person’s little piece of the vision and see what others thought possible. I took most of those little pieces and articulated a composite vision that reflected us as a whole ministry. Each individual on that board is there because they have a heart to serve. They want to be a part of something good, they have certain dreams and a vision for what is possible.

The Coach’s Approach:

Take the time to take each member on a journey into the future. Find out what they think the organization can look like in 10 years, 5 years and one year from now. Make a space for them to be creative and visionary. Some will get it and enjoy the process. Others will not respond, and that’s ok.

Possible Questions:

What do you think this organization is capable of?
If you could wave a magic wand and have a dream come true for this board, what would it be?
If all the pieces come together well, what do you think this could look like a year from now?

Gary Wood

Executive Coach, Gary Wood works internationally with leaders, executives and organizations to beat burnout and less stressfully but more effectively move forward significant causes, projects and programs. Gary’s “Clarity Model Training” and book, “52 Solutions for Those Who Need a 25 Hour Day” assists those serious about improving effectiveness and knowing or helping others know, what to do next. Gary’s website is www.gewood.com

When I talk to coaches that use teleclasses and webinars to get coaching clients, I often hear them say that over the last year they got zero to a handful of new clients from all their effort. They just don’t know what to do to make their teleclasses and webinars actually work to get clients.

Most say, “I’ve worked like crazy with these classes. I’ve coached my heart out and people seemed interested. But no one is turning into clients.” Most sat there and waited for the phone to ring. Some even followed up with participants afterwards and got nothing. If it was such a great teleclass, where are the clients?

I’ve also heard some coaches say, “Half the class wanted me to help them! How in the world am I going to choose between all of these people?” Not the worst problem in the world to have, right?

These coaches used a step-by-step follow up plan to get new clients from their teleclasses. They have interested prospects out of the woodwork whenever they conduct a webinar or a teleclass.

If you’d like to see how to get 50-80 percent of your teleclass wanting your help, keep reading. It’s really simple.

These strategies will get clients from your teleclasses and webinars. It’s a teleclass and webinar follow-up system that will change the outcomes of your teleclasses, even the same ones that have gotten you a few or no clients at all.

Here are the steps to take to get results from your teleclasses and webinars:

1. Conduct the teleclass. You’re the expert on your business, so I won’t go into the steps you need to take to do that here.

2. At the end of the class, ask who’s committed to getting results. For example, a relationship coach could say, “Now, I want you to ask yourself a question. Are you, personally, committed to taking your relationship from wherever it’s at, a 5 or a 6, to a 10 in the next year?”

3. Offer a complementary Breakthrough Session. The ultimate goal of every teleclass or webinar you do should be to book Breakthrough Sessions—high-value meetings with potential clients that motivate them to change–with potential clients.

Say something like this:

“Ok, great. For those of you who are thinking, ‘Yep, that’s me,’ I want to offer you something that will help you get to that goal faster. It’s something I call a ‘Relationship Breakthrough Session’.

The value of this session is $450 and I can only make it available for up to 5 people. This session will help you get clear on your goals for this year, discover unseen roadblocks, and identify your next steps.

If you’d like to take advantage of this Relationship Breakthrough Session, please just send me an email after the session is over requesting this complimentary session.”

4. As soon as you get their email, immediately follow up with another email. You should already have these pre-written, so all you have to do is tweak each one. Go over exactly what the session entails in the email. Just because they requested one doesn’t mean they really “get” what it is.

5. Include a questionnaire at the bottom of the email. This is for qualifying your prospects. Simply ask a few questions to learn more about them and find out whether they are really a good potential client for you. Give them a few times you can meet.

6. Email those who seem like the best prospects, and set up a time to meet, and confirm it. Maybe even send them a little more to read before the session, like an article or report. For those who aren’t qualified, let them down gently and recommend a good “next step” for them.

7. Have the Breakthrough Session, where you go over their situation, goals, roadblocks, and share your services.

8. Email them an agreement and get payment, assuming they want to move forward. Do this as soon as possible after they’ve agreed that they want to work with you. This is simply a template that you can customize based on the individual’s needs.

If you follow and implement these steps rigorously, it’s likely you’ll wind up battling a completely new problem than what you started with: “What am I going to do with all of these requests?”

Your Next Steps: Put a follow-up system in place for your teleclasses and webinars. Write down exactly what you will say to offer the session and write out your follow-up emails. Figure out how you will determine which are the best candidates. Then conduct Breakthrough Sessions with them in order to turn people who attend your teleclasses into great coaching clients.

Mary Henderson helps self-employed coaches attract more clients and market themselves more easily. Her site is a great resource for any self-employed coach. Download Mary’s free “5 Keys to Attracting High-End Coaching Clients” guide right now at http://www.henderson-marketing.com

Why is coaching certification so important? Because the people coaches serve are important.

