1. What is coaching versus business consulting?
2. What are the benefits of having a business coach?
3. What are the results from professional coaching?
4. What are some typical reasons to work with a coach?
5. What should you look for in an executive coach?
6. What does coaching versus consulting provide?  Why is it a great investment?
7. What does the coach ask of the business owner?
8. How can success of the coaching process be measured?
9. How is coaching delivered?
10. How long does the coach work with the business owner?
11. Do I have any guarantee? 
12. Is AAI coaching confidential?
13. How long has Sandra Lee provided small business coaching?

1. What is coaching versus business consulting?

Duct Tape Marketing Coaches work in a “hybrid” mode, as a coach-consultant.  The Duct Tape Marketing System is set up to allow us to offer you the best of both professions:  advice and creative expertise when you need it, accountability and strategy when you’re stuck, and proven strategies and tactics to help you systematically build your business.

In practice management and small business development, you may also choose to work with us in Consulting projects.   In this case, we ask for your input to help you with business solutions and systems to speed your growth.

Business Coaching relationships are more inter-dependent to equip you to build your business. Whereas, Practice Management and Business Consulting relationships are more dependent on the knowledge and direction of the consultant to provide your solutions.

Whether you choose, the hybrid of coach-consultant, or strictly a consulting arrangement, the end results are focused upon an overall improvement in the quality of your business, profits and personal life.

2. What are the benefits of having a professional business coach?

Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles. Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal effectiveness, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals.

3. What are the results from professional coaching?

Coaching is designed to help clients improve their learning, business performance, goal achievement and enhance their quality of life.  This happens as they clarify, focus and learn how to get the results they are after.  It does not focus directly on relieving psychological pain or treating cognitive or emotional disorders. Any contribution the Coach makes towards the client's desired outcome is through on-going interaction with the client. The Coach's role does not include producing a contracted product or result outside of the coaching sessions.

4. What are some typical reasons to work with a coach?

The typical client is someone who wants to reach one or more of the following: a higher level of performance, learning, fulfillment, happiness, success, satisfaction and clarity. They are willing to act and move forward on the goals they have chosen, with the support of a competent coach. There are many reasons that a service professional or small business owner might choose to work with a business coach, including but not limited to the following:

• There is something at stake (a challenge, stretch goal or opportunity), and it is urgent, compelling or exciting or all of the above
• There is a gap in knowledge, skills, confidence, or resources
• A big stretch is being asked or required, and it is time sensitive
• There is a desire to accelerate results with accountability
• There is a need for a course correction in work due to a setback or lack of growth
• An individual has a style of relating that is ineffective or is not supporting the achievement of one’s professional goals
• There is a lack of clarity, and there are important choices to be made for business success
• The business owner is extremely successful, and success has started to become problematic
• Work and life are out of balance, and this is creating unwanted consequences
• The individual desires work and life to be more simple, less complicated
• There is a need and a desire to be better organized and more self-managing

5. What should you look for in an executive coach?

The most important thing to look for in selecting an executive coach is someone with whom you feel you can easily relate and create the most powerful partnership for your business. Here are some questions you may want to ask any qualified prospective coach you consider:

• What is your professional coaching experience? (number of CEOs and teams you have coached, years of experience, types of situations)
• What is your coaching specialty or client areas you most often work in?
• What specialized skills or experience do you bring to your executive coaching?
• What is your philosophy about coaching?
• What is your specific process, systems or programs for business coaching?
• How are coaching sessions conducted?  (session frequency, private or group sessions, systems and protocols used, etc.)
• What are some of your business coaching success stories? (specific examples of individuals who have done well and examples of how you have added value to their small business)

6. What does coaching What does coaching, practice management or small business consulting provide?  Why is it a great investment?

This is different for each client. Most often we hear words like: accountability, direction, growth systems, profits, inspiration, focus, sounding board, validation, challenge, support, new possibilities, reduced stress, changing perspectives, success, and results. And, the bottom line is, we’re normally after a specific result that makes a difference in your life. We are dream catalysts at your service.

