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Get The Most Out Of Coaching

Guest post by: Dave Ferguson

Article Overview: The past four weeks, I have outlined for readers what I believe Business & Life Coaching is and isn’t, and also challenged you by asking if you’re ready for coaching. Today, we complete this series by assuming you are ready. So, here we go!

Get The Most Out Of Coaching

The past four weeks, I have outlined for readers what I believe Business & Life Coaching is and isn’t, and also challenged you by asking if you’re ready for coaching. Today, we complete this series by assuming you are ready. So, here we go!

Congratulations! You have just taken the first step of your coaching life. This should be a very exciting day for you. Now that you have made the commitment to coaching, there are a few important things to keep in mind, which will help you get the most out of every meeting, reach your goals as quickly and easily as possible, and allow you to have some fun in the process:

COME PREPARED: If you know what you want to accomplish during each session, you will get more out of it. If there was an assignment given at the end of the prior session, be sure that you completed it. Usually, we will continue our session where we left off at our prior meeting, but this does not prevent you from discussing anything else. You will probably have stories to tell from the previous week—tell them in such a way that you get to the “bottom line” quickly and can learn from them—and quickly progress to the next level. We want to be able to cover as much as we can, in the allotted time.

BE TRUE TO YOUR WORD: I will challenge you and make a lot of requests of you. If you say “yes,” then follow through and do it. Make it a habit to keep all of your promises to me, no matter what. I will do the same. Coaching works best for those who keep their commitments.

BE FEARLESS: I am professionally bound to keep everything we discuss in the strictest confidence. Take advantage of that. You can tell me everything, including the things that you are just barely ready to tell yourself! Don’t hold back. By placing all your cards on the table, you make it much easier for us to sort things out and create a winning hand. If you have fears, let’s talk about them. There are exercises we can do to alleviate many of them.

CHALLENGE ME: Let me know what parts of the coaching are working best for you, and what is not as effective. Ask me to show you more support where you need it, and in ways that you really respond to. Remember, we are on a unique journey together. But be patient. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

BE A MODEL CLIENT: Be on time and please don’t ever make me ask for my fee. If you are ever unable to make a scheduled meeting, please give me at least 48 hours notice, by phone call only. I will not accept any opt-outs or cop-outs by email. Give me feedback and let me know how the coaching is going for you. Tell your friend and associates about me. Our time together will be a time when you can get everything into perspective and make your most important decisions. Therefore, it is important for you to honor our relationship and make it one of your top priorities.

CONFIDENTIALITY: We are both going to share many things with each other, over the course of our coaching relationship. We are committing to each other that what happens in our coaching sessions stays in our coaching sessions.

NOW LET’S BEGIN! If you have any questions on this series or anything else, please don’t hesitate to email or call me. I started this company to help people…it’s my passion and purpose!

Have a great week and thanks for reading my column.

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Article Tags: accountability, business life, change, coaching, dreams, economy, goals, grow, leadership, life coaching, profitability, success



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Re: need pricing help please - here's my opinion that was derived from the person I heard it from (Russell Brunson) I view internet Marketing products as a Ladder. At the bottom of the Ladder is ebooks and at the top is One on One Coaching. so the ladder would look like this starting from the Top ($$$) to Bottom($) One-to-One Coaching ($$$$$$) Workshops ($$$$$) Teleseminars ($$$$) Video($$$) Audio ($$) ebooks ($) I agree with this methodology mainly because of the convenience factor and value from the customers point of view.
Re: need pricing help please - [quote="jvprosperity":t4htv1h6]here's my opinion that was derived from the person I heard it from (Russell Brunson) I view internet Marketing products as a Ladder. At the bottom of the Ladder is ebooks and at the top is One on One Coaching. so the ladder would look like this starting from the Top ($$$) to Bottom($) One-to-One Coaching ($$$$$$) Workshops ($$$$$) Teleseminars ($$$$) Video($$$) Audio ($$) ebooks ($) I agree with this methodology mainly because of the convenience factor and value from the customers point of view.[/quote:t4htv1h6] I also agree with this methodology, but sometimes some ebooks sell more in 2 digits. My 26 pages report sell for $9.77
Re: Business Women Peer Mentoring Spotlight - That is a great idea, David. This is what I had in mind for the Women's section, but it makes sense to post in on the main site. Of course, I'm waiting for some women to step up to the plate and share how they could use some support on taking the next step with their business! If you are a Business Woman reading this, I invite you to consider that this is not displaying weakness in any form. Peer mentoring and Coaching is incredibly valuable. You get to bounce your ideas off others, hear perspectives from outside your own box, and feel the power of others cheering you on. To me, it's wisdom to use all of our available resources to move towards business success. That's why I have my own Coach and my own Mentor Coaching Group. I also offer that to my clients. These are services one usually has to pay for and you could enjoy some of it free right here! So who wants to start? Can you tell I'm excited about the possibilities for you even before you begin? Warmly, Tami
Re: Business Women Peer Mentoring Spotlight - Hi Everyone, Gosh, I REALLY appreciate your concrete feedback. This was far more than I expected and I'm glad you said what you thought straight out. Each of you have shared something of value and I want to take some more time to think and really go over what each of you have said. However, I can see there are some things I need to change right away. What an interesting point about a NEW program perhaps making people think they are guinea pigs! This is NOT what I want to convey! It's funny how we can see some things so clearly in others while not always seeing it for ourselves! I must admit there are a few things I've been meaning to change (like my bio which is very outdated). Obviously, these things need to be higher on my priority list. You caught me like the plumber who puts his clients first and doesn't get around to fixing his own tap! As far as my target market, I do feel quite strongly about working with Women Leaders and doing Leadership Coaching with them. It's non-negotiable in my books. In my Executive Coaching training, the terms "Leaders" and "Executives" are interchangable. To me, an Executive is a Leader and so is the Business Woman or Entrepreneur who is CEO of her own business. I love working with decision makers! What I did learn is that I need to avoid opening up the Leadership term beyond what I described above. I'm also wondering if there is a misunderstanding with the general public as to what Leadership Coaching really is. Leadership Coaching is all about developing your leadership skills, both as a people manager and in more effectively running and growing the business. There is ALWAYS room for growth in some way. As well, sometimes, we just need a sounding board to clarify what our next BEST step is. In fact, if a woman thinks she has nothing to work on, then we aren't a good Client/Coach fit anyway. How can she grow if she doesn't see the value of expressing ALL of the great ability within her? How can her company grow if she doesn't see the value of strategic planning for the next best level? Thanks again to you all! I will go back to my website and really question whether I am conveying the right message. I got more than I bargained for in this Spotlight... you generously offered way more than I was asking. I think we could be on to something great for the Forum. Now it's time to let someone else have the spotlight. It would be great if everyone took a turn! In gratitude, Tami
What are you doing to grow your business Ladies? - Hi Ladies, I thought it might be great for us women to share what we are doing lately to develop our business(es). I have now signed a lease on a new commercial space where my husband and I plan to open a Sport's Consignment and Cappuccino Bar. We're an active tourist destination and we also want to give back to our local community by offering discounted quality equipment. I'm doing lots of research and planning right now. For my Coaching Business, I have signed up for a new coaching mentorship program by one of USA's top Executive Coach trainers, Drayton Boylston. He's sure to challenge me, offer continued professional development and keep me on track as I grow my Coaching business. I'm quite excited about the opportunity since you have to be invited to even participate in this group. What are you doing lately or what are you planning in order to develop your business? I'm hoping we can all encourage each other to keep our businesses growing. Warm regards, Tami


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