Life Coach Success Stories Event
By Kate Koranyi, Relocation Coach
I was particularly interested in the talk that took place on Wednesday, 14th November 2007, as I’m just starting out as a recently-qualified Life Coach myself and, to be perfectly frank, I haven’t yet had much success in attracting clients. It was encouraging to hear the three Life Coaches (Jaime Simpson, Anita Cheung and Monika Parker) talk about how they started out, how they too faced difficulties, and found that it was far from ready-made easy in the beginning.
It takes a lot of initiative and willingness to explore different ways to promote your business. One important point that was stressed over and over again is that new coaches must never think they’re alone. We’re fortunate enough to be part of such a large and active coaching community in Hong Kong, so reach out and make use of it!
I’d like to highlight some of the tips I personally found useful:
Don't strive to become someone you’re not. Don't copy or attempt to be like other more experienced coaches — you need to find your own voice / style. Being true to oneself is the motto! To quote Oscar Wilde’s famous words: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”
The importance of having your own specialty cannot be emphasized enough. Don’t worry about limiting yourself and therefore losing business. Every coach needs a unique niche. If you’re not sure what it is, ask yourself what lights your fire, what makes you feel passionate, and find your own distinguishing feature.
- A Website is Indispensable
Every life coach needs a website. Get a professional to set one up and make sure you know how to do your own updates, as it will simplify your life, not to mention be a lot less expensive in the long-run. If you want to set up one yourself, visit www.register.com. It’s economical and has ready-made templates.
- Start Somewhere – Anywhere
Volunteer, offer pro-bono coaching, give free talks, get involved in the YWCA/YMCA, write about what you know, articles, newsletters, develop a mailing list, and so on.
- Network (advertising doesn’t really work)
Grab every opportunity to network, get your name out there, make yourself known in Hong Kong.
Don't act or feel desperate for clients, because they will sense it and run the other way. Don’t underestimate the power of thoughts. Believe you can make a difference in peoples’ lives and clients will believe in you, too. If you can’t empower yourself, how do you expect to empower your clients? You want clients to walk away feeling GREAT, so you have to feel great about yourself and your coaching business first.
Develop a learner’s mind: learn from other more experienced coaches. Never think you know it all. Be receptive.
Get first-hand experience of coaching by hiring your own coach, someone who can guide YOU.
Remember, it isn’t a struggle. Enjoy the process, have fun!
Contact author Kate Koranyi at Tel. 9615 6606 or visit her website: www.freewebs.com/satoricoaching
