Category: Authenticity

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E#236 How to Grow and Scale Your Business with a Virtual Assistant

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How to Grow and Scale Your Business with a Virtual Assistant

How does engaging a Virtual Assistant (VA) help you to grow and scale your business?

By taking over the tasks that frustrate you, or that you’re not good at – like marketing and being consistent online! A VA helps you grow and scale by freeing up more time and helping you get more headspace to focus on your income-earning work.

As the next episode in a series on how to grow your business and revenue, I talk to Kristy Smith, Founder of Virtual Elves, to discuss what types of tasks VAs typically complete, the benefits and value of using a VA, what’s required to engage a VA properly, and how to hand over tasks to a VA among other things.

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* How Kristy Smith Started a VA Business
* How VAs can help you
* What onboarding a VA looks like at Virtual Elves
* How to hand over work easily to free up your time and energy

Kristy Smith is the founder of Virtual Elves and has worked with many businesses helping them to develop the strategies, methods and tools for effective outsourcing. She shows them how, with outsourcing, they can scale, grow and be profitable. She is known for her ability to see how businesses can operate in a more efficient way, and for walking business owners through the process. She uses her own business growth, mistakes and lessons learnt to give hands-on practical strategies that can be implemented immediately.

I’ll provide her contact details at the end of this episode!

Virtual Elves started in 2009 with just Kristy at the helm and now boasts an international team of over 50 virtual assistants, graphic designers, web developers and other various contractors.

Kristy is a popular expert in her field for guest podcasts and Entrepreneur education groups such as The Entourage and Her Business.

Prior to founding Virtual Elves, Kristy managed large teams and implemented front office processes and customer service training for private hospitals and 5-star hotels. A mother of two teens, she lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband and family.

If you’d like to connect with Kristy Smith and/or Virtual Elves:

www.virtualelves.com.au 

www.facebook.com/virtualelves

www.twitter.com/virtualelves

https://www.instagram.com/kristysmithinc/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtualelves/

Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

Learn more here:

Learn More

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E#233 Running Pilot Programs for Quick Revenue (and Growth)

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This episode is about running pilot programs for quick revenue (and growth)

Whether you’re starting out in business or thinking of a new service line, it can be tough to break into a new market. 

Pilot programs allow you to test a new service for the first time on a test audience in exchange for feedback but better than that – they are a great way to create business and revenue growth through live customer experience, results, reviews and referrals.  

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* Why Pilot Programs?
* How to Create Value in Pilot Programs
* Building Revenue with Pilot Programs

Why Pilot Programs? 

Pilot programs are a low-risk opportunity for you to test and refine your coaching or other program using live feedback from people in your niche or target audience.  

But more than that, running a pilot program is a pre-marketing activity. It is essentially a soft launch that creates visibility, interest, engagement and excitement around your new program. 

To answer the question – why pilot programs? – they are a great way to give people a taste of what you do, and to create initial revenue, results and reviews (traction) that lead to future sales. 

What I mean is this: by running a test version of your final program, you’re giving people a live experience of what you do, which generates positive feelings and other outcomes (which is what people actually buy – feelings).  

You are showing you care about the customer because they’re helping you to make it exactly what they want and need. 

It doesn’t have to be perfect, and there is far less pressure for you as you work out the kinks and bumps with a willing audience.  

In return, they feel wonderful about helping you and they’re also getting a result in a structured, step-by-step process.  Then, they are going to tell people about what they’re doing – spreading the word for you. 

You can also share wins, photos, insights and progress along the way with your future audience to build their interest and excitement for your next program. 

That means you end up with a refined product that exactly suits your target market – ready to go for a full launch – and with plenty of eyeballs on the next intake of your program. Much more fun than a pile of ads for something you’ve never tried or tested! 

If you choose the right people for your pilot program, you’ll get relevant feedback to improve the final product and glowing testimonials that will attract more people to your business. 

I covered how to get the right people for your pilot program in episode #134 Five Top Tips for Finding the Right Pilot Program Clients. I explained why being selective is important, and how to find the right clients for your pilot program. 

To answer the question – why pilot programs? – they are a great way to give people a taste of what you do, and to create initial revenue, results and reviews (traction) that lead to future sales. 

Now that we know why pilot programs are great, how do you get people to join your pilot program? Well, you need to create value by communicating the problem you help to solve, and the solution or outcomes people will get by participating. 

How to Create Value in Pilot Programs 

Two previous episodes of this podcast do a deep dive into creating value within the program. 

In episode #154, the Why, What and How of Pilot Program workflows, I talked about how to map out the steps of signing up clients, onboarding clients, and the key steps in delivering the pilot program to those clients, so that you can prepare properly, and then deliver a complete and wonderful experience to your clients that cover all the bases. 

In episode #155, The Value of Pilot Program Content and Emails, I described how to create value for your clients in different elements of a pilot program – basically, how to create value within the content of the program that you can then test with a pilot group! 

Building Revenue with Pilot Programs 

Someone asked me recently – does a pilot program have to be free or can it be heavily discounted? 

The short answer is – it depends on the niche clients, the size and urgency of their problem, their ability and willingness to pay, and the importance of change to them.   

If you think about it, someone with a big, painful, problem that disrupts their daily life will be more willing to pay, pay more, and get help, than someone with a minor problem that has little to no impact on their life. 

Let that sink in for a moment – it’s important. 

How do you feel about paying for something versus getting it for free? Several people have told me that they want to pay me for coaching because then they have skin in the game and will be more committed.  

And on top of that – as the saying goes – nobody wants a free kitten. Because then the question is – why is it free? what’s wrong with it? 

So how do you price a pilot program? Firstly, I think language is important. If you talk about discounting as it devalues what we do as coaches.  

I prefer to say that “this first program as a pilot will cost $X, and future versions will be $X”. This can help people decide to buy now or wait until later.  

Generally, I charge about 1/3 to ½ of the retail price for a pilot program, with a clear requirement for feedback along the way (which includes verbal and surveys). So if it will eventually be a $1500 program, a pilot version might be promoted as a one-time-only price of between $500 – $750. 

Remember that even within a pilot program, the right clients will get incredible value, assuming that you pick a niche, you’re clear on the problem they want to solve, and that the aim/outcome/result is clearly defined and exactly what they’re looking for. That is where the value is created – the old ‘what’s in it for me’. 

People love to help, and they love getting a sense of value (which is simply a function of the results they get – and how important the results are to them – in exchange for their investment of time and money). If they can get a result in your pilot program, they’ll be incredibly grateful and will spread the word. 

This is how pilot programs lead to business and revenue growth. 

Summary 

To answer the question – why pilot programs? – they are a great way to give people a taste of what you do, and to create initial revenue, results and reviews (traction) that lead to future sales. 

They are more engaging than the more formal and structured forms of marketing, in that they are experiential and give your customers a feeling. After all, that’s what people buy! 

I’ve linked you to two other episodes of this podcast to help you map out the steps, create valuable content, and take your idea to the world.  

Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

Learn more here:

Learn More

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E#232 The Work Habits of Self-Made Millionaires

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This episode is about the work habits of self-made millionaires

As a coach, you probably know about the power of keystone habits. But did you know that self-made millionaires share some keystone habits that helped propel them to success? This fourth episode about business and revenue growth highlights the importance of daily health-based routines as a foundation to show up with the right energy, mindset and well-being to achieve success more easily. 

It’s no surprise that being healthy and having healthy routines is the platform for business revenue and growth. 

If you think about it, how you treat yourself and what you do for yourself has a profound effect on your mood, attitude, energy, health, sleep and stress – and your ability to show up and do your work well, even on the hardest of days. And those things directly affect your business and revenue growth! 

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* 5 Habits that Millionaires have in common
* How to get started with your own success habits

So what are the keystone habits that could bring you success? A 5-year study of 233 self-made millionaires and 128 poor individuals by Tom Corely, author of the book Rich, found some common habits that helped them achieve their success. 

This episode is on the edge of a bigger project I am initiating which I think you’ll like – and I’ll reveal more in about a year after I’m finished. 

For now, I will give you a hint about my project – while the points I’m about to mention are keystone habits of a bunch of millionaires – not EVERY millionaire surveyed had all of these habits. And rather than just following this list, I encourage you to come up with your OWN success habits. 

So let’s dive into the list of key habits. 

While you listen, reflect on how many of these do you do. Or, what’s your version of these?  

Reading 

In Corley’s study, 86% of self-made millionaires spent at least an hour reading after work, usually self-improvement books.  Only 2% of the average income earners were doing that. 

I loved this because I start and finish my day by reading. Marketing and business books in the morning, and fiction in the evening, is how I like to roll.  

For me, reading something non-fiction in the morning sets me up with a positive, inspired and focused mindset for the day. Reading non-fiction at night (and sometimes in the morning) helps me switch off from work or get lost in a story when I’m feeling a bit fragile. 

I think the upshot is that reading helps you to feel positive, to grow, to engage in stories, and to separate yourself from the stresses of life. It boosts your vocabulary and helps you relate to others in a similar way. 

If you’re not a reader, you might be into journalling, podcast listener, or e-book listener. Work with your learning style on this one. 

Or if you’re not into any of these – totally ok!   

Exercise 

Consistent exercise was another keystone habit of the millionaires in Corley’s study. 

This makes perfect sense. After a busy day (or before one), exercise gets you up, out of your head and into your body. It helps you to maintain good physical and metabolic health and to release endorphins that help you to feel good.  

During exercise, you get time to reflect, plan, dream, collect your thoughts and step out of the day-to-day stuff. You get a chance to blow off some steam and release tension. 

Exercise helps you to get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, helping you to stay competitive with yourself and perhaps others, too. This obviously helps to build self-esteem. 

Last week I went for a 5km run with a friend. It was tough but there was a sense of ‘instant gratification’ when we finished. In that 30-minute run, I got myself to finish, therefore I got a tangible result (doing the run), and I felt strong, amazing, invincible even! 

Exercise also helps you get into the habit of creating schedules. You also bring in an element of discipline both within the workout and in getting yourself to do the workout. 

Do you exercise? Why or why not? 

How does exercise make you feel? 

What are some of the benefits for you? 

Sleeping 

The Sleep Foundation shares a list of recommended sleep hours for each age group. Adults need 7 – 9 hours per day to function optimally, or at least a minimum of 6.4 hours per day. 

Corley found that the millionaires in his study slept at least 7 hours per night. 

Sleep research shows that sleep gives the body a chance to undergo a tune-up. At different times of night, the body goes through cycles of physical recovery and repair, processing and embedding memories, and mental rejuvenation.  

It’s no wonder that the amount of time you sleep is linked to success. It affects memory, mood, cognitive function and physical health. 

Interestingly, each person’s bedtime is unique, according to their chronobiology. 

How is your sleep? What is the optimal amount for you?  

Thinking Time 

It’s no surprise that most of the millionaires in Corley’s study carved out time to think or brainstorm. We spend so much time in the micro details of each day, that we rarely sit back to reflect on life, our goals, where we are going or whether we are investing time and energy in the right direction. 

Since blocking out thinking time for myself, I have noticed huge efficiencies in the way I work. The realisations and mental links I make in my time out have saved me from spending hours on pointless tasks and making impulse decisions. 

These days, my time out (usually walking, with or without a podcast) gives me ample reflection to get clarity, direction and focus for my next burst of work. 

The Mean of the 5 

Finally, millionaires choose their friends and mentors carefully. They spend time with supportive people who hold space for them, who have experience, and who are calm and not pushy or overbearing. 

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.  

If you’re running a business or just doing life, this could include the podcasts you have in your ears all day, the coach you hire, your significant other, your family, and the people you work with. 

If your people mix is not ideal, you can certainly make focused time with the right people, for enough time each week to keep your mind in the right place.   

This is something I’ve done, and it pays in spades. I minimise the people and social situations that drain me or add no value. I intentionally choose to spend my time with and cultivate relationships with, people who are smarter than me, better coaches, better critical thinkers, and who are thought leaders and knowledge leaders. That way, I know I am putting good fuel into my brain, having impactful conversations and building my mental and emotional energy. 

    Who are you surrounded by? How does that affect your energy? 

    How can you reduce your time spent with the negatives, and increase your time with the positives? 

    The Nutshell 

    While all these keystone habits are great, it is what they create that matters. 

    Effective habits are the ones that help you to feel inspired, invincible, strong, thoughtful, grateful, engaged, in flow, calm, full of zest, rational, creative, de-stressed, and empowered. 

    And why does that matter? 

    Because when you feel like that, you will show up with energy for your business, you will be consistent with the tasks that need it, you’ll be putting your best foot forward, you’ll overcome the hurdles more easily, you’ll be in a growth mindset, and you’ll feel the fear and do it anyway. 

    Summary 

    The habits discussed in this episode are based on a study of 200 people. We covered 5, but there were several more on the list. 

    The real point of this episode is that millionaires are committed to doing the habits that work for them. Their habits aren’t necessarily everything on this list – but their own secret formula. 

    As you reflect on what you’ve heard today, I encourage you to identify the habits that make you feel ready to tackle the world with the energy, enthusiasm and confidence you need to grow your business and revenue. 

    References 

    CNBC Online https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/18/tom-corley-top-10-common-habits-of-high-achievers.html Accessed 6.2.23 

    Cohen, Jennifer. Exercise is One Thing Most Successful People Do Every Day. https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/exercise-is-one-thing-most-successful-people-do-everyday/276760 Accessed 6.2.23 

    Corley, Tom. Rich Habits Study – Background and methodology. https://richhabits.net/rich-habits-study-background-and-methodology/ Accessed 6.2.23 

    Loudenback, T. 2019. 17 habits of self-made millionaires, from a man who spent 5 years studying rich people. https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/good-habits-of-self-made-millionaires?op=1  Business Insider Website accessed 6.2.23 

    Suni, E. 2022. How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need Sleep Foundation Website accessed 6.2.23  

    https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

    Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

    Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

    Learn more here:

    Learn More

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    E#230 Finding Your Mid-Life Purpose

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    This episode is about finding your mid-life purpose

    If you’re into your mid-30s to mid-50s and are feeling a bit restless, let me say this – your life is about to change. It’s a time is a culmination of many things in your life and a curiosity about the future – away from the hustle and grind, what is your true purpose in life? To help you ease into this transition, I will share some of my tips to find your mid-life purpose more easily. And although it might not seem like it, this episode is the second in my season about business and revenue growth, and we’ll talk about that, too. 

    There comes a point in life where you wonder what the point of it all is. Often, it’s when you reach your late 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. From hormones to work and empty nesting, everything is up for discussion. You’ve had a wealth of experience in a career, and you may be entering menopause or andropause.  

    In this episode, I’ll talk about 
    * Step 1 – Skills, Strengths and Bucket Lists
    * Step 2 – Discover your Needs
    * Step 3 – How to Live or Work Purposefully

    There’s a new chapter of life ahead, and it makes sense that you might question who you are and what you’re meant to be doing – your purpose. 

    If you’re in this age group, you’re probably thinking about the years ahead – about your personal and financial security, how much money you need to retire, and how to build your assets. 

    For a lot of people, the shift involves taking your foot off the pedal and enjoying life more. You might be thinking about working smarter, working less or going part-time. And that raises a bunch of questions about how you will fill your days, or how to create a new lifestyle with more balance and financial security. 

    Aside from the amount of time at work, you might also be looking to switch to a new career where the work is more meaningful. You might be considering starting a lifestyle business or going to a completely different vocation – but giving back is often the key. It could be mentoring others around certain skills that you have or finding a way to help others in a way that uses your skill while giving you leveraged or passive income. 

    Why does purpose matter? A study by the University of Michigan found that people who had higher levels of purpose had better physical agility than their less-purposeful counterparts. Further, Washington University’s Purpose, Aging, Transitions and Health Lab found that more purposeful adults enjoy better cognitive function and greater longevity, and better self-care. 

    There are three themes emerging here. Mid-life purpose involves seeking greater freedom of time and money, and more purposeful work. The result is better quality of life, health and longevity.  

    I went through this at 35. After 15 years of hard work and burnout, I reinvented myself and stepped away from running a medium-sized business into a small business with no employees, working less and doing more meaningful and impactful work. Now, 16 years later, I am running a lifestyle business that gives back and affords me time off to be in nature and explore other avenues of joy. 

    The thing is, as you get older, your past behaviours can catch up with you and may result in health issues. I want to take action now and avoid health issues caused by any unhelpful or unhealthy beliefs, thoughts or actions, so I can live an exceptional and joyful life. 

    If any of this is resonating, then let’s look at a process of exploring your mid-life purpose, so that you can align your abilities and strengths with your aspirations for the future.  

    I want to share my process with you as an example of how you might explore your own mid-life purpose and figure out what’s next for you. 

    Step 1 – Skills, Strengths and Bucket Lists 

    Amidst a busy work and family life, it can be easy to lose your identity. Your work (or role in the family) can end up defining you. 

    This happened to me. I was a Director and General Manager of a medium sized business and because I became consumed by the role, my self-worth was pinned to it. When I moved to NSW in 2007, I felt like I was a nobody with nothing to offer. 

    To reinvent myself and craft a new identity, career and lifestyle, I had to explore my purpose – what mattered to me, and how I wanted to contribute. 

    An easy way to do this is to write down a list of all the things you love to do – or would like to learn how to do – but don’t seem to have enough time for. 

