Who Hires a Coach?

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

Professionals hire a coach for many different reasons. For some, it is to assist them in starting or growing a business, for others it is to accelerate their personal development or to help them through a life transition such as a career change or to accelerate their progress. In truth, it is achievers who hire coaches - those who know there is another level. They've gotten pretty far on their own, and they just aren't sure how to get where they truly want to go.

The common thread among all people who hire a coach is that they want results. They want to see and experience tangible progress toward important goals and objectives. They want balance, fulfillment and increased income. They want increased productivity, to be organized and more effective. Oh yes, and they want to have a personal life that's happy.

Hiring a professional coach for assistance is no different than an athlete who hires a coach to help them train in a sport when­ the objective is to increase the likelihood of meeting particular goals (and what professional athlete do you know of that doesn't have a coach?!). A coach will help you stay focused on what is important, will challenge you to do more than you might think is possible, and will make consistent, big requests of you. ­ In short, a coach will support, encourage, and coach you toward the goals that are most important to you.

SHIFT! and the World Shifts with You!

4 Ways to Make Today Awesome

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

My daughter has always had personality in spades. And she can let things roll off her back like no-one else I have ever seen.

When someone is rude, doesn't call her back, or tells her no, she just doesn't really seem to care. She's pretty happy-go-lucky and while I've been concerned about her getting her feelings hurt {which happens, don't get me wrong}, most of the time she just doesn't care.

As a professional trying to make it in today's world, you've got more than your fair share of challenges and each one of them brings with it the seed of you possibly being an unhappy camper. But what happens doesn't have to determine how you feel about it, and it can't shake your positive attitude if you don't let it.

R is for Referrals, Part 8: Repeat

-->

Step 8 in creating your referral-only business is to repeat. That's right, repeat Steps 1-7 again and again. It's not sexy, sometimes it's not very exciting, yet this process so effective you won't recognize your business six or twelve months from now when you implement them.

Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here.

R is for Referrals, Part 7: Be a 1%-er in Everything You Do

A 1%-er is someone who seemingly has everything they want and can do anything they want to do. In truth, a 1%-er is someone who lives by a code of conduct that almost ensures their personal and professional lives work. They enjoy success seemingly effortlessly. It's simple to become a 1%-er, and definitely not easy. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it to you.

First, I suggest you write your own Code of Conduct, and I'll share some suggestions my own personal Code of Conduct:

1. I live by the Golden Rule, which states, "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself, and one should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated."
2. I give first.
3. I give more than what I am paid to give. I under-promise and over-deliver.
4. I speak my truth and I tell the truth.
5. I help other people.
6. I keep my word. I do what I say, every time, with no exception. If I break my word, I will makes a new agreement that is a win-win.
7. I identify the right actions to achieve my goals and outcomes, and I do them consistently with urgency and intention.
8. I know my core values and uses them as a guide for all of my decision making.
9. I laugh out loud and have fun every single day.

Second, I suggest you live by your Code of Conduct.

Someone who is a 1%-er does the things consistently that take them closer to their goals. They do the things others are not always willing to do. Living with integrity, making the calls, following-up, getting up early and staying up late, working when you're tired, making the ask ... all of those things are challenging. There's no question.

Here's the truth: 1%-ers have what others want and you can be a 1%-er, too, if you're willing to do what they do. It's that simple.

Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here.

R is for Referrals, Part 1

A referral-only business is the end goal of any person desiring super achiever and earner status. The person who has a referral-only business has a team of marketers (a.k.a. strategic partners or really satisfied customers) out promoting their business on a regular basis, inspiring would-be clients to call or visit just in time to make their purchase. 

The perception of the referral-only business owner is that they are:

• in demand,
• excellent at what they do or sell, and
• probably more expensive than supposed competitors.  

Is this the reputation you have? Is this the position you're in right now in your business? Are you instead using methods of business building that are much less effective, such as: cold calling, door knocking, advertising, direct mail, and my personal favorite, hoping? Right now is truly the time to intentionally begin to build your team of marketers, and therefore your referral-only business.

Typically, you will have much more influence and control over referred clients, as they have been teed-up to move forward with their purchase, and most likely they are ready to buy right now. The quality of referral clients is statistically better, and typically you will have to spend less time selling them, and more time counseling them and building a relationship that actual began before they ever talked to you for the first time. 

What you may not know is that everyone has a built-in desire to help, i.e., refer you business. Different folks have different reasons for executing a referrals. Some do it because they can, to be nice or because they expect something in return, such as a referral fee, or referrals from you.

Here are important steps to creating your referral-only business, and we'll cover them in depth in the days to come:

1. Define what you give in return for a referral.
2. Build relationships that matter.
3. Make that known, along with your Ideal Client Profile, to your sphere of influence.
4. Position yourself as the go-to person for everything.
5. Get connected.
6. Stay connected.
7. Be a 1%-er in everything you do.
8. Repeat.

Next time, we'll discuss what you might want to (or be able to give) in return for a referral. In the meantime, ponder where you would spend the extra minutes and hours you don't have right now because you don't have a referral-only business.

Make today your best yet, ~Coach Honorée

Who's Your Ideal Client?

I meet new people all the time, and one of the first questions I ask is, "Who is your ideal client?" The response I hear, too many times: "Right now, I'm just taking what I can get, I just need the money, the cash-flow."

I'll get straight to the point: if you get what you settle for, you'll very likely be very unhappy with what you get. 

Your very next activity, before you meet with another person or attend another networking event (or tweet even!) is to create an Ideal Client Profile. This profile is a fully-comprehensive list of the qualities and characteristics of the person or people you want to work with. To go deeper, it's the person, if they were to walk through your door right now, that would light you up like a Christmas tree. It's the person you get the most joy from helping. It's the person you can work with effectively and efficiently, meaning, your time is valuable and you're making good use of it. It's the person you do your best work for and with, and it's the person that provides the most profit for your bottom line. (You can substitute "company" or "people" for the word "person.)

Let's review:

• least/best amount of time spent
• most amount of joy
• best work
• most profitable

If you're not entirely clear how to define any or all of these points for yourself, it's time to dig deeper and you'll need to define these, too.

You may be so busy you can't see straight (and then it's time for you to get a coach!), so the thought of more work seems out of the question. The question is, how could you possibly not take the time to do it?

Once you've got your list and you're clear about who you're looking for (and darn excited about it, if I do say so myself), then and only then can you resume your marketing activities.

Coach's Note: Once you have your profile, only engage those that fit the profile. You'll get "rich in your niche" ... specialists always make more than generalists. Be clear about who you are, what you do and who you serve -- and remember to have fun with it! From here on, you can build your brand around that profile. You'll be delighted to watch your joy and your bottom line soar.