ISSUE 21 / JUNE - JULY 2016
THE
Niche?
HOW DO I FIND MY
YES YOU
CAN!
HOW TO
Stand Out
IN A CROWDED MARKET
GOING
BEYOND
Influence TONAL
WWW.INTERNATIONALCOACHGUILD.COM
Welcome to the world of coaching excellence. As proud sponsors of the Successful Coach Magazine, we welcome you to this wealth of coaching resources honed over years of experience and expertise, to the latest breakthroughs in advanced coaching methodologies, to the beautiful and wonderful showcases of coaches who are doing what they love and transforming lives, and to an extraordinary community of people who are passionate about coaching and committed to creating change.
HOW DO I FIND MY NICHE?
Nicole Robinson 4
YES YOU CAN!
Darrin O’Brien 7
HOW TO STAND OUT IN A CROWDED MARKET
Eveline Van’t Foort 12
It is our mission here at the International Coach Guild to cultivate and celebrate coaching excellence worldwide. Towards this end, here is the Successful Coach Magazine, created by successful coaches, for successful coaches and for those taking that daring step, whether big or small, towards making a difference.
GOING BEYOND
Brett White 17
TONAL INFLUENCE
Maria Pellicano 19
Here’s to you! ELYSIUM NGUYEN International Coach Guild
page 2
An Exclusive Offer FOR ICG MEMBERS Receive 60% off all ICG Facilities
So you want to step up in the coaching world? We recognise that as a life coach, your job is about connecting with others, in an environment that is safe, private and suitable for your clients. Whether you are engaging in one-on-one coaching sessions, group coaching, or even larger training sessions, you are often limited by facilities of which you have access to. This is why we have created this special offer for you! As an ICG member, we entitle you access to our elite state-of-the-art Melbourne-based ICG office space, dedicated exclusively to professional coaches at an incredible 60% discounted rate! Facilities included: Warm welcoming lounge area with seating for five Expansive meeting space with room for ten around the table State of the art black glass “whiteboard” Nespresso machine for lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and more Fridge space & catering options Wireless Internet access & Eftpos facilities Extravagant decorations, cushions, vases and more! We encourage you to utilise this space as it will enable you to professionally facilitate your coaching sessions and really ‘set you apart from the rest’! To check the availability of the room space or if you have any questions regarding office space hire, please contact the team at the International Coach Guild (ICG) on +613 9608 7915 or via email on contact@internationalcoachguild.com. Look out for the next member exclusive offer in our upcoming magazine issue. The ICG Team.
WRITTEN BY
Nicole Robinson Coach, Educator and Mentor
Niche?
HOW DO I FIND MY
NICOLE HAS EXPERIENCE COACHING CLIENTS RANGING FROM SEMI-PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES THROUGH TO MOTHERS AND AUTHORS. THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COACHING SHE HAS SEEN CLIENTS OVERCOME OBSTACLES, GAIN CLARITY, BECOME BETTER LEADERS AND RESTORE RELATIONSHIP’S BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.
A bewildered client started to share with me the distress over his son’s decisions. He told me the story of how his son had just completed his chiropractic studies and now was choosing to specialise, from the very beginning, in runners and gait analysis (a fancy way of saying how we walk and run). He was living on a shoestring budget as he looked to launch into this new market. I shared the analogy of the GP versus the specialist, and that if we wanted a specific problem solved, the GP could provide us with a generic solution. But the specialist could very quickly solve the problem in a more personalised, experienced and certain manner as compared to the GP. The first time I was introduced to the word “niche”, I was 30 hours into coaching.
