I work with senior and middle managers in Education, usually people working in Colleges. The coaching focuses on leadership and I build my coaching into a larger programme of development – including workshops and whole day events. In my experience, my clients have real challenges in improving the performance of teams and individuals. They also often have to do work on delegation and time management to free them up to really tackle strategic work and deliver on their leadership roles.

The institution pays for the coaching on behalf of their employees. For me, this makes business sense, as most individuals employed in education can’t afford one-to-one coaching at business rates. For me, this is essential in order to run a viable business.

I also do some work with some clients who pay for their own coaching.   Here I tend to work with women who have been very successful but are looking to make significant changes in their careers.

I came to work with these clients after I left my role as a senior manager in a college. At this time I really wanted to work independently so could focus on leadership development. I was really fired up by the benefits that come to students through great leadership, and I still am.   

The main benefit of having this niche market is that my experience in the industry gives me credibility with my potential clients. It also gives me a good understanding of the culture, working practices, and any future developments. This helps me to put together programmes which meet real needs, and communicate clear benefits for  the institution and the individuals.

When I’m coaching, I have found that my experience helps me to get to the main issues quickly without the distraction of getting clear on the language and expectations of the industry.

When I first started out, I used my existing contacts because they know the quality of my work and trust me to deliver results. I am lucky that I have a range of experience which combines really well with coaching – for example, training and consultancy. This meant that I could build up my coaching gradually alongside other services.

Next I began to get referrals – and I would say that these are the most powerful advertisement for what you do and can deliver.   As my market is quite small, word of mouth recommendation can also work very quickly to generate more work.

Marketing techniques that don’t work for me are general business networks and running public or open workshops. This is simply because I am not connecting with the people who recognise that they want to work with me. 

So, for me, Education events are much better ways of connecting with potential clients.  The best way for me to connect is to deliver at one of these event as this is a great way for people to get a flavour of what you do. 

You need some contacts to open up your chance of being invited to present - but if you are given this opportunity it is well worth spending time on putting something together that shows not only your skills but also your experience.

Another route is to take up any opportunties you see to apply to deliver on specific projects or for tenders – which, even if you are not successful immediately, raises your profile and may generate work later.  In the Education sector, opportunities are advertised for big contracts and it is worth putting in joint proposals with others who can complement your skills set.

The main lesson I have learnt is to be clear about what I do and who I work with.  This means that I know who I need to connect with and have a route to develop my client base.

Author:                 © Sonia Thomas July 2008

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