Cathy Liska This is 23 in a series of 24 blog posts on Business and Marketing.
As a coach building your business, the more you talk about what you do the more others are aware and the word spreads. Additionally, conversations you have with people you know may lead to referrals and conversations you have when you meet people may lead to opportunities for providing coaching services. As an example, coaches meet new clients in restaurants, on airplanes, and at events.
Does talking about coaching require preparation? Certainly there is value in knowing when to say something, what to say, and how. For example, at the Center for Coaching Certification one recommendation is to first ask the other person about themselves. Learn about their work, what they enjoy about it, and their challenges. Then create interest in your coaching services by connecting it to areas of interest to them and their work.
Consider what you want to say. Create an outline of talking points. How you say what you say is of course very important for a coach because a coach focuses forward, is proactive, and uses positive language. Consider the words that work from your coach training and then make how you explain coaching your own. Write up a one-paragraph explanation of your coaching, and then write a longer version too. Practice it with people you know and ask for their feedback. By doing this, your conversation will flow with confidence and potential interest in your coaching is increased.
