Pacific Management Consultants are a good example of branding. They consult with dentists on how to establish a practice that thrives. (Stay with me. We’ll get to coaching.)

Read what they had to say here in their last ezine:

“We have seen practices struggling along with their schedules jammed, the doctor and staff all max'd out with umpteen patients [scheduled] daily, NPs jammed in here and there. Production and collections suffering, Tx plans not getting accepted. These practices are running faster and more frantically than patients will tolerate …This happens even in a practice that appears to be far from it's capacity or even well below capacity.

On the other hand, we have million-dollar-plus practices who see 5 or 6 patients a day and who have plenty of time for New Patient exams…[w]ith the practice running at the correct "speed" for patients.”

Now, if both of these practices gave high-quality service, which one would you go to, which one would you refer patients to, and, as a coach, which one would you rather have???

Silly question.

Now let’s use our EQ, taking this as a metaphor, and transferring it over to your coaching practice. Are you running your coaching practice at the correct speed? Or are you running at a frantic pace, driving away clients, and barely making a living?

Here’s the Emotional Intelligence Checklist to consider:

Personal Power: Do you have know the benefits of your coaching and present them with self-assurance to NCs?

Have you scheduled clients so you can devote your undivided attention to each one?

Do you take advantage of income-generating products that help the client beyond the coaching call? Have you added, for instance, The EQ Foundation Course© ( http://www.susandunn.cc/courses.htm ) or The Gooding Accountability System™ ( http://www.goodingaccountabilitysystem.com ) to each client’s protocol, SOP? Be creative.

Have you learned how to suggest what the client needs, beyond what he or she wants? How are your Interpersonal Skills?

When you fail to close with a prospective client in the free coaching call, do you analyze why? Do you ask your own coach for suggestions and role play? Have you developed your Empathy? With Empathy, the ^fit^ will be wider, and when the ^fit^ is wider, there will be more clients.

Are you controlling for all the variables you can control for -- answering email timely, addressing objections

Empathy: What does your voice sound like? Have you taken a voice makeover ( http://www.voicemakeover.com )?

Authenticity: Do you have your own coach? If you believe in coaching, you believe in coaching. Get it?

Are you allowing plenty of time for NCs. I allow 1 ½ hours for NC intake. The first session is important. You must deal with “buyer’s remorse” and often the client has much they want to tell you.
Personal Power: Are you delegating? As soon as possible, hire a Virtual Assistant for logistics (sending out courses, for instance) and move up to a higher level. Virtual Assistants work for $10-$30 an hour. What’s your time worth?
Do you ^get^ that ^the higher level^ will always be client service?

Have you established ease-of-payment? Credit cards? PayPal?

Are you organized or are client calls ^surprising^ you? If they’re ^surprising^ you, are you Flexible enough to land on your feet?

Does your equipment work or is your headset always falling off and your phone battery giving out?

Flexibility: Do you allow the client to shape their own coaching program? It’s their coaching.

Resilience: Do you see this as a professional practice, something that takes a while to build? Do you market consistently and constantly? Do you bounce back from rejections?

Intentionality: Are you able to filter distractions and focus until you achieve your goals? Intentionality means being accountable to yourself for you own motives, too. Do you intend to TRY and have a profitable practice, or do you intend to HAVE one? If you intend to have one, do you have a marketing coach ( http://www.webstrategies.cc )?

Do you know how to develop your clients’ emotional intelligence? With emotional intelligence, they’ll succeed, and coaches with successful clients have more clients.

For more information on emotional intelligence, go here: http://www.susandunn.cc/EQ.htm .

©Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, offers individual coaching, The EQ Foundation Course© (available for licensing), EQ coach training, and marketing with EQ for coaches who want to succeed. Visit her on the web at www.susandunn.cc and mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc .