It’s nice to be nice to the nice. But unless it delivers the goods it’s not nice, it’s just drivel. That’s why these coaching tricks are worth their weight in gold. Remember, your client pays you with their hard earned cash for RESULTS.

Cut off the Bullshit

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a coaching session with your head snapping back. And just before you nodded out, you saw the clock on the wall and realize that your client had been droning on for an entire hour – SAYING NOTHING?! (And, if you haven’t experienced this, you haven’t been coaching for very long.) The secret is not to bring the session to an end, or to get your client going again, as if they were a record player that just needs a bit of a nudge to get them past a scratch in their story. No, the secret is to play the role of the REALLY bad cop and interrupt their pattern of avoidance and just cut off the bullshit. Try it – you’ll like the results. And frankly, it feels so good.

Drill down Past Their Tears

So just assume that you have gotten your client to approach the real issue, and they break out into a flood of tears. Well, there they are spotting your carpet and maybe your tie, but certainly doing themselves no good at all. For that matter, there you are trying to figure out what to do. Then there is a flash of insight and you remember a scene from a black and white movie, where Humphrey Bogart slaps Lauren Bacall to bring her to her senses. Then you envision the impending lawsuit. And then, finally, you listen to me, embrace these coaching tips, and remember the power of being the REALLY bad cop. And how that is your only hope to bring your client to their senses. And you breathe a sigh of relief and embrace the role of REALLY bad cop.

And the Ultimate in Coaching Tricks, Push Them over the Edge

So just imagine that you have navigated that cascade of emotion, and you have finally brought your client to the brink of a breakthrough. And there you are staring into your client’s eyes hoping that they blink first. Well, what are you going to do? That’s it, remember these coaching tricks! Be the REALLY bad cop. And sure enough, there you are getting them passed their emotional block. And there they are happily shelling out their hard earned cash. Did I mention – HAPPILY!

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