You don’t want to miss this amazing event for women just like you. Join us, Tuesday May 13th at the Cardinal Golf Club, Kettleby, Ontario. Enjoy the fantastic opportunity for networking, a delicious catered lunch, keynote address by Jacquie Hermans and an informative workshop with Daina Bright.

You won’t regret your decision to invest in this opportunity to collaborate with other women in business, buy your tickets today, they’re only $50. Contact daina@brightambitions.com to purchase your tickets in advance. Limited tickets will be available at the door.

Cheers,

Daina

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Daina Bright

Life and Business Coach for Ambitious Women

Bright Ambitions Coaching

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How exciting!

As a Success Coach, Life Coach and Business Coach (I’d lump Career Coaching in there too) who specializes in work with women, this type of positive information is crucial to increase the awareness of the benefits of coaching to the general population. It’s not just for executives anymore! If there is anyone who can use the support of a coach who is “on their side” it is a woman who manages a busy life raising a family, a career, business and who is trying to find balance!

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February 19, 2008

Life coaches: Personal trainers of the psyche

By David Graham
Living Reporter

Consider them best friends with benefits.Life coaches, like good friends, are there for you. They are confidants and cheerleaders, motivators and mentors. For a price, you can bask in their rapt attention, burden them with all your problems and map out solutions to any number of life’s dilemmas. In this relationship it’s all about you.These modern-day gurus, who provide a sympathetic, non-judgmental ear may be the ultimate selfish luxury in a culture that’s become remarkably comfortable about buying services.

A survey of Internet sites reveals there may be as many as 30 different kinds of executive, corporate and personal development coaches.

There are coaches who specialize in romance, parenting, business and career development, retirement, diet, fitness and divorce. There are coaches who assist people newly diagnosed with cancer. There are coaches for children, coaches for people and their pets.

Life coaches are variously equipped with the analytical, personal development and motivational skills required to keep their clients moving forward, on the right course and on an even keel.

Because the industry is not regulated, there’s no saying how big it is or how fast it’s growing. But the 12-year-old International Coach Federation estimates there are 30,000 coaches in the world (about 10,000 in North America) and about a third are federation members. This represents a 300 per cent increase since 2000. And according to the Business and Economic Review, “In 2006, PricewaterhouseCoopers found professional coaching to be a $1.5 billion (U.S.) global industry.”

Some coaches are in private practice. Some work in the human resources departments of big companies.

Life coaches are the new personal trainer.

And like the trainer who knows how to get those last few push-ups from a client, life coaches motivate with the same “you-can-do-it,” rah-rah attitude. “Unleash the leader within,” “Find your North Star,” and “Ready or not, here comes your life” are typical cheers.

Sometimes they are registered psychologists. Often they have entrepreneurial or career management experience or some history in behavioural sciences. Many cite professional coaching certificates and affiliations with coaching associations.

The bottom line is, anyone can call themselves a coach.

Elsbeth Tate is a Toronto-area coach with the letters CPCC and PCC after her name. That makes her a Certified Professional Co- Active Coach, a designation attained from the Coaches Training Institute, based in San Rafael, Calif., and an accredited Professional Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation.

“Most of my clients are professional people, dentists and certified accountants who are looking for balance in their lives,” says Tate. She believes a balanced life has many facets – work, family and fun, for example. And when one of these is lacking, it affects all the others.

Like many life coaches, Tate wants her clients to identify their “core values.” Many people, she says, lose sight of what’s deeply important to them as they mature.

“You can’t tell someone how to do this. But you can help them find out for themselves.”

Tate suggests the field is growing so fast because too many people are feeling dissatisfied and unfulfilled, even though they are working very hard and have accumulated a lot of material goods. And in today’s service-oriented culture, asking for help is no longer a sign of weakness.

“Last year Duke University found that the number of people who said they had no one to discuss important issues with doubled to nearly 25 per cent from 1985 to 2004,” an Associated Press article reported.

Tate is encouraged that coaching is finally getting the recognition she believes it’s due. “I see teachers and company managers taking coaching courses to help them in their jobs,” she says. In fact, even some mental health professionals are taking coaching courses to augment their therapies.

Like Tate, most coaches communicate with their clients over the phone. Some charge by the hour. Others offer monthly packages, which include regular sessions and any number of emergency emails and phone calls.

For example, Tate asks for an initial three-month commitment, at $400 per month. Clients get three 40-minute sessions, plus the quick contacts. After that clients can go month to month or choose a “maintenance program.” Most coaches accredited by the International Coach Federation charge between $300 and $500 per month, she says.

Some clients are looking for a coach to hold their hands as they negotiate the nervous first steps of a business. Some feel invisible at work and want to figure out how they can sell themselves better. Others are already high achievers who are having trouble reaching the next level. Tate says her relationships with her clients are “partnerships.”

Paul Coputt, 46, of Dundas, Ont., is both coach and consultant. He calls himself a personal brand career coach. Before entering the field six years ago, he worked in executive and professional recruiting, specializing in sales and marketing. “About 70 per cent of my clients are women,” says Coputt. “I think women are more open to the process of coaching.”

He suggests the modern business climate is responsible for the growth in coaching. “Employees, for example, are rarely handed their next opportunity. For past generations it was normal to stay in one job for decades. But today the average tenure in any job is four to five years. They may end up having four to 12 employers over a career.”

But, says Coputt, a lot of people do not know how to clearly articulate their values and goals. A lot of people have trouble identifying what they are about, particularly younger people, who are not exclusively pursuing work for the financial rewards. For them it’s about engagement, not money and benefits.

