Archive for Biz Tips for Coaches
More about On-Line Scheduling
Posted by: | CommentsLast week’s Biz Tips was about using on-line scheduling services and one of my sharp readers, Bonnie Hill, has given me another great resource to tell you about that may be useful for your coaching business. TimeDriver is not only a way for clients to schedule with you, it is a scheduling promotion system through the use of invitations and easy-access buttons. TimeDriver calls itself an appointment invitation system and the intriguing aspect is those buttons. The system provides a way for you to include a “Schedule Now” button for your emails, website or even LinkedIn profile that connects the prospect directly to your openings. The TimeDriver Marketing strategy is that their system compels action from prospects and customers by making the scheduling immediate – sounds like a way to make an entrepreneur happy!
The system coordinates directly with either Google or Outlook calendars and determines appointment times for you. All you have to do is say when you are available – example, Tuesday mornings for 30 minutes – and the software does the rest. No one is given access to your calendar directly; they do receive email confirmations and reminders. There is also a feature allowing you to ask a direct question of each person scheduling so that you can know the nature of the appointment or the issue being addressed. TimeDriver gives a generous free trial of 90 days and then has an annual cost of $29.95 which makes it affordable for many coaching businesses.
New Position – New Seminars
Posted by: | CommentsI am pleased to announce that I have taken on a contract position as the National Education Director at Practice Pay Solutions. I am excited about this work because Practice Pay is a company that is truly committed to helping business owners succeed. What a great pairing for the work that I do helping coaches, counselors and consultants grow their businesses. I am honored to be taking on this position that has previously been held by C.J. Hayden and Karyn Greenstreet.
Practice Pay Solutions is well known in the coaching world as the most popular company for credit card processing with what is called a merchant account. In addition, they provide shopping carts, Learning Management Systems, a Website Builder and a registry for virtual assistants. They are dedicated to great customer service and training on all their products. My selection for this position is related to the company’s new initiative called Practice Pay University which will unfold in a very exciting way over the next several months.
My role as National Education Director will include hosting free classes and teleclasses on both Practice Pay products and on important topics in business development. We’ll be discussing e-commerce, automating your business, and creating passive income. You should be hearing quite a lot from me! And even though this sounds like a lot – I’ll still be working as usual in my own business, giving you lots of information and ideas for growing your business on a very personal basis.
The first classes from Practice Pay University have been announced. The first call is “Using a Virtual Assistant for Your Business” and is scheduled for November 5th at 5pm eastern. On November 6th at 5pm eastern, I’ll be interviewing Deborah Gallant about “Building a Coaching Website”. You can find out more about either call or register for free here.
100 Best Business-Building Resources for Coaches
Posted by: | CommentsHere is a great resource for every coaching entrepreneur – The 100 Best Business-Building Resources for Coaches. Thanks to Lynn Serafinn, coach from Bedford, UK who has compiled this list. She originally put it together for a London meeting of the European Co-Active Community and is available in both Excel and PDF formats. Lynn says, “Each resource has been reviewed carefully and described in detail, with explanations as to why you might find it useful for your business. This saves you months of time-consuming research, and hopefully will save you money by avoiding costly mistakes as you build your practice. AND, nearly half of these resources are absolutely FREE.”
I am proud to say that two of my products for coaches are included on this list. My free weekly ezine, Biz Tips for Coaches, is listed as well as my book, Mind Your Own Biz. I have explored the list at length and am honored to be listed in such company as such well known coaches as C. J. Hayden, Andrea J. Lee and Christian Mickelsen. If you are looking for resources about business development and want to find the best of the best – this list is a valuable tool for your search.
Discouragement in the Coaching Business
Posted by: | CommentsYou are working hard. You spend hours every week doing business tasks and marketing. You think about coaching all the time and know that you have something very valuable to offer. You have some clients, but the business just is not growing as fast as you would like. This situation happens to almost every coach at some point and is one of the dirty secrets of the coaching world.
Starting a coaching business and running a coaching business are hard work. Your business is likely going going to develop slowly – perhaps more slowly than you were told. It is easy to let discouragement set in. The number one way to combat that sense of discouragement is to have a solid support system. If you are a new coach, one of your most important investments will be in finding your own coach. Make sure that person has been down the road you are on and then he/she can be a source of wisdom, encouragement and even advice. I know, I know – coaches aren’t supposed to give advice, but when a coach is coaching a newer coach, they really have a role as both a coach and a mentor.
While you were in coach training school, you likely had a group of other students with whom to share the journey. Once you finish training, it can be a great idea to find a coaching support group to help you in times of discouragement. In the groups I run, I see coaches help each other all the time with information, ideas and encouragement that can move you out of that difficult place.
By all means don’t let the business get you down. Recently I had been working very hard on one aspect of my business and was not seeing any results. I felt very discouraged until I mentioned that discouragement to several people in my support system. Not only did I get wisdom about the current situation, I was reminded of the tremendous business growth I have achieved in the past year. Please take some time to build yourself that kind of support. The road can be hard and you can be successful “along with a little help from your friends”.
