Worldwide Coaching Magazine

Worldwide Coaching Magazine May 2013 #4

CREATING A BETTER WORLD FOR NEXT GENERATIONS

Worldwide Coaching Magazine for Life, Business and Executive coaches is published monthly.

WCM brings the latest news on coaching: the latest research, tools for professional and personal development, insightful articles, videos and remarkable stories for everyone interested in the profession of coaching.

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“Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee” Worldwide Coaching Magazine: CREATING A BETTER WORLD FOR NEXT GENERATIONS

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Ton de Graaf, Chartered Business Coach™ Info@tondegraaf.com Art design: Milk & Cookies Illustrations: Maaike Maas Lay-out: Studio Maaiemui Magazine Publishing: Tabula Nova phone: +31-35-2600047 email: sales@tabulanova.nl Worldwidecoachingmagazine.com ©Worldwide Coaching Magazine 2013 All rights reserved.

You Coach Now! Being a coach is about what you do as well as who you are.

Coaching is more than a set of tools and techniques. To be successful you need a highly refined combination of advanced knowledge, technical skill, intuition, selfawareness, and business and entrepreneurial acumen.

Our mission is to promote the powerful and positive impact executive, business and life coaches are having by educating and inspiring the coach and client community worldwide.

These words from T.S. Eliot’s famous poem ‘The Waste Land” refer to Lake Starnberg near the Bavarian Alps in south-central Germany. At this idyllic location the Global Coaching Group had organized their annual conference last week, and it was not the summer that surprised the participants.

The keynote speaker at the conference was Alan Seale, founder and director of the Center for Transformational Presence, who inspired us with his presentation “Transformational Leadership: Getting to the Essence in a Rapidly Changing World”.

Coaching is all about transformation, not only on an individual level but also on a team level or company level. It’s also about creating a better world for next generations by asking ourselves the questions who we are and who we want to be. If the answers to those questions are not in alignment then we have the choice to take action and start making some changes.

A coach is by definition a facilitator of such a transformational process.

And how successful we are in that role is not determined by us but by our clients. The return on in investment of coaching is amazing as Leanne Hoagland-Smith explains in her article. Julia von Flotow shows that partnership between coach and coachee is essential for sustainable success.

There is more to coaching then just asking the though questions.

According to executive coach Yael Blum we must also be willing to answer them ourselves to realize our full potential as agents of growth and change.

As May is International Coaching Month what better time to explore the value of coaching.

And that is what surprised us at Lake Starnberg more than anything else: the determination, passion and focus of our clients who have chosen coaching to be the vehicle of change in a rapidly changing world and who took the time out of their very busy schedules to share the value of our coaching with us. Something to be very grateful for!

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely and….You Coach Now!

We offer an inside view on the methods, techniques and theoretical underpinnings that put coaching at the forefront of best practices for achieving deep structural change in people’s lives.

Ton de Graaf, Chartered Business Coach™ Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

@worldwideCM

Worldwide Coaching Magazine

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In this issue: Executive Coaching Goes Beyond the Eye of the Beholder

By Leanne Hoagland-Smith

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Coaching Beyond Borders, A Partnership for Sustainable Success

By Julia von Flotow

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The Creative Coach’s Corner Realizing Our Full Potential

By Yael Blum

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Investing In Your Self Through Coaching Part III: Into the Garden

By Sandra Stephenson

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World Business and Executive Coach Summit An invitation to The World's Best Event for Coaches

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Interview with author Morgana Rae Author of Financial Alchemy: Twelve Months of Magic and Manifestation.

By Ton de Graaf

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E-Coaching – More Than Coaching by Email

By Robert Griffith

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Executive Coaching Goes Beyond the Eye of the Beholder

By Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Many appreciate the old quote of “Beauty goes beyond the eye of the beholder.” What this continues to mean each person has his or her own opinion about what or even who is beautiful.

In today’s highly results driven world, many initiatives or strategies have been undertaken to increase enterprise and individual performances. However very few have gone beyond the opinion of a few to generate such overwhelming agreement that executive coaching when well done, well integrated and aligned to the enterprises’ predetermined results delivers such exceptional value.

As May is International Coaching Month, what better time to explore beyond the beauty or value of executive coaching especially for small businesses and sales professionals. Yes the larger firms know the value. However

many smaller firms (those under 500 employees that comprise 98.2% for all US businesses) appear to have yet embrace the beauty of this incredibly, powerful solution that unlocks the untapped potential and consequently performance residing in each individual.

To date one of the most accepted definitive and intensive studies about the value of coaching is from MetroGlobal, LLC. Over a decade ago in 2001, MetroGlobal surveyed 100 executives of Fortune 1000 companies who had received executive coaching with the primary goal to determine value or return on investment (ROI).

The time frame for these coaching experiences ranged from six months to 12 months. What the researchers discovered was executive coaching delivered a substantial 4

return on investment of 500% to 700%. The reason for the variation of ROI was due to the company, the executive and the results.

