Give these online resources a whirl!

The Internet is full of all sorts of resources and tools that offer marketing and public relations suggestions and solutions. Below you will find links to pages we find useful—perhaps you will find one or two beneficial to your practice!

• Mashable: This online news site is dedicated to covering digital culture, social media, and technology. Mashable is an excellent source for articles and infographics, including these recent reads: like Which social network should you use – and when? and How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch.
• Social Mention: This website allows for real time social media search and analysis. Conduct real time searches to see where/when your brand (or any other search term you choose) is used in social media. You can also set alerts when your search terms are picked up across social media channels. This tool is an excellent means of tracking your brand on the web.
• Hootsuite: This online source is the leading social media dashboard used to manage and measure your social networks. If you post messages across multiple social media channels, this is an excellent source for scheduling posts in a single, easy-to-use location.

What online tools and resources do you find beneficial? Share them with us here or over on Facebook!

Meeting of a lifetime

Last month, we asked our Facebook fans, “if you could meet one person, famous or not, from the past or present, who would it be for you?” Take a look below to see how our Facebook fans responded:

• “Eleanor of Aquitaine.” (Tabitha Jayne)
• “Jesus Christ.” (Keith Lawrence Miller)
• “Buddha." (Paulo Martins)
• “Thot.” (Lucio Andrés Pérez)
• “Two – Albert Einstein and Lucille Ball.” (Dianne Garrett)
• “Myself.” (Renia Nicpon)
• “My mother.” (Karin Nilsson)
• “& Meryl Streep.” (Renia Nicpon)
• “Albert Einstein.” (Eric Degen)
• “Oscar Wilde.” (Magdalena Giec)
• “Endless list, but I would start with my grandfather.” (Katerina Kanelidou)
• “Oprah Winfrey.” (Glen Johnson)
• “My grandmother. Very curious of her way of seeing things where she is now.” (Margareta Carlsson)
• “Gandhi.” (Davide Tambone)
• “Nelson Mandela.” (Annemie van Poppel)
• “Wayne Gretzky.” (Terreeia Rauffman)
• “Terry Fox.” (Cathy Romanko)
• “Cleopatra.” (Clare Sautter)
• “Adam, I guess. The one who married Eve.” (Sandro da Silva)
• “My great great grandparents, both sides.” (Berna Herrera)
• “Socrates, in our days in New York.” (Гришаев Сергей)
• “Robert Kiyosaki.” (Anvesh Babu Pudota)

What about you? Who would you choose to meet? We’d love to know—leave a response below or join the conversation at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

A penny for your thoughts

Last month, we asked our Facebook fans for the best piece of advice they have ever been given. Take a look below to see how our Facebook fans responded:

“You have choices…many of them, so feel free to make another one.” (Sinead Moffatt)

“All my advice comes from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!” (Ricardo Em)

“John 3:16.’” (Ricardo Em)

“Know thyself – do thyself.” (Paul Coughlin)

“Learn first from the client.” (Anne Drake)

“Charge more than you think you are worth.” (Dean Miles)

“You don’t have to have everything perfect to start your business…just start!” (Dawn Osborn Langerock)

“Have faith in God.” (Patti DuBose)

“Listening is not the same as waiting to talk.” (Eric Laramée)

“The more time you let pass to fight for your dreams, the farther they will be.” (Adolfo SG)

“ONLY make decisions that move you toward your goals…if the decision is taking you away from your goal, you are making the wrong decision.” (Debbie Ruston)

“Breathe!” (Laura McCafferty)

“Be yourself, be there and resist the pressure to give advice!” (Mandu Lilian)

“Be present!” (Magdalenda Giec)

“From my father: there isn’t a problem without a solution, there is always a way to make things happen. Just pause, think, search and you (we) will find it.” (Katerina Kanelidou)

“If you love that you do, there is no way you cannot succeed.” (Don Young)

“Just do it! ~Nike” (Veronique Pigeon)

“We do not give any advice to our coaches but we ask with distinctions. My coaches give me great open questions to explore.” (Carmen Lloveras)

“Trust yourself.” (AuthentiCity Coach Laura)

“There’s never a wrong time to do a good thing.” (Ajith Kumar Chelote)

“Life is not about ‘finding’ yourself—create yourself!” (Sherry Prindle)

“Fly like a butterfly, girl! You can do amazing things! Just go with your gut and fly!” (Debbie Brown Kemp)

What about you? What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? We’d love to know—leave a response below or join the conversation at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

A coach’s toolkit

Last month, in an effort to see what kinds of assessment tools coaches are using, we asked our Facebook fans to share their “must-use” coaching assessment tools and why they like to use them.

Here’s what we heard:

"1. Innermetrix DISC - behavioural and communication styles. This is where we can uncover and work with the cause of interpersonal conflicts, workplace stress etc. This relates to the environment mostly.
2. Innermetrix Values - motivators and drivers. This is where we uncover passions - and how we need to be recognised and rewarded. This relates mostly to culture, vision etc.
3. Innermetrix Attribute Index - natural talents based on how you think and make decisions. This is where we uncover a person's deep value structure - not their specific values, but 'how' they value. This area is the key to fulfillment and high performance.

