Walked into a new sales coaching client’s office today, and you would have thought it was a shrine to her greatness. She had award plaques that boomed out to the world how wonderful she is. Several of these awards were for:

• “Sales Leader Of The Year”
• “Top Producer”
• “#1 Regional Production Leader”
• “$3 Million Club”
• “Gold Producers Club”

What does that tell your client? Is it about you or is it about them?

Consider displaying your licenses, designations, and pictures of your family, your hobbies, your passions. Make yourself real. Remember, people don’t want to do business with you because you are a sales leader. They do business with you because you take care of them.

Work Hard & Have Fun!™

Consulting and coaching makes sense for almost any business, but ONLY if they bring REAL value to the client in the way of tangible results. If you hire a business coach, make sure you select a person that fits your needs.

Ask the following questions of yourself:

• Can this person help me? (Education, Training, Experience)
• Does this person have the will to help me? (Values, Beliefs, Interest, Motivation, Passion)
• Will we work well together? (Instincts, Drive, Modus Operandi.)

The following questions are designed for YOU to ask a prospective coach to help you decide if he/she is right for you.

• Tell me about your education, training, experience, and your track record when coaching businesses like mine?
• How can your business coaching services help MY business?
• WHY do you coach? What is your PURPOSE in coaching?
• What is your capacity for taking on new clients?
• How long do clients stay with you?
• What format do your services take (Coaching, Consulting, or both), and how do you deliver these services?
• What is the cost and length of engagement?
• Can you provide me with references from current and past clients?

In addition, be EXTREMELY clear about your needs. For example, you may need:

• Time Management
• Strategic Selling And Marketing
• Leadership
• Operational Planning
• People Management

Finally, make sure success is measurable. Ask:

• Looking forward, how will I be able to tell if hiring you was a good decision?

Asking these questions BEFORE you hire a coach helps you feel confident in the the relationship, allowing you to get on with the business of building trust and realizing your objectives.

Four short months ago I wrote a post called “The Process“. This post discussed The Alabama Crimson Tide football program coached and run by Nick Saban. Last night, execution of “The Process” resulted in Alabama’s third Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship in the last four years.

Born sixty-one years ago in Fairmont, West Virginia, Saban is at the top of the sports world. He appeared on the September 1, 2008 cover of Forbes magazine as “The Most Powerful Coach in Sports”. So what makes this man possibly the best coach in the history of college football? His passion? Standards? His knowledge of the game? Recruiting? Work ethic? His assistants?

The answer is simple; it’s EVERYTHING. Saban’s success is a product of all of these things and more… it’s called THE PROCESS. It’s doing everything according to a predetermined standard, never satisfied with anything less than perfection. Saban does not allow his players to talk of “Repeats” in coming seasons, or to refer to the Alabama Program as a “Dynasty.” He demands focus upon and execution of those things in The Process designed to achieve Alabama Football’s objectives on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis. Alabama’s All-American center Barrett Jones said “it’s all about playing to a standard.”

What lessons can we learn from the Alabama Crimson Tide Football Program that apply to our businesses? While it is not easy, it really is pretty simple. Consider these four steps to maximizing the value of your business:

1. Define your objectives with the clarity of the crystal in the BCS National Championship Trophy.
2. Develop a Process that is unique to your business rooted in foundational principles, but also subject to constant, never-ending improvement. Leave no stone unturned.
3. Execute The Process.
4. Never, NEVER be satisfied with anything less than perfection.

Congratulation to those associated with Alabama Football. At least for today, we applaud you. At least for today we can say… Roll Tide!

Work Hard & Have Fun!™