As noted by Fast Company “Executive coaches are not for the meek. They're for people who value unambiguous feedback. All coaches have one thing in common, it's that they are ruthlessly results-oriented."

My sense is Fast Company is making a presumption that all coaches are effective.

This may not be true as more and more flood into one of the fastest growing industries.

Since I have had several discussions with certified coaches who believed that results were not everything, my experience tells me not all coaches deliver a 500% to 700% ROI. So who seeks the beauty or value in executive coaching? The Chicago Tribune (USA) appeared to have the most simplistic answer to that question:

“Winners who want more out of life.”

The desire to win, to get more out of life, is part of the human DNA in spite of the attempts to quiet this innate human drive.

Also the word “winners” could be easily replaced by forward thinking leaders. These folks want to take their businesses or even their selves to that next level of performance and success. Possibly they have tried other solutions that were not sustainable. Now they realized the obstacle could be each team member and to build the entire team begins with one person at a time.

Executive coaching is not for the faint hearted nor is it always beautiful. In fact sometimes the process becomes quite ugly from the perspective of the person being coached.

One of my past executive coaching clients called me “Coach PITA.” I did not mind his somewhat negative description as his annual growth for his manufacturing firm was around 7%. He set a goal for 15% and actually achieved 23.4% all in 9 months.

Another client said through my silence and very few pointed questions allowed her to reach inside of herself. The executive coaching process for her was extremely uncomfortable. And yes the result of was worth it because she was able to triple her annual business growth rate.

Those who appreciate the beauty and consequently value of executive coaching are still few in number, but that number is growing. As more and more studies are undertaken, the research should continue to reveal the beauty of this incredible process of guided self-awareness through clarity, consistency and commitment.

So maybe now is the time to have that honest conversation with yourself and determine if an executive coach can support you to unlock all that untapped potential just wanting to burst through into May’s sunshine.

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Coaching Beyond Borders A Partnership for Sustainable Success

By Julia von Flotow

The coaching relationship is created from the initial point of contact and developed over the course of the coaching program whether conducted, locally, in person, or internationally, by skype or telephone.

As with every relationship, what determines success in a coaching partnership is resonance, rapport and fit.

For the coach, being clear about who you are and the experience you offer, is to know your brand and essential to cultivating and communicating a consistent brand message that is aligned with the experience you offer.

In establishing the relationship, it is important to clarity the role of coach and coachee and come to a shared understanding of responsibilities.

The coach facilitates and manages the coaching process while the coachee sets the direction, makes all the choices and follows through on any action commitment made.

Recognizing what is necessary to initiate a solid coaching partnership is to understand what actions both coach and coachee need to perform in their particular roles before, during and after the terms of the coaching partnership.

Prior to establishing the partnership, the coach is actively marketing while the coachee is sourcing a supplier. The coachee may or may not have a clear understanding of their situation or what they specifically want to achieve. The coach’s ability to attract interest, establish trust and intimacy with the 7

potential client and engage the coachee long enough to effect some shift in their perspective generates hope and builds credibility. Cultivating a strong coaching presence is key.

being in a safe place. Trust. Next most important was the belief that my coach would be able to guide me through the difficult as well as not so difficult parts of the coaching process. I needed to believe in her.

What do we mean by Coaching Presence and how do we develop it in the technological and information age we live in?

This very different feedback to the same question gave me food for thought. My messaging and interactions on Facebook had attracted two very different people looking for very specific things!

As with any other brand, it is the coach’s consistent messaging that conveys her brand’s unique features and benefits and sets the stage for the next phase in relationship development.

I recently asked two of my international coaching clients who found me via Facebook, what qualities, skills and/or talents they were looking for in a coach and how they would have recognized them in a distance, rather than local, coach.

One responded with “Having had a lot of personal growth, human potential, New Age, spiritual, and enlightenment-related experiences, I was looking for someone who would help ground me and help teach me to succeed in practical, real-world terms...while still having an affinity for mysticism, states and stages of consciousness, and the reality of the inner domains of the mind and the soul. I wanted someone who could bring this all to me and partner with me. I would recognize them at a distance by how they interacted with me online, and how they interacted with others. And I would want there to be no doubt in my mind that if I were going to work with someone, this would be the kind of person I would want to work with.”

My other international client, responded with “I barely knew what a coach even was when I decided to go into coaching! I just knew I needed help in certain areas. The most important quality for me was the feeling of

To the question, How did you go about making your decision to hire a coach? What was involved? The first one responded, I spent over a year getting to know my distance coach through Facebook, and then we eventually had one or two phone sessions that were free of charge. At that point, I was ready to commit.

And the second, “…I visited the coach’s website to get an idea of who this person was by reading as much as I could. Facebook pages, where my coach posted thoughts and how she replied to comments helped me assess too. Of vital importance was being able to watch a few videos of my coach talking and explaining things so that I could not only hear what she had to say, but get a feel for the person I was going to be coached by. The first phone call was of vital importance too, as this was when I had my very first contact, and I got a real feel for how my coach related with me.

