The end of this global pandemic, global catastrophe, global nightmare, or whatever other description you may have for it may be coming to an end.

We may be facing some things that will never go back to the way they were, but there will always be universal truths from before 2020 that will never change.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same…”

~ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

For example, there will always be that guy or gal who has the connections and contacts. Need a plumber? They know a good one. Need a realtor?

They’ve got one for you. Need a haircut? They’ve got you covered there too. Know somebody like that? Why not become somebody like that?

My good friend, partner, and business coach – Phil Gilkes recently won “Coach of the Month” in a coaching organization more than 900 strong.

He won it because he pivoted when COVID hit. He started a regular Livestream on FB, then added LinkedIn and started doing a dozen little things to keep him top of mind with current prospects and past clients.

In the end, it paid off, and he landed a significant contract with a large company. Congrats Phil, job well done.

Here’s the thing, despite all the popular myths of “self-made” success, there are always others involved.

Those “others” include the person who originally referred Phil to the company several years ago (referral made because he’s a great trainer and there was a commission involved), and the industry giants who he received training from throughout his career as a coach (and continues to draw ideas from).

There are also the friends and mentors who helped him put together the proposal and sales emails that led to closing the deal.

BUT as crucial as all the assistance was, he got the contract because he kept on keeping on. He never stopped.

Others may help us get where we’re going, but the responsibility is ultimately ours.

Many years ago, I was involved with a coaching company that used the slogan: “Separate yourself from the competition, then eliminate them!” 

That’s some serious-sounding stuff, but it didn’t mean eliminating the competition literally; it meant eliminating them from consideration.

Another phrase they used was to make your prospective customers think: “I’d be a fool to do business with anybody else!”  Wouldn’t that be great!

Here are some books to help you find ways to become the “go-to” coach in your community or chosen niche: 

Key Person of Influence

By Daniel Priestley

This book has been out since 2010; however, it may be more relevant today. It gives a five-step program for becoming the guy or gal I discussed in the opening of this paragraph. If you follow Priestley’s roadmap, you can accomplish it more quickly than trying to figure it out on your own. Please note that I didn’t say it was easy.

I don’t know if he took his inspiration from the famous Four Ps of Marketing that we all learned in business school, but he presents us with his Five Ps of becoming a Key Person of Influence. They are Pitch (know your value), Publish (write a book), Product, Profile and Partnerships.

It’s a short 200-page book with your plan to dominate your market by branding yourself and becoming the “go-to” person. It’s your choice. Do you want to be the one recommended or allow somebody else to claim that position?

Virtual Selling

by Jeb Blount

Tell me if this has ever happened to you: You get a friend request on social media, you accept, and minutes later, you’re getting pitched? No foreplay, no get to know you, no small talk. It’s a terrible way to try to get business. It throws all the best sales training techniques we’ve ever gotten out the window.

What’s worse is that it poisons the pool. I’m not particularly eager to do business with anybody I haven’t had a chance to get to know.

That cuts in both directions, too; whether I’m getting hired or the one doing the hiring, you need to know the other person at a superficial level, if nothing else. It’s become so bad that people refuse to connect and have a conversation.

I recently reached out to a prospect on LinkedIn and asked him to book a “get-to-know-you” call with me his response was, “Send me information; I am not booking a call.” Even after I explained the call wasn’t a pitch, I just wanted to see if there was a fit to move forward in any way.

Nope, he still refused, so I followed the time-honored sales tradition of Some Will, Some Won’t, So What … Next! Sometimes, no matter how professional we try to be, it is a numbers game, and we have to keep going.

I could say a lot more about this book, but I won’t. Get it, read it and apply it to grow your coaching practice. There’s a right way and a wrong way to build virtual relationships, and Blount tells you how to do it.

Go Live! 

by Jeffrey, Gitomer

If you haven’t heard of Jeffrey Gitomer and you’re in sales or coaching, you may have spent a lot of time under a rock or in witness protection somewhere. He’s in his 70s now but has been one of the top sales trainers for decades (if you ever get to see him live or in a video, he’s a pretty funny guy too).

Although not a youngster, he’s up-to-date on the latest tools and gives readers ideas on using YouTube, LinkedIn Live, podcasting, and Facebook Live to connect with and develop your leads. He teaches you how to utilize other social media like Instagram and Twitter as well.

The simple truth is the more ways you have to reach out to potential clients and share your message, the greater your opportunities to improve your reach and your revenues!

He teaches you how to repurpose your materials so you can create material once but use it on multiple platforms. This book was written for a pandemic (and post-pandemic) world. It’s a relatively short read but long on ideas to take your consulting practice forward.

Final thoughts …

Things have changed, and we may never return to the way things were.

However, these books will give you some great insights into navigating this strange new world while using the best of your old methods.