How to sell coaching … or not
Today I was browsing through some discussion topics in an online group I belong to, and came across a request for input on a new product that a parent coach was creating for her clients. This coach is working on a home study product designed to help parents feel more confident about their parenting.
My radar always goes off when I see a coach who is trying to sell coaching. What I mean by “selling coaching” is that you’re trying to sell the things we coaches are best able to help our clients achieve, like “balance, happiness, fulfillment,” etc. In the words of my own coach and 
mentor, Rhonda Hess, “Coaching doesn’t sell.” This is very scary news to hear when you’re a life coach who has just spent a ton of money to get yourself certified and is out there looking for some clients to work with. But it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful as a coach. It’s all in how you position what you offer to your target audience.
Below is my response to the parent coach who was asking our group for our ideas and suggestions about her product. Read on to see my coaching to her for how to create a product her clients will want to buy.
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So I’m glad you’re doing some “market research” by asking for some feedback here. Often times we create a product or service offering that we think is a good idea, but we don’t check it out with our audience before investing a lot of time, effort and energy into it.
I know that you see a lot of parents out there who are not confident in themselves as parents, and I’m sure that as a parent yourself and a coach, you know the unbelievable value of getting to the other side of that, and know how that confidence makes a huge positive impact on your child.
That said, it’s hard to sell “being more confident.” I’ve been a coach for five years now, and I spent the first two of them trying to sell “life coaching” and all of the things we help our clients achieve like “balance, happiness, fulfillment, etc.” While these are clearly important and valuable, I found it very hard to get people to put a price tag on them and pull out their wallets to pay me for them.
How connected are you with your target audience? Are you engaged with them, talking with them in person and online, coaching them already? What are their top problems and challenges? What are they telling you they need help with? And what are they willing to pay for? I.e. Are they willing to pay in order to be more confident in their lives?
My experience is that although they want this really badly, they can’t justify spending money on it.
Now, that said, you may still have a great product to create. My coaching to you would be to check in with your target audience. Ask them if they “need this” and what they would be willing to pay for it. By having some great conversations with your target audience about their problems, challenges and concerns, you will learn what they are most willing to pay for. As a mom and a coach, you have a wealth of resources you could provide to solve their problems. Make your offerings be solutions to your clients “pains” and they’ll sell.
It’s not a question whether you or your services are valuable–it’s all about how you market what you offer so that your target audience realizes they NEED it.
Let’s help her out: Are you a parent who needs help building your confidence about your parenting? What sort of things would help you with this? And would you be willing to pay for a home study guide to support you? Please leave your feedback below.
One of Those Mompreneur Days
Today is one of those days where I don’t think I’ll be contending for the Mother of the Year Award. In this video, I share how being a coach and a mompreneur help me be a better mother to my children.
Have you had one of those days? Does your work help complete you and fill you up so you can be a better mom? I’d love your comments below.
Blog Talk Radio Tips for Mompreneurs
I’ve really enjoyed hosting my radio show, The Mom Biz Coach Show, on Blog Talk Radio for the last year or so. I have been approached by many mom entrepreneurs who want me to mentor or coach them on how to start their own shows, so I thought I’d put together a short podcast on one of the hottest topics: how to find and manage guests for your show.
Just click on the link below to hear my advice on the following topics:
How to find guests for your show
How to prep your guests for their appearance on your show
How to engage your guests in conversation during the interview
What to do if you have technical difficulties, or if a guest doesn’t show up
Click below to listen!
Got a Blog Talk Radio Show of your own? Share below your suggestions for newbies or how you handled a particularly challenging interview.
If you are ready to get your show started and would like someone to walk you through it every step of the way, I can help. Just click here to learn about my Podcasting Mentoring Services.
Mompreneurs Need to Own Their Finances to Own Their Lives
This morning I was reading Natalie MacNeil’s fabulous blog, She Takes On The World, and was really struck by this idea of how many outwardly-successful people are privately financially troubled. She is quoting author and financial expert Manisha Thakor.
