The methods you choose to make your business work matter, so choose them wisely

Over the coming weeks, mainly on my email list, I’m going to share some processes and methods with you in the coming weeks on running particularly your coaching business happily, gently and profitably to benefit both you and your clients more, 

but here’s what you need to know about them first…

First, as always if you’re not a coach but work in a way that serves people in some way this will still be very relevant to how you run your business.

Second – the main part…

Anyone sharing methods, processes, ‘secrets’, ‘ways’ is following a process they’ve either used themselves to success or a process they’ve been taught and seen work with others (or both).

That’s a good and, in some ways, bad, thing. 

It’s not wrong – but I want you to be aware of knowing what processes, mediums and methods suit YOU to know if the person sharing theirs is going to be of value to you too.

Here’s what can go wrong if we don’t know enough about what’s being sold:

You buy into a programme where you only find out, once paid and started, that you have to use FB ads and you don’t want to (and it’s not a mindset issue, it’s a values/behaviour/something else issue that you don’t need to work on to change). 

Or

Someone tells you theirs is the only way to run a successful business but they have no idea what your version of success is (that’s not their fault – you need to decide what your version is)

Or

You like a ‘get to 10k a month’ programme but there’s no detail on which business this will work best for or the level of investment you need to make once IN the programme to get there and you only discover when in it that it’s through high ticket selling which you haven’t gotten to yet, or the level is so high it’s a jump above what you feel you can do right now.

Or

You join a course where you realise everyone else is already at a point that’s more advanced than you so their results feel wildly different to yours and you’re not sure you want their results anyway but you’re being told you should want them

One problem with this latter issue that being around others who are ‘bigger’ in some way in their business can also be really motivating, but you have to know the balance of what you find motivating versus over- comparison and feelings of failure.

The other problem with these issues is that sometimes, jumping in without detail/ knowing everything / having clarity on what we want can also be fun and exciting!

BUT truly understanding what’s right for us, for the level we’re at, the level we want to get to, and what suits us is vital to who we then learn from.

As an example, there’s a coach I really want to work with. I love her content, her expertise, the level of detail she goes into in her descriptions. 

BUT the ‘method’ she supports people in is far more geared towards Facebook posts than any other marketing or social media channel.

I don’t mind that too much, but given how little time I spend, and want to spend, on FB (a mix between personal and page).

I have to consider if it’s the right medium for me, and whether my clients would be there, want to be there, and new people will find me there.

I don’t doubt that the way she would support me would be ideal. 

And the process is exactly right for where I’m at in my coaching business and level. 

But do I want to use the medium she particularly teaches in? 

I don’t *think* so in the purest sense, yet I’m considering working with her because she is really good from what I can see and tell (evidence and intuition), and there’s ways I can adapt it to suit the channels I’m already on and engaged in (and, crucially, enjoy spending time on).

This is all to say, parts of what someone teaches or shows us may be exactly right for us. 

So good, in fact, we’re almost scared it could be that easy if we implement it ourselves.

But other parts of what they teach/coach/share may not be right, and until you know all the parts of what they’re teaching/coaching, you can’t make an informed decision about whether it’s also right for you / your audience/ your values and more.

So, when I myself share any methods or processes with you, I will endeavour to do the following:

Caveat with saying how it’s been successful for me and/or my clients

or 

Share a level of detail that means you’re very clear about any specific processes, platforms, techniques I support you to implement you’re work in

or

Tell you really specifically who this will work best for and why I know or think that.

These caveats might seem normal to you – in which case great, because it shows you’re seeing people use them already, and you’re interested in that level of detail to know the advice and guidance you want to follow from others.

If they’re caveats you’re not used to, watch out for them in anyone you’re interested in working with (especially investing higher amounts of money).

So, when I share any processes and methods with you, on running your coaching business to more success for both you and your clients, you can flex them around in your mind to know if they’re the right methods, processes and systems for you. 

AND you can assess anyone’s process in future in the same way. 

Please note – sometimes, you just want (or need) to make more money quickly.

or

reach more people without worrying about the technique.

or

have better work life balance in the short-term.

or

feel fitter for an online event you’re hosting in 2 weeks (as opposed to 6 months time),

Or anything that requires something generally a bit faster, sooner, or less lead time to see results.

In these cases, you may care less about the method to get there – in fact, lots of us adapt our values, or feel they change FOR us, when our needs change. 

For example, where you once thought DM’ing 20 people to invite them to see your programme was tacky or inappropriate, right now you don’t care and as long as they’re 20 people you like the look of you’re OK with that.

Or

Where you felt timid about doing a 5 day challenge with 5 lives to engage with your audience you care less right now because you FEEL it’s the best way to engage with the people you bring into your audience for it

Or

Where you once felt ashamed to be using FB ads because it seems like a failure if you can’t get clients organically and especially only through word of mouth, but you FEEL FB ads would work really well in a certain context for where you’re at now

In those kind of cases, you may find you don’t mind about the methods and processes used – you just want or need the outcome, like I said, sooner and you’re willing to adjust previous beliefs or even values about how to get there.

This can have amazing results…you realise you held a belief about a method or technique that you didn’t need to be disparaging about, and that it has indeed worked for you (not just quickly, but with good QUALITY results too).

But it can also have negative results, like confirming to you that it was a method you didn’t like carrying out and, worst still, it didn’t work for you how you were told it would.

Or

That it was a process that felt too complicated for you to repeat, even with help. 

Or

That it pushed the boundaries of how you like to connect with your audience too much and they turned away from you (on this note – some audience members notice this change immediately and will flock with you, others actively leave because they SENSE you’ve changed too)

The key point is that, depending on your circumstances, there will be times you want to try new ways of reaching your audience (new and old members) to get clients, because they feel right for your situation. 

And there are other times you will want to try a different approach to an old ‘technique’ or ‘method’ because you want to refine what you’ve already done. 

And yet again, there are times when you stick to the same method or technique because you have no desire to change it; it’s working for you and your audience. 

Just to be clear – i’m talking about methods like those I’ve mentioned above such as lead generating, marketing, sales techniques and methods that you use in your business to build an audience, get clients etc.

Only you can know the answer to when to adopt the ‘right’ technique or method for you – one that changes how you do things completely, adjusts what you already do, refines something you’ve tried once before, or otherwise.

You have the power to choose so many things to make your brilliant coaching business work for you – which of course makes things hard because you realise how much you have to decide when you don’t know everything yet!

But it means you get to decide:

• Who you listen to

• How, who you listen to, changes with all of the below

• What techniques you want try out to acquire clients in your business

• What techniques you carry out in the longer-term that work for you

• How you serve your clients to best meet THEIR needs

• How you ensure you’re working to YOUR values so you’re in alignment with YOUR needs

I hope that’s useful to know today.