Equipped with the knowledge of the course webinars on niching, I thought I was good to go. Experienced as a Physical Education teacher and semi-professional athlete, I decided my niche would be health and fitness. There, done. UNFORTUNATELY JUST BECAUSE I FELT I HAD FOUND MY NICHE DIDN’T NECESSARILY MEAN I HAD. There are 3 key aspects that you need to know about your target market: nn A problem (that potentially keeps them up at night) nn A desire to solve the problem - The money to solve the problem. page 4
And here’s another thing – you cannot just choose a specific problem that seems to be “common”. As an example, the more common the problem, the more the chances that others have already solved it through a more accessible or even free medium. In other words, if the problem you’re solving for them is solvable by pulling up an article on the Internet, then you need to revisit your core problem. You probably guessed it: The problem that I thought I was solving never really occurred in my prospect’s mind in the first place. It wasn’t “deep” enough to trigger them to take action
WHY… so naturally… the executives saw it as yet another thing “to-do”. From this experience, it was as clear as day that in order to define my niche, I need to apply the same strategy – I need to start with the “why” of the core problem – why should they care? What’s in it for them? That evening, lost in this research phase of narrowing down my niche, I decided to post a question on the ICG Facebook page, a fantastic group of coaches who willingly champion and support each other. I secretly hoped I didn’t sound like an idiot and hit “Post”.
and reach out to me. So with the advice of my mentor, Sentha Govin, I started to look for the missing gap. I tracked my hours and looked for themes that would emerge in my sessions with clients. After about 100 hours of coaching, I moved into a leadership role in my current workplace. I introduced coaching and new profiling tools to the executives (who were my target audience). Shortly after I started, I discovered something really interesting. Although initially the executives were excited about what I was doing, soon we realised there was no structure to what we did. In short, although they acknowledged that my approach to bring in new coaching tools was helping, it was all too hazy with no defined structural implementation. And then it hit me… Like a bolt of lightning! The crucial element that I had missed was I didn’t start with the big-picture vision, the
Matt Lavar’s answer was like a firm kick. His comment shed so much light on what was going on: “Break out of the cycle of finding a niche and start to focus on the person in front of you instead. Serve them first. Because in that moment, this is the only person that matters. Nothing else does. So start there.”
page 5
Of course! Yes. Immediately I applied this belief.
1. ALWAYS MAKE IT ABOUT
1. I listen to and focus on the person in front of me, because I know they are the only one who matters.
YOU.
2. I am interested in the other person rather than just being interesting. Already I am noticing significant improvements in how I connect and communicate with those I’m serving. In conclusion, if there is anything I could advise my two-year younger self, it is this:
THE PERSON IN FRONT OF
2. SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO
THOSE AHEAD OF YOU;
THEY ARE AHEAD OF YOU
FOR A REASON.
3. ALIGN YOURSELF WITH
LIKE-MINDED COACHES
AND A COMMUNITY THAT
CHAMPIONS AND
SUPPORTS YOU.
page 6
WRITTEN BY
Darrin O’Brien Facilitator
YES YOU
CAN!
DARRIN O’BRIEN FACILITATES AND SUPPORTS PEOPLE TO BECOME THE PERSON THEY DESERVE TO BE. “THROUGH PAIN COMES LIFE AND THROUGH LIFE COMES JOY,” THIS IS THE MANTRA DARREN LIVES AND BREATHES AND THROUGH THIS HIS CLIENTS LEARN TO BECOME THEIR ULTIMATE SELVES.
Can I be straight up with you for a moment? One of the hardest things you will ever do in your life is “bite your tongue”. There will be times when other people will “push your buttons”. And this is when your own personal beliefs are brought to test. In defending our beliefs, some of us react and say the first thing that comes to mind, whilst others will simply let it be and dwell on it.
But here’s the thing… Right in this moment, you learn to adapt. You either change or you stay the same. The answer is quite simple: Because you chose not to change and adapt. The people who choose to reflect and change as they experience new situations flourish. They go on to manage new situations differently and have a totally new way of response the next time their beliefs are tested. SO THE QUESTION IS, DO OUR BELIEFS SERVE US WELL OR HOLD US BACK FROM BECOMING THE PERSON WE COULD BE?
