Unexplained nausea, a pesky rash, phantom pain — symptoms like these send my mind rolling down the road of no return.
What if it’s cancer? The bubonic plague? A coach-eating bacteria? Or perhaps it’s a biological virus unleashed by a terrorist cleverly disguised as a local girl scout?
Funny how the mind works, isn’t it? My reasoning is this: If I can wrap my brain around the worst-case scenario and live, then the real diagnosis will seem like good news in comparison.
This sad, irrational thinking is striking new coaches everywhere.
Deadly Disease Striking New Coaches Everywhere
A new, highly contagious, excruciatingly painful, and ultimately deadly disease has surfaced. Its symptoms are so common, so ordinary, and so seemingly normal you may even have it now but not realize it.
The name of this disease?
Non-Existent Client Disorder, or NCD for short.
Symptoms
If you, or a coach you know, have any of the symptoms below, seek immediate help.
Coaches suffering from NCD generally:
• Average 3 clients or less in their coaching practice
• Find themselves inexplicably lowering their fee in almost every consultation
• Feel so paralyzed at the thought of marketing that they sign up for every marketing class available, always learning but never applying the lessons learned
• Worry that this whole coaching thing may not work out, and they’ll soon have to find a “real” job
Disease Course
This disease commonly attacks coaches in their first year or two of business, and if undiagnosed, can lead to discouragement, doubt, and grasping at weird offers on the Internet that they know are too good to be true.
In its final stages the disease leads to this terminal conclusion: “Maybe God didn’t call me to be a coach after all.”
In medical terms, we call that death.
Death of hope. Death of a business. Death to the dream of impacting the world through the power of coaching.
Prognosis and Treatment
To date, no magic pill to cure Non-Existent Client Disorder exists.
However, there is hope. While treatment is radical and the road to recovery long, when followed, complete healing is possible.
This two-step treatment regimen, if applied daily over time, guarantees positive results:
1. Get in front of a targeted group of people — To strengthen and grow your marketing muscles, get out from behind your computer and meet people. Not just any people, but that rare group commonly called your niche. Get to know them and let them get to know you.
2. Tell them how you can help them solve their problems – Your target market isn’t looking for a coach; they are looking for solutions to their problems. The truth is working with a coach is probably better than other available options. They just don’t know that yet. So, it’s up to you to show them the many benefits of coaching.
Repeat daily for maximum benefit.
Long-term Outlook
Unfortunately, the majority of coaches won’t seek treatment for NCD (Non-Existent Client Disorder), and for them, there is no cure.
In some rare instances, a coach may discover that God really did call them into coach training but not into a coaching career for reasons of His own. Thankfully, for them, there are no lingering aftereffects — only joy in their new path.
But for you, the wise coach, things can be different. You’ve caught the disease in its early stages. You’ve identified the symptoms and diagnosed the disorder accurately.
Granted, the treatment regimen may seem harsh at first, but once begun will quickly work its way into your daily life.
For you, the prognosis is very good. You are wise enough to follow the prescription. And when you do, clients will come.
Congratulations. You and your business are looking healthier already.
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