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How to Create Even More Demand for a Wellness Coach Certification

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Getting a wellness coach certification can put you on a fast-track for success. According to a study by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), individuals who are “educated and experienced fitness professionals” now constitute the most dynamic fitness trend in the world.

Why is a wellness coach certification in demand? In a word – fat! Yes, Americans are overweight and obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 66% of adults are overweight or obese. The CDC also reports that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The only way to cure this epidemic of obesity is through healthy lifestyle habits, including physical activity and healthy eating. This is where the wellness coach comes to the rescue – armed with knowledge and experience and ready to help others find the joy in eating well and living healthy.

How to Create Even More Demand for a Wellness Coach Certification

Though the public has caught on to the benefits of having a wellness coach and the demand will continue to grow as people look for ways to get healthy, there is still a long way to go. To really push the demand for a wellness coaching certification, fitness professionals need doctors to jump on board their bandwagon. Though some doctors and HMOs have begun to use wellness coaches, there is substantial room for growth. Once it becomes common for doctors to refer patients to fitness professionals who can help them change their lifestyle and develop new and healthy habits, the field will experience exponential growth and that coaching certification will be in big demand.

Doctors may initially believe that referring patients to wellness coaches will decrease their business, and in some ways, they may be right. If people get healthy, they won’t need to see their physicians as often as they did before. However, the motivation for most doctors is not money, it is prevention and healing. By referring patients to fitness and health professionals, they will be doing their best to prevent and heal disease. Coaches with a wellness coach certification will be able to reap the benefit of these referrals.

The field of wellness coaching is much like the field of life coaching several years ago. As life coaching exploded, managers, consultants and any number of individuals jumped into the mix and began calling themselves life coaches, even though they lacked any real training. But, the field matured and became more competitive, and training and certification became essential to success in the field.

As the field of wellness coaching grows, coaches will need to be more qualified. Being more qualified means having more training, more experience, more knowledge, and a wellness coach certification. Calling yourself a coach without the training is like knighting yourself with your own sword. Getting the proper training and certification is like having the Queen knight you with a royal sword.

Special Bonus – Learn 3 simple ways to become a life coach with the  “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit  when you fill in the form at the top right and click the  “Watch The Videos Now”  button. You’ll learn how to change your client’s life in 45 minutes.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Is an Accredited Coach Training Program Necessary?

May 20, 2013 By 2 Comments

If you are thinking of becoming a coach, you may be wondering if an accredited coach training program is necessary. There is no definitive answer to the question, but for most individuals it is better to take one of the many accredited coach training programs available today.

Life or any other type of coaching is not regulated in the United States. Anyone can hang out a shingle, place an ad in the classifieds, or build a website, and call themselves a coach. The low cost and ease of entry means that there is a large pool of under-trained and ill-equipped coaches vying for business. Many of these people probably have no idea what it truly means to be a coach or what responsibilities come with the title – an accredited coach training program would have helped them!

Is Training Necessary?

Training is not necessary in the legal sense, but it can help separate the good coaches from the clueless ones. Every training program offers core skills and knowledge that coaches can use to help their clients. Some individuals, either because of extensive life or work experience, or because of highly tuned natural, intuitive skills may turn out to be great coaches without any formal training, but that is not a common experience. Training prepares you to be a coach and provides you with the necessary foundation to become a successful coach.

Is an Accredited Coach Training Program Necessary?

If you believe that training matters, you may be wondering if accreditation matters. Of course, since you can be a coach without any specific training, you can certainly become one without being accredited. But, it helps. Programs that are accredited by the ICF (International Coach Federation), or some other governing body adhere to certain standards and teach core skills vital to the art and science of coaching. There is no legal requirement to take an accredited coach training program, but it can help you become a better coach and earn respect from both peers and clients.

Coaching is a growing industry and it offers the potential for both career and financial success. However, it has become a competitive field, and any type of training that elevates you above others in the field may provide you with an advantage. If you have training, you will be above those who enter the business without training. If your training is with an accredited program, you will be above those who are not accredited and certified. An accreditation with more than one governing body and multiple certifications will elevate you above coaches with only one certificate or accreditation.

There is no legal requirements, or even industry standards that mandate any training before becoming a coach, nor is taking an accredited coach training program needed before you can hang out a shingle and call yourself a coach. But, training from an accredited program can sure help snag more clients than the next guy in a very competitive industry.

