David Wood | Inner Firewalking

About David Wood

For 20 years David has helped entrepreneurs around the globe to grow their results, by growing themselves. A former consulting actuary to Fortune 50 companies in New York, David quit corporate life to pursue his inner journey, which now deeply influences his work. A digital nomad, David is currently dancing salsa, paragliding, and coaching his rock star entrepreneur clients from Colombia. His specialty is doubling your productivity and profits, while halving your stress. If you become a highly authentic and inspirational leader in the process, well….that can’t be helped.

Robert Cornish on Building a Practice

The following is taken from David’s interview with Robert Cornish in 10 Super Coaches.

What was most disheartening for you while building your practice?

I spent a lot of money learning that print advertising is ineffective to market coaching services, and that THE way was personal contact with people in a way that they can experience what you are like.

Public speaking is a good way to do this, and so my block was overcoming for good my fear of public speaking. Having been one who used to stutter this was a big deal. I joined Toastmasters and actively sought and did as many talks about coaching as I could – to service clubs, business networking groups, my church, and any group of people I could speak in front of.

Mentor Monthly #124: Give and Grow Your Business

Announcements/Offers

Make Your Own Coaching Career with the CoachStart™ Manual

After years of hands-on research, including personally mentoring sixty coaches, I’ve compiled everything I know about starting a successful coaching practice in one easy-to-follow manual.

Learn how to set up your business and get clients

http://www.CoachStart.com

And I’m so excited to hear such great feedback:

“Let me start by saying I think this manual is fantastic. It is exactly what each person thinking about starting a coaching business needs to read! The biggest thing I got from this Manual was a new sense of confidence and competence. The simple exercises and role plays you’ve provided have made me eager to try some new methods.

– Daniel Midson Short www.lifestylerevolution.com.au

“David, I am really enjoying this Manual! It is clear, practical, comprehensive and inspirational, and it will be a great reference for me as I begin my coaching practice.”

-Carolyn Claiborne sacredgatherings@ earthlink.net

Visit http://www.CoachStart.com

Last Chance to Get Copyrighting Critique

Andy O’Bryan let me know he is retiring from copywriting for the coaching industry. This means you have only one more chance to have Andy look at your website and give you some valuable advice on how to bring in more clients.

He’s doing one final batch of complimentary website critiques, so book yours now:

http://www.andyobryan.com

So if you’re not bringing in enough clients with your website this is the perfect time to have Andy take a look. There’s no charge for this 30-minute one-on-one call, so get on his schedule at this link:

http://www.andyobryan.com

FEATURE: How to Give AND Grow Your Business

Taken from my book ‘Get Paid For Who You Are’

How to Give AND Grow Your Business

Typically, when people think of supporting a cause, they think of donating resources or volunteering time. Some companies let their staff spend half a day a week supporting any cause that they want on paid company time. That’s exciting. And it’s possible to go deeper. You can support a cause in a way that gets you more customers and revenue, by creating a two-way partnership, rather than a one-way relationship.

Ways You Can Help A Cause

1) Donate your product or service
The most basic way to support a cause is to donate your product or services. This product or service can be given to staff members, volunteers, beneficiaries, or even board members.

2) Offer your product or a service as a prize
You can offer your products or services as a prize for a sweepstakes or competition. In fact, why not reach out to 10 to 20 local nonprofit organizations in this way and start building relationships. For example, an accountant might donate 10 free tax returns to a charity raffle or auction.

3) Speak at their events
Is making public speaking appearances one of the things you can or will do? Many nonprofit organizations have conferences, training seminars and conventions. They need speakers to train, inspire, and entertain their members and donors. As Brendon Burchard says, “Who attends fundraisers – influential or non-influential people?” Speaking at fundraisers can put you in front of CEOs and other leaders who could hire you to speak, or buy your company’s product or service.

4) Give a percentage of profits
You could also donate a percentage of your annual profits to a cause. Again, try to do this as a partnership and create an agreement for what they will do in return. You may wish to tell them what your profits were last year and your projected earnings in the next year.

5) Invite your customers to donate
You could say to the nonprofit organization, “It’s not just what I’m going to be donating, but I’ll also be inviting my customers to donate.”

6) Microgiving call
Invite all your customers and newsletter subscribers to join on a conference call designed to raise money for charity. You might have a prominent member of the community or a local celebrity join you as co-host. Discuss an interesting topic, and every 10 minutes invite people to go to the website and donate. Of course, you can also do something like this in person and offer to host physical fundraisers.

