The Three Most Important Elements Of A Successful Coaching Practice

The interaction of these three elements with each other ensure a successful coaching practice. They are:

• You
• Planning
• Marketing

The result of you developing a business plan and implementing it translates into a detailed goal-driven action plan. You can measure your results at all times against your milestones, short and medium term goals, etc. You have a map that represents your actions needed to achieve the overall goals.

A well developed and implemented planning interacts with the marketing planning and the steps taken to implement it. This interaction translates into enhanced business strategies which are based on a thorough knowledge of the market, client profile, competition, own resources, etc.

A thorough Marketing will bring with it the need for continuous professional improvement to ensure ease in tailoring the coaching services offered to the needs of your clients.

Through the combination of your personality and your skills and knowledge the first aspect of your services to be affected will be the quality. Regardless of how well prepared, skilled and knowledgeable you are if your personality opposes or denies what you say to and advise your client the quality of the services provided will be affected negatively. However your personality can help you if you get stuck in term of skills or knowledge.

Lets take the example of a client asking you to help and coach him on a communication related matter. Now, you know all there is to know about powerful and efficient communication skills. You have a stack of materials that the client can have access to.

So you should be set for a great experience. No really. Why? Because your personality is not conveying to your client the same things that your are telling him. You might be less excited about small breakthroughs and the clients do not receive the right feedback from you or misinterprets it as criticism. You might find it hard to relate to the issues raised by your client and your actions show lack of understanding. You are not as good a listener as you are an advice giver, or you might just not "click" with your client. Your coaching does not work.

On the other hand you might only have limited skills and knowledge to address the effective communication issues but you have a great personality and you know how to steer your client to find his own answers, get excited about results and keep motivated until the best results are met. You are, in other words, a great coach.

The same is true for the interaction between your personality and your business skills. The Entrepreneurial Results you achieve will be in direct correlation with how well you reach the balance between the quantities of business skills and personality you mix in your coaching practice. A very efficient, skilled but "dry" business person will never achieve in the coaching industry the same success that a person with a good personality will achieve, simply because of the type of relationship we have with our clients.

A great part of our success as coaches is in offering the right service to the right person. There is a great level of tailoring in coaching and I am one of the people who do not believe in a one size-fits-all type of coaching. You have the same principles, methods and models but your approach and the implementation are based on what the needs of the particular client or group of clients are. Each of our clients is at a certain stage/point on their way to reaching their goals or making those life-changing decisions. Each of our clients will come with their individual needs, personal traits, UACs and expectations. We, as coaches, have to be sure we tailor our services to their needs and not expect them to mould to our requirements that will make them fit an universal solution.

At the beginning of this four-part insight into what makes a successful coaching practice we said that the three major components are: You, The Planning and The Marketing.

Talking about the YOU as the most important component we have stress the role your personality, professional skills & knowledge and business skills.

Let’s look now at PLANNING as an important component of a successful business. Once again there are three areas in which you should concentrate.

For an informed planning you should start by researching the industry, the market, the competition and be up-to date in terms of new coaching approaches.

Knowing the industry gives you a detailed picture of the standards, requirements and expectations that are in place.

Researching your market will help you find the place where your personal knowledge and professional skills can offer the best services. You can formulate better your competitive edge and you can define the target market or markets you will consider.

A helping strategy in assessing the market and defining your competitive edge is by thoroughly researching your competition. The better you know what others offer and what their "selling" point is, the easier it will be for you to design your services so as to differentiate them for those already on the market.

Throughout the process you have to make sure that you keep up with any new coaching approaches that might benefit you and your business. The coaching industry is new compared with other industries. Standards, regulations, theories and principles are still being polished. Don’t make the mistake to think that once you finish your coaching training you are done with improving your skills and knowledge. You should look at it as the time to start training in the real world.

Analysing all your findings from the researching phase will enable you to answer all the questions you might have about your coaching, your target market and ways of upgrading your knowledge. However the most important role that the analysing phase has in the process is working together with the researching data to help you build a thorough information database about the industry.

While you might have selected your target market already you will want to have the background information in case you need to make changes or fine-tune the direction in which your business is going.
The third component of your Planning activity is a Coherent Strategy. You have to start working your business using a coherent approach to all the activities you go through. You should outline a strategy and try following it if you want to shorten the planning period. Scheduling your time, setting boundaries to the deviations from the core outline, defining milestones, implementing results measuring procedures and working with the future in mind will ensure that you are kept on track.

The interaction between the coherent strategy and your research will form the foundation for designing and implementing a strong industry-aligned business growth. At the same time the interaction between the coherent strategy and your analysis of the data collected will ensure that you can, at anytime, develop a coherent long-term business strategy.

As we go through building a successful practice we cannot omit underlining the importance of a good, solid and well planned marketing approach.