Special Bonus – Learn 3 simple ways to become a life coach with the “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit when you fill in the form at the top right and click the “Watch The Videos Now”  button. You’ll learn how to change your client’s life in 45 minutes.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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5 Reasons Student Success Coach Jobs Are Hot

May 18, 2013 By 2 Comments

Getting in to college has become extremely competitive, opening the door for a glut of students success coach jobs. Helping students get in to the college of their choice is a rapidly expanding field with plenty of opportunities in the coming years. Student success coach jobs will be available to those who seize this growing opportunity.

The complexities and costs of college today are forcing some parents to turn to educational consultants to ensure that their child gets in to the best college they can. College consultants typically help with testing, college applications, selecting the right college, locating financial aid and scholarships, and preparing students for their life after high school.

5 Reasons There Will Be Plenty of Student Success Coach Jobs

  1. College costs are astronomical and will continue to go higher. According to Bloomberg, college fees and tuition have increased 1,120 percent since 1978. As a comparison, the consumer price index has increased around 250 percent, food prices have gone up 244 percent, and the costs of medical care have gone up 601 percent. The rising costs of medical care gets plenty of attention in the media, but college costs have risen twice as much.
  2. Applying for colleges is complicated. Once again, the Internet has let us down. The digital age was supposed to make everything easier but it actually seems to make things far more complex, and applying for colleges is no exception. Students are relying on parents, but many parents are lost when it comes to the difficulties of properly filling out applications.
  3. Student success coach jobs will be plentiful because parents want some relief from the high costs and need help finding all the available financial aid and scholarships. There is plenty of help out there, but finding it is another story. Educational consultants can guide students to the proper sources of aid.
  4. The right college at the right price. Lowering the cost is important, but it is also vital to find the right college. Not everyone is meant to go to the Ivy league; just because you have the grades doesn’t mean it’s the best fit. A good college consultant will help you find the right college to fit your personality and career goals.
  5. College is highly competitive. Student success coach jobs will be there for those who are adept at helping students learn all the tricks to raise their grades and maximize their potential on college entrance exams, such as the SAT and ACT. Student success depends on their test scores and their grades. Emphasizing grades as soon as the enter high school is important and preparing for the college entrance tests early may mean a difference of a few hundreds points on the SAT or a few critical points on the ACT.

If you enjoy helping teenagers find their best path in life, and want to seek out jobs that offer the opportunity for financial and career success in a dynamic field, a student success coach job may be perfect for you. Being a coach is a great career and helping students achieve their dreams and goals make it even more satisfying.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Master Coach Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your master coach blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Job Coach Certification Can Be a Waste of Time

May 16, 2013 By 2 Comments

Job coach certification, like any coaching certification, can add to your credibility and set you apart from the competition. Since many job coaching opportunities lie with bigger companies providing out-placement services as part of a layoff package, certification may be necessary to get in the door. Certification can also be a waste of time. Here is why.

Don’t Select a Program Because It Offers Certification

Coaching is an unregulated profession. Because of this there really aren’t any officially accepted standards of excellence. While the International Coaching Federation is working hard to establish meaningful criteria, many unacknowledged coaching programs that do not offer certifications are excellent, and many programs that offer their own certifications are not good at all. Therefore, having uncertified training from a great program can be far more valuable than having a certificate from a poor program.

Judging Job Coach Certification Programs

Job coach certification is the frosting on the cake of a great coaches training program. As with all coaches training programs look for a robust offering heavily grounded in science. Also look for plenty of evaluated coaching and being coached. Don’t expect to work through hours of videos and come out a coach. This is particularly true in the area of job coaching where, in addition to coaching fundamentals, you need to understand the job market, what hiring managers are looking for, how to write great resumes and how to successfully handle job interviews. You owe it to your clients to really know your stuff, since you will often be working with them in a time of depression and intense stress.

Your Added Value Is Your Real Competitive Edge

Your added value goes beyond job coach certification and is your real competitive edge. Most job coaches help their clients survive a time of unemployment and hopefully help them find new jobs. Great job coach help their clients take maximum advantage this time to learn from their past experiences study where they will be most happy and successful – usually through assessments – and then help them define a new path that will lead them into a very bright future.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “30-Days to Become a Coach”  video toolkit. Just go HERE  now to get your 30-day coaching blueprint videos.

Dave Iuppa
JTS Advisors Strategy and Accountability Coach

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10 Inspiring Coaching Quotes That Rock Your World

May 14, 2013 By 3 Comments

Insightful and profound coaching quotes can serve as a great source of motivation and inspiration. Most people have a few favorite quotes and Google makes it easy to find new ones for insight, encouragement, and inspiration. Great quotes can rock your world and move you to new heights of achievement and success.

