The most overused word in business when it comes to marketing is ‘niche’. You will always hear in conversation ‘identify your niche’ or ‘niche this’... Blah blah blah.
In today’s world, with a global pandemic raging, you simply need to find your sweet spot and work with clients you find interesting and enjoy working with. Sometimes you might be clear on your preferred area e.g. coaching in education, or coaching within addiction.
However, sometimes it’s easier to just take some time out and decide WHO you like working with…. Maybe it’s SME’s, maybe it’s individuals based in France, maybe it’s executives in large global corporations, or even entrepreneurs in big tech. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter who, you just need to ‘nail’ who you want to serve as a coach.
Once you know who you like to work with, you can capture business in that field.
This tip is straightforward: Do your own CPD and follows our four pillars of CPD for Coaches in the diagram below.
To get the best from your CPD, develop an ‘Investment’ Mindset.
Many people ask me… ‘why should I become accredited?’, and it's a great question.
Where coaching is concerned, my answer is simple - ‘because it is an unregulated industry'.
In a pandemic world, with everyone buying, selling and doing business online - accreditation & third party verification has never been more important.
Unfortunately, the coaching industry is awash with individuals offering ‘coaching programmes’ that promise wildly ambitious and alleged results.
Many unscrupulous people attempt to self promote their expensive, nonsense ‘coaching programmes’ via social media channels to unsuspecting individuals. It is SO important to publicly demonstrate that you are authentic, and deliver true value as a coach.
A badge proudly earnt….
Coach of Excellence is a unique, evidence-based certification. It is also a ‘digital trustmark’, which once earned can be highly visible across all your online channels.
In the age of ‘fake news', the notion of trust has become a cornerstone of business services.
Hence, in 2021 TRUST has never been a more important word. Throughout all of your marketing, business positioning and communications, it is critical that you display digital proof that you, and your coaching practice, have been formally recognised.
By achieving our third-party benchmarks and completing your application process successfully, you can demonstrate that you are #relentlesslyreliable and proudly display your COE badge.
Every professional coach regardless of their field or specialism should have a focused supervisor, coaching peer group. The rule is simple, you cannot coach others, without receiving a form of coaching from another person.
Why? Well, coaching touches the most ‘human parts’ of any coaching relationship, and you need to ensure you remain centred, engaged and ethical. It is impossible to do this without a third party (be that an individual or a group) who can hold a mirror up to your practices, and keep you accountable.
TOP TIP: If you need support in this area, make sure you engage with others on the coaching journey in the TCA Student group and the TCA community group.
In a changing Covid world, many things are moving and developing everyday.
Whether you like him or not, Warren Buffett Spends 80% of his day reading.
Spend the time that would have been commuting, or working, pre pandemic to explore new areas that relate to your work or hobbies.
Dedicating some time for ‘coach curiousness’ great for not only you, but your coaching business also.
This could range from buying a different newspaper or signing up to a different online newsfeed, binge-watching documentaries on Netflix, or something bigger; such as developing yourself personally or professionally, and finding your inner creativity or learning a new skill.
Source information on what is most important to you and invest your time and money into making yourself the best version of yourself. These could focus on your health, wealth, career or family.
Of course, this links back to your CPD, however being curious is about the bigger picture and understanding the conversations that are happening locally and globally. Just look at how #BLM and #MeToo have created change, and somewhere, somehow, this will have touched your coaching business in some way.
You may, or may not, agree with these tips, and that’s ok. However, over the past decade, the CPD Research Project has consistently found scientific evidence that third party verification of professional coaches, and the result awarding of accreditation, create dedicated trust in the business realm.
Undertaking any, or all, of these tips sends a powerful message to yourself and the world around you. So take that leap of faith, and reap the rewards from being Reliable, Phenomenal and Curious. Engage with your Sweet Spot and Stakeholders….. It's amazing what you can achieve if you put your mind to it.
* 'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English);` now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!' (for when she looked down at her feet, they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so far off). Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865.
Life coaching might be the path you are looking for. Find out how you could start a new career as a life coach, or add life coaching skills to your current work by attending our free 2-hour Introduction to Life Coaching training, which we run several times a week over Zoom.
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