I offer an easy way to test out working with me if you are interested in doing so. It’s my 30 minute discovery session and whilst many women do book them, I feel like there are some who don’t because they are concerned about one of the things below.
- You think it will be a 30 minute sales pitch
- You don’t understand what we will talk about
- You’ve never met me and you don’t know if you’ll like me
- You’re not really sure what coaching is or how it will help you
- You’ve had a poor experience of coaching in the past and you’re wary
So let’s answer these in turn;
1. You think it will be a 30 minute sales pitch
No it won’t. I have absolutely no interest in tricking or pressuring someone into working with me. Put bluntly, I am not desperate for the work or your money and the discovery session is as useful to me as it is to you because essentially, the goal is to work out whether we would be a good fit for each other.
Here’s the process, just so we are clear. You book a session with me via my diary software so you get a time that’s good for you and me. You can come to the session with a specific issue you’d like to discuss or with no agenda other than showing up and letting me lead it with asking some questions about you to see if I can help you. The session is on zoom, not recorded and completely confidential.
At the end of the 30 minutes I will thank you for your time and unless you express an interest in taking it further I will let you go. If I felt we were a good fit, and you didn’t give me a definitive ‘no I am not interested’, I’ll follow the session up with a short email that gives basic information about ways you can work with me, tell you I’d love to work with you further and ask you if you are interested and that’s it.
2. You don’t understand what we will talk about
We can talk about whatever you like concerning your business and your marketing or we can look at an aspect of your mindset – which is basically how you feel about things and your beliefs and attitudes. For example you might want to talk about your tendency to under price your product or service, or tell me about your imposter syndrome or you might want to kick about some ideas for growing your mailing list.You can also just come along curious and we can just have a chat guided by some gentle questioning from me and see where it takes us.
3. You’ve never met me and you don’t know if you’ll like me
I am alright, honestly! Obviously I am not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but I am polite, professional and friendly and if we don’t click, we don’t. I don’t think you’ll regret meeting me 😉 Words people often use to describe me are kind, funny, honest, uplifting, direct. I often post videos on instagram so you can check me out there too!
4. You’re not really sure what coaching is or how it will help you
You can read more about coaching and what it can do for women in business here, but the best way to find out is to give it a go and see if you like it! A good coach will help you to move forwards in your business by helping and encouraging you to set goals, focus on what’s important to you, guiding you away from getting in your own way and holding you accountable to your goals and agreed actions.
5. You’ve had a poor experience of coaching in the past and you’re wary
I’m genuinely sorry to hear that. Sometimes a coach and client just aren’t a good fit and sometimes, coaches aren’t very good. Just like every other profession, there are people who don’t offer a great service. Coaching is not regulated in the UK at the moment, so essentially anyone can call themselves a coach and start coaching people with no training or experience. Always ask coaches and other similar professions such as mentors, business consultants etc what their experience and training is. Lots of coaches have now done training which is a good place to start. I have a Diploma in Coaching from Newcastle College and also have completed 116 hours of training with The Co-Active Training Institute and have a certificate in Co-Active Coaching. I have worked as a coach since 2008 and run two small businesses for the last 18 years.
I hope that answers any questions you have and allays some of your fears and concerns. if you’d like to book in for a discovery session you can do so HERE.