    Next, think about everything that’s on your bucket list of things to do before you die.  

    If you feel stuck, look to your past and your leisure time for clues. Consider what you loved doing as a child, what you do to relax, or what you do that comes easily but others find hard. 

    Think about the role models in your life and what they’ve done, that you would like to do, too. 

    Please put your fears and obstacles aside when you do this. Let your brain come up with all the crazy ideas unfettered and build a big list. 

    You might also like to do a strengths test, personality quizzes, or anything that helps you identify and acknowledge your skills and character traits. 

    It’s just a list!  But it’s also a starting point for change. 

    When I did this exercise, I realised that I was passionate about health and fitness, I loved being near the beach and being in nature. I liked deep conversations with the right kinds of people. I loved personal growth, psychology and leadership and listening to understand others. I enjoyed puzzles, mysteries and solving problems. I also realised I wanted to run a business on my own, not in partnership. 

    All of this led me to start looking at health-related business options, and then I stumbled across coaching as the methodology that combined many of my desires in one vocation. 

    Now it’s your turn. Block out some time to create YOUR list! 

    Step 2 – Discover Your Needs 

    Tony Robbins’ model of the 6 human needs explores core needs that affect what we do each day, and why we do it. In other words, every thought we have and resultant action we take is driven by one or more of these needs. 

    Robbins says that dysfunctional behaviours come from our inability to consistently meet these needs – but that they are also behind the good things that we can accomplish. 

    By understanding your core needs, you might discover a starting point for the next part of your life or identify areas that you’d like to work on to improve the quality of the rest of your life. 

    When I took this test, Uncertainty was high on my needs list – which means I tend to seek variety and excitement. This is true, but I know that at times, my need for variety and excitement means I get bored easily and delay finishing tasks, or I might take on too much, or be impulsive or rash when making decisions. That explains the burnout I experienced years ago – and thankfully I have developed strategies to reduce or avoid the negative side of Uncertainty. 

    For me, taking this test is about fine-tuning and going to the next level, as I am pursuing growth. 

    My recommendations were to focus on Growth and Contribution. These are definitely coming up as needs for my next stage of life.  

    My goal is to change my business model, so I am creating more impact and giving more, while working less and maintaining income, partly through leverage or passive income sources. With more free time, I can work on personal growth. I can also devote more time to spirituality, physical health, mental health, and socialising, which have been a bit neglected in the past 5 years. 

    I encourage you to take this test and see what is driving you, and any areas for improvement. It gives you some recommendations of what you can focus on to counteract any negatives that might show up in your behaviour. 

    And with your list of skills and strengths and needs, you are in a position to pull it all together and see what shakes out. 

    You’ll see some common themes in what you want, what matters to you, who you are, and how you work. So then, what do you do with all that? 

    Well, since we are on the topic of business and revenue growth in this season, I want to finish this episode with a couple of final points in that direction to help you explore options for how you work on purpose. 

    Step 3 – How to Live or Work Purposefully 

    How do you feel about working a job for someone else? 

    Your working hours are defined, and your remuneration is capped. Maybe you’re fine with it and it is a safe, secure and comfortable way for you to live your life. In this case, maybe your purpose is explored and expressed outside of work, via hobbies, charitable work, or simply being more involved in your community or in volunteer organisations. Great! Go explore those things. 

    For some of us with a more entrepreneurial mindset, we feel that our work is our best opportunity to give back and make an impact. We are the people who want to step away from working for others or in roles that feel constrained, or lacking in purpose.  

    We are the people seeking time and money freedom, creative expression, and an opportunity to do more purposeful work.   

      This is me, and I have created this in my business. I work in three key areas – teaching, business strategy and business coaching – and am on the board of our industry association. This gives me the variety and excitement I want. It allows me to work purposefully and provides the income and lifestyle I desire. I am now looking at leverage, so I can help more people and work less, give money to charitable causes and pursue personal health goals to set me up for a strong, healthy future. 

      Here are some ways that you can transition from where you are now, to start working more purposefully. They are all about you working in a way that you give incredible value to the people you work with. 

      By focusing on the value of what you do and your passion for it, you can usually ask for higher fees. 

      And depending on how you set things up, you can earn a regular income or a leveraged or passive income from any of these options.  

      The regular income version is simply having regular clients. 

      The leveraged version is working with groups. 

      The passive version is developing online training courses, new technologies or physical products. If you want, you can offer add-on services to these. 

      I want to share an example of how this can look, via copywriter Jay ‘Crisp’ Crow. 

      Freelancing or Consulting 

      Some people move away from their careers but then end up consulting back to the organisation they used to work for – or others like them. 

      This is a great way to stay in touch with your skills but pick the work you love to do best. It also means that you work with a few clients and get paid well to do high-level work that recognises the specific value you offer.  

      Just ask Jay Crisp Crow. Her first career was working in private school communications. She took a leap of faith into starting a business that was essentially a consulting business.  

      She wrote copy for small businesses so they could create exceptional landing pages and websites. And she was soooo good, she went viral, and she started upping her prices as the value of her work was realised and shared. At this point in time, she charges $6,000 per single sales page on a website. 

      Mentoring or Coaching  

      If your career has led you to be highly skilled in one or more areas, you have a great opportunity to give back to others. 

      Personal mentoring as an unpaid venture, or professional mentoring as a lifestyle business, are two ways that you can leave the 9 – 5 grind behind and give back to the rising professionals in your industry. 

      Either way, the joy of teaching others and helping them with their struggles can be super rewarding and fulfilling. 

      With her services being more expensive, Jay Crisp Crow created a coaching service to help people do it themselves, with her guidance.  

      At this point in time, a 1:1 session with Jay is $550 per hour. And these days, it’s application only.

      Online Courses (or Products) 

      If you wish to reach more people or build more revenue, then online courses (or products) are a great way to do that. 

      The OTHER side of online courses is that if your coaching fees are a bit high for some people, then your courses offer a lower cost option to get your support. This is great if you want to scale your business. 

      Jay Crisp Crow developed a bunch of copywriting resources that are free or low cost, and she also has a DIY program option for $750, full of teaching modules and masterclass recordings. 

      If you’re a coach and wondering how an online course works – it’s simply you focussing on a topic and asking people a bunch of questions to guide them through self-inquiry. 

      That’s a topic for another day. 

      Summary 

      Wow, what a jam-packed discussion this was today. 

      We talked about why people in their mid-30s to mid-50s get restless and start wondering ‘what’s next?’ 

      It’s a time of reflection and anticipation of your future identity, and real purpose in life. 

      I shared some tips to get clarity on what’s next: 

      • List and review your skills, strengths and bucket lists 
      • Discover your needs – what’s driving you 
      • Review those things and see what shakes out 
      • Decide on whether you will live your purpose either 
        • outside of work through hobbies, charity, volunteering or community participation, or 
        • through your work, via freelancing or consulting, mentoring or coaching, or online courses. 

      There are a LOT of options here. I explored them in depth not to blow your mind, but to help you see the options you have and give you a sense of how to navigate them. 

      Now, over to you. What’s ahead? What will you do next? 

      I can’t wait to see. Let me know! 

        

      https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

      https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

      Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

      Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

      Learn more here:

      Learn More

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      E#225 Letting Go

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      This episode is about letting go

      This is the perfect time of year to make plans. It’s also the best time of year to let go of things that no longer serve you in your business. We know that 20% of our efforts generate 80% of our results. It totally makes sense to let go of some things, but it can be much more challenging than you think! Today we’ll talk about why it’s important to let go, what the obstacles are, and how to examine and evaluate your business, then execute your decisions without guilt or scarcity, and with full clarity, confidence and certainty that you’re making the right decision. 

      The Pareto Principle – Why Letting Go Makes Sense  

      Have you heard of the Pareto Principle? Named after economist Vilfredo Pareto, it states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. 

      The principle was derived from the imbalance of land ownership in Italy, and it’s often used to demonstrate that not things are equal, and the minority owns the majority. 

      In this episode, I’ll talk about 
      * The Pareto Principle – Why Letting Go Makes Sense
      * What Do You Need to Let Go of in Your Business?
      * Why It’s Hard to Let Go
      * How to Let Go and Feel Good About It

      This principle is very relevant in business. In teams, it tends to be a small group of people who generate the majority of outputs. In your business, if you look at all your income-generating activities, you’ll find that 20% of your services generate 80% of your revenue. 

      This is why letting go makes sense. 

      Imagine all of the little things you are doing to earn money as a solopreneur, and how much time and energy it takes to offer all of those things. Is it worth it?  

      What if you chose to focus on doing fewer things better? You might have less variety, but you’d also have greater depth, probably make more money, and be able to do it in less time as you’d be streamlining things. 

      Translate that into this moment, when you are looking at the year ahead. Most of us end up planning next year to continue as the last, or to not do any planning at all. 

      Without planning, you might end up doing the same old things next year including all the stuff that takes time and energy for little return (which could be money, meaning, fulfilment etc). If you are hanging onto things that don’t serve you, it can become unfulfilling and draining. 

      It can breed discontent, resentment and dissatisfaction. 

      By letting go of what’s not working, what’s outdated, or what’s downright uninspiring, you have an opportunity to change course, tighten things up, improve, plan a better year and create more fulfilment in your business and therefore your life.  

      For me, any sense of resistance in my business, and any sense of deep fulfilment and meaning, is a trigger for me to evaluate what’s going on. 

      So instead of just planning, I explore my feelings first and then create my plan. 

      What Do You Need to Let Go of in Your Business? 

      I’m going to talk you through a three-step process of examining and evaluating what you might need to let go of and executing decisions. 

      Before jumping into planning, examine what you of the past year. I discussed this my previous article, which talked about checking in with how you felt about the year, what worked, what didn’t, what felt irritating, and what your achievements were.  

      In other words, you’re finding out what’s most important and meaningful for you to continue and identifying anything that might be holding you back from those things. 

      Next, I recommend doing an evaluation of where your income is coming from. 

      If you use an accounting system like Xero, you can generate a report showing a breakdown of everything you sold and how much revenue you earned in each area, so you can evaluate that. 

      If you don’t use an accounting software, you could do the same sort of thing in Excel, or with your client booking system if you use Acuity Scheduling or Calendly or Google calendar.  

      If you book your appointments using standard session names, it’s easy to open your digital calendar and search for each of these session types, and it will bring up a log of what you sold over the year. 

      Then, having checked in with your own feelings about what you enjoyed and disliked doing, your financial data, and your session logs, you can clearly see where your 20% of joyful and productive work sits. 

      Do this work with compassion for yourself. Understand that sentimentality aside, we are all growing, improving, and sometimes outgrowing things in our lives. Our priorities and values change with experience and wisdom, so it makes sense to let go of anything that no longer fits. 

      Imagine how liberating it is to know you are working in alignment with your values and priorities! When you examine and evaluate everything from this lens, you become fully informed and have the clarity you need to make decisions about the next year – then execute on those decisions! 

      It sounds simple – but at the same time, you might find it hard to let go. 

      Why It’s Hard to Let Go 

      You might be aware of things that aren’t sitting right, so why aren’t you taking action? Why aren’t you executing on your decision? 

      Probably because your wonderful brain might be making ‘yes, but’ thoughts in your head like: 

      • Yes, but if I don’t deliver that service, I am letting down those four clients who have loyally been coming for years! 
      • Yes, but that program really has potential, and if I stop doing it, I might lose an opportunity! 
      • Yes, but if I stop doing those things, I won’t have as much variety! 
      • Yes, but if I stop offering those services, people will think my business is in trouble! 
      • Yes, but what if I’m no longer the go-to person for….? 

      Your brain loves the safe, comfortable and familiar. Stepping away from that into the unknown can bring up fear. Your brain is trying to protect you by getting you to hang onto things – all things – and that’s why you’re conjuring up all those reasons to keep doing those things that no longer serve you. 

      All of your emotional reasons start to come up.  

      There’s the sense of letting others down which leads to a feeling of obligation or guilt. 

      There’s the sense of having wasted all that effort of what you’ve previously built – the attachment and sentimentality. 

      There’s fear of the space left behind – the scarcity mindset, the uncertainty about the future including income. 

      But there are also things that may not align with your values, and which generate a general sense of discomfort. 

      There’s the sense of ‘who will I be if I stop doing that?’  

      If you are feeling any of these things very viscerally, ask yourself – are they serving you and your business? 

      Are they good enough reasons to hang on? 

      What is the cost of hanging on versus letting go? 

      These are some important questions to ask yourself or to work through with your coach if you have one. I encourage you to be kind and gentle with yourself, to be compassionate, and reflective. 

      Right now, think of all the other times in your life when you held onto things that didn’t serve you. The relationships that were unhealthy, the job that was unsatisfying, the tasks that you felt obliged to do.  

      What happened when you let those go? When you closed that door, which door opened for you? 

      What were the lessons learned? 

      I would like to share a little story about this. 

      When I moved from Perth to Mossy Point, I started out as a Personal Trainer and Bellydance teacher in my local area. I didn’t want big boot camps, I wanted small, intimate classes where we could focus on technique. I ran three classes per week, and a couple more in the busier summer months. 

      After 3 years of this, I didn’t have enough clients for a full-time income, and I realised that juggling a business coaching/consulting role with these PT and dance classes was pulling me in different directions and sapping my energy. I was spread thin, and not bringing enough energy to anything, consequently, I felt like I wasn’t doing a good job at anything. 

      BUT I had these loyal PT and dance clients! But we had a wonderful connection! But it was giving them value! But I was serving the community! But it was fun! But it was giving me exercise too! But what if I couldn’t make up that bit of income! (And let’s face it – it was only a bit of income).  Who will I be if I’m no longer the belly dance teacher? 

      As you can see there was a surprising amount of emotion tied up in this. I had a strong urge to let this go to pave the way for better opportunities, but a fear of letting go. There was a sense of losing my identity in the community.  

      But deep down I knew that my future was in another direction. I knew that the existing way of being didn’t align with my passions, my vision and my values. 

      My indecision and hanging onto what was no longer serving me was becoming an ongoing, low-level stress that was eroding my energy, enthusiasm and creativity. 

      One of my strongest values was showing up with energy and delivering an exceptional service.  

      Think about that for a moment – you can only really show up like that if you are fully invested in what you’re doing. I was feeling very inauthentic because I couldn’t show up, and that was actually my tipping point. 

      In other words, my decision was about two key things – living in alignment with my purpose and delivering exceptional customer service. 

      It was much easier then, to let the classes go. When I did this, everything changed. Relief rushed in to fill the space, and I felt inspired again. I was flooded with insights, creativity and energy for my next venture, which ended up becoming a 6-figure coaching business. 

      Hindsight is a fabulous thing. I can see now that if I’d been let go earlier, I would have still had that short period of uncertainty and fear, but I would have reached my goals sooner and felt more fulfilled and less anxious about money. 

      I wish I had used a process to examine and evaluate my business, and then execute my decision with full clarity and confidence, like the one I’m describing here. 

      This is why stepping out of the emotional stuff and looking at the facts, as I described earlier, is so important. 

      It gives you the chance to explore all of your logical and emotional reasons for your current activities and decide how you will go forward, consciously and intentionally.  

      How to Let Go and Feel Good About It 

      If you decide to let go of things in your business, how can you do that and feel good about it? 

      Firstly, you can examine your fears or other obstacles and ask yourself – is this real? Is it true?  

      And if so, what are all the things you can do about it?  

      How can you approach it? 

      What are the values that sit behind your decision? 

      What I recommend is that you write down all the reasons why you’ve decided to let something go, just so you’re clear on this for yourself. 

      Then, you have gotten your story straight in your own mind and it’s easier to communicate it honestly and authentically with others. 

      Here’s how I stepped away graciously from my PT and dance classes. 

      I worked out how much income I would lose. As it turns out, it wasn’t as much as I thought. Who knew! Knowing this meant I was able to figure out if I could survive without that income, and also make a plan to recoup that amount in other ways. 

        I did this first as financial security was a concern, so I needed to calm down my brain and help it to be rational and realistic about the money side of things. 

        Next, I worked out how to talk to my wonderful, loyal clients who had stuck with me for so long. 

        I decided to be honest and say something like this:  

        “You’ve been wonderfully loyal and supportive, but I have made the difficult decision to close these classes as of the end of this month (it happened to be December). 

        I’ve realised that I want to consolidate what I’m doing and move in a new direction. If I continue like this, I won’t be able to show up at my best, and that is really important to me. 

        I want to thank you for supporting my business, showing up to class even on the coldest, and darkest nights, and becoming my friends. You’re all wonderful people, and I’d love to finish our time together with an end-of-year party. Bring your friends and family so we can celebrate our achievements and our valuable time together!” 

        This came from the heart, and it worked just fine. Your version might be different, but the sentiment will be the same. 

        It is borne in gratitude, authenticity, honesty, and celebration. 

        Summary 

        Today we talked about letting go of things that no longer serve you in your business.  

        Thinking logically, we know that roughly 20% of our efforts generate 80% of our results. That’s the Pareto Principle. And while it logically makes sense, emotionally, you might end up holding yourself captive to activities that are draining your energy and affecting your business. 

        It can be hard to let go, for lots of reasons – guilt, fear, scarcity and identity. 

