Simply Business Coaching

It’s time to ditch what you used to believe

I was reminded by a fellow coach, client and good friend that it’s nearly 8 years since we arranged her first business coaching call.  When she kindly tweeted this to me at the weekend, I was immediately transported back in time to recall some of the great conversations we had in the early days of marketing her coaching practice.

It’s funny because in those days I didn’t really regard myself as ‘qualified’ to coach anyone about their marketing - I just passed on the useful tips I’d picked up.  In those days it was from reading all the books I could lay my hands on!

And I’d never have dreamt back then, that people would be seeking me out today to teach them how to use the internet, especially social media, to market their businesses. 

I suppose there’s still a residual memory from all those years ago of not believing I’m qualified in marketing that holds me back from promoting myself as I know I should.

But that belief is completely out of date now!  I have nearly 8 years more experience for one thing ;)  Eight years more experience of coaching, of being in business, of studying marketing and of teaching others how to market.  When you look at it like that, it seems really silly to still be believing in something that probably wasn’t even true back then!

Are you still holding onto a belief about your abilities that is no longer valid?  Do you avoid growing your business because that little inner voice is making you doubt how brilliant you really are?

It’s time to consign outdated limiting beliefs to the dustbin of the past where they belong.  After all, running a small business presents enough challenges every day without you adding any more!

Over the next few days, check the messages you’re giving yourself (it’s OK, everyone talks to themselves like this!).  Be aware of any that are unhelpful or which stop you from taking an important step into unknown territory.  Ask yourself if the message is true, or whether it has outlived its usefulness. Ditch anything that isn’t empowering you! 

Don’t forget to let me know how you get on and get in touch if you need any help with this.

And as for the client who started off the train of thought that inspired this post, I’m so proud to have played a very small part in her wonderful journey to success.  (I’m also incredibly chuffed that she remembered!)

Are you Stuck in your Business Comfort Zone?

As a coach, I often write on this blog of the need to reach outside our personal comfort zones if we want to achieve those really fulfilling life goals.

Then the other day I read a post on one of my current favourite blogs which approached the idea of comfort zones from a specifically small business perspective.  It made me stop and think deeply (in fact I’m still thinking) about how I might be getting in the way of my own business success; these words in particular stopped me in my tracks:

“.... I know when we are doing our real deal, when we are listening to the voice within that’s whispering to us about what we really should go do next, when we are really stepping to what we are called to do, it isn’t cozy. It requires leaping. It involves shaking up the status quo.”

This is quite a long post but it’s easy to read and I do recommend you take 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to click through and read it. 

When you have, do the Action Steps the author (Tara Mohr) recommends and then let’s compare notes.

Are you willing to give it a try? Do comment below and share your experience of reaching outside your business comfort zone.

Can you see clearly yet?

When I wrote the earlier post about changing the direction of my business to align it with my heart and return to working with people I enjoy being with, I didn’t bargain for all the extra little thoughts and images that would keep popping into my head afterwards. 

Usually, once I’ve written down what’s been bugging me, I can put it behind me and move on to the next thing.  This time I find I keep coming up with supplementary ideas to put some flesh on the skeleton of Simply Business Coaching.  What’s also really exciting to me is that it’s as if a very blurred picture is slowly coming into focus, a little piece at a time.

You see, next to asking yourself why you’re in business, seeing a clear picture of WHAT you’re building is incredibly powerful and motivating. 

Another assignment I ask my coaching clients to complete early on in our relationship, is to write down a full and vivid account of their ideal day.  This is a great way to be able to identify the big longer term goals, and then break them down into smaller, short term goals. 

I realise not everyone enjoys writing as much as I do, and this can get in the way of them being able to express what they want.  For these people I suggest they create a ‘vision board’ or ‘treasure map’.  This is where you choose images and photos which represent what you aspire to and create a visual collage. 

How have you created the picture of what you’re building?  Have you used words or created your own vision board?  I’d love to know:)

Why Are You In Business?

One of the first questions I ask all new coaching clients is ‘Why are you in business?’

While their initial answer is often that they want to make money or to have freedom - I don’t stop there.

