coachingbiz

Do You Want More Visitors To Your Website? Keys To Getting Your Website Found

2008-04-19T11:50:36+01:00

If you want more visitors to your website and you don't want to pay for advertising, you need to optimize your website for the search engines. It's much easier than you think.

When you follow simple tried and tested strategies you will start to climb in search engine rankings and you will get more visitors to your website.

Once your web site is ranked on the first pages of search results you will get much more search engine traffic. The time invested in search engine optimization is well worth it.

Here are five keys to get you started with search engine optimization

One of the first steps to SEO is to brainstorm and research the keywords potential visitors use to find what you have to offer. You can't afford to guess the keyword phrases that your visitors will use to search. If you build your pages around keywords that your potential visitors don't actually use, you will wallow in the search engine doldrums and remain invisible to your target market.

Once you know the keywords your target market use to search, write your pages around those keywords and make sure that you include your keywords in all the right places.

the file name
title tag
description
keyword tag
headings
throughout the text
in anchor text
alternative text in image tags

Another very important aspect of search engine optimization is links. You need a good linking structure within your site. Make sure you link your pages to each other with anchor text (a clickable link using your keywords)

You also need links from other websites, the more links you have, the better. Do make sure that the links pointing to your site are from relevant sites and try to make sure that you have links that use your keywords in anchor text.

Make sure that once your visitor lands on your site that they have good reason to stay. You need good quality information, attractively laid out with lots of white space. Look at your site through the eyes of a visitor and make sure that it is user friendly or they will just click away.

If you want to rank well in the search engines so that you can have more than your share of free traffic, I invite you to work through Optimize Your Website

Optimize Your Website is a clear step by step guide to Search Engine Optimization written in language you can understand. It simplifies the process and gives you all the information you need to optimize your site for more search engine traffic.

Start optimizing your website today and you’ll soon begin to see your visitor numbers soar.

Accelerate your Coaching Business

2007-10-25T15:46:00+01:00

Accelerate your Coaching Business is an eight week self study
e-workshop. And it does exactly what it says on the tin! Sign up here or read on to learn how myself and 4 other coaches from the EuroCoachList can help you transition from coach to coaching business.

* Do you want to turn your passion for coaching into a business?
* Do you want to make more money from your existing coaching business?
Yes? Then Sign up here

You will discover how to create a successful and financially viable coaching
practice. You will work with Eurocoachlist, experienced coaches and
trainers Biana Babinsky, Carol Mclachlan (yes that's me!), Andy Smith, Tim
Hodgson and Coen de Groot. Experts who will show you how to turn your coach
training into a successful and profitable coaching business. Weekly lessons
and exercises sent to you by email over eight weeks to study at home to fit in with your own schedule. Sign up here

You will learn about:
1. Developing self-awareness
2. Building your coaching business plan
3. How to define a profitable target market
4. Working from home with ease and efficiency
5. Marketing and branding for coaches
6. Passive income streams for your coaching business
7. Exploiting technology
8. Developing your skills
Turn that dream into reality. You've done the coach training, you've read
the books, now it's time to make that dream come true.
Register and get more info at www.EuroCoachList.com/CBA
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Costs of running your Coaching Business

2007-10-25T15:44:51+01:00

Have you ever calculated the true costs of running your Coaching Business? I'm not taking about identifying expenses allowable against income for tax purposes. I'm thinking of the real, incremental cost of your business. Costs that you would not incur at all if you didn't have this business.

Use this list to help you identify these costs ’The costs of doing business’

It is vital to identify the real costs of running your coaching business. A coaching business may be a low overhead business but it is never a no overhead business. Wthout this information you will never have an accurate understanding of the value of your business or the value of your time, on which you can make informed business and life decisions.

If you need help with this or any other aspect of your coaching business, email me at info@yourcoachingbiz.com

Transferable skills for your Coaching Business

2007-10-25T14:26:01+01:00

Have you ever sat down and brainstormed all your transferable skills? If you've recently updated your CV (whether personal or business to business) you might have started to scratch the surface. But here's a chance to dig a lot deeper and unearth some skills that you may never have thought of before.

