The Abundant Practice: A Program for Coaches

by Flo Conner

"The Abundant Practice" is strictly about turning your passion for coaching into a viable financial business."

How do you know when a prospective client is serious about coaching? The Abundant Practice: A Program for Coaches ™ can show you how to qualify a prospect in four easy steps.

"It's a process that starts when someone shows an interest in coaching and ends in a place where they're willing to make a financial commitment," says Teresia LaRocque, cofounder and facilitator of the Abundant Practice coaching program.

The Abundant Practice not about teaching coaches to coach, but rather teaching them how to build their business. "The Abundant Practice is strictly a program about turning your passion for coaching into a viable financial business," LaRocque says.

Teresia changed careers from Youth Care worker to coach after she discovered "I was more committed to the individual changing than they were committed to changing." After working with the Anthony Robbins' organization as a coach Teresia began working with coach Robert Alderman, who had developed a program to help coaches build their businesses. LaRocque then teamed up with business Strategist Michael Walsh to offer her own teleclass-based program to coaches looking to explode their business.

The first master certified coach in Canada, LaRocque has been recognized as one of the top practice builders in North America by Coach U and Robert Alderman in 1997. In addition to The Abundant Practice program, LaRocque owns a thriving coaching and speaking business.

Four Steps to Success

Separating serious prospects from the merely curious is vital. The four-step process teaches coaches to be selective in client selection. "That makes them more attractive as a coach," she says, "and they are going to get the ideal clients."

For example, the first step centers around creating what LaRocque calls the "credo" that describes what you do in a compelling, compact way. "We get students to own and associate with who they are as a coach and how to communicate that to people when they express an interest in coaching."
Abundant Practice student and youth coach Cassandra L. Gierden feels defining her credo has already brought her new business. "When you talk about what you love and people can tell you mean business, they want to work with you and want what you have already achieved in doing what you love."

Other steps include offering a complimentary coaching session that follows a specific model laid out during the four-month coaching program. Coaches learn the "20 most powerful questions" to qualify prospects and learn their intentions and expectations, such as "If the word 'failure' was not in your vocabulary, what would you be doing with your life?"

"One of the most powerful questions you can ask when you feel that someone is a good candidate is 'Coaching is about commitment -- are you ready to do what it takes to get the results we talked about today?'"

It takes more than wishes.

What LaRocque has learned from mentoring coaches is that it's not the lack of coaching skills that keep coaching businesses small, but fear and lack of clarity, LaRocque says. The cure is action.
Students participate in role playing on teleclasses, then conduct "fieldwork" in between sessions. Support among instructors and participants is a vital part of the program. Coaches buddy up to provide each other support and help. Students also have access to instructors via email or phone.
"We provide lots of feedback on their fieldwork, supporting them to get clear on what they really want, what are the obstacles, and how to turn a prospect into a paying client," she says.

Coaching the Coach

The program is ideal for coaches at all levels.

"New coaches have a great enthusiasm to make a difference as a coach, but there's usually a lack of skills or confidence to get out there and really build a business around it," she says. "They may be working with two or three clients - pro-bono or paying - but they're really not sure how to attract more paying clients. Other, more experienced coaches with slow-growing practices know they need new tools and perspective to take it to the next level."

For coach Kevin McDonald, his career as a coach has taken off since participating in the Abundant Program. "It's expanded my beliefs about what I can charge, how many clients I need, who I can coach and the lifestyle that I can live."

The Abundant Practice has reduced the learning curve for coach Gloria Tom Wing Staudt, allowing her more time to focus on her passion. "Being a coach does not feel like work," she says, "rather a feeling of alignment with a life purpose."