It is amazing that the words of others can touch your heart, heal your soul, stimulate your brain, and rock your world. Coaching quotes can bring your practice to a new level and help you rock your client’s world.

10 World-Rocking Coaching Quotes

1. The first one is for those of us, coaches and clients alike, who avoid pressure as much as possible. The stairway to success can sometimes be stressful; it is how we react to the pressure of that stress which determines our levels of achievement.

No pressure, no diamonds – unknown

2. For the next collection of inspirational words, we look to the gods.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become. – Buddha

3. The next inspirational quote is from that ubiquitous author – unknown.

Life’s failures are stepping stones to success.

4. From the world of sports, we get one of the most motivational coaching quotes. The hockey great understood that you have to take a shot to score; in life, you won’t succeed if you don’t try.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretsky

5. The next one is one of the best coaching quotes, hidden inside a joke:

Five frogs are sitting on a log.
Four decide to jump off. How many are left?
Answer: Five. Why? Because there’s a difference
between deciding and doing. – Mark L. Feldman & Michael F. Spratt Five Frogs on a Log

6. Coaching is about change – if you want to reach a different destination, changes will be necessary, and a good coach can help their clients make the correct changes on their road maps to success.

If you wish your life was different, do your life differently.- Terence Houlihan

7. Coaches will do well to heed these words from one of the most fascinating and wise leaders of all time:

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. – Gandhi

8. Teaching clients to be leaders through the use of coaching quotes:

A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. – Max Lucado

9. Using this quote will help clients see the need for both a dream and a plan to reach that dream.

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. – Japanese proverb

10. The best and most motivational coaching quote comes from Eugene Bell, Jr., and it applies to coaching as well as all aspects of life. If you make this an every day motto in your personal life, you will be an extraordinary human being; if you make that a motto of your coaching practice, you will be an extraordinary and successful coach.

Aspire to inspire before you expire

Take these coaching quotes to heart and use them in your life and your coaching practice – you will not only rock your client’s world, but you will rock your own world as well.

Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article… Thank you!

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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5 Tips for Greater Coaching Communication Competence

May 13, 2013 By 2 Comments

Communication is a two-way street; coaching communication competence not only refers to how coaches impart knowledge to their clients; it also refers to how coaches receive and process communication from their clients.

Communication is definitely not a one-way street; if you strive to be a successful coach, measured by both the number of truly satisfied clients and your financial rewards, the information you receive is just as important as the information you send. Communication involves both a speaker and a listener and flows back and forth between the two. As a coach, effective communication is vital to the long-term success of your practice. Here are some tips to ensure that your coaching communication competency is at its greatest.

5 Tips for Greater Coaching Communication Competence

  • Everyone has heard this one, but its importance to the entire coaching process requires it be mentioned again, at the top of the list – ask, don’t tell. An effective coach asks questions whenever possible, instead of making statements. An acceptable level of coaching communication competence will not be reached without basing every session on inquiry.
  • Organize ideas efficiently and effectively. You should have a plan for every session with every client. Yes, sessions will often change direction and veer off course, but having a plan allows you to express your ideas and knowledge effectively and efficiently and return to the correct course in a session when needed.
  • Express ideas concisely. Flowery language is for poetry and romance novels; coaches should speak directly and get to their points as quickly and concisely as possible. Coaching communication competence is not about your extensive knowledge of the English language or you ability to speak for extended periods of time, it is about getting to the crux of the matter and finding solutions that work.
  • Listen to your client. Don’t think about how you are going to respond, or formulate the next question in your head while a client is speaking. Listen to the words and the tone to better understand what the client wants, how strongly they feel, and how the issue affects their emotions. What they say matters more than how you answer, and if you don’t hear every word they say, in the proper context, you will never have an answer worth listening to.
  • Read your client’s body language. Active listening includes both the words that clients say, the tone in which they say these words, and the body language they use. The art of reading and comprehending body language is a valuable skill for coaches. Competence as an active listener is one of the key components in becoming a successful and sought after coach. As a coach, you listen to obtain information, learn, understand, and contextualize. Becoming a skilled active listener will truly boost your coaching communication competence to a new level, allowing you to fully realize your potential as a great coach.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Life Coaching Business Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your life coaching business blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Is Life Coach Accreditation Important?

