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What’s the answer when no matter how hard or well you work in your own business, it’s not enough to do more than pay your wages? You enlist the help of a Business Coach, add the “missing element” to the formula. A business coach does not have to be an expert in the business; they have to be an expert in business improvement!

If results count for anything, the Australians Cricket Team Coach, John Buchanan, would have to be one of the best coaches in the world! But John was never a brilliant player – he reckons he scored a duck on every 1st Grade pitch in the land except Hobart (and that was only because he never played there!)

So, what’s John’s message? Simple! The coach requires a set of skills – coaching skills – that are entirely different to those of the player. And, of course, a cricket coach would need to have an expert knowledge of the rules and the business of cricket!

In the business context, a business coach does not need to be an expert in their client’s business or industry; but they do need to be an expert in the skills of coaching and they do need an expert knowledge of business in general.

As a ProfiTune Business Improvement Specialist I’m sometimes asked, “If you’re not an expert in my industry, how can you help me?” to which I will generally reply, “I don’t need to be an expert in your industry – I was hoping that you were that! But I do need to be an expert in business improvement and, I believe that’s why we’re talking right now, isn’t it?”

As an example of how this plays out in a real coaching assignment, take the case of one of my automotive clients. They have a team of three family and three non-family staff, and are absolute experts in their field. Before approaching me about coaching, they had been in business for 20 years, and had developed a widely-respected business as automotive specialists and had good systems, expert work, great service and good presentation. In fact, they did nearly everything right – except make money!

As the owner said to me when I asked why he felt that coaching would benefit him, “I think we have gone about as far as we can on our own. We need help if we are to take the business to the next level. We’re experts in our game, but we seem to be only average business people judging by the money we make.”

You can probably appreciate that, with such a positive attitude towards coaching the results came quickly, even if not all that easily to our client. Why not easily? Because he had never really appreciated just how good his work was when compared to the general run of the mill in the market, and so had been undercharging for 20 years!

The first improvements came as a result of leading my client through a simple calculation for a realistic value of his labour in the market place. No hype. No gouging. Just a simple calculation of the cost of a chargeable hour of labour, with a 40% gross profit added. The end figure indicated the need for a 21% hike in his labour rate, a prospect that filled him with dread.

And it’s right there, I suppose, that the value of a Coach kicks in. With his coach in his corner holding him to his commitment to do the hard thing – because it was right for the business and fair by the customer –both turnover and profits increased by more than 20% in the first month of coaching! And there was not one complaint from a customer.

With a few runs on the board, we turned our attention to applying some of the newfound profits to lifting the presentation of the business to an entirely new level. Four months later with a new shop front, spares counter, and waiting room (complete with new, comfortable and stylish cane furniture), and a general face lift for the rest of the premises. The comments and compliments from customers and colleagues alike, just did not stop!

And the prices went up again! And the clients kept coming, more than ever. The workshop is now one of the busiest in its area and enjoys a steadily growing clientele of people who recognise the outward signs of a good job and are willing to pay a little extra for top quality work.

Sure, there have been a raft of other improvements (thinking about “the next step” – retirement – has lead to a succession plan for the owner’s son); the extra profits and steady work have made it possible to invest in new equipment and employ additional staff, thus lowering the workload on the owner, and provided more time to work on the business instead of in it.

So what did I, as the coach, need to know about my client’s industry? Not much at all, although as inevitably happens, I learned a lot more as a result of having completed this very satisfying and enjoyable 18 month assignment.

And what did I gain from the exercise? Well, in some sort of ascending order of importance:

• $26,400 in fees for approximately 57 hours of coaching.
• Huge satisfaction from a job well done that will continue to bring benefit to this client for years to come.
• A very nice testimonial, which read in part, “The cost (of the coaching) was much smaller than the amount we may have committed to an advertising program, and the benefits once generated are permanent. We even managed to have a holiday! There is so much to learn.”
• You can add to that a very nice, heartfelt thank you card from my client and his wife, along with a very respectable bottle of fine red wine.
• And a referral to another business couple much like themselves who, as a result of such a strong recommendation, will shortly become clients.
• But lastly, and of the greatest value of all, I have gained two friends with whom I now enjoy an occasional bike ride, outing or just a cup of coffee.

About the Author
Peter Rowe is a licensed Business Improvement Specialist(tm), heads up Christopher Howard’s ProfiTune Business Coaching, and can be reached at ProfiTune Business Systems, www.profitune.com, info@profitune.com,
Phone: 07 5510 3555

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