The 10 Secrets of a Starting or Building a Successful Coaching, Consulting, Training or Speaking Practice 

You can implement these proven steps yourself…the slower way, or I can coach you through them…the faster way.

1. Develop a Vision of your Ideal Practice (starts with your personal vision and integrates and balances it with your practice vision…see http://www.refresher.com/!personalvision.html)
2. Research the demographic Profile of Your Ideal Client(s)
3. Pinpoint the Needs, Wants and Felt Pain of Your Ideal Client(s)
4. Identify and Leverage your Strengths and Talents that Enable You to Meet Your Ideal Clients’ Needs, Fulfill their Wants and Resolve their Problems
5. Develop a Plan to Find and/or Develop a Database of Your Ideal Clients…Your Top 100 Prospects and/or Clients (minimum of 100).
6. Build a Multi-Faceted Strategy to Communicate with and Present Your Unique Value to Your Prospective Ideal Client(s).
7. Develop Contracting Forms that you Customize for Your Ideal Client(s) for Ethical and Business Clarity.
8. Integrate Technologies and Partners (or Contractors) who Will Leverage Your Business or Your Programs
9. Develop a Plan to Select and Create Multiple Streams of Income (or added value for internal coaches) by Offering Automated Multiple Answers and Solutions that Will Meet Your Ideal Clients’ Needs and Solve Their Problems
10. Develop a Web Site Plan that will help you Launch Your Business Plan or Your Internal Coaching Program (see http://www.efuse.com/ and http://www.mycoachingwebsite.com/coachingprograms.html for tips)

Recommended Readings About Practice Development

If we work together to accomplish the above steps, our interactive teleconferencing or in-person sessions will increase your understanding and application of these steps. If you wish to seek additional resources, the following list is one that I have reviewed and some of them I have used extensively (marked in Green). My own belief is that the internet is the future of coaching…where we will be doing most of our coaching via interactive televideo conferencing, group coaching and training…it will become the next telephony technology. Consulting will also be done virtually where consultants become researchers, providers of intelligence and expertise to leverage executives and their teams and organizations toward innovation and high performance in real competitive time. Therefore, it is important that you take site development, and the economic and marketing potential of the internet seriously. This is why I recommend that you would read a book titled: Multiple Streams of Internet Income, by Robert Allen. It is the most practical and immediately applicable resource I have seen. You can get it at Chapters, Amazon, or any other bookstore because it is a New York Times best seller. Robert also offers extensive telecourses and conferences via www.van-1.milleagles.com. I am taking these courses at this time and I love learning from Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen especially because they have both been successful and have taught others to do so, over and over again.

Don’t Flog Assessments! Important Readings Regarding Assessments and Building Passive Income for Your Practice

Because assessments can form, and often do form an important passive income stream in most successful practices, it is important that you become discerning in their appropriate selection and the basics of their use. The following will give you some much needed perspective on how to select, reject, use and not use various assessments. 

There are primarily three kinds of assessments that professional practitioners tend to use in their practices: (1) validated psychometric tests that are most often administered and interpreted by certified psychologists; and (2) properly constructed learning and communication assessments that are utilized by coaches, trainers, speakers, consultants and career counselors to assist people in their self-awareness, self-development, planning and decision-making processes; and (3) 360 degree assessments that provide people a comparison of their self-perception with that of others on key competencies or practices. Since most of you are not registered psychologists who are trained in tests and measurements it would serve you well to use the two latter types of assessments.

While it is possible for people to self-administer, self-score and self-interpret various assessments, including some 360 degree tools, there are some general guidelines for those who wish to use them most effectively with their clients, and add value during the interpretation and action planning process that is included in the effective use of assessments. These guidelines will assist you to avoid using the instruments inappropriately or for purposes for which they were not intended:

