8 Problems That Coaches Don’t Like to Admit They Have
Here are some problems that coaches sometimes have, that they often don’t like to admit that they have (because one might understandably worry that it doesn’t look good to have those problems), and which CoachAccountable (happily) solves.
1. Vague platitudes like “living powerfully” and “getting clarity” aren’t that appealing
If you aren’t quite sure what common thread unites the people you are (genuinely!) capable of helping, retreating to non-specific generalities for your marketing copy, elevator pitch, and other forms of tooting your own horn feels like the best move to make. This problem applies to seasoned coaches almost as much as it does beginners.
But vague generalities and flowery language about living one’s “best life” are hard to appreciate, especially for an uninitiated would-be client. So they don’t get excited to work with you (and maybe their eyes visibly glaze over when you try to explain what you do).
CoachAccountable solves this by turning the work you do into a tangible record of what happened and what got accomplished. By making and managing action plans with CoachAccountable, a tidy record of accomplishment grows. By tracking important measures over time with CoachAccountable Metrics, the arc of performance and change becomes clear to see, especially when coupled with the story behind it. By capturing Key Insights as part of the session notes you take and share via CoachAccountable, those accumulated gems represent a powerful distillation of those many profound conversations.
All of these turn the abstract (“We have conversations and good things tend to happen.”), into the tangible (“Here, you can see the sort of work I do and the results we get.”). Properly anonymized, or fairly contrived, this all becomes a shareable window into your process, one that speaks volumes more than rosy platitudes.
2. Clients aren’t saying YES to what I offer
The typical offering of coaches is inherently abstract and hard to accurately envision. Whether we like to admit it or not, it essentially boils down to “You’ll pay me some money, we’ll have some conversations, stuff will happen, and hopefully at the end your life will be better, because of our having worked together.”
That might be a pretty accurate description of what is, in fact, a supremely worthwhile endeavor. But your prospective client doesn’t know that.
CoachAccountable solves this by giving you the chance to showcase the way you work. By replacing vague platitudes with a clear window into typical client results, yes, but also by letting prospects explore the actual process of working with you on their own, even before the discovery call. This leaves far less to the imagination, and far more to see and ultimately get excited for. (See Wowing Prospects into Clients if you want to learn how.)
This process delights way more than hopping on that discovery call cold and hoping for the best.
3. Sessions chock full of feel-good insights don’t translate into results
You’re a good coach, so you know the feeling of when your client is lit up and inspired, clear-headed and full of possibility. They are brimming with excitement over what you’ve created together in the session, and can hardly wait to get out there and create some magic in their life.
But after you part ways, and leave them to it until next time? Life gets in the way. They might have forgot. Those sterling insights faded into the humdrum of the every day; the glimmer of new possibility got buried under the slightest setback. Not every time, mind you, but often enough for you to know a sobering truth: an excited client at the end of one session doesn’t guarantee proud results to speak of in the next one.
CoachAccountable solves this by being THE PLACE for you and your client to capture those gems (for later reference) and make a specific plan of action. Out with forgetting. In with timely reminders and a way for you, as coach, to stay aware of what’s done and what’s not. You make a deal that they actually take the steps you’ve created together, and you in turn will be watching and cheering them on.
4. Clients drag their heels around actually doing the work
You know that, even as good as you are, you can’t cause the results for them: to get the results, your clients have to show up themselves and do the work. So you make a plan, make sure they’re truly on board and ready to follow through, and after you say goodbye you hope for the best.
Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes there’s confusion over whether they actually said they were gonna do X at all, and “by when” is even more nebulous. Sometimes the notion of doing something bold to move forward is silently swept under the rug. “Nah, really? I don’t remember saying that. Let’s talk about something else.” That part is never said out loud. So it’s two steps forward, one step back. You might wonder how you got here, playing babysitter to another adult’s to-do list. And no one would fault you for shying away from that role.
CoachAccountable solves this by making those action plans super concrete, with definitive due dates and the option for “Hey, this is now late” notifications to go out automatically. Timely reminders move things along, while providing your clients the palpable sensation that “my coach is paying attention and genuinely rooting for me”. And yeah, with notifications sent your way, notifications that let you post a comment to your client via reply (e.g. “Hey, don’t let this slip!” or “Nice work, keep it up!”), you can be. And those will be some of the most satisfying moments of your week.
You make them a deal: their job is to get this done and keep it green (i.e. on time), and you’ll be watching and cheering them on.
