NOTE: As of 2022 the Center for Executive Coaching is now accredited with the ICF as a Level 2 Coach Training Organization. The ICF has changed their language and replaced ACTP with Level 2. We were among the first group of coach training programs to receive this accreditation, after a rigorous review by the ICF.

4 phrases to avoid in your coach marketing

I'd like to share with you 4 phrases that you should avoid in your marketing materials:

1. Integrity. Anytime a coach tells me he has integrity, or that integrity sets him apart, or that integrity is a core value, I roll my eyes. You don't tell people you have integrity. You show it.

Here is a quick example: I know a coach who somehow got approved by a well-known firm to teach a set of principles about integrity and leadership, one of which is that one's promise is pretty much sacred. His website goes on and on about how important integrity is to him. Well, on doing some due diligence on this coach, I discovered that he has stiffed at least two people for thousands of dollars he promised to pay them. How's that for integrity?

2. Partnership. Avoid telling people you want to be their partner until you have established your value and built serious trust. Most businesspeople flinch when someone from a professional services firm wants to become partners. They know that partner really means: "Get out your wallet. I want you to hire me on a long-term basis and pay top dollar."

3. Trusted Advisor. You earn the right to be a client's trusted advisor. This is not a service that you promote on your website or in your brochure.

4. Coach. I know that this will confuse and even insult many coaches. Why shouldn't you use this word, especially if you are a coach? Of course you can use it, but do it the right way. "Coach" has some very negative connotations in business, like it or not. Many executives still perceive coaching to be an expensive waste of time. Many business owners have met lightweight business coaches from franchises, and have soured on the term. It is much stronger to focus in your marketing on the problems you address and the value you provide. Then talk about coaching as one way you deliver results. Ideally you also get results in other ways, too: training, facilitation, seminars, writing, and more. Sell solutions and value first, your unique achievements and approach second, and coaching third.

Aflac

Amazon

Ancestry

Army Corp of Engineers

Ascension Health

AT&T

Bank of America

Bechtel

Best Buy

Booz Allen

Bose

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Brown University

Capital One

Caterpillar

Charles Schwab & Co.

Children’s Hospital Colorado

Cisco

Citrix

Coca-Cola

Deloitte

Dropbox

Duke Energy

Galveston Independent School District

General Atomics

General Electric

Google

Harvard Business School

Home Depot

Inland Steel

International Red Cross

Johnson and Johnson

Kaiser-Permanente

KPMG

Laser Spine Institute

Lexis Nexis

Liberty Mututal

L’Oreal

Macy’s

Mckinsey Consulting

Merck

Microsoft

MIT

NASA

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Nike

Nissan

Nvidia

Partners Healthcare

Philips

Procter & Gamble

Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC)

Ralph Lauren

Regeneron

Rice University

Ross Stores

Russell Reynolds Associates

Schneider Electric

Shell Oil

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Stryker

The Ohio State University

Tom’s Shoes

United Nations

University of Florida

Unum

UPS

US Air Force

US Army

US Army Medical Corps

US Marines

US Navy

USAID

Valassis

VMWare

Xerox

Zappos

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