Other factors I considered included: 1) The feeling and knowledge that I needed to be helped in certain areas.

2) Finances. Because the reality is if you can't afford your coach you can't be coached!

So, it was whether I had enough money to be able to afford coaching, and then.......did I feel the fees to be reasonable. 3) In deciding I felt I needed to be certain and strong enough to 8

go through with coaching especially as I did not know anything much about coaching. 4) Making sure I understood the boundaries, (ie could I contact my coach if I felt right on the edge and wobbling badly), and how much support between sessions could I expect there to be for me.

As coach, in relationship with these two coachees, I am amazed by the generosity of insight they are sharing with me in their responses and attribute this to the quality of relationship we have been able to create through our coaching partnership. What a gift it is for clients to offer me such insight into their decision-making processes.

And to the question, “How long did it take to create a safe and supportive coaching environment? What, if anything, was memorable or important about this process?”

The first one responded with: “Just moments, really. The intimacy of a good phone connection made it all easy.”

While the second one’s response was: “It didn't take long at all for a safe and supportive coaching environment to be created. After the first session I felt that I would be safe. After perhaps the second or third I knew it without a shadow of a doubt, and totally trusted my coach and felt at ease with her.”

What these two coaching relationships had in common, was that they were both international and shared me as their coach, even though the coaching objective in each, was unique. In the first one, the medium was coaching by telephone; In the second, we used skype.

When asked, What kind of value/benefits did you receive from your coaching experience?

Can you identify and comment on any significant contributing factors?

The first coachee’s response was

“My career and business have, after some serious trials and tribulations, really taken off this year. I have more self confidence about important decisions concerning my health and how I live my days. I'm less easily shaken by interruptive and unexpected events. The grounding work we've done -- visualization with repeated themes and motifs -- was very powerful and very helpful.”

The second coachee responded with: “The benefits I received from my coaching experience were tremendous. Being aware of how I was changing week by week. How I felt, the quiet excitement and growing peace I was experiencing. The joy. The knowledge that coaching and all the practices I was taught were working because of how I felt, and what people close to me were saying. All that I hoped for started to happen, and grew exponentially with every session. To have hourly sessions followed by weekly journals needing to be submitted to my coach post and pre session, really clarified my thoughts and helped me focus. At times having to do them felt like 'a pain in the neck', but they were of enormous value. I knew this at the time and in retrospect even more so. The emails and support between sessions were phenomenal and of very great importance to a coachee who is separated from her coach by long distances. Without that contact and back up I believe the closeness and flow could not be maintained and a feeling of being isolated would be known, felt, and would grow.”

What’s fascinating in their response to the question of value and benefits of coaching is how both coachees reflect on the positive change with their personal and professional or social domains of their life. Contributing factors in each case were different and these, may be identified and recognized differently depending on what stage of the coaching journey we were to stop to reflect.

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The last question asked, “Was there anything that you felt missing in your coaching experience by not being able to meet face to face? Are there any benefits and/or features of distance coaching that added value to the coaching process...if so, what were they and how did they contribute?”

To this question, the first coachee, whose sessions were conducted by telephone, responded: “In some ways, Distance Coaching is preferable. No travel time, no worries about awkwardness should we meet in the real world, and the intimacy provided by a strong phone connection is nearly as great as two people being in the same room. As inviting as it may seem, I think that video distance coaching would be fraught with technical and psychological peril. I love not being seen, free to flop on the floor, or cry or whatever I want or need to do during a session. This is a strength.

enhanced when we limit the distraction and judgments associated with the way we look or appear to others. I’m so glad I asked. From now on, I will remember to ask my coachee partners what they prefer, each session may be different.

Given this new information, I will be checking in with them, from time to time to explore what we can to enhance and build a partnership that transcends time and space and creates focused momentum and generates desired results, whether I am coaching in person or by distance.

So much of the joy of coaching, for me, lies in fostering powerful creative partnerships with my coachees for it’s in the space between us that visions, strategies and solutions are created and inspired actions designed that empower the coachee to lead with the heart and live their practice.

The second coachee, where skype was used without video, said: “Yes. I did feel there was something missing in my coaching experience by not being able to meet face to face. The empty screen of the computer has an isolating and slightly unreal effect. The only way I could best cope and get around it was by closing my eyes so that I didn't know you 'were not there'! It was easy, however, in visualisation. Obviously I coped and coped well, but it took working at. Of course you can overcome these feelings. I did, but it required concentrated effort, and as I say, that was somewhat isolating and distracting.”

How enlightening! How would I, as coach, have known that the second respondent wanted to see me, without asking? My assumption was that active listening is

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International Coaching Week Special Promotion

Julia von Flotow is a mindfulness executive, life and business coach and founder of the Kaizen Leadership Institute, Toronto, Canada. www.kaizenlifecoach.com.

In honour of International Coaching Week, May 20 – 26, 2013, she’s offering a International Coaching Special Promotion.