We really have no way of knowing the exact number of those who call themselves coaches in an unregulated profession … the low hundreds of thousands? Each training organization have their own alumni numbers. International Coach Federation, International Association of Coaches and Christian Coaches Network have their numbers but still there is no accurate aggregate.

Anyone can call themselves a coach and they do. Anyone can designate someone else to be a coach and they do. Anyone can train a cadre of men and women around their own body of literature or teaching and call them coaches … and they do. Coaches abound.

If we are going to make a distinction between coaching as a clear and standardized profession versus coaching as a general skill set, I think we have some further work to do.

Jennifer Corbin, Master Certified Coach (International Coach Federation) and President of Corporate Coach U where I graduated after I finished Coach U many years ago, recently offered the following bullet points on why certification is so important.

As the coaching profession grows, more potential clients will be looking for credentialed coaches. This includes businesses that want to include coaching to enhance their work environment. Therefore, having the credential can help you to attract more business.

I truly hope Jennifer is correct. In my over 14 years of professional coaching with leaders, executives and professionals, I have only a small handful of times ever been asked what my coaching credentials were. As the general public, both business AND personal, become completely familiar with coaching, they will hopefully start to ask better questions, including, “What credentials do you have and from where?”

I believe that “where” question is critical. The coaching industry has bastardized the concept of having meaningful letters after a person’s name. Coaches tout copious monikers that mean nothing whatsoever to the general public. Coaching ‘schools’ and those of us who, in addition to coaching, are independent trainers, turn out certifications and letters like candy factories.

There is nothing inherently ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ about this practice. It is a way of recognizing achievement for those who have taken training. But I believe this is why International Coach Federation and in the Christian community, Christian Coaches Network, have credibility. They do not train but they do offer broad and meaningful certifications not tied to their own inside training programs.

We do have a new player on the scene that MAY bring some further sense of organization to it all. The Center for Credentialing and Education which, I’m told, many coaches have jumped on board with over the last year, say this of themselves:

Recognized for excellence, the CCE staff is frequently invited to present to other national organizations and participates actively in the committee work of several highly regarded groups. Among these are the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), and the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).

While CCE’s initial projects focused on counselling and related professions, its reputation for excellence resulted in requests from organizations representing many other fields. CCE serves clients from a diverse array of professions ranging from medical to interior design.

We’ll see how CCE pans out and whether it ends up having meaningful recognition or only adds to the plethora of initials … and yearly renewal fees. Like many other early adopters, I did obtain their Board Certified Coach, BCC recognition. As I say, we’ll see how meaningful it turns out to be in the mind of the public.

Jennifer further said,

Working toward certification insures that you become proficient in the core competencies. 

Jennifer Corbin is referring here to International Coach Federation core competencies. I have been around long enough to remember ICF as a fledgling organization and of having been in on the development of these competencies that we thought a truly professional coach should be characterized by.

I think as coaches, we were well served a little later by CoachVille proficiencies, but they don’t get as much air time as the ICF competencies. As an historical note, Thomas Leonard, the granddaddy of modern coaching, was a prime force behind the creation of both ICF and CoachVille. I believe anyone in coaching really would do well to be familiar with both competencies and proficiencies.

But Jennifer’s point stands. You work diligently toward obtaining a certification and you will of necessity become more proficient in those things which make for a competent coach. That is far superior to the wild west of each person, school or training program, “doing what is right in their own eyes” without a recognized set of standard practices against which to judge the professionalism of individuals plying their services as professional coaches.

This doesn’t mean the credentialing system is perfect, far from it. But at least it is there and working and moving in the right direction as the industry matures.

The last point I’ll pick up on from Jennifer Corbin:

Certified coaches enhance the credibility of our profession.

Any organization that pursues professionalism in the delivery of its services to the public is a good thing. For men and women to be intentional about improving quarter after quarter and year after year in their chosen profession is desirable. For there to be a large ‘governing’ body, even self regulated with integrity, to oversee such professionalism is wise. We can only hope that the majority of those who call themselves coaches will pursue credible, meaningful certification and expertise.

It takes time to amass the many hours of actual coaching time required for credentialing, but to those working on it, I say, “Press on. You’re going to get there. Those of us who have these credentials have and you will too.”

Where credentialing will end up as the coaching industry trends through it’s teen years and on to maturity is up for grabs. It may still be too early to tell. Many players are still getting into the game and trying to shape its future to their advantage. Time will reveal all.

Gary Wood
G.E. Wood and Associates

For the record:

PCC – Professional Certified Coach – International Coach Federation
CMCC – Certified Master Christian Coach – Christian Coaches Network
BCC – Board Certified Coach – Center for Credentialing and Education

Executive Coach, Gary Wood works internationally with leaders, executives and organizations to beat burnout and less stressfully but more effectively move forward significant causes, projects and programs. Gary’s “Clarity Model Training” and book, “52 Solutions for Those Who Need a 25 Hour Day” assists those serious about improving effectiveness and knowing or helping others know, what to do next. Gary’s website is www.gewood.com