Bill, one of my clients, is trying to build a
coaching practice. When I ask him what he wants to do, what kind of
coaching, he says he wants to help people reach their goals and get
more in touch with themselves.
Mary is also starting a coaching practice. She
says she wants to help clients find out who they are, and make great
strides in their careers.
All good coaches help their clients touch the
source, as I call it, discover their strengths and set and reach new
goals. All chiropractors offer spinal adjustments. All businesses that
sell widgets, sell widgets.
Why would someone choose Bill or Mary then,
instead of one of the tens of thousands of coaches out there?
“90% of coaches feel they are highly
differentiated from other coaches, says William Arruda, The Branding
Guru ( http://www.reachcc.com
), who’s had 20 years experience in international branding. “Yet,” he
adds, “only 10% feel strongly that their differentiation is visible to
their ideal clients.”
William helps individuals and businesses define
their unique promise of value and build strong, memorable brands.
Now let me tell you about Bill and Mary as I see
them. Bill worked with autistic children for 15 years. He’s empathic,
gentle, versed in psychology, and has led many men’s growth groups.
We’re working on defining his ideal client.
Mary comes from a corporate background, an HR
professional with an MBA. She’s focused, forceful, and thinks ‘career’
first. She knows her ideal client – women in middle management.
Each coach has a very different background,
personality style and preferred ideal client. How to get this across is
what branding is about. It means finding the way to stand out among
your peers in a way that helps your ideal clients find you. Are you
branded?
Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach. Internetmarketing and
webstrategies that work. www.webstrategies.cc | 