Written by: Karen Cappello, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever wondered what makes up a very successful coach? Are you born with it? Do you just figure it out one day?
As someone who’s been there, there are so many moving parts that contribute to the 'magic’ you see on the outside.
While I could share with you my best strategies and tools to become a successful coach – I want to first begin with the most important factor. And this comes from the inside...
Your mindset
In order to be successful in your coaching business, there are some mindset shifts that will really support you well. If you don’t make these shifts, it can take a long time to get your business going.
But here’s what happens when you do make these shifts...You become visible to your clients.
It’s like the fog lifts – and for the first time, they can see you as clear as day!
They seek you out for enrollment conversations. They write to you. They want to work with you. You move from being that best-kept secret to the go-to person in your niche.
Here are the 3 mindset shifts you need to make
Shift No.1 Release your resistance to marketing and sales
Coaches have so much resistance to marketing and sales. Here’s a quote I like to think about to navigate the resistance, “The dragon is in front of the door with the most power for you.”
So, if there’s a dragon in front of the door of marketing and sales — that’s good news because there’s lots of power behind that door for you. And in order to shift...
Take on a new perspective
Here’s a perspective that you could try: “Sales is transformational.” Just think about that idea: Sales is transformational. Coaches LOVE transformation — and I made this shift years ago.
When you resist marketing and sales, you’re going to find yourself doing more of it than is even necessary. Whatever you resist, persists!
Yet when you see marketing and sales as transformational, you’re going to show up as the brilliant coach that you are! Your clients are going to get huge ‘ahas’ from your marketing content and your enrollment conversations — and they’re going to know that you’re the coach for them.
A post that changed my life
I read a post that one of my coaches, Caitlyn Doemner, wrote on Facebook and I thought it was so true of coaches. Let yourself take this in.
Caitlyn says, “For those who view sales as an act of love and service — it requires deep empathy, swift intelligence, and the highest forms of communication. No matter what’s going on in our personal lives, no matter how many hours of sleep we did or didn’t get, no matter what — we have to show up ready to give our clients the opportunity to change their lives forever.
For an hour, I will hold space for you. I will ask questions no one else cares or dares to ask — allowing you to discuss your highest aspirations, your deepest fears without judgment — trusting that God would not have placed those dreams in your heart unless he intended for you to make good on them. I will use all of my creativity and strategic intelligence to identify the blocks that have held you back for months, sometimes years, and show you that a solution is not only possible, but probable, if you’re willing to commit.” This is what coaches love to do!
Getting someone to say yes to themselves is the most powerful transformational work you can accomplish.
Salespeople fight for every potential client they get on a call with, understanding that they’re not really answering ‘Will this work,’ but they’re answering, ‘Can I really do this? Am I capable of becoming the person I need to be, who is big enough to accomplish all that I see before me? Am I good enough for the promised land?’
So, coaches, it’s never about you. Never. Get out of the way of doing this divine work. Be the conduit, the vessel, the sacred pipe through which love wins out.”
This is so beautifully articulated. That’s our first tip — is to have a different perspective on what you’re doing in the sales conversation.
Shift No.2 Show up as your best coach-self in every area of your business
Chances are, who you’re being in your coaching sessions and who you’re being in your marketing is different. Stay in your best coach-mode as you market and sell.
When you don’t show up as your best self in your marketing, your ideal clients won’t be able to see the real you. They’ll see a more awkward version of you and awkward clients will start appearing everywhere around you — because we know that like attracts like.
Your clients will be needy. They won’t get results. You’ll start to feel even more awkward. It’s tough. Believe me, this happened to me — and still does, at times. I have my awkward days.
But when you show up as your best coach-self, you’ll find those who are committed to their own self-development — because you are committed to yours. They’re confident, easy to coach. They do the work. They’ll get results. This increases your confidence and you’re on the way to an upward spiral.
And this energy will draw in your ideal clients!
Shift No.3 Commit to your own self-care
We want to succeed and those around us are not used to seeing us as a coach. They’re concerned, and they’re watching. They’re just watching to see if we’re going to succeed or fail, and they may be skeptical about our coaching business.
When you don’t take care of yourself, and you work really hard on your business, you get tired. Brain fog sets in. You start thinking, “I’ve got to prove something to all these people.” You no longer have access to your creativity. You’ve actually recreated another job — rather than being an entrepreneur with all that freedom that you thought about — you’re a taskmaster to yourself.
But, when you do take time for self-care, you have the right amount of insight. You take time to allow the success to come. You loosen the grip.
I had a client who was just gripping very tight — wanted her business to succeed. She really cared but she needed more self-care. Once she took some time to relax, her business took off.
Self-care is vital. When you take care of yourself — get out in nature, get a massage, take some time for yourself — your creativity returns.
Let’s recap!
There are so many things happening that can contribute to becoming a very successful coach ‒ and we only talked about a few of them today, in terms of your mindset.
First of all: Release your resistance to marketing and sales. Then: Show up as your best coach-self in every area of your business. And finally: Commit to your own self-care.
In Part 2 of The Makings of a Highly Successful Coach, I want to talk about the shifts in what you track in your business that lead to success — and that can sound a little dry, but it really isn’t.
Stay tuned for part 2!
And for today, here’s a little food for thought: Which of the 3 mindsets resonated with you the most?
Please reach out and let me know. Your insights are always appreciated!
Karen Cappello, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Karen Cappello, MCC, BCC, is a business and executive coach, communication specialist, motivational speaker and coach trainer. She collaborates with leaders and executive coaches to promote highly beneficial business outcomes. With over 30 years of experience and expertise in business management, financial planning, and higher education, Karen has brought a broad-based background to her coaching clientele.
