@Brad- I love those three questions. I have a similiar flow here- and it’s much better not to rush people along too much.

And, even in my exploratory conversations with potential clients, when I see opportunities to help, I just give as much as feels right. Thanks for posting here and on your blog.

1- I’ve moved from ‘complimentary coaching sessions’ to a ‘coaching consultation,’ and it’s more than the phraseology for me. the former is more of giving away my services to see if they like what I’m offering. Free samples can be great but after awhile it begins to feel like everyone is sampling rather than sitting down for the full meal.

The latter is a time to determine if there’s a good fit between the client and coach. For me, that means we need 3 yes’s.

1- The first yes is does the client feel that Life On Purpose Coaching is a fit for what they’re looking for? How will they know. I give them a sample of it. (This may be less than in my older days of comp sessions). I think it’s because I’ve gotten better at digging in more deeply sooner.

2- Second yes, does my way and style of coaching a fit. I.E. would I be the best Life On Purpose Coach for them? Again, they get a sense of that from the above sample.

3- Third, are they a fit for me? Are they the type of client I feel I can really serve and add value to their life.

If all three parts are yes, we almost invariably find a way to work together. If not, we don’t and I often can refer them to someone that might be a better fit.

Point #2: Ann and I have entered into a collaboration with http://www.trans4mind.com to offer free coaching through their web site. It’s a fun experiment so far and I’m thoroughly enjoying it, plus I’m posting some of these on my blog which I feel is offering some value to the general blogosphere. It feels right to do so at this point, and thanks to your article, I’ll keep ‘checking in’ with my guidance so I’ll know if there’s a time to make a change with it.

Brad Swift´s last blog post..Are You Giving Away Too Much?

Another really great post about something that I think a lot of people don’t fully understand.

I have been in business for a very long time now and I have done a lot of things where I made either no or very little money. Sometimes it was individual sessions, sometimes it was doing a workshop when only two people showed up, sometimes it was padding workshops with friends and family members who were “paying ” me with their love and support.

Oftentimes when I talk with people who are starting out as a coach or workshop facilitator they are kind of shocked and surprised that they have to “pay their dues” and take some time to build a solid sense of confidence in their work. Which eventually translates into client confidence.

They get themselves in trouble by assuming that they will have instant rock star status as soon as they hang out their shingle! And I have watched people say no to these beginning buds of their business, expecting and sometimes even demanding a full grown plant immediately.

And, of course, those people are no longer in business! And I am, thankfully, doing pretty alright.

Thanks again for your deep wisdom, big heart and inspiring words.

chris zydel´s last blog post..THE WISDOM OF NO MISTAKES: DRIPS CAN BE FUN ( or at least not total torture)

Don’t get caught in the “kitchen sink” syndrome, as you ponder.

It’s somewhat the same for me- I can’t influence a person to have a really stable, solid business in one session- it can sometimes take weeks or months (or years-hopefully not!) depending on where they are and where they are going.

I have to admit that many of the free sessions I gave away in the beginning- many of them weren’t necessarily one-offs. Often I would have several sessions with the same person- similar idea.

But, I’m guessing that there are things you can help athletes with that do lend themselves to one-offs, or maybe four or five-offs. If you were to give away maybe 2-4 session packages, or three week packages, or however it makes sense- how does that land for you?

I’d bet a fair number of other practitioners feel similarly.

Apart from offering “scholarship slots” for promising athletes who otherwise couldn’t work with me if I charged full freight, what else might I do?

Andrea´s last blog post..Live a Life of Passion

@Corrina- Exactly! Such a process, eh? Amazing to watch, and it can take some nerve, sometimes, to trust that it will shift, that you will get to that moment.

@Kelly- Interesting about the acknowledgment cards- I’m glad you’re trusting your intuition. And, I wonder if/when it will shift for those?

@Amy- There ya go!

@Judy- I love that advice from TJL. I never knew him or studied his work, but the more I hear about him, the more I think he had some great wisdom.

The question you ask is a good one. I’m not a big believe in jumping off of cliffs, unless your guidance is crystal clear and unshakeable. I’m much more into supporting people to take little steps. Corrina’s following comment is similar to my story. I worked part-time jobs- first as a paramedic, then as an office manager/assistant for a mentor, while I was getting going.

Working a part-time job while starting out is not failure! It’s usually pretty smart.

@Corrina- Definitely those sound like fun jobs. And the point you make is really important. You have to be free to experiment, to test, and try things out when you’re new (and when you’re not so new) in business.

Not everything is going to work, and if you’re in a position where you have no room for failure, then you have a lot of struggle ahead. ]]>