        But we can more easily let go by checking values, being compassionate, and by working out what matters most. 

        The three-step process I discussed is to examine the past to work out what’s important to you (previous episode), evaluating what you might need to let go of and why, then executing your decisions without guilt or scarcity, and with full clarity, confidence and certainty that you’re making the right decision. 

        Hopefully, you feel equipped to do this for yourself. 

        But if this feels challenging and you’d like some coaching, get in touch to enquire about my 2023 private client intake, or to get a referral to another business coach who can help you. 

        References 

        Investopedia, 2022. The Pareto Principle. Investopedia website, accessed 8/12/2022.  

        https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More

        Posted on by

        E#221 How to Find a Good Small Business Coach to Suit Your Needs

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        This episode is about how to find a good small business coach to suit your needs

        When you’re running a business on your own, it can be super helpful to have someone to help you to develop your strategy, work out your priorities, learn new skills, and overcome the obstacles to taking action. But if you’re shopping for a business coach, how do you find the right person? Here are 8 things that can help you find a good small business coach to suit you and your needs. 

        By the end of this article, you will have a checklist of things that you can use to evaluate potential business coaches that you might want to work with to help you make the right choice. 

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * Why chemistry is essential
        * Key skills, traits and services to look for

        1. Check the Chemistry, Rapport and Coaching Presence  

        Like any close working relationship, chemistry is key. Check their being skills and presence in the conversation, the match of energy, and that they’re speaking the same language.  

        Your best business coach is someone who is not overbearing, they MUST be a good listener and able to respect and acknowledge your needs and ideas and understand your point of view. 

        Doing some sort of a strategy session or a good fit call gives you the chance to get the sense of their coaching presence and being skills, how that person is being alongside you. Here are some questions to ask yourself:  

        • Are they come to they help you to feel calm and settled?  
        • Do they show up with empathy and warmth?  
        • Can they be playful?  
        • Are they connected and truly there and listening to you?  
        • And what’s going on for you?  
        • Do they have that presence in the conversation?  
        • Do they match your energy?  
        • Do they speak the same language?  

        These are some of the things that you need to feel when you first meet somebody to see if they’re the right person for you. 

        Probably what I would steer away from is somebody who is more energetic than you to the point that it’s a bit overbearing or energy draining. That can be really challenging, if you’re working with a business coach they must be a good listener and they must be able to respect and acknowledge your ideas and needs and understand your point of view.  

        I say this from my own experience at having talked to potential so called business coaches who were much higher energy than me and were quite overbearing and pushy. And I decided not to work with them because I could see that they weren’t really invested in me and what I needed, they were more invested in telling me what they thought I shouldn’t do.  

        Any coaching relationship needs to have that two-way connection if you know what I mean.  

        I think the other part of that is it’s not just somebody who fits well and has that chemistry, but they also need to be kind of firm, but fair. And what I mean is that they’re honest with you, and then give you direct feedback.  

        It’s really important because you don’t want to be heading down the wrong path in your business, for example, but have your coach not saying anything. Or perhaps knowing that you have a knowledge gap or a lack of experience and trying to draw an answer out of you when actually they could tell you straight up that something is unlikely to work and then work with that. 

        Having said that, a good business coach has the skill of drawing out your own ideas, they honour your needs, your strengths, your skills and your wishes rather than trying to make you do things their way. 

        A good analogy of this is parenting. We sometimes see parents who want their kids to do the things that they could never do themselves. They end up steering their child to do things in a certain way or to be a certain thing.  

        This comes back to the whole idea of coaching presence. It’s really about letting you (as the client) to choose the agenda and helping them to use their skills, strengths and insights to do business in your way. After all, it’s your unique method, your unique persona, your personality, that makes your business different from everyone else’s.  

        2. You align with the service being offered – mentoring vs coaching vs teaching 

        When you’re looking for a business coach, you need to be really clear on and aligned with the services that they’re offering. People who call themselves business coaches often share different sorts of ideas and information and they work in different ways.  

        There are three main ways that a business coach works; 

        1. They mentor you and share what works from their own experience,  
        2. They coach you, drawing the answers out of you and helping you develop your strengths, or  
        3. Teaching which is instructing you how to do certain principles, processes and techniques.   

        You need to figure out what you want. To do that, ask yourself these questions.  

        • Do I need or want to learn from and build on someone else’s example? 
        • Do I want to have my own ideas bought out of me, and fleshed out? 
        • Do I want to learn specific principles, processes, skills and techniques? 

        You might want someone who is skewed towards a specific area, for example, you just want to learn how to run an Instagram profile and build a big following on Instagram. So that’s clearly around principles, skills, and techniques, and perhaps someone else’s experience.  

        But if you want to look at your whole business you might not be looking for that kind of a person.  

        Get really clear on what your goal is for the business coaching and then evaluate how suitable they are for you, by asking them questions about how they work with people.  

        Most people need a blend and also, bonus points for someone who is agile and experienced enough to coach you around confidence, self-care, resilience and mindset as needed.  

        After all, business is rarely independent of feelings and emotional balance. Your business and your emotions are intrinsically linked because your business is your baby, plus as a coach, you’re potentially dealing with vicarious trauma, health issues, mental health, and compassion fatigue.  

        So if you’re running a health and wellness coaching business, part of what you need is also to maintain that emotional balance. It’s ideal if your business coach has the skills and experience to help you around those softer skills of business, but also your own health and well-being so that you can maintain your own emotional balance and show up for your clients.  

        Some coaches do what’s informally known as ‘moaching’, which is they call themselves a coach but they actually mentor and coach.  

        In summary, consider whether you want mentoring, coaching, teaching, and mindset or health and wellness aspects as well for emotional balance. 

        3. Qualifications and experience 

        Qualifications can be helpful but what really matters is that they’ve done it themselves, even better if they’ve done it in multiple settings.  

        This is because different industries have different ways of operating businesses and their depth of experience and knowledge is likely to be greater and less restricted.  

        For example, a health and wellness coaching business operates very differently to a traditional business. Many of the principles are the same. But until you’ve worked in a health and wellness coaching business, you don’t really see that it is quite unique. You might find a business coach who has worked in other areas (e.g. selling programs online, or working in another industry) but may not have the same relative and relevant experience.  

        I’ve even seen people who have very high-level business qualifications, like an MBA, Masters of Business Administration, not really understanding some very basic principles. I’ve seen that same thing in different areas of science too. In summary, qualifications can be a useful indicator that somebody’s done training and hopefully that translates to skills and knowledge that can help you.  

        But in my opinion, the most relevant qualifications are related to coaching, and experience in working with clients themselves and running businesses in the same industry is the best thing to look for. 

        4. Proof of success (and acknowledgement of failures)  

        Failure gives important lessons, so if someone hasn’t failed, they may not have as much depth of experience or be able to empathize and connect. 

        So many of my clients say they have felt heartened by hearing about my failures, and it’s helped them feel more hopeful about their own chance of success. 

        Similarly, though, proof of success is important. For example, a business coach might have run their own business successfully or helped others to do the same. They should be able to show examples of either of those.  

        An important point about business coaching and coaching, in general, is that success is actually dependent on the person doing the work themselves. So if you’re working with a client, and they don’t succeed, but they haven’t done all of the work, or they haven’t put in all of the efforts, or they haven’t been the kind of person who’s been able to attract people, it’s not necessarily a reflection of the person who was coaching them. 

        In any field, there’s going to be probably a small proportion of the total population of people who are successful. When you’re talking to somebody about their successful clients, as a business coach, what you can realistically expect is that only a small percentage will be superstars. Many will be in the middle of somewhere, and a few will have failed or not completed things.  

        That’s a really honest evaluation of the client base of a business coach. For the most part, there might be a few exceptions to that. But I would say the signs are in any coaching, area, even health and wellness, you might find a few people who are really significantly successful in their client cohort. 

        A good coach will be honest about that, and not promise you that you will be a superstar because of them. That’s a really important point because it is actually up to you to make the business work. 

        5. Connections and referrals 

        A good business coach can connect you with other people who can help them or help you find clients, and they can refer people to you who will refer you to others.  

        That means a good business coach has an established network of professional and personal contacts, who can somehow help you grow your business. Ask them about their connections and network to see what sorts of connections they have and how they are relevant to you. 

        6. Alignment with proven business principles – but flexible, not cookie cuttered  

        A good business coach will have alignment with proven business principles. But they would ideally also be flexible and not have a cookie-cutter mentality.  

        Think about it this way – yes, there are rinse-and-repeat ways that are successful, but they don’t work for everybody. There are principles that are proven to work and some that don’t. So being really clear about that is important.  

        You can ask the business coach questions like: 

        • what sorts of principles do you follow in business that are proven and reliable?  
        • how do you work with people? Do you make them follow a specific method? 
        • Do you have flexibility in how you help people set up their businesses?  

        A great example of this is I’ve been involved in groups with people who run, how to run Facebook groups or how to nail it on Instagram or to be a public speaker in order to build your business. But that’s all they do, and they say that’s the only way to do it.  

        That means if I don’t want to build a business in a Facebook group, I don’t have any other options for working with that person. They might say that they do work with people in other ways, but they tend to have these specialisations or biases towards certain methods.  

        Plus, these are specific marketing tactics, which often don’t cover other important aspects of business. 

        I believe that it’s better to work with someone that uses general principles but can draw on examples that might be relevant for you, or point you in the direction of specialist marketing courses so that you can build business your way using proven principles.  

        Having said that if you want to smash it on Instagram, then definitely get that specialty training. Just know that that’s about marketing and it’s only ONE part of running a business.  

        We know in coaching that when people come up with their own ideas, they’re more likely to stick to them, right. It’s this combination of flexibility within a proven framework. 

        7. Helps you create accountability around your goals 

        A good business coach helps you to create accountability around your goals. This means that you have clear SMART goals at the end of each session as in actions that you’re going to take an outcomes from the session, but also that you have a method of being accountable to yourself. 

        Now that might sound a little odd, because you might think that part of the role of the Business Coach is to help to keep you accountable, and it is. 

        But if you want to grow as a person, if you want to become successful in business then you need to learn to become accountable to yourself. A coach can help you to develop that skill of self-accountability is really important, as well as helping you be accountable to setting and achieving your weekly goals.  

        In other words, business coaching it’s not a forever relationship. It’s a relationship where you grow. And you might even outgrow that business coach after a period of time. 

        8. Has the strengths that you lack 

        Finally, look for a business coach that has strengths that you lack. The reason that you’re going to a business coach is because you have questions, you have stumbling blocks, and you have things that you’re finding challenging. Ideally, you’re going to work with someone who has really great skills in that area.  

        For example, when people work with me, they say that I helped them to get clarity, feel hopeful and excited and develop the systems and processes they need to make their work and their business run efficiently and effectively.  

        They’re all strengths that I have. I’m a listener and a summarizer, I like structure and I like getting to the heart of the matter quickly. That means I ask questions that probe and help people clarify what they want and need and why and how they’re going to get it.  

        I’m very process-driven myself, I like a few simple steps to achieve an outcome. That means the people that come to me tend to like structure or want more structure and want to figure out how to integrate their business into their life so that they can have a work-life balance.  

        So those are my strengths. And that’s what I tend to help other people with.  

        Whatever you’re looking for, it needs to be ideally with someone who has a strength in that area to counteract the challenge that you’re having. Rather than somebody who just can do a few different things and a bit of everything, but doesn’t really specialize in a certain area, you’re going get a lot more value out of your business coach, if they have those certain strengths that you lack. 

        Summary 

        There’s a lot to think about when you hire someone for any sort of professional service. And when it comes to building a business, there are several principles you can use to find a business coach who is right for you. 

        Today I shared 8 principles: 

        1. There’s good chemistry (rapport and relationship) and coaching presence 
        2. You’re clear on the offering: mentoring vs coaching vs teaching 
        3. Appropriate qualifications and experience 
        4. Proof of success (and acknowledgement of failures)  
        5. Connections and referrals 
        6. Alignment with proven business principles – but flexible, not cookie cuttered  
        7. Helps you create accountability around your goals 
        8. They have the strength that you lack 

        If you are looking for a business coach and are interested in exploring a potential coaching relationship with me, please reach out to book a good fit call to see if we could work together. I am taking on a few individual clients from late January, 2022. 

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More

        Posted on by

        E#220 Rebecca Taylor – Coaching Compassion Fatigue

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        This episode is about Rebecca Taylor – coaching compassion fatigue 

        Are you curious about what compassion fatigue is, the signs of compassion fatigue, and how to coach around compassion fatigue? 

        We answer these questions in today’s interview with Rebecca Taylor of Exploring Wellness with Coach Bec. Bec is a vet nurse with 13 years’ experience in vet clinics and animal shelters and a recent graduate of Wellness Coaching Australia. 

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What is compassion fatigue?
        * What are the signs of compassion fatigue?
        * Compassion fatigue vs burnout – what’s the difference? 
        * How are you getting traction as a coach?

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More

        Posted on by

        E#214 Six ways to boost your professional credibility

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        This episode is about six ways to boost your professional credibility

        Are you finding it difficult to gain credibility with other health professionals? Are they confused about what you do, or facing lots of questions about your qualifications? Today I’ll outline six ways you can boost your professional credibility so that people understand what you do and have trust and confidence in your qualification, training, skill set and capabilities.

        I wanted to create this episode today because I’ve had two conversations recently that really got me fired up.

        In one conversation, a recent graduate who is out marketing her services said she’d been constantly questioned by professionals about her qualifications – not by potential clients – but by health professionals.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What professional credibility mean
        * Why people question your qualifications
        * Six ways to boost your professional credibility

        In the other conversation, a seasoned coach is starting a degree, following what I would call professionally bullying – being told by a health professional that she isn’t qualified enough to have enough expertise in wellness, and needs to do higher education.

        After I got up from pounding my fists on the floor, I decided to develop this episode to help you to understand why these sorts of things happen, and what you can do about it.

        What professional credibility means

        To set the scene, let’s define professional credibility.

        It can be simply defined as your education, experience, performance and demonstrated professional development in a particular field.

        This definition gives some clues about what it takes to be a credible professional that is trusted and respected. Let’s dig a bit deeper.

        Why people question your qualifications and professional credibility

        According to an article in the Organisational Behaviour in Health Care book series, “…professional credibility is a source of legitimacy.” The chapter says that when professional credibility is combined with leadership, you can create respect and trust by peers, and engagement with followers.

        So, when people question your qualifications or professionalism, they are looking for evidence that you’re trustworthy, capable, and skilled.

        In a healthcare setting, it’s understandable that people might question anyone’s professional credibility because you may be dealing with people in health critical or l

        complex medical or psychological conditions, and other professionals with significant experience in patient care and medical systems.

        Somebody showing up with a coaching qualification may not fit into their paradigm.

        In Australia, Health and Wellness Coaching is a relatively young profession and people don’t understand what it is or how it fits with existing medical frameworks, or within health professions.

        Part of the challenge is the range of untrained and unexperienced people giving themselves coaching-related titles and offering services that are clearly not coaching related.

        Another part of the challenge is the diversity of coaching professions around – you can be a life coach, a wellness coach, a health and wellness coach, a health coach, an executive coach….and so on. What’s the difference? Which is the appropriate setting for each one?

        I’ll address these three issues in a moment.

        But to finish up this section of today’s topic, I wanted to say that there is something of a turf war going on in Australia. I have heard of this first-hand from a psychologist a few years ago, who told me that psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors are fighting about who is credentialled enough for what.

        Let me ease your mind a bit by saying that professional skills are important, our profession definitely needs some good promotion and PR, our scope of practice needs to be clear, but please also know that human ego and professional bullying exists and is potentially always going to be there, no matter how well known, recognised and accepted our profession is.

        In fact, the reason I left my previous career as a biological scientist is that I was sick of all the egotism, barrow-pushing and bullying that was going on in my industry back then. I wasn’t personally affected but I was disheartened by the behaviour, generally.

        That said, there are things going on and that you can do to move past the questions and to gain the credibility and respect you deserve.

        Six ways to boost your professional credibility

        Let’s look at 6 ways you can start boosting your professional credibility.

        HCANZA – Look for the Logo

        If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you might remember an episode I did in May 2022 called how to boost your professional credibility. This episode was about showcasing the health coaching profession at the inaugural conference of our industry association, Health Coaches Australia and New Zealand association (HCANZA), and how attending could give you ideas on how to communicate what health coaches do, and what our profession is achieving.

        As a current board member of HCANZA, I can say that HCANZA is working hard in the advocacy of our profession at the highest levels of government, insurance and medical sector in Australia and New Zealand. HCANZA serves multiple purposes, including building the knowledge, understanding and reputation of health coaching in Australia and New Zealand. We are running a Look for the Logo campaign that educates the public and health professionals on how to choose an appropriately qualified health and wellness coach.

        If you are a member of HCANZA, then you have access to resources to help you also advocate for our profession, and to promote yourself in a professional way. Hot off the press, HCANZA members now have access to a 25 page booklet called The Doctors Guide to Health Coaching, authored by Sandra Sheinbaum from the Institute of Functional Medicine and provided to HCANZA members for the purpose of awareness-building, advocacy and promotion of our profession.

        If you’re a current member, this would have been sent to you by email and it’s available in the member toolkit. The document has been sent to 2,000 doctors in this past week.