International Coaching Special Promotion

http://player.vimeo.com/video/33534575

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The Creative Coach’s Corner Realizing Our Full Potential

By Yael Blum

The idea that we are living in a time of great uncertainty and unprecedented change has become something of a cliché; nevertheless, it is the truth. One needn’t look far to encounter the overwhelming impact such changes are having on our lives. A burgeoning population, economic derailment, globalization, disease, famine, war, and environmental destruction are just some of the usual suspects threatening our security as a species and ushering in a new vanguard of concerned citizens and leaders.

Across industries and continents people agree that something must be done to address the damages our reckless consumption and exploitation has wrought upon the world.

While many lament that it’s too late for a turn around, others are part of the impressive ground swell that shows no sign of abating.

From social entrepreneurs and "conscious capitalists" to servant leaders, a unifying theme prevails: to set a course toward a more hopeful, caring world. And coaches can help.

Coaches are called upon to work with people facing, what leadership futurist Bob Johansen calls, a VUCA world- characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. They are invited to stand at the cross road with individuals attempting to forge new pathways of relevance and impact

for the organizations and communities in which they serve and belong.

In short, coaches are privy to the personal aspirations and strategic directions being set by leaders around the world- many of whom influence the very issues that worry us all the most. With this “access card” comes a high degree of responsibility, the least of which is to acknowledge it in the first place. But with challenges of such magnitude that cannot be enough. The coaching world has grown up with a belief that people are inherently good and self-correcting. And while it is a mental model with tremendous merit, it also has a darker side that can falsely absolve us for thinking it is enough to have asked the “tough” questions.

Indeed, we must be able to ask the tough questions. But to realize our full potential as agents of growth and change we must also be willing to answer them ourselves. It is not enough to hope our leaders will wake up, if we are fast asleep. We must be equipped, both intellectually and emotionally, to hold the space for the courageous and necessary conversations taking place. And we must have sorted out our own unique proposition for the kind of future we are willing to work toward. *** 12

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Investing In Your Self Through Coaching Part III Into the Garden

By Sandra Stephenson

After Bonnies first coaching session and later that evening, she feels good.

Bonnie has a secret, a new Coach, someone on her side and she has a sense of confidence that hasn’t been felt in a while.

She’s looking forward to the challenge of speaking with her boss about quitting and she might even attempt a long put off talk with her husband.

Bonnie feels energized by having a clear vision of what she wants to do.

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PART III Into the Garden At the dinner table her husband, Charles, starts ranting about politics. He wants to inspire his children, Mark, 13 and his daughter Julie, 16 to be more cognizant about what’s going on with the government. This ranting is something that Bonnie can’t stand.

When he’s in that kind of mood it will be impossible for Bonnie to have a decent conversation. It’s looks like her goal of telling her husband she wants to quit her job will have to go on hold.

Bonnie’s sense of power diminishes over dinner. As she washes the dishes she considers how she will tell her boss she’s quitting. Maybe this will play out the way she wants it to. Bonnie thinks about the words that were shared in her coaching session and how she felt an atmosphere of understanding from her Coach and how a renewed awareness of hope, that seemed lost for a while, bubbled up inside her.

At work the next day Bonnie is having fun with the people coming and going. Her new attitude is paying off with the way these people are responding to her. Unexpectedly, a person who is a patient with one of the psychologists approaches her.

Carmen is a wealthy woman who has her own business and a high profile in Houston.

Carmen wonders how long Bonnie is going to work at this job and offers Bonnie a job as her assistant. Carmen has noticed that Bonnie is overly qualified for the job she now has and Carmen has always liked her.

Carmen: “I’ve talked to Dr. Bentley and he’s aware that I’m offering you this job. I can pay you $30.00 per hour and you can have time to pursue other things that you might want to do.”

Bonnie is absolutely stunned. She’s only making $14.89 an hour and this will be doubling her pay and give her more freedom.

Bonnie accepts this job offer. It seems that all her challenges have been taken away and in their place unexpected opportunities popped up. This new job throws a curve ball into Bonnie’s equation with her goals.

At her next SKYPE coaching session Bonnie is excited to share what happened.

COACH: That’s remarkable! It sounds like the universe is working in your favor.

BONNIE: I know. It’s not what I envisioned for myself but it is a step in the right direction and I didn’t even do anything.

I’m actually a bit puzzled about it.

COACH:

What are you puzzled about?

BONNIE: I’ve read some self-help books and all so I’m wondering if something changed inside of me since I saw you?

COACH: I can’t answer that but I do know that when you are able to open up and see clearly what you want to do, that can stimulate a corresponding response in the outer manifestations of your life.

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BONNIE: That’s what I mean. I’m thinking that after our first session I felt very clear about what I really want to do and even though this job isn’t my perfect occupation, I can see where it will give me freedom to explore more. Because I felt a movement toward possibilities, could that have sparked a tangible opportunity? What do you think?

COACH: I think that is absolutely correct.

Congratulations! It’s true. You opened up and knew you weren’t stuck and then an unexpected opportunity came into your life.

Something in the mechanism of your interior life gave way to new and unexpected opportunities and all without you doing anything. Sometimes that happens, but I must say, hardly ever as quick.

BONNIE: Thank you. I really know that you had a hand in this. When I closed out of our skype session I felt that a weight had been lifted, maybe that was the opening.

COACH: So, now where do you want to go from here? What is your next step, your next goal, and your next action?

BONNIE: I didn’t have to confront the challenge of telling my boss and my husband that I wanted to quit my job, so they don’t even know about it. But now I suppose that my next big challenge or goal is to talk with my husband and let him know about some of the other ideas I have and also, there is another issue that I want to bite off.

COACH:

I’m listening.

BONNIE: I think my husband is having an affair.

COACH: You know I’m not a marriage counselor and I’m not going to quote a lot of

clichés. I can help you, but remember, you do have to accept responsibilities for your own perceptions.

BONNIE: Did you hear what I just said?

Are you suggesting I change my perspective about him having an affair?

COACH: I’m just specifying again, what coaching is about.

BONNIE: I don’t want a marriage counselor. I want your support or insight or both.

COACH: All right. I’m going to go straight for the juggler. What kind of fact are you basing your suspicion on?

BONNIE: Ouch! (pause) It’s a feeling.

I think my husband is having an affair.

COACH:

What’s the feeling?

BONNIE: He seems so distant, so preoccupied and so uninterested in me.

COACH: And you’re assuming that he is preoccupied with another woman?

BONNIE: He is gone a lot and since we don’t have a lot of sex, I hate to put it that way, but with you I just feel like saying it. We 16

hardly ever have any sex. I could say, ‘make love’ but I’m sick of that term.

COACH: voice.

There’s a bit of anger in your

BONNIE: You are right. I’m damn angry. (pause) I’m angry with myself.

COACH: What could you do to bring more sex, love, back into the relationship?

BONNIE: I could go out into the garden, pick red roses, tear the petals off and spread them on the unmade white bed sheets.

The way Bonnie says this cracks up the coach. They both laugh.

BONNIE: I DO want to take my life back!

COACH: Okay, good. Emotional Action.

What is your target with all of this?

BONNIE: Target? Um, well, I’m sick of acting like this little meepy, hesitant little woman, who scurries around making sure no one is unhappy or offended and all the time keeping my emotions and concerns locked up. I just want to break out and fly, I want my career back, I want my husband back and I want my children to admire us, not just go to their rooms and text themselves to death.

COACH: action?

What’s the target? Where’s the

BONNIE: Connection and love.

BONNIE: Then I could grab the son of a bitch and throw him down on the bed. (They continue to laugh.)

COACH:

What’s the action?

BONNIE: Picking those damn red roses!

COACH: Woooo, that’s some strong womanhood!

To be continued…..

What could you do to bring more sex and love back into the relationship?

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An invitation to The World's Best Event for Coaches This year the third annual World Business and Executive Coach Summit (WBECS) will take place from June 13 - 28. We cordially invite you to join us online!

WBECS offers an outstanding professional growth opportunity. It brings together the thought leaders of the coaching world to share their knowledge and experience with practicing coaches.

They have a no cost pre-summit, that is like a series of online TED talks and you can gain a complimentary pass to this here: http://www.wbecs.com The presenters this year are diverse and first rate and include (just to name a few): • •

• • • • • • • •

John C. Maxwell: One of the top coaches on the concept of leadership.

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith: One of the top thought leaders in the field of management and change. He designed 360-degree feedback to help measure change in organisations.

Daniel Pink - Bestselling Author on The Changing World of Work Brendon Burchard - 3 time NY Times best selling author Frances Hesselbein - Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient, Founding President of the Drucker Foundation Pamela McLean - Preeminent Authority On Coaching, Transformation Learning and Transition Michael Port - the author of the Book Yourself Solid System Verne Harnish - Fortune Magazine's Top 10 Minds In Small Business Vishen Lakhiani - Founder/CEO of Mindvalley, Passionate Leader of Global Change Darren Hardy - The visionary force behind SUCCESS magazine as its Publisher and Founding Editor

The pre-summit is a 'must attend' whether you buy a full ticket or not, as the sessions are very high value, don't cost anything and are completely sales pitch free.

You only need to register once and you gain access to all the pre-summit sessions live: http://www.wbecs.com 19

http://vimeo.com/66369346

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By Ton de Graaf, ChBC™

By Ton de Graaf, ChBC™ Morgana Rae is an internationally acclaimed life coach, speaker and author of Financial Alchemy: Twelve Months of Magic and Manifestation. Widely regarded to be the world's top Relationship with Money Coach, she has been featured on ABC-TV, PBS, NPR, FOX News Radio, United Press International and The Wall Street Journal online, and is frequently a featured expert on programs with Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, John Gray, John Assaraf and T Harv Eker. Named one of 2012's Top Women in E-commerce by WE Magazine, Morgana has guided thousands of entrepreneurs, artists, healers and humanitarians to thrive in their purpose, attract more than they chase, and make things happen with ease, flow and synchronicity.

In her book, Financial Alchemy, Morgana walks you through her time-tested program to turn your personal Money Monster of scarcity into a Money Honey of abundance. The book is a self-guided system to help you uncover your limiting blocks to abundance, and transform your relationship with money using a SUCCESS FORMULA that keeps you on track and positively "magnetic".

I'd like to share with you a recent interview I had with Morgana when I got to ask her some questions on attracting high-end clients plus other tips for coaches. I hope you enjoy it.

------Ton de Graaf: What's the best way for coaches to attract high-end clients?

Morgana Rae: That’s a great question and what I would ask back is what is your “why” for wanting to attract high-end clients?

Is this the group of people you care about most? Can help the most? Understand most?

The reason that I’m asking these questions is because if your desire to attract high-end clients is coming out of any kind of fear or desperation, if your “why” is because nobody 21

else will pay you what you need or want… your efforts at attraction aren’t going to work.

Your client will know if you’re coming from a place of serving your own needs or if you’re going to serve their needs. Until you can solve a problem for that client - a problem that is more pressing and more painful than paying you whatever you charge - you’re not going to attract that client.

So, number 1: go to the value that you provide. The place to begin is first getting really, really clean about offering more value, value that is worth much, much more than anything that you’re charging. Really know the value of what you offer. Know exactly the pain that you have a solution for, for exactly the kind of person who needs you and will benefit from you. If that person with the problem you solve happens to be high-end, then you will attract high-end clients. In my experience it really doesn’t matter if a client has a lot of money or not. If you have a solution that is compelling and unique and effective, and your message speaks to somebody individually and personally, and they need your solution, they will find a way to hire you.

If clients are not hiring you, it’s because they don’t see a compelling benefit from you, or they don’t believe in themselves enough to believe that the solution is possible for them.

So to attract high-end clients you do exactly the same thing that you would do for any kind of client: you get really clear and specific on how you help a person, a real person with real problems, and you learn how to communicate with that person in a way that makes them really, really want to work with you and willing to do whatever it takes.

I’ve coached people on every extreme, the people who have virtually no money to the people who have hundreds of millions of

dollars and more. The people with hundreds of millions of dollars and more are no more satisfying as clients. It’s really the human being, not their net worth that makes them a great client. But it doesn’t matter, they will have the same concerns, the same resistance to hiring you, the “I can’t afford it” may not be their excuse, but if they don’t have that one they’ll have another one, if they don’t really want what you’re offering and don’t believe in what you’re offering.

So you need to get really, really clear on your value and who you help. And if you have a problem that really appeals to high-end clients then you will attract them.

One last tip: It’s a bonus. It’s purely practical.

Take a look at your language. If your marketing and communication is all about getting out of poverty and getting out of financial scarcity, then you’re going to attract people who are in poverty and scarcity, and you’re not going to attract those so called high-end clients.

But really, take a look at your “why” and take a look at the human being. More than anything else really, know your value and always give more value than the dollar amount that you charge even if you’re charging $100,000 a year.

Ton de Graaf: Coaches are often people who find it hard to 'sell' themselves (maybe a bit introverted?). What advice can you offer them in terms of making the case for coaching?

Morgana Rae: Well, I’m an introvert and if I had to make cold calls, or warm calls, or even hot calls… I would be out of business! I don’t like to sell, so my first piece of advice is find the activity that feels best to you, and really apply yourself to that strategy.

For instance, I have a friend who gets a new client EVERY time she goes out for coffee

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with somebody. It doesn’t work that way for me. I had to find a different approach.

Because I hate phone calls, suck at lunches, and I’m even worse with follow up, I focus on communicating with my on-line newsletter I’ve got this email list of almost 13,000 people that I stay in touch with every week, just giving stuff away.

Here’s a big distinction that will be life or death to your business: You’re not selling coaching. You’re not even selling yourself. You’re selling an idea. You’re selling your belief in what’s possible for a person. And now, more than ever, you’re selling a solution to a problem you care about.

I’m selling my belief in another person. I take myself out of the equation, and I really strongly recommend that you do too, because it just feels icky.

I’m really, really good at selling my belief in what is possible for human beings, selling my message and that’s all coaching is. So let’s just name the lie right now.

struggle with a client who’s not going to be happy with me. There’s nothing wrong with that.

So there are a few tips here: 1. Don’t sell yourself.

2. Sell your message and your solution.

3. Don’t be attached to being hired. I know that that’s harder when you have no clients. You just have to get really, really cool with ONLY serving the people you will serve best.

4. Do not sell coaching. Let Oprah sell coaching. Let your coaching school sell coaching.

5. Sell your client’s dream.

6. Sell your message for humanity.

7. Sell your specific solution for that individual, and leave coaching out of it.

This is the biggest mistake of coaches and reiki practitioners and massage therapists and hypnotherapists and every service professional… We start to sell our “widget,” our vehicle, instead of the destination.