Marketing is educating people about you, your business, your skills, your competitive-edge, your interests, and your business approach. Marketing is also selling: your services, skills, products, business approach, view point, etc. Marketing is analysing: your clients, your potential clients, your place in the market, your competition, your profitability, your approach to...marketing, etc. But most of all marketing is about creating and maintaining a relationship with your clients.

It is hard to imagine a business succeeding in the market place without some sort of marketing in place.  This is where it gets tricky though.  We tend to look at marketing as a very complex and highly specialised activity, and we are right, but what we tend to forget is that marketing is so much more then: websites, newsletter, ads, TV interviews, articles, etc.

Marketing our business starts with us those who represent the business.  The way we greet people, the way we talk about our business.  The way we enter a room and the way we leave it.  The way we dress, the way we sit and stand.  The way we talk, our voice and our manners, they all come together to form an image that, in the eyes of those we get in contact with represent our business.

When working on our Marketing approach we should once again plan it well. Planning will not only map out for us the path we should take but will also teach us more about ourselves, our clients and the road ahead.

The most important components of a marketing plan are: determining who the ideal client is, what do you have to offer to the ideal client, how do you reach the ideal client, what marketing tools should one use to accomplish this, what is the budget you can count on, what are the goals and the timeframe for reaching them.

The Vann diagram shows that good planning together with a thorough knowledge of the type of clients we are looking for are the foundation of strong targeting. A strong targeting will, in turn, ensure a better use of resources, money and time with higher results.

Combining a thorough knowledge of the clients we aim our services/products at, with the right marketing tools, capable of reaching them will determine the way we use these tools for better and faster results. This is the step where we tailor our marketing strategy to fit the needs and expectations of the clients we want to attract.

Last but not least, a consistent and balanced mixture of planning and use of marketing tools ensure the growth strategy for our business.

For a balanced and successful marketing recipe none of these "ingredients" can be left out. The final result can be edible but we will always be left dreaming of the perfect "a la carte" dish we could have had for the same price.

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Coaching As A Business

On-line Marketing SUCCESS

"The Internet holds immense potential as a marketing tool. As an interactive medium that reaches around the world, it promises an interpersonalization of advertising. As mass communication becomes mass-interpersonal communication, marketing efforts become more efficient, effective, and extensive." 

As Jef I Richards says the Internet had brought with it a new dimension to our marketing activities.  We reach farther and farther away, we are exposed to many more viewers, we do it easier and the results are more impressive.  On the other hand mistakes become more damaging and costly.

In our quest for the perfect Marketing Strategy we need a roadmap to guide us and let us know where the potholes are and what are the best routes to reaching our goals. This series of marketing articles will provide you with a list of does and don’ts, which will ensure a safe journey.

Before you start any marketing activity, while you work on it and before you release it to the public make sure you check it against the following SUCCESS list:

• Substance: the information part of your marketing strategy should be of value to your visitors. If there is no value in what you present you loose the chance of finding new clients and retaining the ones you already have.
• Up-to-Date: the information you present in any of our marketing materials has to be current and relevant. Don't forget to update your materials every time a change occurs or as a result of time passing the information is not current anymore. Nothing can be more annoying than spending time reading about something that sounds really promising only to discover that you are looking at a month old offer.
• Consistency: your marketing tools should be consistent in most important aspects such as colours, font sizes, layout, general image, etc. Try and align your marketing tools and build an image that will make it easier for clients or prospective clients to recognise your services or products immediately.
• Credibility: If not one yet, try and become an expert in your field and make a name for yourself. Write articles, send regular lists of tips to your clients, analyse current trends, etc. This adds credibility to your marketing strategy.
• Easy: your products and/or services should be easy to access once the marketing material creates the interest. Don’t make life difficult for your clients (bad site navigation, incomplete contact details on your letterhead, etc)
• Sincere: be yourself, don’t over promise or claim skills you do not have. Sooner or later you'll be faced with the awful moment when you cannot deliver or come below par in terms of skills.
• Succinct: be clear and succinct and keep it simple. Your marketing should say: " I know what you want. This is how to find it." Don't go around in circles. People don't have time to spend deciphering coded messages. Your marketing should be straightforward and to the point.
  

Once your marketing strategy spells SUCCESS the results will be obvious.

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Coaching As A Business

An ERA of Selling

By Ninive Badilescu

As a business coach, I have the chance to work with entrepreneurs from all business areas and I try to always keep a neutral perspective when faced with the issues that prompted my clients to look for my services. Many of those issues are personal such as managing time and family life or procrastinating. Others are specific to the business itself and dealing with the daily running of it. Knowing when to let go of tasks and delegate, how to create and follow up on business processes, team building and management, introducing new technology and creating a smooth transition for the workers, etc. The list goes on an on.

