In This Issue:
Partnerships/Affiliations
Upcoming Classes at
ILCT
Pat's Ponderings - Pat Williams
Editor's Pen - Annette Miller
Partnerships and Affiliations: Why
You Need Them and How to Build Them - Ken Keis
Business Tools for Protecting Your
Coaching Practice - Denise Brown
Wonder Where to Find Your Alliance
Partners? Look to Your Raving Fans! -
Debra Valle
Triad Coaching: Building Powerful Peer
Alliances - Cynthia Morris
The Power of Affirmations - Mershon
Niesner
"One of the best free newsletters,
Tomorrow's Life Coach consists of well-researched,
informative articles on a variety of key topics for
coaches. While a publication of the Institute for
Life Coach Training, many of the articles are written
by other well-known coaches." Highly recommended
by Peer Resources (www.peer.ca/coaching.html)
Upcoming Classes at ILCT
Foundational
Courses
Foundational Coach Training for Therapists starts Sept. 15, Sept.
16 and Oct. 14 (day and evening sessions available)
Foundational Coach Training for
Christian Counselors starts Oct. 6 (day and evening
sessions available)
Coaching
Skills & Tools
Coaching Skills Practicum starts October 19
DISC & PIAV Certification Class starts October 29
Group Coaching starts October 8
Using Assessments starts November 3
Practice
Building Courses
Creating a Referral Based Business starts September 9 and November
4
Practice Made Perfect starts October 1
Coaching
Applications
Coaching with Spirit and Soul: Coaching through the Midlife Transition
starts October 6
Coaching
Specialties
Executive Coaching and Development starts September 8
Marriage Coaching starts September 15
Life Purpose and Career Coaching starts September 16
For additional classes, details and online registrationvisit our course
section. Some schedules may change; check listing or contact
Edwina Adams, Administration/Registration, at edwina@lifecoachtraining.com or
Diane Menendez, Director of Faculty and Curriculum, at diane@lifecoachtraining.com.
Pat's Ponderings
Dear Coaching Colleagues:
This month's issue is about professional
partnerships and affiliations, the heart of building
a successful coaching business. I am writing this
from Myrtle Beach where I am doing a 3-day training
for a new Leadership Institute. This will be an affiliation
that will lead to more speaking and training.
Whether you are creating and nurturing relationships with centers
of influence who will refer clients to you, or developing affiliations
for resources you can make available to your clients...this relationship-building
is very necessary.
Affiliations and partnerships can also be very supportive to you
as a business professional. Many times you can get assistance
with a business struggle if you know someone who can help with
the specific assistance needed. And then that person may also
become a referral source for you as they know more about what
you do.
Look at the articles we present this month and get some tips and
methods for improving the affiliations and partnerships you are
creating.
Pat
Patrick Williams Ed.D., MCC
Chief Energizing Officer, ILCT
Department Chair, Professional Coaching
International University of Professional Studies
www.iups.edu
Editor's Pen
There are a lot of good coaches
out in the world that aren't going to make it, and
that's a real shame. Many activities need to occur
correctly to have a successful coaching practice,
and providing excellent coaching services is just
one of them. Read our articles this issue on forming
alliances and consider if this is a good option for
you--to create a mutually beneficial relationship
with another entrepreneur or organization. Most coaches
are "solopreneurs", but you don't have to
do it alone!
For additional reading, try SmartMatch
Alliances written by Judy Feld, current ICF
president, and Ernest Oriente, www.coachingsuccess.com.
If you are interested in the economics and trends
related to entrepreneurs, try Free Agent Nation by
Daniel Pink (www.freeagentnation.com).
And by the way, Pink suggests that Starbucks is
not in the beverage industry, but the real estate
business since they serve as office centers for
large numbers of entrepreneurs! (The book even has
a couple of pages on the coaching industry.)
We are accepting articles for "Developing
Packages/Programs" (deadline September 30) and "Therapy
and Coaching" (deadline October 30). Thank you
to our readers who submitted topic suggestions for
December! We selected "Gifts of Coaching"!
Here are three quotes to help you
toward success:
Be
Open
I cannot say whether things will get better if we change;
what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.
by Robert Byrne
Focus
Alice said, "Would you please tell me which way to go from
here?"
The cat said, "that depends on where you want to get to."
by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Optimize
Your Systems
We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly
by embracing one another.
by Luciano de Crescenzo
To your success,
Annette
Annette A. Miller, Professional
Life Coach
annette@lifesync.com
Editor, Tomorrow's Life Coach
Graduate, ILCT
Founder, LifeSync Coaching®
We offer consulting services for new coaches including our powerful "BizSync™ Checklist
for Coach Entrepreneurs". At LifeSync Coaching, we help coaches
optimize by "synchronizing what you do with who you are."™ Maximize
your impact by using our assessment services or becoming certified
with Extended DISC® assessments! Details at www.lifesync.com.
