Mary Cravets

Questions Coaches Should Ask for a Successful 2nd Half of 2024

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You know me… I’m a total geek when it comes to planning, so let’s take a minute to evaluate your year so far and set you up for a strong finish in 2024!

Ready to dive in?

Here are four key questions to unlock your best year yet:

1. What do I WANT for the second half of 2024? Start by reviewing the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Are they still relevant and exciting?

2. What happened in the first half of the year? Reflect on your actions and results. Which strategies worked, and which didn’t? Were there any surprises?

3. What needs to change? Based on your reflections, identify necessary changes. Do your goals need adjustment? Does your action plan need a revamp?

4. What do you need to get rid of? My favorite question! Consider what’s no longer serving you—whether it’s a strategy, a mindset, or a habit. Simplifying your efforts can lead to significant progress.

Take some time to answer these questions honestly. Talk them over with someone in your support system, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me for personalized guidance.

Happy planning!

It’s the EXTREMES in Sales and Marketing that Keep You Stuck

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I had two wonderfully eye-opening conversations recently, and they revealed a pattern that is SO common for coaches: being attracted to (or repelled by) extremes in sales and marketing.

Take a minute to walk through this with me: the extremes, the ensuing drama, and then how to find your genuine path through it all so you’re attracting more clients without the turmoil!

To talk further, you can get on my calendar here.

When You’re Freaked Out, What’s Your “Bird”?

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I looked out my sliding door the other day and saw my cat slowly scuttling towards me. He was outside, something had clearly freaked him out and he was low to the ground, slinking towards me to dash inside as soon as I opened the door.

As I started to get up to open the door, he caught sight of a bird and instantly became a blur of movement and enthusiasm. (birds are his favorite thing!)

All the fear, gone in an instant.

What is that thing in your life? Your “bird” that frees you from your fear, sparks your joy and unleashes your boldness in the world?

Don’t Describe the Plane, Describe Hawaii

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One of the first things I ask my clients is, “What coaching programs do you offer?”

Inevitably, they launch into the number of sessions, how long they are, how many months they work together, assessments included, and so on.

This is basically like trying to explain why they should go on vacation to Hawaii by describing the color of the seatbelts on a plane.

Can you imagine? Your listener would be completely baffled.

“Why is this person waxing on about the color gray?”

You see the problem.

Instead, you should talk about the stress of work that they would love to escape and the sunshine and warm waters that await.

Ok I’ll admit, Hawaii is an easy sell.

So how would you like an easy formula to describe one of your services or programs in a way that intrigues your ideal client instantly?

You got it!

To describe a service or program without getting into the weeds with all the details, simply use this three-sentence formula: Promise, Obstacle, Solution.

1. PROMISE: What’s your ideal client’s top of mind problem and/or desire?

Think of your ideal clients’ desired outcomes and challenges and use one or two of them to create your sentence. Here’s an example using my Client Attraction Engine program:

“Stop worrying about where your next client is coming from and wasting time on marketing strategies that don’t work.”

2. OBSTACLE: Why haven’t they solved the problem yet?

You’re not giving them new information: this is something they will recognize as an obstacle they are currently dealing with. For my example, the biggest obstacle is consistency.

Client Attraction Engine example: The #1 reason coaches fail to get clients is they keep trying new things in marketing – the “throwing spaghetti against the wall” method – and they end up just spinning their wheels.

3. SOLUTION: What needs to be done in order to succeed?

Following the same order of ideas, find the simplest way to explain how they can overcome that obstacle and what they need to do.

Client Attraction Engine example: In order to finally have a steady stream of great clients, you must put a structured client generation plan into action… a plan that streamlines your efforts, leverages your strengths and current network so you spend less time marketing and more time coaching!

Try this out and let me know how it goes for you!

Don’t Describe the Plane, Describe Hawaii

by

One of the first things I ask my clients is, “What coaching programs do you offer?”

Inevitably, they launch into the number of sessions, how long they are, how many months they work together, assessments included, and so on.

This is basically like trying to explain why they should go on vacation to Hawaii by describing the color of the seatbelts on the airplane

Can you imagine? Your listener would be completely baffled.

“Why is this person waxing on about the color gray?”

You see the problem…

Instead, you’d talk about the stress of work that they would love to escape and the sunshine and warm waters that await!

Ok I’ll admit, Hawaii is an easy sell.

So how would you like an easy formula to describe one your services or programs in a way that intrigues your ideal client instantly?

You got it!

To describe a service or program without getting into the weeds with all the details, simply use this three-sentence formula: Promise, Obstacle, Solution.

1. PROMISE: What’s your ideal client’s top of mind problem and/or desire?

Think of your ideal clients’ desired outcomes and challenges, and use one or two of them to create your sentence. Here’s an example using my Client Attraction Engine program:

“Stop worrying about where your next client is coming from and wasting time on marketing strategies that don’t work.”

2. OBSTACLE: Why haven’t they solved the problem yet?

You’re not giving them new information; this is something they will recognize as an obstacle they are currently dealing with. For my example, the biggest obstacle is consistency.

Client Attraction Engine example: “The #1 reason coaches fail to get clients is they keep trying new things in marketing – the “throwing spaghetti against the wall” method – and they end up just spinning their wheels.”

3. SOLUTION: What needs to be done in order to succeed?

Following the same order of ideas, find the simplest way to explain how they can overcome that obstacle and what they need to do.

Client Attraction Engine example: “In order to finally have a steady stream of great clients, you must put a structured client generation plan into action… a plan that streamlines your efforts, leverages your strengths and current network so you spend less time marketing and more time coaching!”

Try this out and let me know how it goes for you!