I ask more questions (I am a coach after all!) “What will the money give you?” or “What does freedom mean to you?” and I carry on asking questions until we get to the essence or core reason.  This is so important.

Tony Robbins says it well:  “You can do anything if you have a strong enough WHY.”

So when I ask clients why they’re in business and then drill down until we get to their undiluted WHY, it lets us start to find out more important stuff, such as:

• what they really value in their lives
• if they’re heading in the right direction
• if their goals are big enough
• what will motivate them to keep going through the tough times
• if they’re ready to move out of their comfort zone
• if they have a strong enough why

It sounds very straightforward and obvious doesn’t it?  It can be. 

Now, I have two questions for YOU:  When was the last time you connected with your core reason for being in business?  What’s your ‘Why’?

Image Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/

Business Coaching: Are Free Consultations Worth Doing?

Last month I ran a special offer to my newsletter subscribers for a 'Marketing Spring Clean'.  It was the first time in quite a while I'd offered a free consultation, and was partly prompted by a fellow Masterminder who observed that I might be missing opportunities to attract clients by not doing so.

Initially I was pleased at the interest generated and duly set up the telephone appointments (using my superb online scheduler Tungle).  And then things started to go awry.....

Here's what I learned:

• Some people will apply for anything that's free, even if they don't qualify.  They don't read past the word 'free'.
• Others will want you to bend over backwards to accommodate their diary (never mind about the 20 possible alternatives you offer, they expect a weekend appointment or evenings) and then they cancel.
• Then there are the pedants who quibble at having to pay £2.50 for a phone call when you're giving them nearly an hour of your expertise - "But it isn't really free if I have to pay for the call, is it?"

Thankfully, 80% of the free consultations went ahead OK (although I'm still waiting to find out how much actual business they bring), but the whole experience has served to remind me how many people really don't value something they haven't had to pay for.

What's your experience of offering free consultations?  Please share by commenting below, and if you enjoyed reading this post, I'd appreciate a re-tweet!

Quiet please ...... I'm thinking

As a coaching tool, silence often yields the greatest insights for the client.  Used as part of the sales process, it can mean the difference between closing a sale or walking away empty handed.

Waiting in silence can feel uncomfortable, but you need to resist the urge to be the first to speak.  Keep waiting.  It usually isn't for nearly as long as it seems.

Silence means the other person is thinking about what you have just said.  Whether they're considering an answer to a question you asked, or thinking about  information you've shared, it's important to give them enough time and space to finish processing.

When I work with business owners on their selling technique, I find they often come close to 'talking themselves out of the sale' because they don't feel comfortable with the silence while waiting for the prospect to consider the deal.  This is especially true just after saying the price - they almost feel compelled to justify or excuse it in some way!

The best piece of advice I've heard is to :  "Say the price and then shut up!"

Another occasion when silence is a good tool to use is when faced with an angry customer (or anyone angry really!).  They need to get the stuff that's making them angry off their chest so allow them to say everything they need to, and then remain silent for a further, slow, count of 5.  This pause will enable the other person to add anything else, in case they hadn't completely finished.  It will also show them that you have listened and are thinking about what they said.

I'd love to hear if you've found using silence to be powerful in your business.  And if you enjoyed reading this post, be sure to re-tweet it so others can read it too!

Taking a few detours

On Wednesday I drove to a meeting and got a bit lost!  While I love and use lots of new technology and tools to make life easier, I'm still resisting getting a SatNav system - mainly because I don't believe I make enough journeys to get good use from one.

So before setting off, I looked up the route on the internet and in a trusty old-fashioned map book to get a clear 'picture' in my mind of how to reach my destination.

Everything went swimmingly until about the last 5 miles (as often happens!) when I departed from the chosen route somehow.  After pulling over and consulting the map again, I could see the road I was now on would rejoin my route a bit further on, so thankfully there was no need to turn around.

Admittedly my heart did sink a little as I drove along busy streets looking out for road names and landmarks, but I didn't panic because I knew I'd reach my destination in the end.

I lost count of the total number of involuntary detours, but eventually I arrived safely - and even 10 minutes early for the meeting.

