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Copyright: 2007 Coaching Club

Welcome to IQ, the official CoachIQ Coaching Club member eZine. Each week you receive the latest CoachIQ news, resources, professional development tips and industry information. IQ is your ally in developing your flourishing coaching business.

This edition's highlights:

Highlights in this edition include Power Series for your development; how you can tap into the lucrative corporate coaching market; the importance of "creating desire" in sales; tips to bring buzz to your biz; an article on perception, behaviour and goals; this week's BookClub selection; and useful resources and opportunities.

We welcome IQ readers to forward this publication to friends, colleagues, family and anyone you think will benefit from the eZine's content. Make YOUR community part of OUR community.

Not Yet A Member? Don't fall behind.

Take at a look at some of the resources hundreds

of your peers already have access to...

• The industry leading 104-week eCourse (UCBBP) that steps you in detail through every process required to build a flourishing coaching business.
• Dozens of 'fill-in-your-business-name' marketing and operational templates.
• Audios and Podcasts by some of Australia's leading Business Leaders and Master Coaches, discussing their most intimate business and coaching secrets.
• Access to the country's most exclusive coaching networks, previously only open to the coaching elite.
• A Bookclub with over 75 world-renowned publications.
• Videos, life tips and strategies, interviews, plus much more.

CoachIQ Coaching Club is a resource rich community for practising and aspiring coaches. It contains ALL the necessary information, resources, templates, networks and intellectual property you need to avoid costly pitfalls and implement powerfully effective strategies to build a flourishing coaching business.

Latest Additions

Power Series  

While we continue our latest series, "7-Steps to Selling"; you can also derive enormous benefit from other Power Series that have been published in past editions.

First, avoid the "Twenty Mistakes Coaches Make" when starting and developing their business. As you become aware of what not to do, move your focus to what you need to do to develop your business - and one of the primary goals is to get new clients! For this purpose, refer to the "Eight Steps to Generate Prospects".  

Finally, how about positioning yourself as an expert in the industry? In a three-part Power Series, we discussed in detail the "Twelve Steps to Expertise".

For other great and free content, refer to our eZine page at www.coachingclub.com.au/ezine.

Coming Soon

More Articles

Coaching Club's article collection has already exceeded 100 online publications. This section, exclusive to members, has some serious content to be accessed. Soon we'll be adding further articles to our Library.

Tap In To The Lucrative Corporate Coaching Market

The Coaching for Peak Performance in the Workplace program provides you with the theory, skills and resources to work as a highly effective coach in the workplace environment.

Upon completion of the program you'll feel extremely confident to implement effective coaching outcomes in any corporate team. The program consists of 3 stages:

• A 2-Day intensive Workshop covering workplace coaching theory and content application. You'll immediately apply theory in simulated environments under the guidance of your experienced facilitator.

• After completion of the workshop, you have the option of completing activities relevant to your workplace or coaching scenario. You can send the completed activities to an LCI Master Coach for individual feedback. 

• 4-6 weeks after the workshop, you have the option of attending a 2-Hour follow-up Teleconference to refresh what you've learned. The interactive Teleconference provides a forum for discussion and review, including the provision of detailed feedback.

You also receive a comprehensive program Workbook that includes additional theory, readings, resources and coaching tools, incorporating all you need to widen your understanding of workplace coaching concepts. Coaching tools and resources are also available online to workshop participants for easy access and download.

Step Four: Create Desire

"One of the main reasons small businesses, coaches included, fail to maximise their potential, is that they do not focus on selling. Small business operators by nature are technicians. Their interest and strength lays in the technical competence of delivering their service. They do not have a strong interest or ability to promote and sell their service".

Previous articles: Introduction, Establish Rapport, Qualify, Build Value

Now it's time to make your prospect need your service. Not just 'want' it, but 'need' it. If you've achieved the previous phases your prospects will see no other way to have their challenges solved than utilising your service.

We re-emphasise this point: your prospects will be significantly more motivated if their current situation becomes unacceptable.

You need to not only assist prospects identify their challenges; you need to:

• Make them relate to their problems/challenges. Many people externalise their problems. To minimise the affects of their problems they develop a mindset that the problems are something that is 'happening to' them.

• Make them responsible and accountable. Make your prospects accept that their problems are the result of causes (decisions, situations, circumstances) they've created. By accepting responsibility for the results, you assist them accept they can also implement solutions.

• Get your prospects to emotionalise with the problem/challenge. The stronger their emotions to the challenges, the more likely they are to seek a solution.

• Quantify the emotional and financial consequences of the problem. This indicates to them the real loss of not having the problem overcome.

• Emphasise that the problem will be enduring. Have your prospect identify how long the problem has occurred. And then have them accept that without assistance the problem will endure. Quantify the cost of having the problem endure in perpetuity.

• Demonstrate to them how using your service to overcome their problem will be at a huge financial and emotional discount to having the problem endure.

• Demonstrate that you are the best person to assist them overcome their problem.

In the next edition we will look at Step Five: "Close the Sale".

Bring BUZZ to Your BIZ

Web 2.0 has expanded, re-structured and re-directed the concept of Buzz Marketing. Hang on - what the heck is buzz marketing? As the name suggests, it is a marketing strategy which aims to create buzz (in other words, increased visibility) in a business.

Buzz Marketing, in the "old days", was achieved via word-of-mouth (whilst the term has survived, the method of spreading information is now different). The "buzz" was created when clients and prospects started calling friends and colleagues; and when these people that have heard of your services from colleagues or friends, started also spreading the word. As words travel fast, and in multiples, suddenly your business is filled with prospects.

A successful (modern) example of buzz marketing: in 2007, the American Skiing Company hosted an online social networking site, MyA41.com, for its "All for One" season pass holders. As a result, thousands of users signed up to the site, and posted photos, stories, ski tips, and videos - which made the "All for One" a hit on the sky community chats.

Below are three 'bombastic' combinations to help you start creating buzz in your biz, using practical and freely available internet tools:

• Posts + Digg: You should already have a Blog (if you don't, refer to previous editions of this eZine for more information on how to develop a blog) and be posting interesting content on a constant basis. Each time you publish a post, you can re-publish it at Digg (http://digg.com).

Digg is a very popular social media network, and the mere presence of your article there - with, off course, an appealing title or headline - can render you new readers (which may eventually turn into new prospects, and new clients).

 

Tip: When you create an account, do not limit yourself to your own Blog. Make sure you also post news from other Blogs and websites - networking is a powerful tool in social media.

• Post + Comments: Still in the Blog context, one of the best ways to boost your Blog's popularity is to engage your readers; that is, write interesting stuff which will prompt them to comment (and spread the word to friends). One of the best strategies to achieve that is to write a post which covers a controversial or polemic topic.

Such kind of posting sparks emotional reactions from your readers, and when people get emotionally involved they tend to participate more (additionally, if you are asking their opinion about something, they will also be more engaged in commenting on your blog).

 

Tip: Be careful with the kind of controversy you are tackling; if the topic is too controversial, the effect could be negative.

• Advice + Forums: Following the same logic as the previous combination, go to forums and adventure yourself through the various topics which people are talking about - and obviously, which relate to your business. If you provide an expert's advice in a discussion, and leave a link to your website, Blog or other profile page, people will follow.

The more time you spent commenting and participating in forums, the more your profile, name or business name will be exposed (and your brand linked to the notion of 'expertise, a powerful marketing force in coaching).

 

Tip: Draft a 'participation plan' and keep track of all forums and sites you are currently involved with. This will help you track your results and decide if that particular strategy has worked for your business.

Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It

While he doesn't go so far as to say that small is beautiful, Ries (Positioning) levels a common-sense critique at the compulsion for growth that drives corporate America. Growth for its own sake, particularly when it involves diversification into products unrelated to a company's original business, Ries says, causes many companies to become unfocused, confuses customers and loses money.

The frenzy for acquisitions that spread many a well-known brand name over a diversity of products has proved untenable, with the result that companies that grew fat are regaining their original focus by slimming down. Managers seeking to focus or refocus their companies will find helpful examples here, drawn from a broad range of enterprises.

Title: Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It

Author: Al Ries

iMantri

iMantri is an online peer-to-peer community for seeking and offering mentoring and coaching. Tap into the wisdom of your peers and share your gifts with others. This website allows you evaluate your competencies, help find a suitable mentoring match, provides a framework and facilitates mentoring interactions - whether you want to be a mentor or a "mentee".

Perception, Behaviour and Goals

People are constantly trying to understand and explain the world around them. The majority of the knowledge about perception originated from the introspective and observational approaches of classic philosophers, which later developed to a more scientific-mechanical perspective vastly supported by the advent of modern technologies.

Perception has its roots in the human brain and nerve structures, but there is also a large component of the human perspective which is determined by cultural and social learning.

What determines our perception and what concern is it to our lives? In this article, we'll take a journey through perception, reality and the interesting underpinnings that have a direct result in our life achievements.

Click here to continue reading this article...    

Upgrade Your Coaching Skills

Finding high quality professional development programs is challenging. There are rarely programs of interest offered in your proximity. Even if there is, they are usually cost prohibitive. And not to mention the imposition of sacrificing a day or evening.

Well, you now have an alternative. An alternative that over 3,000 industry-members are ALREADY taking advantage of. Counselling Academy is the largest professional development educator in mental health in the country. Counselling Academy has over 50 courses, 560 hours of training, and over 3,000 registered learners.

Here's why Counselling Academy is the latest revolution sweeping through mental health professional development...

• You can access Counselling Academy courses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• All courses are delivered and assessed online for your convenient access.
• All courses are developed to the highest industry standards, ensuring you get consistent, predictable, high quality training.
• Courses are delivered utilising the latest technologies. Many courses blend video and textual content to enhance your experience.
• CA delivers, on average, over 25 new courses each year.
• Plus much more!

To learn more about how you can boost your professional development, and save thousands a year, visit www.counsellingacademy.com.au.

Be Found With Find A Coach

Marketing is the thorn in the side of most coaches. Particularly coaches just starting off. Getting clients is a skill in its own right. It's time consuming, difficult, and expensive! But does it have to be? Not with Find A Coach - the leading search engine specifically for life coaches.

Find A Coach offers a range of tools for coaches wanting to market their services, or simply who would like to see more return for their marketing investment. If you haven't checked it out yet, don't miss the opportunity to be a step ahead of the rest of the pack.

Your clients are searching for you right now. Make it easy for them to find you.

URL: www.findacoach.net.au

Broadcast Your Brand to the World

Coach Radio is an online broadcaster of Life Coaching specific content. Delivered online via the Coach Radio website (www.coachradio.com.au) and Podcast, Coach Radio content is extremely convenient.

Coach Radio is currently accepting applications from CoachIQ members who would like to become broadcasters of this growing community. If you are interested in finding out more information, email info@coachradio.com.au to request a Coach Radio Prospectus.