However, in the mist of all these issues, Marketing is the number one worry. For those who have not yet developed a structured approach to marketing it is the question of where to start. For those who have invested time and money in it already, it is how to measure its results and fine-tune it along the way. And for all of them there is the big question of "Are we doing the right thing?" As small or medium size business managers are not likely to have the resources to hire the services of marketing specialists the question is quite frightening. So, what better way to help them than to start from the beginning?

What is the role of Marketing?

Marketing is educating (E) people about you, your business, your skills, your competitive-edge, your interests, and your business approach. When you market your products or services you should never underestimate the importance of including messages about more than just the products or services. When you say:" New Product X from the fastest growing business in the industry" you not only tell your prospective customers that your business has a new product, but you also tell them that your business is the fastest growing business in the industry.

Of course you should not make such a statement if it is not true. Find something else that will reflect your business. Try something like: "Product X comes now with the best customer service in the industry." Make sure you deliver a customer service like no other. Or try: " Service Z is the result of two years of research and market testing" (time & resources invested in the development), " We are on your side on it comes to quality" (your business puts the emphasis on quality), "Our products deliver because we care" (reliable products and customer focused business).

The best way to educate is by keeping in touch with your clients (past, present and future). This will ensure that you and your business will be present in their minds as the choice when those readers decide on future spending in your area of expertise. Why? Because they know about you, they are kept up-to-date with what’s going on in your business and they feel they have a relationship with you. Marketing is about perceptions more than it is about products.

This is where the next role of marketing (one that you should never forget) comes in. Marketing is about creating, maintaining and nurturing a relationship (R) with your clients. This relationship is the basis for customer loyalty, future purchases, referrals, good word of mouth, etc. Do not discount a former client as a "has been". Your former clients, your current ones and those who might become clients down the line should be treated as equals. They all are important for the future of your business. Keeping in touch with your former clients (if those clients had a positive experience in dealing with you) ensures great referrals. Your current clients will regard it as a reinforcement of the choice they made when selecting your business to work with. Your future clients will see a business that takes an extra step to achieve and maintain a relationship with them and this will come to count when deciding their purchases later.

Your marketing strategy should ensure a source of data for future marketing activities. We are talking here about the third role that marketing has to provide: market data. Marketing is analysing (A) the data that comes back to you: about your clients, about your potential clients, about your place in the market, about your competition, about your profitability, about your approach to...marketing, etc. You collect the information "sent" to you and you use that information to take the next marketing step. Remember: the better you become at reading the results of a marketing campaign the more successful your next one will be.

As a result of these first three roles: educating, creating and maintaining a relationship, and analysing the results of a campaign, marketing fulfils its final role (most important from a business prospective) selling (S). One thing to remember is that while most of the people will answer to "What is Marketing?" with "Selling" they are not interchangeable. As a result of good marketing you sell but your marketing approach should not be focused selling but rather on matching your products and services to the market needs/worries/problems. Once the match exists the selling starts happening.

People do not like to be sold something outright. But they will buy if that product or service addresses a need. Don’t say: "Buy product X because it is the best printer" say "Product X " for faster and sharper printing." This will tell prospective clients that your printer is fast and has a great resolution, in other words your printer will solve the printing speed and printing resolution problems they might have had with other products. This will create the selling. Even when you do not promote a specific product or service but rather market the business as a whole make sure you include the fact that you are here to meet the market needs. Instead of saying: " Our business is growing 10% every quarter." say " We take care of your suspension better that’s why our business enjoys a 10% quarterly increase in sale"

I like to tell my clients that to enjoy an ERA of Selling they need to remember these roles and make sure they are met in their marketing planning and strategy.

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Coaching As A Business

A Strong and Powerful Foundation

By Ninive Badilescu

Designing, upgrading or even just re-focusing your website is not an easy task, and even more so when the foundation of the whole project is set on shaky ground. Let’s look at what is bound to strengthen it and make it the starting point for a less stressful, less time consuming and most of all less expensive experience. Oh...and I forgot to mention: a much more successful result.

Take a piece of paper and write the following questions and your answers before you take another step towards building or enhancing your web site.

Why do I need a website and what do I expect to accomplish from having one?
Failing to answer this question before you start your work is the costlier mistake you can make. There are so many sites out there that have clearly ignored this step in their planning. When asking yourself "Why do I need a website" go beyond the obvious answers such as: to be out there, everybody has one, people are asking me about our web site, etc. It is important to know what your expectations are.

Do you want to have a simple web presence, a so-called "electronic brochure"? This would mean that your site will only display static pages with little or no visitor interaction and its role will be to give an overall presentation of your services or products.