If the whole world got financially naked – there would be shrieks galore! In our modern, hyper-consumptive society, millions of people present external images to the world that bear limited resemblance to their true, inner financial reality. During my 15 years working in the financial services industry I met countless people earning not only six digit but even SEVEN digit incomes who were living paycheck-to-paycheck. It was this concept – that if we really bared it all financially to each other many things would change – that was the genesis of the book title.
In terms of the meat of the book, it boils down to this. If you want to have a healthy, intimate romantic relationship you need to communicate with your mate about money. Alas, that’s not the message society gives us. Money is a subject that in many respects is more taboo than sex. When you meet that someone special, people will ask if you are physically compatible, spiritually compatible, emotionally compatible, or intellectually compatible. But rarely does anyone ask if you and your honey are financially compatible. That’s too bad because study after study shows financial issues are often the ones that make or break a relationship over the long run. So the goal of this book is to give readers both a language and a roadmap to traverse the often rocky path that is getting to know your mate, financially speaking.
Manisha Thakor is on a mission to teach women how to “own your finances and own your life.” Through her books, articles, television and radio appearances, speeches, and blog –this female personal finance expert inspires women to take charge of their money. Her latest book, co-authored with fellow Harvard MBA Sharon Kedar, is Get Financially Naked. Manisha made time in her busy schedule for an interview with She Takes on the World.
shetakesontheworld.net, Interview with Personal Finance Expert, Manisha Thakor | She Takes on the World, Feb 2010
I highly recommend you read the whole article (and browse around Natalie’s blog–this is just one of the gems you’ll find interesting and helpful to read as a mom entrepreneur).
How honest are you and your spouse or partner being with each other about your finances? Are you achieving the financial results you want in your business? Do you know how your income and expenses impact your family’s financial goals?
Many of the mompreneurs I coach struggle with these issues. They’re scared about “coming clean” with their spouse about how little they’re earning or how much they’re spending for their business. This kind of hiding or secrecy combined with the lack of a solid income is one of the biggest eroding factors in a mompreneur business.
Want some support in re-creating your mom entrepreneur business in a way that is powerful, successful and sustainable for the long haul? Check out my new signature program, The Mom Biz Makeover Program, which launches on March 1st. My mission is to help mompreneurs create businesses that truly support them and their families.
Twitter Is My Office
There’s some debate going on about how and whether to use Social Media tools like Twitter for business. My seven-year-old had some insight into how I use it. One day, while peering over my laptop and seeing me posting onto Twitter, he asked: “Mom, is Twitter your office?” My answer? “Well, um, yes it is.”
Twitter is so completely my office: I connect with my friends, colleagues, and general tweeple each time I sign on, much in the same way I used to say hello to my office mates when I arrived at work before I had kids. We exchange pleasantries and catch up on each other’s lives. We create, build and strengthen our relationships through regular contact, just like I used to do in my cubicle office.
When it’s time to get down to real work, twitter is where I go to research, learn, market myself, follow up with prospects, provide accountability for my mompreneur coaching clients who request it, and the main venue for scheduling and confirming appointments with prospects and collaborators.
Twitter is the source and the venue of all my marketing, sales, business operations. My virtual assistants and I communicate through quick tweets back and forth to keep projects moving along. I market my coaching services, programs and products through simple Twitter campaigns, and I’m fortunate enough to have an amazing group of supporters and influencers who follow me and recommend the work I do to other people I have never met. I’ve traded the board room and conference rooms of Corporate America for a virtual meeting room I can attend anytime I like, wearing what’s comfortable for me to wear.
Then, at the end of a long day, I have a glass of wine and browse around the Twitter profiles of my friends and colleagues to see what they’re up to. It’s my virtual water cooler and Happy Hour, all from the comfort of wherever I happen to be.
