Thursday, June 12, 2008

Do You Need A Guru, Baby?



by Tammy de Leeuw
Financial Advisor Netzone

"What Do Advisors Really Want?"

In hopes of finding out the answer to this age-old question, I recently sent out a short survey to a few of you. (BTW- thanks to those who replied.)

Most of the results mirrored my expectations, but there was one small surprise. When asked whether or not they felt a mentor or coach would help their business, nearly 18% of those polled said they felt a coach or mentor would NOT help their business.

I haven't followed up with those folks yet to see if a bad experience in the past has soured them on coaching, but 18% is a LOT of folks who say they either don't need or don't want help.

This flies in the face of what successful advisors and entrepreneurs have told me: that having a mentor, a sensei, a trusted coach on their staff has been a key ingredient in their financial and personal growth. At the recent RULES FOR RENEGADES SUMMIT, millionaire entrepreneurs from Christine Comaford-Lynch to Jack Canfield talked about the importance of mentors to their businesses.

Many entrepreneurs tell me that being ACCOUNTABLE to someone outside their business has moved them from an information junkie to an ACTION-TAKER. Mentors can prod a person to develop the habits of success and steer them away from things that are not working in their lives and businesses.

Choosing a coach is a very personal process; academic pedigrees and titles don't count for much unless there is a CONNECTION. This is why it is important to "audition" your coaches before commiting to a long term contract.

A good coach or mentor will always give you a chance to get to know him or her before you invest your time and money. FAN is working to host more free and low-cost webinars to assist you in finding the coach that is right for you.

Quantifying results

You all know I am big on being able to see immediate, quantifiable results from ALL your sales and marketing efforts. Dollars in should equal dollars out.

With coaching, it is a bit more subjective. Sometimes, a coach or trainer may come up with a marketing idea which results in X number of new clients. Sometimes, he or she simply gets you to focus better on what you are already doing or helps you with a personal problem which is holding you back.

With coaching, you have to ask yourself some questions: Can I see an OVERALL improvement in my business and/or my life? Can I see an impact in my practice bottom line? Are things better than they were before and what is that WORTH to me?

If you are interested in exploring coaching and mentoring, email me at: tammy@grouchymarketinglady.com and I will send you a short list of coaches, trainers, and mentors who come highly recommended to me. All of them are top notch and all of them have this in common: THEY THRIVE ON YOUR SUCCESS!

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