Coaching Business Startup 101 – What do you do?

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How to Become a Coach. Coaching Business Advice with JJ Jalopy.

Good evening!

Thanks for coming by again. It’s always a pleasure to have good friends come by at the end of a busy day.

You might want to grab some paper and a pen. We’re going to get creative today!

It’s gonna be a blast.

Now, I always ask the same question when I start working with a new coach.

I ask them:

“What do you do?”

(Yep, that’s why I’m paid the big bucks! )

And then I listen very carefully.

Almost unfailingly, the way the coach answers this question tells me exactly how successful they have been in attracting clients.

Why is that, you say?

Well let’s say you’re at a party…

It’s a great party. The food is delicious, the wine is free flowing, there’s a ton of fun interesting people there. You’re having a great time.

Now, as a beginning coach, your network of friends and aquaintences is your best source of potential clients. (You’ll be able to attract clients through the internet or through public speaking engagements as you get more established, but as a new coach you’ll find it best to concentrate on the people you already know and the people they know.)

Friends and clients!

So this party is goldmine of potential clients!

And what do most people ask when getting to know you at a party?

“So what do you do?”

That’s right. It’s that question again!

Now if you’re like many of my clients who are taking training courses, or have read a lot of the coaching literature, you might answer like this:

“I’m a life coach. I ask people questions to elicit their goals and values and beliefs. We define goals and we check that their values and beliefs support those goals. I help them to set…”

Terribly sorry. I must have dozed off.

Then, after you’ve woken them up, don’t be surprised if the person you were talking to politely excuses themselves to go and introduce themselves to the stamp collector in the corner.

See, what you just did is describe the process of coaching. (You didn’t, obviously, but please bear with me)

People relate to the BENEFITS of coaching, not the process.

They won’t be interested in how it works until they have identified with the benefits of what you do.

And that goes for you too!

I’ll guarantee that the coaching process isn’t what gets you excited about coaching. When I ask that magic question I want to see sparkles in the coach’s eye. I want to see the self-confidence that comes from really knowing how you help and why you’re doing it.

I want to see a clear and inspiring message of why you’re doing what you’re doing and what you want for people.

If you can sum this up in a few sentences you’ll reap the following benefits:

it allows you to establish a firm identity
you will be more confident and congruent in explaining what you do to other people
you will get other people interested in what you do.

Let’s dwell on that last point for a while.

I want the message you give to be fun and inspiring for you and for other people. Ideally your answer will be intriguing or slightly provocative to get other people interested and asking questions.

I got really pretty good at this, having had a number of important sounding but confusingly titled jobs in the past.

About ten years ago I was an IT Consultant. Nobody knows what an IT consultant does. Not even me.

You’re generally met with a look of confused disappointment when you tell people you’re an IT consultant.

Life in I.T.

Well at least you’re not an accountant, they might say.

I was one of those too.

Although I enjoyed the work and could see real value in what I was doing, I didn’t tell people I was an IT consultant straight up when they asked. Instead I would tell people that:

“I make the internet work.”

Everyone knows what the internet is. Everyone can relate to this, and it’s kinda funny (if I do say so myself!)

When people hear this they are interested because it is something they can relate to because they use it every day. This then gives me a framework from which I can explain the benefit of what I do. And once they understand, they might realize that their friend Pierre does something similar. We’ve built a fun rapport.

My next job was as a management consultant. Nobody knows what a management consultant does. Not even me.

People usually hope that you’re some kind of doctor. You’re not.

When people asked me what I did, I wouldn’t tell them I was a management consultant. I would tell them that:

“I make banks happy.”

This gets their attention. It’s something they can relate to and understand and it’s intriguing. They laugh and ask what I mean. I tell them:

“You can think of a bank, or any business, like a big machine with a hopper on top, wheels and cogs in the middle and a chute at the bottom. You throw money, time and energy in the hopper, the wheels and cogs spin around, and more money comes out of the chute. My job is to oil the wheels and cogs so that more money comes out of the bottom. This makes banks happy.”

