NCC Coaching Trends 2009 Interview No. 6: Christian Mickelsen
Christian Mickelsen of CoachesWithClients.com and I spoke for the first time a few days ago. I was excited to interview Christian, since I have heard about him for several years and know that he is a successful coach and that he has helped others create a six-figure coaching business (that got my attention quick). Christian is a regular contributor to the New Coach Connection discussion list, so we have read each other’s emails, but never interacted directly before. I pronounced his name wrong, but then, I have done the same for other guests in this series. 
Christian started out talking about two camps who seem to live in different worlds: The advocates of traditional coaching and people who call themselves coaches but who primarily market coaching products and programs. Traditional coaches are more likely to seek certification by professional associations, while the Internet marketers care little or nothing about this. Yet many new coaches who follow the traditional route spend two, three, or even four years developing their businesses to a profitable level, while the marketers reach many more people.
One reason for this is that some coaches experience self-doubt and are seeking a way to demonstrate their expertise, to themselves if no one else. I loved our conversation about how coaches can resolve self-doubt and get on with the business of building their businesses.
There’s a lot more here, too. We were on such a roll we went way over the time limit, just as Alun Richards and I did. Enjoy!
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Click this start button to listen to the interview now (45 min.). Or right click the following link to download the MP3 file.
YOUR TURN: What do you think about what Christian has shared? Can “pure” coaching and product marketing co-exist? What are other challenges coaches face in 2009, and how can we face them effectively?
Don H. Morris is the list manager of the New Coach Connection discussion list hosted on Yahoo Groups. Don is a life and relationship coach and freelance writer who lives with his wife and two dogs in Memphis, Tennessee. Read some of Don’s articles at his blog, Dreams Reborn.
To be clear, when Christian talks about internet marketers who sell
high-ticket “coaching programs,” he is NOT talking about people who
join the New Coach Connection list. I could (but won’t) mention
several high profile Internet marketers who offer exclusive
coaching programs to teach others what they are doing to make six-
or even seven-figure incomes. And they can do that, even if they
are not “real” coaches, who went to Coach U or some other
recognized, accredited coach training program. The coaching
industry is unregulated, although there are a few professional
associations like the ICF and IAC trying to set some standards.
Some coaching purists disdain marketing of any sort. This is a
perennial point of tension on the New Coach Connection discussion
list. All our guests in this series have stressed that operating a
successful business as a coach requires an attraction engine and a
marketing plan, starting with defining what you do in a tangible
way. What do you think?