This defence mechanism brings up an important question… Do we really care about being true to our beliefs, or are we simply blinded by things we’ve held dear for so long? Because when you are pushed to reflect on what you’ve believed for so long, it is natural to experience some strong emotions. Frustration, doubt, fear, sadness and anger are just to name a few.
For many years, my limited beliefs were holding me back from becoming who I am now. This is not to say that I will be this same person a year from now, because I have accepted that change is inevitable. Without change, it would be expecting to only experience the daylight. Just as there is no darkness without light, there is no growth without change. page 7
Change can be scary and of course, it may lead to pain. It is very easy to “start” a transformation, but when the pain hits, people pull back into their comfort zone. Some people like having a “Plan B” as an escape route, just in case they decide it’s too hard. That’s a recipe for failure, because you’re not “all in” and you know that. From personal experience, I believe this pain should be welcomed because when that pain subsides, the butterfly is born. Living life with the blinkers on does not serve you well. As comfortable and easy as it may be to do the same thing over and over again, eventually, that pain will subside and the pain zone will become your new comfort zone, until it’s time to stretch again. Just think about what could be if you were to believe in yourself and push yourself into the “pain zone”.
WOULD YOU BE HAPPIER? WOULD YOU BECOME A BETTER YOU? WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO INSPIRE PEOPLE AROUND YOU? In the end, you must challenge your own beliefs and ask yourself, “Do my beliefs serve me well?” If you can be 100% honest with yourself and say “yes” with your hand on your heart, then hold your beliefs close to your heart and don’t let anyone else tell you that you are wrong. If not, then you know what to do. Embrace the uncertainty, stretch your comfort zone, form a new belief and challenge the old ones. Because there is no such thing that you “can’t do”. The only reason you can’t is you don’t believe you can and don’t trust yourself. Life isn’t without risks. Perhaps it’s your time to challenge your beliefs and take a chance, too?
page 8
“You can do anything, not everything”. David Allen
DISCOVER WHAT MAKES GOOD COACHES GREAT DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE LEVEL...
ACCREDITED PROFESSIONAL MASTER COACH*
RE
CO
SE
EL FOUR LEV
G NIS D C OUR E
* ACCEPTANCE IS BY APPLICATION ONLY CALL YOUR COURSE ADVISER ON 1800 094 927 OR EMAIL WOW@THECOACHINGINSTITUTE.COM.AU TO DISCUSS YOUR APPLICATION page 9
DISCOVER HOW TO BECOME A COACH WITH DISCOVER HOW TO BECOME A COACH WITH YOUR FREE ‘GETTING STARTED AS A COACH’ YOUR FREE ‘GETTING STARTED AS A COACH’ GIFT $197) GIFTPACK PACK(WORTH ($197 WORTH OF VALUE)
REQUEST YOUR GIFTPACK PACK TODAY! REQUEST YOURFREE FREE GIFT TODAY! page 10
CALL US AT 1800 094 927 VISIT WWW.THECOACHINGINSTITUTE.COM VISIT WWW.THECOACHINGINSTITUTE.COM.AU page 11
WRITTEN BY
Eveline Van’t Foort Strategic Marketer, Coach and Mentor
HOW TO
Stand Out
IN A CROWDED MARKET
EVELINE VAN’T FOORT IS A STRATEGIC MARKETER, COACH AND MENTOR, WORKING WITH SMALL BUSINESS, SOLO ENTREPRENEURS AND PROFESSIONALS WHO WANT TO TAKE THEIR UNIQUE SPARK INTO THE WORLD. SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE, BUSINESS PLANNING, AND PARTNERING WITH INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE TO HELP THEM TURN THEIR PASSION AND VISION INTO A VIABLE BUSINESS PROPOSITION. SHE IS A CERTIFIED PRACTICING MARKETER AND AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL COACH GUILD. YOU CAN JOIN HER ON FACEBOOK AT “WIRED FOR BUSINESS GROWTH”.