        Professional branding

        Whether we like it or not, first impressions count.

        That means that any imagery, documents, flyers, email footers, social media pages, websites etc that you have need to look professional.

        Professional branding can cost as little as $200 or up to $15,000 but before you leap in, you need to work out your target market and ideal customer and get to know them intimately.

        Why? Because your branding colours and styles need to appeal to your specific demographic, psychographic and desired feelings.

        Before tackling branding formally, when you are getting started, at least develop a professional looking email signature and a formal LinkedIn profile with a professional headshot and a well written bio on it.

        Mentioning your qualifications, training and HCANZA membership is valuable for your professional standing and to raise awareness of our industry association.

        Your main goal initially is to have consistent visuals and messaging across any promotional material. If you start with LinkedIn and an email footer, and any other online presence, they should all look similar, use the same fonts, and have the same feel about them.

        If you are a HCANZA Professional member, log into your account and look inside your member toolkit for tips on creating a professional bio, getting noticed on LinkedIn, where to use your HCANZA logo, and crafting an elevator pitch (who you work with and the general area – e.g. I help professional women in their 40’s who are struggling with menopause). We also have a HCANZA-badged brochure that talks about the benefits of working with a HCANZA-accredited coach.

        A clear value proposition

        When you can clearly and confidently describe who you work with (elevator pitch) and how you help your niche (value proposition), it lends credibility and professionalism – and legitimacy.

        A value proposition describes the tangible results someone will get from using your products or services. I did an episode unpacking how to do this recently using a tool called a Brand Ladder, which you can listen to, here.

        A value proposition might be longer than an elevator pitch and speak more specifically to the tangible results. For example, comparing to the elevator pitch I just mentioned, a related value proposition might be something like:

        “I use an evidence-based methodology help menopausal women to become aware of what impacts their menopausal symptoms, and to develop health-giving routines to help them reduce their symptoms naturally and feel healthy, productive, energized and calm”.

        When you can clearly explain how you help people, they see the value in working with you.

        It’s clear that you know what you’re talking about, and that you are confident in what you do and how it helps people.

        Endorsement

        Personal or professional endorsements are great ways to build credibility. If someone else likes and trusts you, and if you have proven success, this builds your legitimacy as a coach.

        Endorsement can take on various forms, such as:

        · Being a HCANZA Professional member and listed on their website

        · Client testimonials (on your website or social media platform – or a widget like TrustPilot)

        · Client case studies

        · Professional recommendations (LinkedIn is a great example)

        · Media references

        · Employer references

        · Corporate or business client case studies

        Even as a new coach, you can cover at least some of these.

        Professional networking

        While networking itself isn’t necessarily credibility building, the act of consistently showing up in professional networking spaces creates visibility and recognition and helps you to build relationships with like-minded people who can become your allies and advocates.

        For example, when I started my weight loss coaching business, I made an effort to send introductory letters to prominent health professionals in my area and meet several of them for coffee afterwards.

        I also attended various events and presentations in my local area such as Medicare presentations, health expos and health practitioner lunches, where I could leverage those initial contacts and become known in the area.

        Also, I started my business by running a pilot program that involved my clients seeing their doctors or health professionals for a health clearance before starting. This gave those professionals firsthand experience in the success of my coaching program, and therefore professional endorsement and recognition.

        In the end, GP’s and podiatrists, chiropractors and diabetes educators were referring people to me for weight loss, having seen improvement in my clients weight, BMI, blood pressure, insulin, etc.

        You can do this in your local area (four or five surrounding suburbs) or nearest health hub.

        Publishing and speaking

        Finally, being published in online articles, interviewed on the radio or podcasts, published in print newspapers or magazines, all give you visibility and credibility.

        After all, nobody will publish you or interview you if you’re not credible.

        While this is a marketing activity, it also gives you a chance to be seen, heard and known by different audiences, so they can validly assess (in their own minds) how professional you are.

        Summary

        Today we talked about the challenges we face in being recognised as credible professionals. The truth is, no matter how experienced and qualified you are, someone will always take a shot at you or doubt your credentials.

        That aside, there are six things you can do to boost your professional credibility right now:

        · Being a HCANZA member

        · ensure you have professional branding

        · develop a clear value proposition

        · gain endorsements

        · professional networking

        · publishing and speaking

        Passion to Profit

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More

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        E#209 How Long Does It Take to Form a Habit?

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        This episode is about how long does it take to form a habit?

        Are you thinking about making change but lacking in motivation, and wondering how long it will take to form a new habit that happens automatically and effortlessly?

        By knowing how long it takes to form a habit, it can help you to manage your expectations, decide if you are ready to start, and hang in there long enough to be successful.

        I’m sure you know what it’s like. At some point in your life, you have wanted to lose weight, or tone up, or establish a better sleep routine, but it can be hard to get started when you’re not clear on how long it will take, and whether you have enough time and energy to even start.

        If you search the internet for “how long does it take to form a habit”, you will find a range of answers. Today I want to share the most recent research to answer this question, with caveats included!

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * The Architecture
        * What Type of Habit Do You Want to Change?
        * What Type of Person Are You?
        * What is Your Situation? What is Your Mindset?
        * What Does the Research Say?

        The Architecture of Habits

        To set the scene, let’s look at the architecture of habits. I have done a deep dive on this in previous episodes, so for now let’s recap.

        Firstly, any habit has a cue or trigger – something that causes it to happen.

        Then there is a routine or process that you go through.

        Then, there is a reward you receive by going through the process.

        The craving for this reward can motivate you to keep coming back.

        What this means for you is that if you want to change a bad habit or form a new habit, you need to work the elements of this ‘habit loop’ to help you get there faster.

        Let’s look at how to do that, with some examples.

        What Type of Habit Do You Want to Change?

        Firstly, consider that the type and complexity of habit that you want to change. Let me give you two examples from my own life so you can see the difference.

        If it’s a simple habit you want to form like flossing your teeth once per day, then you can bet that it will happen a lot sooner and become automatic more easily compared to a more complex habit.

        A few years ago, a friend of mine told me he had started flossing his teeth each night. This is something I’ve wanted to do for teeth hygiene reasons, but never quite found the motivation and

        momentum to be consistent. This is probably because I found it to be a rather fiddly and sometimes painful task, and I had told myself that I hated flossing my teeth, or that I couldn’t be bothered.

        But as soon as my friend mentioned he was doing this, I decided that I’d have a go too. I didn’t tell him or anyone else – I just decided one day that I would have a competition with myself to do it every night for 12 weeks, as an experiment to see whether I could turn this into an automatic and effortless habit.

        The trigger part of the habit was easy – I would floss before brushing my teeth each night. This is called habit stacking, or as I like to call it, piggybacking. I simply put a package of floss next to my toothbrush and voila, I remembered to even think about doing it each night!

        I got off to a good start and in the first few weeks, I realised a few things.

        Firstly, I realised that each night I was approaching this habit in the wrong way.

        When I got ready to floss, I noticed that I was thinking about how annoying this was, or how I didn’t feel like doing it, or how yukky and gross it was – unhelpful thinking! Instead, I decided to come up with more neutral or positive thoughts as I was flossing. I started thinking things like “I did another night! Yay!” or “This is good for my teeth!”

        Secondly, I realised that if I was going to be consistent with this, I would have to be clear on the process. I had recently been to a new dentist, and they’d provided some written instructions on how to brush and floss your teeth. To make it more interesting, I decided to geek it up and deep dive into technique, trying to bring some fresh energy and interest into the process.

        I learned about flossing on angles and how long it should take.

        Those two things kept me going in the beginning.

        Then I started thinking about the reward in earnest, rather than just having that sense of achievement. Sure, that was a reward, but I also ran my tongue over my teeth and made a smug ‘ah’ sound, really celebrating the clean teeth and how I was maintaining the dentist’s good cleaning work.

        Something funny happened about 11 or 12 weeks into the routine. I had had a late night and a few drinks and was getting ready for bed. And even being so tired, I realised that I simply couldn’t go to bed without flossing my teeth before brushing.

        It was a huge win! I could celebrate more than just the fact that it had become automatic and effortless – I also wanted to floss my teeth because I had created an attachment to the rewards of achievement and cleaner teeth (as opposed to the old rewards of getting out of a boring task).

        Now compare that with something like giving up smoking. Smoking is something you do multiple times per day, and your desire to smoke might be triggered by multiple different things.

        I smoked socially in my late teens, and in earnest when I was 21 years old after a stressful series of events. It had become a coping mechanism and a way of fitting in socially (these were the rewards).

        After a year, I decided it was ridiculous to smoke and I wanted to give up but it was difficult! This wasn’t just one habit loop – it was many habit loops happening in tandem.

        For example, there were various cues or triggers for smoking.

        After breakfast. While driving. After lunch. When stressed. While hanging out with certain friends. While drinking alcohol. At a pub or nightclub (a common hangout when I was this age). At the end of the day as a pleasant wind-down ritual on the balcony of my unit. Looking cool in front of boys (or so I thought).

        Coupled with the perceived rewards of coping better and looking cool (yes, I am groaning about these), I also had a serious nicotine addiction by now so had chemical drivers.

        This habit was a lot more complex than teeth flossing!

        In the end, I dismantled my smoking habit one piece at a time.

        Firstly, I switched from menthol cigarettes (tasted better) to plain cigarettes and the worst-tasting ones – in other words, I made the habit more unpleasant.

        Next, I substituted those cigarettes to ones that tasted bad AND had the lowest nicotine.

        Then, I started delaying my first cigarette. So instead of around 9am, I would wait until 10am, then 11am, then after lunch.

        By now I was smoking fewer per day, so I started buying smaller packets.

        I started hanging out with different friends – friends who didn’t smoke. This was a game changer for this habit because it removed temptation and also helped me frame a healthier identity – by hanging around people who placed a higher value on health.

        I was going to nightclubs to dance instead of smoke. I was going to the beach in the daytime instead of pubs to play pool.

        By the end of about 6 months, I was down to one cigarette per day – the one on the balcony late afternoon. This was the hardest one to give up because I had a positive ritual and feeling of me time. However, I made the decision to stop and do something else at this time.

        Voila, the habit was gone.

        I had cravings for a while, but it was easier to ride them out once I got this far.

        As you can see, more complex habits take longer to break or form and are more involved.

        Some people go for substitution for gum or other things, but for me, I wanted to break the habit and rewire all the different areas of my life rather than swap one vice or habit for another.

        What Type of Person Are You?

        Complexity aside, I think a lot comes down to the type of person you are.

        If you are motivated, focused, achievement oriented and proactive, it’s probably easier for you to form a new habit or break a bad habit.

        Some people have more addictive personalities – and I am one of these (as revealed in a genetic test I had done a few years ago to look at disease risk factors).

        Some people like putting others first and even at their own expense, which can get in the way of forming new habits.

        These are all factors that affect your ability to form new habits and the time that it takes.

        What is Your Life Situation?

        Your life situation impacts your ability to form a habit and the rate at which it happens.

        Why? Because making change is hard. It requires a lot of focus and energy from your brain, and brains like taking the easy, low-cost, low-effort route.

        That means if your life situation is busy, overwhelming, stressful, painful, difficult, or involving major shifts or even crises, forming a new habit is going to be pretty difficult. Not just in terms of starting but in persisting.

        The best time to form a new habit is when there’s little stress in your life, when things are on an even keel, and when there aren’t many other pressures in life.

        This is not always possible, but at least you can clear the decks to make time and energy to focus on doing something new, or something different.

        The less stress you have, I believe the faster and easier change will be.

        This is where working with a coach can be so helpful, because they help you make the time and create the focus, and clear the decks, so that you have enough brain power for forming a habit.

        And not too many at once!

        What is Your Mindset?

        Finally, your mindset is a critical piece of the puzzle.

        You heard me say earlier in the teeth flossing and quit smoking examples, that I had decided to do it. And after 13 years of coaching, I can say that the majority of my clients use similar words.

        They say that they have decided, or they are in the right headspace, or they are really ready. There is determination in those words.

        And to be successful and persist for long enough so that you can form and automate a habit, you need to have a good enough reason which is meaningful to you, because this is your motivator to keep going.

        What Does the Research Say About Time Required to Form Habits?

        I’ve just given you a lot of backstory about habit formation that sets the scene for discussing the research.

        A 2009 paper by Phillippa Lalley et. al. was published in the European Journal of Social Psychology.

        The study involved 96 volunteers over 12 weeks. Those volunteers chose an eating, drinking or activity behaviour to carry out daily in the same context (e.g. after breakfast).

        The time it took to form the habit and for it to become largely automatic was 18 – 254 days, with an average of 66 days (9.5 weeks). A huge range!

        It is known that behaviour is likely to become habitual when it is frequently and consistently performed in the same context, this study found that a habit could be formed and become automatic even if it was missed a few times.

        More recently, a longitudinal field study considered how self-control capacity affected the development of habits over a period of 90 days.

        Contrary to expectations, self-control capacity did not seem to affect the habit formation process and opened the opportunity for future research.

        The recent research reveals a few keys to easier and potentially faster habit formation and habit automaticity:

        · Habit strength increases steeply at first then levels off

        · The more often the behaviour is completed, the quicker the habit forms

        · The more inherently rewarding the behaviour, the easier it is to form a habit

        · If the environment is comfortable (no threats/obstacles), habit formation is easier

        To me, these findings back up my experience with my own habits and with clients.

        The recipe for success seems to lie in the goal-setting process and the situation, as described earlier.

        If you clear your decks to make time, set specific goals around behaviours that are rewarding, and you commit to doing them frequently, you will more likely succeed.

        Having the support of a coach will probably help you get there faster!

        Summary

        Today we talked about how long it takes to form a habit and covered some of the factors that influence the timing and ease of habit formation.

        There is a lot of scope for future research in this area, with the most recent studies having shown that your capacity for self-control is not critical to the process!

        Rather, the intrinsic reward, frequency of behaviour, commitment, environment and in my experience, situation, mindset and personality, might all play a role in the timing.

         

        References

        Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Potts, H.W.W. and Wardle, J. (2010), How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol., 40: 998-1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674

        van der Weiden Anouk, Benjamins Jeroen, Gillebaart Marleen, Ybema Jan Fekke, de Ridder Denise. (2020). How to Form Good Habits? A Longitudinal Field Study on the Role of Self-Control in Habit Formation. Frontiers in Psychology 11. URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00560

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#205 How to Develop a Magnetic Value Proposition

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        This episode is about how to develop a magnetic value proposition

        A lot of coaches find it hard to really communicate the value of what they do in their marketing and craft a viable value proposition. Today, I want to unpack the ‘brand ladder’ with you – a helpful marketing tool that helps you define what motivates people to buy and craft a compelling value proposition that is guaranteed to attract new clients.

        Before you develop any marketing strategies to get out there and start becoming known, liked and trusted to attract clients, you have to know what to say and how to describe the value of what you do. A solid brand ladder will make all the difference. It’s what will rocket fuel your opportunities.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What is a Brand Ladder and Why Do You Need One?
        * The Five Step Brand Ladder Process
        * Crafting Your Value Proposition

        What is a Brand Ladder and Why do You Need One?

        In all marketing and advertising, we want to write, speak or engage with emotion and values that are aligned with what the clients want to feel and be, because this is appealing and attractive to them.

        If you listened to my last episode, you might have heard me mention that 90% of a buying decision is based in emotion, and only 10% is based in logic.

        So, how do you create that emotively based value proposition?

        Brand laddering is one exercise to help you uncover the right language to develop your value proposition. This tool helps you to unpack the mental and emotional process your potential client goes through as they are becoming engaged to buy, and it leverages coaching concepts including positive psychology, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and unpacking the “why behind the why”.

        They start from outlining your service’s most important feature, then it’s benefits, the emotional value to the person, and how those benefits and values might change someone’s life.

        The Five-Step Brand Ladder Process

        Let’s walk through the five-step brand ladder process, so you can use this to create compelling copy and a rock-solid value proposition that is irresistible to potential clients.

        Bottom Rung – Features

        Features are the factual statements about your service, about what it can do or what it includes, and why it’s the best choice.

        This rung answers the question – “so what is this program, and who is it for?”

        If your service is a coaching program, then factual statements might include:

        · Weight loss program tailored to women in their 40’s

        · 8-week, evidence-based program to help you reduce stress at work

        You can hear the points of difference here – firstly both are specific to a problem, the weight loss program is tailored to a specific group, or the 8-week program is evidence-based.

        These types of statements speak about the strengths or differences of your service and therefore why it is a better choice.

        You will notice that the wording is specific, not general. That way there’s no room for misinterpretation or misunderstanding. This is important for all rungs of the ladder.

        Second Rung – Functional Benefits

        Next are the functional benefits that these features provide. These are the end results of what the service can accomplish for your client.

        This rung answers the question – “so what do I get?” or “what’s in it for me?”

        Functional benefits are things that help people to:

        – Stay connected – e.g. friends, family, socially

        – Save money – e.g. reduce time, add value, track success, reduce costs

        – Make you smarter – e.g. build skills, support, information, step-by-step process

        – Help you be healthier – e.g. prevent, restore, mental health, lose weight, exercise

        – Work better for you – e.g. faster, safer, evidence based

        – Help you take action – e.g. awareness, motivation, confidence

        – Simplify your life – e.g. efficient, easier, time-saving, streamlined, organised.