Wanna hear the crazy twist to all this business productivity on Twitter? I only spend about 15-30 minutes a day in my “Twitter office.” I pop in and pop out multiple times throughout the day, make quick connections, upload a few tweets to be sent in the future, and retweet some of the interesting things my friends, colleagues and clients are tweeting about. Efficiency and focus are the keys to my strategy.
How do you use Twitter for business? I’d love to see your comments below, or tweet me with your thoughts: @mombizcoach.
Big news from The Mom Biz Coach for you!
What’s new?
Mom Biz Makeover Program (and welcome to my new Team Coach, Nicola!)
OK, so you’ve been in business now for a few months or a few years and are realizing that it’s not working out exactly the way you planned. You became a mompreneur thinking you were signing up for things like freedom and flexibility, but in reality you’re working around the clock and not spending a whole lot of quality time with the kids, your spouse or just by yourself. (Yes, I’m talking about myself here, too!)
Brought to you by the school of “been there, done that,” I’m launching my new Mom Biz Makeover Program in the next month or so to help you create (or re-create) a mompreneur business you and your family love!
What’s even more exciting is that I’m bringing in a fabulous coach and dear friend, Nicola Ries Taggart, The Executive Moms Coach, as my Team Coach to help out! Nicola will sha
re her coaching expertise and warm heart with The Mom Biz Makeover Program while maintaining her own coaching practice. And of course, she speaks MOM! She’s the proud mama of three, so she knows the struggle to juggle just like the rest of us mompreneurs! More details coming soon . . . Stay tuned!
Nicola Ries Taggart, The Executive Moms Coach
5 Ways to Improve Your Business on a Micro-budget
Guest post by Mike McClure, Partner, Executive Creative Director & Social Media Director for The Yaffe Group
If you’re an entrepreneur or smaller business looking to get more business on a small to miniscule budget, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that with all the free and low cost tools available in the digital and social media world, you can be quite effective without spending a lot of money. The bad news? To make it work, you do need to invest a lot of time sprinkled with inspiration and innovation. Having a personality helps, too.
More good news: many individuals and companies are finding a lot of productive leads and connections through these channels. More bad news: it’s not a quick fix. It’s something you need to commit to and keep at. That doesn’t mean it will take you a year or two to see any results. But, it does mean you can’t just post a brilliant blog or open a Twitter account and expect the new business to start flooding through your doors.
Here’s 5 ways you can start improving your business without seriously hurting your bottom line:
1. Connect, connect, connect.
Use all the social networking tools available to you. Social networking is a great way to connect with people who may need your product or services. Just make sure you don’t start by broadcasting how great you are or trying to sell something. It’s like a cocktail party. Start with small talk; find out where you have common interests and where you can help them with their needs. It’s a good way to get to know someone you’ve never met before. Once they like and know you, they’ll be much more likely to want to do business with you.
I would suggest starting with LinkedIn if you haven’t gotten into any network. It’s the most business oriented site. Here’s a good post on how one business owner used LinkedIn to get a board of directors seat (http://bit.ly/21gfNB). From there, it’s a matter of preference and what type of business you’re in. You may want to start a Facebook fan page or personal page next. Or you may find the immediacy of Twitter is more to your liking. Here’s a good post by Lara Galloway on how she uses Twitter as one of her main new business tools (http://bit.ly/1wTAFo).
2. Answer Questions on LinkedIn
One the best features on LinkedIn is the Q&A section. Why? It gives you a chance to meet people out of your network, help them with a problem they have and display your expertise. Just go to the sections where questions are being asked on subjects that fit your business offerings and your area of expertise.
Here’s just one example of how that’s worked for me. I saw a question from a guy writing a book on social media. He was looking for examples of social media success stories. I told him about a campaign we’d done for one of our clients that had worked well. He liked it, we linked together and over the next 6 months had several conversations through LinkedIn messaging. This fall he was looking for judges for a big Blog Off competition his company was having. I volunteered and became part of an international “Dream Team” panel (http://bit.ly/6xs3XH) Besides the publicity of the contest itself, I will be listed in an upcoming book as one of the world’s top social media people, will be talked about on a Blog Talk Radio show that reaches millions and in video shows by one of Europe’s top providers of online content. Not bad for a small business owner in Detroit.
