The Art of Enrollment: Growing your Coaching Business starts with this Core Skill
By Leslie Lupinsky
GETTING CLIENTS is one of the hottest topics, and challenges, in the coaching industry today. One perspective is that it is too closely aligned with sales, and that thought seems to
set off fears in many people. Leslie Lupinsky,
CPCC, MCC, and trainer of thousands of coaches, sees enrollment as an art that takes time and work to hone. Since enrollment is
the major key to a successful coaching practice,
Leslie agreed to share her wisdom and
enthusiasm about this important art. |
| ~ The Editors (of Choice Magazine) |
What is enrollment? There are many ways that the word enrollment is currently used – from “signing up” as in
college registration to “selling” as in getting new clients with a sales pitch. The way I like to define enrollment provides far more power to both the “enroller” and the“enrollee:” Enrollment is the art and skill of engaging and/or inspiring someone in a possibility for their lives.
Enrollment is an advanced coaching skill. When practiced
effectively, it can be the determining factor between having a fun-filled, thriving business and one that is full of angst, suffering
and slow growth.
Practicing enrollment effectively requires a level of sophistication that can be learned. Although enrollment is an art, rather
than a science, we can still learn the distinguishing features,
unlearn our disabling beliefs, and evolve a powerful presence that brings enrollment into our conversations.
What is the difference between enrollment and sales?
In sales, the ultimate focus of attention on the part of the coach or salesperson is on “the sale” – the service or product being sold. The buyer is secondary, even though they are important. In
enrollment, it’s the other way around: the person, their agenda
and the possibilities in their life are what matter most. The “sale” is secondary. If we replace the word enrollment and call it sales, we are missing a level of connection, inspiration and transformation that is essential to powerful enrollment.
Of course, the coach or “enroller” wants the enrollee to move forward with whatever service or product is
being offered. But the offer and its
acceptance are in a larger context. This is the art of enrollment: successful enrollment often includes a final outcome of “yes,” but this outcome is informed by the process leading up to
it. The emphasis on the process is
vital in effective enrollment.
A successful sale is based on the
buyer saying “yes” to the seller. Successful
enrollment is based on the
enrollee saying “yes” to something
new that’s possible in their lives.
The enrollee is altered by the
process of enrollment, not just by
the outcome. The final outcome
might even be a “no” to the offer,
and could still be considered successful, because the enrollee sees a
new possibility for themselves. In
enrollment, there are no wasted
conversations. This fact takes a lot
of pressure off the coach, who is the
enroller, because they don’t have to
expect everyone to say “yes”. There
is room for a “no” without it being
considered a rejection or failure.
What most coaches need to develop
is a matrix of skills and strategies
that blend the best of sales and enrollment. Coaches then can become
facilitator, translator and alchemist
for their potential clients, and create
both a “yes” and an inspired, open
pathway for the client’s future.
Why does enrollment seem to be such a big issue for so
many coaches?
Many new coaches – and even experienced
ones – have misconceptions
about the practice and intention of enrollment. They often build selfdefeating
habits based on those misconceptions,
which then create a
self-perpetuating cycle. This can
result in coaches becoming disheartened
and avoiding enrollment conversations,
rather than relearning a
more skillful, effective approach.
One of the key misconceptions is
THE MONEY ISSUE
the belief that enrollment goes
against the spirit of coaching – which
at its very foundation is a commitment
to hold the other person’s agenda. Enrollment (from that perspective)
seems manipulative and self-serving.
It is seen as a way for us to get our agenda accomplished – getting them to say yes to our offer – while we are supposed to be supporting their
agenda. Coaches often say to themselves “This isn’t what I signed up for,
when I decided to become a coach!” Yet this limiting belief is grounded in
the assumption that there is an “either/or” to the process of enrollment – either their agenda, or ours;
either we are purely focused on them,
or on ourselves. True enrollment is a “both/and” process, where the coach
explores the territory of the client’s
agenda, and can both support and
expand it, acknowledge and challenge,
and be looking for the “yes” to
our offer in the context of a bigger “yes” that incorporates all that the
client is holding dear.
Coaches also shy away from enrollment so that they don’t have
to face their core fears of being
rejected, feeling invalidated or dismissed.
It is a very vulnerable act to
ask someone to be our client and
accept the offer of our services. We
would rather avoid it, than face it. It
is ironic, though, that by facing these fears, we actually get stronger.