        For a coaching program, these could be things like:

        · Making simple changes to your eating habits to help you achieve a healthy weight

        · Learning how to better manage your schedule and leave work on time, so you can switch off more easily and have the energy for friends, family and fitness after work.

        Notice once again that the language is specific to the client and what their daily life experience might involve. Market research and conversations with your client can help you get there.

        Third Rung – Emotional Benefits

        Next are the emotional benefits that these functional benefits provide.

        This rung answers the question – “how will this make me feel?”

        It’s a bit like peeling off another layer of the why in a first coaching session, asking “so if you were to achieve that vision, how would you feel?”

        Emotional benefits are commonly things like:

        • Curiosity for knowledge – e.g. competent, smarter, aware
        • Sense of optimism – e.g. motivated, successful, inspired, special
        • Feeling comfortable – e.g. relaxed, nurtured, compassionate
        • Feeling free – e.g. alive, excited, exhilarated
        • Getting noticed – e.g. playful, popular, sexy
        • Feeling liked or self-assured – e.g. friendly, happy, fulfilled, confident, empowered
        • Staying in control – e.g. respect, safe, trust, reliable
        • Feeling myself/my values – e.g. honest, standards, purpose, family, authentic
        • Feeling revitalised – e.g. active, more energized, youthful, getting the old me back
        • Having a sense of pride – e.g. leadership, overcoming, accomplishment

        For a coaching program, these could be things like:

        · This program is designed to help you feel more confident, comfortable in your own skin and aligned with your values

        · By mastering your work schedule, you’ll feel more in control of your time, gain a sense of achievement and have a more relaxed time with the ones you love.

        Notice how we are tapping into the client’s aspirations here. We are not promising that the program does this – we are saying how they might feel if they can get on top of their obstacles.

        Working with your niche clients to help them create a vision can help you to work out these ‘feeling words’ more specifically.

        Fourth Rung – Transformational Benefits

        Next are the transformational benefits that are possible when a client can make lasting change.

        This rung answers the question – “how will this change my life?”

        This is like peeling off yet another layer of the why in a first coaching session, asking “Why is this vision so meaningful for you?”

        For a coaching program, these could be things like:

        · I’ll be a better, healthier role model for my kids and know that I am doing the best for my health

        · I’ll have better, more meaningful relationships with my family, have more fun in life, and perform better at work.

        Notice how we are tapping into the client’s deeper values and motivators here. Reflect on how you feel even just listening to these transformational benefits!

        (Sometimes) Fifth Rung – Social Impact

        Some brand ladders have another layer – related to social impact of the company or even of the person using the company’s services.

        This rung answers the question – “how does this change society?”

        In a coaching context, this might only really apply to specific niches, but it could also speak to the values of your business and it’s greater mission in the world.

        For example:

        · XYZ Coaching is on a mission to put an end to diabetes and other avoidable lifestyle diseases. This is your chance to be part of the change and inspire your friends and family with healthier choices for a healthy weight.

        · Burnout is a global problem. For every program purchased, we will donate $10 to Beyond Blue, an organisation that supports and advocates for better mental health.

        By now, your potential client will feel on a high and be excited to work with you!

        Crafting Your Value Proposition

        So, how do you use this information to craft a value proposition?

        It’s about pulling together the key elements of the ladder into something that speaks to the value of what you do.

        Using the weight loss example:

        If you’re a woman in your 40’s who is struggling to lose weight, XYZ coaching will take you through a step-by-step process to make weight loss easier. You’ll finally start to feel more comfortable in your own skin and be the role model you want to be for your family.

        Using the stress management example:

        If you’re sick of feeling overwhelmed by workplace stress, this evidence-based program will help you to manage your time better and feel more energized so you can switch off more easily and have more quality time with the people and things you love.

        Summary

        The brand ladder exercise is a great tool to help you unpack a statement that truly conveys the value of what you do – your value proposition – and taps into your prospective client’s emotional drivers.

        You can build a brand ladder using the words your clients use in their initial vision sessions, by peeling off the layers of the why.

        Assuming that you have the best intentions for your client and will do your best as a coach, this is an authentic way to get excited about what you do and the difference you can make in the world.

        It helps you to stand out and be emotionally engaging to the right people.

        And if you get this right, you’ll easily have more clients heading your way.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#204 How to Better Explain What You Do So You Can Attract More Paying Clients

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        This episode is about how to better explain what you do so you can attract more paying clients

        A lot of coaches have trouble explaining what they do, what health coaching is and how it works. And that’s why I want to get a bit ranty today. We’ll talk about the #1 reason why you may NOT be getting the leads you want, and how best to explain what you do so that you can confidently speak to people and attract more paying clients.

        Advocacy vs Niche Marketing

        I want to start this episode by talking about advocacy versus niche marketing. The problem I see is that a lot of coaches are so stuck on telling people what health and wellness coaching is BUT they’re not really communicating the value of health and wellness coaching. Let me explain

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * Advocacy vs Niche Marketing
        * Appealing to Emotions
        * Brand Laddering
        * How to Attract Paying Clients

        For starters, people buy things that they believe will get them a result.

        But if you are trying to explain your services in terms of how your profession works, then you’re not really talking about how you help the individual or the results they will get.

        For example, imagine a doctor explaining how doctors work. He might say something like:

        “Well, patients come to see me when they’re not feeling well. They come in and make an appointment and then we sit down and go through the health history, and I work out what’s going on with them now and I may prescribe medication or treatment that will help them to get better. They might come and see me again in a couple of weeks to make sure everything’s been resolved and that’s how being a doctor works.”

        Now, I know that’s a really obvious example, but it illustrates what some coaches are trying to do when they’re explaining Health and Wellness coaching to people.

        When you talk about helping clients to set visions and create goals and make lifestyle change, then you’re talking much more about how professionals in our industry work within a session with a client.

        For the sake of clarity, let’s call this type of explanation “advocacy”.

        The term fits pretty well with the dictionary definition of advocacy, which is “the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal.”

        How do you know if you’re going down the road of ‘advocacy’ in your marketing?

        Well, your copy would include words that focus more on our profession. The language you use would be broader and perhaps more about you as a coach. If you are using more thinking, factual or logical words to describe what you do. He might be also talking about qualifications and standards, professional affiliations, or the science behind what you do.

        Let’s be clear – There is a role for advocacy in your marketing particularly if you are talking to other health professionals for the sake of building relationships to gain referrals. But you are not likely to get clients this way directly, because you were not speaking to them emotively in their language.

        This is why I’d like to talk about niche marketing now.

        Niche marketing is very different to advocacy. In niche marketing, your language focuses more on person, not the profession. You’re using more feeling words and specifically, the words that your clients used to describe their pain points and desired feeling-based solutions. You’re talking about their unmet needs, their perceived problem, how that plays out in their daily life, their desired solution and your value proposition. As a refresher, a value proposition is defined as a basic statement that communicates the benefit you promise to deliver to your customers post purchase.

        This is how the hypothetical doctor might discuss his value proposition to a prospective client.

        “I’m a Doctor who specialises in helping people who have just been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes or diabetes. I understand that being diagnosed with this might be a shock and leave you feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you are confused about your treatment options, mediation and their side effects, or which areas of your health require attention.

        I understand how worrying this can be, especially with your work and family responsibilities at this time of your life. As someone who has treated metabolic conditions for 10 years, I am here to help you to navigate your condition, understand what’s going on in your body and take action to prevent the progression of this condition by taking action to lower your cholesterol, reduce your waist circumference, normalise your liver function and improve your physical and mental health.”

        Can you hear the difference in the language? Of course, doctors don’t usually describe their work like that or use emotive language.

        But if you had a metabolic condition and you heard those two descriptions, one based in more advocacy language and one about the challenges that someone with metabolic syndrome faces, which one would be more appealing?

        Which one of those doctors would you trust more?

        Appealing to Emotions

        As I mentioned earlier, if you want to explain what you do really clearly and in a way that grabs attention then it’s important that you appeal to their emotions. And to appeal to someone’s emotions, talk with emotional words about things that they are emotionally engaged with.

        You want to tell a story, but not just any story – you want to tell the niche client’s personal story.

        You want to use descriptive and emotive words, and real examples of what the person might be thinking, living, experiencing and feeling. This portrays your understanding of them as a person and not just as a prospective client. This naturally brings a flavour of empathy, compassion, understanding and relatability to your words and messages.

        Imagine how confident you’d feel knowing you had something that engaged people at their very heart and soul!

        Brand Laddering

        So how do you work out how to describe what you do in a more emotive way?

        Brand laddering is one exercise you can do to bring more emotive language into your marketing copy, and to make it more about the person than about your profession. I will talk about that in the next episode, but the premise is that it helps you peel of the why’s behind the service.

        It helps you to unpack the mental and emotional process your potential client goes through as they are becoming engaged to buy.

        It works just like our very own coaching process of exploring the whys. As coaches, we explore a client’s challenge and desired solution with them by asking several why-type questions to uncover their values, motivators and drivers.

        More in the next episode! But first, let’s back up a step and talk about a four step process to help you improve the way you describe your services to potential clients.

        How to Better-Attract Paying Clients

        If you want to get better at attracting paying clients, you will need to switch out of advocacy marketing and into niche marketing.

        Here are four steps to better-explain how you work, and more easily engage paying clients.

        1. Conduct LIVE market research interviews with your niche to hear what they are emotional about, and to hear the words they use to describe their problem, desired results and bigger why outcomes.

        2. Create a brand ladder that captures the key words from these interviews, moving beyond the ‘features’ of what you do and into the emotional and transformational benefits.

        3. Use this to craft a value proposition that clearly explains the tangible emotional benefits that your niche client wants.

        4. Ask some of your niche clients for feedback on the value proposition. Why do they like it or why not? What does it mean to them? What would be more appealing, if anything?

        Engaging people in your niche for feedback is ALWAYS, 100%, the best way to get your marketing copy, your explanation of what you do, and any descriptions of your services, spot on.

        If in doubt – contact a business or marketing coach for support!

        Summary

        Today we talked about what coaches typically do wrong when describing what they do as a profession, and why it doesn’t work.

        We compared the more factual, profession-based ‘advocacy’ approach to marketing, versus the more emotive, client-focused niche marketing approach.

        Your ability to attract clients is all about appealing to their emotions. If you want to attract more paying clients, try following my four step process:

        1. Conduct market research interviews with your niche

        2. Create a brand ladder to draw out the more emotional, why-based words

        3. Develop a value proposition using more emotive, client-focused words

        4. Practice it on your niche before sharing your insights in your marketing

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
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        E#202 Should I Show Pricing on My Website?

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        This episode is about should I show pricing on my website?

        This is a question that comes up a lot – should I show pricing on my website, or is it better to not have pricing on my website? This episode covers the pros and cons and helps you make this decision.

        Recently in my Passion to Profit course, I had a conversation with my current students on whether to include pricing on your website. We had a great brainstorm on the topic including how individuals felt if they were in the customer’s shoes, and I wanted to share some of the insights here.

        What do your clients like?

        The really easy way to figure this out is to ask your existing clients or practice clients what their opinion is. A client-centric business always starts with this approach.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * Getting client feedback
        * Price Lists on Websites – Benefits and Inclusions
        * Why you might not include pricing on your website

        You can either send them a direct message, email or even have a conversation with them and just say “hey, I’m winding whether to include pricing on my website. Would this make a difference to you?” Done just ask any clients, ask your favourite clients. After all, you want more of those, so their opinion matters more!

        If you don’t have any clients yet, then think about your own buying preferences, after all, your ideal client is probably a lot like you are in terms of their values.

        Imagine that you were going to buy a coaching program from somebody, and you were looking on their website to see what their packages were all about. Would it make a difference if there was pricing there, or not?

        Price List on Websites – Benefits, and What to Include

        What are some of the upsides of including pricing on your website?

        Well for starters, it might seem like you are more authentic, and have nothing to hide. It might seem like you’re very upfront and honest.

        Most people assess value based on typical outcomes or results, but pricing is often part of the decision, especially if the person doesn’t know you very well or doesn’t have enough proof or trust that you can help them actually succeed and get results.

        If you are going to include pricing on your website, you’d need to make a few things clear. These include things like:

        1. What is included in the price (features written as benefits)

        2. What are the different package and pricing options? (not too many)

        3. What are the payment options?

        Let’s unpack these a bit.

        What’s included in the price

        When we are talking about what is included, it’s tempting to think about features, like workbooks, coaching sessions, etc. And while these are all valuable things, there are ways to describe them that communicate the value clearly.

        I call these ‘features written as benefits’. This is where you list a feature and explain why it’s important.

        Here are two examples:

        1. 8 x 1:1 coaching sessions to give you the support, self-awareness and accountability you need to work out what to do, problem-solve, celebrate wins and become consistent

        2. A 20-page workbook to help you develop an action plan, stay motivated and see results

        Doesn’t that sound way more exciting than just saying ‘8 coaching sessions and a 20-page workbook’?

        I would use this as full descriptive text that goes into detail of what the program includes.

        In keeping with consumer protection law, please make sure you are not promising a result that you can’t deliver. Rather, talk about how the feature is intended to help them.

        Packaging and pricing options

        In terms of pricing options, if you decide to show pricing on your website, make it really clear as to what’s included in each option so the person can see how they’re different.

        It’s helpful to include a diagram showing three options and listing what’s included in each.

        You can also outline what the market retail price for each option is, and what you are selling it for (e.g. valued at $900, price is $600). This highlights the value of what you are offering without discounting (stay away from that!)

        People normally choose the middle of three options, and this is typically your core or main program.

        Payment options

        In terms of payment options, if you are going to put pricing on your website, it’s important that people know how you will charge them and whether there are options.

        For example, is it one payment up front, or three easy payments, or something else?

        Sometimes people are interested but don’t have the money upfront, so would potentially buy if they knew there was a payment plan available.

        You don’t have to offer a payment plan! And if you do, make sure you have clear terms and conditions, and make it easy for them. This is a whole other podcast, for sure!

        Why You Might Not List Pricing on Websites, and What to Include

        There may be circumstances where you don’t want to put pricing on your website, and that’s totally ok.

        Firstly, a person who sees pricing listed on your website might decide then and there, based on price that they don’t want to work with you – before you have any chance to talk to them about their needs and wants.

        That means you potentially lose a customer. Of course, if they are price driven, they might not be the customer you want to work with!

        Another consideration is that your program options might be fairly customised and it could be too difficult to communicate easily on a website or landing page.

        For example, you might have two or three options for a package that really require an understanding of the person in order for them to make the right choice, so a conversation is necessary first.

        Similarly, there might be pre-requisites for a client to complete before they work with you. For example, with my weight loss program DownsizeMe, I required all clients to have a health clearance from their GP before signing up, and that might dictate whether they would buy the program at all, and/or which option is best. I also had this program available via licensees in other states who might have charged different prices, so I didn’t list the price on the website.

        If you don’t list pricing on your website, then what should you include?

        There aren’t any hard and fast rules, but there are a few things I think are essential to still get enquiries for your services.

        Firstly, lots of recent, positive testimonials or ratings are a good starting point. This tells the reader that a lot of people have succeeded as a result of your program, and what they liked about the program. It gets them hopeful and excited, and shifts them into the mindset of ‘value buying’ rather than ‘price buying’.

        Secondly, you might like to explain why you don’t list pricing. For example, saying that there are pre-requisites, or options that can be highly customised, or other reasons, would be important to allay any fears of ‘hard sales’ in your website visitor.

        Thirdly, you still need to communicate the benefits, value and comparison of your program options, indicating where any tailoring might occur. At least people can see what they’re getting for their money, and you are shifting them into that value-buying mindset.

        Fourth, the way you position the enquiry is important. I provide a booking link to a 30-minute good fit call or give them the option to send a contact me message. In my reply, I tell them it’s a chance to see if they’re suitable and if we have the right chemistry – if not, I will be honest and refer them to someone else, rather than set them up for failure. This feels really authentic to me and has been accepted by everyone who has followed this pathway. And there are several I’ve said no to!

        Fifth, it can be helpful to put a short video of you on your website (or at least some bullet list points) explaining why you developed this program and who it’s for, and not for. This helps people see that you’re not just desperate for anyone and that you truly are seeking a good fit and to work with the right person – that way, they are more likely to succeed and you’ll both be happy.

        Finally, if you want to, you can provide an indicative price range or a statement like ‘programs start from $ (amount)’ so the reader at least has a ballpark guide. This can be effective for getting them over the line.

        Summary

        It was interesting to have a discussion with my Passion to Profit students on whether to include pricing on your website or not.

        We discussed:

        · The benefits of including pricing on your website

        · The reasons why you might not show pricing on your website, and

        · Things to include in either case to position your services and options appropriately.

        If you need help with pricing, reach out to me via my contact page for a good fit call.

        For enquiries about my Passion to Profit course, click here.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#197 Business Pivoting – Do I Need New Branding and Social Media Pages?

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        This episode is about business pivoting – do I need new branding and social media pages?

        Recently I was asked whether pivoting your niche requires you to set up all new social medial profiles and pages, separate from your existing ones. Let’s talk through this today and summarise a few key points.

        No matter who you are, when you start your business, it will take a long time before you truly, deeply understand your niche. Even if you have your own lived experience with your niche’s main problem, your experience of it will be different from theirs.

