You’ve completed your NLP training and you’re eager to put everything you’ve learned into practice and to start building your coaching business? Taking the time to plan will really benefit you in the long run. So how do you go about putting all your new found knowledge to good use?
1. Rest: First things first. If you’ve completed the immersion training given by Global NLP Training you’re possibly exhausted. Your mind is probably in overload from all you’ve learned in the past 15 days and plans for the future. Take the time to recoup, rest and return to the balance of your life. You’ll find you are in a far better place to plan and progress once you’re fully rested.
2. Work through your manual: Taking the time to revisit your NLP training manual, notes made in class, etc. is time well spent. It will help consolidate all you’ve learned and give you a more all round awareness into the possibilities that lay ahead of you.
3. Practice: Now you’re well rested and you’ve spent time restructuring your material it’s time to put everything you’ve learned into practice. Ask friends, family, pretty much anyone who will stand still long enough if you can use them to practice on. This step is hugely important, trying out the NLP patterns you’ve learned on others not only will build your confidence, it will help you understand you’re material with more depth and give you insight in your weakness and strengths which in turn will help you when it comes to taking the next steps to build your company.
4. Choose your market: Who specifically is the audience you wish to reach with your company? Corporate, one-on-one coaching, workshops, seminars? Make use of the tools you learned during your training to find a niche that’s right for you and that suits you both as a person and as a coach.
5. Marketing: Firstly decide on your house style, choose something that suits you and also gives a good representation of what your company is about. A website is a must have when it comes to promoting your newly founded company. This can be quite costly if you source it out. Using readymade templates from wordpress for example, can be a good solution. Another possibility is bartering; maybe you know someone who is adept at building websites and willing to help you out in exchange for something, free coaching session(s) for example. Business cards and brochures can also easily and inexpensively be made online using readymade templates.
6. Material: During NLP coaching you’ll probably make use of forms (think goal setting, limiting beliefs and the like,) contracts, disclaimers, etc. Uniformity will give your company a more professional look so make them all in your house style (colors) or you can down load all the material you will need from Global NLP training’s premium member area and adapt it to your house style.
7. Get out there: Time to get out there to tell and show people what you and your company are all about. Be creative! Alongside the conventional promo activities there is a world of opportunity to promote your company and draw in new customers if you think creatively and be original. Don’t be afraid to prove your talent by giving a free mini-workshop here and there, it might well be the foot inside the door that will help you take off.
8. Office space: If you’re getting into one-on-one coaching you’re going to need a space to set up practice. Signing a rental lease can be a huge step at this stage. It’s well worth looking into the possibility of renting office space by the hour in your area. There are companies that rent specifically for coaching practices where you need only to reserve 24 hours in advance and pay a minimal fee for an hour’s use.
9. Believe in yourself: You’re going to make mistakes. You’re human, accept it and learn from it. Make use of feedback forms to get input into what you’ve done right and what you could do better. You’ll soon see that every successful coaching session or workshop will increase your confidence, build on that. Take criticism as feed back to improve and grow and compliments as building blocks in the knowledge you’re on the right track.
10. Have fun: Regardless of whether you choose to become a weight loss coach, motivational coach, venture into the corporate world, or whatever form of NLP coaching, don’t forget to enjoy the process. Be passionate about what you do, that in itself will take you a long way on your journey as NLP coach.