Why do this? Well, you will sell yourself better on your CV or proposal for work if you think broader than your immediate technical expertise. But I'm also thinking of your own business skills here. How equipped are you to run your own coaching business?

As part of the Eurocoachlist e-workshop, Accelerate your Coaching Business, we are doing an exercise identifying our coaching business SWOTs (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). One aspect of this is reviewing our own business skills. Use the attached ’Transferable_skills_checklist’ to help you draw out your own transferable skills and identify those you are lacking. Or join us on the e-workshop by registering here.

NEW numbers coaching service

2007-10-21T07:41:00+01:00

What are your earning aspirations from your coaching business? What is the minimum you are prepared to earn? How do you know if your coaching business is going to deliver your desired income? How many new clients will you need to meet your financial needs? Do you know the real costs of running your coaching business?

Use my NEW numbers coaching service to find the answers to these questions and much much more. Including classic Business Plan projections: personal survival budget, cash flow, profit and loss account, break even analysis.

Numbers coaching is tailor made to your needs. A broad range of options are available. I can teach you how to do it yourself or I can do it for you. You choose.

For more info email me at info@yourcoachingbiz.com

coaching business, numbers coaching

The 8 things coaches need, to do their own PR

2007-05-21T19:20:03+01:00

Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. Our thanks to Paula who has very kindly provided this article for yourcoachingbiz.com readers who are looking to develop their coaching businesses. To find out more about Paula and to subscribe to her free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit www.doyourownpr.com

The 8 things coaches need, to do their own PR by Paula Gardner of www.doyourownpr.com

1. A Website.

Having a web presence makes it a lot easier for journalists to suss out a bit more about you before they commit themselves to getting in touch. And that goes for clients too. Once you’ve got your details and further information up there it’s not unknown for journalists to respond to a press release and write up their piece from your release and your website alone, without even getting in contact with you.

2. A Niche

Having your niche defined helps you market yourself boldly, strongly, and even provocatively if necessary. Think about what you represent and what you can offer. Don’t just be another coach in amongst hundreds if not thousands of other coaches. Think about who you’d like to work with and position yourself accordingly.

3. A Thick Skin.

There will be those times when you call a journalist in the middle of press day and they grunt at you down the phone. Don’t take it personally. Just shrug it off and move on.

4. A Spring in your Step and a Smile on Your Face.

Most of us, including prospective clients and journalists, prefer to talk to someone who is optimist and cheerful. So, stand tall and put a smile on your face (even when you’re on the phone, it does work).

5. Persistence.

Putting regular time in really makes a difference. So, get out your diary and schedule in some PR appointments with yourself for the next few months.

6. Help.

Whether it’s a VA, a colleague, a PR or media student, a willing friend in business or a PR Buddy, having someone who is not afraid to say “That press release is just too boring” is really worth finding.

7. Knowledge of the Press.

I often get clients who don’t read, never make the time to listen to the radio and are proud of the fact. I do empathise with them, but really, to have any success in PR you’ve got to know who you’re talking to. So, sit down and choose your target publications, list them and tick them off as you read them. Regularly.

A good resource that you but cheaply is the Guardian Media Directory, covering the addresses, phone numbers, websites and key personnel for companies in every section of the media, from digital television to magazines, regional newspapers to publishing houses, think-tanks to charities. The site www.mediauk.com is also a great top up resource.

8. A Fail Safe Method of Contact.

If you know that you’re not going to be around for long periods, whether it’s away at meetings or just working with a client, make sure there is someone who can at least take a message and hunt you down when the press come knocking. Because, unlike The Postman, they rarely knock twice.

Paula Gardner of www.doyourownpr.com coaches enthusiastic business people who are serious about getting noticed. If you're ready to get going with your PR check our newsletter now:

7 mistakes you can easily avoid in your business

2007-05-21T17:45:04+01:00

Did you know that there are 7 mistakes that new coaches make regularly, costing money and time – and potentially jeopardising the success of their coaching business. In this article, Tim Hodgson, author of ‘Jump Start Your Coaching Business’ explains how to avoid these traps – and become incredibly successful.