        And as you know, being on a journey yourself means that more and more layers of the onion (as we call it in coaching) are peeled away revealing the true meaning and beliefs behind our habits, thoughts and actions.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What is your brand?
        * How to evolve your brand – Option 1 – the Tweak
        * How to evolve your brand – Option 2 – the Happy Ending

        And invariably, as you peel off those layers and learn more about yourself and your niche, you will likely become more specific about who your niche is. You may even pivot your niche because you finally understand who your best clients are or because you may have outgrown the niche clients that you started with, or realised that some aren’t as committed as others and you want to work with people who are totally all in.

        What does this mean for your business?

        In short – it probably means you need to rebrand.

        What is your brand?

        You’ve probably heard the word branding being used in a marketing sense. Your brand includes the images, personality, position, values and traits that your business is known for. Your brand is designed to attract the right type of customers to your business.

        When you start your business you have an immature brand, because you have somewhat limited knowledge of your niche and ideal client.

        Your brand matures and evolves as you get to know your ideal client.

        What I mean by that is that you start using their language in your marketing, using more images that look like them, sharing personal anecdotes that resonate with them, and connecting more deeply. Maybe your customer journey has evolved.

        As a result, you set up your website and social media accounts to appeal to those people.

        So if you pivot your niche or evolve it substantially, what do you do with all those social media pages?

        Do you create new pages and run them in parallel?

        Do you move to a different social media platform?

        Do you close everything down and relaunch?

        How to evolve your brand – two options

        Right up front I’ll be clear that I’m not an expert in this – but I have heard the same stories from some true experts.

        And here’s the general agreement on how to do it.

        Option 1 – Tweaks and specificity

        Let’s start with option 1 – you’re going to be more specific or make some upgrades but essentially work with a similar type of client.

        Start telling your people that things will be changing around here.

        Let them know you still love your followers but they’ll notice you sprucing things up and maybe talking a bit differently or more specifically than you have in the past. Or let them know that you are having a complete change and revamping everything!

        If you’re doing a similar version of what you currently do, then let them know that you’re still the same amazing business owner, and you’re still there to serve them as you are right now.

        It’s great to email your list and send a personal message about the exciting new change, and create a similar version or a live or reel saying the same thing on social media. Repeat the messages over about a 4 week period so everyone hears about it.

        Share your new vision and mission and be excited about it to generate momentum and get your audience Re engaged with you.

        It’s important to also know that if your audience don’t feel connected to the new way of doing things, that’s ok, you won’t be offended if they unsubscribe or unfollow. After all, we all outgrow things in our lives, and that’s ok.

        After the four weeks, you can start introducing your new branding, messaging and images and weaving it into your posts and communications.

        Or, you can make it fun and create anticipation by counting down to a relaunch, and make an event out of it!

        Option 2 – The Happy Ending

        What if you’re totally pivoting to something completely different and no longer want to work with the old niche, or you’re discontinuing some services?

        This is option 2, and it means you’ll need to break up with them, in a way, to draw a line in the sand and be very clear that you are making a complete change.

        Still make the announcement and share your new vision, share stories about the good and bad times, and all the success, but draw a line in the sand.

        Let them know whether there is a cutoff date at which old programs finish or a date at which you’ll wrap up with certain clients, or you might decide to continue working with some of your original clients simply because you love them.

        Whatever you choose, make a clear decision and be transparent and consistent about it.

        Don’t create false hope or set weak boundaries. Be honest and upfront about your plans. People will respect your honesty.

        Someone who has done a full pivot really well is Denise Duffield Thomas. She ran lucky bitch boot camp for many years and then let everyone know she was closing it down and pivoting into a money mindset course. She closed down her old website and social pages and started fresh – and that makes sense if you are doing a complete and total rebrand into a different area.

        Denise had a last hurrah celebration and a big goodbye, and everyone still loved her. Some people left, and some stuck with her, but everyone respected her efforts over the years and her honesty.

        Summary

        Today we talked about how to pivot your business in a way that is seamless and considerate of your audience – whether that pivot is minor or major.

        There are a series of steps to take to make it work properly – but no matter what you do, consultation with the audience is an important part of pivoting without upsetting or losing your audience.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#190 Fear Vs Faith-Based Business

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        This episode is about fear vs faith-based business

        Today I want to talk to you about running your business from a position of fear versus a position of faith. This is such an important conversation to have. If you’re operating from a place of fear, it can really hurt your business. But if you can switch that and operate from a position of faith that you’ll succeed, of optimism, and hope, then it’s a totally different ball game.

        If you’re a new coach, if you have just graduated with your qualification, and you are getting ready to start your coaching business or practice, it’s a really exciting time. You have so much opportunity ahead of you!

        You have so much enthusiasm about making a difference in the world!

        But for a lot people starting out as a coach in business, there is this challenge around self-confidence self-worth and self-value.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What a fear-based business looks like
        * HFlipping the Switch
        * What a faith-based business looks like

        Impostor syndrome is incredibly common.

        And that’s why today I want to talk about the impact of starting your coaching business from a position of fear, verses starting your coaching business from a position of faith.

        I want to give you some practical tips and tools to help you come from a better place, so that you can build your coaching business easily more quickly and to be more successful.

        What a Fear-Based Business Looks Like

        I want to start here so that you can see the impact of having this fear-based mindset on both your ability as a coach, and on your business.

        From a business perspective, a fear-based approach reduces your ability to make money, attract clients, and get ahead.

        A fear-based mentality is a little bit like a circular reference. It might start with impostor syndrome – who am I to coach? I’ve never run a business before – how will I ever succeed?

        You might be comparing yourself to others who have spent 10 years of blood, sweat and tears to build their business.

        And as a result, you feel like you won’t get things right, or you’ll fail or you won’t be able to find enough clients, or you won’t be good enough.

        That puts you into this repeating cycle of not taking action and worrying about the action that you do take – giving your brain the proof it needs that you’re not good enough.

        There is a confounding factor in this cycle that I want to alert you to.

        Here is a pro tip – If you start working with practice or paid clients who are ready, willing and able to change – even desperate to change – chances are they will love coaching with you and get great results.

        A lot of coaches starting out with this fear-based mentality want to find anyone with a pulse!!

        But, if the client is not ready, willing and able, they’ll probably be resistant, disinterested, unfocused and uncommitted.

        The kicker is that YOU will feel like the failure, but it’s actually probably not you!

        See how this fear-based ‘I need any clients I can get!’ mentality is hurting your self-value and self-efficacy – and your business?

        The fear-based approach sets you up to start looking for – and finding – evidence of failure. In other words, if focus on your fear of failing, then all you will see is the evidence that this is true.

        How does this kind of mindset affect your ability to start marketing your business?

        What happens to your ability to proactively go out to meet new people, talk about what you do with confidence, or become a specialist in a particular niche area if your head is full of this negative stuff?

        I know that when I started my own coaching business, even though I had been incredibly successful in other businesses, I had that same mindset.

        I kept asking myself questions like, where will I find clients, and what if they don’t get very good results, and what if I can’t make a living out of this, and what if I’m no good at this, how would I ever know?

        What happened is that I started to get more and more agitated and wound up about not succeeding, and I started to doubt myself, and feel threatened and judged by everybody around me who knew what I was trying to do.

        I felt disheartened. For the most part what was going on for me was that I didn’t have a specific enough niche, so people didn’t understand my messaging, and I wasn’t going to the right places therefore to find the people who I wanted to work with.

        If this sounds like you, then stick with me because now I’m going to talk about flipping the switch and having a more faith in yourself, and having a more positive attitude to your business so that you can start attracting clients more easily and becoming a better coach more quickly, and make more money.

        Flipping the Switch

        A turning point for me was doing some research to find out that there was a need and I want in my community. Identifying a need isn’t enough. After all, lots of people need help, but not many are

        ready, willing, and able to seek and pay for help. So I had to find those people who were motivated to change and were willing to pay to get my help.

        As soon as I did this, everything changed. And it’s a story I have seen time and time again with other coaches who have been successful.

        As soon as they committed to one thing that they knew people were willing to pay for, everything changed.

        If you do that, you create an upward spiral of thinking and acting positively – and this is how that can play out for you.

        My second pro-tip for this episode is to create a little roadmap of how to beat the imposter and get started. Here’s how.

        First of all, find some practice clients to work with who REALLY want to change and are ready to do so.

        Then, invite interest to be part of a pilot program, which is a safe, confidential environment for you to be imperfect, for them not to expect the world, and to get their honest feedback without too many expectations upfront.

        Be vulnerable and let them know it is a test for both of you, and that their opinion and feedback will really help you to help others in exactly the right way.

        If you get that combination right – the right people and a test environment – then invariably those first pilot clients will stick with your program and finish it, and then, they will more likely to succeed.

        And THEN, they will refer others to you!

        Imagine how you would feel having coached a handful of people who really wanted to change, and then were able to succeed and feel and look amazing?

        What would your mind be telling you in that situation?

        Would it be telling you that you were a failure or that you weren’t any good or that your results weren’t worth the money or anything like that?

        Of course not. And that’s the whole point.

        Once you start working with the right people and getting some initial results and focusing on them rather than your fears and inadequacies – a totally different region of your brain lights up.

        It’s the region associated with positive emotions, optimism, and hope.

        What a Faith-based Business Looks Like

        For me when I started my coaching business, as soon as I got those clients that were successful initially, I started wondering where can I find more of those people, and how can I share those wonderful results, and how can I help those people to continue to succeed?

        The initial results that my first successful clients got totally shifted the language in my head. And instead of focusing on me and my supposed shortcomings, I started to focus on the possibilities of change in my business.

        And pretty soon, most of my language was very different.

        Instead of asking why can’t I? I started asking how can I?

        I had the confidence that what I was doing was working. And I started to look for more opportunities. Everything just unfolded as it was meant to because I was moving forward in my mind.

        I was believing in what was possible based on some initial results. And I was totally focused on pursuing opportunities knowing that I had something of value to offer, rather than being frightened of speaking to anybody in case I couldn’t figure out the words to describe what I was doing or in case I couldn’t prove my results.

        This is such an important episode. It takes courage and a bit of confidence to take those first steps into your profession, once you get those couple of important wins on the board it gives you the confidence to gain momentum to keep going and getting traction and continue taking action in the right direction.

        Your brain will switch from how will I ever do it, into where do I go next?

        Of course you will probably need support to face and work on your fears, and probably your own personal and/or business coach.

        But please know this – as Henry Ford said – If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.

        Summary

        Today I covered the difference between a fear-based versus a faith-based coaching business.

        One involves getting bogged down in everything you can’t possibly do or succeed in, and keeps you stuck there. And unless things change, you’ll probably fail in your business and as a coach.

        But, if you commit to a more faith-based approach, where you develop faith in your method and in your ability to succeed, and you put your clients first and find the right people, it will flick the switch in your brain and reveal a positive path of traction, momentum and success.

        Today, I walked you through a simple plan to develop a faith-based coaching business.

        What are you waiting for? Go out and get started.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#188 3 Reasons Why Knowing Your Niche is Valuable

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        This episode is about 3 reasons why knowing your niche is valuable

        Why does having a niche and knowing your niche matter in business? Simply, because it allows you to quickly build trust, and rapport and be seen as a specialist or expert, and therefore attract clients more easily. Today, I’ll outline three reasons why knowing your niche is valuable, with some examples, and how you can get to this level yourself.

        While marking assessments in my Passion to Profit course, it became clear that some students knew their niche really well. I’d like to showcase the value of knowing your niche by sharing some of the insights presented by students.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * Speaking Their Language In Your Marketing
        * Matchmaking Relevant Program Content
        * Referrals, Referrals, Referrals

        Reason 1 – You Can Speak Their Language in Your Marketing

        When you understand what your niche is going through each day, you can easily demonstrate that and tell their story in your marketing.

        When asked about the type of content they would create for the niche, one student really understood that her audience (busy professionals) were very capable people but often felt alone. They are the type of women that have role models and like learning from other successful women, and they like reputable, fact-based information sources.

        Her ideas for content included expert interviews with or by other women, fact-based news and statistics, and some self-assessment tests.

        These content ideas are perfectly matched to a professional, capable niche and will likely create better engagement.

        Her niche are readers who trust published information written in more formal language, and who expect more professional standard of information.

        To that end, she has self-published a book, has developed a newsletter and will be creating a series of videos that match what they need and want.

        This coach has also identified that her busy professional audience wants to wind down and get ready for a fun and inspiring weekend, so she plans to create content on Thursdays for posting on Friday – just in time to end the week on a positive note.

        What happens when you know your niche so intimately?

        You know what they want, can anticipate when and how they want to receive it, and what they need and want to hear.

        This builds trust and rapport, and makes you the logical choice as the right person to work with.

        When you get to the stage of a ‘good fit’ call, they have often already decided you’re the one they want to work with, because you ‘get’ them and speak the same language.

        Reason 2 – You can Matchmake Relevant Program Content to Your Niche

        With a niche of busy, stressed professionals, this same student decided that the flavour of her content should be short and to the point (time efficient and easy to read).

        In her marketing and her programs, she’s developing shorter forms and surveys using via electronic links to complete and submit online with the press of a button, rather than lengthy documents to fill in.

        Her niche tends to feel negative or frustrated, so she will focus on positive statements and reframes to help boost their spirits and bring a bit of spark to their day, and a supportive group that helps them to feel connected and engaged.

        Reason 3 – Referrals, Referrals, Referrals

        What comes to mind when you think of a specialist?

        When I hear that word, I think expertise, a higher price, someone who knows exactly what I’m going through and what I need, and someone who is equipped to help me with every little thing.

        Niching down and being more specific allows you to be good at something specific – to become a specialist.

        When you run a coaching program that is tailored to a certain type of person, using the content, words and imagery that they more personally relate to, they will more likely commit, persist and succeed with your program.

        Of course, this assumes that you have screened and prequalified them first as someone who is ready, willing and able to change!

        There is a saying that goes, you are the average of the 5 people closest to you.

        What does that mean, in the context of THIS conversation?

        It means that your successful clients have at least five friends who are just like them.

        In other words, they know at least five people who are also in your niche.

        If they have had the experience of personal, specialist experience from someone who ‘gets’ them and even better, has been on the journey or worked with lots of people like them, they will tell ALL their friends, which means referrals, referrals and more referrals.

        In my previous weight loss coaching business, I would invite my finishing participants to let their friends and colleagues know about my coming information sessions, and to invite them to attend.

        That alone ensured that my next information sessions were fully booked, and resulted in 95% conversion rates on the night.

        Summary

        Niching down is important not just for client attraction and engagement, but also for client success and results and even better, referral to more people like them (who are your ideal client).

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
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        E#187 How Exercise Improves Mental Health with Zac Jefcoate

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        This episode is about how exercise improves mental health with Zac Jefcoate

        Today, I interview exercise physiologist and health and wellness coach, Zac Jeffcoate to discuss the links between exercise and mental health, the cost of prevention versus injury management, and how the powerful combination of individualised exercise and coaching can empower improvements, save money and improve quality of life at the individual and workforce level.

        MW: I’m pretty interested to start by hearing a bit about what you’re really passionate about.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * The links between exercise and mental health
        * Why changes are difficult, and how to overcome resistance
        *  How individualised coaching and exercise programs can improve health and save money
        * The importance of simple steps

        ZJ: Well, firstly, that question gets asked a lot, and the way I answer that is, the passion for me is providing exercise and movement. Initially in my career as an exercise physiologist, we can impact people’s lives really positively. And as I progressed in my career, I found that it’s not so much what exercise does, but it’s more the fact of what exercise, obviously, how it improves the quality of life, and how people actually fit that into their day to essentially get to an outcome.

        So my passion is actually educating people on the benefits of exercise my solution and what I kind of not sell them what solution is that exercise is a modality that fits into their lifestyle.

        And it’s really important that we look at how diet, sleep, exercise, relaxation, and meditation fit into a physical mental model. My passion is really the profession, I’ll be honest with you. It is exercise physiology. And beyond that, it’s obviously providing education to anyone who wants to hear.

        MW: Wow. And it sounds like you have quite a broad experience. We were talking just before we started this conversation about all of the things that you’ve done. Can you give us a quick recap of your world tour of Australia?

        ZJ: Yeah, well, just I mean, I’ve, I’ve got a bit of ADHD probably. So I do a lot of different things.

        Initially, when I graduated in 2008, I was offered a job in mining. Unfortunately, I turned up and I tried a uniform on and the guy said, Sorry, Zac, there’s no work here. We’ve lost the contract that’s mining.

        It was a humbling experience. My rejection was the redirection to go on a journey, and I set up two AP clinics in medical centres. They’re a great company so did that for about five years. At that time, I was an ABC radio host, and had a skit on ABC.

        I then worked in Surf Lifesaving as a performance coach and as a Cert IV lecturer in fitness. Then, after five years, I went into the Northern Territory in Tennant Creek, and I worked over there for about three months with a company called Body Fit. We provided access to exercise physiology in remote and rural indigenous communities. That was a great eye-opener.

        And then after that, I went to Melbourne for a number of years and work down with Angelo and the team in Melbourne, in rehab, and then I had come back to Perth, to take on the role in rehab services.

