To be completely transparent, I haven’t been super-positive lately. Yesterday I finally uncovered the internal thought patterns and the external habits that were creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of scarcity.
Mindset
Coaching Week: Lack confidence? Grow Anyway! (Outside-in Approach)
If you struggle with confidence and are spinning your wheels in your business, try this unconventional approach to getting unstuck!
The majority of my clients are coaches, so I know (and embrace!) that coaching facilitates transformation from the inside out, based on the knowledge of the client, not the coach.
A few years ago, however, it occurred to me that I work exactly the opposite, with an outside-in approach.
Please note: I am not a coach. I am a teacher and trainer.
When I work with coaches and other business owners, there is a LOT going on all at once. They want to grow their business, they need to learn marketing and entrepreneurial skills, they’re bombarded by expert advice and are often exhausted and overworking.
On top of it all – no matter how successful they were in a previous career – they struggle with a crisis of confidence.
But time after time, client after client, I’ve found the most effective approach to escape this spin-cycle is to create an action plan that consists of simple action steps that leverage your strengths and are very specific.
SUPER SPECIFIC, as in: on Tuesday, text your former co-worker Kim with the following, “Hi Kim! I want to catch up… can we get a coffee (virtual is ok) sometime soon?”
When you’re this specific, there’s no wiggle room to overthink. You just get into action, implementing the pre-determined steps.
Here comes the bit that will blow your mind…
When you do this, client generation becomes so simple, so authentic, so bite-sized and manageable that your confidence (or lack thereof) is no longer running the show.
You simply take the action steps that lead to results and your confidence catches up to you!
Ready to take the first step in defining YOUR simple action plan? The 3-minute Business Accelerator Quiz can help!
How You’re (unintentionally) Limiting Your Impact
“I’m a coach because I want to make a positive impact.”
I’ve heard this countless times and it always makes me smile. Probably because impact is one of my top core values, too!
The sneaky thing I notice is that coaches unintentionally limit their impact in the world.
Because while coaches see the difference they make when working directly with clients, marketing & sales are often considered in conflict with the value of impact.
I would argue that promoting your business is THE most courageous act of service, because you’re putting yourself out there, being vulnerable and risking rejection.
So don’t limit your impact to your coaching sessions with clients. And please stop thinking that marketing and sales are the opposite of impact.
Instead expand your understanding of impact to include marketing and sales.
Then, celebrate yourself for your courage every time you put yourself out there in the world, risking rejection, unapologetically committing to the biggest impact possible.
One last note…
The truth is, even when you expand your understanding of impact to embrace marketing and sales, there’s a lot of noise and confusion out there. If you’re drowning in advice from experts, take this 3-minute quiz so you can get focused and kickstart your efforts!
3 Common Messaging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Did you know that messaging is the MOST confounding part of marketing for most coaches and consultants?
That’s because it feels so complicated. There are SO many options.
How do you concisely communicate the value of what you do without putting your audience to sleep?
So I’m here to simplify things! Here are the top 3 messaging mistakes and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Your messaging is about you and what you do.
Your messaging should actually be all about your ideal client’s problems and the solutions you offer them.
Evaluate if your messaging articulates your ideal client’s problems clearly.
Mistake #2: CONSTANTLY changing your messaging to keep it new and interesting.
When you do this, your message becomes confusing.
Your messaging should be consistent and only change if your ideal client changes.
Mistake #3: Trying to get EVERYONE to understand what you do.
If some people don’t understand what you do right away, that’s okay!
What matters is that your ideal client responds to your message with a clear and resounding “I need you!”
If you’re now wondering: “How do I develop my messaging without getting lost in the weeds?”
Please check out my upcoming course where I’ll teach you how to make your message clear and effective for generating new clients and referrals:
3 Mistakes I Made Speaking In-person
I presented in-person recently, and quickly realized that I’d forgotten some of my best practices.
Don’t get me wrong, the talk was well-received, but I was aware the entire time that I wasn’t feeling as grounded and present as I have in the past.
This video gives three best practices for speaking in-person… ones I’d forgotten about after so many years of speaking virtually.
Time Management: 1 tip + 1 slight change
If you don’t already know I am a nut about time blocking and time management!
Here is a quick video of my one “no-matter-what” habit, and one change I made recently that is making a difference in my clarity and focus on a daily basis.