Mistake #1: Spending hours on your company name.

Your best brand is yourself. People will remember who you are, not the name of your company – so why not just use your own name? When you build your coaching organisation into an international company employing dozens of coaches, even then your name is a powerful brand. It’s worked for JP Morgan and Tony Robbins – so instead of agonising for weeks over your company name, just use your own. Feel free to add ‘Coaching’ or ‘Training’ at the end. I actually know lots of coaches who started out with clever business names and have gone back to their own name as a brand.

Mistake #2: spending peanuts on business cards.

When you are out networking your services, then it’s your business card that gets handed over. You need to make sure that it reflects quality – because then that’s what people will connect with you. This is what they have to remember you by. Avoid the free cards – and definitely don’t print your own! Make sure it’s got all the key information on it, and steer clear of clever pictures which always end up looking cute. Make it clear and easy to read, and why not use the back to say a little about the services you offer.

Mistake #3: the trifold brochure.

The advantage of these is that they are cheap. The disadvantage of these is that they are cheap. And they look it. If you want to put a brochure together, then make it a quality one. Invest in good photographs, good graphic design, great layout. Use quality printing. It doesn’t need to be a huge brochure – but if you use a reputable printer and good quality material, then you will have a great product that will sell you as being really professional.

Mistake #4: Pro bono clients.

Many new coaches do a lot of free coaching to start their business up. Often this is the way they get their coaching hours up to get their qualification. It’s a big mistake, and here’s why.

First of all, free clients don’t have the same investment in the coaching programme. In my experience they are the ones who skip calls or don’t do their assignments. Secondly, it sends the message to the client that you are inexperienced. In NLP we speak a lot about ‘acting as if’ – it’s time for you to behave as if you are an experienced coach, and then that’s the message the client will get. Thirdly, it undervalues who you are. You have a lifetime (your lifetime) of experience behind you, alongside your investment in training. If you’re uncomfortable asking for money, then what about trading services such as printing – or what about asking for qualified referrals?

Mistake #5: undercharging

Once they’ve got past coaching for free, it seems that a lot of coaches go through a phase of ‘who’d want to pay for little ol’ me?’ You need to really look at what you need to charge for your services. One way to do it is to work out what you could earn in a job and then work out what you need to charge per hour, based on a balance of coaching, admin and marketing (I suggest something between 10 and 20 billable hours per week).

Mistake #6: being all things to all men (and women!)

It’s tempting to want to market to as many people as possible, particularly when you’re starting up. It seems so important to get clients that you will sell to anyone. Here’s the problem: you end up being unable to explain why someone should hire you – because you have no niche. Two things happen when you have a clearly defined target market: firstly, you find it easier to sell your services – it’s easier to identify your prospects, and easier to explain what it can do for you. Secondly, you can charge higher fees – which means you don’t need as many clients anyway!

Mistake #7: thinking small.

It’s very easy to set up a coaching business. You can work from home, you don’t need any massive investment, and you don’t have to buy a costly franchise. The danger is that starting small can end up in you thinking small. Consider how you can extend what you do. Is there a bigger niche you can move into? Can you join forces with others? Can you extend your range of services into training or into product sales (books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs)? Thinking along these lines takes you outside of the ‘how many hours can I sell, how much can I charge’ thinking and sets you free to be incredibly successful.

I show you how to avoid all these mistakes – and more – in my book ‘Jump Start Your Coaching Business’ (www.jumpstartyourcoachingbusiness.co.uk). This A4 manual is full of practical advice on how to create your perfect coaching practice and how to be really successful in what you do.

How balanced is your life, coach?

2007-05-18T16:26:00+01:00

Think Life Coach. Think Work Life Balance. A friend of mine thinks it’s really amusing to wisecrack every time I’m late or can’t make an appointment. ‘You need a Life Coach’. Ha! Ha! Ha! But I am a Life Coach! How did that happen, then?