        MW: Wow, you’ve seen a lot of the country and by the sound of things, a lot of different sorts of people in different contexts regarding exercise.

        ZJ: Yeah. And it’s the same message. And I guess the challenge is what you know, the message that you’re trying to portray, it’s about linking that to your target audience, or linking that in terms of value. So how does someone who’s recovering from kidney disease take your message, as opposed to someone who’s just been guys diagnosed with anxiety and depression?

        So how do you as an AP, or as a health professional, essentially get buy-in or trust with the client? And that’s a hard skill, to be honest with you.

        MW: I guess that’s where the coaching approach comes in for you.

        ZJ: Definitely. Yeah. And the coaching principles. More importantly, that the client-centred approach is you really have to understand that putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, essentially, the empathetic approach. Second to that, what is it about what you’re offering do they think they need?

        I mean, I’ll be honest with you, a lifestyle change is hard. And this is why it’s about the clients we have the range on the spectrum in terms of their levels of health. And it’s really important that when you coach them through each week or each session, they understand that your guiding principle of coaching is really important because of how you do your initial assessment, how you do your follow-ups, and then essentially how you educate them all comes down to that kind of format and modality that needs to really be targeted to them.

        MW: I can hear that it’s very personalized, even down to the level of each individual client. That’s what you’re saying?

        ZJ: Yeah, a tailored approach. So we don’t do cookie-cutter assessments. You can have two of the same people come in with the exact same diagnosis or a similar history and you need to treat them differently. The approach of, well, for example, the One-Stop approach doesn’t work, especially in coaching and health and wellness, the individuality.

        So it’s really important that you understand, this is essentially going through the need to understand the biomedical markers of the person, you could ask them the physiology, and you have to understand the drive and direction in their psychology behind their motivation and their habits. You have to break this down, because what your intervention and what you’re trying to provide a solution won’t necessarily hit the mark if you can address those factors.

        MW: It sounds like you have to be across a lot of stuff, generally. And then as well, on top of that the individual needs of the person or being able to identify those and be client-centred at the same time.

        ZJ: Yeah, it’s difficult. And I’ve been doing it for 14 years, and I probably am still learning a lot, it probably took me at least a number of years to actually understand how to relate, also understand how to say what, when, and also how to formulate a plan to best suit my client. And this is life experience, number one. Number two, it’s understanding your trade, knowing what you can offer and also really having a thirst or a passion to continue to keep learning.

        MW: It’s so important. Absolutely. I wonder if we could talk a bit about mental health because really, in this spotlight at the moment, there’s obviously a link between exercise and mental health. But I’m not sure that a lot of people really understand that link very well. So could you talk to us a little bit about that?

        ZJ: Well, I mean, the link, over let’s put it this way, it’s definitely gotten a lot better in terms of the awareness, I think we have to be mindful with exercise and mental health, that there’s a component that they actually go hand in hand. But remember physical health, mental health, what comes first.

        I think the main thing is understanding that from a, I guess from a medical model, so for example, in the GP, it’s about providing the lifestyle change. And then from a health coaching, and from a wellness perspective, you’re not just focusing on one part.

        So the link between exercise and mental health is actually quite been studied a lot in the last probably three to four years, the rates of depression, anxiety, in particular, schizophrenia, and bipolar.

        Also, there’s a lot of evidence in relation to exercise and how it modulates the brain improves, obviously, the feel-good hormone reduces cortisol, which essentially over time, what it does, it gives it a more locus of control, or competence to the client, about what they can and can’t do.

        I’ll talk to you from a purely physiological point of view from the way the body responds. It improves oxygen. That’s the first point of Go.

        So as we improve oxygen, when hemoglobin, obviously, blood flows for the body, that increases natural feel-good hormones, you need to do that in certain way over time to get a benefit. And the first thing I look at with mental health is called dose-response.

        For example, you go walking for 10 minutes, get enough response for your body and change. It’s no different than medication now, where you’ve been diagnosed with depression, and you have 25 milligrams of sertraline or Zoloft. Does that do anything for the body? So it’s this it’s no different.

        The second thing is looking at what is it about physical health that when you’re faced with a mental health condition or concern, why does that always go on the back burner? What is it about exercise and movement and eating? Well, so why does that always go to the bottom? And this is the crux of understanding that we need to break the relationship down so people can see the value.

        Liking what you read so far? Listen to the whole interview by clicking the links above.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#185 How to Write a Magnetic ‘About Me’ Story

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        This episode is about how to write a magnetic ‘About Me’ story

        Do you want to attract more clients to your business – and the RIGHT kind of clients?

        As part of my Passion to Profit course, I ask my students to write an About Me story as a critical part of their marketing. In this episode, I’ll explain how to write it in a way that attracts the right kinds of clients more easily, and with fewer objections.

        What An About Me Story Is – and Why It Matters

        Statistics show that your About Me story is one of the most-read pieces of content on your website.

        So, what is an about me story?

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What an About Me Story Is – and Why it Matters
        * Four Things Your About Me Story Must Cover
        * How Your About Me Story Attracts the Right Clients
        * Four Steps to a Magnetic About Me Story

        It’s the story that describes your journey from tragedy to triumph, to arrive at where you are today.

        It is an emotive story that captures four important things:

        1. Who you are as a person (your personality)
        2. How do you relate to your niche (your story)
        3. Your values
        4. The position and value of your business

        In his 2015 book called Dotcom Secrets, founder of Clickfunnels Russell Brunson describes this as an Attractive Character Avatar – a public persona that people immediately relate to and connect with.

        Why does the about me story matter?

        Well, because first impressions count, and your About Me page is often the first thing people look for on your website. A well-written story builds connection, rapport and trust with the reader.

        Four Things Your About Me Story Must Cover

        Remember that people buy you, not your service. There are four things that your About Me story must cover in order to build trust and rapport in the reader. It must show the reader:

        1. What they have in common with you – in terms of age, stage of life, problem, values, journey and personality

        2. How deeply you understand their day-to-day struggles with the problem

        3. That you are a role model for success, giving them hope and a sense of what is possible and achievable for them

        4. That you have more than just professional expertise, but personal lived experience with an issue – and how best to overcome it.

        Think about how much trust that generates!

        How Your About Me Story Attracts the Right Clients

        Think about any more generic About Me story that you’ve read on a website or one that is full of qualifications.

        How did you feel when you read it?

        A dry, boring, linear account of your academic history can cause readers to skim at best, and switch off at worst.

        Yes, qualifications matter, but it’s personal engagement that actually sells.

        By telling a heartfelt, emotive story of tragedy to triumph, the reader will see themselves in your words.

        They’ll know that you ‘get’ how they are feeling.

        They’ll get to know you a bit more personally, and to understand your personality, values and approach.

        By the end of your relatable story, the reader should be clear about how aligned they are with you, and whether you are the right person to help them or not.

        In other words, a well-written story can either attract or repel the reader – so you end up with enquiries from people who are pre-sold that you might be a good personality fit for them – and very few mismatches or tyre kickers!

        How To Write a Magnetic About Me Story

        Start by doing some exercises to prepare to write your story.

        If you haven’t had a journey yourself, you might have had experience with many clients in a niche, or friends and family around you with a certain problem.

        Your About Me story can convey your story OR your experience with others.

        You might like to think about and write some notes about:

        1. Your best and most likeable personal traits
        2. A clear journey that matches the niche you work with (your story, or someone else’s)
        3. Your strengths and values
        4. What matters to you most or your vision
        5. Your struggles (or your client/friend’s struggle) to get there
        6. What the turning point was (for you or your client/friend)
        7. How it felt to make the decision, and what the decision was
        8. The success and how it felt

        Once you have done this, you probably have all the elements to write a great story about a journey that you or others have had.

        It needs to be real, emotive and compelling.

        Here are some tips for getting it right.

        1. Start with a defining event

        You can draw the reader in with a specific event that triggered a chain reaction.

        For example:

        “The year I turned 35, I was living my best life. I was travelling extensively for work, partying hard, and playing golf and tennis. Then I married my best friend and we knew we wanted to have kids right away. It would be the icing on the cake of a perfect life.

        But after 6 months of trying, we were unable to get pregnant, and it was then that I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

        Suddenly my world collapsed, and we were faced with some hard decisions about what to do. We were facing expensive treatment, a hormonal rollercoaster, and no guarantee of success.”

        Notice in that example, I outlined how good life was, and how this one specific event was so big that it stopped the person in their tracks.

        It covered specific events in a timeline and described all the emotions that were felt along the way. Remember, this could be your story or the story of a client that came to you for help and succeeded (written in the third person).

        This part helps the reader connect with you as a person on a similar journey, or who has helped people like them. It is where resonance and trust start.

        Are you someone that they could relate to and work with?

        2. Define the emotional turmoil

        Next, you want to talk about the pain of this – the cost of the struggle. This highlights the personal reasons why getting help and seeking a solution are so important. In doing this, you get to share your values and motivators, which might be the same as your client.

        For example:

        “We were told by the specialist that if I went ahead with treatment, life would change dramatically. I would need time off work and our income would drop.

        I would have to deal with uncomfortable side effects of the treatment. It would make me more emotional, and it would change my body.

        My husband and I talked about the consequences. He would have to be the main income earner, and on top of that I would be relying on him for more emotional support.

        We would have to decide whether we really wanted kids badly enough to go through with these massive changes and this uncertainty.”

        Notice in this example, I am talking about that initial stage of diagnosis and talking about things that the reader with this problem might be going through. The reader who relates to this would be thinking – YES – this person gets it!

        This part helps the reader connect with their version of the problem, and to weigh up how big of a problem something is for them right now.

        Is the reader going through this too, and are they ready to make a decision?

        3. Describing the turning point

        Whenever there is a problem that someone is facing, they weigh up the pros and cons of change before deciding what to do, as we heard in that last point.

        Humans are driven to avoid pain, so when there are more benefits to change than not, it creates the motivation to act and seek help.

        Describing the decision-making and action in detail – what you realised, what was decided, how it felt and what the next steps were – helps your reader to make their own decision, and get some ideas on what getting started might look like.

        It also gives them ‘permission’ to ask for help. After all, if a competent role model like you sought help – then the reader might be able to do it too!

        On the other hand, what happens if you were to write about how you did it all yourself? It might be off-putting for the reader. They might feel that it’s too hard, or they’re not good enough to do it themselves!

        If you manage to weave in the importance and value of getting support, it could help the reader to find the courage to reach out to you. This is important from a marketing perspective (not so much the resonance of the story itself).

        For example:

        “Being undecided was an excruciating place to be. We needed to make a decision one way or the other, and we both felt so much pressure to choose the right option – but we had no idea what it was! We had so many unanswered questions.

        How would we pay for the expensive treatment?

        Were we up for this, financially and emotionally?

        Could our marriage handle it?

        Or could we face a life without kids?

        What would that look like?

        As our next specialist appointment drew nearer, we decided to go for it. But it would be hard on our own, and between specialist visits. I would need to make sure I was doing everything possible to make my body healthy and better equipped to handle potential pregnancy.

        My specialist recommended a health coach who specialised in optimising health for women trying to fall pregnant.

        She was amazing – not just in helping me be consistent with positive habits like eating well and exercising safely, but also with the emotional support I needed. She helped me to set boundaries at work so I could finish earlier, get more rest, and also accept that I needed to slow down!

        I have achieved so much in so many areas of my life, but without the support of my coach and the community she offered, I would have truly struggled with so many things.

        Notice in this example, I am talking about the fear and questions, the process for getting support, and how the support benefitted the person.

        This part helps the reader to understand that help is available, and how it helps them get through this situation. It helps to generate hope and optimism, relief and other positive emotions.

        4. Amplifying the outcome

        Change is hard, and it is often a struggle. It requires focus, dedication and persistence, and to set time aside.

        A person will only go through that if there is a reward at the end – and if it’s the reward they want.

        Your ability to articulate that clearly, at the end of your About Me story, is essential for helping someone feel ready, willing and able to change – and that you are the right person to help them.

        If your reasons and benefits are the same as theirs, they will likely reach out to you for help.

        For example:

        “Fast forward two years, and we have an amazing little girl who is healthy and happy. We managed to fall pregnant on the second round of treatment, and my coach was invaluable for helping me keep my physical and mental health in check.

         

        I went on to study Health and Wellness Coaching, because I wanted to help women like me who were taking that leap of faith, to do so with their best foot forward.

        And even though I’m a qualified coach now with a Professional Certificate of Health and Wellness Coaching, I still check in with my coach every 2 – 3 months. I am healthier than I’ve ever been, thanks to her ongoing support.

        Right now, she is that objective, non-judgemental person who helps me to navigate the challenges and the joys of raising a baby while running my business. She helps me make better decisions and to be consistent with the habits that keep me healthy and happy.

        I have been working with my own clients for 12 months now and am so excited to be doing this important work.

        I am so excited and relieved that things worked out. Finally, we get the family we wanted, and we are even talking about baby number 2! For us, making this decision was the best thing we’ve ever done.

        If you are reading this story and going through this right now – please take your time to think about all the angles of your decision.

        And if you have taken that deep breath and decided to go for it – please know that there are people who can support you and help you through it, regardless of the outcome.”

        This part fast forwards to the joy and reinforces the benefits and importance of getting help. It speaks to what’s possible, helps them to connect with the desired outcome, whether you are the right person, and once again, to work out if they are ready, willing and able to do the work.

        Summary

        Today we discussed what an About Me story is, why it matters, and four things it must cover.

        If you get it right, you will build trust and attract the right clients to your business, and they will be ‘pre-sold’ that you are the right person to help them.

        There are four parts of a magnetic About Me story:

        1. A defining event

        2. Defining the emotional turmoil

        3. Describing the turning point

        4. Amplifying the outcome If you need help to write an About Me story, book a good fit call to see if I can help you. My books are closed to personal clients until July 2022, but I have space in my June Passion to Profit program if you need help to build the foundations of your business. Click the link to learn more about the program.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#182 Three Ways to Find New Customers Even If You’re Just Starting Out

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        This episode is about three ways to find new customers even if you’re just starting out

        Have you been watching other coaches online and wondering how they’re attracting all these clients, while you’ve just got crickets?

        Today, I’d like to share three super easy ways to find new customers even if you’re just starting out in business. Your core coaching skills are a key ingredient!

        When you’re starting out in business, it feels like you have all these things to do and yet you don’t have any clients. It’s a strange kind of limbo. You’re probably posting all sorts of things in an effort to stand out, yet nobody’s liking, commenting or watching

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * The Evolution of a Niche
        * Leading With Your Why
        * Why Listening is Critical
        * Niche Content Marketing – Getting It Right

        What do you do?

        If you’re like most people, you think you need to do another course or learn how to do social media marketing. But like most things, the problem is waaaay upstream of these things.

        Let me explain.

        Meredith Hill said, “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.”

        What this means is that if you are speaking broadly and generally, using generic content that covers a lot of topics or problems, then it’s hard for the audience to understand who you are and who you help. People might glance at your content and scroll right past it because it doesn’t speak to them.

        Consider the analogy of fishing. Your broad, general content is much like someone standing on the beach with a hook and a pilchard, hoping to catch a fish, but catching nothing.

        Next to you, there’s a person who is smashing it online. They’re like the fisher who knows what they can catch at that particular beach, and they have the right hook and bait to catch that fish. If they’re catching tailor, it’s probably a gang hook with a pilchard. But if they’re trying to catch a mulloway, fresh or even live bait like yellowtail is better.

        Hopefully, you’re getting the picture – the more you know about who you want as a customer or client, the easier it is to be visible and connect with them in your marketing.

        This is what ‘finding your niche’ is all about, where your niche is a problem that exists, that certain types of people are desperate to solve, and will pay money to get help with.

        Just like the fisherperson using a specific rig and bait to catch a certain fish, knowing your niche means you can go online and speak about specific topics to attract specific types of people who have specific problems – and in doing this, you stand out like a beacon to them, making it easy to be seen, trusted and purchased from.

        So, how do you get started?

        The Evolution of a Niche

        If you’re in the process of career change, have just completed a training course in a totally new area and you’re starting a business, with no prior experience – please take a moment to acknowledge that that’s a pretty steep learning curve!

        And just like you can’t go out beach fishing for the first time and expect to know everything about tides, weather, gutters, rigs, and which bait to use, please know that you can’t expect to know or perfect your niche and connect with them easily when you’re first starting out!

        Your niche WILL evolve over time. The way to even start defining your niche is by actively speaking to people, using your coaching skills in daily life, and working with practice or paid clients.

        Your clients are your teachers. You can start to notice common trends in the conversation, which people you have the best rapport with and how they describe their problems.

        This is the evolution of a niche.

        As you get more and more experience in using your coaching skills, you will get more and more clarity about your niche.

        In my experience, there are three levels of niche clarity:

        1. You are totally clear on your niche.

        This is usually because you have been engaging in your own or other groups about this problem, have a lot of experience with clients who have a specific problem, or have been on your own journey as part of a group.

        2. You have some level of clarity on your niche.

        This is usually based on a passion you have or experience with a specific problem area that is meaningful to you. In either case, you can do market research to further your understanding of your niche person and problem, and work out what they want your help with, so you can find the common ground.