1. A person who has no experience or training with a particular assessment tool could first seek the appropriate training by the publisher prior to recommending such tools to their clients.
2. Administering assessment instruments without interactive exploration of how to apply them to the work and daily life of an executive could limit the realization of their most useful purpose.
3. Administering assessment tools as psychological tests could mislead naive people into thinking erroneously about themselves. For example, some coaches are promoting (and hard-selling) the MBTI, DiSC, TTI and other tools as valid and predictive measures of behaviour when they are not reliably valid. People may also make inappropriate decisions about themselves and their lives if they are led to believe the instruments yield accurate predictions rather than generalized indications that will be explored in the context of the coaching relationship.
4. Using assessments as personnel selection or promotional tests that have not been validated in the executive’s own corporate environment is inappropriate and contrary to the objectives for which such tools were designed. Assessment tools can, however, be utilized by coaches to enhance the quality and specificity of communication in coaching sessions, during performance coaching and career transition planning sessions.
5. Recommending certain tools, rather than others, because it is financially beneficial for you to do so, can hurt your credibility, and can appear to be unethical, even when it isn’t. For example, some assessment tools use a multi-level network distribution system that can make you look tacky, desperate or like a “huckster” because you get a commission from recommending certain products over others, even if they aren’t appropriate for your clients. For this reason, some professionals refuse to offer any assessments but ask their clients to purchase them directly from a third party source. However, if you happen to have direct access to various resources that are highly appropriate for your clients it is not unethical to provide those even if you make a profit from doing so. When you do make a profit from doing so, it is usually appropriate to disclose this fact to the client and to help them understand why what you are suggesting to them is the best for their purposes.

Consulting: Annotated Bibliography

Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., and Kerr, S. (1995) The boundaryless organization: Breaking the chains of organizational structure. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. The authors provide an eminently sensible approach regarding ‘healthy hierarchies' all the while remaining focused on the customer. Very grounded approach. JFM

Axtell, R. E., Briggs, T., Corcoran, M., Lamb, M. B. (1997) Do's and taboos around the world for women in business. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Helpful insights regarding conducting business in countries outside the US. Easy-to-use, clearly written and immediately useful. Full of pointers to additional resources. JFM

Becker, F. and Steele, F. (1995) Workplace by design: Mapping the high-performance workscape. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Although at first blush you might think this is a very specialized form of OD, the authors make a compelling case for how important physical layout and surroundings are to our productivity and performance. Provides great insights regarding generational differences as well. JFM

Block, P. (1981) Flawless consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Contains valuable insight regarding some of the more difficult dynamics in client/consultant relationships. Practical and written with a light-hearted touch. Includes a chapter on internal consulting. JFM

Bridges, W. (1980) Transitions: Making sense of life's changes. New York: Addison-Wesley. This book can provide a lifeline to any individual encountering a significant life change, positive or negative. I recommend it to people undergoing voluntary or involuntary career changes, but it's just as valuable for first-time parents or people considering retirement. It can serve as a tremendous foundation for working with change efforts within organizations, but first you have to experience it on a personal, individual level. JFM

Bridges, W. (1994) Jobshift: How to prosper in a workplace without jobs. New York: Addison-Wesley. Aimed at the individual, this book offers a useful way to look at understanding your talents, marketing yourself, and living out the adage that "Job security is between your ears." JFM

Cashman, K. (1998) Leadership from the inside out: Becoming a leader for life. Provo: Executive Excellence Publishing. Every time I leaf through this book I find more gems. Great for taking stock of oneself and deciding on new avenues for personal and professional growth. JFM

Connor, D. (1992) Managing at the speed of change: How resilient managers succeed and prosper where others fail. New York: Random House. Demystifies the often baffling process of change that frustrates a lot of business leaders. Clearly-written and contains a human touch. JFM

Essex, L. and Kusy, M. (1999) Fast forward leadership. London: Prentice Hall. Practical and clearly-written, this book describes a variety of leadership practices to trade for more contemporary and ultimately effective ones. Views the changes through a generational lens. Boomers will especially appreciate the heads-up. JFM

Handy, C. (1989) The age of unreason. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. The provocative ideas Sir Charles Handy puts forth in this modest book are taking shape all around us today. Outsourcing, partnerships, the pace of work, ‘core competencies,' are explained in a context that now, in retrospect, makes a great deal of sense. Conversationally-written, it is an engaging and thought-provoking book. JFM

Katzenbach, J. R, and Smith, D. K. (1993) The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. New York: HarperCollins. A clearly-written, useful work that helps define what makes a work group truly a team. Good balance between concepts and practical advice. Check out the appendices in the back. JFM