If you would like to have your website as an integral part of doing business the scenario and requirements are quite different. You will need to reproduce business systems using back-end development, your site will be much larger, the skills needed to building it will be quite advanced, etc. If to this you want to add an e-commerce facility you add in fact another layer of functionality that can only be achieved with yet more specialised skills.

Of course there is always the "in-between" scenario where you offer more than just static pages but less than fully automated on-line business processes.

The reality is that there is no one-size fits all solution and each company will have to invest the time in defining and scoping the functional requirements for the website long before they start working on it. Failing that you will have to deal with the costly results of a website that does not help your company in anyway and the prospect of having to do it all over again. Take the time to see where the website fits in your business and the business processes you conduct and design it accordingly.

Who is going to use my site?
Defining the market or the niche you are planing to attract to your site is another very important step that needs to be taken before you start building it. Why? Because you have to give your market the right tool if you want to have the right results. When I say right tool I am talking about considering the level of computer literacy you are expecting from your visitors, the level of trust they are likely to have in an online experience, the age group for which you choose the design and layout, the type of products or services you offer and who are the likely customers for them, what are their interest you can use to design and develop add-on products for on-line visitors, etc.

We fix your car transmission at your office within 3 hours (busy/successful professionals who can afford the higher price, high level of computer literacy, easy access to on-line features, confident in using on line functions, time poor and need easy access and fast loading pages), we offer retirement planning for people over 65 (low level of computer literacy, low level of access to the Internet, less confident in using on-line functions), we offer best mp3 downloads for those under 25 (young people with lots of computer time, interested in low price/high quality music file downloads, confident in using the computers but not necessarily ready for on-line purchasing). These three examples will require a different approach in design and site functionality to appeal to the targeted market.

What are my strengths?/Why would the visitors want to come to my site?
Define clearly what sets you apart from your competitors. Don’t stress the very obvious such as quality (I have yet to see a business priding itself in having non-quality products/services), better (all businesses are convinced that their products are better than the next ones), etc. Be specific and stress the very core of what sets you apart: dedicated account manager, 24 hours door-to-door delivery, same day response, etc. The more competitors are out there the more specific you have to become in defining your competitive edge. Once you define it make sure that your website reflects it and reinforces it throughout. A sale does not take place unless you offer something that matches the market’s needs (personalised customer service, fast door-to-door delivery time, same day response for specific enquiries, etc). You have to promote your solutions rather than try and sell your products. This is what attracts visitors to your site and this is what will ultimately transform them into buyers.

Of course there are so many more questions that come to mind and many of them will come up for you while the development of the website is on its way. However keeping in mind the three questions we talked about here will ensure a strong and powerful foundation for developing a winning web presence. Having the answers to these questions before you start the actual work will mean less effort, less time and most importantly less expenses in the long run. Why? Because you will have a strong and powerful foundation ready for you to build on.

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Between the Delete and Save Button

Ninive Badilescu

On an average day, when I first turn my computer on, there are at least a hundred new emails waiting for me. I love that first moment and the feeling that: "If there are this many, there’s bound to be some good news in there somewhere." So, full of expectations I open the first one.

20, 40, 70,90 emails later there are only a couple of them that I decided to keep and it does not look much different with the remaining ones. The only big difference is that I have spent at least half an hour and got more and more frustrated. Somewhere along the line I have decided to only read the first paragraph, get a feeling for the message and move on if nothing attracts my interest. No second chances here!

Like me everyone else, including you, we are bombarded with emails that we asked for and many more that we are not even remotely interested in. At the same time, like everybody else, if you are trying to build up your business you will, at some stage, organise your newsletter, send it out ... and hope that yours will be one of those spared ones.

The question is then what should you do to make sure you give your newsletter a chance to make it past the delete button? Let’s look at the dos and don’ts we should know about when it comes to our newsletters.

Before you start working on your newsletter
Start by deciding on who is going to be your target market (ideal client) for the newsletter and how does it reflect your targeted niche. Make a list with what would be of interest for that market and what you can offer to meet those needs. Whether you sell nails or coaching services you will be unsuccessful in getting clients if the people you send the information do not have a problem that can be solved with a few nails or do not feel that there are changes in their lives they need to address with the help of a coach.

Once you have worked through the possible problems the targeted market might have, and the list of products or services you can offer that would solve those problems, decide on a name for your newsletter. If your newsletters are aimed at nails users you might want to call it: "Nails R Us" (yeah, I know, not too original), if you target people in retirement you might call it: "Retired? Welcome to the Better Life!" Names give the newsletter individuality, make it personal, and most of all it will be easy to pick up from the list of unopened emails.

While you are working on your newsletter
We all know that the first step is always the hardest to take. That is why we will have to work a bit more when planning the first issue than we will do later on when we have the structure in place.