3. Use Blog Talk Radio
This is a free, easy way to create podcasts for your own enterprise. There are two ways you can use Blog Talk Radio to help your business. One is to sign up at blogtalkradio.com and host your own show. This way you can have your own radio talk show. You can invite guests who will speak on subject matters relevant to your audience or you can invite guests who represent companies you want to do business with. Or you can sometimes just speak on subjects you’re knowledgeable about and make those podcasts available to your potential clients. For an example of doing your own show, you can look at the Mom Biz Coach show. (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mombizcoach)
The second, and easier, way to use Blog Talk Radio is to volunteer your expertise to someone who has a show. Our head of Yaffe Direct, Michael Morin, went on the Chuck Talks Business show and had an hour long interview. It went well and, with Chuck’s permission, we downloaded the podcast and posted it on our Yaffe Tidbits site (http://www.yaffetidbits.com/podcasts/radio/morin_marketing.html). We then edited a 2-minute teaser of some of the best parts of the interview. We emailed the two minute version to a list of prospects along with a link to the full podcast. Within a few weeks we got several inquiries from potential clients who we never would have gotten to talk to otherwise.
4. Buy a Flip Camcorder
You can get a really nice Flip Camcorder for around $125; I’d also pop for the small tripod that’s about $20-25. The Flip is an extremely easy way to shoot, edit and post videos to your site, blog, Facebook fan page, YouTube channel or wherever you can add video to your online presence. Video is a way to really put a face on your business. You can simply set it up on the tripod, point it at yourself and record a video blog. You can also record and post client testimonials. (http://bit.ly/8UXVZ8) It’s also small and portable that you can carry it with you when you go to a conference, meeting, seminar, tweetup or wherever. At these events you can ask people’s opinions on whatever issues you’d like to cover for your clients/potential clients. It takes nothing to plug the Flip into your computer and use the included edit system to string together the comments you like and post that video to one of your sites. All this adds to both your content and your credibility.
5. Blog about potential clients
If you have a blog for your business (if you don’t, start one now), you can meet potential clients simply by asking them if you can interview them for an upcoming blog post. It’s a great way to meet and get to know someone in a non-sales environment (important note: don’t try and sell yourself or company during the interview). Who doesn’t like the idea of someone wanting to interview them for their expert opinion? More often than not, you’ll be able to find someone willing to talk about their business for the free publicity for both their company and themselves.
Even if you don’t get an interview, do research on the company and write a blog post about what they’re doing right as a company. Here’s an example of a post I wrote about Biggby Coffee. (http://bit.ly/6Hferc) After creating it, send the post to them. Even if it doesn’t peak their interest in you, they may link the post to their own site or blog. We still get traffic to our blog from companies that have linked to a post about them from many months ago.
There you have it. Five ideas that should get your business some attention without spending an arm and a leg. I’d say good luck, but it really is just a matter of good hard work.
To learn more about Mike McClure, The Yaffe Group and the great marketing work he does for his clients, visit his site and be sure to follow him on Twitter!
Forbes Thirty Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter
Guest post by Natalie MacNeil of Forbes.com
ForbesWoman Views
Thirty Women Entrepreneurs To Follow On Twitter
Natalie MacNeil, 11.24.09, 01:50 PM EST
These business-savvy tweeters are all excited about helping you grow your company, create buzz for your brand and stay inspired.
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Twitter has been an incredible tool for connecting with like-minded people from around the world. I am always on the lookout for women entrepreneurs and women in business to follow, connect with and learn from. The following 30 women entrepreneurs have excellent Twitter feeds to follow:
@alevit: Alexandra Levit is a best-selling business author and WSJ columnist who tweets valuable articles and advice. 4,346 followers. @Bernadeen: Bernadeen McLeod is a business coach who tweets small business tips, articles and resources. 3,116 followers.
