I don’t work as a coach full time, but do thoroughly enjoy the clients I work with.
Why? Because coaching is a creative process. It’s about creating something new, something exciting.
Earlier this week I was on the phone with a client and were we talking about how she might best position a new direction for her freelance business.
Previously, we had figured out the general direction that she felt worked best for her. Now we had to find a way to position her service in such a way that prospects would feel enthused by the idea of working with her.
This is easier said than done. The mechanics of what she offered were not new. Hundreds of other freelancers in her field offer pretty much the same features and benefits.
So we had to dig and to find a way that would separate her from her competition, and would also make her shine.
In addition, whatever we came up with had to be something she would want to throw herself into. As a coach, the last thing I should be doing is pointing a client in a promising direction if it isn’t a good fit.
Here is how I put it:
“Imagine you get out of bed in the morning, grab some breakfast and do whatever else you need to get done. Then you walk towards your desk to start work. How do you feel at that moment? Does your pace quicken, because you are excited about what you’ll be doing today? Or do you slow down a tad, because you are facing a day of necessary, but unexciting work?”
I ask the client to think about what we have been discussing, and then visualize that moment in front of their desk.
If they say the prospect of working feels unexciting, we step back and re-explore the options.
If they say they feel a real spark and can’t wait to get started, it means we are on the right track.
Anyway, back to that call earlier this week. We were about mid-way through the call when an idea popped up and hung there between us for a moment. I think we both knew, instantly, that this was something that would work perfectly for her.
So I tried the “in front of your desk” test, and it got the thumbs up.
That’s a $10,000 moment. In other words, even if I had charged $10,000 for the call, she could leverage that idea in ways to make many times that amount.
The mechanics of the service she will be providing are still fairly generic. What has changed is the positioning, and her primary sales message.
It’s a simple message she could communicate between two floors in an elevator. But it’s also a message that could provide the basis for a talk, a presentation or a book.
Moments like that are golden. They are undoubtedly creative. They are the reason why I have a jump in my step before each coaching call.
Is this article simply a pitch for my coaching services?
Sure it is.
But it’s also a message for every freelancer.
Do you have a bounce in your own step as your approach your desk each morning?
If not, take a moment to step back and take a close look at what services you are providing, and the message you are using to communicate your services to prospective clients.
Your services can be generic, but your message can’t be.
Your primary message, as viewed on the home page of your website, or in that elevator, has to be exciting to both yourself and your readers.
It has to convey value, and it has to make your prospect want to work with you, and nobody else.