I have a weekly coaching session with my coach. It’s scheduled for 30 minutes. We’re often finished in 15.
On many occasions, I show up without a question to ask or a problem to solve.
Sometimes we chat about life, or politics, or movies we’ve watched.
My coaching was recently up for renewal and my coach said, “I enjoy chatting with you but it’s fine if you’re complete with coaching for now.”
I replied, “I’m not paying you for your time. I’m paying for the value I get from you challenging my thinking. A single insight I had from a recent conversation changed everything for me. I’ve already wired you the next payment.”
Concierge Services
The word concierge comes from the Latin for serving together.
It once referred to the person in a hotel who would take care of everything from getting you a table at a fully booked restaurant to advising you on fascinating places to visit during your stay.
Concierge has come to refer to personalized and on-demand health services that include everything from house calls, to MRI scans, genetic analysis and access to an exclusive network of leading hospitals.
Concierge businesses have sprung up in recent years to help wealthy and successful people with the one asset that they need the most… Time.
The more successful you become, the more importance you give to time, over money.
You can always make another dollar but you can never make another minute. And wealthy people will often spend significant money in order to save time.
As Alan Weiss puts it, “True wealth is discretionary time.”
You’re not a coach
It’s time to stop calling yourself a coach. The barrier to entry to the profession is now so low that anyone can be “certified” as a “life coach” online for free.
Don’t be a coach.
Coaching is not a title, it’s a tool.
And it’s just one of the many tools at your fingertips…
Sometimes you help your clients with their 25 year vision. And sometimes you help them with a problem they need to solve in the next 24 hours.
Sometimes you help your clients reflect deeply on their values. And sometimes you help them with tactics and execution.
Sometimes you listen to them deeply. And sometimes you tell them what they most need to hear.
Sometimes you’re a coach. Sometimes you’re a consultant. Sometimes you’re a trusted advisor.
Concierge Trusted Advisor
I pay for a concierge medical service. For a high annual fee, I get access to world class medical care, personalized attention and support when I need it.
Most years I don’t make more than a single phone call or have more than an annual check-up.
What it gives me is peace of mind. What it gives me is confidence.
That’s precisely what I create for my Concierge Trusted Advisor clients:
- Confidence.
- Peace of mind.
- Bespoke support.
We start by scheduling weekly calls but this is based on your needs.
Some of my clients prefer just 1 or 2 calls a month. But all of them have what I call “Virtually Unlimited Coaching.”
When you need support, we make time.
You have access to all my resources. And you have access to my connections with other elite coaches and consultants, depending on your needs.
Sometimes you need high level brainstorming. Sometimes you need Deep Coaching. Sometimes you need problem solving.
And in every conversation, I provoke your thinking.
Often I work with you alone. When needed, you can bring me in to work with your team or even your Board.
How we work together:
- 13 months of support.
- Introductory questionnaire and overview analysis.
- A range of personality assessments to assess how you operate best in the world—at your best and under stress.
- Up to 4x scheduled 30 minute sessions a month—on Zoom.
- Laser coaching calls, as needed.
- We use an AI app to transcribe our conversations in real time, so you always walk away with a word-for-word summary of each conversation.
- Video recordings of our Zoom calls, available within 24 hours.
- A dedicated Whatsapp number – for fast brainstorming or Q&A.
- Feedback, strategies, recommended resources and action items.
- Introduction and connections to fascinating leaders and consultants to take you deeper, when needed.
Time is your clients’ most precious asset
Years ago, I coached a famous photographer at his home in the Hollywood hills.
The first time I met him I was unsure who the woman was who sat on the other side of the living room.
He didn’t introduce me when I first walked in, so I was pretty sure it wasn’t his wife. It slowly dawned on me that it was his assistant.
She was there for when he needed her.
He probably spoke to her once, in all the times that I coached him. But he wasn’t paying for her time. He was paying for support to be there when he needed it.
High-achievers are willing to invest in support for when they need it, rather than paying by the hour.
Consider offering a concierge service in addition to your regular coaching. Consider offering a Trusted Advisor Service for the high-level leaders that you coach.
Love. Rich