Before I reveal those questions, let me share with you the foundation of those questions.  See, I had known about the first of the questions for many years.  In fact, it is so interesting to me that I had this question all along.  I really understand that universal principle that says that everything we are seeking is right in front of us.

As coaches in training, we worked in triads for observer coaching.  We had an outline to follow, and it was very simple and helpful.  We first asked our client what their current reality was.  Then we asked what they wanted.  And then we asked what a first step would be that they could take in order to move to their desired reality.   A very simple and powerful outline.

The first question that made a difference in enrollment was one we learned back then.  “What have you already tried?”  This question really helps the potential client understand that they have invested time and money in things that have not worked.  It sets a foundation for the value of what they are looking for.

And the second question that made a huge difference is “What is it worth to you to get this challenge solved?”  Since you are asking your client to make an investment in coaching, it is good to establish the value that they will get from their results.

For a business client, one or two new clients would be enough to pay for the cost of coaching.  For a life coaching client, there is a cost associated with the challenge.  Determining this really helps the client understand how they could concretely benefit from coaching.

Next time you are in an enrollment conversation, try these two questions out.  Let me know if you find that they make a difference in the process.  I’d love to hear about your experiences.

And if you would like to work with me to make your enrollment conversations even more effective, send an email to info@karencappello.com and let’s set up a time to chat to see if we are a match.

Here’s wishing you smooth and effective enrollment conversations!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

P.S.  I am very excited to share a new format for my weekly connections with you.  I will be rolling out my inaugural e-zine on August 1^st, along with a new free report that I know you will love.  Stay tuned. 

I am a lifelong learner, and am always on the lookout for new ways of doing things.  In April, I decided to try a new enrollment process that I had learned not too long before, and I followed the directions just as I was taught.   It worked very well.

When I looked at my numbers, I realized that 23% of the sessions that I held resulted in paying clients.  That was a good result, and worth my time for sure, but I felt that I could have done better.

I took some time to learn a bit more and tweak the process, and tried my new enrollment process 2 months later.  This time, 71% of the sessions I held resulted in paying clients.  That was quite exciting for me!

As I reflected back on what had happened, I realized that I made a few small tweaks to the enrollment process, and caused a massive change in results!

The first tweak was a mindset shift on my part.   Before I tell you about that, let me share what one of my clients wrote to me after I taught her this enrollment process (when she wrote me, I realized that this process would definitely work for others, too):

Hi Karen,

Thanks again for sharing the enrollment process.

I tried it out today with a prospect, in person, and it really went well for me.  I felt really comfortable using it and more like I was coaching, rather than selling.  It did take a bit of time, about an hour, and I am comfortable with that at this point.

My intention for the conversation is to discover more about the client, where they are looking for support, and whether I feel I can support them.  I don’t want to rush through that as I think it’s an important piece of establishing the relationship and I want them to have a quality, valuable experience.  

For the women I am working with, it is often their first time reaching for support in this way, and I want them to feel heard.  The fact I was able to do it in person makes me feel even more confident,  That was my first in-person prospect session and I thought it would be really stressful.  Not at all — it flowed beautifully!

~Coach for Working Mothers

I want to acknowledge this amazing coach for her authenticity, and for creating a quality experience for her client!

Okay, I promised to share the mindset shift that really allowed me to have such a high success rate.  I want to begin with a lead in, so you can see the progression of my thoughts.

I am already aware that each new coach contacting me for a complimentary consultation is spiritually sent to me. I have always known this.  I also know that it is my job to hold a sacred space for each new coach’s dream of making a life AND A LIVING.

I have never wanted to push anyone into coaching, or use scare tactics, or hyped marketing.  So, in my April enrollment process, and in fact, in every enrollment conversation I have had in the past 10 years, I have shied away from asking questions like “What will happen in 6 months if you don’t get a coach?” or “Tell me about the frustration of not getting the clients you want.”

When prospective clients said to me, “I’m not ready” or “I’ll let you know,” I took them at their word.  I let them take responsibility for themselves, and put them on a list to contact in the future.  I did not want to go anywhere near ‘overcoming their objections.’  Even those words sound so pushy to me!

