Have you ever asked a client to do something you knew would scare the heck out of them?
Or held firm to requesting a client get something done in a ridiculously short time frame?
Or clearly let a client know that the story they’ve been telling themselves isn’t an empowering one?
If not, why not?
Challenging your clients to step past fear, to face their growing edge, and to create an empowering new sense of possibility is what makes you stand out as a coach.
But you can only do this if you stop playing it safe, stop worrying what someone will think of you, and stop trying to be ‘nice’.
If you’re not regularly challenging your clients then you’re at great risk of losing clients.
A (now past) mentor lost me as a client for this very reason.
I decided not to renew for another year of coaching for one simple reason: I wasn’t being challenged.
I knew she supported me and believed in me, without question.
But I want my coach to help me create a powerful vision of where I could be in my business and with my revenue, compare it to where I am now, then together, we can get to work, coaching me to leap over that gap.
And if you’re just now adding coaching to your business as an income stream, learning how to artfully challenge your clients is what will support you in attracting high end clients, right from the beginning.
So how do you challenge a client to do more and to be more than they thought they could be, with sensitivity and deep empathy?
Start By Using The Power Of Your Voice
Surprisingly, you can challenge a client and ask them deeply personal questions without creating defensiveness IF you use your voice correctly.
I mastered this early in my coaching career and it’s allowed me to have clients quickly feel safe, to trust me and to hear on a deep level my unique brand of fierce love coaching.
I learned to let go of worrying what my client would think of me, and instead, focus on speaking the truth to my client, no matter what.
There is no critical parent, condescension, judgment or disapproval happening within me, which leaves my energy free to ask powerful questions with an “of course you can!” attitude of what’s possible for them.
Don’t Apologize
I don’t apologize for asking a question, for being confused, for not understanding what a client is saying, for interrupting when they launch into story…you name it.
Apology is not a coaching skill and it robs you of your power and confidence, so Stop. Doing. It.
Hold Your Clients As Powerful, No Matter What, Even If They Can’t Do So For Themselves
This is the foundational principle in ALL of my certified coach trainings and here’s why: when a client is in the midst of making a transformation their fear is going to pop up to try to stop them.
If you hold your client as powerful — no matter what — it will empower YOU to be courageous in your coaching…
And your client can borrow your strength and your belief in them to see them through that critical moment.
As a coach, you are a creator of transformation and the success of your clients’ results is often in the power of how bold YOU are willing to be!
