There are no two ways around it: you’re known by your clients’ results, and no matter how selfish your motivation is, the only way to get your clients good results is to focus on helping them first and foremost. Today, I talk about the need for a focus on business delivery over business growth. I talk about what systems you can systematically implement in your coaching business to ensure that your clients get the amazing results that they want, and I ask what your next step will be. “Just becaus...
Jan 06, 2022•11 min
A lot of us spend too much time marketing and not enough time understanding our market. In this episode, I talk about the difference between marketing and prospecting. Today, I define marketing and prospecting. I note the importance of getting to know your audience instead of simply telling a general crowd about your product. I note that knowing your audience will help you fine-tune your message, and I posit that marketing doesn’t get you clients; it just lets potential clients know you exist. F...
Jan 03, 2022•11 min
With every new year comes a new list of goals for your coaching business. But this year, I have a challenge for you: in the spirit of the importance of repetition, use this year to focus on selling just one thing. Today, I talk about the importance of focus. I discuss the power of repetition, and I note that, if you put the effort into moving forward toward a single goal that you currently put into moving sideways toward distractions, you could reach new heights. “The vast majority of coaches se...
Dec 30, 2021•12 min
Happy New Year! In this episode, I talk about the sh*t that hit the fan this past year when my ex-wife and I parted ways. During this time, I found it difficult to show up for work; on paper, I might as well have been unemployed. Yet the company’s numbers reached a record high. Why? Because I’ve designed my business to be able to function without me. Today, I talk about the importance of doing just this. I note that there will always be times of crisis, and when there are, it’s important to be a...
Dec 27, 2021•12 min
In recent years, I’ve done less and accomplished more in terms of impact. How? I don’t do the heavy lifting for my clients. A client recently asked me for a session summary after our meeting. In this episode, I talk about why I told her no. Today, I talk about the dangers of scope creep: the tendency to try to do everything, with the result that what you’re supposed to be focusing on suffers. I note that avoiding scope creep is beneficial to your clients too, because refusing to do the heavy lif...
Dec 23, 2021•9 min
It’s fairly common for a coach’s clients to want to partner up. As the coach being approached, you need to know how to respond to these propositions and recognize when to accept and when to decline them. Today, I talk about how to respond to a client’s offer to go into business together. I offer some questions to consider before answering. I share a story illustrating the importance of making sure your new role lies within your expertise, and I note the need to consider how much control you woul...
Dec 20, 2021•13 min
The goal of this podcast, by and large, is to be perennially valuable to you. Although actional tips are great in the moment, they’re not much use without something perennially valuable to back them up. Today, I talk about how you can be perennially valuable to your clients. I distinguish between valuable and actionable content, and I note that the latter is rarely timeless. I explain why, though being entrepreneurial and opportunistic has its place, you can’t build your brand around timely acti...
Dec 16, 2021•11 min
“I’d love to know where you all find the people for your networking and your clients [on social media]...I’m struggling right now to get more leads, and I’d love to hear what you’re doing to get them into your network. To reach my goal of seven leads per day is proving difficult organically.” This question, which came from our Facebook page, is a good one, but it’s worrying for a couple of reasons: it overestimates the role of social media, and it places client quantity over quality. Today, I ta...
Dec 13, 2021•14 min
When you’re running a coaching business, it’s tempting to think you have to bend over backward to meet your client’s schedule. But the fact is, it’s also important to consider when it suits you to meet with your client. Today, I explain why. In this episode, I talk about the importance of protecting your time. I posit that, in any client relationship, you’re looking for longevity and enthusiasm, and I note that these will be extremely hard to find if you regularly feel that you’re sacrificing yo...
Dec 09, 2021•10 min
How long should you work with a client? I was planning to answer this question last episode, but, as happens, I got sidetracked. Today, I answer this question. In this episode, I talk about how to know how long you should work with a client. I note that the answer is different for everyone, and I explain what the Gym Membership Business Model is. I list the different types of agreements coaches and clients can arrive at, and I note the implications of each one on the coach’s responsibility to th...
