Thursday, January 8, 2015

Coaches' Corner~Uniqueness




Everyone craves attention in some way.  As a coach, it is imperative that yours is a unique experience for your client so that they can see you as different and you can do something for them myself or other coaches has not or cannot do.  Each interaction with you must always be something to talk about.  No one is better than my pastor at doing this.  While he is not a coach, he has mastered the art of making each experience unique and something to share excitedly.  I can’t count the number of times he has said “that is the first time so and so has happened” or “this has never happened before” or the like.  Perhaps he is taking that concept from the annals of professional sports.  I once heard a commentator say “He is the first wide receiver to catch a touchdown pass against a team he formerly played for in the 4th quarter to win a football game!”  So this receiver has bragging rights in case that ever happens again.  Nowhere in life is it acceptable to be ordinary.

No one is you and that in itself is noteworthy but there are millions of coaches.  We are talking here about how you can become an extraordinary coach. What is it that would make a person hire you?  Coaching as an industry is unique in its newness as an industry and to enroll clients is an uphill battle at best.  The rewards are worth it at this juncture because it is well known that an industry is most profitable at its inception.  Think for a moment how lucrative the car business was twenty years ago.  Notice now that one can get a cell phone free of charge in some instances.  The mortgage business was a book for so long, that it had to become less profitable to avoid a total explosion.  Selling computers created lots of income for people who did that for a living.  The most popular item in my opinion is the big screen television which cost much, much more when it was first released.  Were you to buy one today, I am sure it would be only a fraction of what I paid for mine ten years ago.  So be excited that you are part of an industry where exceptional income awaits you if you can bring uniqueness along with your exceptional talent to the table.

Exceptional talent is not always a given either but you can develop it and you may have already.  Chances are if you are reading this blog you already know you have talent so let’s focus on creating memorable experiences for all who come in contact with you after they have sold themselves on the value of coaching.  Why should they hire you?  The reason is that you are you and you are a “you” like no one else.  That is a great thing to start because all the other jobs are taken by someone else.  Keep in mind that you will not be a fit for everyone and a fit ought not be forced.  Something that can make you different is to be a person who is thinking about your client and no about your pocketbook or ego.  In your interactions with your clients, make sure they are your prime concern.  Read lots of books and become well-read so that you excel as a conversationalist.  You will need lots of emotions to consistently bring uniqueness to the table and fight the urge to bring it just for uniqueness’s sake.  This means alone time thinking about your client with no distractions.  Where do they eat?  What sport do they like?  What keeps them awake at night?  How can they look good in their own and their family’s eyes?

Like you, your client is inundated with how they can look good and be right.  Unlike your client, you want someone other than yourself to look good and be right and that is your client.  Resolve the be that unique coach that has unique and memorable interactions each and every time you interact with your client and you will reap the huge benefits associated with being an extraordinary coach.

No comments:

Post a Comment