My ‘aha’ moment and mindset shift around the enrollment conversation was that in the exact moment when I took them at their word, I abandoned the sacred space for their dream.  That is a pretty strong statement.  Yet that is the word that came to me from my guidance as to what I was doing.

When someone really wants something, and they start moving toward it, their gremlins will come out and try to talk them into staying where they are.  I know that this happens in coaching, and have helped many clients get past their gremlins.  I am very familiar with this concept and I bet you are, too.

What I had not fully realized is that this happens in the enrollment conversation, too.  Since it is my job to hold the space for their dream, I must help them get past their gremlins in that moment and get into coaching.  Coaching is the safe place for them to land.  If I do not help them get into coaching, they will be out there on their own and saying ‘no’ to their dream.

And I also became aware of the fact that the each time they said ‘no’ to their dream, it deflated just a bit.  I knew that I did not want to deflate anyone’s dream.  Ever.  When my mindset shifted, I was able to have a different enrollment conversation.

Now, I am able to support those who came to me to make their dream come true.  I am able to help my prospective clients sort out those solid good reasons for not moving forward with coaching from those fears that plagued them, and help them to gain clarity about which is which.  I am their coach, their champion, the wind beneath their wings, their soft place to land.

This is the mindset that really changed things for me, and has helped me help others in a profound way:  the understanding that many times there are gremlins keeping clients from attaining their dreams, and they will show up in the enrollment process.  I have the knowledge of what to do with gremlins.  I learned it as a brand new coach.  I  just now apply it to the enrollment process.

This is the mindset part of ‘what really works’ to support both the prospective client and the coach in the enrollment process!  Stay tuned next week for another tweak I made in the enrollment process which caused more ‘aha’ moments for me.

I hope you have enjoyed this extra long post.  I have written it for you, so that you can change your mindset and tweak your own enrollment process.

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

P.S.  And, if you are interested in learning more about this process and want to experience it first-hand, send an email to info@karencappello.com and ask for the questions that will start you through this enrollment process yourself.  You will get to experience it from start to finish. 

And as smart as they are, their answer to one of the first questions I asked them astounded me.  When I asked them their intentions for the day, they all had some very specific and tangible outcomes that they wanted to walk away with.  Everything that they wanted was very do-able.

What surprised me was that my intention list for them was much longer and robust (and just as do-able).  In fact, all of our intentions for the day were met easily.  And there was lots of laughter and connection in the process.

It got me thinking about the metaphor of seeing the forest for the trees.   When it comes to my own business, it is easy for me to see the trees that are in front of me, and to overlook those that are further away.  And it was the same for this wonderful team.  They could see what was next:  the trees closest to them.  Yet, as their coach, I could anticipate what was beyond that: the trees that were further away in the forest.  And I could prepare them for what was coming up.

This is the value of coaching.  My own coach asks me questions and supports me to look beyond where I am seeing to what is up ahead that I have not thought about yet.  She prepares me for what I may have not anticipated, but is sure to come.

So, here is my challenge to you.   If you are working with a coach, ask her what her intentions are for you.  You may be surprised.  The answer may take you to a place that is beyond where you can even imagine now.

And, if you don’t to have a coach to work with, send an email to info@karencappello.com and request an appointment for a complimentary strategy session.  I promise I will share my intentions for you with you, even after that first session.  And I bet that you may be surprised at what some of them might be. 

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

Yesterday, things happened in a VIP session that even surprised me!

First of all, instead of a full VIP day, my client and I started with a ½ day virtual session (a three hour block of time).  I knew that we would be able to get the agenda items done that we had laid out.  But I really underestimated the power of the coaching process.  Yes, even after coaching over 3,500 hours myself, and listening to even more hours of laser coaching sessions, I forgot how quickly things can get accomplished!

In this 3 hour VIP session with a new coach (who had been coaching for 2.5 years), we:

- received a niche that is very aligned with her and has the means to pay,

- created a simple and powerful marketing plan,

- re-structured her pricing package, and

-  re-worded her website to reflect the changes.