5. Companies wonder what they got from hiring me
What an awesome endorsement and act of trust it is when a company hires you to work with like a dozen of their staff. You take that responsibility seriously, and naturally want to make it clear, to even the one in Accounts Payable who cuts your check, that the company’s investment in their people via you was absolutely worth it.
But what happened as you did that work? As you made meaningful change through conversations with those people, was it anything that the one who’s ultimately signing the check is able to see? If the change in their office culture is apparent today, will it be in six months? In six weeks? Tales abound of companies that do the “ooh-rah-rah!” 2-day seminar that left everyone pumped, yet amounted to a sugar pill with nothing to show for it once the memories faded and business-as-usual set back in.
CoachAccountable solves this by giving those key parties in the company a live window into the work you’re doing, at both the individual and group levels. “What did we get?”, they might ask? They can log in and see, or consult the exported records that you gave them as a souvenir of the whole thing. They can even get a digest of what’s new in their inbox, sent automatically at whatever schedule they like.
A tidy digest of activity can be sent to the company personnel of choice at a fitting cadence.
6. I don’t know what’s going on with my clients
It’s your job to care, and knowing where someone is and what they’re committed to is essential to demonstrating that care. It gives you a lot more on-point things to say in your sessions, which is good, because being a blank slate isn’t actually good customer service.
Once you get beyond about 5 clients, as attentive and caring a coach as you are, it gets tough to keep straight all the ins-and-outs of the people you’re serving. If you’re not able to get up to speed quickly prior to a session, you’re either not actually up to speed (so you’re going to be winging it on your call), or you’re spending a lot of time getting there. And often times it’s not even possible to know what’s new with your client, because there’s simply nowhere to look. So you’re going to burn some session time to ask ’em, and roll with whatever they say.
CoachAccountable solves this by serving as both a growing record of the work to date, and a live scoreboard of how things are going within that coaching work. The action plans are color coded by timeliness with items that are easy to mark complete via simple reply (so they will). The Metrics are easy to report via text or email throughout the week (so they will). The Session Notes and Key Insights are all just right there, alone with whatever creative works have accrued (such as a Whiteboard as a living document of the Big Picture). All of this makes for a record you can easily peruse in the 5 minutes leading up to your sessions, leaving you fully up to date (including what’s new since last time), and allowing you to show up like a genius who’s truly in their world.
7. Things are scattered in a bunch of places
You of course want to be organized, having strong situational awareness and generally on top of things. Nothing falling through the cracks, nothing important that can’t be found.
Ever run a business? It’s hard right? Tons of ins and outs. A lot going on. A lot of communications between various parties (and that’s especially important here, because as a coach those communications are part of the product you’re offering!). If the operations of your outfit consist of just a telephone and a notebook, you’re not keeping much. Add in email and some spreadsheets, you’re getting somewhere but then scattering sets in. Add a scheduler and an invoicing platform, and things are getting comprehensive, but also unwieldy.
CoachAccountable solves this by being not only the hub for documenting, tracking and managing the work you do with clients, companies and coaching groups, but also by handling the business side of things, serving as a full fledged scheduler, invoicing platform, and place to issue and manage your contractual agreements. At last count it functions as 9 apps in one, all harmoniously and seamlessly integrated. It’s not a unicorn, all-in-one platform for everyone, but it sure is close.
It covers a lot!
8. I don’t look as buttoned-up and professional as others
You want to make a solid impression. Make it clear that you’re a competent professional who’s worth trusting to actually deliver meaningful, lasting results.
Comparison is the thief of joy, but yes, especially when you’re getting started who could blame you for looking out to see how others do it, and wondering if and how well you stack up in the eyes of prospective clients who are checking you out? When selling something so intangible, there’s got to be a better way to demonstrate one’s bona fides than tacking on another acronym to the end of your name.
CoachAccountable solves this by giving you a polished and comprehensive system to work from. You get to invite your clients into an experience that demonstrates clearly that you’re not just here to have conversations; you’re here to work with them to set clear goals and clear plans, and work those to fulfillment with a eye towards actually measuring the outcomes that matter. Branded your way and looking sharp on any device, it is the hub for your coaching work and place for them to review their results and focus on what’s next. With templates and structured Courses you’ll be able to demonstrate that yours is a thoughtfully crafted process.
You and your clients can add this as an app to the home screen of any device, branded your way.
And there you have them, 8 problems that coaches don’t like to admit that they have.
And if you have any of these, there’s no shame in it, for you’re in good company. Coach training seldom says anything about these problems, let alone how to address them.
Fortunately, CoachAccountable has been growing and evolving over the last 14 years in order to be a tidy solution to all of ’em. :)
