If you hire a coach, make sure they have a proven track record and can help you focus in on where you are right now and what you really need to do to take your business to the next level. It was probably 10 years or so ago when I first heard the term “Coaching”. I guess it first started in the traditional business world. Today “coaching” has become a common business practice. My initial thoughts regarding the subject as it relates to network marketing was if someone requires a coach, somebody in their upline is not doing a very good job. In reality, those are still my foundational thoughts. Network marketing organizations have been built by strong personality individuals, and personality is not duplicatable.
As an industry we have never fully grasped the depth of the reality that the business should be built around duplicatable systems.
NULL I have covered this concept many times over the years in numerous articles and in my booklet “Why the Masses of Network Marketers are Frustrated, Confused and Don’t Have a Clue What They are Doing”. I started doing limited coaching back in 2000 because individuals continued to ask about my coaching services, and I offered none.
The most important concept regarding coaching I can share with you is just because someone calls themselves a “coach” doesn’t mean they are.
Let me explain. In 2002 I am working in my office one evening and a person calls. Since I am the only one there I pick up the phone. Then he starts his pitch. He went on for what seemed like 10 minutes, without taking a breath. I absolutely cringe when this happens because it becomes very apparent, very quickly that this person doesn’t have a clue how to communicate with a prospect. When the guy paused for 1/2 a second, I quickly and forcefully state I am not a prospect, I wish you great success, but I am not a prospect. His response, what are you? At this point I would normally hang up the phone but I went on to say, I have been in network marketing over 25 years and operate a coaching, seminar, and consulting company. His response. So how much do you charge for coaching? (I am thinking this guy needs it, but I have no interest in working with him). However I answered him honestly $500 an hour with a 3-hour minimum, but at this point I have a waiting list. His response $500 an hour? I only charge $100. I made $2,200 last month coaching and my XYZ MLM Business paid me almost $1,800.00. I have only been in the business two years so I am almost at $4,000 total income, that is pretty good isn’t it? At this point I was in shock. I said something like yes, I am glad for you and wish you continued success and politely hung up the phone. I will NEVER forget that phone call and the thoughts I had proceeding it. Who in their right mind would pay this guy $100 an hour to coach them? He obviously doesn’t have a clue how to use the telephone, so I can just imagine the other areas he is giving people misguided information. I could go on and on, but hopefully I have communicated my point. I remember a few years ago an “MLM Guru” who is a friend of mine, but who had never built a downline decided he was going to start charging people $5,000.00 to take a class to learn how to start a coaching business for network marketers. I was amazed how many people paid 5 grand for the class. What I find even more amazing is that anyone would pay to be coached by someone with a lot of personality but no track record of success. This and numerous other experiences has put a sour taste in my mouth regarding coaching in general because I have seen many people collecting fees that shouldn’t be from naive distributors who I guess didn’t know any better. Today, I set aside a limited amount of time each week to do coaching. 95% of my clients are already earning a six figure income in network marketing or are company owners. 75% of the people that request information about our coaching program, don’t need coaching, they need a course that teaches a specialized system. Normally after 15 – 20 minutes on the phone, I let them know they don’t need to pay me $500 an hour, right now. Rather, they should just invest in and internalize a specific course.
Personally I have gotten the most value for my investment dollar from people I have paid for personal coaching. I spend a lot of money on “self education”. I always have and hopefully I always will.
A few years ago I wanted to learn everything I possibly could about marketing with Press Releases. So I spent over $1,000 on books and CD programs. Then when I could talk intelligently on the subject and had a base of knowledge I hired someone who I felt was an expert on the subject and gladly paid him for his time and expertise. I got my questions answered and over my career I estimate that I and my inner circle have received well over a million dollars in free press coverage. I could give you example after example of how this approach has paid off very well for me and the money I have invested for personal coaching. As a network marketing leader, I hope you will always begin with the end in mind.
Understand that everything you do and every prospecting method you use must be able to be duplicated by the masses.
Constantly work and refine your training systems. I hope you are never guilty of having someone on your team hire a coach. With that said, the best way for you to insure that that never happens may be to invest in a coach yourself. Just make sure they have a proven track record and can help you focus in on where you are right now and what you really need to do to take your business to the next level.
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Dale Calvert is a 25 year marketing professional. A directory of Dale’s websites can be found at DaleCalvert.com. His new course will teach you 21 Ways to create leads in your local market. You can get all the details at LocalMLMLeads.com
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