Top strategies for increasing your coaching client base

1. If a prospective client asked you, "Why coaching?” how would you respond?

It's an effective interaction that helps move you where you want to go in a way you can truly own because rather than telling you what to do, I ask enough powerful questions that help you process your issue and arrive at a conclusion that both feels good and fits you.



2. What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next year?

Complete the PCC level training.



3. What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next 5 years?

Complete the MCC level training, begin coaching, and perhaps train other coaches through Vibrant Faith.



4. What is your niche?

Vocational ministry leaders, volunteers, team leaders, couples (ministry or not).



5. How have your learnings from coach training helped you define your niche?

Most of the above have been my niche as a writer, speaker, and trainer, so this would be a natural outflow of what I already feel passionate about and what I've spoken and written about pr



6. Describe the Avatar you'd use to define your ideal client.

I easily connect with most young adults, young married (particularly wives), and ministry leaders, whether volunteer or paid. My natural connections are my military background, being a biracial, female, young-at-heart though mature, and a follower of Jesus (though my circle of friends and family also include those who don't identify with my descriptors). Recently, my education has opened a couple doors to teach leaders in a more impactful way.



7. What’s one step you will take in the next 4 weeks to develop your client base?

These classes are helping me think about my branding and niche. I will continue to consider how I will build a clientele base as we continue in the PCC training.

If a prospective client asked you, "Why coaching?” how would you respond?

Through coaching we will work together to help you realize your dreams and goals with the help of powerful questions.





What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next year?

I want to complete the PCC coaching school and prepare to take the required test when I have accumulated sufficient hours.





What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next 5 years?

I would like to move through a gradual transition from full time parish ministry to half time coaching. I would also like to develop a timeline to complete MCC level training.



What is your niche?

I am still defining my niche and trying to explore options. I am especially interested in working with those who are making the transition from seminary into their first call. Having said that, I am also intrigued by the thought of working with pastors who may be in the final stage of their work and are looking to engage that time with as much energy and vision as possible. So this still needs some thinking on my part.



How have your learnings from coach training helped you define your niche?

The challenge to define the niche as narrowly as possible is helpful. It's a way of defining a strong and clear point of departure. While maintaining that niche may remain the core of the practice, I would want to be open to working with coachees from different backgrounds and vocational passions.



Describe the Avatar you'd use to define your ideal client.

I met a woman recently who graduated from a seminary near me. She is enthusiastic and eager to begin work at her first call, which will a church in Manhattan. She is also clear that starting ministry at this time is like trying to move from one ship to another in heavy seas. She talked about the questions that she has as she prepares to embark on her path, and is looking for support along the way. I could see myself working with coachees who are in similar situations.



What’s one step you will take in the next 4 weeks to develop your client base?

I am going to call the Alumni/ae Offices from two seminaries in my area to see if there is a way that I can offer coaching to students: first, to develop my coaching skills and, second, to work towards the 500 coaching hours needed for PCC certification

If a prospective client asked you, "Why coaching?” how would you respond?



I used to have a definition that I had worked on and refined a quite a bit, but it's gone missing in my files - which is probably a good thing.



Coaching is a process through which you can discern/determine your next steps through an intentional partnership.



That's not it, but it's close to something like that.



What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next year?



I'm pretty satisfied with where I am in coaching at this point in time - my primary role has expanded and I don't have a lot more capacity. If there's one thing I'd like to do it would be to finished my certifications and move toward working with our Presbytery Leader Formation program as a 1:1 coach.



What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next 5 years?

Ultimately, I'd love to work 1:1 with leaders and students within the PC(USA) as we seek to intentionally form and develop church leaders for the emerging world.



What is your niche?

I've done a lot of work around enneagram coaching which has been very fruitful. I've also done quite well working coaching into groups of leaders who are taking part in training programs, and I really like that. I think adding coaching into a standard continuing education program can help with with the application and implementation of new learning.



How have your learnings from coach training helped you define your niche?

The longer I coach, the more I've narrowed the type of work I really enjoy doing.



Describe the Avatar you'd use to define your ideal client.

It's not necessarily a graphical image, but the concept of coaching as a catalyst always resonates with me. Catalysts in chemistry aren't directly involved in a reaction, but help the reaction along - that's coaching in my mind.



What’s one step you will take in the next 4 weeks to develop your client base?

I really need to figure out what I am doing with my website.

1. I like coaching because it allows me to meet a need in my faith community without having be on staff at my church. I can accompany people while still pursuing my own personal callings. It's the best of both worlds.

2. I the next year I'd like to have 50-60 hours toward my acc under my belt.

3. In the next 5 years I'd like to have a small coaching base that pays me well.

4. currently, my niche is women in seasons of personal and professional change, who need help clarifying and living into that calling.

