Coaching World Issue 12: November 2014 | Page 11

Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units Coaching skills need to be refreshed, and prospects need to know that you’re up to date in your professional practice. 3. Demonstrate your professional credibility. It’s true that the client will be the real expert in the coaching relationship. But before an organization will entrust you to work with its top teams, you need to demonstrate your credibility and track record. This is your chance to shine by showcasing your unique combination of skills and experience. No one else shares your professional biography. Your achievements, and the way you’ve applied your talents and wisdom over the years, are unique. Maybe you have linguistic skills. Perhaps you’ve worked with a particular technical field, such as engineering, IT or health care. Show your prospects how that’s linked to your coaching niche. Paradoxically, by shrinking your target market to a defined group you’ll actually help your prospects focus on you. Reminding yourself of the areas where you have authority and standing will give you a much-needed confidence boost, too. 4. Test out your CV. Find a supportive friend or coaching colleague to talk through your CV. A Career Coach can also help you here. Or set up a co-coaching session, where you coach one of your peers and then reverse the process, with him or her coaching you and asking powerful questions that help illuminate your strengths. This helps you see when you’re hiding your light under a bushel. “elevator speech”(a 30-second summary of who you are and what you do, that you can dust off when a chance presents itself). 5. Get into action. Use your coaching session to commit to action: to follow through, to make some calls, to set up first meetings with prospects. Sales don’t always happen instantly. They result from taking one step at a time. As the saying goes, “Motion is emotion.” By getting into action, you’ll create more confidence for yourself—a key step to winning corporate business. As the market for corporate coaching continues to grow, credible professional coaches will always be in demand. And you deserve to be one of them. Talking through what sets you apart is also an opportunity to rehearse for any meetings you set up with your prospects. Practicing your pitch will reconnect you with your passion for coaching, and the additional rehearsal will also help you work toward a clear, concise *According to the 2014 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study. Shutterstock.com/Leszek Glasner prospective clients that consumers report greater satisfaction with the coaching experience when they partner with a coach who holds a recognized credential and/or professional membership.* Coaching World 11