Start by creating an outline of the newsletter. What sections will the newsletter have, how many images, how will it link to the website, how can you best address the needs of your target market through your newsletter, etc. Don’t rush through this stage of the email campaign building. Done properly this outline will save you many hours and headaches later down the track. Keep in mind that the newsletters have to be short and to rather "spark" interest in the readers than fully satisfy their curiosity. Why? Because we want the readers to go to our site, and hopefully read more than that particular article. We want them to spend time on the site and find out enough about us to come back over and over again and become our clients.

Once you have decided on a structure for your newsletter start working on the content. Keep the information in your newsletter short and to the point. If you are including articles make sure you only list two or three paragraphs in your newsletter and insert a link to your website (or the site where the full article is published) if the readers want to read through.

Check that all the links in the newsletter work, make sure the images you use are small in size to allow for fast download and most importantly make sure you spell check it once, twice, and once more just in case.

As our users are likely to use different email and browsing software, which may or may not be able to read HTML formatted messages, make sure you cater for all your recipients. The easiest way to do it is to make a copy of that same message in an ASCI (plain text) format. The same applies to any attachments you might send with your newsletter. Choose formats that are easily accessible.

Don’t forget to include an opt-in procedure, which should be simple, straightforward and user-friendly. Pair it with an opt-out procedure, which should be as simple and straightforward as the opt-in one. People have a right to choose to subscribe but most of all they have a right to decline future correspondence. Provide instant confirmation for both opt-in and opt-out choices and make sure that the feature works. How many times have you gone through the hassle of unsubscribing from a newsletter only to find the next issue on your computer a few days later.

Provide a privacy policy and make sure you honour it. Your subscribers deserve and should demand to keep their privacy and you should never underestimate the importance of delivering on this promise.

After you send your newsletter
Don’t use the email addresses of those who have subscribed to your newsletter to send them other messages unless they have agreed to it when subscribing. Remember, it is worth sending a message that will be read than have your name put on a "messages to be deleted" list because you send to many irrelevant emails.

Schedule your newsletter to be sent once a month, at the most, until you get your structure and content right. Don’t use up your chances to try it out on your readers. What ends up at the other end should be perfect (or as close to it as possible). Once you have a proven formula you can increase the number of newsletters you send out. Do so only if you can guarantee that the quality and relevance of your newsletters will not be affected.

Newsletters are one of the most powerful marketing tools and they can build or destroy our professional image. Make sure you do not overuse and make sure it delivers valuable information. This is the only way you can be sure your readers will look forward to your next issue.

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5 Ways to MAKE M0RE M0NEY With Your E-zine

by Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen"

Have you been publishing an e-zine for at least six months but still aren't seeing real results (read: revenue) from it? Don't fret -- you may just need a tune up. Here are five ways to kick your e-zine income into gear this year:

1. TOOT YOUR OWN HORN MORE

The adage goes, "If you don't blow your own horn, someone else will use it as a spittoon." If your focus is providing your readers with useful information that enriches their lives and businesses, bravo! That SHOULD be your focus. But now I want you to look out for yourself as well: Take at least 25 percent of your e-zine space and make it all about YOU.

Give promos for your services, products, books, workshops, etc. List raving testimonials from clients and customers who LOVE you. Weave your business success stories into your articles and tips. Share something funny about your weekend that makes me feel
closer to knowing you personally. (For more self-promotion tips, see my article "7 Ways to Self-Promote Within Your E-zine.")

2. MAKE ME AN OFFER I CAN'T REFUSE

Let's suppose I'm one of your subscribers. Even if I realize you offer amazing products and services, I may need a kick in the pants to make a move. To entice me, offer me a special, limited- time deal. Examples: three months' of consultation for the price of two, a 20% discount on your latest book or newest service, or one of your usual offers with a few exciting bonuses thrown in. Make the offer obsolete within a few days or by next week. By putting a time limit on it, I'll be more apt to act now instead of later.

Don't overlook how powerful this tactic can be. Some of my most profitable weeks have resulted from running a limited time, special promotion of this type in my e-zine.

3. PACKAGE IT AT A L0WER PRICE POINT

This is a super strategy for service professionals such as consultants and coaches. As your subscriber, I know the way to get the BEST service from you would be to hire you one-on-one, but perhaps I can't afford that right now. BUT consider that I may likely be interested in lower-priced options such as group coaching, teleclasses, online seminars, or a manual/e-book.

This is exactly how I became an author. When I started my first e-zine, my main business was writing corporate communications. After I gained a few thousand subscribers, I realized that my readers were mostly small business owners and entrepreneurs. So I began creating products and services geared toward them. And now I profit more from those each month than I did from my corporate work. (And I'm having more fun, too!)

4. PROMOTE A PRODUCT/SERVICE THAT COMPLEMENTS YOURS

Do your readers and clients often ask you about a certain topic that's related to -- but not exactly -- what you offer? Then resell a resource that you heartily recommend and would put your reputation behind.