This again is the art of enrollment:
those who are best at
enrolling others are both vulnerable
and strong; they authentically
want the best for the prospective
client and for themselves; they hold
an intention of success without being attached to it; and they are
ultimately committed to a picture
that is bigger than either theirs or
their clients.
This goes against the grain of our
usual “either/or” thinking, so of
course, we will have challenges in
the area of enrollment, until we get
the kind of support, skill and practice
that can train us out of these
misconceptions.
What are the three
top qualities of a
successful enroller?
1. Authenticity in listening and sharing
2. Avid interest in people’s possibilities
3. Ability to make the link between the
possibility the person sees and what
you have to offer
What doesn’t work
in enrollment?
- Trying to convince someone – convincing
is in the land of manipulation
- Having gimmicks or set ways of doing
things — this is the opposite of
authenticity
- Being anything other than YOU
Do you have magic steps to
help someone become an
enrollment pro?
There are definitely steps to being
effective at enrollment. At the
same time, enrollment is an art,
rather than a science, so these steps
are not tips and tricks that are mastered
overnight.
Learning to be a great coach
takes time, training and practice;
the skills of enrollment require the
same committed efforts. So with
that caveat, here are the steps:
- Handle your financial concerns,
so that you are not desperate or
dependent upon a person saying “yes” to your coaching or business
offer. This is the first step in helping
you to experience “nonattachment.” When we are desperate, the other
person senses urgency and tightness
in us. When we are “unattached,” the
conversation opens up and the other
person can more easily relax into
new possibilities — and so can we.
- Use your coaching skills of powerful
questions, and become avidly
interested in the other person’s
answers – without being concerned
about whether they are a potential
client or how you can “use” their
answers to build your case to them.
Once you are authentically interested
in other people’s lives and their
possibilities, people will be interested
in you and what you have to offer.
- Learn to make the link between
what they are interested in and what
you have to offer. This may seem antithetical to #2, but in fact, you
can’t succeed at this step without
fully practicing #2! That is, let go of making the link, while you are fully
engaged in listening to the other
person’s responses. Then, a link will show itself to you, and a natural,organic process unfolds: they see the possibility for themselves, and
say “yes” to their lives and your support,
with no convincing needed.
- Practice, practice, and more
practice! Practice with colleagues,
practice with your coach, practice
with police officers, hotel managers,
child care workers, bus drivers.
Anywhere you can practice,
you will master another aspect of
the art of enrollment. You’ll actually
start having fun, and before you
fully realize it, you’ll be great at it!
| The person, their
agenda and the
possibilities in
their life are what
matter most. |
Does a good enroller need to have a certain kind of personality
or born talents?
No, absolutely not. That’s another
misconception about enrollment. It
might be true for certain kinds of
sales, but it is not true of enrollment.
What do you say to those
coaches that fear the process
of enrolling clients?
Face your fear of enrolling clients – it will be the best thing for your
business and your life. Don’t run
from this amazing opportunity to
get more for yourself, while also
being able to give more to your
clients. Get training from a master
of enrollment, so that you can learn
and fully integrate the steps of
enrollment into your life. Your business will flourish, and so will you.
Leslie Lupinsky, MCC, CPCC is a master
certified coach and is a
senior faculty member of
the Coaches Training Institute. She has facilitated over 160 courses
worldwide in the last twelve years. While
serving in this capacity, she has inspired
thousands of students including coaches,
executives, managers, consultants and
educators. Her passion is to bring quality
coaching to her clients and to prepare entrepreneurs
for the exciting journey of creating the business of their dreams.
She has created four separate business
development programs and is the co-author of
The Inspired Business Approach, a cutting
edge entrepreneurial training book for solo
entrepreneurs and small businesses. Leslie is a
long standing member of the International
Coach Federation (ICF) and has earned her
credential as a Certified Co Active Coach
(CPCC). She holds a bachelors degree and an
advanced degree in education from the
University of California, Berkeley.
Leslie’s newest business building program,
Inspired! ON DEMAND, is a comprehensive
four month self-paced curriculum which
provides high quality e-books, audio lessons
and monthly support calls, reinforcing the four
areas of business success; Vision Implementation,
Client Attraction, Branding & Marketing
as well as Financial Freedom. A key
component of the program is to provide mentor
coaching, by trained professional coaches who
have specialized skills and expertise in the four
key areas for success. For information visit http://www.inspiredondemand.com
This article was originally published in Choice, the magazine of professional coaching. For more information visit: www.choice-online.com
