Though building rapport takes time, preparation and planning can accelerate that process. This can be done during an introductory meeting. To a leader, a successful introductory meeting is them leaving the meeting with a ‘gut’ feeling of trust and confidence in you as a coach. This article will show you how to conduct a successful introductory meeting so that you can feel fully confident and courageous heading into your first meeting with a leader and getting the client you always wanted. Let’s get started.
Now imagine a 30-minute introductory meeting. Most coaches would introduce themselves in 5-10 minutes. But the truth is, leaders are most interested in what they want to talk about.
That’s why we recommend keeping your introduction short (less than 5 minutes).
Convey value that you intend to deliver by sharing your unique value proposition.
Establish your professional experience by sharing a few clients you’ve successfully worked within a similar position or industry.
Build credibility by sharing your professional background, credentials, and education.
Once done, allow the leader to take over with their questions for 20 minutes. You can reference pages 243 - 246 of your “Global Leadership Coaching – Coach Guide”. Then the remaining time can be spent wrapping up the discussion.
There we have it. By directing the conversation this way, you will instantly stand out as a coach who understands what’s on the mind of the leader. Now the next step is focusing your efforts on preparing to answer the questions they may ask. With reports from tens of thousands of introductory sessions, we have compiled a list of the 5 most asked questions in introductory sessions. Here is how some of our most successful coaches structured their answers and delivered the biggest impact.
1) What is the 360 Feedforward Coaching process?
In 2 minutes, go over the major phases of the 360 Feedforward Coaching process. No need to go too in-depth. You will have the chance to dive deeper into the details during the first session. The goal here is to provide the leader with a high-level overview, so they know what to expect working with you and how the coaching process will unfold. Cover the 2 major phases of Committed Start and Grow, which are detailed on pages 241-242 of your “Global Leadership Coaching – Coach Guide” as well as your “Global Leadership Coaching” eLearning course. It is highly recommended that you are familiar with this content.
2) How did you become a coach? Was there a specific moment or trigger that made you want to be a coach?
Coaches come from all walks of life and backgrounds. This inevitably leads to a wide variety of motivations that led them to the profession of coaching. Leaders ask this question to discover “why does this coach do what they do.” What they really want to know is your underlying passion and what drives you as a coach. Unpack the journey you took to get where you are today. Highlight that specific moment or trigger as the focal point of your story. As with any personal story, this can also be leveraged as a source of inspiration for the leader. Once a leader has completed a coaching engagement, they will be fully equipped to continue their leadership growth journey while also having the tools to coach others. Incorporating coaching skills into an individual’s leadership role is essential. The more inspired they feel about this, the better.
3) How would you describe a coach’s role in the coaching process?
Your role as a coach is highly focused: to help leaders achieve measurably improved effectiveness. The objective is clear, and it demands that the coach is proficient in various roles, including:
a) Facilitator: Facilitate the leadership development process and help leaders to pace through leadership change, in a consistent and systematic way;
b) Sparring / Mirror: The leader’s sparring and accountability partner;
c) Resource: Provide the leader with the best resources and expertise to help improve their leadership effectiveness;
Share your primary objective and briefly discuss the roles you hold as a result. You can wrap up your answer by connecting this to your coaching value proposition stated in your coach profile. Remember, they chose to meet with you because they were drawn to your coach profile. The more you can echo the elements of your profile that attracted them in the first place, the better.
4) Think about a time that you had a challenging coaching engagement. How did you ensure positive outcomes for your client? What did you learn from this experience?
The nature of this question presents an inherent challenge in and of itself. The key here is to articulate a challenging coaching engagement to provide them with context, yet doing so in a positive light. What was challenging and how did these challenges come up? Create a clear picture so that the leader is able to visualize the challenges. Do this clearly and succinctly. Once the stage is set don’t just say what you did, explain how you did it. Leaders are interested in learning about your approach in how you were able to successfully deal with this challenging case, including the actions you took and your thought process behind these actions.
Here is where you tie everything together: emphasize the outcome - i.e. how did you create success out of struggle - and what you learned from it. Leaders want to work with a coach who can, in the face of challenges, persevere and provide them with openings and alternatives to continue fueling their leadership growth journey. And finally, as always, end on a positive note.
5) What are the most common challenges for successful leaders in working in a multinational environment?
It is easy to assume that with increased connections with others around the world and the globalization of corporations, cultural differences and diversity would be easier to navigate. On the contrary, globalization has brought diversity even more to the forefront which presents new challenges. You as a coach should be seen as an authority on the challenges successful leaders face in a multinational environment. Illustrate how through partnering with you will equip them with the means to overcome these challenges. A great way to do this is with relevant case studies and other resources. Let’s talk about case studies. Case studies are invaluable when it comes to establishing proof and qualifying your expertise. Structure your case studies to clearly define the following: Why do these challenges exist? How do they impact successful leaders? Through the use of case studies, you give life to what you do and gives you the opportunity to showcase the diversity of your offerings.