The first two are psychometric, and rely on self-reporting. The last is valuemetric (based on the Hartman Value Profile) and is does not rely on self-reporting. Number 3 enables us to measure soft-skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, strategic thinking - which translates into being able to reliably measure and predict performance in particular roles such as leadership, management etc.

Most importantly, it enables us to uncover a person’s natural talents, which is their key to fulfillment, higher levels of performance, and the often elusive 'meaning and purpose' that the right kind of role and can provide.

When coaching - the combination of all three shows us a person's areas of innate strength (rather than skill) - which is the place to focus on and use when creating change. Self-awareness is key - and I believe these assessments are the best 'self-awareness' tools on the market.” (Paul Coughlin)

“StrengthsFinder 2.0 provides great insight to clients. Every time I have used it, the impact was impressive and very empowering.” (Katerina Kanelidou)

“I would have to second Katerina’s vote. StrengthsFinder is a great way to give clients clarity into strengths they weren’t aware of because our talents to us are nature. It can also help build the foundation for future coaching sessions.” (Jasmine Goris)

“I like to keep the life balance wheel handy because it’s simple and yet highly effective in uncovering where we are at present, just as quickly as we can uncover where we want to focus or move forward in our lives.” (Shontay Dumas)

“Two—I have a cultural diagnostic by Human Synergistics I use with teams that is fantastic! And it doesn’t label people!! And I have an eight question new client diagnostic that finds where people currently are with their goals/wants/needs/dreams. Why do I used them? It takes the temperature where people are for the moment and helps them to open the dialogue for where they want to go (and more but no room to fill in).” (Tammy Redmon)

“1. I use the life wheel—very true, as Shontay says very handy. 2. I use a fantastic tool called “Inner Engineering”—unique as very few coaches use this tool! But very powerful!” (Sonia Sant)

“I use Angeles Arien’s ‘Preferential Shape Test’…meets the diversity of all with multi-cultural perspectives. It brings out full areas for reflection, focus, discussion, decision, and change.” (Janet Ver)

Would you agree or disagree? What would you add to this list…and why? We’d love to know—leave a response below or join the conversation at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

The path to better networking

Taking a cue from a November blog post on networking tips, we asked our Facebook fans for their best networking tips. Take a look below to see how our Facebook fans responded:

• “Taking a genuine interest in the one I’m talking to, and make that person feel really special.” (Jacky Chua)
• “CARES which means coming from a place of commitment, abundance, result oriented, excellence, and resilient.” (Johan Van Bavel)
• “Be strategic. It’s not a ‘spray and pray approach;’ it’s a ‘connect with a few and offer value in the process.’” (Tammy Redmon)
• “Connecting, connecting, connecting!” (Katerina Kanelidou)
• “Listen, truly listen. Engage. Be genuinely curious. Always be prepared with something to leave with whomever you’re networking with. If there is a real connection, set up a specific next call of action. (Example: ‘I’ll call you Tuesday at 11 a.m..’)” (iPEC Coaching)
• “Remember you always have something in common. Be inquisitive.” (Nora Whalen)
• “I like BNI. It’s a business network. I’ve got several new customers from there. But, off course, always be prepared with whomever you are meeting.” (Wändell Coaching & Consulting)
• “Smiling and listening.” (Rodolfo Rosales)
• “What intentions do you set before you network? What is your first impression like? What is your 30 second intro? How can you refer business to someone before you ask for business? How fast do you follow up with the people you meet?” (Harvest Sales Coaching Café)
• “Listening, commitment, result-oriented.” (Sercan Savran)

What about you? What are your tips when it comes to networking? We’d love to know—leave a response below or join the conversation at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

Striking a balance

A popular topic these days seems to be the often bewildering work-life balance. For some people, it is one and the same. Others draw a distinctive line when it comes to the boundaries between work life and home life. To see how coaches handle a work-life balance, we reached out to our Facebook fans with the following question in October: “coaches, what do you do to maintain a healthy work-life balance?”

