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Part 1 of a four part series by Kim Ades, MBA
Sales, Pricing, Delivery and Sustainabilty -
The Answer for Coaches
Part 1: Sales - Can Traditional Social Networking Really be Intimate? I read a statistic about Facebook the other day. Here's what it said: "With more than 500 million users, Facebook is now the 2nd most visited website on the internet and growing 33,000 new users per hour." With those kinds of numbers, can Facebook really provide the kind of intimacy that is required for coaching sales? Is this truly the platform where an exchange can take place that explores the fit between an individual's needs and our unique brand and style of coaching? As coaches, we are told that we need to have an online presence that includes playing the Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter game. Oddly, this mandate fundamentally challenges one of our core values as coaches. We thrive on intimacy and building meaningful relationships. How does having a conversation with 500 million users translate into intimacy? How do we even get noticed in such a busy, crowded, and noisy marketplace? How do we go from tweeting 12 times a day to making a sale? What can we possibly say in 140 characters that will lead to a conversation about purchasing our coaching services? Coaches love to interact at a deep level - this is what creates connection and makes it possible for us to offer our services. We understand that identifying the need for coaching and choosing a coach is an emotional experience and therefore the sales process must reflect that fact. Given this reality, it seems the gap is still wide as we try to bridge the chasm between posting what we ate for lunch on Twitter and making a sale. Consider this solution... a two-tiered social networking approach that leverages the masses found on Facebook etc., and invites them to a private, intimate place where they can share their needs and you can easily discuss the viability of serving them with your coaching expertise. An insulated social network or journaling platform where you are offering an activity that focuses on their own personal development such as a series of journaling questions, an assessment, or a self evaluation of sorts. Their response to your invitation provides you with a deeper level of insight to their needs and challenges, and simultaneously opens the door for you to discuss your services and establish whether or not there is a fit. In addition, the social networking aspect allows a discussion to take place between potential and existing clients and increases the stickiness of your site, making it appealing for first time visitors to come back again. This two-tiered social media approach allows coaches to invite the masses from Facebook to raise their hands and say "I am interested in learning more about your services." It's not pushy. It's warm, it's honest, it's authentic, and it begins with offering a free service that has true value. In the land of social media, this serves as a method to get away from the noise and have a quieter, deeper, and more meaningful discussion about coaching. About our expert: Kim Ades, MBA, President of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software is one of North America's foremost experts on performance through thought management. By using her unique process of coaching through journaling, she works with hundreds of clients yearly to unveil and switch their thought patterns to ignite significant change and life transformation. She is now teaching this process to coaches all over the world for use with their clients. Visit www.journalengine.com to sign up for your own free, secure, online journal and explore how you can use a journaling platform with your clients. Sign up for your free online journal: www.frameofmindcoaching.com www.journalengine.com For updated information on our choice Multi Media Expert Series visit www.morefromchoice.com For archived MP3 audio library visit www.morefromchoice.com For the choice expert series archives visit www.choice-online.com/expertseries.html choice, the magazine of professional coaching  become a fan  tweet us  link up with us Feedback is welcome at ExpertSeries@choice-online.com Visit our choice Websitechoice, the magazine of professional coaching
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