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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Hire A Coach

The top athletes have them.

Famous Hollywood actors have them.

And I don't just mean millions of dollars and endorsement deals.

I am talking about coaches to help them reach all their potential. Those who are at the top in Hollywood and professional sports did not get there alone. They had help. They had coaches.

The thought of an acting or athletic coach is accepted by everyone (inside and outside those fields), but not as widely understood in the business world,... although they have existed for decades.

I have coached dozens of attorneys on their business development, marketing and networking skills, but most of them required discression, as they felt the partners in their firms would not understand why they needed "coaching" at all.

Twice this week I have had successful sales professionals tell me about their "sales coaches". In these converastions these people shared how coaches helped them fine tune their skills, organize their time, and increase sales. Both had to pay for the coaching themselves because their companies do not recognize it as a legitimate business expense. Yet they are happy to pay the price to see the results.

Some companies are, however, spending big money to get coaching for their top executives. Again, many of these executives wont publicly speak about their coaches. Some only have them because their bosses are making them get coached.

So if we know that Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan and Tom Cruise had the world's best coaches, why do those of us in business not want to seek out and utilize a coach? I think that many business professionals either feel they already know everything or they feel it will make look weak.

Of course the opposite is true. If you can get assistance from an experienced coach that makes you more effective, and your results improve.... you will then be seen as one who knows more and be viewed as a stronger leader.

I think coaching is an important part of success.

**The hard part is finding the right coach for your situation. There are a lot of people out there who call themselves "Coach", but not everyone is qualified. I will write more about the process of finding a coach as I embark on my own quest to find the best "sales coach" for my own career.

Have A Great Day.

Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
thom@thomsinger.com

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