International Association of Coaching Blog

Five Ways to Attract More Coaching Clients with Your LinkedIn Profile

2012-01-26T06:00:00-08:00

You can promote your coaching service by placing advertisements, direct mail or using flyers, yet these can be costly. So how can you attract clients to you?

Did you know that 135 million professionals are networking on LinkedIn right now? Many of these are decision makers and executive-level professionals from all kinds of industries. They are on LinkedIn to promote their brand and to look for solutions to their problems.

If you are an executive, financial, wellness or life coach and you are looking for more clients, you will definitely want to set up an optimized LinkedIn Profile. Optimizing your profile has two key benefits: First, you will increase the chance of being found when a prospective client does a search. Second, you will make a more positive first impression when this person views your profile.

Five Ways to Attract More Coaching Clients with an Optimized LinkedIn Profile

1. Fill up every field so your profile is 100% complete

Make use of every field to highlight your unique solution. Be sure to upload a professionally taken and friendly-looking photo. First impressions count and profiles without photos do not impress prospects.

You can also put in relevant keywords to highlight your niche, or the segment market you serve. These make you unique and relevant to your prospects. Just be careful not to stuff your profile artificially with keywords.

2. Brand yourself by claiming a meaningful "vanity name" in your public profile

LinkedIn automatically generates a web address for your public profile, but with a string of meaningless numbers. Associating yourself with numbers does not show you up as a person who is serious about your professional image or branding. Can you imagine saying, "Connect with me on www.LinkedIn.com/pub/your-name/1/14b/43v6754e3"? It is much easier to say, "Connect with me on LinkedIn.com/in/yourvanityname."

To change the URL of your LinkedIn profile, simply log into your LinkedIn account, select "Profile" and then, "Edit Profile." At the bottom of the overview box you will see the URL of your public profile. Click on the "Edit" button. Next, look for the link that says, "Customize your public profile URL."

3. Choose A Powerful Headline

LinkedIn allows you to enter a short Headline after your name (as shown in the diagram). This is where you will enter your 140-character elevator pitch. Craft this tag-line to be customer centric and appeal to your prospective clients.

For example, you can make use of location and indicate that you serve people in a certain area. Or you can indicate that you serve a certain segment market. Remember: If you try to serve the whole wide world as a "catch-all" coach that will not set you part from the other coaches. It is being the #1 in your niche area that will set you apart.

I suggest you draft a few versions of headline and ask for opinions. You can also do some testing by using different headlines and monitor the response. Once you have decided on the tagline try not to change it too frequently or you will lose your branding.

4. Make Use Of Sections

This is a new improvement on LinkedIn that allows you to highlight skills, expertise and languages to make you very relevant to your prospects. If you have publications and white papers you will also want to highlight those. That will instantly set you apart from the masses. You can find sections under the "More" menu.

5. Join Relevant Groups

Join groups that your prospects are likely to join—not to sell or share but to listen and observe. Listen in on their conversation so you understand their problems, pains, fears and frustrations.

As a coach you already understand the importance of listening. When you give your full attention to understand others they are drawn to you magnetically. They want to know you more. People like to do business with people they like.

So before you ask for anything (favor or a sale) listen, observe and contribute first. Once you have earned the right, then you can offer your solution as a way of adding value to the conversation.

Apply these tips and start attracting your prospects!

Louisa Chan is a certified Coach and Social Media Specialist who helps you get more clients. She speaks and conducts workshops on Social Media and is the author of the guide, "Master Social Media In 1 Hour A Week." Louisa has been featured on BFM Radio and Television Malaysia.

The IAC Learning Agreement – A Stepping Stone to Certification

2012-01-19T06:00:00-08:00

Editor's Note: Today we have another member's experience with the Learning Agreement proposal process. Uta Guse serves on the IAC Board of Governors and is also a member of the Licensing Committee.

Linda: What is your role on the Licensing Committee?

Uta: In the licensing committee I communicate with coaches and trainers from all over the world. I help them learn more about the IAC and how an IAC licensee might match their needs and aspirations. This has been a great experience and I would like to say thank you to all the licensees for these very inspiring and interesting meetings.

Linda: How has the Licensing Committee contributed to the new Learning Agreement process?