“I try to accelerate results,” says Coputt, who has clients in Canada, Germany, Finland, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. He meets local clients both face-to-face and over the phone.

Most coaches, including Coputt, believe accountability is a key concept. “A coach will ask for updates,” he says. Sometimes people are too close to their situations to see what fixes are needed.”Sometimes it’s as simple as asking the right questions and then listening. Often clients resolve things themselves.”

Insiders stress that coaching is not therapy. Tate says she has turned down clients who she suspected required psychological or psychiatric treatment.

Tate offers new clients a free “sample session” to make sure they are going to click. As well, she instructs prospective clients to investigate other coaches.

After interviewing several coaches last fall, Tracy Currie, 47, of Stratford, finally approached Tate. “I was and still am working for a large IT company that actually offers coaching services. I needed someone to help me figure out what I wanted out of life. I wanted a change and I needed help making the transition,” Currie says.

“I could have just talked with my husband but I wanted someone who was not emotionally involved, a third party that was a cheering section, but could also be brutally honest.”

Currie has never met Tate face to face. Still, she feels she knows her coach, intimately.

And while she’s decided to stay with her job, and still chats regularly with Tate, Currie now wants to be a life coach. She’s seeking certification with the Coaches Training Institute in Toronto, a satellite of the international school, as well as the International Coach Federation.

“I’m learning that I have the power to make changes.”

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]]> http://coachdaina.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/9/feed/ 0 The Success Coach febntwkflyernewmarket ntwkinspired rewarding register http://coachdaina.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/sincere-networking-success-the-7-steps-to-great-networking-every-entrepreneur-needs-to-know/ http://coachdaina.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/sincere-networking-success-the-7-steps-to-great-networking-every-entrepreneur-needs-to-know/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:35:29 +0000 The Success Coach http://coachdaina.wordpress.com/?p=8 ]]> Are you tired of attending networking events that don’t provide the results you are looking for? You may be feeling defeated, and wondering if all of the hype around networking for small business is just that, hype.

Do you find yourself asking, “Can’t there be an better way to network?”

I am a firm believer in the success of networking to create relationships, find potential clients and promote your business. Knowing how to network effectively is more important than attending event after event without a sincere purpose. The secret is to understand that you need to take the time to get to know the networkers as people first and as prospects last.

Follow these 7 steps and you will be on the right path:

1. Find the Right Forum
Not all networking events are created equal. There are groups that are business-focused, social networks, support networks and more. I suggest that to figure out which style suits you best, visit different groups in your trading area to see which you feel the most connected with. Speak with the organizer of the event, they often have the most influence over the atmosphere of the event, providing the agenda or format for the meeting. The members who attend contribute to the energy within the group. Learn from the regular attendees to find out why they enjoy being part of their group, then decide if it is also a good fit for you. And ask yourself; Is this a group of people that you will enjoy spending time with to nurture the know, like and trust essentials of building a business relationships?

2. Don’t Settle for Second Best
Who is your ideal market? Is it your intention to network with those people face-to-face? Or are you meeting other business owners who also serve their needs? Are you spending your time with others who understand and are interested in your services? There are different levels within business that you need to be aware of. Understand how you fit into the hierarchy and ask yourself; “Do these people find value in what I do?” If they aren’t interested and don’t ask you questions, you may be out of their league. If so, move on, and move up a level to a more affluent group of business people.

3. Be Deliberate with Your Presence

There are three basic types of networkers:

• The Hunter, who locates their potential prey and pursues them relentlessly. If you have a universal type of product, one that almost everyone at the venue would easily and immediately buy into, the hunter approach may be just what you need.
• The Scavenger, who hands out a business card to everyone without spending the time to make a genuine connection. If you are unconcerned with the quality of customer you are looking for, and don’t need to rely on personal relationship, scavenging is an effortless yet inefficient way of getting your business.
• The Gatherer, who spends time listening, laughing and learning about others. The developer of long term relationships, who cares about their clients and instills compassion and eventually trust.

Decide which type you will be at each event and be deliberate with your presence.

4. Set Your Intention of How You Will Serve the People You Meet
The most important concept that will allow you to create successful relationships within a networking environment is to understand that you can provide value to others without selling them your product or service. You will create greater trust and further opportunities if you believe one simple concept. Once you serve their needs first, yours will be taken care of in the end. Hold that intention with every conversation and be patient.

5. Listen, Learn and Laugh
Take the time to get to know the people you meet. It is essential to let your guard down and listen. Ask questions. Learn about who they are, what they do. There is nothing worse that being pitched a product or service that you don’t need, don’t want and aren’t interested in. And remember to bring your sense of humor. The best way to break down barriers is to share a good laugh.

6. Pitch Perfectly
Have you found a great lead? Is this your ideal client? Before you get too excited, have your pitch down pat. This is the “make it or break it” of your meeting. Timing is everything. You can lose rapport if you rush the exchange. Have the pitch ready but be patient with the delivery.

7. Take the Time to Make the Time Follow up
Simply and efficiently. After you have made a contact, started a relationship, and created some trust, now is the time to continue to show your potential client that you are still interested in them, not just their business. First impressions are important but a lasting impression takes a genuine commitment. Take the lead and continue to build the relationship, you will be rewarded in the end.

Daina Bright “The Success Coach” is a motivational speaker, coach, writer and Mompreneur. She provides a FREE ezine `Clear Path Success and Survival Guide’ that inspires women to follow their own path to success. If you are ready to achieve your goals and gain more freedom, time and success on your terms, visit her site at www.Brightambitions.com for more great resources.