This episode is part of a series called Manage Your Coaching Clients, which already has 3 important episodes about setting boundaries clients, the intake process and keeping your clients on track.
Recently in my Facebook group called Prosperous Coach Club, (Sorry, now closed!) members have started discussions about specific challenges with current clients. And that’s what inspired this series.
The topic of client management is deep. And there’s not a lot of intel out there about how to deal with paying clients. It’s one of trial by fire things. But you know me, I want to bee line you to success so I’m going to cover this stuff!
As a new coach there are certain challenges that will come up with paying clients that diminish as you gain experience.
When you charge highly for your services, clients are more committed and generally easier to work with. So do yourself a favor and charge more. I have a whole series on Money Mastery at prosperouscoach.com/money
This episode covers the red flags to watch for.
And then in successive sessions I’ll dig into what to do if you notice one of these red flags.
Find Your Integrity
Everyone knows what a red flag is. When it flies you as the professional are called to pay close attention and get ready for action. Exactly what you’ll do depends on lots of factors. But when it comes to managing clients the name of the game is find your integrity.
To quickly master client management issues, the first thing to do is raise your awareness … both about your client’s behavior AND your response to their behavior.
The Two Types of Red Flags are About:
- Your client.
- Your feelings about your client.
Both might indicate issues in the fit between you and your client. Client fit is incredibly important for you to have an enjoyable and lucrative business.
It may seem right now that you should coach anyone who wants to hire you. It’s a point of maturity when you realize and accept that not every client is a good fit for you.
The 7 Parts of the Coaching Client’s Role
The red flags for clients all have to do with ways they do not successfully take on their role in the co-creative relationship.
The client’s role is to:
- Show up for scheduled sessions
- Show up on time for scheduled sessions
- Pay their payments on time (although I recommend you move to a full fee up front policy)
- Be communicative
- Be truthful or forthcoming about details
- Take responsibility for their growth by taking actions and making progress
- Be coachable
For the first 6, at the very least you’ll need to bring the issue to your client’s and make a strong request that’s neutrally charged. I’ll explain more about this in other episodes.
The 7th part of a client’s role is fundamental. I know it seems odd but some clients aren’t coachable. Coach-ability is crucial for the health of the relationship and for them to get value out of your services. I’ll cover that soon in another episode because it’s complex.
Right Response To Your Coaching Clients
For now, let’s talk about the red flags in your response to working with your clients. These can be subtle feelings and approaches that are driven by your strong desire to serve and have income as a coach.
For example:
- You feel drained by sessions with a client.
- Your coaching approach is driven by a desire to perform well
- Your coaching approach is driven by a desire to fix the client
- You notice yourself being inauthentic
- You feel resentful of how much time or energy this client takes (which may be an indication you’re not charging enough)
Each one indicates a breach in your integrity. It’s a signal that you have an opportunity to fortify your boundaries and stand in your power – not to dominate the client but to be more fully in your integrity with this client.
Coaching people is a huge responsibility. And there’s a tendency to either inflate your responsibility or deflate it. Everyone does this.
And you can teach yourself not to do it. A point of mastery your goal is to stay right-sized. For more about this, read my blog post called 5 Ways to Right Size Yourself to Empower Your Coaching Clients.
When you learn the way to be in power balance with your clients you become a better coach and a better person. You’ll feel more grounded, more certain of your value and less triggered.
In the Next Episode: Do You Shrink or Inflate Your Power with Coaching Clients?
