The Most Saturated Market in the World

Yesterday, one of my mentees commented that there seem to be an awful lot of certifications and programs for coaches, out there, and that it's hard for a coach to know which are really important to pursue and which aren't.

I agree. There are so many coach trainings, marketing programs and certifications on the market, that coaches aren't just overwhelmed, they're confused - and broke!

And still more products for coaches to buy are rolled out practically everyday.

This points to one of the biggest bad habits in the coaching industry, right now: the tendency to market to other coaches. The cause is pretty simple: we know what matters to us and we know how to communicate with each other. It's a natural! The problem is, most coaches don't have thriving businesses, yet, and buying more products tends to keep them in the financial red.

This produces the proverbial snake that swallows its tail. Not a sustainable industry practice!

And I'm a mentor coach, so I'm guilty!

I sometimes wonder if this hybrid of professional/entrepreneur doesn't just present a massive integrity problem for coaches. Coaches aren't supposed to be experts, the client is the expert, right? And yet, we present ourselves as experts in our marketing materials. This confuses everybody - including us.

Slippery integrity kills coaching. And it could kill the coaching industry, too.

When you're presented witht the next great program that's going to finally make you a successful coach, ask yourself if that's really true? Do you really need it and how can you find out? And always bear this in mind: Coaching businesses are businesses. They create products to make profits. Is the program you're about to buy designed to make you successful or make the seller money?

The best ones will do both.

You need to be able to make a clear assessment of what you need at every step along the way to your ideal coaching practice, so you know what you need to buy.

And you need to ask a lot of questions about the programs you buy, like: What is their track record? Do they have success stories? Do they have statistics on the success rate of people, like you, who buy? What's the reputation of the seller? Is it sterling? Don't just rely on a big name; ask people what their experiences have been.

If the program is just based on a cool new theory, it may still be worth checking out, but expect to pay less, if you're an early adopter.

This is a tough challenge for me. I want to be part of the solution, not just be adding to the problem. I've considered getting out of the mentor coach biz, because it's such a depressed market, but this seems to be my calling.

I don't have all the answers, yet, but I'm willing to name the problem. My goal is to find ways that help coaches get from the tourist stage, where they just want to buy and experience all the cool stuff out there for coaches, and help them to have their own thriving businesses. That's the only way coaching will survive.

I'm wondering what your thoughts are.

Copyright, Julia Stewart, 2005 http://www.yourlifepart2.com

How to Create Programs that Rock!

Hey - If you missed the 1st or 2nd Confab meetings, the recordings will be posted on my website in the very near future. http://www.coachingconfab.com Watch for an announcement, when they're ready. In the meantime, I want to thank Heidi Costas for sharing her wisdom with us, yesterday. We talked about why some programs sell and others don't and what the market seems to want, right now. Click on "comments" at the end of this post to see Heidi's Five Key Points for Programs that Rock. ;-) Julia http://www.yourlifepart2.com

Are You Stuck in the Green Meme?

I've been fascinated by Spiral Dynamics, lately. It's a theory of human development that helps to explain people's paradigms, both individually and culturally. (You can read a brief synopsis of it in Ken Wilber's A Theory of Everything, or the whole enchilada in Spiral Dynamics by Don Edward Beck and Christopher C. Cowan.)

This theory neatly explains why people think what they do and why there is so much disagreement about values in today's world - and it's weirdly color coded...Read the entire article at the Coaching Blog. 

Inspiration is for Amateurs

"Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up." I heard Chuck Close say this the other night on a PBS interview. It pricked my ears, because inspiration is a big part of what I do as a coach. It's for amateurs? But the more he talked, the more I agreed with him. Listening to Close took me back to my years of training in the arts... Read the whole article at the Coaching Blog.

Copyright, Julia Stewart, 2005 http://www.yourlifepart2.com

Don't Stop to Play Tiddlywinks 'til You've Finished Up in the Birthing Room

Great conversation in our first Confab! It left me with lots to think about ever since. I'm honored at the amazing group of coaches who have subscribed, so far, and can't wait to get back together with you! I already feel like twice a month isn't often enough, so I decided to set up a blog, so I'd have somewhere to go when the mood strikes. Originally, I'd planned a newsletter for this group, but a blog fits the conversational style far better. With a group of coaches this experienced and talented, the posts are bound to be mind-bending...Read entire article at the Coaching Blog.

Congratulations!

Looking forward to some way cool confab conversations here!

Heidi