Our pal Bill Doerr is a great mine of information. We were chatting about a big problem one of our clients was facing - she had a coaching customer who came to every meeting unprepared...and then blamed her lack of progress on the coach!

Bill said, "I’m going to suggest whether you do or not—with this client—you can better fix all the future clients who may present you with the same challenge as this one has." Here's his solution.

Your current client is presenting you with an opportunity to learn how to engage with your future clients so this will NEVER become an issue . . . EVER . . . in the future!

From now on, when you sign aclient up, ‘stripline’ them with a strong ‘post-sell’ step on the challenge of what’s going to happen on this issue BEFORE it became an issue.

Say something like, “Alright, I’m glad to learn you want to work with me. The feeling is mutual. Oh, by the way . . . one LAST issue we need to address along with this paperwork my attorney likes me to have you complete and sign.

This may or may not become an issue for us, but in case it should develop that way I need to ask you how you’d like ‘us’ to address an issue that has a funny way of developing in a coaching relationship BEFORE it develops. That way we can address it without the passion of emotions getting involved and making a resolution all the more difficult? Would you agree that makes sense? (Sure. What’s this issue you’re talking about?)

Well, sometimes, after we’ve completed a couple of coaching sessions SOME of my clients find that the ‘work’ I assign them to do gets to be something they feel they really don’t want to do. Surprising, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, if their work isn’t done, then the results they want from it won’t be realized. Certainly not a good thing, wouldn’t you agree? (Oh, sure!)

Well then, in the event it ever should happen during YOUR coaching project there are 3 ways ‘we’ have to address it.

First, I remind you of this conversation and your agreement—no, make that your COMMITMENT to ‘get back to work’ on the work you’re being assigned by me and we’re back on track.

OR, we change the status of our relationship so I become your marketing CONSULTANT rather than your marketing COACH. That means that I’ll do the ‘dirty work’ you may find you prefer not to do . . . the only thing is, my retainer fee, each month, as a consultant is going to be $ _________ more than your monthly fee to be in my coaching program.

And, if neither option is acceptable, then our third option means we have no other choice but to end our relationship.

So NOW BEFORE we ‘leave the dock’ can we agree that in the event you, not I, decide that you don’t want to do the work I’ll be asking of you but you still want the results it will produce for you that ‘we’ will have to make a decision and again, here are your 3 options . . .

1. you get your head back in the game and do what I’ve assigned to you
2. you ask me to become your consultant—with the higher monthly fee, of course
3. we agree that if neither option is viable, then our relationship is ‘over’

________________, ARE YOU OK with that? (Yes)

________________, look me in the eye . . . I’m not kidding . . . ARE YOU OK with that understanding? (YES!!!)

Good. NOW you can finish signing the paperwork and give me your check.

Old Chinese proverb: “If you don’t want weeds . . . kill the roots!”

My proverb: “There are no bad clients . . . only (coaches) who didn’t set the rules early enough, clearly enough, strongly enough and maybe high enough!”