Imagine you’re going to a party and there’s no dress code on the invitation. What if you turn up in jeans and everyone’s gone formal?
You have to go the extra mile and plan your strategy to have a voice in a competitive industry. You need to know how to add value in your own unique way.
Or perhaps you want to show up in jeans precisely because everyone else has gone formal? What if it’s a fancy dress and no one checks with each other and everyone turns up dressed as a pirate? All different strategies – all different outcomes. Same is true about business. To run a successful business, you need to know what your competition is up to. If not, you may discover that you are surrounded by “me too” types, in a marketplace that’s too cluttered, for us to stand out. page 12
DEVELOP A UNIQUE PROPOSITION As a business owner, you want to achieve “competitive benchmarking” instead of dwelling in a place where your offer gets lost in a sea of competition, where finding you would be like trying to find a needle in the haystack. Competitive benchmarking helps us to make informed decisions, gives us the opportunity to add value before we go into the market. Let’s pause here for a second and imagine this… How many Facebook ads from business coaches offer the opportunity to get rich quick while sipping martinis by the poolside? How many marketers are out there offering to attract more customers in 5 simple steps? How many Twitter gurus promise to deliver you a thousand followers for the bargain price of $5? The answer is way too many. And they are easily forgotten too. These businesses are, to put it in crude marketing terms, “the bottom feeders”; they work a lot harder for a lot less financial return. Because let’s face it, without a unique offer, your products will struggle not only to be visible, but also to be competitively priced. The bottom feeders compete only on price, and therefore attract poor-quality, uncommitted clients. Burn out and poverty eventually drives them out.
ZIG WHEN OTHERS ZAG! Here are 5 things successful people do differently in order to grow their business. For starters, they are not afraid to zig when others zag by: 1. Knowing the baseline industry standard for their service or product. In other words, the features that must be delivered to the customers in order to stay in the game. 2. Looking for gaps in competitor’s service, product delivery and marketing strategy so they can fill this gap and make it their point of difference. 3. Learning how to price their product/ service within the market. 4. Considering what is unique about their business and exploring opportunities to niche further. 5. Innovating and practising continuous and never-ending improvement within their business.
page 13
COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING: 8 STEPS TO SPY ON YOUR COMPETITION & GROW YOUR BUSINESS 1. Identify those who demonstrate the best practice in your industry – the innovators who are blazing the trail. 2. Explore their websites and follow them on social media. 3. Opt-in to their promotions. 4. Looking at their offer, ask what basic features you need to deliver to be in the game.
8. Continue to explore best practices and new tools so your business stays relevant and can cut through in a competitive environment. Competitive benchmarking is a huge opportunity to explore the possibilities of growth in business. You’re looking for that spark of inspiration that comes from contemplating what is already out there and what might be possible.
5. Search for gaps in their service, product delivery and marketing strategies. How can you use these gaps to your advantage, to create a unique offer?
Use the time to reflect on your business intention, and ask yourself these questions: “What problem do I solve?” “How do I best serve?” “What unique value do I add?” “How do I bring my vision to life?”
6. Take every opportunity to add value and comment on their social media activity, sharing your own insights to make new connections.
Competitive benchmarking is as much a creative process as it is a business necessity, so push the boundaries, get creative and have fun with it!
7. Build trust and credibility in your own community by sharing their quality content on your own social media assets.
page 14
Founder of Global Success Institute
SHARON PEARSON
(n.) /dis-ruhp-tiv/ /lee-der-ship/ the art of giving a $#@!, rocking the boat and creating the winning team
Order NOW for $39.95
www.disruptiveleading.com/book/sale/ page 15
INTERNATIONAL COACH GUILD
Are you passionate about excellence in coaching and refuse to settle? Are you committed to the highest standards in coaching practice?