Partnerships and Affiliations:
Why You Need Them and How to Build Them
No progressive business or practice
will be successful in future without partnerships
and/or affiliations.
Why? To adequately respond to the needs of your clients, myriad
services, skills, and information are required. That presents
a serious challenge to any single company or individual.
Clients want comprehensive and congruent solutions. I have seen
individuals and organizations use multiple vendors who create
contradictions with clients by introducing conflicting information,
models, and services. This usually produces even poorer performance.
Even the largest organizations cannot meet all their clients'
needs without affiliations or partnerships. Especially now, with
most business growth coming from the entrepreneurial sector, partnerships
provide the maximum value and impact to our clients.
We see the need to build partnerships that complement and add
value to your client relationships. The old competitive model--"You
or Me"--is giving way to "You and Me." This new
model is replacing the competition-and-scarcity mindset with abundance
and collaboration thinking.
One example of the old model thinking is the whole area of wealth
management. Approximately 95 percent of financial planners, accountants,
and lawyers don't think in terms of collaborative and cooperative
work applications, which might be why many are struggling or have
a poor reputation. Many experts will carefully examine the clients'
business structure and relevant tax laws and forget that the whole
purpose is to meet the wants and desires of clients. Those goals
should be reflected in an overall strategic solution.
In support of this new mindset of collaboration, my company, Consulting
Resource Group (CRG), is working with two wealth management firms
to deploy a holistic model that addresses most clients' personal
and professional development needs as well as wealth management
and succession planning. This effort requires partnerships with
accountants, lawyers, investors, and tax experts; we are linking
the whole area of governance--leadership, vision, values clarification,
and personal coaching--into the process.
You must set standards that work for you. Here are some suggestions
for selecting affiliations or partnerships.
1. Make sure the potential partner has similar values, beliefs
and teaches models similar to yours. Never compromise on this
item.
2. Let people know you are interested in partnerships and affiliations
so that you start attracting like-minded individuals and organizations.
3. List the most common fields-beyond what you offer-that would
benefit your clients.
4. Think beyond your current business model; identify other potential
resources to add value for you and your clients.
5. Partnerships and affiliations are always a result of proactivity.
6. Don't go wild with partnerships. Partnerships are about building
relationships of trust, so pace yourself.
7. Review the status of your current partnerships and affiliations.
Is your progress reflecting what you and you clients need and
want? If not, make some changes.
8. Finally...never hold on to a negative or a draining partnership/affiliation.
Even with the best due diligence, some partnerships won't work
out. Be quick to move on.
All the best on building your affiliations, partner.
Ken Keis, MBA, is President of
Consulting Resource Group International Inc a global
publishing company offering transformational print-based
and online assessments and learning solutions. CRG
partners span the global including the Institute
for Life Coach Training and now certification with
ICF. Become an affiliate partner for free: www.crgleader.com,
1-866-852-4347 from NA or 604-852-0566.
Business Tools for Protecting
Your Coaching Practice
The information contained in this
article is designed to provide insights as you form
or build your coaching practice. It is not intended
to be legal advice, and you should consult your personal
attorney to determine what is best for you.
It has been said "it's too late to build a relationship when
you need one." The same holds true for establishing the legal
rights and obligations of your coaching practice. It's often too
late to build the agreement when there is a disagreement. Disagreements
can take on more significance when they involve partners within
the coaching practice. Coaches wear many hats and it's tempting
to adopt an "it won't happen to us; we know each other too
well" attitude. Never underestimate the power of disagreement.
Proactive business planning includes protecting yourself and managing
your business assets. Astute business planning will cover the
more common legal considerations, such as selecting the name of
the business, choosing a business structure or securing a business
license. Other areas that may not be apparent at the start of
your business, but are equally important, include copyright, trademark
and other intellectual property interests.
A copyright is provided to the authors of "original works
that are fixed in a tangible form of expression." It is secured
automatically when the work is created to inform the public that
your work is protected. Items that you may want to copyright from
your coaching practice include written articles, booklets or pamphlets,
original programs you have developed, recordings of your verbal
presentations, written presentations and websites. This newsletter
is a good example of copyrighted material.