How a Cause Can Support You

1) Website and Newsletter
A nonprofit organization can feature you on its website and describe their partnership with you, with a link to your website.

2) Press releases
They could issue press releases. You could tweak the same article that you wrote for their website, newsletter, or print magazine, into a press release for them to distribute. Who’s the media going to pay more attention to – a press release from you, or a press release from them?

3) Direct mail
They could give you exposure via direct mail. Suppose you are launching a CD and you’d like to use it as a fundraiser for them. They could put an ad for the CD in their electronic newsletter and on the home page of their website. And – they could mail out a little flier.

***

Take Action

1) Who would be a great fit for you to team with for a partnership? Share at the blog comments.

2) How large of a percentrage of sales would you share with your partnership? Share at the blog comments.

Judy Feld on Start Up Costs

The following is taken from David’s interview with Judy Feld in 10 Super Coaches.

What did you spend money on in the first 6-12 months? Could it be done for less?

Had the computer. Developed the website myself. Increased phone bill – that’s about it. Office supplies. Also… business cards and stationary. I don’t think it could have been done for less. My time and attention were the valuable commodities.

What did you charge your initial clients?

I think I began at $250 USD per month (in 1995) for three 30-minute telephone sessions. I always have offered a menu of options.

When did you first increase your fee, to what did you increase it, and why?

I have increased my fees about once a year. Supply and demand and expertise.

What advice would you give coaches about charging clients?

Offer a menu of options. People usually opt for the choice in the middle. Be consistent in your pricing. Don’t raise your fees on existing clients. Loyalty and longevity counts. I have clients I have been working with since 1996. We are partners.

Top Ten Radical Actions for Finding a Partner

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

1. Declare to all your friends that you’re available. Let them know the type of partner and relationship you’re looking for.

2. Ask 20 people out in the next seven days.

3. Join a dating service (try it!).

4. Get listed on the Internet dating sites (If you’re embarrassed, get over it! This is a non-confronting way to check people out, and it’s fun!)

5. Place a personal ad.

6. Do a personal development course.

7. Join 1-3 clubs/courses where people share a common interest with you, and where you’ll have fun (e.g. yoga, bush walking, dancing, indoor rock climbing, film club)

8. Polish up your life to become more attractive (i.e. list 5 things in your life which you know you should handle, and get them handled! E.g. health, house, car, fight with a friend)

9. List 5 people you would normally not ask out on a date (e.g. they’re not perfect, not your type, probably not interested, you’re not attracted to them), and ask them out! (Trust me – if nothing else, this gets you out, and lubricates the dating wheels)

10. Declare to yourself that you will be single for 6 months, and simply have the best time you possibly can! (You become a magnet!)

Finding A Client’s Gap

The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.

Coach: The other way I see it is an enrollment session. It’s a chance for you as the coach to create a gap for them. To really help them see the gap between what they want and what they have, so they are pulled forward and they’re excited. They are lit up. They see, ‘Yes, that’s what I want.’ and ‘Yes, I see it’s possible.’

Client: I don’t know that you’re actually creating the gap, because the gap is always there.

Coach: Well, yes and no. Sometimes they come to you and they’re not even sure what they want or they might want something, but it’s really not lining them up. They think, ‘Oh, this would be good. I want a relationship where we aren’t fighting all the time.’ and you say, ‘Well what would it be like to have a relationship where you are lit up all the time, and you are telling everyone how great your relationship is?’ You’ve just created a gap and that’s your job.

What is Coaching?

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

Coaching is essentially a conversation between a coach and his or her client, starting with the aim of helping the client to live a fulfilling life. This is most often achieved by helping the client:

(a) Set goals that will add significantly to your client’s life (or as I like to say, and ‘put a BIG smile on your face’).

(b) To achieve those goals.

In this way, coaching can be broken down into two halves and this is a great way to communicate coaching to prospective clients.

You may also help the client live a more fulfilling life by helping them to increase their level of self-awareness. This alone can help someone move forward in any area.

Of course, sometimes the client may want to achieve a specific goal that the coach may not agree with (that achieving that goal will not add significantly to that person’s life). In such a situation, the coach may point this out — either immediately, or over time — and will still be willing to work on achieving the goal.

Posts by David Wood