FAQ - Barbara & Coaching
- Who are your clients?
- What’s the difference between coaching, consulting & counseling?
- How are you different than other business coaches, advisors and consultants?
- Will I recover the investment I put into this? What results can I expect?
- I have an incredibly busy professional and personal life, how can I make time for this?
- What if I want to quit after 3 months? Or before then?
- How can a phone meeting be effective?
- I’m still not sure, can we talk?
- What if I’m not a lawyer?
Who are your clients?
My marketing focus and the majority of my coaching clients are lawyers. In my personal coaching practice, I coach lawyers from all sizes of firms, including solos. Successfully Solo group coaching was designed specifically for solo and small-firm attorneys. I found that my solo clients had a need for community and certain types of brainstorming that a coach couldn’t fill.
You’ll notice that in my testimonials, I have comments from non-lawyers. When I started my coaching practice, I took any client. (sound familiar?) At some point, lawyers started coming to me more and more, I enjoyed working with them, and I began to focus in that profession. I still coach non-lawyers, some are even referred to me by my lawyer clients- however every client that I have is an entrepreneur, and the business issues are much the same.
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What’s the difference between coaching, consulting & counseling?
When I consult, I use my business expertise and skills to offer potential solutions and ideas to my clients. While I don’t tell clients what to do, I give them information and advice. I have processes or systems to draw on, and I know what has worked for others, and, equally important, why some things haven’t worked.
Coaching skills come into play alongside consulting. Like any sports coach, I bring both know-how and motivation to my players. I challenge them, I question them, I keep their goals in mind, and I support them unconditionally. If they don’t act, I question the importance of the goal. Coaching is about getting from A to B in the most efficient way possible while having a great time getting there.
I’m not a therapist and coaches are trained to make the distinction between therapy and coaching. To me, therapy is about why. I don’t care why you are at point A. Why is a waste of time; the fact is in your situation. All I care about is what you can do to get to point B. My clients get about 60 seconds of “why” on any coaching call, but that’s it.
Nuff said.
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How are you different than other business coaches, advisors and consultants?
An average lawyer can have a very successful practice, while a terrific lawyer can go out of business. It’s the same for coaches. When you hire a lawyer or a coach, the bottom line is going to be “fit” and trust. I offer a free sample call so you can experience what it’s like to work with me. Just email or phone me to schedule.
That said- couple of things:
- While this FAQ seems to run on and on, in person, I am direct, challenging, objective and fast. I work well with people who have big goals and a big commitment.
- Lawyers hire me because I’m a business expert, not a lawyer. My experience, my skills, my interest and yes- my passion, relate to my ability to create businesses that work. Setting a vision, focusing on how to get there, and getting results defines my career.
- I’m an experienced and trained coach. That means I know how to work with my clients when they know what to do, but they just can’t do it. I know when and how to challenge, and when and how to support. This a different skill.
- I’m not just a rainmaker. I’m not a seminar guru. I’m not building a big business model. I work with clients in groups of 10 or less and one on one. My practice covers four business coaching areas, all aimed at helping clients reach the balance you want between time in the office and net profit. I work with you to manage your time better, to choose, attract and retain ideal clients, to recruit and manage a great team and to use financial metrics to help you make good decisions and take appropriate action. I see the entire picture of your business. I know how client selection impacts time management as well as financial results. I customize my work based on your individual situation.
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Will I recover the investment I put into this? What results can I expect?
If you take action, you’ll recover your investment immediately. If you create one extra billable hour a month- you’re covered. Don’t you think there’s at least one hour that you know you will recover? If that’s a leap of faith, this is not for you. I want lawyers who are ready to change because they know life can be much better.
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I have an incredibly busy professional and personal life, how can I make time for this?
You’ll learn how. I’m tempted to say that if you don’t think you can free an hour for the possibility of a much more rewarding professional and personal life- this won’t work. Try one call and if you still think you don’t have time, you’ll get your investment returned to you. Promise.
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What if I want to quit after 3 months? Or before then?
I ask for a 3-month trial because that gives you enough time to know whether coaching will or won’t be something you want to do. If you want to leave after 3 months, you can leave at any time.
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How can a phone meeting be effective?
Almost every client I’ve worked with starts out wary of phone coaching and ends up loving it. There’s no travel time, more scheduling flexibility. You can simply stop working and call in. And while it seems more impersonal than face-to-face coaching, my experience is that people reach a high level of trust and intimacy even faster over the phone. Try it, if you don’t like it- then get a face to face coach.
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I’m still not sure, can we talk?
Please email me to set up an appointment. I do sample calls and informational calls routinely.
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What if I’m not a lawyer?
If you’ve been referred by a client, I’d be happy to coach you. Just contact me.
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