AND all of this was accomplished in less than 3 hours (we finished 10 minutes early).

What would normally have taken months of individual coaching is now done.  In the next 10 days, she will have her website updated to reflect the changes, and she is off and running with a very clear and focused plan.  I am so pleasantly surprised and pleased.

I know that there are coaches who are concerned about their niche, and struggling to make a living in coaching.  I hear about this every day.

Maybe you are one of these coaches.  If so, I want to help you.  There is no need to have this ‘worry energy’ hanging over your head, day after day.  There is no need to wonder if you have what it takes.

Just think, in 3 hours, you could have clarity about who your ideal clients are and how to move forward in attracting them, and have a really focused plan, knowing exactly what steps to take.  It’s that simple.

Send an email to info@karencappello.com to find out how you can get the peace of mind that comes from having a focused plan to implement.  Send it now.

Maybe you will even surprise yourself at how easy it is to make your business work for you!

Wishing you a most wonderful day!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

This idea of niche is one that perplexes many coaches.  We are expansive people.  We want to help everyone.  We work so well on the inner game, and know that this is where our clients need to work to have anything and everything that they desire.

It is not easy for us to limit ourselves to working with one type of client.  We are so positive, that we do not like to even focus on the question “what is the problem?”  We do not like to speak about what is not working in order to connect with those that are looking for our services.

Yet focusing in on a certain type of person and specific topic that we can coach around is an essential foundation for our coaching businesses.  It gives us a focus for our writing and our speaking.  It helps us create information products that are customized, and programs that are tailored for a specific group of people.

As I said, I have had my niche for many years.  But the events of this past week have reminded me of another less obvious benefit of having a well defined coaching niche.  I was reminded on two occasions that even though I have a niche, it allows others to come to me for help, too.

One afternoon last week, I found myself at my aesthetician’s office.  And the amazing young woman who works on me told me she is leaving the office.  She is looking for a job and has had some really ‘mis-aligned’ interviews during this search.  She wants me to coach her.  (And might I add, she offered to pay me, and even insisted on it, so this was not someone looking for free coaching!).

And it happened again, the next night.  Over dinner, a friend of one of my neighbors asked me if I would coach him around navigating his way through a company buy-out.  This is a very experienced and intelligent person, who wants some brainstorming support.

Both of these people know that I coach coaches.  Yet that did not stop them from asking me to coach them.  I actually say this to my clients all the time.  Pick a very specific niche.  It will not keep others from coaching with you.  In fact, the idea that you are a successful coach will attract them.  And they will ask – believe me, having a niche will make it easier for others to even ask.

So, if you have been concerned about really focusing your niche, or if you have been ‘coaching everyone,’ this may be the time to choose a group of people with a specific challenge that you want to work with.  Having a niche is the first step toward having a strong foundation in your business.  It is the step that everything else flows from.

I want to help you take this step, with ease and joy.  I would love to work with you on honing in on your niche, so that you can receive clients from everywhere.   If you are ready to find out the exact niche that will bring you the success you dream of, send an email to info@karencappello.com right now and ask for an application for a strategy session to help you.

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

I am sharing it with you because when one coach has a success, it raises the rest of us up, too.  I hope the story of this very courageous coach inspires you to achieve these kinds of results in your business.

“Before I started working with Karen, I was almost on the verge of giving up my business.  I had become so discouraged from my lack of success after being in business for almost 5 years, it just didn’t feel worth all the effort and hard work anymore!

What impressed me most when I first started working with Karen was her incredibly generosity, intuitiveness and amazing ability to easily and effortlessly help me get back on track with my business (AND making more money!!) in a way that felt joyful! 

Karen’s ability to ease my feelings of discouragement and disappointment while gracefully moving me towards inspiration and motivation felt effortless.

I had previously invested thousands and thousands of dollars in programs and seminars to get my business off the ground and making money, and NOTHING came close to the results I had from working with Karen!

