How To Get Priceless Results for Clients
This is from Andrew Neitlich, Center for Executive Coaching:
(I hope you find it valuable and modifiable for your business.
Maybe something like substitute "effective web presence"
where he talks about effective leadership....)
"Here are the two types of results required to provide priceless value
to clients:
Result #1: Specific Business Value
The first kind of value is the specific business and organizational
results the client achieves through your coaching. Results can
include productivity gains, growth of the organization, reductions in
voluntary employee turnover, faster time to market, and other gains
in the many metrics that organizations track.
Many coaches fail to take enough time to clarify these goals with
clients, and then to track them throughout the coaching process. Some
don't know how, and others feel uncomfortable having these
conversations. As a result, they have trouble justifying their fees
and value.
How to Establish This Kind of Value
The way to establish this kind of value is by asking great questions
during the business development process, and when you are scoping out
the engagement. For instance, if a client wants your help developing
leaders on his team, don't just quote an hourly rate. Instead, ask
some of the following questions:
- What does leadership development mean to you?
- What improvements will your team be able to make through this
process?
- How can we measure these improvements?
- Let's quantify these improvements. What are they worth to your
organization? (For instance, if the client sees opportunity to
improve productivity, you can work with him or her to quantify how
much the organization can save.)
Result #2: Personal Value
The second type of value is even more important. However, the client
often doesn't open up about this kind of value. You have to ask, and
even then it might not emerge until you are well into the coaching
engagement.
Value and results here are the personal benefits you provide the
client. These can be priceless. Some executives get their life back
as a result of coaching. For instance, coaching colleague shared with
me the story of a client came to him with tears of gratitude,
thanking him for saving his marriage. As a result of coaching, he was
able to spend more time with his wife and kids, and this made a huge
difference to him. The scope of the engagement was about juggling
priorities and getting control of time; saving his marriage was never
mentioned as part of the scope. However, as the coaching progressed,
the personal impact on the client was truly priceless.
Other types of personal value can include: eliminating hassles and
headaches, gaining confidence, feeling more secure in the job, having
more status, and getting a promotion and making more money.
How to Establish the Priceless, Personal Value
To bake this kind of value into the engagement, the coach should ask
some additional questions during the business development and scoping
conversations:
- If we get the results you want, what will this mean for you
personally?
- How will you feel when you achieve these results?
- What will be the impact on your time/stress/confidence/work-life
balance?
- Alternatively, if you don't do anything and nothing changes, what
will be the impact on you personally?
Most prospects will answer these questions, especially if you are
good at building rapport. In fact, their answers to these questions
make it much easier for you to close coaching engagements. This is a
common theme in sales trainings: Get beneath the logical problems and
benefits to the more emotional, personal ones. When you do that, you
uncover the real problem and real reason someone will hire you."
Danno
(I hope you find it valuable and modifiable for your business.
Maybe something like substitute "effective web presence"
where he talks about effective leadership....)
"Here are the two types of results required to provide priceless value
to clients:
Result #1: Specific Business Value
The first kind of value is the specific business and organizational
results the client achieves through your coaching. Results can
include productivity gains, growth of the organization, reductions in
voluntary employee turnover, faster time to market, and other gains
in the many metrics that organizations track.
Many coaches fail to take enough time to clarify these goals with
clients, and then to track them throughout the coaching process. Some
don't know how, and others feel uncomfortable having these
conversations. As a result, they have trouble justifying their fees
and value.
How to Establish This Kind of Value
The way to establish this kind of value is by asking great questions
during the business development process, and when you are scoping out
the engagement. For instance, if a client wants your help developing
leaders on his team, don't just quote an hourly rate. Instead, ask
some of the following questions:
- What does leadership development mean to you?
- What improvements will your team be able to make through this
process?
- How can we measure these improvements?
- Let's quantify these improvements. What are they worth to your
organization? (For instance, if the client sees opportunity to
improve productivity, you can work with him or her to quantify how
much the organization can save.)
Result #2: Personal Value
The second type of value is even more important. However, the client
often doesn't open up about this kind of value. You have to ask, and
even then it might not emerge until you are well into the coaching
engagement.
Value and results here are the personal benefits you provide the
client. These can be priceless. Some executives get their life back
as a result of coaching. For instance, coaching colleague shared with
me the story of a client came to him with tears of gratitude,
thanking him for saving his marriage. As a result of coaching, he was
able to spend more time with his wife and kids, and this made a huge
difference to him. The scope of the engagement was about juggling
priorities and getting control of time; saving his marriage was never
mentioned as part of the scope. However, as the coaching progressed,
the personal impact on the client was truly priceless.
Other types of personal value can include: eliminating hassles and
headaches, gaining confidence, feeling more secure in the job, having
more status, and getting a promotion and making more money.
How to Establish the Priceless, Personal Value
To bake this kind of value into the engagement, the coach should ask
some additional questions during the business development and scoping
conversations:
- If we get the results you want, what will this mean for you
personally?
- How will you feel when you achieve these results?
- What will be the impact on your time/stress/confidence/work-life
balance?
- Alternatively, if you don't do anything and nothing changes, what
will be the impact on you personally?
Most prospects will answer these questions, especially if you are
good at building rapport. In fact, their answers to these questions
make it much easier for you to close coaching engagements. This is a
common theme in sales trainings: Get beneath the logical problems and
benefits to the more emotional, personal ones. When you do that, you
uncover the real problem and real reason someone will hire you."
Danno