Take a look below to see how our Facebook fans responded:

• “Gym every morn, bible/spiritual read for 20 mins each day, play with kids, do homework with kids, talk to wife in private after kids are in bed, read before sleep—something fictional.” Bret Snyder
• “Work and life? So when I work I’m not alive? I feel most alive when I’m working…and of course I do a lot of things: meditation, meeting friends, reading, cooking (that’s my latest happy discovery), gym, sleeping, etc. Life’s good! Including work.” Tatiana Saliba
• “I look at work as life. It’s a choice. While working, I work my ‘muscles’ for creating a deeper connection to things I want to master. There is no separation.” Carol House Jackson
• “Trabajar con pensamiento de Coach en todo momento, enriqueciendo asi el alma de cada persona que impactamos y sobre todo hacerlo y vivir con pasion!!!” Jose Tony Santiago
• “There’s no such thing as balance! Only resilience.” Lisa Austin
• “Reflect on my life wheel everyday.” Leona Wan
• “Work at it!” Sylvia Baumgartner
• “I start each day with a swim, after that I am ready for whatever the day brings. It’s all life, when you love what you do you know you have cracked it when you never get a Monday morning feeling.” Denise Chilton

What about you? How do you maintain a balance between your work life and your personal life? We’d love to know—leave a response below or join the conversation at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

Words to live by…

Taking a cue from ICF guest blogger Laurie Lawson, we asked our Facebook fans the following question in September: “coaches, what is your favorite quote?”

The response was tremendous! If you are a collector of quotes, the below pool will serve as an excellent source.

“As long as you are going to be thinking anyway, think big.”—Donald Trump (Sinead Moffatt)

“Do, or do not. There is no try.”—Yoda (Vickie Gray)

“If you love what you do you will be successful.”—Albert Schweitzer (Jurgen Domacassee)

“I care not what the others do, but I care very much about what I think I do!”—Theodore Roosevelt (Elina Giachali)

“You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with an exhuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world.”—Sheila Graham (Christa Lynn Colletti)

“Be where you are right now.” (Demyan Rossouw)

“Don’t ask yourself what the words needs. Ask what makes you come alive…and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Robben Salyers)

“Whether you think you can, and if you think that you can’t, are correct.”—Henry Ford (Germán Portilla Vallejo)

“No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.”—George Washington Carver (Jeremy Flagg)

“The point is to understand, not judge.” (Cynthia Grinfield)

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”—Jung (Mine Kobal Ok)

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”—Lao Tzu (Susanne Cordes-Hoelterhoff)

“Screw it, let’s do it!”—Richard Branson (Katerina Kanelidou)

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”—Albert Einstein (Gildardo Aguilar)

“Sometimes you have to lose your mind to come to your senses.” (Christel Seierø)

“Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.”—Dalaï Lama (Zohra Dali)

“A maior conquista do homem, é vencer a si mesmo.”—Platão (Joana Darc A. Silva)

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”—Robert Frost (Karim Fayad)

“What you reap today is a result of what you sow yesterday. So what are you sowing today for tomorrow?” (Simon Yap)

“When you really want something, the whole universe conspires helping you achieve it.”—Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist (Christine Haugseth Andersen)

“Coaching begins with trusting that the coachee is ‘capable’.” (Bhaskar Bhattacharya)

“Live to make your lifetime a statement of who you are—not what you feared.” (Marcus Milukas)

“Spontaneity must be well planned!” (Wolfgang Spenke)

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”—Mary Oliver (Merle Rockwell)

“If you can dream it, you can do it!”—Walt Disney (Elisabeth Piene Espenes)

“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” (Deborah Higgs)

“My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of Man.”—John F. Kennedy (Mattia Rossi)

“Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly. But the bumblebee doesn’t know what, so it goes on flying anyway.”—Mary Kay Ash (Caroline Charron Stolzy)

“No regrets.”—S. Waugh (Wayne Timms)

“It is never too late to be what you should have become.”—George Eliot (Pierina Curties)

“Get the best people and train them well.”—Scott McNealy (Paul Morrall)

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”—Max Lucado (Paul Morrall)

“Leaders grasp nettles.”—David Oglivy (Paul Morrall)

“Use your life to change the world.”—Oprah Winfrey (Elvira Hopper)

“Accomplishment and success are often the result of commitment and perseverance rather than skill or talent.”—George V. Valkenburg (Elaine Tong)

“The harder you work and the more focused you are…the luckier you become.” (Paul Morrall)

“You can’t ask for a commitment greater than the size of your relationship.” (Clare Sauttner)

What about you? Do you have a favorite quote or words you live by? We’d love to know—share it with us on at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

Lend a hand in your community

Last month, we asked our Facebook fans “coaches, how do you give back to your community?”

Just as we suspected, coaches are very giving individuals! If you are looking for a way to get involved, read on to find out how other coaches give back to their local communities:

“Each year I offer pro-bono coaching to a specific number of deserving people. (Deserving = willing and capable to do the work required, but don’t have the financial means).” (Demyan Rossouw)

“Offer complimentary workshops and coaching at local Gay and Lesbian centers.” (Rick Clemons)

“We engage ourselves into some not for profit projects like Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland.” (Meissner & Partners)

“Organize ‘equal opportunity’ programs for the children of women prison inmates in Delhi.” (Seth Rosario)

“By working five years as a board member of the ICF Chapter in Germany and since, four years as ICF Chapter leader in Berlin, Germany.” (Martin Jessen)

“Being present in as many opportunities as possible with any member of the community where I am: experiencing consciousness as is.” (Rodolfo Rosales)