Leonard-Barton, D. (1995) Wellsprings of knowledge: Building and sustaining the sources of innovation. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Well-researched description of how to explicitly establish a work environment most likely to result in innovation. Discusses organizational structure, job competencies, management processes and the management of intellectual capital. JFM

McCall Jr., M. W., Lombardo, M. M., Morrison, A. M. (1988) The lessons of experience: How successful executives develop on the job. New York: The Free Press. Don't let the publishing date fool you. These are tried-and-true examples of how experience shapes us in the workplace. If you can overlook the sometimes heavy-handed hierarchical world view, there are many gems in here. JFM

Nelson, B. (1994) 1001 ways to reward employees. New York: Workman Publishing. Standard issue in our training sessions on reward and recognition. Chock full of real life examples of achievement awards, contests, praise, and other ideas for honoring all kinds of achievements. JFM

Reichheld, F. F. (1996) The loyalty effect: The hidden force behind growth, profits and lasting value. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Makes a solid case for investing in customer retention strategies, which also include employee retention rationale and strategies. Compelling, persuasive and prescriptive. JFM

Robinson, D. G, and Robinson, J. C. (1995) Performance consulting: Moving beyond training. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Extremely practical and compelling approaches to performance improvement. Line managers and senior managers greatly appreciate the approach and its deliverables. Highly recommended for training and performance improvement consultants. JFM

Rummler, G., Brache, A. P. (1995) Improving performance: How to manage the white space on the organization chart. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Very analytical and insightful approach to focusing on the verbs in an organization, rather than the nouns. My favorite analogy in this book is to consider a newcomer to your city who wants to know how to navigate to get from one historic sight to another. Do you provide them with a directory of city employees? Or do you give them a map? This book teaches us new ways of looking at how to describe organizations: away from organizational charts (the nouns) to process maps (the verbs). JFM

Ryan, K. D., and Oestreich, D. K. (1991) Driving fear out of the workplace: How to overcome the invisible barriers to quality, productivity and innovation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Speaks to the art of leadership; I consider it a forerunner to the current healthy discussions on emotional intelligence. JFM

Schein, E. H. (1988) Process consultation: Its role in organizational development. Volumes I & II. New York: Addison-Wesley. Part of the Addison-Wesley OD series, these two slim volumes are elegantly written, presenting profound ideas in an innocently simple manner. At the same time, pragmatism rules. An invaluable set of tools for consultants as well as managers. JFM

Schein, E. H. (1992) Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Probably the best work I've found on how leadership directly impacts an organizational culture. Sheds light on the often-murky concepts around what it really takes to ‘change a culture.' Will appeal to conceptual thinkers the most. JFM

Segal, M. (1997) Points of influence: A guide to using personality theory at work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Provides valuable linkage between a number of leading personality theorists and human behavior in the workplace. Not only does this book show the linkage, but it presents suggestions for influencing behaviors of individuals based on specific personality dynamics in play. JFM

Senge, P. (1990) The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday. Personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning…much of the work that organizations are engaged in today to transform themselves has to do with these concepts. JFM

Senge, P. (1994) The fifth discipline fieldbook. New York: Doubleday. Provides practical ‘how-to' suggestions for implementing the concepts presented in the first, more conceptual book. Use it as a reference book. JFM

Sink, D. S., and Tuttle, T. C. (1989) Planning and measurement in your organization of the future. Norcross, GA: Industrial Engineering and Management Press. Valuable in establishing performance measures in many work settings. Contains both concepts and practical implementation examples and guidelines. Definitely more appealing to those with an affinity for the quantitative side of life. JFM

Stewart, T. A. (1997) Intellectual capital: The new wealth of organizations. New York: Doubleday. Entertaining and informative view of the rise of intellectual capital, how it is viewed and valued, along with some practical ideas on how organizations can get started harnessing this source of untapped energy. JFM

Sudman, S. Bradburn, N. M. (1982) Asking questions: A practical guide to questionnaire design. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. A lot of the work we do concerns asking the right questions. This book provides practical suggestions and examples to first of all figure out what it is you want to find out, and then to structure your questions so that they get answered. JFM

Ulrich, D. (1997) Human resource champions. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Presents conceptual structure coupled with practical implementation, to arrive at a blueprint for implementing sound human resources practices integrated into the business of the business. A valuable guide for establishing and implementing human resource strategies. JFM

