I met Christian in December at the San Diego Coaching Alliance’s monthly meeting. Actually, I “met†him before that via NCC’s Yahoo board. I was just starting a Certificate program and wanting to connect with other coaches. He had posted a “thank-you†to all the individuals who had contacted him with well wishes during and after last year’s San Diego wildfires. I too live in San Diego and sent him a message asking to meet and he told me about SD Coaching Alliance.
A few weeks ago I was in on one of his informative teleconferencing calls and realized I wanted to know more about what he does and who he is. I had a follow-up interview with Karen Bierdeman (March post), with some personal questions and she told me she was coming to a conference in San Diego – with Christian Mickelsen! That clinched it, I asked him for an interview and this is what I learned.
By the way, in the process of researching him for this interview I discovered there’s already another posted interview with him on this same site. Perhaps I could go back and read all the previous posts – the titles at least, he he! I’m glad it worked out this way – I got to read an interview and follow-up with more questions, a win-win. Enjoy!
I was looking for a brochure type website that tells me more about you and your practice. I couldn’t find one. If you don’t have one can you explain why? Standard websites with lots of choices, information about coaching, and info about the coach don’t work very well. There’s too much stuff going on and too many distractions. I like to lead my potential clients down the path that I think will serve them best and start creating value for them immediately. I use email to build the relationship over time. My website is http://www.CoachesWithClients.com
What are some pitfalls that other solo-preneurs should be on the lookout for, and how can they be avoided? Pitfalls? There are soooo many. Here are the top 3:
#1) Getting caught up in “the latest marketing craze†hype. This month it’s “social networkingâ€, before that it was article marketing, before that it was blogs, before that it was pod-casting. I’m not saying that these things don’t have value. They do. But, what is more important for most coaches is to focus on the shortest path to getting clients. Speaking and networking are very fast ways to get in front of people. Then you need to offer free sessions (despite what anyone may say to the contrary), and then you need to enroll the clients.
#2) Not learning how to enroll clients from free sessions. One of the reasons many people don’t offer free sessions is because they don’t know how to use these sessions as a way to both create value and as a way to get the client. In a nutshell, what you need to do is ask the client about their goals, and their challenges. Get them to talk as much as they can about their challenges. Then relate what you do as a coach in a way that shows them how working with you will help them overcome their challenges and reach their goals.
#3) Getting lost in self doubt. This is the “great coach killerâ€. Many coaches doubt themselves because their clients might not be getting the results they want as fast as they want. Most of the time this isn’t about the quality of the coaching, it’s about the initial framework that the client gets hired within. We need to set up a framework that supports us and supports the clients. One example of this is to let the client decide how much coaching they need. Clients have no idea how much coaching they need and yet most coaches let the client decide how many session to have each month and how many months to be coached. We should have a package that we recommend: X sessions/month for X # of months (Ex: 3 sessions/month for 6 months). When a client enrolls into this type of package they see that they are going to need to be in it for a while. They aren’t expecting miracles to happen in the first month. Another thing that causes self doubt is when clients to “sample†style intro coaching sessions hoping to knock the potential client’s socks off and get hired. After enough rejections you can’t help but think that if you’re not getting hired you must not be a great coach. That’s ridiculous. You just need to learn how to do what I call “Free Sessions That Sell†which I outlined earlier. Let go of your doubts and trust the coaching process. Working with you almost weekly for 6 months focusing on their goals, their progress, and their challenges can’t help but move them forward faster than left to themselves.
What would you say is the one most important thing you’ve learned being an entrepreneur? In order to produce better results, you have to learn better strategies AND you have to grow as a human being. We can’t stay small on the inside and grow BIG on the outside. I love having my own business. I love growing – even though it’s not always easy.
How did you first learn about the field of coaching? I heard about coaching from Tony Robbins. I went to one of his events and then a year or so later my life was a total mess. I started looking for a coach and I hired one. 9 months later, I had turned everything around. It wasn’t until a while later that I thought that maybe I could be a coach. I had to work through a lot of limiting beliefs before I decided that I would become a coach myself.
How did you get started in coaching? Was it a conscious decision or was it a “next step†process? I co-created a personal growth networking and training company. We brought in a lot of coaches and at some point a few people asked me if I could coach them. I tried it out and fell in love with it. Aside from the business I mentioned, I had another business. I let that one go and focused only on the coaching.
What were your first steps in establishing your coaching practice? My first steps were: I got VERY lucky and had 2 presentations lined up. I offered free sessions to everyone in the audience. At the time I didn’t have my free session process figured out, but I had a ton of intro sessions and got 6 clients in my first month.
At what point in your practice did you hire a VA? What do you look for in a VA? I started up a new project with some other coaches and one of them said, “OK we need to get a VA†so I got one and now I can’t live without one. It was probably about 4 years in.
What have you discovered to be great time savers? Time wasters? Great time savers? Not being a perfectionist. I make LOTS of mistakes. I’m probably misspelling a lot of words right now. But, I’d rather get things accomplished and out in the world than try to be perfect and hold it inside. I think most coaches waste FAR too much time trying to get everything just right. Time wasters? My BIG time waster used to be Television, but I disconnected my 50†plasma and now I can only watch DVDs. It was the best thing I ever did. My income has doubled nearly every year since I did that. Not only does it save my time, it saves my mind. If you recall the article that Don shared with us about the power a logo can have on our behavior, then just imagine the impact of all the constant advertising (and not just for products but advertising the next show, the next episode, what’s going to happen after the break, etc.). Take control of your mind and get rid of the TV (try netflicks or blockbuster online instead).
What sustains you personally? I have no idea what this means? “Sustains� “Personally� Outside of work, I like to hang out with my good friends, play basketball, watch sports, play poker, watch movies, and spend quality time with my fiancé.
Who are your supports? My supports are: In my work, it’s my VA, Kim Nishida, my tech marketing guru, Rob Goyette, and my Audio/Visual ace, Aurora Velasco. In my life personally, my fiancé, Chelsa and my good friends Kevin, Tiamo, and Charles.
We all have down days, how do you self-motivate? I do have down days, but motivation is never much of an issue. I love what I do. I know what I’m doing. I get results from my efforts and see a direct result between my work and my results.
Can you share a client’s “Ah-ha†moment that impacted you personally? Before I became a coach, when I was thinking about getting started and I was filled with doubt, a friend wrote me a letter and told me how big of an impact I had on her. It touched me deeply and gave me the confidence to give coaching a try. Another BIG touching moment was just a few days ago when I was holding my “Coaching Business Empire†live event and one of my clients shared how her whole life is different now that she’s a full time coach making six figures, a published author and about to get huge exposure on a popular website. It was very sweet to hear.
In the same vein, can you share a story that tickled both you and your client? The stories that tickle me the most are always success stories. I’ve had the good fortune of helping many coaches grow their business, get new clients, make more money and enjoy a 6 figure income. These stories tickle me the most and I’m sure are the stories clients are tickled by too.
Kim Woodworth, M.A, is a Parent Coach working specifically with parents and the unique issues they face. Do you want to have more energy for yourself, your spouse, and your children; and to experience fulfillment in your role as a parent? Contact Kim to discuss the possibilities. http://www.ourcasa.com/