ACH
IE D
P R O FE SIO N AL S
INTER N
CR
CH
CO
CO
INTER N
INTER N
H AC
D VA N C E D
LD GUI
ED A
ONAL COACH ATI
AC
IFI
LD GUI
CH
ONAL COACH ATI
TIF
ED COA
CER
R TIFI
LD GUI
CE
T
I AT E M E
R MBE
ONAL COACH ATI
CER
SOC
LD GUI
AS
ONAL COACH ATI
INTER N
NATIONAL COAC TER
H
IN
Do you take pride in going above and beyond the average coach?
E DIT E D C OA
APPLY ONLINE TODAY AT www.internationalcoachguild.com/apply-associate TO ALIGN YOURSELF WITH THE ELITE IN THE COACHING EXCELLENCE AND STAND OUT IN THE INDUSTRY
WRITTEN BY
Brett White
Founder of Be Leadership, Author and Life Coach
GOING
BEYOND
BRETT WHITE IS THE FOUNDER OF BE LEADERSHIP, WHICH IS DEDICATED TO CREATING TRANSFORMATION AND FREEDOM IN PEOPLE’S LIVES. BE LEADERSHIP PROVIDES TRAINING AND CONSULTING ON LEADERSHIP CULTURE, BEHAVIOUR AND MINDSETS FOR INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS AND TEAMS IN THE WORKPLACE. BRETT IS THE AUTHOR OF TWO BOOKS, AN ENGAGING COMMUNICATOR AND MOTIVATOR, A LIFE COACH AND PASTOR. HE IS AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF ICG AND TRAINED THROUGH TCI IN AUSTRALIA. WWW.BELEADERSHIP.NET
CAMBODIAN CONNECTION
GLOBAL PRINCIPLES
I have been serving, training and equipping leaders in Cambodia for four years now. It is an incredible privilege to be able to utilise all my learnings from my own journey with TCI to help empower young leaders in a broken yet recovering nation. It doesn’t matter where you go, people want the same things in life; significance, hope, love, purpose and community.
Initially, I was curious: How would the life principles, tools and strategies I had learnt through TCI and applied to my own life fit in a culture so uniquely different to my own? These principles, learnings, tools and behavioural understandings that I used to empower leaders here in Australia are brilliant, but would they work in this diverse, chaotic and developing nation?
Cambodia is a uniquely beautiful country with a tragic and chaotic past. Since the devastation of the Khmer Rouge, where a third of the population was massacred, the country has been rebuilding itself. It has been a tough journey but I have noticed an incredible sense of hope with the emerging leaders that are rising up to help create a future for the next generation.
I have learnt so much from this journey, so despite my hesitation of how it might work, I said yes and dove in head first. I soon discovered that the young leaders in Cambodia had a hunger and eagerness to learn and apply the very same principles I use and teach in Australia.
page 17
MESSAGES OF CHANGE The methods of teaching and communication are quite different, as our cultures are, but the key learnings, principles and the message remain the same. The messages of meaning, focus, map, cause and effect, above and below the line, emotional strategies, core needs and behavioural energy correlate well in any culture, and the fruit I am seeing and experiencing is stunning. In a culture that has often just accepted and believed that “this is how it is”, is now rising up with a fresh hope and belief that “we can change how it is, because I can change myself”. So exciting! Beautifully, through my own learning, I have been able to develop a new stream of teaching called “global culturing”, helping emerging leaders understand the diverse way different cultures communicate, give feedback, make decisions, build trust and structure teams. This is deeply empowering because the leaders here are often working with and alongside leaders from many other foreign cultures.