In business we need to have a clear vision and defined goals to aim for too.  Mapping out how we're going to achieve those goals provides the direction and action steps to take.  But when life leads us to take a few detours along the way, as it surely will, that doesn't mean giving up on the end goals. 

Being on the right road all the time isn't as important as reaching the destination safely, especially if there is great scenery to admire and lessons to learn from the detours.

And yes .... I got lost again on the way home too!

Making the Time Right

I often don't know what I'm going to write about until I start typing!  Sometimes I feel as though I'm rambling - and then a blog post or article starts to take shape, one which might not have not have come into existence unless I had started typing....

The saying "If you wait for the right time, it will never come" is both true and false.  It's true because we need to push beyond what is holding us back and take action if we are to achieve our goals.  It's false because sometimes we have to get 'stuff' out of the way before we can act.  I'm often pleasantly surprised when clients call to book coaching, sometimes months after we originally spoke, because the time is now right for them to be coached.  On the other hand, I've learned not to take is personally when an enquiry seems to come to nothing - the time isn't right for that person just now.

If the time isn't right, what we're often saying is that we're not ready to face our fears.  A useful question I ask clients at this point is: "What needs to be in place to make now the right time?"  This gets all the 'stuff' out in the open and, like shining a bright light into a corner, reduces the fear of what is lurking there.  Listing what needs to be in place puts the fears into perspective - perhaps some of those fears belong to other people?  Others may be old limiting beliefs which can be dealt with .... before you know it, you're taking action and turning now into the right time.

Waiting for the time to be right, if it means allowing our fears to hold us back, is giving away our power and our dreams for a pittance to the lowest bidder.  Taking action, however small, is so empowering that we are encouraged to keep going - and now truly does become the right time.

A Challenging Question

Whenever I'm asked to describe my style of coaching, I say that I challenge my clients.  A long time ago, I used to think being challenging was simply a matter of asking questions like "What's stopping you?" or "What is it costing you to ...?" 

However, now I know there is more to it.

Challenging means I encourage clients to take actions that will move them out of their comfort zone, increase self-awareness and move them forward towards their goals.  You see, I know something they don't.

I know we are all capable of so much more, and while a pinch of realism is necessary so as not to set ourselves up for failure, the goals we usually set ourselves simply aren't big enough.  They're puny goals that don't excite or get the adrenalin flowing. They're safe goals we don't feel motivated enough to strive for.

Successful people don't succeed by staying in their comfort zones, they succeed by challenging themselves every single day.  You may have noticed they often publicly announce their goal months before it becomes a reality - if that isn't challenging themselves to make it happen, I don't know what is!

If I were to challenge you to do one thing this week that will move you nearer your biggest goal, what would that be? 

Go on, I challenge you to do it!

5 ways to handle objections to sales!

When you hear objections from prospective clients, take heart because it's actually a good sign! It means that, although they could be interested, they still have some unanswered questions. The problem is that they sometimes don’t know what those questions are! So they say things like “You’re too expensive”, “I already have a supplier”, “Send me something in the post and I’ll think about it”, or even “I need to ask my boss”.

I’ve seen many business owners stopped in their tracks because they thought they were sure to get the order. They didn’t see the objection coming and now need to scramble to retrieve the situation.

If this has happened to you when you’ve got as far as meeting up with your prospect, you'll know it can be very frustrating. It also means that you’ve missed out a vital part of the preparation you should have done before the meeting.

You may not always encounter objections but you do need to be ready for them – just in case. Here are a few ideas to help you do this:

1. What are the most common objections you’ve come across so far in your business? Write them down. What other concerns might your prospective clients have? Write them down too.

2. Now note down your answers to each one, based on the benefits your products or services provide. Every business owner or sales person needs to do this exercise before they start making appointments to call. Keep your notes for future reference.

3. You can minimise objections and concerns by raising them yourself. For example, you can include your answers in your marketing materials and on your website.

4. During your initial conversations with a prospect, ask questions to find out what their concerns are, so you can address them straight away.

5. Check if anyone else needs to be part of the buying decision so they can be included from the beginning, and you can prepare answers to their questions too.

Don’t be caught out by objections, be ready for them!  What tips would you add?