This past week, Simon Meadows, one of our certified coaches’ coaches, was telling me about a dramatic shift he’s begun to notice in just the last month. As he described the change, I thought, “Ah, yes, I remember seeing this exact same shift in 2003 and it changed the entire business coaching landscape for the next 6 years.”
Here’s how the use of business coaching systems will change in 2015:
From 2009 to 2014, you’ve been selling and delivering business coaching in a recessionary environment.
From 2015 forward, you’ll be selling and delivering business coaching in an expansionary environment.
Get ready! According to a recent article by Kiplinger, one of the most respected business and economic prognosticators on the planet, “Faster Growth Looks to Stay for Awhile.”
As these sands begin shifting under your feet, your approach to selling and coaching MUST pivot, or you’ll be in for a rude awakening. If you were a business coach in the expansionary environment of 2003 through 2008, you’ll remember that it was a wild, exciting, delicious ride up for those of us who were ready! But you have to be poised to ride the wave, of course.
Here’s how to get ready for what’s coming…
In a recessionary environment, most business coaches make their living by selling and delivering business coaching focused on: 1) aggressive, effective marketing and sales to drive revenue in an environment stubbornly frustrating to growth efforts and 2) fastidious discipline around cash flow forecasting and cost-containment. In a nutshell, the focus is on the lower 3 steps of the 5 Steps to Freedom: CREATION, DISORDER and CONTROL
From 2009 through 2014, the Silver Bullets you were probably most focused on were the ones that map to the 3 steps:
- USP and Guarantee
- Current Business Plan
- Break-Even Plan
- Revenue and Profit Budget
- Tactical Marketing Plan
- Sales Management System
- Team Building System
- Cash Gap Plan
You can learn more about these Silver Bullets HERE.
In an expansionary environment, to win new accounts and delight customers, business coaches must shift their message and focus of delivery on: 1) the acquisition of the human capital and 2) the optimization of productivity.
As such, you’ll need to focus on the top 3 steps of the 5 Steps to Freedom: CONTROL, PROSPERITY, and FREEDOM.
The Silver Bullets you’ll need to dust off and fall in love with again are:
- Employee Acquisition Plan
- Psychometric Profiling Process
- KPI System
- Performance Incentive Plan
- Strategic Plan
- Team Meeting Rhythm
- Time Management Plan
- Organizational Plan
- Operations and Training Manual
- Lean Manufacturing Program
- Apprenticeship Plan
- Leadership Development Plan
- Comprehensive Exit Strategy
You can learn more about these Silver Bullets HERE.
The thing that tipped me off was Simon’s experience conducting Complimentary Coaching Sessions with several quality companies over the past couple months. “They didn’t want to talk about aggressive growth strategies or how to squeeze more out of their budget. All they wanted to talk about was how to cope with the growth they’re experiencing and avoid being consumed by the demand of their business on their personal lives.”
Yep! Such is life as a business coach in times of economic expansion. Helping business owners cope with growth is gloriously fun and so much better than helping people scrap and fight to survive another day.
SO, now’s the perfect time for a refresher on the 5 Steps to Freedom AND it’s time to dust off the 21 Silver Bullets you haven’t needed for the past 5 years! Click HERE for your FREE 10 Day Trial of the Coaches’ Coach System and get ready for how business coaching will change in 2015!