Trademarks and service marks allow you to distinguish your products
or services in the marketplace. Trademarks identify products and
service marks identify services. Items you may want to trade or
service mark include logos, words, names or symbols that identify
your product or service. You may also reserve a trade or service
mark for future use. If you have an idea for a new invention or
process for your coaching practice, an application for a patent
may be appropriate. When in doubt, ask!
The simplest and most often overlooked business protection tool
is the basic contract. Contracts spell out the rights and obligations
of the parties and the "what's in it for me" or "legal
consideration" for everyone. Some oral contacts are enforceable,
but the written contract is the better tool. Written contracts
define the roles and expectations of everyone involved.
Establish a business relationship with an experienced attorney
who has the time talent and resources to counsel you as you start
or grow your business. Equally important is having an attorney
that understands you as well as your business. Your attorney should
be someone you trust and feel very comfortable discussing the
intimate details of your business with. While not an actual partner,
they should be viewed as a business partner and not someone you
only call when there's a problem.
Denise Brown is the owner of Timely Direction Coaching and
Consulting. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a Juris
Doctor degree. Denise is a licensed attorney and a 2003 graduate
of ILCT. As a business and life coach, Denise helps individuals
and businesses reach their potential. Contact her directly at
502-231-5112 (denise@timelydirectioncoaching.com).
Wonder Where to Find Your Alliance
Partners? Look to Your Raving Fans!
As small business owners we typically
build our business step-by-step, inch-by-inch, one
customer at a time. Many of us suspect the path we
are on is moving too slowly--we wonder if there is
a more efficient way to attract customers than by
gathering business cards at networking events. We
begin to ask, "How can I shift from gathering
one name at a time to gathering thousands of customers
through one initiative?"
A new business model
To think bigger I needed to shift my perspective from the "small,
steady steps " mentality toward ideas of collaboration and
alliances. I admit taking those first bold steps towards alliance
building were scary!
Where to begin?
I began where I encourage my clients to begin: inside their own
databases in search of "raving fans." Raving fans are
clients who trust you and love your work, and importantly are
willing to test new ideas. Your raving fans often hold the key
to greater visibility, but because we categorize them in a narrow
fashion we fail to see them as bridges to a wider audience.
The process is simple.
Create a list of raving fans, then rank them based on the following:
- access to a database comprising your ideal clients
- consistency with which they communicate to this database.
Next, consider whether your service is a "value-added" service
for their customers. If "yes," will both you and your
raving fan increase revenues by offering your service to this
database? If so, is an alliance with this raving fan likely to
be fun, hassle-free and easy to promote?
One of my raving fans--the regional director of a woman's networking
organization- consistently promoted me as a speaker to her local
chapters. Yet until I donned my "thinking cap" as an
alliance maker, I never saw the other various ways to leverage
my work to her audience of 20,000 members. I now provide content
for her newsletter; offer discounts on my teleclasses to her membership;
and she in return sends email notices of my services to her database
each month. In exchange, my company provides her organization
a referral fee when members buy a product or service from my company-all
without needing to speak or attend her monthly meetings.
It works!
Using this same methodology, my clients have seen amazing results:
one coach writes articles for a career transition newsletter with
two million subscribers, another offers sales classes through
a software training school, another sells her motivational products
through third party vendors.
What's the key? Each alliance was easy to establish and quick
to close because the relationship already existed, and the products
and databases were already in place.
You likely have a goldmine in your database. All that's missing
is a bigger perspective. Once you begin filling your pipeline
with bigger opportunities created by raving fans, you'll never
look back on the one-customer-at-a-time business model!
Debra Valle, (PCC) is a nationally-known speaker, seminar leader,
branding strategist, author, and president and founder of Marketing
U Inc. She is a member of the International Coach Federation.
To learn more, visit Debra's Web site at http://www.marketingu.net.
Triad Coaching: Building Powerful
Peer Alliances
Imagine an alliance that will continually
hone your coaching skills and give you the benefit
of excellent coaching. Triad, or diad coaching is
that alliance. During my training as a CTI coach,
I participated in triad coaching: one would coach,
one would be the client, and one person would observe.
At the end of a twelve-minute coaching session, the
observer would give feedback to the coach. The client
also had the opportunity to add brief feedback if
necessary. Then the roles would rotate so that at
the end of 45-50 minutes, each participant had played
in each role.
This was such a powerful tool that two other CTI coaches and I
committed to create our own triad. For three years we have stuck
together, creating supportive relationships and improving our
coaching skills. As three certified coaches, we now use the triad
to maintain our skills at a high level.
You too can use this powerful tool. The efforts are worthwhile
and the results powerful. I recommend this for any coach who wishes
to practice her skills and receive feedback and coaching.