Dec 06, 2021•16 min
What do you do when a client has lost their mojo and doesn’t seem to care as much about their success as you do? As a coach, it’s tempting to knock yourself out for any client with a pulse, but this is not beneficial for your business or your client’s success. In this episode, I talk about how to know when you should stop working with a client. Today, I point out the danger of sticking with a client who isn’t putting in the work. I note that a coach’s reputation is based on their clients’ result...
Dec 02, 2021•11 min
In any small business, there will be tricky, awkward, delicate, or menial conversations to be had and tasks to be completed. Maybe you’re chasing invoices. Maybe you’re negotiating with a client. Maybe you just need a password reset. Whatever the case, it’s always a good idea to have an assistant to take care of these things--not only because you shouldn’t have to take care of them, but because you shouldn’t be seen taking care of them. Today, I talk about what to look for in your staff and why ...
Nov 29, 2021•12 min
If you can tell that I am a huge fan of coaching as a profession, then I assume it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I believe anything that enables people to become coaches is a force of good in the world. I wholeheartedly believe this, despite not going forward with a coaching franchise I considered years ago. A coaching franchise is an enormous commitment that has various advantages and setbacks that you need to consider: whether it’s the right avenue for you will depend on several key factor...
Nov 25, 2021•28 min
Often, business owners find themselves hovering over their business, watching the minutiae with a careful eye. They find themselves afraid to step back from the business and let it run more or less on its own. But in fact, this is precisely what they should be able to do. Today, I talk about how a business is like a child. I note that it goes through many stages that ultimately lead to its relative independence. I note that running a business isn’t just handling problems as they come; it’s putti...
Nov 22, 2021•14 min
There is a sales aphorism amongst marketers that I have been hearing forever and ever in my career: always be closing. It means always trying to make prospects buy your services, preventing them from having the space to consider what you offer as a coach. And when the picture that pops in everyone’s head every time they read “sales and marketing” is that of an insurance broker cornering a hapless passerby into buying a retirement product, it’s understandable that too many coaches are afraid of s...
Nov 18, 2021•19 min
Whenever you meet somebody at a cocktail party, how do you introduce yourself and explain what you do in your coaching business? Do you tell people that you’re someone who helps “people who are tired of thinking small and guide them into unleashing their fullest potential”? Or do you say you’re a management consultant who “helps executives increase stakeholder engagement through increased inter-departmental synergy”? How would you feel if a complete stranger introduced themselves that way to you...
Nov 15, 2021•21 min
Didn't I just talk about being content free in the previous episode? I still stand by my previous statements that coaches shouldn't also be in the publishing business, but it's always good to have some content prepared because it is more than just subject matter for your courses and tips you share with your clients. In fact, content can help you engage potential clients, stay current, and even developing content can be useful as a disciplinary practice. In this episode, I share why you should be...
Nov 11, 2021•19 min
Are you ready to get off the content hamster wheel? There is a mindset that the only additional income stream is by constantly generating new content, however that’s not always the most valuable service. Whether you are a curriculum-based coach or take a more extemporaneous approach, you don’t need to be the publisher and administrator on top of being the coach. There are other options to generate income. In this episode, I share with you a couple ideas on how to develop value in your coaching p...
Nov 08, 2021•14 min
Does this episode make you uncomfortable? Comfort is a dangerous place to be in your business. When coaches get comfortable, it makes it hard to accomplish the tasks they dislike which can halt the growth in their business. Even if you're not looking to grow, as a coach you very rarely have one client that will take care of you forever. The only way to move through that is to work through what makes you uncomfortable and keep doing it. In this episode, I discuss why it's important to work throug...
Nov 04, 20210
Is there a correlation between valuable and actionable content? Everyone is trying to provide content that provides value to everyone, but it's difficult to create it when everyone has a different set of values. Instead, I want you to focus your energy elsewhere, and develop a magnetic personality that attracts clients that will want to work with you. In this episode, I talk about why actionable and valuable content are not so important to your business. I explain how making a stance or even pic...
