SELLING YOURSELF AS A COACH

Coaching is one thing and selling yourself as a coach is another thing. Or, is it? It certainly seems like two different activities. One is the work of what you do when you actually coach; the other seems more like the preparation work regarding how you get business. But what if . . . What if these seemingly two things were actually the same thing? If they were, then what would that mean to you in terms of selling yourself as a coach? Let’s play with the idea for a bit.

First, let’s revisit “coaching” from the perspective of the interpersonal dynamics. In coaching, you first greet someone and set a frame; you set a powerful frame about what would make the most difference in that person’s life today. And you may do that several times in order to “have a conversation like none other.” After all, you want the coaching to count, to be memorable, and to be life-changing. So you begin by inspiring and inquiring and inviting the person to speak about his or her aspirations. “So that’s what you really want?” “Yes.” “And addressing that would be the best way to spend our time today?” “Yes.”