For example, while my specialty is e-zines, I get many questions about creating and selling e-books online. So I continually research credible resources on this topic to share with my readers. Many of the creators of these products offer a handsome commission on any sales I refer to them. (I do this myself by paying up to 35 percent commission on any referred sale. (http://www.ezinequeen.com/affiliate.htm)

NEVER recommend any service or product to your readers that you haven't personally tried and wouldn't back 100 percent. Otherwise you'll blow the trust that you've worked so hard to build up in your readership.

5. SELL AD SPACE AS IT SUITS YOU

E-zine ads won't make you rich, but they can make for some handy extra cash. (I call it my "margarita money.") Most e-zines offer one sponsor ad at the top and several "classified" ads at the bottom. Sponsor ads typically cost three to five times more than
the classified ad, but you'll see the ranges vary greatly.

Start by offering ad specials to your own readers. Then also list your e-zine in the many e-zine advertising directories on the Web. These services help match advertisers with appropriate publishers just like you. (Need help? My manual gives step-by- step instructions on how to accept and profit from ads in your e- zine.)

Remember that you have every right to be selective about the type of ads you accept. While your readers know these ads don't represent YOUR business, their quality will indirectly influence their perception of you.

5. REMEMBER THE SILENT BENEFITS OF YOUR E-ZINE

Keep in mind that even if you aren't getting direct business from your e-zine at this time, it's still delivering many benefits that may be less obvious. Your e-zine is helping to establish you as an expert in your field. It's giving you massive online exposure. You're gaining further credibility with your current clients and customers. And it's forcing you to package your knowledge into concise articles on a regular basis, which you can recycle for many other marketing uses.

© 2002-2003 Alexandria K. Brown

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Online marketing coach Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning tutorial package, 'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.' To learn more about this step-by-step guide, and to sign up for FREE biweekly how-to articles, visit http://www.EzineQueen.com/

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Preparing Your Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is a short (15-30 second, 150 word) sound bite that succinctly and memorably introduces you. It spotlights your uniqueness. It focuses on the benefits you provide. And it is delivered effortlessly.

Elevator speeches are intended to prepare you for very brief, chance encounters in an elevator. But elevator speeches are not just for elevators! You should use it whenever you want to introduce yourself to a new contact. That could be in the supermarket, waiting in line at an ATM or when you get your morning latte.

So, who better than you to describe with passion, precision and persuasiveness what you do? A great elevator speech makes a lasting first impression, showcases your professionalism and allows you to position yourself.

And if you want to network successfully, you need an elevator speech!

How to Prepare an Elevator Speech, or What's My Line?

Now for a short course in preparing your elevator speech, or unique selling proposition.

First, and most important, think in terms of the benefits your clients or customers derive from your services

Trust me, no one is going to be riveted if you say:

"Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I'm a public relations executive with twenty years of experience."

Or:

"Hi, I'm Sally Hopeful, and I'm an executive recruiter.

Two big yawns.

What's In It for Me?

Do you recall that old radio station, WII-FM: What's In It For Me?!

If you remember that people are always more interested in how you can help them, you're on the right track. Keep that top of mind when composing your speech.

Here's how to improve the two examples mentioned above:

"Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I help inventors tell the world about their inventions."

"Hi, I'm Sally Hopeful. I partner with companies that need to find talented people to help their business growth and become more profitable."

Now, you've got my attention!

Let's use my elevator speech before and after as an example:

Here's my before version (and I wondered why people looked at me with a frozen smile!):

"Hi, I'm Dale Kurow, and I'm a career and executive coach. I hold a Master's Degree in Career Counseling and have been trained by a master level coach. (Who cares!) I've been an HR director for a multinational cosmetic company, run a PR agency and taught college-level business courses. (So what!) I believe that coaching can be the catalyst to change your life. (Are you asleep yet?)

See how that was all about me, me, me?

Now for the revised version:

"Hi, I'm Dale Kurow, and I help people become more successful at their work. (For example, I've helped a client change jobs with a 40% salary increase, I've helped a client develop the skills to deal with a difficult boss, and I've helped a manager devise new ways to keep her staff motivated.)"

Here are a few more examples:

I know an Avon representative who says:

"I help women look beautiful."

Or a business coach that says:

"I help you get more clients than you know what to do with."

And here's my favourite, one that is used by an IRS agent:

"I'm a government fund-raiser."

Action Steps

So, here's what you need to do to craft your elevator speech.

First, write down the "deliverables" -- the services or features that you provide. Then, think in terms of the benefits that your clients or employer could derive from these services. You could use several successful client outcomes, as I did.