May 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

You have decided to become a life coach; should you be worried about life coach accreditation? If you are searching for advice, you may immediately get confused – some experts say “no”, while other experts say, “yes.” You will find many different opinions if you peruse the Internet. Who is right and does it really matter?

Some coaching schools are accredited and some are not? Should this matter? Should you care? In the early days of the coaching industry, when the competition was light, it probably didn’t matter, but as the industry has matured and become much more competitive, life coach accreditation has become an important component of success. But, be careful when you select a school; many schools use their accreditation as a marketing tool. There is nothing inherently unethical or dishonest about using accreditation to promote a school, but prospective students should look beyond the accreditation and make sure that the school has an excellent reputation and is a good fit for their needs.

How Important is Life Coach Accreditation?

Yes, you can be a coach without being accredited. Yes, some clients don’t care about the certifications you hang on the wall, but, there are prospective clients who do care and will research your credentials before they commit to using your services. Having a life coaching accreditation can make the difference between getting that new client or losing their services to a competitor. Remember, it is a highly competitive industry now, with more and more coaches hanging out their shingles every year; any edge on the competition you can gain will mean more clients using your services and more profit for your practice.

Though life coach accreditation is not essential to coaching success, it does matter. However, its importance is not paramount; it is not the ultimate difference maker. The real difference maker for the success of your coaching practice is YOU. Your coaching sills, knowledge, intuition, and dedication will ultimately bring clients to your door and influence them to retain your services. Can you coach? Can you help your clients reach their goals and dreams? Are your services worth the money they are spending? Do they truly feel you care about them and have the knowledge to ameliorate their lives? Do they want to keep coming back and will they tell their friends, family, and associates about your services? These are the questions they will be asking before they sign up and during their association with you.

Yes, the life coach accreditation is important and it can be a contributory factor in your success. Yes, it is probably better to go to a school that is accredited. But, it doesn’t make you a good coach, a desired coach, a respected coach. It only helps to make you a coach. To be good, desired, and respected, you have to coach the hell out of your clients. Coach them like your life depends on it! Their success will be your success.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “Life Coaching Business Blueprint” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your life coaching business blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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Coaching Questions Bring Coaching Power

May 9, 2013 By 2 Comments

Using a well structured system of coaching questions can greatly increase your effectiveness as a coach. We have all heard the phrase: “He who asks the questions is in control of the conversation.” Besides giving control, questions also help you uncover issues that your client might not even be aware of. In addition, by answering your questions your client can give your message added credibility. Here’s how.

Questions Give Control without Provoking Resistance

When your client is answering your questions, they are responding to you and following a path that you are defining. One of the sources of the power of questions is that we are all trained to answer them. Just as we feel obliged to speak up to fill a “pregnant pause” we have all been trained to fill in the gap that comes at the end of a question by giving an answer. If you can guide your client to come to your conclusion by asking questions, you need not provoke the usual “push back” that can result when you just come out and challenge them.

Using Questions to Uncover Hidden Issues

Since our subconscious mind has been trained to answer questions too, asking questions can tap into this part of our being and reveal information that even your client is consciously unaware of. I am always surprised when a client gives an insightful answer after being asked the question “I realize that you don’t know the answer to that question, but if you did what would it be?”

Using Questions to Add Credibility

An additional bonus to guiding your client to a conclusion through questions is that when they finally state the conclusion, they do it in their own voice. This may seem to be a small point, but by using coaching questions, when the client finally hears the conclusion in their own voice, it enters their subconscious virtually unchallenged. This is a far cry from what happens when the coach makes a bold statement that sets off all the client’s defensive reflexes.

Developing Your Coaching Questions

With the power that the intelligent use of questions can bring to your coaching, it is clearly worth putting some serious effort into developing a system of coaching questions. There are many resources available in sales, rhetoric and psychology. Because it is tailored for coaches, I recommend the book entitled “Coaching Questions” by Tony Stoltzfus. Referring to this and other sources, develop your own system that you can comfortably employ to bring the power of questioning to your coaching practice.

Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article… Thank you!

Dave Iuppa
JTS Advisors Strategy and Accountability Coach

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These Words Equal Success – Certification Coach Life Online

May 7, 2013 By 2 Comments

This jumbled mess of words – certification coach life online – does not make a grammatically correct sentence or even a comprehensible phrase, but if you put these words together in the coaching industry, you can find financial and personal success as a coach. Certification coach life online is more comprehensible if we take a look at each word separately and then put them all back together at the end.