LEADING BEYOND The very essence of the life principles, learnings and strategies I have learnt from my study at TCI are now changing lives in the developing world. I believe leadership is about influencing and empowering others to grow beyond where they are to where they never dreamed they could be. And in saying that, I find it a privilege to be part of a community that is changing the world, one life at a time. I’m sure you do, too.
page 18
WRITTEN BY
Maria Pellicano
ICG International Credential Master Practitioner
Influence
TONAL
TONAL INFLUENCE: HOW TO PIQUE YOUR AUDIENCE’S CURIOSITY & KEEP THEM ENGAGED
MARIA IS A STUDENT AT THE COACHING INSTITUTE AND A PASSIONATE COACH TO SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. SHE HAS BEEN HELPING HER CLIENTS FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS TO HAVE THE BEST-SOUNDING VOICE OFFERING TAILORED EXERCISES FOR INDIVIDUAL VOICE TYPES. MARIA IS ALSO A SINGING TEACHER AND DEDICATES HER TIME TO HELPING HER CLIENTS DEVELOP THEIR MINDSET, AND APPLY THE RIGHT TECHNIQUES TO ACHIEVE THEIR SINGING GOALS. FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.MARIAPELLICANO.COM
There’s one common complaint from speakers. And it appears in a variety of flavours. How can I make my talk more engaging? How can I positively influence the audience with my speech? How can I make sure I’m being heard and respected as I speak? When people listen to your words, they analyse what you’re saying not just by the words you use but by the way you say it.
As humans, we tend to remember the tone of what is said more than the words used to communicate. The tone carries a lot of emotion and personality, and makes you transparent in front of your audiences. Rest assured that as you speak, your audience is learning a lot, not only just from you, but also about you. Your tone is universal. It does not matter what your accent. Therefore, the way you say something is so much more powerful than what you say.
page 19
When I work with clients and students, I am able to diagnose the integrity of their voice in their songs or speech. From there, I am able to help them create an authentic tonality, the one that matches their body language and words in either a song or speech. The results are always evident because the speaker/ singer immediately has more power and credibility.
“THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SPEAK, BECAUSE YOUR WORDS AND INFLUENCE WILL PLANT THE SEED OF EITHER SUCCESS OR FAILURE IN THE MIND OF ANOTHER.” ~ NAPOLEON HILL David Hawkins talks about the calibration of emotions and how they affect the frequency of influence we carry in our lives and the results we are getting. Your ability to control your voice enables you to create the right frequency necessary to create stronger rapport and ultimately better relationships in both your business and friendships. When you speak, you are doing one of the two things: Inspire others to recommend you to their friends, or repel others who in turn ignore and discredit you.
Your voice carries vibrations and subsonic frequencies that can train your audience to remain engaged and influenced. On the other hand, your voice can create vibrations and subsonic moods that disconnect your audiences from you, which is when we’re surprised: “How could they not get it?” The short answer? You’ve probably heard it before. It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.
In my career as a vocal coach, I’ve helped hundreds of clients to create vocal warm ups that change the sound of your tone. This results in you being able to reach your audiences more effectively by controlling your tonality and vocal expressions as you speak.
“WORDS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL THING IN THE UNIVERSE... WORDS ARE CONTAINERS. THEY CONTAIN FAITH, OR FEAR, AND THEY PRODUCE AFTER THEIR KIND.” ~ CHARLES CAPPS
page 20
Research shows that sound waves carry subsonic resonance frequencies that can kill or change the way things appear. When the subsonic frequency matches the frequency of the matter, it alters the situation. One such example is the Angers Bridge of France that collapsed in April 1850, killing over 200 of French soldiers. The battalion arrived during a powerful thunderstorm and the bridge was oscillating due to the wind. In their efforts to match the swaying and keeping their balance, the soldiers involuntarily marched with the same cadence, leading to resonance that contributed to an increase in oscillation, resulting in the collapse.
When you learn to harness your voice, you create a congruent and authentic frequency with yourself and by extension, with your audience. This ultimately creates credibility, engagement and entrainment with those you wish to influence and lead. You are better understood and people come back to you because they feel understood and appreciated. In short, you connect deeply with your listeners. And that feels good. Really good.
page 21
TM
TM
REGISTER FOR META DYNAMICSTM LEVELS I - III
CALL YOUR COURSE CONSULTANT ON 1800
094 927 TODAY
Published by Interational Coach Guild Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved.
www.internationalcoachguild.com contact@internationalcoachguild.com