Here’s the thing. We think that having a three or six-month relationship with a client is a good thing. And I will tell you unless a client is coming to you for a very specific reason, which would generate a short-term engagement, this is not a good thing for the client… or for you.
Let’s back up a little bit.
When I was at the University of Illinois, I wanted to go into counseling. I just love people. I love to see people grow and develop.
I was working toward a double Master’s – a master’s in business and a master’s in psychology. Well, I ditched the psychology. Here’s the reason why: My desire was to see people get better, but in order for me to have a successful practice, people needed to stay sick.
And so, I had built into myself conflict. I’m trying to “get you better,” which will hurt my business. So, I ditched it because I didn’t want to have any dissonance in my own personhood.
Well, guess what? Coaching is entirely different because you are working with someone to help them get stronger, be better, become empowered, build clarity, and set their goals. And that is forever and ever.
People are constantly growing. Situations are always changing, and it creates an ongoing opportunity for the coach and the client to build the relationship.
Think about it. What keeps you in a relationship? You can likely say something similar to “being known and knowing the other person.”
And so what happens is, as you grow into your relationship with your clients, no one else will know the things you know about the client. You’ll be able to reference something from the past that they have forgotten, but you haven’t. You are able to celebrate with them and remind them of those things.
That’s when the incredible value of coaching skyrockets for the coach and the client.
So, if you want to keep your clients, you need to bring fresh and invigorating content to the relationship. You need to remind your client of who they are in the relationship and connect them back to that in the context of the relationship.
What you can’t do is ask the same questions every week. You can’t follow the exact same process every week because it will get so predictable and so dry. The client’s going to get bored. You are going to get bored, and then the client is going to leave.
