Conquering the Obstacles of Coaching in 2012

Posted on 25 January 2012 by

Obliterate the Obstacles!If you are like me, every single year from just after Christmas to just before February I work through my list of resolutions. Some I keep. Some I drop. Some I tuck away until I have more time or inclination to deal with them, and I repeat this pattern year after year after..you get the picture.

I promised myself, however, that this year would be different and regardless of what the issues were – there would be no obstacle so insurmountable that it could not be dealt with and demolished. This got me thinking about all the coaches I have met and worked with over the course of 2011 and some of the struggles that they go through. Their obstacles are no different than anyone else’s, but what sets them apart is the way they deal with them.

The most successful of coaches are able to expose that sheer determination that is the common thread amongst them. Here are some of the most common obstacles, ways to fight through them, and come ways to fight through your obstacles and come out stronger and better than ever!

1. Reflection

2011 – Was it a good year? Was it the worst year in your coaching life? Reflection is a touchstone to being the best coach because we can look back and say to ourselves, “I didn’t learn enough skills to understand how to teach this person.” Or “I should have gotten my social media strategy in line more because I can see how it might increase my revenue.” Reflecting on 2011 means that you can identify the issues that you might have had and use the solutions to those problems in 2012.

Make a list of all of your “woulda”, “coulda”, “shoulda” and start to determine how you can use those this year, turning them into your “done”.

2. Education

So you reflected – fantastic…but what about your skills? Have you stopped learning because you think you have everything you need and know all the methods of coaching in existence? If you had to think about this, I can give you a million reasons for why you should never stop learning, but the one that counts is: Learning is forever.

Understanding the latest techniques and coaching tips (like the ones you find here at JigsawBox) only helps to improve your coaching abilities and gives a solid foundation for growing your techniques.

3. Vision Board

Some people laugh at this, others take it seriously. All I can say is.. before you start falling over with laughter, try it out.

The vision board is the visual representation of your goals and dreams – why not apply that to your coaching programs? Visualize what you want out of 2012. If you want an active subscriber list of 5000 or 50000 tack that number to the board and then beneath it, a list of the ways you are going to get there. Use this board to give yourself the incentive to succeed and the rewards that are at the end of that success. I use vision boards to work out what mistakes I’ve made with my small business and then identify the patterns that led to those choices. The vision board is the physical manifestation of a path to “guide” me out of repetition.

After reading this blog I would love to know how you work out your obstacles! Can’t wait to see the responses!

JigsawBox Tip: Using Your Community Forum

Posted on 13 January 2012 by

As far as online communications go, we already know that the forum or message board is no longer in the top five responses if you were to ever ask someone, “Hey, how do YOU communicate with your clients?” But really, having a forum makes not just great common sense but great business sense. It could be a one stop shop for questions, answers, and connections to build a solid and constructive client base. Here are some suggestions on how to use your forum to really get your clients talking to not just you but each other!

  • First – go to your JigsawBox account (and you can get one by going to http://www.jigsawbox.com) and then go to your “My Forums” tab.
  • From that tab, click on “Create a forum”. This will bring you to the next window where you can create a title for your forum as well as pick the package you wish to apply it to. You may choose one package or as many as you like – it’s up to you!

Now, how do you use this forum to build a basic communication system? Here’s how.

  • Create an Introduction Discussion – Tell your forum who you are, a bit about your coaching practice, your beliefs, and let them connect with YOU, the coach. Get a bit personal, it’s alright.
  • Create an F.A.Q. – Think about your most common questions, the ones you know that you have to constantly answer or repeat. (You don’t have to give away trade secrets, but think about questions regarding refunds, terms and conditions, the basics and policies of your coaching program.) This will allow your clients to have a basic guideline for their most common inquiries.

Start a communal discussion on subjects that are relevant to your coaching package – an example of this:

You have a coaching package that teaches a person how to lose weight in a safe, doctor approved manner but you know that your clients can benefit from the support of each other. Create a support discussion that encourages your clients to post their experiences!
Just remember a few things…

  • Remember to be responsive. Don’t just “set it and forget it”.
  • Remember that forums need to be maintained – so once a day or week go through them and just make sure that you aren’t seeing anything offensive. Encourage responsibility.
  • Have fun! Forums are a great way to make that connection with your client, engage them, encourage them, and make them want to continue learning from you!