Wheatley, M. (1992) Leadership and the new science: Learning about organization from an orderly universe. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. If you have an interest in science, or even if you think you don't, and work in organizations, this book is a great source of truly unique insight and provocative assertions. Definitely appeals to those with a philosophical bent. JFM

Zemke, R. (2000) Generations at work: Managing the clash of veterans, boomers, xers and nexters in your workplace. New York: Amacom. Practical and clearly-written, this book presents genuinely helpful suggestions to organizations for establishing and maintaining a workplace that utilizes the talents of all of its inhabitants. Makes its points humorously; an enjoyable read. JFM 

Training/Facilitator’s Resources

Visit http://www.astd.org/index_IE.html to peruse the largest range of trainers’ resources in the world.

Speaker’s Resources

Visit http://www.nsaspeaker.org/ to review the the state of the art of this profession.

Authoring Resources

For knowledge, self-publishers, and/or free newsletters on how to publish your own books successfully go to:

http://www.trafford.com 
http://www.1stBooks.com
http://www.van-1.milleagles.com 
http://www.RobertAllen.com 

Resources On Reviewed Assessments 

Association of Test Publishers:
http://www.testpublishers.org/memserv.htm
http://www.testpublishers.org/Services/cr.htm

View the Policy Statement on Fair Access to Psychological Tests
http://www.testpublishers.org/atpp.htm

Read Important Frequently Asked Questions about Testing and Assessments at: http://www.testpublishers.org/questions.htm 

Resources on 360 Degree Feedback Tools

Edwards, Mark R. 1996. 360° Feedback: The Powerful New Model for Employees Assessment and Performance Improvement, AMACON

Hickok , Chuck. 1995. Improving Performance with Feedback: 51 Practical Strategies for Using 360° Feedback. Creative Training Techniques International.

Turnow, Walter. 1998. Maximizing the Value of 360° Feedback. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass

Waldman, David & Atwater, Leanne. 1998. The Power of 360° Feedback. Houston: Gulf Publishing.

See http://www.businessdecisions.com/multirater.asp to learn about the importance of using an integrated 360 degree assessment that is connected to a complete personnel system.

Check out http://www.eq.org/EQ_Tools/Assessment/ to learn about EQ and 360 assessment.

Appendix A

Stephen Fairley, in his new workbook, Selling Your Mind Without Selling Your Soul: 10 Principles for Marketing Your Professional Services, outlines the following chapter titles and headings which you can use as a check list to see if you think you are missing something from your plan:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Getting Started Inventory……………………………………………….…………6 

Introduction to Marketing…………………………………………………….……….10 
What is Marketing……………………………………………………….10
Marketing a Service is Different from Marketing a Product…………….10

Overview The 10 Principles of Marketing a Professional Service Business……11
People, Product, Positioning, Packaging, Place, Price, Promotion, 
Persuasion, Presentation, Performance 

Principle 1 People: Identifying Your Target Market…………….....………....….13 
How Do You Know What Audience to Target?…………………………13
Defining Your Target Market…………………………………..………..14
Two Important Observations…………………………………………….18
Reaching Clients at their “Point of Pain”……………………….……….18

Principle 2 Product: Demonstrating Your Product …………………………...…24
Crossing Your Client’s Language Barrier………………………….……24 
Our Internal Radio Station: WIIFM…………………………………..….27
Our External Radio Station: WIIFMO………...…………………………27

Principle 3 Positioning: Communicating Your Benefits …………………………29
The Importance of Understanding Your Competition…..……………….29
Discover Information on a Competitor…………………….…………….30
USP’s (Not UPS!)…………………………………………….………….33
Developing Powerful Audio Logos………………………………..…….34

Principle 4 Packaging: Mastering the Critical Fundamentals ………….....…….37
Specific Marketing Recommendations…………………………………..37
Tangibility and Credibility…………………………………..…….……..38
Creating a Business Name ………………………………………………40
Corporate Logos and Slogans…………………………………………....40
The Cheapest Form of Marketing ……………………………………….41
Websites………………………………………………………………….42
Resources……….………………………………………………………..48