I am so incredibly grateful for Karen’s support and guidance.  As a result of having worked with her, I’ve doubled my income and have a business that brings me so much joy, I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning.  Nothing in my business feels like work anymore because I’m having so much fun!

And amazingly, that fun and joy I’m feeling has translated into a LOT more money.  I’m working with people I love doing the work I love to do and every day I feel blessed.  None of this would have been possible without the support and guidance I received from Karen’s coaching.

If I could say one thing, it would be if you’re in business to make money, live your joy and love what you do, do NOT hesitate for a moment to work with Karen.  She will effortlessly guide you to exactly where you want to be in your business and make it fun in the process!

Karen, I LOVE YOU!!!  And am grateful every day for your incredible coaching!!!  It produced amazing results in both my life AND my business!!!

-Dawn Allen, www.DawnCarylAllen.com”

I am so honored and humbled by these words.  And I want to say thank you to Magnificent Coach Dawn for inspiring all of us by joyfully and successfully living her dream!

Wishing you a most wonderful day!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

P.S.  I’d love to help you live your dream (and double your income with ease and joy), too.  To find out how we could work together, send an email to info@karencappello.com.  You will be glad you did!

And this idea of luxury has extended to my own business.  I have created my website as a spa-type experience, with lots of space and a feel of luxury.  I have not only offered a complimentary e-course; I also offer complimentary podcast recordings on topics that relate to coaching practice development with a spiritual twist.

During my private coaching sessions, I offer luxurious listening to my clients.  They also have the luxury of accessing my very powerful intuition, which is worth its weight in gold (or should I say ‘platinum’).  In my e-coaching program, there is the luxury of unlimited questions and answers until the client has received what is needed from each and every module.

Yet I found that there was one place in my business that was not luxurious.  I did not have a clear VIP day offering that would both catapult my clients quickly to their next level, and give them a luxury experience.

So I designed an offer, and the rest is history!  Here is a picture of the flowers I sent a recent VIP session client, just last week.

And here is what she said:  “I decided to invest in a VIP session with Karen because I felt lost in my business.  Each day was going by, and my business was not growing.  I had lots of different ideas, and yet I did not know how to bring them together into a concrete plan.

After my VIP session, I feel confident that I am on the right path to achieving my dream.  I got rid of blocking thoughts that have held me back.  And now I have a written plan that I connect with naturally, with a foundation that is spiritually based.  Thank you, Karen!”

Here is my challenge to you.  Add one new luxury experience to your repertoire for your clients this week.  What luxurious experiences are you already offering to your clients?  What are some others you could be offering and have not yet designed?

And, if you want to have a coach to work with you putting together your luxurious offer, send an email to info@karencappello.com right now and ask for an application for a strategy session to help you.  I would love to support you on that.

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

I know that as each of us plays our own unique authentic song (shares our own signature message with the world), then others will hear, and follow us.  It sounds easy.  And it can be.  But in my coaching business, I realized that this was only half of the story.  And that I had to embrace the other half of the story in order for my clients to have true success.

The other half of the story is that I must hear my prospective client’s song, and follow her.  What does this mean?  Let me give you an example:   I had a new coach come to me a couple months ago, wanting help with filling her coaching practice with ease and joy.  And she needed to produce income quickly or she was going to have to go out and get a job.

When any person is in this position, it is often scary to invest in coaching.  She felt like she did not have the income to invest right now.  Yet, if she did not invest in her business, it made it much more difficult to bring in income.

So, I followed her.  I sent her emails.  I kept in touch.  I did not give up on her dream.  I heard her song. And sure enough, she came around and is now being coached.  She has received her first client, so the coaching has already paid for itself.  (She joined my e-coaching program, which is very affordable, even for the newest of coaches.)

So, here is my challenge to you.   Who are the prospective clients you have spoken to in the last couple months?  What is their song?  What is their dream that they want to embrace, but are afraid to invest in?  Reach out to them.  Send an email.  Make a phone call.  Hear their song.  Follow them.

And, if you want to have a coach to work with you on hearing the songs of your prospective clients, I would love to support you on that. Here’s how: http://www.fillyourpracticenow.com.

