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    20: How to Stop Saying Yes to Bright Shiny Objects

    en-usApril 02, 2019
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    About this Episode

    Notes for this episode can be found here.

    This episode is part 1 about how to selectively and wisely decide where and when to invest your time, energy and money in opportunities that come your way as a coach. Opportunities such as:

    • more skills training
    • how-to programs that teach a marketing tactic 
    • offers to send you leads or promote you
    • offers to partner with another coach or expert

    Today, we'll dig into the bright shiny object syndrome. That's when you have a incredibly strong impulse to invest money in training, apps - all sorts of bells and whistles - for your coaching business.

    Have you ever taken expensive training or a mastermind and, though you enjoyed the experience, you didn't forward in your business? You couldn't apply what you learned.

    There's a simple reason for that ... you may not have been developmentally ready for that program yet.

    Spending like can quickly eat up your profits! So I have tips and mindset mastery coming your way here.


    Before we dive in, I want to thank you.

    With your support, Prosperous Coach Podcast has surpassed 4000 downloads with just our 20th episode. A shout out to Kate in Basel, Switzerland. Kate said:

    "I've really been enjoying your podcast and want to thank you for the really helpful, clear, and good vibes content that you are sharing. I always look forward to hearing your intro music!"

    Thank you, Kate!

    I put my heart into these episodes. And coaches need clear guidelines. Very soon I'm launching a Facebook group for subscribers of the podcast. All coaches are welcome. More on that next week.


    Okay let's breakthrough the bright shiny object pattern ...

    Why does this syndrome exist?

    When your coaching business is new and you've not yet filled your time serving clients, you're in a vulnerable place.

    You're vulnerable because you are yearning — for more coaching clients, for higher revenues, or simply for recognition that you're valuable — and you're looking outside yourself for answers.

    So you go surfing and get on a bunch of lists or click a bunch of ads.

    All manner of offers and opportunities are dangling like glittering diamonds in front of you.

    And your credit card is in hand. Maybe you've even memorized it.

    I've been there. Much less than I used to thanks to the tips I'm going to share, but it still snags me occasionally.

    I'm Not Skilled Enough

    As a coach, sometimes there's this voice saying "I'm not skilled enough yet" that has you reaching for more training to learn different types of coaching skills, get more certifications, to pile up credentials.

    There's a learned belief under that, that what you know now isn't enough for where you are now developmentally. And that's where the deepest wisdom is -- where you are now.

    Obviously, there are times when learning more skills will be right for your current situation. 

    But I wonder ... how many purchases for more skills training are driven by a rational decision?

    Think about it this way, if you are endlessly in student mode, how are you ever going to succeed in your coaching business?

    Learning is a lot like breathing. Th

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    About 3x a week a new coach reaches out to me. They've been referred to my podcast by another coach — thank you! Or they’ve seen a LinkedIn post or Googled for "coaching niche", browsed my website then filled out the application on my VIP Mentoring page. 

    That’s an online customer journey that works!

    They tell me: 

    “I don't know my coaching niche or target audience yet vbut I’m working on my website, posting on socials, and developing coaching programs.”

    And I think ... WAY TOO SOON!

    I get it. When you finish coach training there's this emotional rush to get a website up and do all the things online.

    But it will be a false start and likely mean doing everything over, because the very 1st step for everything in your coaching business is nailing down a viable audience and niche. Anything you do before that isn’t going to be effective.

    Let me help you think differently about the goal of your website. 

    271: Inspire Your Coaching Clients to Give You Dynamic Testimonials

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    I’ll share how to:

    1. Systematically gather takeaways from clients before and after your sessions.
    2. Make it easy for clients to write useful testimonials in a timely manner.
    3. And how to help clients celebrate their accomplishments with your prospective clients.


    270: Aren't 2 Coaching Niches Better Than 1?

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    Also mentioned in this episode were:
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    In my 6th year of my coaching business I wanted to scale up. All the pundits said: “Group and online programs are the way to leverage your time and increase income.”

    I bought into that. Just 6 years into running my membership program and two online training programs I had to take a sabbatical from my business.

    During my recovery from stress I looked for a better way that I could enjoy more.

    You see, online and group programs require a massive leads list and continuous marketing campaigns to keep them filled and earning well.

    Profits can be low because of the pricey apps and team needed to help you do it all. If someone says they make a million doing group and online programs, realize that they haven’t shared profit numbers or the hours it takes to make that happen.

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    268: How Coaches Can Stop the Cycle of Shame and Get Unstuck

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    The upside of talking about shame is that once you acknowledge it you can quickly realize what has triggered it and let it go.

    A new coach in my VIP program — I’ll call her Barbara — got caught in a shame spiral because she wasn’t meeting up to some big expectations that she had for herself.

    I’m so grateful to Barbara for giving me permission to share some of our discussion in this episode.

    When you are willing to show your vulnerability with your coaching colleagues, that helps everyone become more successful at this big coaching business endeavor.

    We coached through it and came to an important realization:

    Shame rises up whenever you’re doing something that you care deeply about that you haven’t done before.

    Let’s talk about the typical way for coaches that shame snowballs into something ugly and leaves you feeling stuck. I’ll also share how you can quickly get unstuck and move forward powerfully.

    267: Break Through 4 Limiting Beliefs and Raise Your Coaching Prices!

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    Other episodes mentioned in this one:
    161,58, 60, and 5

    Many coaches think: “I’m new at this and need to gain experience. I will raise my prices later.” But many wait too late to save themselves. Don’t let this be you.

    Are you waiting for some abstract sense of worthiness before you price enough to keep yourself in business? 

    Maybe you thought: “Lower pricing will help me get more clients in the long run.”

    I thought that too once, but I know for sure that the opposite is true. You will have to market far more than you are willing if you keep your pricing in student mode. 

    There is a lot of shadow about pricing your services in a way that cannot possibly sustain you or keep you in business. It is a form of self-sabotage. It’s time to align your money mindset with your coaching career goals. 

    Let’s do some breakthrough thinking, dissolve the typical limiting beliefs so you can be smart about your pricing from now on — no matter how long you’ve been a coach.

    266: Test the Profitability of Your Coaching Niche - Listener's Choice

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    Also mentioned in this episode:
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    Episodes: 140997108 and 57

    When coaches grab a Nail Your Niche Session with me and then ask: "Is this a good coaching niche?" What they really want to know but don’t know to ask is:

    Will focusing my energy this way repay me with a consistent flow of clients who are willing to invest?

    That's the 6-figure question.

    A strategically determined coaching niche is the linch pin for your financial success as a coach. Without that direction and focus your messages and offers will be vague and won’t capture attention. Which means you won’t have that consistent flow of paying clients.

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    • Command higher fees.

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    Download my free niching guide.

    In my first session with a new VIP client, something wonderful happened ... another coach chose their smart niche!

    This coach is a highly intelligent person with tons of coaching experience in corporations and coaching firms. Their list of degrees and credentials is impressive and they speak multiple languages!

    They are articulate, self-aware and operate with integrity.

    I tell you all this because — even with all those assets — the coach started by telling me: “I’ve been stuck wanting to start my coaching business for 2 years but couldn’t figure out my niche!”

    Yep. That’s not at all unusual. Coaches are often held back for years because they won’t choose a niche.

    The #1 reason? FEAR. It can stop you in your tracks, if you let it. Here's how to stop that.