Principle 5 Place: Where to Find New Clients Now ………….…………….…….51
How do I find more clients?…………………….………………………..51
Strategies for Impacting the Know, Like and Trust Factors….………….52
The Business Sales Cycle……………………………………….……….53
The 7 Sure-fire Ways to Find Clients NOW……………………………..55
Top 10 Reasons Why Advertising Doesn’t Work for Most 
Professional Service Businesses ………………………………...60

Principle 6 Price: Maximizing Your Money .……………………………………..62
Pricing Your Services Per Project Versus Per Hour……………………..62
The Connection Between Benefits, Value, and Price…………..………..63
The 7 Real Reasons Why People Don’t Buy From You………...………68
Resource……………………………………………………………..…..69

Principle 7 Promotion: Disqualifying Prospects .…………………………..……..70
Narrow and Deep versus Broad and Shallow……………………………70
Increase Your Profits by Firing Your Clients……………………………71
Why You Should Disqualify Prospects…………….……………………72

Principle 8 Persuasion: Going from Cold to Warm ………………………...……74
How to Move from a Vendor to a Critical Strategic Partner...…………..74
The Client Perception Chart…………………………………….………..75

Principle 9 Presentation: Writing Killer Proposals………………………………79 
Proposal Interview Outline………………………………………………79
Writing Dynamic Proposals…………………………..….………………81
Reasons to Offer a 100% Guarantee…………………….……………….86
Resource………………………………………………….………………87

Principle 10 Performance: How to Keep Your Best Clients ………………………88
The Three Legs of Success………………………………………………89
Creating a Referral System………………………………………………91
Coaching Outcome Form……………………………………...…………92

Last Words ……………………………………………………………………..…..…..94

Appendix A: More Examples and Resources…………………………………….….95
Benefits and Return on Investment of Executive Coaching………….… 96
Benefits of Partnering with Today's Leadership Coaching ……………..97
Letter to Prospect about Stress and Time Management Workshops….…98
Seminar Overview: Introduction to Corporate Coaching……………...100
Seminar Overview: Marketing Your Corporate Coaching Practice……100
Seminar Overview: Coaching Skills for Executives and Managers…....101
Proposal: Management Coaching…………………………………...….102
Proposal: Developing High Performance Teams……………………….106
Proposal: Strategies for Increasing Internet Revenues…………………110
Flyer: Market Your Business Like a Pro…………………………….…114
Today's Leadership Coaching Pricing Structure for Coaching…………115
Company Brochure……………………………………………………..116

In my dialogues with more than 10 specialists who help others to build coaching practices over the past year I offer the following exhortations and cautions:

1. It’s marketing that makes you and your practice successful, not just putting up a web site or getting certified.
2. Marketing and networking, and all that these activities entail, are difficult, time consuming, require thorough planning and a team of people who help you to make it happen at a professional level. If you want to work with executives, your presentation of yourself has to be high quality.
3. Your own solid identity, a vivid vision of your future practice and lifestyle, and a defining sense of purpose are the three key elements that are necessary for you to move ahead with clarity. If any one of these three elements is missing, unclear or shaky…your practice may falter from lack of consistency and follow through in the execution phase of your business development.
4. Don’t expect to do it all yourself.
5. Expect that you will have to make a financial investment to make it happen.
6. Word of mouth “marketing” is how most of the high-success coaches have built their practices…because their work is so valuable that their clients refer them to others; but, in order to get word of mouth marketing you have to get clients…and your first clients will likely contract with you because they meet you, or have already met you in person.
7. You can most successfully build your practice with a Mentor or Mentors who will guide you through the systematic process of business development. You may find one or more people who are more experienced than you to hire or to volunteer to be in your “master-mind” advisory group of mentors and coaches.
8. You will likely have to search for, find and hire or barter to get some professional specialists on your implementation team who are marketers and/or technology people if you are to build a significant business…you won’t likely do it as well alone because most of us aren’t experts in all these mission-critical areas. In the same way you go to a lawyer or a dentist or mechanic to gain the value of their expertise you have to expect to somehow pay for at least some of the quality help you need to move your practice ahead.

I wish you all the very best in your journey toward success in coaching!

Consulting Resource Group

Transforming Leadership

What do Ken Blanchard and Jim Kouzes say about this book?

Every Officer Is a Leader

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View Website

What does Tony Narr, Director of Management Education, Police Executive Research Forum say about this book?