Once you've got that written, create an opening sentence that will grab the listener's attention, as our Avon representative did above. The best openers leave the listener wanting more information. And you do not have to include your title, especially if you think it has a negative connotation (an IRS agent, for example).

Finally, your elevator speech must roll off your tongue with ease. Practice your speech in front of the mirror and with friends. Record it on your answering machine, and listen to it. Do you sounds confident? Sincere? Is it engaging? Tweak accordingly. Then, take it on the road!

Copyright © 2002 Dale R. Kurow. All rights reserved. You may copy or distribute this article or any of its contents providing this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author are attached.

About the Author: Dale Kurow is a career and executive coach in private practice. She helps individuals find success and personal enrichment at their vocations and works with corporations to maximize the potential of valuable employees.

Contact Dale by e-mail at dkurow@nyc.rr.com or by telephone at (212) 787-6097. You can also sign-up for the FREE Career Essentials e-mail Newsletter at: http://www.dalekurow.com/enewsletter_signup.html Designed to transform the way you think about your career.

How do you network for Coaching?

The thought of Networking - does it strike fear into you? All that schmoozing and those early morning greasy fried breakfasts sound like a real turn off? Well maybe you need to do a little reframe on how useful they can be - the network meetings not the greasy fried breakfasts. Those meetings are meant for casting your bait and fishing for clients. You know networking is exactly what it says, net working. And if you are not working at it your not going to take anything home in your catch net.

So lets take a look at what it is you hate so much about networking and turn it around to your advantage. Maybe it’s the word networking that bothers you. How about calling it something else? Perhaps use the names connection building, or people investing, if they fit in better with your goals. Also why does networking have to be done at morning meetings? Look for lunchtime or evening meetings if you’re not a morning person. You can use any opportunity to network. Going to the theatre, waiting in the grocery line up, in the dentist’s surgery waiting for your appointment. Anywhere where there are people is a chance to make new acquaintances who might buy your services, even at your big box bookstore, library, or coffee shop.

Once you have changed your perspective on networking you can establish exactly what you want to get out of the exercise. Primarily you want to make other people aware of your name and what you do. Promote your ‘brand’ by constantly getting your name out and about. Kleenex tissues didn’t get well known by sitting on a shelf, they were put in front of prospective customers over and over in advertising commercials. Since most of us can’t yet afford that kind of advertising we must use networking in the same way. Even Kleenex chose its specific target audience to sell to, and so must we.

What goals have you created for your networking? They must be SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible. Be specific in what or who you are looking for. Ask yourself what can they do for me - either directly or indirectly. Make sure they are able to give you what you want before you ask. Are you being realistic in expecting this from them? Can they ‘see’ the benefit in order to be able to spread the word about what you do? Find a way you can measure whether the networking is giving you the results you need.

Are you going into the networking experience expecting to receive, or are you willing to give a fair exchange? Networking is about connecting with people and giving. If everyone gives everyone receives, but if everyone takes, you are all soon feeling used and disillusioned, and move on to another group. There is nothing more irritating than being prey to the networking group on your first attendance. It’s nice to be popular, but there are only so many items of makeup, car maintenance packages, will kits, party plan jewellery, household organic cleaning, or plastic storage that you really need. The idea of networking is not necessarily to sell your services to the group, or the group to sell to you, but to show them what the benefits of your services are, so they can refer you to people outside the group. It’s about making friends who you can trust and who will trust you, and increasing your circle of influence. Leveraging what you know, whom you know, and what things interest you. Most of all it’s about keeping it fun, being interested and interesting, and not getting too significant about the immediate outcome. Be choosy, select only the meetings that are most useful to you or contain the most appealing prospects.

Here is something to think about next time you are looking for contacts. Have you ever written down all the people you know? I mean everyone! From the printer who made your business cards to the lawyer who did the conveyancing on your house when you bought it. If you can make a list of 100 influential people you know these are your immediate circle of influence. If you can tell them exactly what you do and the benefits, they will be able to refer you, and if each of them also knows a hundred people and they tell them about your service this extends your circle to an amazing 10,000 people. Even if only one percent buy your service you will eventually have 100 clients. Now that’s a really big pool to fish in, and a real networking opportunity.

Make yourself a goal each time you go out to network. Don’t just sit and talk to the person next to you, or the person you went with. Have your three-minute introduction ready. Clear and concise information on what’s in it for them. You can’t talk to everyone, so during the meeting make a decision to talk to three new people and give them ten minutes of your time each. Make a game out of it. Tell yourself I want to meet one person who can help me in my business, two who can introduce me to others who might need my service, and I will set up three meetings or complimentary sessions.