“I volunteer my time by providing free advice/consultation for those who need help and also involve others in these communities: 1) coaching resources (expanding and increasing awareness of the coaching community); 2) Global Voices Bulletin (being a voice for all global philanthropy initiatives).” (Queenie TCoach)

“That is a great question, I’m considering starting a group called ‘Coaches in the Community’ to provide volunteer services to organizations and/or community projects that need a little extra helping hand.” (Tracey Pitts)

“Through a Hand Up Coaching.” (Nora Whalen)

“By offering a pro bono coaching package (four free sessions) ongoing, for those who need my services, are willing to follow through, but cannot otherwise afford them.” (Carol Pressnall Leek)

What about you? How do you give back? We’d love to know—share it with us on at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

The (sometimes) tough decision of choosing a coach training program

Last month, we asked our Facebook fans “coaches, with so many options out there for coach training, it is often difficult to decide where is best for you. What factor was most influential for YOU when it came to choosing a coach training program?”

Several responses were shared and all are listed below for your reference. If you are searching for a coach training program, the below insight will show you how other coaches determined which program was best for them:

• “One that helps focus on the core values of my niche and gives the marketing techniques to really get your practice off the ground.” (Shay DivineGlow Love)
• “Core values/philosophy.” (Francine Kolacz Carter)
• “Integrity and reliability!” (Detre Webster Tarbert)
• “I chose based on flexibility and the variety of niches they offered. I wasn’t clear going in what I wanted my niche to be. I had the opportunity to experiment with a few before making my choice.” (Nicole Avery)
• “I agree with Shay. The Core Essentials are the foundation of a great training program. In addition, it was important for me to have instructors who had a variety of coaching backgrounds as well as being ICF Credentialed.” (Jennifer Howard)
• “Ok, so I want to say core values but when it comes down to it, it needed to be affordable and flexible.” (Melani Luedtke-Taylor)
• “The degree of practicality-behavior base; the capacity of taking me out of my comfort zone; and no or little ‘tools’, a.i. marketing-based frame of reference.” (Mihai Stănescu)
• “I chose CTI on instinct and it was the best decision for me.” (Janice Cunning)
• “Accredited program, that is flexible (online) and relative. Also, price is an influence. Its more about education to do a better job at coaching than it is having a certificate.” (Robert Crawford)
• “I chose a flexible, affordable accredited program that was well known and online. After years of graduate school, I didn’t have too much time or money to give.” (Shannon Kearney Lessard)
• “I needed an online program; moreover, I continue the training. So much to learn…” (Tafari Educational Consulting, Inc.)
• “An accredited program with a scientific basis, i.e. a brain based approach—Results Coaching Systems, global organization.” (Diana Pettie)
• “Shaping the industry, including the ICF standards, experiential learning in small groups, amazing course leaders, a powerful model, extensive support and business mentoring—CTI.” (Laura Ahnemann)
• “I wanted one that I could do coursework from home since I’ve got 4 kids. And I like being able to telecommute to conference call classes and presentations. It was fun, fit my schedule and helped me learn technology that I use as a coach now. Bonus!” (Living Power Life Coaching)
• “I researched three program in depth and chose iPEC, the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. It’s an ‘all-in’ program that includes 4 weekend intensives, weekly teleclasses, peer coaching, -peer groups, mentor coaching and even books for the book reports. iPEC centers their training on coaching a client’s core energy, moving it from negative to positive. They teach ICF competencies and ethics. They have the best instructors I’ve seen and I’m a trainer. Check them out at www.ipeccoaching.com and tell them I sent you! I’m a recent grad.” (Laurie Battaglia)
• “I wanted the most expensive accredited program.” (Andrew Carter)

What about you? How did you choose the coach training program you used? We’d love to know—share it with us on at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

Joint Venture Your Way to Success Using Social Media

When small business owners talk about having success with online marketing or social media, it usually has to do with getting more clients or customers on their own. While that is a wonderful result of course, there is another way the top success stories online are growing their businesses—joint ventures.

With more and more business owners jumping into social media especially, it’s good to keep in mind that all those people you’re connecting with out there are not just potential prospects, but possible strategic partners as well.

What is a Joint Venture?

Joint ventures are sometimes known as strategic alliances and generally involve two people entering into a partnership in order to leverage what both parties bring to the table.

A joint venture can be where you promote the other person’s services or products to your target market, and your partner promotes your services or products to their target market in order to share the resulting profits.

It can also be where you partner with another business owner to jointly provide a product or service that both of your target audiences have an interest in—even if those audiences initially look like two totally different groups.

Why Joint Venture?

First, you are obviously able to provide your market with a valuable product or service that enhances their life in some way. However, the best joint ventures benefit not only your target market, but also your own business. Because you are being exposed to an entirely new community, you’ll often gain more website traffic, list subscribers, friends, followers and even new clients and customers.