@BrandYou: Cindy Ratzlaff is a marketing strategist who tweets about how to create buzz for your brand. 9,419 followers.
@ClareLancaster: Clare is an Internet marketer who shares online strategies and resources for women in business. 2,127 followers. @Entreprediva: Mirie Fraser is a life design coach who tweets inspirational quotes and insights for entrepreneurs. 11,910 followers. @JackieBiz: Jackie Burgoa is a business owner and blogger who tweets about business resources, inspiration and opinions. 7,336 followers.
@JillFoster: Jill tweets about the power of communities, social media and other business resources. 3,382 followers.
@KairaRouda: Kaira is an award winning author who tweets about how to build a unique and genuine brand. 4,510 followers.
@leawoodward: Lea runs her business from places around the world and tweets about how you can make your business location independent too. 5,560 followers.
@LeilaSamoodi: Leila is an accountant who will help you better understand the financial side of your business. 9,416 followers.
@LenaWest: Lena is a social media strategist and writer who tweets about the impact of social media and other business tips. 761 followers.
@LindaCSmith: Linda has an excellent feed for entrepreneurs because she constantly tweets quality resources, tutorials, tips and articles. 1,424 followers.
@ManishaThakor: Manisha is a personal finance expert and author on women and money. Her tweets are geared toward helping you meet financial goals. 755 followers.
@MarketLikeAChik: Coree Silvera is a marketer who shares tips and resources in social media, branding and positive marketing mindset. 21,434 followers.
@mombizcoach: Lara Galloway helps mom entrepreneurs grow their businesses and tweets about small business tips and resources. 9,167 followers.
@NancyFClark: Nancy is an advocate for women in business who tweets business and career resources as well as facts about women in the workplace. 2,584 followers.
@NicoleSimon: Nicole is a sought after social media consultant in Europe who tweets about the latest social media happenings. 10,827 followers.
@NikkiPilkington: Nikki owns an Internet marketing company and tweets about search engine optimization. 8,884 followers.
@NinaKaufman: Nina is an award-winning business lawyer who tweets legal tips and other resources for entrepreneurs. 219 followers.
@sheconomy: Stephanie Holland tweets about advertising, social media, branding and marketing to women. 5.988 followers.
@ShellyKramer: Shelly owns a marketing agency and shares branding and marketing strategies that work as well as those that don’t work. 22,466 followers.
@ShoestringGal: Jessica Swanson is a marketer who tweets about promoting your business on a shoestring budget. 18,446 followers.
@simplicityinc: A. Michelle Blakeley helps solo entrepreneurs develop micro business plans and tweets useful business advice. 2,082 followers.
@smallbiztrends: Anita Campbell is an expert on small business trends and her tweets will help you be more successful as a business owner. 30,869 followers.
@SmartWoman: Vicki Flaugher is an entrepreneur who tweets about women, business and events for women entrepreneurs. 11,084 followers.
@startupprincess: Kelly King Anderson’s goal is to empower women entrepreneurs and she tweets about various small business topics. 14,825 followers.
@TamiMcCarthy: Tami is CEO of TMG Brand Communications and tweets interesting articles and comments on advertising and branding. 665 followers.
@TheBizWoman: Patricia Sutton is a U.K. entrepreneur and writer who tweets tips and tidbits for women business owners. 4,953 followers.
@TiffanieTillman: Tiffanie is an entrepreneur who helps small-business owners outsource work to have more time to grow their businesses. 5,426 followers.
@WomenWhoTech: Allyson Kapin champions women in the tech industry and tweets her opinions and helpful business resources. 8,137 followers.
I realize there are many more amazing women entrepreneurs on Twitter who are missing from this list, and I invite you to share some of your favorites. For more women entrepreneurs on Twitter, visit my list of women entrepreneurs. And don’t forget to follow me, @nataliemacneil, for insights on women in business, resources for entrepreneurs, and interviews with successful women.
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