Coaches are the best salespeople in the world, that’s all we do! All we do is sell our belief to our clients so that they can move forward.

People don’t care about the vehicle. If they could get the solution in a pill, they would.

Wouldn’t you? Don’t confuse the destination--where they want to go--with the vehicle that gets them there. Leave the vehicle out of it. Nobody cares!

It’s a matter of priorities. My belief and my desire for what is possible for my client has got to be a lot bigger than my selfconsciousness and my desire to play small and hide, and it also has to be bigger than my need to be hired.

When you push what someone does care about, you feel pushy, desperate, and salesy.

Ick ick ick!

In fact, I’m totally cool when I don’t think somebody’s a good fit. In fact, I’m relieved. I would so much rather refer somebody to another coach who’s a better fit, than to

Just focus on the destination. It’s not you. It’s not coaching. It is the clients dream. If you are uniquely qualified to help them get what they really, really want; then there’s really no selling involved, is there?

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Ton de Graaf: The fee structure of coaches might change over time when they gain experience and skills. How can you raise your fee with existing clients without getting frowned upon?

Morgana Rae: Well, there are two different kinds of clients. There are your individual one-on-one clients, and your group clients.

If you really, really love coaching an existing client, I wouldn’t necessarily raise their fee.

You can discuss it, you can raise it incrementally so it’s not painful--like add $15, or something--but I personally don’t raise my rates on my existing private clients. I have one client who’s been with me about seven years and she pays much, much less than my new clients do. That’s the reward for being an early responder, and not putting off hiring me and staying with me all of this time.

I find it easier to raise my rates for NEW incoming clients, so anybody who’s putting off hiring me is going to pay so MUCH more next year than if they hire me this year! And that works just fine for me.

Then there’s another kind of client: they’re the group coaching clients. Typically with group coaching, I offer a specific program. Maybe a three-month program, or a year-long program, or a weekend intensive. That way, when one group ends, I can re-examine my price structure before I offer the program again. It may not fit my business model anymore, or who I’ve become.

Because each year we grow, we’re not the same coach. And the more you invest in yourself, the more other people want to invest in you.

For instance I invest over $100,000 every year on coaches and classes to just keep learning new stuff that I can give to my own clients.

Think of the confidence investment gives you.

Investment becomes your “normal,” and it affects the way you and your clients interact when discussing fees.

My friend Ali Brown’s Mastermind Group went from, I think $20,000 or $24,000 one year, to $100,000 the next year. Some people continued, or she just got a whole new type of client base at the higher rate and let go of the people from the year before.

You have to go in and find what is in integrity for you, and what feels best for you, Undercharging feels bad. It feels like selfbetrayal. It feels out of integrity. It feels like lying. Have the courage to put your integrity first, and your fear of being frowned on last.

Because I promise you: you will be frowned on by somebody, I guarantee it. And you have to learn to be okay with that. *** I hope you enjoyed this interview with Morgana Rae and that you’ll check out her book Financial Alchemy: Twelve Months of Magic and Manifestation at http:// www.morganarae.com/book-launch/pages/ launch.php

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E-Coaching – More Than Coaching by Email

By Robert Griffiths

I would like to start with some observations about trends within coaching, society and business and then go on to look at how ecoaching can help coaches respond to these trends and create new opportunities for the new world we are all having to face.

What is e-coaching and how can it make a difference?

Firstly the Internet has revolutionised the possibilities of how we interact using text, voice or video. The reach of these technologies has expanded exponentially and it is now almost taken for granted that most coaches and clients will have some means to access the Internet.

In response these trends my company has developed CoachMaster™ - a real time coaching software. It is intended to fit in with the ‘new world’ while at the same time opening up new income streams for coaches which allows them to offer coaching services in a new way while still contributing to others.

It is not the only form of e-coaching but it is making a significant contribution to the field.

Secondly in business budgets are becoming tighter and there is a need to do more for less. There is less reliance on expensive external consultants and more emphasis on using internal resources to do the job. This is being mirrored in society there is a growing need for skilled help to be available to the general population on a wide spectrum of health related issues. However there is also a huge squeeze on the resources which are needed to provide that skilled help.

CoachMaster™ is the world’s first tool to facilitate real time coaching and problem solving for individuals and teams. It consists of two elements.

1) A database of pre-prepared coaching processes and 2) A technology to connect coaches with clients.

Thirdly teams and individuals are becoming more diverse and geographically dispersed from their work which means that people spend less time in the office.

The pre prepared processes consist of questions, hints and advice designed by experts to help a coach work through a broad range of management and personal issues.

They can also include links to external resources and information.

I believe this confluence of events represents a big opportunity for coaches and coaching.

But we as coaches have to respond positively to these changes. There is a need for a new paradigm in coaching that recognises that times have changed and these issues have to be tackled in a new way.

For the business environment there are specific processes for subjects such as career progression, time management or team building as well many other issues. For more personal use there are processes for weight loss, stopping smoking and mild depression.

