by Barry Zweibel
I realize that business development may not be your favorite thing on your to do list. And that's where the principle of BIWI comes in. BIWI (pronounced "BEE-wee") stands for "Because I Want It."
There are plenty of business development activities that are both fun and fulfilling, and that use your natural talents. And coaching is one of them. How can coaching be a business development tool? In the form of sample coaching sessions.
This is something I did for many years that helped leverage sample sessions as a business-building activity: I put on a two-day "Coach-on-Call" event where I contacted my entire mailing list, and any/all other personal/business contacts, and offered a free coaching session to anyone interested in being coached.
Here’s a sample of the script I would use—feel free to adapt it for your own use, or even better, write your own!
COMPLIMENTARY COACHING!!!
Barry Zweibel, certified professional coach, schedules two free Coach-on-Call days
Hi All ~ Barry Zweibel, here, from GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. I'm very excited about what's been going on in the coaching world these days and I'm dedicating myself to making as many more good things happen as I can—for both me, and those around me. To that end, I have scheduled two Coach-on-Call Open House days where anyone interested in being coached … can be.
Coach-on-Call Days
Thursday, [month/date], 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [time zone]
Tuesday, [month/date], 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [time zone]
What's It All About?
Maybe you have a specific issue you want to work though.
Maybe you've been unable to make enough progress on an outstanding goal.
Maybe you need to sort out some sort of conflict.
Maybe you're just plain stuck.
Maybe you want to learn a bit about what coaching is and how it works.
Maybe you've been looking for a reason to call me and say hello.
Well, here's your chance. See what coaching can do to help reduce your stress, silence that inner critic, create or update a plan, or just get some real momentum going for you.
So call me on either of the two Coach-on-Call days. (If I'm on another call, you'll have an opportunity to leave your name and number for a call back from me.) Or if you prefer, you can schedule your Coach-on-Call time, in advance, by emailing me. Either way is fine! And, if you'd like, you can even email me some background information ahead of time, too – whether you pre-schedule or not.
The key, though, is this—when you do call, be sure to have something specific in mind that you want to be coached on. That will help us to make progress quickly.
My goal is to coach as many people as I can over these two Coach-on-Call days and I could use your help to spread the word to as many people as possible. So, whether you intend to call me or not, I'd really appreciate if you'd send a copy of this email to the key people in YOUR network—and and ask them to do the same.
Thanks, in advance. And I hope to COACH you soon!
– bz
Note that I scheduled the first day towards the end of one week and the second day towards the beginning of the next week. I found this to be very helpful for people with busy schedules.
I also strongly recommend that you plan some sort of office clean-up project on your Coach-on-Call days so you've got something to keep yourself busy in the event your phone doesn't ring. For me, I liked to reorganize my bookcases in the free time. It was something that needed doing and was easy to break away from when the phone did ring.
Between the first Coach-on-Call day and the second, I sent out a follow-up email:
Hi all ~
Just a quick update to say that the first day of my Coach-on-Call event went very well. I received several calls—some scheduled/some not—and helped some people get unstuck and moving again. Here’s how they described my coaching:
"I liked how you really understood where I was coming from and that your feedback was spontaneous and affirming. The language you used really helped me understand how to think about things more constructively, too. The plan we created is really doable."
"You kept me focused and refused to let me get bogged down with all my reasons for 'why not.' As a result, I'm now thinking about my next steps in a way that feels good."
"You have such a fun, playful spirit about you, Barry. And you helped me take a difficult, scary thing and make it sparkly and light. Very cool. And VERY helpful."
"I liked how you re-used my words in a way that helped me understand my thinking a whole lot better. This was a very good use of my time."
If you made a mental note to call me on Day One, but didn't—or meant to tell someone else to call and didn't—well, here's a second chance! Day Two is scheduled for [day/date] from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [time zone]. Let me suggest you email me, right now, to lock in a 30-minute timeslot for yourself. Again, the one ground rule is that you have a specific topic for us to talk about when you call.
Also, if you haven’t already, please do forward this message to those in your network—the more the merrier! Thanks.
– bz
Remember, business development is easy when you honor your BIWI (Because I Want It). And as a coach, isn’t coaching one of your absolute favorite BIWIs?! So grab a calendar, take a deep breath, and schedule your own Coach-on-Call Days, yes?
Best case, you’ll get several new clients. Worst case, your office will be nice and clean! It's a win/win.
Barry Zweibel, MBA, MCC, is president of GottaGettaCoach!®, Inc. As a noted executive coach, leadership consultant and master certified life coach, he engages smart, capable, people in meaningful conversations about their personal growth and professional development. www.ggci.com.