Ok, we all do different types of coaching but you can’t get away from the mass perception that there should be a bit of balance in there for us coaches, work-life, wheel of life, whatever. They sure expect us to ‘walk the talk’. And shouldn’t we expect to be walking that talk ourselves? Even when I’m coaching on a totally different subject, perhaps in a corporate environment with a bunch of accountants, I want to be seen to be in control of my life balance. I want to be in control of my life balance. I want to be role model. As a coach, the concept of a life in balance truly is one of my personal core values.

Is this a problem for us coaches? Or do we practice what we preach and live a life of perfect balance? Well, quite frankly, how could we? We’re only human. Balance in life changes over time; year on year yes of course, but also week by week, even day by day sometimes. Yes, we might have our long term vision sorted, we might even have a plan on how to get there but like everyone else we have to do a fair bit of juggling. You know the adage ‘we have time to do whatever we want, just not everything we want’. We have to choose. It’s that declining empowerment spectrum of the 24/7 economy, too many OORDCs (opportunities, options, responsibilities, demands, conflicts). The Victorians worked 60 hours per week, 51 weeks a year, but they didn’t have same angst regarding life balance as we do. Why? Because they had many, many fewer choices and much lower expectations.

Life balance is about being able to make the choices and take the opportunities we want to, without having to target one desired goal at the expense of another. Just like anyone else, coaches need sufficient control and autonomy to make informed choices in life and work to enable us to do what we want and need to do, when we need to, at any specific point in time. That to me is what life balance really means: being empowered to respond to preferences and priorities without having to make painful sacrifices elsewhere.

So what’s different for coaches, besides having to ‘walk the talk’? Well for a start many of us work from home. Seen by many as the solution to the work-life balance conundrum, there are some really nice perks to working from home but there are some nasty challenges too. First, there’s ‘seepage’, whether work into home life or vice versa. A University of Teeside study showed that stress levels of home workers are in fact no lower than those of average employees. And that’s usually due to seepage between home and work, not being able to disconnect from one or the other.

Often coaches have portfolio careers. As well as being self employed coaches we may also be working for someone else, either full or part-time. We might be combining coaching with writing, speaking, training or other careers. If you’ve read the E-Myth you’ll also know about the challenges of having to multi-role; you have to be an entrepreneur, manager, technician and you have to build and run a business as well as delivering a service. Major juggling again, which can lead to substantial overwhelm.

In our coaching business we are likely to have high autonomy. As our own boss with no one to answer to, we can struggle with motivation, self-discipline, concentration. And this is where the domestics seep over into the work time. (Where did all that laundry come from?)

And like it or not the self employed are not always rushed off their feet with work. It can come in fits and starts, mountains and valleys, feast and famine. We are not always as busy as we might like and this can lead to disbalance too, with an accompanying effect on our finances At the other extreme work seepage occurs when we feel we can never cut off from the business for fear of losing a prospective contract (you know the ‘blackberry on the beach’ syndrome.

Do we know what’s work what’s play? For the coach, the distinction between the two can be blurred. This can be great – doing your ‘technical’ reading at the weekend because you love it. But disconnecting at end of work day can be a problem. If you work from home, home becomes less relaxing – you can never actually physically get away from work, unless you are lucky enough to isolate work to a completely separate part of the house. .

What a gloomy picture I paint. You’ll be wondering how all this doom and glooms fits into the idyllic life of the coach. And of course there are some wonderful benefits to a coaching career; following our dream, realising our vocation, delivering value and giving back. But I spin a cautionary to tale to raise your awareness. Please do not take your life balance for granted. Like everyone else, a coach needs to work on it, not just once but on an ongoing basis; revising your vision and your strategy, ensuring your goals are aligned to your personal values and those of your stakeholders.

You will need a measure of self-assertiveness to stand up for your wants and needs. You’ll need to be able to say no to unreasonable demands and this must be backed by sound self belief in what you do. You’ll need to set boundaries between home and work, plan structure for your day and actively manage your time with distinctive methods of operating in work and home mode. And you must communicate all of this. In return you can enjoy the flexibility to take time off when you want it (‘time off in lieu of overtime’), work your own hours - exploiting your most personally productive time of the day, make time for the things that matter most to you. And best of all, you can follow your dream.

