| March 5, 2004, Vol 1, Num 2 | Sent
to our 6,057 members |
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| We Now Have 6,000 Members | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IAC has gained 442 new members in the past two months! It has been full-speed-ahead in our goal of becoming the largest coaching association in the world. We don’t know if we’re the largest yet - The International Coaching Federation (ICF) reports “over 6000” members. Our founder Thomas J. Leonard once asked, How do we, as a profession, ensure that 10,000,000 individuals experience quality coaching over the next 8 years? We believe that the growth of the International Association of Coaches can help make that happen. Our members agree to abide by a Code of Ethics designed to serve the best interests of clients. In addition, IAC provides education and support for coaches who strive to improve the quality of their coaching. We’ll introduce you to our 6,000th member in the next issue!
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The Thomas J. Leonard Memorial Fund Changing our course; helping others change theirs. When the project to honor Thomas J. Leonard by coaching those who cannot afford a coach was conceived, the plan was to offer a limited number of scholarships for three months of coaching. The original thought was for coaches to offer their services pro bono or at a reduced rate. Applications from prospective clients and coaches were accepted by a committee of volunteers who met regularly for many months. The program has undergone some dramatic changes, and those will be announced soon. But so many coaches and clients had applied for the original program that the committee made a radical decision that Thomas Leonard would have loved: everyone who had already applied for a Thomas J. Leonard Memorial Coaching Scholarship would receive three months of free coaching. Thirty-six coaches offered to coach free, with several agreeing to serve three clients or more. In February, the coaches and clients were “introduced” via e-mail. Within the first five days more than 25% of coaches and clients had set the date for their first coaching session. And, clients wrote back to the Fund coordinators with comments like these:
All coaching will be completed by June 30th. Clients and coaches will then fill out a “follow-up form” to let us know how it all worked. Here are the names of the coaches who are coaching free to honor Thomas J. Leonard who had once said, “If I had it to do again, I would coach 100 people FREE.”
How does a coach get that first client? Anyone starting a coaching career asks, “How do you get that first client?” We asked three coaches, with three different specialties, from three different geographical areas, how they did it. They all said they got their first clients by “coaching free” and by being “OUT THERE”, talking to people, participating in organizations, and giving that “elevator speech” at every opportunity. Remember, pro bono clients can become paying clients, great references, and sources of referral Tom Robinson,
California “When you are looking for your first clients, the first things you need to do are be interested in people and want to make a difference in their lives.” I became a coach in 2002 and in November, only a few months later, I chose my specialty. I took a medical leave from my engineering job. My first client was a former co-worker from that job. My former co-worker had seen that the quality of his life mattered to me, and he had noticed that our interactions helped him make changes to improve that quality. My former co-worker was one of the first people I contacted in my quest for clients, and he readily agreed to be one. Soon after that, I chose my niche of coaching the chronically ill. My first client with a chronic illness was my sister-in-law, who has Multiple Sclerosis. While working with my web site designer, he got a good sense of who I am and what I offer. He asked me to coach his sister, who has arthritis; she became my first paying chronic illness client. What is coaching? Coaching is about listening to people and asking the right questions. Judy Murdoch,
Colorado
I decided to become a coach in the spring of 2002, shortly after the graduate school of coaching was launched by Thomas Leonard for Coachville. I was a technical writer
and created web-based user manuals and training materials. So, she also became my first paying client. She is still a client. Together for two years now. About that time, I got two more clients in the same way: people I felt an attraction to who were working on interesting projects. They all started as pro bono clients and later converted to paying clients. What makes a good coach? A high degree of self awareness. Know your strengths and weakness; your likes and dislikes. Your awareness helps you keep the focus on supporting the client rather than focusing on getting your needs met. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being ok being imperfect. Donna Rougeau,
Vancouver, BC - Canada “I am right now taking on a new paying client every week but I’ve coached over 100 clients free. And as long as there is room in my business, I will continue to coach free. I learnt to engage with whatever shows up for me to deal with in or out of my business and as soon as I understood that, I found success personally and professionally. I also found my niche, sustainable and workable relationships with self and others.” I have been doing coaching professionally for four years. I found my first client at a workshop that I was leading for free. I asked him if he wanted to be ‘my first client.’ I could tell he understood that I "got" him, and so I added to his energies around being "gotten" by offering to "get" him ongoing! He responded with an immediate yes. I coached him for free for the first 8 months, then he re-entered the executive level work force and became my first full fee client! He is still a client and has referred many people to my business and thanks me for being his coach every time we speak. Don’t want to receive this membership
newsletter? To unsubscribe from the VOICE , address an email to
iacmemberunsub@certifiedcoach.org.
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©
2004, International Association of Coaches |
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Question:
If I Can Go From Bankrupt to One Million Dollars, What Can YOU Do As a
Coach? -- Chris Barrow