Nov 01, 2021•10 min
Are you feeling overwhelmed? As coaches, we are usually running the coaching, sales, marketing, and every other aspect of our business. The amount of never-ending work can certainly feel overwhelming! While some people can motivate themselves through it, others can become paralyzed and not get any work done. When you feel overwhelmed it's important to stop guessing what the solution may be and start relying on a proven system that helps walk you out of it, one step at a time. In today's episode,...
Oct 28, 2021•14 min
Everyone talks about the importance of developing your values, your purpose, and understanding your direction, etc. While it may not seem very important, having this understanding of your values is vital when you're developing a personal brand business, because it helps attract people to you. It doesn't have to be something on a global scale like world peace or ending world hunger; you just have to know what's important to you. In today's episode, I look at why you want to develop your "Why You ...
Oct 25, 2021•11 min
After overcoming a challenging chapter in my family’s story, I have become prepossessed with the idea of disaster-proofing my coaching business. Because when you’re a business coach, you are essentially running a trade. When you’re running a trade, all sorts of revenue-depleting shockers could happen: an accident, a disaster, or a pandemic. It is a scary thing to think about, but it’s also the reality for all of us. Yet, it’s okay to be terrified. After all, fear can be a productive emotion that...
Oct 21, 2021•24 min
Seven years ago, Mrs. Kimberley gave birth to our son Edward, a bouncing baby boy with curly hair and a big, bright smile. We enjoyed the first three months with him, wallowing in his brilliance and beauty, as all parents do, as he did things for the first time. Then, a visit to the pediatrician disrupted our world and turned it upside-down: we had to move from Malta back to the UK, stay there for a few months, and I - distraught as my child’s life hung in the balance - couldn’t show up to my co...
Oct 18, 2021•15 min
Inevitably in the sales pitch, the question will come up: “So how much does it cost?” For a variety of reasons, you may not want to give an exact answer up front. What are some ways to respond without giving up control of the situation? Today, I talk about this question. I discuss different reasons why you might not want to give your price right away, as well as some reasons you might want to. I note the importance of making sure the question doesn’t come up until you’re ready to answer it, and ...
Oct 14, 2021•12 min
Why is selling someone else's product easier than selling your services? So many people approach me asking for advice about this particular problem. While I am no psychologist, I find that many people tend to have personal problems disguised as business problems. The good news is that there are ways to overcome these personal struggles; you just need to know how to disassociate your own identity from the role you provide. In this episode, I look at why it's harder to sell your services instead o...
Oct 11, 20210
It’s easy to say that you should pursue potential clients that are already in your orbit, but how do you create that orbit? What you need is an Always-Have-Something-to-Invite-People-To Offer. Today, I discuss this strategy. I talk about how important it is to have a ready event where the people in your community can interact with you. I discuss why this interaction doesn’t need to be a teaching, pick-your-brain moment (although it can be), and why it doesn’t even have to be related to the servi...
Oct 07, 2021•12 min
How can you charge more for your services? What are the biggest shifts required to make that change? I believe the most crucial shifts are going to be external, practical ones--as opposed to internal, mindset ones--and today I share with you two key ways to set your sights higher and start earning more. Today, I talk about why you shouldn’t charge too little or too much and how to find the balance. I discuss why external practical shifts are the most important ones. I talk about the value of nee...
Oct 04, 2021•14 min
Clients tend to fall into one of three categories: the ideal ones, who energize you and are exciting to work with; the midrange ones, who aren’t so great but they’re not bad either; and the duds. What do you do about the duds? Today, I talk about why you don’t need to keep your dud clients. I discuss the importance of the energy you and your clients give each other, and why, if you’re not getting much out of your meetings, they probably aren’t either. I discuss the difference between moving at t...
Sep 30, 2021•11 min
As I’ve discussed in previous episodes, there are different types of clients. You may be surprised to learn that how good your clients are is, to an extent, within your control. Today, I talk about what you can do to improve your dud clients instead of dumping them. I talk about the value of working with the right people, and I share the three tiers of clients. I note that your relationship with your clients is a two-way relationship, and I note the importance of being prescriptive. “When you wo...
Sep 27, 2021•14 min