        3. You have a great idea but have no clue on who would need or want it.

        If you’re really stuck wondering how to attract customers, you’ll need to get started with something. Beyond working with practice clients there are three ways you can start to work out your niche and attract new clients online, beyond just doing practice coaching.

        1. Start with your why

        When posting online – any kind of post – focus on your why, values and passion area.

        One thing’s for sure – when you get ranty and fired up about something, some injustice or area of need, that sense of conviction will be appealing and attractive to the right people. It’s the values and beliefs that we have in common with others, that create attraction between us.

        In other words, people form relationships because of shared values. When you lead with your why you put your values on display. This gives people an insight into who you are, and they can work out if you are someone they would like to know more about.

        By zooming in on your why, you can find some things to talk about and start to create ideas on specific topics of interest.

        The key word here is specific. Having a why of ‘wanting to help people’ is pretty vague. Be more specific at least about an area of health and wellbeing, like weight loss, or exercise, or mental health.

        Assuming you are on a social media platform where people can search for content topics easily, you can experiment with why-driven posts to see which ones get the most engagement.

        2. Start listening and reflecting

        Once you have identified a few topics, do a little live and online research to gain opinions and insights, and to see how engaged other people are with those topics.

        For example, if you’re getting ranty about impostor syndrome, or weight gain after 40, or anxiety in menopause, what are other people saying and thinking about those things?

        Take your coaching skills out into the world and ask people for their opinions. Notice how fired up they are too – or not. See the problem from their point of view.

        How big of an issue is that thing for them? Why or why not?

        What is their magic wand solution?

        What possibilities might open up, if they could solve that problem?

        As you do this work, notice the physical shifts you experience. Notice which topics or particular conversations excite you, grab you by the heart, or make you irritated.

        And most importantly, notice how your sense of clarity and confidence develops as you talk to people about what matters to them.

        3. Explore niche content marketing

        The third way is to explore what’s in the news and social commentary about niche content that’s already out there. This is a slower, longer-term game compared with live conversations.

        Think about whether online research is an initial project to help you understand your niche, or whether you will continue building information and content over time as part of your marketing. If you have skills and strengths in research, detail and writing, then this might be a good strategy.

        Here are some questions you could ask yourself while exploring niche content online:

        • What are the most popular angles being talked about?
        • Where is the gap?
        • Do you agree, or disagree? Why?
        • Which posts or episodes make you irritated or frustrated? Why?

        Write down all the things you like, agree with and disagree with.

        Then, look for qualified facts to back up your views, for example, from Google Scholar, or recognised institutions.

        Check in with yourself to work out which topics are most meaningful and interesting to you. These are the ones that will create a natural energy that is attractive to your audience.

        Based on the topic or related topics you have identified, develop some blogs, live videos or podcasts that map out the problem, and outline 2 – 3 things that back your position.

        Then, you’re ready to promote these topics to your audience – but not all at once!

        For example, let’s say that you are really into natural methods of managing and avoiding stress, and you are super interested in managing the nervous system.

        You’d talk about one or two related topics per month over a series of months.

        Start your first month talking about one topic in-depth online and offline – in this example, let’s say you focus on comparing different breathing techniques to manage stress. You could find research papers and share the findings, and also your own experience.

        Note which conversations or posts get the most interest.

        In the second week, start refining the conversations to focus on the specific parts of the topic that are most popular. For example, you might find that people have been talking about the 4-7-8 technique because it’s been in the news and was developed by a Harvard-trained medical doctor, Dr Weill, so you could ask for people to comment on their experiences or insights about the technique. This will get engagement and organic reach.

        If you wanted, you could collate all your insights from the month and do a live presentation or in-depth blog at the end of the month. Invite people to attend, invite comments and/or sharing through your networks. The next month, you might start talking about something that goes a bit deeper, like polyvagal theory, which is related to and goes deeper into the topic of the first month.

        The first thing that happens here is that by posting on specific topics, you will either attract “your people” – the people who like and trust you based on your messaging and promotion – or you will attract people who are curious and interested in your topics.

        You will also be ignored by people who aren’t interested – but that’s a good thing!

        This process takes you closer to understanding and clarifying who has the problem that you can help to solve, and what the problem means to them in their lives.

        Over the series of months and topics, you will find out which topics are most interesting to your audience, what types of people like each topic, what their main challenges are, and you will be closer to defining your niche.

        Over a longer period, you can refine your content and topics to meet the audience, and you can also go back and update older content you created so it is more up-to-date and polished.

        Summary

        When you’re new to the business, it can be easy to compare yourself to others and wonder why they seem to be so successful, when you’re just getting crickets.

        If this is you, remember that your clients are your teachers. By using your coaching skills in daily life, and by working with practice clients, you will start to get a deeper understanding of the people you want to work with, and what sorts of common problems they have that you can help with.

        At the same time, you can do three things online to fast-track your understanding.

        You can:

        1. Develop posts and content built around your why (be specific)

        2. Start listening to what people say (live and online conversations) and reflect on the trends, and which topics and people light you up.

        3. Explore niche content marketing, by assessing what is in the news, what is a hot topic right now, and which posts irritate or inspire you. Then, start developing content around specific topics that are relevant and meaningful to you and your potential audience and start getting a sense of their reactions.

        Live conversations take the least amount of time, whereas online research is more time-consuming and takes longer to engage your niche. Reflect on your skills and strengths to help you decide which way to go.

        Welcome to the evolution of your niche! If you need help to understand, define and connect with your niche, book a good fit call to see if I can help you. My books are closed to personal clients until July, but I have space in my June Passion to Profit program if you need help to build the foundations of your business.

        References

        Balogh, A. Polyvagal Theory: A Simplified Explanation. Swan Counselling website accessed 28.2.22. https://www.swancounselling.com.au/polyvagal-theory-a-simplified-explanation/

        Cuncic, A. October 2021. What is 4-7-8 breathing? Very Well Mind website accessed 28.2.22 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-4-7-8-breathing-5204438

        Shatto, R. May 2019. Here’s Why Shared Values Are so Important in Couples, Experts Say. Elite Daily website accessed 28.2.22. https://www.elitedaily.com/p/why-are-shared-values-important-in-relationships-experts-weigh-in-on-this-common-thought-17917975

        Passion to Profit Program: Wellness Coaching Australia Website https://www.wellnesscoachingaustralia.com.au/business-resources/passion-to-profit/

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#181 The Skills of Connection

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        This episode is about the skills of connection

        If you want to operate a business, any business, but especially a coaching business, your ability to connect with people is a key skill that you need to learn. I want to share some insights on the skills required to build connections and some tips on how to become better at connecting with prospective and actual clients.

        What is Connection?

        Connection is the attachment and relationships we form with others. It is essential to human survival, and it helps us feel aligned with ourselves and others.

        Connecting with others helps us to build trust and rapport – and these are two VERY important criteria for someone to buy from you.

        Think about the last time you bought a service – price aside, why did you buy from that particular person?

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * What connection is
        * The skills of connection
        * Practicing and developing the skills
        * You don’t need a marketing course to learn connection
        * Putting yourself out there

        Chances are, it was because you felt a connection – a sameness, or alignment of values or experience – that helped you to have enough trust to want to work with them.

        I have a couple of my own examples.

        Once, I hired a business coach who was younger than me and who had only been in business for two years. She has the specific experience that I didn’t have, but the whole time, I had discomfort and uncertainty around her overall business knowledge and therefore, her value as a professional. It was a short-term arrangement.

        Much later, I worked with a business coach who was a similar age and had a specific experience that I didn’t have….but she is a lot more like me in personality. She also has 10 years of experience in her specific craft with a proven track record, a coaching qualification, a team working for her, and a book published. It was also a short-term arrangement, but I constantly refer others to her, promote her and would willingly go back to her, and may even approach her for a strategic alliance in future.

        The subtleties of our personality fit, values and professional ethics are incredibly influential and powerful in our business relationships. Knowing how to connect is therefore critically important.

        It’s about more than just attracting clients – it’s also about knowing who ISN’T your client.

        What are the Skills of Connection?

        Strong connections are built on good communication, common ground and a common, meaningful purpose.

        If you want to build your skills in connection, you need to know what the skills are and find ways to practice them.

        Skills

        The skills required for creating connections could include:

        • Active listening (being able to listen intently to what is being said – without thinking of what you will say next)
        • Empathy
        • Asking positively-framed, big-picture questions
        • Reflecting back on what you hear someone say
        • Reframing, i.e. even though (negative), there is still (positive)
        • Having respect for the other person as the expert in their own life
        • Seeing the other person as resourceful and able to find their own solutions
        • Being able to identify shared values or beliefs in something
        • Clarity on your vision and values
        • Leadership
        • Self-regulation (the ability to regulate your emotions & behaviours regardless of what others say or do)
        • Trusting yourself

        You may notice that these skills relate largely to the ICF core competencies #4 – cultivating trust and safety, #5 – maintaining presence, and #6 – listening actively. I’ll include a link so you can access them and see the full details.

        Being able to truly listen to and understand another person is a key starting point for building connection.

        But that last point is also important – it’s trusting yourself and feeling confident enough to initiate conversations.

        What do I mean by this?

        Well, consider how own confidence affects your ability to start conversations. How important is that for you?

        What helps you to feel more confident?

        I would hazard a guess that it’s about three things:

        1. practising the skills

        2. developing self-efficacy in your skills, and

        3. regular exposure to new people.

        Let’s talk about how to do that.

        How to Practice and Develop Your Connection Skills

        No matter what your starting point, you can learn and improve your communication skills and become better at making connections.

        Practising the skills can be done in a number of ways. I will brainstorm a few ideas with you here.

        1. Pick one skill and polish it up

        This is a good method if you’re a fairly confident person and a self-starter kind of person.

        Firstly, you can choose one of the skills (like active listening) and practice it over the next week with someone you live with or someone at work. Then at the end of each day, write a reflection on how you went, and what you learned.

        Once you feel you have made some progress you can dive deeper, or you can pick another skill to add to the mix.

        Remember, it’s not just about mastering the skill – it’s also about making it a habit, so don’t rush this process. It takes around 83 days on average for a habit to become automatic – take your time and do it well.

        2. Watch and learn

        This is a good method if you’re a bit less confident or are a kinaesthetic or interactive learner.

        Secondly, you can research coaching or other videos, or identify people you know who have a skill you want to learn and watch how they do it.

        All animals learn through mimicry and play, including humans!

        Setting aside time each week to study and observe others is a great way to ‘see how to do it’ before you start practising for yourself.

        There are plenty of videos on YouTube that can help, or your coach training organisation may have sample videos for you to watch and deep dive into.

        3. Find a mentor

        This is a good method if you lack experience and are not very confident in yourself or your skills.

        There are plenty of coaches around who offer free or paid mentoring.

        Practising your connection skills at a more professional level is incredibly helpful if you want to get some live feedback and tips as to whether you’re doing it right.

        4. Join a Community of Practice

        Community of Practice (COP) is something that many coaching associations offer as an opportunity to build and practise specific skills with other coaches.

        For example, ICF members have access to free and low-cost sessions, 1 – 2 hours long, where you learn about and practice specific core competencies.

        I recently attended one of these that was free to ICF members or $50 for non-members. It focused on maintaining presence, ICF core competency #5, and it was a lot of breakout room work for practice conversations with other coaches of varying levels of experience.

        I gained a lot of insight into how I can improve my presence and got practice with building connections.

        You Don’t Need a Marketing Course to Learn Connection

        I know I said earlier that connection is an essential skill that you need to run a business – but you’ll notice I didn’t mention anything about marketing training or courses here.

        That’s because connection is useful in marketing, but I feel it’s better developed in a more personal environment that focuses on core communication skills – like the coaching industry offers.

        Putting Yourself Out There

        Although you might be shuddering at the thought right now, the next step is to start meeting a wider circle of people to practice your skills.

        Your ability to build a business relies on your ability to build new connections that might connect you with potential clients, or who might be potential clients themselves.

        Finding ease in communication and conversation can break down a lot of those confidence barriers and make it much easier for you to start approaching people you don’t know, or don’t know well. To help you on this journey, I suggest you go back to episode 56 of this podcast, about icebreakers. Once you have polished up your connection skills, learning how to start conversations is a logical next step.

        Summary

        Today, we talked about connection and its relevance in building your coaching business.

        Connection is defined as the attachment and relationships we form with others, and it is something that builds trust and rapport – two very important criteria for having someone buy from you.

        The skills of connection are simply related to many of the core coaching competencies, particularly in terms of building trust, maintaining presence, and listening.

        You also need to trust yourself and feel confident enough that you can have conversations with people – and the only way to build that trust and confidence is through practice.

        We covered four ways to practice and develop your connection skills, including:

        1. Picking one skill (at a time) and intentionally practising it

        2. Watching and learning from others

        3. Finding a mentor

        4. Joining a community of practice.

        It may seem like you need to learn marketing skills in order to learn about connection with potential clients – but this simply isn’t true. It’s the coaching competencies and practice that will help you develop good communication skills, and marketing becomes an extension of that skill set.

        From there, learning how to break the ice will equip you to go out into the big, wide world, and start building connections with your newfound skills.

        THIS is actually the secret to building your business.

        References https://coachfederation.org/core-competencies https://anchor.fm/habitology/episodes/E56-5-Steps-to-Engaging-Icebreaker-Conversations-e57458

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More
        Posted on by

        E#175 Does Your Business Need a Website?

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        This episode is about if your business needs a website?

        A lot of graduate coaches get focused on having and launching a website because we are told that having an online presence is essential to business success.

        But is this important? Does your business need a website?

        Let’s talk honestly about this so you can take a breather and get clear on exactly what you need to do, and when.

        The Reality

        There are two realities when it comes to business websites.

        Firstly, you need to know a lot about your intended audience, and you need to have spent enough time on income-generating activities to know the value you bring to your audience.

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * The two realities of business websites
        * A simple website readiness quiz to work out if you’re even ready for a website
        * Some ‘for now’ options that are just as good, if not better!

        Secondly, when you hit ‘publish’ on the website, it will end up on page 7 gazillion on a Google search. Nobody will know it’s there – so you will need to have a plan to promote and market your website.

        What this means is that if you are fairly new to the business, and/or lack client experience, you have a lot of work to do before even considering building a website.

        Otherwise, you risk spending a huge amount of time and money on something that won’t generate you any income, delays your getting experience and reviews, and isn’t visible to the outside world.

        I have prepared a website readiness quiz to help you get clarity on where you are at. See how you go with answering these questions and check your score at the end.

        Website Readiness Quiz

        Let me ask you a few questions before we answer this question.

        1. How long have you been running your business – or are you brand new?

        2. Do people know what you are capable of?

        3. What sort of people do you attract?

        4. What does your business stand for?

        5. Do you have clarity on your niche?

        6. Do you truly know and understand your niche client?

        7. Can you describe your niche client’s problem and solution clearly, in their words?

        8. Do you know their specific desired outcomes in their words?

        9. What format is your program?

        10. Which dates are you running your program this year?

        11. What is your lead magnet for the program?

        12. When are your marketing campaigns running – and on which channels?

        13. How and where will you promote your website?

        Here’s how to score yourself for these questions.

        If you could answer all 13 questions clearly and easily, then your business is probably ready for a website. You have a clear offering, clarity on your market, what they want help with, and probably some level of traction and proof of success.

        If you could answer 7 or more questions clearly and easily, your business is not quite ready for a website. You need to do some pilot or beta testing, market research and/or planning to truly understand how to position your business on a website, and/or where to promote it.

        If you struggled to answer even 7 of these questions, your business is clearly not ready for a website. You need to do or get help with many of the business basics, to develop a blueprint for success, get some experience and start earning an income before you are ready to create a website.

        So, If Not a Website, Then What?

        It’s super easy to create an online presence and credibility without the time and expense of a website.

        Three cheap, very effective options are:

        1. Create a professional-looking LinkedIn profile for your business, with good quality photos and descriptions of how you help your clients. You can also ask clients to give reviews on this platform which lends credibility, trust and social proof.

        This option is great if your business targets clients in professional roles or corporate settings, or where your leads come from professional networks such as allied health.

        In these cases, professionalism is especially important, and a good LinkedIn profile can convey this.

        2. Create a professional-looking Google My Business profile for your business, same as above. You can ask clients to give 5-star ratings on this platform which boost your Google visibility.

        This option is great for businesses targeting a local area (e.g. your local shire) and/or if your marketing strategy will focus on publishing, guest blogging, blogging, SEO or other online strategies.

        It can be an easy entry point for more introverted people who feel exhausted at the thought of daily interaction on a social media platform, or for those who are not on social media.

        3. Start a social media following (e.g. Facebook or Instagram).

        This option is great if you love being on social media and are a people person, love being in groups, and are extraverted or get a lot of energy from others.

        It suits clients who are extraverted and love engaging online, being active in groups, and getting value from a lot of support and interaction from you and their peers.

        Summary

        Does your business need a website? As you can see, it depends on which stage of business you are in.

        If you are brand new, without a track record, it makes sense that you choose a quicker, easier option to gain online visibility.

        Then, when you have a track record, experience, a better understanding of your niche, and some social proof – you will have all the information and clarity you need to launch a website that will actually work for your business.

        If you need help with understanding your audience, enquire about my February or June Passion to Profit Course intakes, where we go through the foundational work behind understanding your clients, your best marketing strategies and marketing channels.

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More