It’s also a great way to boost the credibility and authority of both parties. When a community sees someone they perceive as an expert recommend you by way of your partnership, you often immediately gain credibility in their eyes as well.

Similarly, when you are in effect “endorsed” by a reputable and respected joint venture partner, this raises the level of trust vested in you and your own capabilities and integrity.

Finally, it’s a simple example of “two heads are better than one.” You both bring your own strengths to the partnership—whether that’s knowledge, ability or sheer numbers of list subscribers, fans, followers and friends.

How to Joint Venture?

Here are a few ideas for how to structure a joint venture:

You could partner on a workshop, teleseminar or webinar on a topic that would be of interest to both of your audiences. The great thing about this is that as long as you record it, you’ve got an instant information product for each of you to sell on your respective websites.

Another popular method is to recommend each other’s newsletters or freebie offers. This is very much a “set it and forget it” strategy. For example, when a new subscriber signs up on your site, they are re-directed to a thank you page that also includes a recommended resource—your partner’s free offering or e-zine.

Lastly, you could pool your expertise and resources together and create a product. This could be created once but sold over and over—the very definition of leveraged income! You could either both sell it separately or have one of you sell it and split the profits.

Ready to get started collaborating? Begin by building relationships with others in complimentary niches or with target markets that might need what you offer, and you’ll be well on your way to a creating a win-win situation.

I myself have connected with several really great peeps via social media and created successful joint ventures with them, so I can attest to its power. Have YOU been able to hook up with others through social media and form strategic alliances? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments—any questions on this topic are welcomed as well!

Christine Gallagher is founder of http://shesgotclients.com/, a company dedicated to teaching women entrepreneurs all over the world how to use authentic relationship marketing and online strategies to attract raving fans, enroll more clients, and enjoy more income and freedom in their business, all while sharing their gifts and their message in a much bigger way. After applying Christine’s proven online marketing methods, her clients typically experience a significant increase in traffic, subscribers, clients, affiliates and lucrative joint venture opportunities.

To get Christine’s popular, free “Online Exposure Kit” as well as her weekly e-zine on success, marketing and mindset for entrepreneurs, visit http://ShesGotClients.com.

Got to use: coaching tools

Last month, we asked our Facebook fans “what is your go-to coaching tool that you use the most frequently in your coaching practice?”

Several responses were shared and all are listed below for your reference. If you aren’t already using some of these tools in your coaching, consider how you can incorporate them into your own practice.

“My intuition.” (Allison Crow Flanigin)

“Quotes, they provide me with inspiration [from Believe in You, To YOUR Success and all the famous people out there].” (Queenie TCoach)

“Back to the Basics (usually the P2W method).” (Mimi Nelson)

“Open heart and intuition.” (Dóra Hegedũs)

“Lateral thinking tools, such as C&S along with PO.” (Daniel Tolson)

“My own intuition and opening heart.” (Sercan Savran)

“Curiosity.” (Michelle Clarke)

“Love.” (Zohra Dali)

“Transactional Analysis to help clients work out why some interactions go smoothly and why others go pear shaped.” (Redgate Consulting)

“The best coaching tool is…the Coach!” (João Catalão)

“Coaching is really a form of healing. Who you’re ‘being’ as a coach as a ‘model of excellence’ heals, intuition, mindfulness, etc. Which tools from which school of thought one uses plays a smaller role.” (Johnathan Brooks)

“I combine BEING present, focusing on desired outcome, curiosity and intuition. Holding these intentions allows each moment to unfold perfectly for my clients.” (Matt Naskrent)

“Silence. Learning how to actively listen—and then some—made all the difference in the world to my coaching success.” (Darcy Eikenberg)

“Listening intuitively.” (Ayca Gencoglu)

“The Core Protocols and Commitments.” (Vickie Gray)

“The creative use of ‘white space’ before and after each coaching session.” (Richard Pett)

“I go on a curious journey with the client to support them to find their own direction and actions that will take them where they need to go. Tools? Me being present and keep asking questions and give back what the client says.” (Jeanine Eshuis-Hamaker)

“I use Wheel of Life.” (Anil Santhapuri)

What about you? What is your must-use tool in your coaching? We’d love to know—share it with us on at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

Wisdom for new coaches

About a month ago, we asked our Facebook fans to share one thing they wish they had done (or knew or considered) when they first became a coach.

Several people chimed in and to share the knowledge, all responses are listed below. If you are a new coach (or you know someone who is newly treading the coaching waters), these are great pieces of advice to consider.