Dissecting the Words – Certification Coach Life Online

Certification. What does having a certification signify? It means that a coach has taken steps to learn skills and obtain knowledge that will help them become better coaches. It is similar to a diploma – it represents the culmination of an educational program that signifies proficiency in a specific area. More certifications (certifications coach life online) does not ensure more success, but it provides more opportunities for success.

Coach. This is not only a title, it also serves as an idea and an ideal. Being a coach means that you have the power to help people achieve their goals and dreams. There are so many people calling themselves “coaches” these days – the title may have actually jumped the shark years ago – but there is still power in the word, “coach” if you aspire to the ideal of being a coach and not merely the idea of being one. This means you are dedicated, capable of true empathy, and will continually pursue the cutting edge of your profession while not forgetting the foundations of the coaching business.

Life. Coaching is all about life. It is obvious that life coaches are concerned with life, but all coaches, from athletics coaches to executive coaches, are about life. As a coach, you hold the keys to a better life in your hands – both your life and the life of your client. Your coaching will not only utilize the skills and knowledge obtained through education, it will also use your life experiences to help ameliorate your client’s life.

Online. This is where the money comes in! You can be successful with the first three words, but to truly maximize your coaching skills and capabilities, using the power of the Internet is essential. To boost your profits beyond the ordinary, alternate streams of income should be developed and maximized. The Internet can be used to advertise through social media, squeeze pages, website content, forums, and articles. It can also be used for webinars, videos, and coaching through email. There are many ways to harness the power of the Internet to move your coaching practice from the ground to the stratosphere.

Though at first, certification coach life online, seems like a nonsensical phrase, carefully analyzing each word brings it to life for coaches. Each word has powerful implications for coaches, words that should be fully dissected within the parameters of their coaching practice. You can be a coach, but you cannot be a successful coach without grasping the meaning and the power of this phrase – certification life coach online.

Special Bonus – Learn 3 simple ways to become a life coach with the “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit  when you fill in the form at the top right and click the “Watch The Videos Now”  button. You’ll learn how to change your client’s life in 45 minutes.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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The Fast-Track Academy for Coach Training

May 6, 2013 By 2 Comments

Looking around the Internet, there are hundreds of coaching programs and many seem to offer their services as a fast-track academy for coach training. What does fast-track training mean? Are these accelerator programs only for people who are not currently in the work force, or are they available to anyone with a strong desire to become a coach?

Most fast-track academies for coach training are designed for extremely motivated people who are seeking a fast-paced, certified coaching model that will provide them with all the tools to hit the ground running.

Finding a Fast-Track Academy for Coach Training

You want to be a coach – you want to be a coach now. Getting your training as quickly as possible is of paramount importance to you. If you are working, many programs offer intense weekend training that will get your certified as quickly as possible. These programs can be offered in person, via teleconference classes, or webinars. Almost every school, every academy, every training program offers some flexibility to accommodate a student’s needs.

Fast-tracking your way to the coaching business can be done whether you are working or sitting on your couch. If you are working, it will certainly take more planning, effort, and time, but it can be done. If you are currently sitting on your couch watching episodes of Family Guy eight times each day, then you can get up, get going, and be quickly on your way to doing something meaningful with your life. Forget those get-rich quick schemes, stock market gurus, or those invest with someone else’s money real estate courses, coaching is the real deal and an academy for coach training is waiting for you.

How to Find an Fast-Track Academy for Coach Training

  • The first step is to look online for available coaching programs. Search for any that mention fast-track or accelerated classes. Once you have a few that offer what you want – contact them. Write and phone them – see how quickly they respond. Any programs that take too long to respond, cross them off the list.
  • Look for programs that offer comprehensive courses on coaching, behavior, and running a business. Any programs without information on running a coaching business is lacking information you need.
  • Next, you need to decide how to take the coaching program. Determine your needs and scheduling preferences and then select the right vehicle to get your training:
  • Web-based: Taking courses online with instructional videos and online reading.
  • Tele-conference: Taking classes via telephone or teleconference.
  • School-based: Taking courses in an actual classroom setting.
  • Seminars: Learn in classes that take place in a group setting, usually in a large hall or conference room.
  • One-on-one mentoring: Learning through observation and practice from an experienced coach.

Finding a fast-track academy for coach training is the best way to jump into the coaching industry as quickly as possible. However, don’t associate the word “quick” with “easy.” Coaching is a great career, but it takes work, dedication, and plenty of effort. Becoming a coach requires the same dedication and work. Find the right program that fits your needs, schedule, and personal situation, and you will be happy you made the decision to become a coach.

Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article… Thank you!

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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