5. I tend to think more than talk in these instances, and use what I observe to develop areas of perceived need.

6. Female, twenties to thirties, who perceive that change is in the air, need to change something about their business, or other area of life and know they need help to do this.

7. I have a list 3 people who are interested in coaching. I need to contact them and listen more to what they want and need in a coach.

Coaching helps individuals set their direction, clarify their beliefs and motivations, and move forward toward a particular goal. Coaching is a process of evoking awareness and facilitating a client's growth.

In the next year I would like to make further progress in my skills, hopefully embodying more PCC level coaching. I intend to continue to coach clients and cohort groups within my work with the PCUSA. Within 5 years I could imagine branching out to coaching beyond PCUSA clients and work with other constituents and clients. At this point I'm not really interested in marketing myself, but it would be helpful to find my niche. My current niche is related to the work of peacemaking in the PCUSA and coaching individuals and groups seeking to deepen their peacemaking work. The Avatar for my ideal client is a Presbyterian who is engaged in peacemaking as a part of faith formation and seeking new ways to partner in and deepen their work. Often clients are seeking to address a particular issue such as climate justice, poverty, racism, violence, etc. Since I'm not currently seeking to grow my client base I'm not sure that I'll be doing anything in the coming weeks to develop my client base. I can check back in with past clients and cohort members. I think that could be potentially helpful.

1. It allows me to assist people in achieving the transformation that want to achieve on an individual basis rather than at the community level which is even more powerful for me.



2. Have expanded my coaching to mission developers of color from pilot project to a permanent offering and completed PCC training level,.



3. I would like to have an established clientile in which I am able to have that as a viable part-time business with sustainable referrals and expanded into entrepreneural areas for the POC community with a bilingual clientele.



4 Transformation via DEI context.



5. It has helped me identify the constant theme that continues to show up in whatever work I am engaged in and that it is a constant, so it won't become irrelevant and I can see being able to do this at a high level for people who are already on the way with respect to their leadership and goals, but also give me the opportunity to offer a percentage of my coaching business to young adults early on in their lives.



6. I see myself being able to be open to different age groups, but more specific for those who generally walk in life identifying in 2 or more groups and struggle to find cohesiveness and use the advantages/gifts that come with that diversity, The actual avatar would be colorful within some diagram. I have an artist friend I explained this to who is doodling up something for me from the list of 6-8 things I would like to convey.



7. Work with my friend on social media pieces and advertising and then talk with others I know have new individuals coinge into specific areas that need additional support like mission developers, young POC entrepreneurs, and explore doing a pilot program with them after sharing the success of the current one that I am involved in and how it has flourished and stablized some specific areas that previously had participants burnt out/siloed/quitting.

1) If a prospective client asked you, "Why coaching?” how would you respond?



"Being coached is a gift, and that's something I've been learning in the process of learning how to coach more effectively. If you choose it, you could gain the gift of having someone support you as you process a key question or topic so you can in a short amount of time unpack things you otherwise wouldn't have discovered."



2) What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next year?



I'd like to be able to coach anyone, including people I wouldn't naturally encounter or typically engage with.



3) What would you like to have accomplished with your coaching in the next 5 years?



I'd like the people around me and those who seek me to feel that much more aware of the opportunities God has placed before them that are theirs to choose.



4) What is your niche?



My coaching specialties include Ministry Leaders, Church Teams, Family/Intergenerational Conversations, and Youth/Young Adults.



5) How have your learnings from coach training helped you define your niche?



One of my favorite ways to help others step out is by first taking those steps myself. I'm not intimidated to talk about any topic, especially since I daily connect with God by intentionally listening and inviting Him into everything all day long, turning every experience (great or small) into a spiritual one.



6) Describe the Avatar you'd use to define your ideal client.



A pair of glasses. If they're willing to see, I'm willing to help them learn their prescription.



7) What’s one step you will take in the next 4 weeks to develop your client base?



I'm at a roundtable event next month and plan to offer coaching opportunities there.

Coaching is something I wish I knew about earlier in my life. I feel like I have spent so much time trying to come to a decision that would have been easier if I had a coach walking with me. Each session of coaching helps me improve how I coach and I have begun to notice conversations that I feel go well and conversations that were not my best coaching experiences. I like the idea of a niche, but I also feel like a coach should be adaptable to the needs of their clients. Humans have the great probably of getting off track or tapping into another facet of their lives. I think we create a valuable experience when we are clearly defining what we are doing through agreements and even encouraging perspective clients to realize what their goals are and show them that we can get them there.