Keep up your AMAZING coaching!

Organization for Better Business Building

Posted on 14 December 2011 by

Organization I am not someone that could be called inherently organized. In fact, if I am being true to myself, not only am I not inherently organized, I believe that the gene actually skipped one generation and belongs to my mother. I’m envious of this! However, one of the greatest skills that I have had to learn is to maintain technological organization. In fact, for coaches I feel that understanding the need for this particular gift is an essential building block making your business a success.

So what do I mean by technological organization?

Think about it. Our calling card now exists on the internet. We have our websites, our social media accounts, our seven billion e-mail addresses, IM’s and communication tools, and an abundance of other platforms from which we launch. Having all of these can be difficult and confusing, we might lose track of what we were doing, where we were doing it, who we were talking to, or even how we are communicating. Why should we have that hassle when we can improve these skills, consolidate it all and focus on the meat of the business. It is time to become that tech savvy coach that I know all of you are.

Here are two ways you can improve your technological organizational skills:

Weed and Harvest

Remember those previously mentioned social media accounts? Time to weed out the ones that aren’t working, gather the ones that are, and put them all in one central location where you control them. Take an hour and decide which accounts you actually need versus which ones you want just so that you can expand your virtual profile. The same can be done with e-mail accounts and pruning them for the most active. If you aren’t seeing constant contact with a particular e-mail address, eliminate it. More is not always better.

Centralize It

Now that you simplified, weeded out the bad, and kept the most important accounts – how do you make it even easier? Simple! You look at programs that will make you more efficient with your time. Look into and then choose from one of the number of services which bring together your accounts. Examples of these can be TweetDeck or HootSuite. From these you’ll be managing all of those social media accounts from one deck which leaves you more time to focus on your products, your client lists, or building your business.

The sooner you start pruning, the more time you will find in your schedule to start focusing on generating income and achieving those goals.

Tweeting to Succeed – How Twitter Benefits You

Posted on 23 November 2011 by

Twitterverse for You!It’s 2011. By now the majority of us can say that we are accustomed to the social media standard platforms available. Some of us use them to connect to family, others use it to connect to friends, but one of the best ways that we can connect to our communities, present, and future clients is through media. If you haven’t considered using Twitter (which is one of the hottest trends in business) to talk to your public – then now is the time. Here is why you shouldn’t be one of the last holdouts on the Tweet train…

First: Visibility
Who doesn’t want exposure and an increased ability to get right in front of their ideal clients? Twitter gives you the unique and “full frontal” advantage of being seen by those that need your products and services. Twitter allows for near instant visibility and puts you right out there in front of multiple demographics of people who need your expertise. Through Twitter you can really drive the point home that you are the authority figure people need to see, contact, and learn from.

Second: Familiarity
The element of familiarity cannot be denied. Your clients and future customers need and want to get to know you. They want to understand your personality and how your dynamic would work with them. Twitter is a great way to let that all shine through. Twitter is also a great way to get short but succinct messages across that use terminology others are familiar with.

Third: Relationship Building
Cultivating business relationships via Twitter is a strategy you need to learn right now. Use Twitter to grow your current crop of Twitter friends, business contacts, and social acquaintances so that they help drive more business toward YOU. Be interested in what they have to say but give it your spin you’re your expertise. You want your clients and contacts to feel as if they are important, quality, and worth your time because this benefit is visual. Others see this and want to be a part of it too. They want to know YOU. They want to hear what you have to say. They want to be in contact with you. They want the relationship with YOU.

So here are some quick tips for you to start getting your “Tweet”on..

  • Have a definitive strategy. Each week or day set aside a bit of time to schedule at least 10 tweets to send out to your list that will engage them and encourage conversation.
  • Be clear about how you use Twitter. Are you looking to advertise your business? Build your contact list? Network? What are you Twitter goals?
  • Show what you know! Make sure that when you send out business tweets you are sharing the best expertise you have. This will help to profile you as a go-to and an authority in your area of business.

Now you need to go forth and Tweet! (Oh, and find us @jigsawbox)