• “The crucial importance of smart marketing, business planning, and partnerships. Though the coaching skills may be there, these are the backbone of a sustainable practice.” (Andrew Carter)
• “That I would have made it into my 'passion' as full time work.” (Neal Elefant)
• “…basic business practices and a graduate level marketing course.” (Becky Henry)
• “That 'career of my dreams' wasn't synonymous with 'a walk in the park.'” (Marlene Davis McCallum)
• “I wish I had better information on courses offered. I am very happy with the Life Coach Institute, but I still do not know how the other courses compare.” (Jason Holcomb Bour)
• “That I believed in myself, my coaching skills and the power of coaching a lot earlier and charged what I charge now back then! I'd have made a lot more money a lot faster!!” (Simon Smith)
• “Wish I knew how important the sales/marketing piece was.” (Natalie Kallen Trabert)
• “The importance of getting experience!” (Huda Al-Medlej)
• “Wish I would have made creating a website/CMS a priority.” (Matt Naskrent)
• “That everything's about STARTING.” (Jimmy Loyal)
• “Be more interactive with the coaching community.” (Mau Espinosa)

What about you? What is something you wish you had known or done when you first began coaching?

Pick a question, any question

About a month ago, we asked those who “like” our Facebook page to share their favorite question to ask clients. We received nearly 80 questions!

If you are in need of a new question for your repertoire, or are simply interested in what other professional coaches are asking their clients, you will find (below) a complete list of those favorite questions:

• If you could have the perfect life you’ve always desired, what activity would you begin tomorrow to help you achieve it? (Andrea Teague)
• Looking ahead, what will happen if you don’t change? What will happen if you do change? (Sercan Savran)
• What can you do immediately, right now? (Sean Finnegan)
• Now that you this, what will you do today so tomorrow will be different? (Susan Carlson)
• What’s stopping you? (Willa Edgerton-Chisler)
• I understand that you don’t know, but if you knew, what would it be then? (Chris Bysell Hamrin)
• How can you afford to waste more time until you take action? (GP Life Coaching and Consulting)
• What would ‘80’ year-old ‘you’ want the present day ‘you’ to know? (Marlene Davis McCallum)
• I can hear that you can’t see beyond, but if you are on the other side of the obstacle, how do you want to see it? (Jeffrey Carado)
• How does this solution lead you toward you deeper desires? (Martin Jessen)
• What is the question I should ask you next time to move you forward? (Emma-Louise Elsey)
• What do you want your legacy to be? (Richard Pett)
• What else? (Jukka Puurunen/Gabriella Nagy)
• Except status quo, what is the next worse thing that could happen? (Marcel Gemme)
• If you knew without a doubt you would succeed, what would you take on today? (Eno Nsima-Obot Hill)
• What is the consequence and sequence to this action or thought? (Daniel Tolson)
• What are you learning from this? (Tara Cox-Raj)
• How true is that? (Katy Flatau)
• About what are you willing to be wrong? (Lynne Adrine)
• What do you mean specifically? (Mónica Gb)
• How do you know? (Axel Ritterhaus)
• What did you want to be when you were little? (Charles Popoff)
• How do you define ‘happiness’ and success’? (Laura L. Brown)
• What are you choosing? (Amy Van Court)
• How is what you’re currently doing working for you? (Tish Times)
• Have you mailed the check yet? (Dean Miles)
• So, now what? (Sudania Chou)
• How do you show empathy to yourself? (Sue McDonnell)
• What does SUCCESS look like to you? (Two Page Mini Business Plan)
• You wake up in the morning and you see that you, at last, have the life you always wanted. What is the first thing you notice that has changed? (Zohra Dali)
• Which part is unclear? (Tommy Shek)
• If you could have it go any way you wanted, which way would it go? (Lara Klein)
• When will you start doing this? (Vegard Olsen)
• What’s the one question you are hoping I won’t ask you? (Nora Whalen)
• How’s that current (status/choice/decision/position/etc) working for you? (Ellen B. Cohen)
• What you want? (GreTa Mela)
• Would you like to explore that option and see if it is a real possibility? (Cibelis Alonzo)
• So? (Benjamin Loh)
• If you could wave a magic wand and become perfect, what would change? (John Reed)
• What would you say to a friend if he/she told you this? (Rachel Brozenske)
• You don’t know? But if you did, what would it be? (Susan Carlson)
• What is the root of this situation? (Nancy Rousseau)
• What advice would you give to your daughter/son if they were in the same situation? (Carol Pressnall Leek)
• What have you learned today? (Arturo Eggler)
• Tell me more, please. (Mario German Infante)
• What do you think people say about you when you leave the room? (Maureen Jenks Wishart)
• What does your intuition say? What does your body say? (Junior Vargas Cruz)
• What are you getting from choosing to remain stuck, unfulfilled and unsatisfied? (Andrew Carter)
• So [since this way is not working], what could you do different that might work? (Äŋđŗė Mėiŗa)
• So what is most interesting to look at right now? (Catharina Wöhlecke-Haglund)
• What would you allow yourself to be and to do today? (Fil Maharlika)
• What insight do you get from that? (Sara Örsing)
• How much time are you willing to spend to reach this goal? (Maria Klein)
• Let’s imagine your old job, how do you feel? (Future Coaching Academy)
• What does your future self say about this? Five years from now, how will you feel when you look back on this? (Anu Bhatnagar)
• Imagine a world where anything is possible. Where are you? What are you doing? How are you feeling? (Vicky Ampoulos)
• What will be different? (Tiziana Capuozzo)
• This…for what? (João Catalão)
• What changes would you like to happen in the next 45 minutes? (Johnathan Brooks)
• Who are you “being” in this situation? (Eduardo Vier)
• Would you like to sit here or in this transformational chair? (Johnathan Brooks)
• What do you want instead of this? (Jurgita Kuliešienė)
• What’s really going on here? (Sally Vanson)
• …and…? (The Performance Solution)
• What are you willing to do? (O. Lucía Serna)
• Later…? (Hande Ahıskalı)
• How would God manage if you took the day off? (Magdalena Giec)
• What would it be like if you were certain you would succeed? (Allison Linney)
• What does that tell about yourself? (Minna Sutö)
• What would you do differently if you had to achieve double your goal in half the time? (Magdalena Giec)
• So, what do you want? (Clear Mind Marketing)
• If your life was a movie, what is currently happening in the movie of your life? How much would like to change this script? (Johnathan Brooks)