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

The idea that pure thought, held for a certain period of time, could replace hours and even years of action in the creation process was one that I played with a lot in those days.  In fact, it was said that 17 seconds of pure positive thought energy would equal 2,000 “man-hours” of work, and that if you went to 68 seconds, it would equate with 2,000,000 hours of action.

In case you do not have a calculator handy, 2,000,000 hours equals over 228 years!!  So, 68 seconds of pure, positive energy is the equivalent of 228 years of work!!!!  I was determined to use this to my advantage in those early days in my business, and I did.   What happened really impressed me.

Here is what I did.  I would practice these 68 seconds at least once a day, just getting into that pure positive energy, and staying there.  I would set a timer for 1.25 minutes, and then get into pure energy.

As you can imagine, some days this was harder than it looks.  I had already quit my job, and I desperately wanted to have my coaching practice work out.   One of my closest friends told me I should get a part time job.  My family was watching me with loving, but also protective, eyes.

Yet I kept at it.  I knew that I needed to prove to myself that my energy was at least as important (and hopefully much more) important as my actions.  I had a quote on a sticky note from Abraham that said “Line up your energy [translate:  68 seconds of pure positive], and then take the inspired actions.”  I wanted to build my business with inspired actions, and be extremely successful.

And here’s the impressive part.  As a new coach, I gave sample coaching sessions as a way to allow others to experience coaching, and I was very successful at it.  One day, I ran the numbers:  I compared the number of sessions I had given to the number of clients that had signed up for coaching.

I realized that I had given 25 sample coaching sessions, and that I had 24 clients!! That was a phenomenal closing rate!  I knew then that lining up my energy was the way to totally leverage my time, and to this day, I still do something every single day to get my energy aligned.

So, here is my challenge to you.  Try staying in pure positive thought energy for 68 seconds.  This means no critical thoughts, no worries, no negative energy at all.  Or if you cannot do it for that long, try even 17 seconds.  That’s worth 2,000 hours of action.  Do this every day for a week and see what happens.

You can post any insights or successes about this in the comments section below.  I’d love to find out your experiences.

And, if you want to have a coach to work with you on lining up your energy and taking your inspired actions, I would love to support you on that.   Here’s how:  http://www.fillyourpracticenow.com.

The topic for next week will be “Putting it all together and attracting your ideal clients.”  Stay tuned…

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen

And, in addition to all this, I was working over 60 hours every week.  I was taking business calls on weekends while having brunch with my parents.  In our office, it was frowned upon to get in to work after 8am or to leave before 6pm.  It was common practice to take lunch at my desk in front of my computer.

Even though I had success, I wanted more than that.  I wanted the same degree of financial success and I wanted the same great clients.  And yet, I wanted to do all this with ease and joy.  In January of 2001, I knew that would be the year when I left my job to find a different type of success than I had known before.  I just did not know how I was going to do it.

Then one morning, on my way to work, I stopped at a restaurant to drop off some paperwork to a friend of mine.  She was meeting another friend for breakfast.  I got there early, and her friend Nancy was there waiting.  She told me she was being trained to be a coach, and asked if I wanted a free coaching session.

To be honest, I scheduled the session just to help Nancy out with her training.  Little did I know that I would sign up for coaching on the spot, and that our coaching would help me leave my job, and create the business that was just right for me!

In my coaching with Nancy, I got to spend time thinking about the elements of my ideal business, and getting clear on what I wanted.  And I also saw that my current job had some of those elements, but not all that I needed to succeed in a way that would make my life ‘pop!’

What are the elements of your ideal business?  Do you know what hours, offerings, engagments you would love to have?   Think about what would make your whole life ‘pop.’  What does that look like?

And, if you want to have a coach to work with you on creating your ideal business, I would love to support you on that.   Here’s how:  http://www.fillyourpracticenow.com.

The topic for next week will be Discover Your Inspired Actions.  Stay tuned…

Wishing you a most wonderful week!

Love and Great Joy,

Karen