Uta: Angela Spaxman, a former president of the IAC, was heavily involved in creating the Learning Agreement. As a next step, we will be introducing the Learning Agreement to our existing licensees as well as potential licensees in the future. We will incorporate this new tool into our communication tools and methods.

Linda: What was your experience in submitting a Learning Agreement Proposal?

Uta: The process helped me to really focus and think about where I want to be in the future and the necessary steps to get there. It was a pure coaching approach.

Linda: What are some of the activities you designated in your proposal?

Uta: My goal is to work towards certification. I would like to get feedback from an IAC-Certified Coach about my coaching in general and about very specific Masteries I would like to focus on. Also, I would like to work with a buddy coach and share feedback on how we did with the Masteries.

Linda: What will you measure or track over the year in preparation for submitting your Completed Learning Agreement?

Uta: By working with both a mentor coach and a buddy coach/learning partner, I will be measuring my growth as a professional coach. I would also like to explore an intercultural assessment I just got licensed for and reflect on how I could be using it in the future.

Linda: What are some suggestions for coaches who are designing their own Learning Agreement?

Uta: If you are afraid that this is just extra work for you, don’t be. This process helps you become clearer about your aspirations and to turn them into actionable items that you would have done anyway.

Linda: What did you appreciate about the process?

Uta: I appreciate the openness of our organization, the IAC, to support my learning process. I also appreciated the guidance of my interviewers. The Learning Agreement helped me think about my own personal development objectives and what is necessary on the path to meet them.

Linda: How do you hope the process will evolve?

Uta: I am truly looking forward to the learning and experiences on the way. I want to use the coming year to complete my action items on the Learning Agreement.

Linda: What else would you like VOICE readers and the global coaching community to know about the new Learning Agreement process?

Uta: If you are looking for more clarity and striving for personal development, this process is an excellent opportunity to set measurable targets to accompany your growth as a professional coach.

Uta is the owner of UGC – Uta Guse Consulting. She provides coaching, training and consulting services to corporate and private customers as well as entrepreneurs in English and German. She has also facilitated workshops and trainings in medical practices, non-profit organizations and educational organizations for the unemployed. http://www.consulting-guse.com

Linda Dessau, CPCC, is the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online. She offers ghostwriting, editing, training and consulting. If you want better results from your online writing, visit www.ContentMasteryGift.com to discover Linda's content marketing secrets.

Lessons from the Certifiers

2012-01-12T08:01:27-08:00

Listen to the Certifiers
by Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC

Question: What are the certifiers really listening for in certification recordings?

This is a question we never stop hearing. And with the announcement of the new certification designation, as well as the introduction of further support for licensees and members, I thought it would be helpful to reintroduce an audio recording we produced back in 2008.

In her original blog post, Nina East introduced the audio by explaining that three IAC Certifiers—Nina East, Karen Van Cleve and Natalie Tucker Miller—got together to talk about the Masteries, certification and what’s next for coaching.

She went on to give this small sample of what you’ll hear from the Certifiers in the audio recording:

What defines masterful coaching
What keeps coaches from being masterful – with a list of examples
How the masteries allow for a variety of coaching styles
How transformation and sustainable change are different from behavioral change or getting a specific result
When being a bit directive is actually masterful, and when it is not
How to know what’s really going on in the coaching session—when trying not to have an agenda becomes an agenda in itself
How to know when there are other levels to the conversation
Why a coach needs to understand themselves first
How a coach’s fears and thoughts impact their coaching
How to be aware of your level of expertise when studying for certification

Members, log in to access this recording now.

To join the IAC, click here.

Do you have a question that you’d like to ask the certifiers? Submit your questions here: http://certifiedcoachblog.typepad.com/blog/ask-the-certifiers.html.

Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC, is the Lead Certifier and a certifying examiner at the IAC, as well as Past-President. Natalie is founder of Ageless-Sages.com Publishing (www.ageless-sages.com), and creator of the literary genre, Picture Books for Elders™.

Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries^® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org.

From the Editor

2012-01-05T06:06:00-08:00

Linda

Welcome to the January 2012 issue of the IAC VOICE!