Which is actually pretty much what I do now, except the machines are smaller and more fun. And now I help people build the machine too!

The important thing is that this conversation is fun for me and it’s interesting to the person I’m talking to. I convey a benefit that people can relate to. When they express an interest I explain the process in a context they can understand. My delivery of this message is confident and congruent because I know I can make the value of my work and my enthusiasm for it understood.

So enough about me…

I want you to brainstorm your very own answer to this question.

Sit down with a sheet of paper and get creative. Don’t worry if you haven’t done any market research or you haven’t figured out your niche market. Forget about that stuff for now. Get creative. What inspires you?

Here are answers that some of my clients have given to this question:

I help people to start living their dreams NOW!

I help people to live with no regrets.

I help students to find the career path that really excites them

I help couples to feel like they did when they’d just met

I help people to really understand their connection with God

I help women find what truly satisfies them in a relationship

I help people find balance and happiness in their lives

I want you to come up with something that uniquely inspires you. And make sure it also explains the benefit of what you do.

I think you’ll have a lot of fun doing this, and it’ll allow you really tap into why you want to be a coach.

Now let’s imagine you’re at that party again.

Let's get the party started!

Maybe the guy who failed to get excited about the coaching process has a son who is really struggling to choose a career?

Maybe the stamp collector in the corner really wants to work on his connection with God?

Maybe the host has a friend who wants to turn around a difficult relationship?

I hope you’re now beginning to see how powerful this simple exercise will be for you.

I wish you all the best of luck with it.

Be inspired!

JJ Jalopy.
Become a Life Coach

P.S. For bonus points, try to think of a fun way to describe the coaching process that people can really relate to. We’ll touch on this briefly tomorrow!

If you enjoyed my writing, please share it with your friends. Thanks!

24 comments so far

Comment by Rob Northrup
7 April 2009

JJ,

For my core business, selling machinery…

I help factories be more profitable, so that we can keep the manufacturing jobs here in the United States…

For my Small Business/ Asset Protection business…

I help small business owners to protect their stuff so they won’t from losing it to lawsuits, IRS agents, or bad luck…

For Steve and my Sales Eagle business…

We help Sales Pros to operate with their “A Game” and to be happy with the way they spend their business time…

Great questions you ask, Jalopy man…

Seize the Day,
Rob
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
Have You Covered Your Assets?
Comment by JC MacKenzie
7 April 2009

I help people breathe. I help them breathe more easily. I teach them how to breathe.

Sounds kind of dull doesn’t it?

Unless of course you happen to be the one unable to take a deep breath……

I am enjoying this thread.

Thanks

JC JC
Comment by Sonya Lenzo
7 April 2009

I help people live out their fantasies.
SunnyMarie
Glamour and Glitz
http://www.sunnymarie.wordpress.com
Comment by Lisa McLellan
7 April 2009

I take care of people’s children so they can get a break and go out and enjoy themselves. Ok, so I’m a bookkeeper too. I like kids and numbers.

Lisa McLellan, Child Care Expert – Babysitters, Nannies, and Au-pairs
Comment by Don Shepherd
7 April 2009

I give horses happy feet!

Don Shepherd
oregon or bust
Comment by Steve Chambers
7 April 2009

Great post and great idea…damn, you stole my Wednesday thunder…

For my day job – I make people’s homes and businesses more comfortable while saving them money and energy.

Rob answered the Sales Eagles question.