I originally wrote this article for The Coaching Academy's Personal Success online

What would you like to read about?

2007-04-22T13:48:00+01:00

A warm welcome to yourcoachingbiz.com. I believe that this is the very first site dedicated to helping the coaching profession set up and develop their businesses holistically, with the emphasis on general business advice and guidance. Because of its uniqueness, it is important to me to offer you information and articles on subjects that you will find the most valuable to developing your coaching business. So I am looking to you, my readers, for suggestions and feedback. Please share your thoughts by emailing me at info@yourcoachingbiz.com or replying to this posting (no email address is necessary).

As a starter for ten, take a look at Services for Coaches to stimulate some thoughts about what features you would like to see. Do you want to know more about Business Plans, tax and accountancy, networking, worklife balance for coaches.......lets hear your views.

Is your coaching business struggling?

2007-04-21T18:53:00+01:00

Tim Clark of Inspired Results Coaching has just launched a series of web meetings for coaches who want to develop their business experience. Read this message from Tim to find out how he can help you get your coaching business off the starting blocks.

Since starting in the coaching industry it has come to our attention that many coaches and practitioners, whilst amazing at what they do have little or no business experience. This poses a problem as without this knowledge their practice is likely to finish before it has even begun!

At Inspired Results Coaching we have a vast experience of setting up and running companies and have decided to put this to use by helping people just like you to grow their practice in to a profitable business.

So how do we do this?

Picture this..... You have just passed all your training and you are all fired up and ready to be unleashed on the world! The only problem is where do you start? How do you get clients? What about keeping your books? Where is the best place to get a website? Just a few of the things facing a new practice and to top it off you have little money spare to find out all this information as you spent it doing the training! You may even have been trained for a while but don't feel you have enough clients or knowledge. Welcome to the old 'catch 22' scenario because without the knowledge your business cannot survive, but pay for the knowledge and risk a cashflow crisis. So what do you do?!

This is where we come in. We decided to produce a cost effective way in which coaches and practitioners could gain the knowledge they need to grow their practice through a series of different style trainings without the need to spend 100's of pounds.

Web Meetings

Held on a regular basis these cover many areas of business including sales and marketing, websites, basic accounting and many more useful topics. These provide an opportunity to gain some one on one time with Tim with the added benefit of doing it from your office! The maximum number per one hour meeting is only four so you get 15 minutes to ask any questions you may have on that subject whilst also being able to hear the answers to other participants questions that you may not have even thought of!

So how does it work?

After registering with us you will receive an email with confirmation that your payment has been accepted, the details of the web meeting and the access password. All you then need to do is log on using the link and password and you will be a part of the meeting.

You will need broadband connection and a webcam for this to work, webcams can be bought from most electrical or computer stores for around £20.

For the dates and times of each meeting please click here

So how much is all this information worth to you?

This information could be the difference between you succeeding or failing, so this is an amazing opportunity to access things that will take you to the next level. You might be thinking it's going to cost me a small fortune to do this but as I promised earlier I have kept the price as low as possible, in fact we have made it very easy to be a part of this by asking you for just £15 for a whole hour of Tim's valuable time. An amazing offer you won't want to miss.

These meetings have proven to be a very effective way to gain information for a very small investment. So to book your place on the next available web meeting contact us now.

Thanks for taking the time to read this

Bye for now!

P.S. Remember there are only 4 places per meeting.

P.P.S If you know someone who could benefit from these meetings then send them to http://www.inspiredresultscoaching.co.uk/ for further information, or pass on this email.

Best Wishes

Tim Clark

Inspired Results Coaching
Harvest Cottage
26 Colneford Hill
White Colne
CO6 2PJ

T: 01787 224204
M: 07971 266991
F: 01787 224204
E: info@inspiredresultscoaching.co.uk
W: www.inspiredresultscoaching.co.uk