Incoming President Susan R. Meyer looks back in appreciation of the work that's been done, and looks forward to her new role in making the IAC's mission a reality around the world.

In his final monthly column for the VOICE, Past President Bob Tschannen-Moran lists the five priorities he identified at the start of his term, and reflects on where we’ve come and where we have yet to grow.

You'll read below about an IAC membership benefit that you can claim right now to receive coaching, mentoring or supervision at no extra cost.

Our other featured IAC member benefit this month is Annuity Managers Agency, LLC, and Andrew J. Cavaliere contributes an article that helps us understand life insurance riders.

In the Inside Scoop, Natalie Tucker Miller answers the question, "If I have to show all nine masteries in just 30 minutes, isn't that kind of artificial?" Read her take on coaching a client in 30 minutes or less and then join the discussion on LinkedIn.

Alison Davis welcomes Graham Kean as a new contributor to the Living the Masteries column, sharing on the topic of Mastery #8, Inviting Possibility.

Welcome back to IAC Licensee Doris Helge, who delivers a fascinating look into our dream world in her Tools for Coaching Mastery article.

Our coaching feature article from Angela Spaxman is about the top six compelling reasons for coaches to train in mindfulness, and she gets us started with a mindfulness primer.

Trust-building marketing expert Kristen Beireis turns some conventional marketing advice on its head with her business-building feature article, "Why your big list isn’t all it’s cracked up to be."

Submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website. Submissions are welcome anytime through the month.

Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Enjoy!

Warm wishes,
Linda

Linda Dessau, CPCC
Editor, IAC^® VOICE
Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org
www.contentmasteryguide.com

P.S. Are you on Twitter? You can follow the IAC at http://twitter.com/IACCoachMastery. There is also a list of VOICE authors, columnists and IAC BOG members at http://twitter.com/lindadessau/iac-voice-contributors.

From the President

2012-01-05T06:05:00-08:00

by Susan R. Meyer, IAC-CC
president@certifiedcoach.org

As we usher in 2012, we are also ushering in changes within the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors. We move into 2012 with a new Executive Committee:

Dr. Susan R. Meyer, President

Dr. Kristi Arndt, Vice President

Tatiana Abend, Secretary

Vicki Zanini, Treasurer

Bob Tschannen-Moran, Past President

I’d like to express gratitude to two Board members: Alison Davis, who will remain as a Certifier and continue to be involved in the translation of the Masteries, and Walter Besecker, who has done an incredible job as our Treasurer.

I’d also like to thank Bob Tschannen-Moran for his service as President as well as his two predecessors, Angela Spaxman and Natalie Tucker Miller. Natalie shepherded the IAC through the transition from Proficiencies to Masteries. Angela spearheaded our strategic plan and Bob took the lead in getting the ideas you shared with us in place, including the establishment of the Practitioner designation, redesign of the logo and website, and the implementation of Learning Agreements.

As I assume the presidency, I am mindful of having a responsibility to all of you to continue this process of creating a more responsive, learning-centered professional organization. During the past two years, I have been involved with the Strategy Committee, the Research Committee and the Certification Committee and have served as Secretary and Vice President of the Board.

In my new role, I will continue to support these committees in implementing new initiatives. The Research Committee, led by Kerryn Griffiths, has developed a new research area on the website. The Certification Board, led by Natalie Tucker Miller, is on the verge of a huge announcement—just wait until next month!

We still have work to do to be fully responsive to you. At the top of my agenda is fixing the remaining few glitches in the website so that accessing information and renewing your membership are seamless processes. Beginning next month, I want to offer more and more reasons for you to actively recruit new members. I take Expanding the Path to Coaching Mastery very seriously. My promise to all of you is to provide more ways for us to learn and grow together to make that mission a reality around the world.

I have a virtual open door—an open Inbox—so please contact me; both to let me know how you’d like to help and to let me know what else we should be doing.

With warm wishes for your success,
Susan R. Meyer

Susan R. Meyer, IAC-CC is President of Susan R. Meyer, Coaching and Consulting and of Life-Work Coach. She provides personal and executive coaching and facilitates seminars on topics including life planning, emotional intelligence, leadership development, communication, and coaching skills for managers. www.susanrmeyer.com.