Beyond teaching your clients a new process or approach, the key is to get them to take action so they get the results you know they deserve. But, how do you get your clients to take action? Research tells us there are two things that get clients into action more than anything else.
First, there has to be consistent follow-up after the initial training/coaching. Your initial training, no matter what format you use, is likely chock full of information, tools and techniques. It’s all good stuff, but to a client, it can be overwhelming. We want to share as much as we can with our clients and fill their “toolboxes” with everything we think they will need to be successful. But, in our desire to give them what we know they need, we often give them too much for them to process all at once.
The secret to success is to follow up after that initial training with the key points over time. Giving them smaller “bites” that they can implement over time both reinforces the initial training and provides them with small, attainable goals. This helps them realize progress and success quickly, enhancing their desire to continue.
Second, there needs to be accountability and recognition. If a client knows that they are accountable to someone (in this case, you, their coach) for taking action, then they are much more likely to take that action and make progress. I’m sure you’ve been to a meeting of some type where you knew you were expected to have done something. Just knowing that you would be asked about it likely caused you to get it done, if for no other reason than to avoid having to tell someone you didn’t do it!
But, as a coach, you need to go just a bit further. You need to not only provide those accountability “check-ins,” but also need to help your clients recognize and celebrate their successes. Nothing breeds success like success! If they feel like they are making progress, and that someone (you) notice their success, they are much more likely to want to continue taking action. If you can help your clients take action by providing reinforcement and accountability, then you clients are likely to be much more successful implementing what you’re teaching them. And they are more likely to truly transform their business and lives. Isn’t that what you got into the coaching business to do, to make a difference in people’s live?
