This posting is written by a coach for other coaches, drawing on the input of colleagues who have insight into what it takes to market ourselves effectively.
Let’s just recognise that “Executive” and “Life” Coaching are labels. On the one hand, there may or may not be critical differences between the two (for more on this you may like to read my postings “Executive” and “Life” Coaching: How are they similar? and “Executive” and “Life” Coaching: How are they different?). On the other hand, their primary role as labels is to help clients and coaches to find each other who are well suited to work together in a productive coaching partnership. I am grateful to colleagues for pointing this out and for highlighting that these and other labels are not important to people who know the coach: rather, labels act as the sign that helps people who don’t yet know you to recognise you as the right coach for them.
A key implication of this is that you need to understand how your perfect client thinks at the point when he or she is looking for a coach. This is different from the question of what ground you may cover together in the course of your coaching partnership which may take you both by surprise. This includes understanding the key issues that your clients may be looking to address through coaching and the key outcomes they may be seeking – in marketing speak the “benefits” they may be seeking. This is not about the kind of undercover marketing that is still popular in the mass market but about a genuine understanding of your clients.
A second key implication is that you need to be able to speak to potential clients in their own language: as one colleague put it, “in the language that our target clients can hear, understand and desire”. To quote a colleague this implies that as coaches preparing to market our services we need to “get clear on what the heart of our offer is. Then get ourselves out of the way of what we think our clients want and are looking for – and listen”. When we meet the kind of people we most yearn to coach what do they say to us and in what language? This is the language our marketing needs to use.
I could say so much more, based on the rich input of colleagues from a variety of sources, even whilst recognising that I am an apprentice in the field of marketing. For now I am simply going to express my thanks to colleagues from the Coaching at Work group on LinkedIn and to fellow students on Kathy Mallary’s sales and marketing programme, Empowerment 2010.