Choosing the triad
1. Look for coaches who have more training or experience than
you. They will pull you forth to improve your skills.
2. Consider whether you want to work with coaches who are trained
in the same model. Working with coaches from other backgrounds
will broaden your training and give you a firsthand experience
of other models.
3. Ask for at a commitment that will allow you to build trust
over time.
4. Approach your potential triad with clear requests. Let them
know the benefits of creating this alliance.
5. Find a time that works consistently.
Using the Triad
1. Use the first session to create your guidelines.
2. Structure: My triad works like this: I coach S for 12 minutes.
D observes and gives 2 minutes of feedback. S then coaches D and
I give feedback. Then D coaches me and S gives feedback. Each
round keeps each coach active and learning from the client perspective,
from the coach perspective and from the observer perspective.
3. Be clear about additional chat. One hour is enough time to
do three rounds and for a brief greeting and any scheduling changes.
4. It is vital to outline feedback criteria. You will want to
give and receive honest, specific constructive criticism.
5. We use three way calling. I dial one coach, get her on line,
and then dial the other coach. We are all connected and do not
have to pay any additional fees for a bridge line.
Optimizing the Triad
1. Keep notes of the coaching in a notebook or a computer file.
2. Keep track of the feedback on your coaching.
3. Notice any patterns or trends. This will help you to notice
when you are operating on auto-pilot and when you are pushing
your edge.
4. Once a year we get together to celebrate and see each other
in person.
Enjoy this as a personal and professional growth opportunity.
Cynthia Morris is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach
and the President of the Boulder Coaches Alliance. Cynthia coaches
visionaries, artists and writers from inspiration to actualization.
She offers writing workshops in Denver and Boulder. Subscribe
to her two online newsletters at http://www.originalimpulse.com.
The Power of Affirmations
One of the greatest gifts we give
our coaching clients is the gift of affirmation. Dispelling
negative reinforcement from the past and present is
often a life-long task. As coaches, we can accelerate
to process by helping our clients learn to quiet the
Inner Critic - one of the most important success-factors
in all of our coaching processes.
Following are some guidelines for
creating powerful affirmations. You may want to use
these guidelines to create affirmations for your clients
or to show them how to create affirmations for themselves.
Always
frame affirmations in the positive
When you write an affirmation, be sure it clearly reflects what
you want to attract, who you want to become, or dispels negative
messages you already have. For instance, if your current
challenge is growing your business, your affirmation might be: "By
using my wit and wisdom, I'm attracting new clients wherever I
go. I am a successful businessperson."
Write
your affirmation as if it is already so
Project into the future and use the present tense such as I am" I
have". For example: "I have vibrant good health and
I honor my wondrous body." Although you may be writing this
when you are over weight and less than healthy, projecting into
the future will enable you to stretch toward your desired goals.
Your subconscious doesn't distinguish between today and the future.
Let it start working for you. Step into the perspective you desire.
Write
with emotion
Use emotion in your affirmation. Connect your affirmation with
feelings. Write something that sings to your heart! For instance:" I
WOW my clients with excellent service and value-added opportunities." OR "I
am trulyblessed with an abundant life and loving family."
Read
affirmations out loud
Read your chosen or personally written affirmation out loud every
day. CONTINUE TO READ YOUR AFFIRMATION UNTIL THE GOOD YOU ARE
SEEKING IS ATTAINED. Repeat your affirmation in the car, in the
shower, before you start your day, before you sleep at night.
Pick a time and place and say it at least once a day or whenever
you feel the need for positive self-talk.
Look
at your affirmation
Post your affirmation where you can see it regularly. Perhaps
you'll want to post it in several places - in your appointment
book, on your bulletin board, on the bathroom mirror, or on the
visor in your car. Subliminally your brain is assimilating your
message throughout the day whenever it is visible (even if you
don't actively notice it).
Journal
about the outcomes
Writing your affirmation in a journal is another way to lock it
in. Later, journal about the outcome. Notice that this form of
journaling is affirmation in itself.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. said, "Your
mind can only hold one thought at a time. Make it
a positive and constructive one." Use affirmations
to help your clients create the life they want. Help
them imagine how it will be; speak about it as if
it is so; then act in a way that affirms their thoughts.
Mershon Niesner is a Certified
Professional Co-Active Coach, speaker and author
of "Ribbons of Love - Affirmations for Abundant
Living". Mershon is a Coachville Study
Group Leader, member of International Coach Federation
and a variety of organizations to promote women
in business. Visit her at www.mershonbell.com to
learn more and subscribe to Business Woman's Advantage.