Practice your elevator speech until it is smooth and not rehearsed sounding.
If you are shy or nervous look for someone else standing alone and introduce yourself. They are probably feeling just as out of place as you are and will be glad to speak to you. Everyone ignoring you? Ask someone who looks important if they could introduce you to someone who might be interested in what you do. They have to ask you what you do in order to be able to find you someone - so when they do that’s two already you will have spoken to. Learn a little about the club ahead of time so you can ask relevant questions to start a conversation. Always smile and be enthusiastic when you greet a stranger. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Concentrate on the person you are talking to and get them into conversation, but don’t interrogate them. Ask what you can do for them. Never stay with one person all evening. Share people, do not hog them; it makes for meeting more people and having more interesting conversations. If you don’t click with a person move on. Excuse yourself by saying .. "I see someone over there I must talk to, excuse me".

Are you a business card collector? Many people are. They get pockets full of cards, and then when they get home can’t remember who was doing what that might be useful to them. If the person is someone who really does not interest you, discretely bend the corner of the card as you slip it into your pocket so when you get home you can distinguish it from the useful ones. You can either discard it, or have a separate box of ‘wild cards’ for when friends need a service that isn’t in your own top priority list. Make a database immediately of information from all useful cards, then file away the cards in a Rolodex or throw them out. These are all possible people to add to your circle of influence. Update and back up your database regularly.

Add comments to that database. Wife, partner, or husbands name, children’s names, type of car, area lives in, hobbies, golf score, in fact anything you might use in the next conversation with them that makes them know you care about them. Sounds a bit calculating? Well maybe, but how many times have you been at a meeting and couldn’t remember a person’s name, or think of anything to say to them? See what I mean?

Choose carefully who you want to follow up on. Prioritize who will be most beneficial to you, and who you enjoyed meeting most. If you say you will follow up do it within 48 hours. Nothing looks worse than saying you will and then not doing it. It looks unreliable. Following up shows you’re a professional. Say you want to talk for 5 - 10 minutes and keep it to that, or to go for a coffee. That way they know it is a time-limited meeting. If you need to talk for longer arrange a time slot that is convenient for them. Really want to get their attention? Send a hand written note or card. Explain where you met them and how much you enjoyed meeting them. Never sell your services in a friendly note. It’s too much too soon. That can come later when you know they are really interested. Build your friendships first, then help one another.

Keep in touch with people if you want to maintain your network. People move around and change workplaces, get promoted and become even more useful, but if you don’t keep track you will lose them. Have a schedule for following up your database. Prioritize who and how often to keep in touch, whether it’s with friends, co-workers, colleagues, acquaintances, or centres of influence. Check on people every couple of months, or even more frequently if you have a good working relationship. Find out how they like best to be informed - email, fax, note, phone call. Remember their birthdays, special occasions. Don’t forget you have to ask for referrals people don’t automatically give them. If you have something that will help that person, send them a note. Include a useful clipping or information; it helps them to know you are interested in building a mutually beneficial relationship with them. Carry your business cards with you at all times. You never know when you are going to run into someone interesting and interested. Never give your card at the beginning of meeting someone . Traditionally it is given as a ‘signing off’ just before you move on to someone else. Your business card reflects your image so never skimp on quality.

A quick recap -
· Who do you think can help you most? Define who your target market is - your ideal networking associate. Have your elevator speech perfected.
· Write down clearly what you want to get out of networking, and who you think can help you get it. The more specific you are the better your results.
· When you have established exactly who you want to meet it will be easy to ask others to recommend you to that group of people.
· Go with the intent of making friends and helping them to succeed. What goes around comes around. Make a plan to meet 3 new people each time you go.
· Remember those centres of influence? Pick your top 10 choices for introducing you to the people you most want to meet.
· Create your own leverage by having a useful reciprocal list of contacts for them. If you are part of their network you have credibility by association, so they should be glad to recommend you to others. Keep an up-to-date database of your contacts.
· Always thank the person who gives you a referral - even if it doesn’t work out. Face to face introductions are worth their weight in gold. Follow up immediately.
· Don’t waste your time, research groups first. Only go to networking events that will get you what you want.
· Some good places to network, other than ‘networking meetings’, are trade shows and special events, adult education and special clubs, charity events, and community or service fundraising clubs, Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce meetings, and other special interest groups.
· Even if you can’t afford to have a booth at a trade show, you can still work the event with your business cards in hand.
· Always go to places where you expect your contacts to be - they will not come looking for you.

Next time I see a ‘gone fishing’ sign on your door I’ll know your out to catch a big one -networking!

Glynis Doorbar is a Professional Certified Coach trained by the International Coach Academy. She is a member of the International Coach Federation, and has also taken training through CoachU and Coachville, and is a trained teleclass leader.  She coaches individuals in personal and business life, and retail sales and marketing.
For more information visit her websites www.Quiet-Place.com for individual coaching, and www.24KaratCoaching.com for retail sales coaching.

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