Copy the system that quickly grew our Coaching Business online and got us on the INC 5000 list of America’s most successful companies.
Register for Free Access nowBlog
I’m here today to teach you some coaching skills, tools, and techniques you can apply right now to get your clients better results, have more fun in your business, and gain more testimonials and referrals. Whether you’re new or advanced in business, I’m sure you want to be the best coach you can be. So, if you’re interested in learning more about what makes a great coach, watch the video below or simply read on.
Anticipating your client needs is really important to make sure your clients feel like you actually understand what they’re going through and where they want to go. When you’re hosting a coaching call, it’s a good idea to ask your client questions like:
However, you as a coach should also be able to anticipate the next step, the next task, or whatever is right in front of them so you can continue to guide them throughout the entire journey. When my clients come to me, I always look at their business, what they have done so far, and then I always know what they should be doing next so I can show up as an expert in guiding them along in their business journey.
One of the biggest mistakes that new coaches make is to be cheerleaders for their clients. If you are cheering them on, slapping them on the back, and acting like their friend, the support is a good thing. However, your clients pay you for honesty and truth. For example, in our business training program, our clients are building webinars, writing sales pages, and creating marketing materials. Many of our clients are highly skilled at that…but some clients are not. So we have to be honest with our clients and let them know what could be optimized or improved. Most clients are coachable and very grateful for your honesty, because that’s what they pay you for and that’s your job.
I want you to imagine a situation where your client is very unhappy with the services you provided, the program, or their results while working with you. I’m not talking about whose fault it is, it’s just a situation where your client is not pleased for whatever reason. In the beginning of a coach’s career, most coaches will become a little bit defensive. I have made this mistake myself. New coaches will defend their services, their information, and how they have treated the client. They will say, “It’s not my fault. This is why it needs to be this way.”
So when a client comes to you and says they are unhappy or frustrated, the initial reaction you should have is to align with them versus becoming defensive. Say “I understand. I’m so sorry that you experienced this. I completely know how you feel and let’s work together to make it better.”
When you guide your client to finding their own answers, they will think as though it’s their idea, and therefore – they will own it. They will want to move forward with it and be much more committed to this idea than if you just told them what to do. By having your clients find their own next steps, you will empower them to move forward a lot more confidently and therefore, get much better results.
As a coach, it’s very easy to slip into a relationship dynamic where you’re more of a friend to your client than a coach. What happens then is that the entire posture of the relationship changes – and it can quickly become awkward or uncomfortable if something unforeseen comes up or you have to have a difficult conversation with the client.
When you’re working with clients who are not ideal, that are not really aligned with your program, or that are not ready for your program yet, people may begin to look at who’s working with you as a reflection of your services, the quality of your work, and who you are as a coach. So make sure that you interview your clients and look at who they are. Consider not just what you can bring to them, but also what they bring to you and your community to make sure your business is full of clients who are perfect for you.
And now I would love to hear from you…what do you think makes a great coach? If you have some tips or tricks that you want to share, leave me a comment down below in the post comments and let’s have a conversation. Here’s what some of my clients have said:
“What I think makes a good coach is someone who sees you for who you really are and for your potential and holds that space for you to grow into and stretch into.”
“What makes a good coach for me is someone who can keep you accountable, keep you on track, and bring out the best that you can be.”
“Somebody that listens makes a good coach.”
“I think a good coach is somebody who holds you accountable, who does not take excuses from you, who calls you out on your you know what and makes you do it anyway.”
“[A good coach should] believe in people at the deepest level, which then fuels the client’s transformation.”
“Somebody who serves from the heart.”
“[A good coach should] also have that edge between like, the authority to kick your butt but also to speak into that higher vision of who you are and where you’re headed and not let you settle for anything less than that.”
Now, stay focused on your goals and on being an amazing coach for your clients!
"Spend time on Facebook and you will find your ideal client." We have all heard this story ad nauseam, right? Read more
For years, it drove me crazy... what the heck was wrong with me? I just couldn’t figure out how I Read more
As a wellness and life coach, you're regularly bombarded with messages on “How to Get More Clients!” or “How to Read more
So, you're already charging as much per hour for your services as you feel the market will bear but, by Read more
