Are You Tiger Woods?

Should I hire a coach? I mean, I have been in business for a long time and I do go to a lot of seminars. I feel like if I can learn one thing each time I go. That’s good, right?” my ridiculously fit client, Darlene, asked me.

So, to help her understand if she should hire a coach or not, I tried to help her through what she does. I answered: “Darlene, I don’t know if you should hire a coach, but let me ask you a couple of questions. I know you work out, we’ve talked about that before. And I know you go to the gym.”

“Yes, of course,” she said.

“Do you have a coach?” I asked.

“Well, yes, I have had one for a couple of years.”

“OK, so why do you have a coach? You know how to work out.”

She told me that the coach taught her exactly how to do things the right way on each piece of equipment. She also kept her accountable. She was with her every step of the way and pushed her when she got tired and didn’t want to go any further.

So I said: “Well, let me ask you something, Darlene: Say you hired a coach for one day, you were new to working out and you went to the gym with this coach. The coach walked you around to each piece of equipment, showed you exactly how to use the equipment, told you how many repetitions you should do on each piece of equipment and how to use it for the best result – and then you never hired that coach again. How long you think it would take you to achieve what you have now achieved?”

She laughed and said: “OK, I get it.”

As we had this discussion and laid it out, she began to understand the reason you need a coach in other parts of your life, whether it’s business or, more specifically, sales. People often tell me they are a people person and it’s all about relationships, so with their personality alone, that will work. Good luck.

So, what are the things that you gain from a coach? No. 1, it’s setting up the right activities that you should be doing on a regular – daily, weekly, monthly – basis, whether it’s a business coach, a sales coach or a fitness coach. They set up the right activities for you.

No. 2, they set you up with accountability, where they work you through these activities or you need to report back that you’ve done them and discuss how.

No. 3, a coach keeps you doing it properly by constantly reinforcing what you’re doing, making slight changes so you do it right, and knowing when and how to bring you to the next level for maximum results.

There are an awful lot of reasons why each person decides to hire a coach. But I find it interesting when I talk to people in sales who say: “Well, I know it’s a good idea to get a coach at the beginning. But I’ve been in sales for a lot of years and I don’t need a coach. I know how to do it.”

My answer to those people is: “Who’s the best golfer in the world?” and Tiger Woods is what they always answer. I say: “OK, Tiger Woods, the best in the world – in the world of golf – has five coaches. He has a swing coach. He has a pitching coach. He has a putting coach. He has a fitness coach. He has lots of different coaches. So if you can tell me that you’re better at your business than Tiger Woods is at golf, then you’re right. You don’t need a coach.”

Until you can say that, sign up.

Greta Schulz is a sales consultant for businesses and entrepreneurs. For more sales training tips and tools, or to ask her a question, go to www.schulzbusiness.com or email greta@schulzbusiness.com.

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