In addition there is a general process which 25

can be used if the issue is not known or not clear. The coach can change the process in mid-session if they wish to.

Prior to the session the coach selects the most appropriate process for the issue the client (or clients if coaching a team) is facing. You can see part of the ‘general’ process on the right in the graphic below.

The coach then connects to the client through the system. Using the chosen process the coach works with the client to raise their awareness and responsibility around the issue so that they can create their own solutions.

The sessions are not restricted to text. They can be conducted using the telephone or video or even face to face using pre-printed coaching cards. The coach still uses the process as a guide but keeps notes – ideally of

the whole session but certainly of the stage summaries.

Using e-coaching a coach can 1. Develop new income streams with companies and other organisations 2. Design niche processes for specific coaching issues and market them 3. Offer a new model for organisations to develop coaching skills while saving travel and time costs.

4. Train coaches in real time virtually 5. Leverage expert skill for their own use or others 6. Offer supervision services in a completely new way 7. Provide statistics on the extent of coaching activity 8. Provide automatic feedback from clients on coaching sessions

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E-coaching opens up a new world of opportunities and can be applied in business, mental and physical health and education.

other effectively using the software.

The Future Some of the potential uses we have identified are: 1. To enable managers to build coaching 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

skills while solving real problems To develop coaching processes for particular aspects of business, like selling, marketing, technical problems or purchasing To link the tool to other software like Customer Relations Management systems, conferencing systems and groupware.

To build up skills in development areas after assessment tests To work with Employee Assistance Programmes supporting mental and physical well being To support educational programmes As a coach training tool where observers can watch coaching To create communities in area such as weight loss and stopping smoking where people can learn to help each

I believe we are on the cusp of an exciting new period where coaching will break through from being a niche subject into the reality of everyone’s lives.

My ‘big vision’ is to create a world wide community where anyone who had a problem would be able to connect with another person who would be able to offer skilled help at an affordable price.

I believe this could be a reality quite soon and it is an incredibly great time to be a coach. It is now possible to have coaches available, inside and outside organisations, supported by software providing skilled help at the point of need.

If you would like to be part of the CoachMaster™ project please get in touch at robert.griffiths@thecoachmasternetwork.com

or have a look at http://thecoachmasternetwork.com/software/ * * *

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Our contributing editors: Sandra Stephenson is a certified professional coach, and the founder of Infinity Coaching. She is a graduate of the prestigious International Coach Academy. She helps her clients move from a sense of immobility, to goal setting, and to actions that lead to their highest level of consciousness in all areas of their life. Using the model of the spiral, the coach helps the client change positions, gain new perspectives, create plans, and move into action.

“When we are aligned with our inner values through self awareness, we can live meaningful productive lives without conflict.”

You can contact Sandra at: alohacoach@hawaii.rr.com

By trailblazing through conventional learning and business practices, heurist, writer and speaker Leanne Hoagland-Smith quickly demonstrates through ACE© how to advance people (talent) and operations (management) to that next generation of revenue growth for individuals and SMBs. She seeks forward thinkers who are stuck in the current status quo and want to stay ahead of the flow. Call her at 219.759.5601 CST or visit www.processspecalist.com to learn more.

Yael Blum is committed to the heart of the matter, that essential point where values, dreams, wisdom, courage, love and leadership collide to catalyze a course of action that nourishes people and planet.

As an inspiring and experienced leadership development consultant, certified executive coach, systems thinker, and AI enthusiast, Yael fulfills her mission to support the development of extraordinary leaders and social entrepreneurs worldwide.

For more information visit www.intwoit.com or E-mail yblum@intwoit.com

Pratap Nambiar is the founder and Chairman of Thought Perfect Pte Ltd a Singapore based firm providing business performance coaching and mentoring services to CEOs. He brings with him over 35 years of international experience across all continents.

A qualified professional coach certified by the International Coach Federation, and Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Centric Coaching, he is widely known as a passionate catalyst for change in the lives of the people he works with. His deep commitment to enhancing the quality of his client’s business performance has helped numerous multinationals improve their leadership effectiveness.

You can contact Pratap at: pnambiar@thoughtperfect.com

Julia von Flotow founded KAIZEN Lifestyle Management in 2007 in Toronto, Canada to help individuals, who feel stuck, trapped or overwhelmed, see new possibilities and take action to build an inspired life and help organizations develop their leadership potential for sustainable success.

Julia von Flotow's distinguished executive career spans 25 years in the cultural sector.

More info: www.kaizenlifecoach.com or E-mail Julia.

Ton de Graaf is one of the very few executive coaches in the world who is designated by the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches as a Chartered Business Coach™ (ChBC™). He is the owner of Quest Coaching Netherlands and the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Worldwide Coaching magazine.

After a career in the military he earned his flying wings as General Manager of a London based coaching firm and as life, business and executive coach trainer with the International Coach Academy in Australia. He coaches executives across the globe on leadership and business issues.

He can be reached here: info@tondegraaf.com or visit: www.dutchcoachapproach.com

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