A little weekend reading

About a month back, we asked those who “like” our Facebook page to share what they were currently reading. And boy did we receive a plethora of responses!

So if you are in need of a new book this weekend, or would like a list of ideas to keep handy for some point in the future, you will find (below) a complete list of what other coaching professionals are currently (or just completed) reading:

• Intuition (by Osho)
• Freedom from Illusia (by Osho)
• Global Coaching (by Philippe Rosinski)
• The Art of Marriage (by Catherine Blyth)
• Celebration of Discipline (by Robert Foster)
• Do You (by Russell Simmons)
• A New Earth (by Eckhart Tolle)
• Rework (by Jason Fried)
• The Path to Purpose (by William Damon)
• Being the Solution (by Darel Rutherford)
• Connected. The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape our Lives (by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler)
• The War of Art (by Steven Pressfield)

• Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart (by Mary Beth O’Neill)
• Be happy: Release the Power of Happiness in You (by Robert Holden)
• How to Teach Lateral Thinking (by Edward de Bono)
• Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization (by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright)
• Nonviolent Communication (by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg)
• I is an Other (by James Geary)
• Coaching with Spirit (by Teri-E Belf)
• Looking Out, Looking In (by Ronald B. Adler)
• Practical Intuition (by Laura Day)
• The Shadow Process (by Debbie Ford)
• The Dice Man (by Luke Rhinehart)
• The Zen Way of Counseling (by Svagito R. Liebermeister)
• The Guide (by Dr. William Holden)
• The Soul of Leadership (by Deepak Chopra)
• The Greatest Salesman in the World (by OG Mandino)
• The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions (by Guy Kawasaki)
• What got you Here Won’t get you There (by Marshall Goldsmith)
• The Art of Possibility (by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander)
• The Tipping Point (by Malcolm Gladwell)
• Diversity in Coaching (by Jonathan Passmore)
• The Undervalued Self (by Elaine Aron)
• Riding the Tiger: Leading Through Learning in Turbulent Times (by Priscilla Nelson)
• Leadership Without Borders (by Ed Cohen)
• The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ (by Levi H. Dowling)
• Wake up Women: Be Happy, Healthy and Wealthy (by Ardice Farrow, Karen Mayfield and Heidi Regan)
• Time to Think (by Nancy Kline)
• More Time to Think (by Nancy Kline)
• The Path of Least Resistance (by Robert Fritz)
• Dreaming Down Heaven (by Gini Gentry)
• Abnormal Psychology (by Ronald J. Comer)
• Light a Penny Candle (by Maeve Binchy)
• Epidemiology (by Leon Gordis)
• Blue Ocean Strategy (by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne)
• TILT Magazine

Other authors our Facebook friends mentioned:
Wayne Dyer
Daniel Goleman
Dan Pink

Whatever you are reading this weekend, make it a good one!

Not following us on Facebook? You can “like” us here.

For your toolkit

If you are looking for a few tools to help grow your business, here are a few that are worth looking into:

Networked Blogs. Want to bring your blog to Facebook (and thus your Facebook followers) without using the Notes function? Networked Blogs is a Facebook app that allows you to promote your blog on Facebook and discover new blogs in the process. The neat part? You can set it up so when you update your blog, it automatically gets posted on your Twitter and Facebook feeds.

To use, simply click on “Go to the App” and then “Register a Blog.”

Another tip: You can add a Networked Blogs widget to your blog to show those followers who found you through Facebook.
Note: You will need a Facebook account to use this blog directory.
Access it here: http://www.facebook.com/networkedblogs

Google Alerts. Want to track what others are saying about you or your coaching practice? Google Alerts allows you to do just that. Came across a piece by Isabelle Bano that sums up how to use Google Alerts; check it out here.

