I love my children and I know they love me.  In fact they love me so much they’ve been sharing all their germs with me. This time I’ve lost my voice and have an ear infection.

This all came about during a recent trip out to LA to attend Ali Brown’s last ever Online Business Success Workshop. Not only did I come away with some amazing marketing advice I also made some pretty big shifts with my own business which it seems is helping me get unstuck.

Have you ever reached that point where you know you should be moving ahead much more quickly than you are?

You feel like you are racing ahead but with the parking brake on.

Well, that’s how I’ve been feeling.  And being at the conference really opened my eyes to the possibilities for the next phase of my business.  But while my eyes have been opened, my throat and right ear have been closed.

It was half way through the conference that I got sick and lost my voice.  Everyone said it was a sign from the Universe.  I guess the Universe saw that I wasn’t responding to the quiet nudging and soft taps at my door so it needed to do something to shut me up and get my attention.

Ok, I’m listening.

Without my voice I have become aware of some interesting things.

1. People model our behavior.

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In case you hadn’t noticed, people can react very differently when faced with the same price for a product or service. In fact in most cases, we’ll never actually know what is in their minds when they consider a price and then decide to respond to it in certain way. So what does that mean for those of us pricing and selling our services out there in the market?

Typically, people who sell services go for an hourly rate. They use a process called “reverse competition” to determine what their rate should be. This is where you take a look at what your geographical competitors are charging, and you decide where in the range you want to fit on the spectrum of hourly rates. Inevitably, we choose a rate somewhere in the middle, so we can say that we’re not the most expensive, but neither are we the cheapest!

What kind of message are we sending out to our clients with this approach?

We’re showing absolutely no differentiation from any other company – just sticking ourselves straight down the line. In other words, we compete with everyone! Not a very prudent marketing decision. So pricing simply using an hourly rate that sits in the middle of the spectrum is, in my view, a wasted opportunity to create a point of difference with your offering. Let’s think more broadly for a minute about what we are actually offering to your clients: Regardless of what our specific offering is, we all offer some combination of:

•  Quality
•  Price and
•  Service

QUALITY
Quality has become an expectation - the minimum you need to be in the game. It is similar to a high school degree - no one cares if you have one, but watch out if you do not. Quality is no longer an effective differentiator.

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CEO’s have not been using a service that can provide them with great value. Historically CEO’s have relied on mentors and consultants for guidance and help learning the ropes of the lifestyle that is a CEO. After the ropes are understood there is no need for mentors or consultants, CEO’s are hired because they are resourceful, intelligent and adaptable people.

CEO’s need is a professional coach. They need a coach that relies on experience and process. It is very important for CEO’s and those in the board room to realize that they have the answers to most issues that are presented to them to solve. A highly trained coach who focuses on a process of pulling that information from the CEO is the most effective way for support in a job that feels quite unsupported.

Many coaching firms and individuals will tout that they have the experience to coach you, which is only half the equation. Experience and empathic understanding is important but can put that coach into a position of becoming that mentor or consultant CEO’s do not need.

“It is not necessary, for example, for the executive coach to have all the knowledge required to solve a particular problem. Instead the coach should have the objectivity necessary to stand outside of the problem, and the agility to assist the executive in recognizing what is missing and what needs to be done” (Altier, 1989).

The coaching process is the number one way a CEO can arrive at answers that will empower and support their natural leadership and problem solving abilities. A good process coach is like a good telescope; you have to purchase the telescope, learn to use it as the tool it is, then the coach will use the process to bring those things that seem blurry or far away closer so that the CEO can arrive at the decision that needs to be made. Coaches do not make decisions for their clients, they help them see the problem clearer not the answer.

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