I just got off a call with a potential new client. She has been through several coach trainings, but is still stuck in a job that she no longer feels passionate about. She simply doesn't feel confident enough to charge for her services.
This is something I hear a lot. I went through this myself, so I became obsessed with figuring out a way to actually get transformational results and build confidence in coaching faster.
At the same time I wanted it to be more impactful.
One of the things I noticed is that most coach trainings don't have a streamlined system for getting results (another thing most coaches complain about).
They teach you models, provide you tools, long lists of "powerful questions", and then it is up to you to put it all together.
I've come up with a way to not only make it easy for you to know exactly where you are at in the change process, but also make you feeling comfortable using it in less time.
There's 4 parts to getting to deeply life-changing client results and having the confidence to start getting paid clients:
1. A streamlined system for transformational results
The most common complaint I get from clients who have already gone through a coach training before finding me, is that they are unable to dive deep. They feel overwhelmed and confused, and their results aren’t predictable.
As a result, they have a hard time putting themselves out there. They stay stuck in buddy coaching (which doesn’t help them build confidence) and don’t feel good about charging for their services.
In coaching it’s not just important to have the skills of listening, questioning, building awareness, etc. Your skills, tools and change processes need to come together. They need to be integrated into a streamlined process that lets you identify WHAT to work on with your client and HOW to guide them through the mind-body-emotion change they need to build a new personal reality.
Here are the 5 phases that make up that streamlined system:
Phase I - Building the story (Identifying point A and point B) (this includes identify the structure of your client’s problem as well as the structure that would allow them to get to their desired outcome)
Phase II - Detection and Analysis (Identifying a list of distortions that keeps your client stuck in their problem)
Phase III - Figuring out the how (Now that you know what distorted thinking/ feeling is keeping your client , you can identify which ones are the key ones that need to be changed. You get to figure out how to get your client from A to B and what change processes are involved in doing so)
Phase IV - Setting the outcome (here you lock in on the outcome statement, and build your client’s commitment to the change. That way they’ll keep going when the going gets rough, so to speak)
Phase IV - Getting the outcome (doing the actual change work and creating change on a neurological level, followed up with a strategy / action plan)
When you have a system that you can repeat from one person to the next, you can repeat results. And that’s what’s at the foundation of comfortable putting yourself out there as a coach.
On top of this, there are a few unusual ways in which you can accelerate your mastery of coaching, using this system.
2. Benchmark your way to mastery
This is not what you think. It’s not about having someone give feedback on your coaching sessions.
Now it is, of course, common to have your coaching sessions "benchmarked" and get feedback on them so you can improve. I mean, if you are serious about getting great at life-changing results, this is a must.
I just saw an offer from someone who taught some coaching tools, everything online and self-guided. Once you finish all the modules, you get a certification. That’s kind of like saying “Everyone gets a trophy”.
And actually, it’s not so much about the certification as it is about know where you are at and having a benchmark to measure yourself against.
If you want to accelerate your mastery of coaching, however, there’s something else that you can do. But first, let me explain how they way I benchmark is different from all coach trainings out there.
Often, the main focus is on the skills: active listening, powerful questioning, building awareness and creating an action plan.
But are you actually getting the information that leads to transformation? And are you energizing that information so that transformation can actually occur?
That link is absolutely vital and makes it easier to take your skills to the next level.
What types of questions get you what kind of information? What information and key words do you need to listen for?
When you link the two (the information that leads to transformation AND how they relate to the coaching skills), you can get super specific and what skills to focus on that will get you the results.
Now, here’s how you can use this to speed up your way to mastery. Getting benchmarked is just 1 way of upleveling your skills.
If YOU benchmark other coaching sessions, you'll be able to learn vicariously through the mistakes and successes of those coaching sessions. It actually builds skill much faster than doing buddy coaching or pro bono coaching where you often have no idea what your missing or what mistakes you're making.
Isn't that exciting?!!!
3. Soul before strategy
The second way to accelerate your way to transformational results, is by aligning with your soul's purpose.
What?? Sounds crazy, right?!
Hear me out here.
When you align with your soul's purpose (which lights you up), and you choose your niche from that place...you not only set yourself up for success in marketing and sales.
It's far easier to lock in on a niche when it feels connected to your soul's purpose, and it feels far less restrictive. But for those of you who struggle with optionitis, it'll be comforting to know that it is not forever.
This is just to build your confidence and authority in less time, so you can start getting paid earlier on in the game.
Choosing a niche early on in the process actually helps you in your coaching.
Why? Because you will be able to coach to 1 problem that 1 type of person has, instead of coaching many different people on many different problems.
The benefit of this is that you get to understand the structure of that problem AND the solution to it at great depth. You get to focus on mastering THAT whilst at the same time mastering the structure of transformation.
It builds your level of expertise and authority in a shorter amount of time and you'll also have everything you need to market yourself.
You end up walking away with a coaching program, something that is often the missing link between doing a coach training and then starting your marketing and sales.
Now you have something to sell that you can feel confident about.
4. Ongoing support
Doing a coach training is great. But when you go out into the world and work with actual clients who know nothing about coaching...you ARE going to get stuck and you ARE going to have questions.
Having a place where you can get your questions answered, go over case studies, and continue to practice the skills is a surefire way to solidify what you have learnt. No need to start practicing wrong or break down your confidence because you have no clue where you went wrong with your client.
Put these three in place alongside a streamlined transformational coach system, and your success as well as your clients' success is a given.
You can get to paid clients faster, get greater results, and build the freedom-based lifestyle you have been dreaming of (whilst making a huge impact).