You basically enter keywords that you want tracked (such as your name, your business name, your product name, your Twitter handle, your website, etc.). And then you determine the content (and frequency) you want to receive in these updates. Google Alerts will take it from there by monitoring news, blogs, and live feeds (like Twitter) and send you a comprehensive update.

Clientonomy suggests also including your coaching niche as a keyword.

Another tip: Isabelle suggests keeping track of competitors in this way as well.
Note: You will need a Google account to use Google Alerts.
Access it here: http://www.google.com/alerts

Google Analytics. Want to track how many people visit your website (including such details as average time on your site and how many pages per visit)? Google Analytics might be what you are looking for. This tool on the Google platform can show you your website traffic and will analyze the data for you.

This tool is a little more advanced and may require a bit more time to understand how to use it. Learn more about it here.

Another tip: If your blog and website are two separate entities, you can set them up in Google Analytics and keep track of traffic on both!
Note: You will need a Google account to use Google Analytics.
Access it here: http://www.google.com/analytics/.


Other cool tools:
Use namechk to see if your desired username is still available at many popular social networking sites.

Use bit.ly to a) shorten your links (for posting on sites where character limit is vastly important, such as Twitter) and to b) track your link traffic.

What are some of your must-use Internet tools?

Marketing 101: What first impression do you make?

A lot of first impressions are made when meeting somebody in person. But today, more and more of those first impressions are no longer through a personal contact, but online: We meet people and future clients on networking platforms and we are often found via our websites and social media profiles.

What do people see when visiting your social media profiles, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.? What is their first impression? Are they seeing the real you? Does it reflect your value?

Here three tips to help you make a difference:

1. Make a critical review of your social media profiles: How do they look? Do they include all relevant keywords, a brief but good description of what you do and offer? Did you include customer testimonials? How about your photo? Do you have a professional head shot?
2. Does your website, blog or online business card have its own domain name? Or do you have it hosted with another provider? Although sites such as wordpress provide free hosting, a personalized domain name is much more professional than a generic subdomain.
3. What about your e-mail address? Sending e-mails from an address like yourname@yourbusiness.com is perceived as much more professional than any hotmail, gmail or yahoo address.

Don’t forget however that in-person meetings also lay the base for the future. Typically you leave or exchange business cards. What do they look like? Are they well printed? Do you have an attractive design and a professional layout including your contact details, and links of your social media profiles?

First impressions count, and will set the bar for how much money you can demand for your services.

Make a good impression and you will stand out!

Next time I will give you a list of what should and what should not be included in your social media profiles.

Claudia Seeger is an expert in marketing, communications and new media. She is Marketing Director at an international high-tech company and Executive and Business Coach at Tall Trees Executive Coaching.

Building an Audience With Social Media: Got the Three C’s?

What’s the biggest difference between people who are successful in social media and those who aren’t? Simple—the successful people have built themselves an audience.

An audience doesn’t necessarily mean having 10,000 followers here or 5,000 friends there. At its most basic level it might be that. But what’s a bunch of friends and followers if they aren’t helping you to grow your business?

Consider this: what if your “audience” isn’t anyone who would be interested in what it is you offer? What if they were people just looking to boost their numbers without any interest in engaging you in any sort of dialogue? What if they were primarily focused on promoting their own stuff the majority of the time? These types of scenarios are clearly not ideal.

So what should you really be looking to achieve? Building the right kind of audience with social media means your participation there is leading you to be seen as a credible, trust-worthy source who may be able to help others solve whatever problem they may be having. It means you’re reaching a market of people you’ve deliberately sought out through search strategies who might need what you have.

When you’ve grabbed the attention of your followers and friends and built interest and credibility, you now have a way to gain traffic to your website, capture more leads and continue building and strengthening the relationship.

It’s all in the three C’s:

Content

Content is the lifeblood of successful social media marketers. What reasons are you giving people to listen to you? This goes two ways: sharing your own helpful posts, links, and resources—and promoting and sharing the content of others. This does three main things: establishes your expertise, drives traffic, and provides your audience with helpful information. Remember, the content you are sharing should not always be your own.

Conversation

Simply by being seen as someone who provides great content in the social media space you will naturally find yourself engaged in conversation. Having these one on one conversations is what is going to make you stand out among the noise and deepen the relationship. In addition, when you make it a habit to promote others, this brings more “social appreciation” your way. These interactions cause others to seek out more information about you beyond where you’ve made the initial connection.

Conversion

Once you have converted someone to a newsletter subscriber, blog subscriber or paying client, you’ve taken steps toward acquiring another raving fan. These loyal folks will not only bring you more sales, but will be much more likely to sing your praises to others out in the social media universe. This is how you grow your “tribe.”

Do you see how simple and effective it is to build an audience of captivated friends and followers? Do you see the difference this could make in your bottom line?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Anything else you would add?

Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS, founder of CommunicateValue.com, teaches small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. For FREE tips on how to build profitable relationships, leverage technology and create your own successful online business, visit http://CommunicateValue.com/subscribe.