7. What does the coach ask of the business owner?

To be successful, our coaching asks certain things of the business owner, all of which rely upon your intentions to:

• Focus—on one’s self, the tough questions, the hard truths--and one’s success
• Observation—the behaviors and communications of others and your own
• Listening—to one’s intuition, assumptions, judgments, and how you listen to others
• Self Discipline—to challenge existing attitudes, beliefs and behaviors and to develop new ones which serve one’s goals in a superior way to the past
• Style—leveraging personal strengths and overcoming limitations in order to develop a winning style in growing your professional business
• Decisive Actions—however uncomfortable, and in spite of personal insecurities, in order to reach for the extraordinary
• Compassion—for one’s self as he or she experiments with new behaviors, experiences setbacks—and for others as they do the same
• Humor—committing to not take one’s self so seriously, using humor to lighten and brighten any situation
• Personal Control—maintaining composure in the face of disappointment and unmet expectations, avoiding emotional reactivity
• Courage—to reach for more than before, with proven strategies for business success, to engage in continual self examination, to overcome internal and external obstacles

A coach makes a request of the client to promote action toward the client's desired outcome. A coach does not make such requests in order to fix the client's problem or understand the client's past .

8. How can success of the coaching process be measured?

Think of measurement in two distinct ways.   External and internal indicators of success. First, there are the external indicators of performance. These measures can be seen and measured in the individual or business environment. Examples include achievement of coaching goals established at the outset of the coaching relationship, increased income/revenue/profits, implementing a marketing plan or system,  performance feedback which is obtained from a sample of business statistics (e.g., gross income, net profits, increased sales, increased new clients). The external measures selected should ideally be things the individual is already measuring and are things the individual has some ability to directly influence.   

Second, there are internal indicators of success: measures which are inherent within the individual being coached and can be measured by such things as self-scoring/self-validating assessments that can be administered initially and at regular intervals in the coaching process, changes in the individual’s self-awareness, reduction of stress and awareness of others.  Improvement in physical feeling, peace of mind and shifts in thinking and one’s emotional state which inspire confidence may also be recognized.

9. How is coaching delivered?

The Coaching Process ― Executive coaching typically begins with a personal interview (usually by teleconference) to assess the CEO’s current opportunities and challenges, define the scope of the relationship, identify priorities for action, and establish specific results desired. Subsequent coaching sessions may be conducted in person, privately by phone, or in group teleconference webinar sessions.  Session length depends upon the type of coaching chosen by the client, with each session lasting a previously agreed  length of time. Between scheduled coaching sessions, the individual may be asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of their business or personal goals. 

Assessments ― A variety of assessments are available to support the coaching process, depending upon the needs and circumstances of the executive or service professional. Assessments provide objective information which can enhance self-awareness as well as awareness of others and their circumstances.  These can provide a benchmark for creating future coaching goals and actionable strategies, and offer a method for evaluating progress. 

Concepts, Systems and Principles ― A variety of concepts, systems and principles drawn from the behavioral sciences, management literature, proven business and marketing strategies may be incorporated into the coaching in order to increase the executive’s self-awareness and awareness of others.  These foster shifts in perspective, promote fresh insights, reliable systems for success and provide new frameworks for looking at the challenges of the business with a solution focus.  They can also energize and inspire the executive’s forward actions. 

Appreciative Approach ― Coaching incorporates an appreciative approach. The appreciative approach is grounded in what’s right, what’s working, what’s wanted, and what’s needed to get there. Using an appreciative approach, the coach models constructive communication skills and methods the executive can utilize to enhance his or her personal communication and business effectiveness.

10. How long does the coach work with the business owner?

The length of a coaching partnership varies depending on the CEOs preferences. For certain types of focused coaching, 3 to 6 months of working with a business coach may work. For other types of coaching, people may find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period. Factors that may impact the length of time include: the types of business and personal goals, the ways small business owners like to work, the frequency of coaching meetings, and financial resources available to support business coaching or consulting. And, we ask our clients to simply stay with us as long as they love the results that coaching or business consulting provided them.  Bottom line, they are getting much MORE value than the money they are paying! 

11. Do I have any guarantee?  Yes!

Yes. If, once you have received your welcome pack and completed your first coaching session, you do not feel completely satisfied that you have made the right decision, we will cheerfully refund your money in full.  This is a one time option, which you may exercise at the end of the first session only (i.e. it’s your back door!).

12. Is AAI coaching confidential?

Everything you do with Advance Associates is totally confidential and very private. AAI will not acknowledge to others that you are a client, or have even contacted us, unless you give written permission to do so.  In addition, what goes on between your coach and you is so confidential and private that the only way anyone will know about it is if you tell them!

13. How long has Sandra Lee provided small business coaching?

Advance Associates was established over two decades ago.  Sandra has been the firm’s CEO and senior coach/consultant and practice management specialist since its start up in 1987.  In fact, we have been in service to healthcare professionals and small business entrepreneurs since before the idea of small business coaching was termed.

 

 
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