Steve
Comment by mark mallen
7 April 2009

JJ, Great post. I actually was going to use the same theme tomorrow. When people ask what i do,I sometimes tell them that I make women happy (ice cream Is the number 1 comfort food for women)
You make great points. People do not really care what you do or sell. They want to know how it benefits them. Sometimes they actually visualize themselves enjoying the benefits of what you do. Mark

Glacier Marketing
Glacier Ice Cream
Comment by Duane Cunningham
7 April 2009

Great Post JJ,

Well in my franchise business…

“we keep families together by bringing long held dream travel experiences to reality for less”

And as sales trainer/coach

Using Cutting Edge Research! I Guarantee To Put Money In Your Pockets, Melt Away Sales Resistance…And Slash Buyers Remorse Almost Overnight!”

Duane

Learn Winning Persuasion
Techniques that Work Like Magic by Tapping Into the Psychology of
the Mind with Persuasion Expert Duane Cunningham!
Comment by Pat Becker
7 April 2009

JJ,

You always have something to suggest that gets me thinking. I help business owners increase their profits. Ummm sounds okay. Will have to work on something with a better snap to it.

-Pat
Business Owners Fast Track to Internet Profits
Comment by Philip Graves
7 April 2009

Your post was written so well and so inspiring that I was drafting my own response before you asked!

Thinking out loud here…

I help businesses see why the consumer research they undertake is a waste of time, and show them how to really understand their customers.

That’s not quite snappy enough though.

I help businesses understand their customers better than those customers understand themselves.

That’s got something about it I like… what do you think?

Philip
[The Consumer Behaviour Research Resource]
Comment by Lynn Lane
7 April 2009

Very Good.
It is all in the benefits first. You have made me think more in this area today. Thanks for that.

Lynn Lane.
http://www.Warriorofsuccess.com
Comment by DIY Lawyer
7 April 2009

I help people with their estate planning and future.

The DIY Lawyer
DIY Lawyer – Where you can sign up for our free living trust e-course
Comment by Darryl Pace
7 April 2009

Great article on talking about the benefits your service provides rather than the service itself. This is very valuable information. I help people to look their best (by being fit) as part of being their best. Oh, and in my day job, I make it possible for the Internet to provide information to you.

Health, Fitness — Darryl Pace
Comment by Christian Haller
7 April 2009

I help couples, families, and friends connect.

Christian Haller
http://www.christianhalleronline.com
Comment by Pam Schulz
7 April 2009

I help my husband with the nuts and bolts of his business so that he can pursue his passion of helping people achieve great wealth by raising their returns, reducing their risk and cutting their costs.

I help to create a better world by loving my children so that they can become caring, competent and productive members of society.

You are right – “People relate to the BENEFITS of coaching, not the process. They won’t be interested in how it works until they have identified with the benefits of what you do.”

As always, great points to ponder!

Pam
Great Minds, Great Wealth: How to Raise your Return, Reduce your Risk, Cut your Cost
Comment by John Ho
7 April 2009

Yap: Sell the sizzle, not the steak!

I help people to understand themselves & those around them better so that they can move forward easier by having better influence and persausion.

Pure Numerology is just a mens to achieve thi sends. Slef ndetadnign the highest form of knowledge at the end,.

John Ho
Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (WordPress)
Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (Vox Blog)
Comment by Bob Kaufer
7 April 2009

It is hard not to be inspired when reading what you scribe JJ.

Bob Kaufer
If you MOVE like the Tin Man, you will THINK like the Scarecrow and FEEL like the Lion
Comment by Yann Vernier - ProfitsTactics.com
7 April 2009

I LOVE this post JJ. All your posts are so engaging and inspiring. Wonderful!
I guess I help people love their life. And I love doing so.

All the best,
Yann
Comment by Chris, Buy Limited Companies
12 January 2010

Love the comment about pushing the benefits.

Im an internet marketer by trade (cue eye roll), but I tell people I help people find what they are looking for on the internet.

This always gets a barrage of questions – whether its at a business meeting or an informal dinner party

Thanks for a great post.

Buy Limited Companies The Easy Way
Comment by Gracie Parker
20 May 2010

A Life Coach is sometimes very necessary so that we do not loose our way in our lives.”,`