Now that you’ve found your calling as a wellness coach, you must now figure out how to turn that passion into profit; the first step is BRANDING! Before your business can be successful, you must first develop a brand that grabs the attention of your target clients and keeps them coming through the doors. Your brand represents your core values; the thing that sets you apart from your competition!
The dictionary definition of branding is a collection of experiences and associations connected with a service, person or other entity. On paper that probably doesn’t mean a whole lot to you, but in the same way big corporations invest in their brand, Wellness Coaches can benefit from the same strategic investments. Creating a business brand is important for several reasons:
- It lets your clients know who you are and what service you provide,
- It sets the tone for your business environment, and
- Your brand (if done correctly) will ultimately attract more clients – and isn’t that really the goal?!
There are three overall keys to Branding – Identify, Develop and Stay Committed.
Identifying your brand starts with you and knowing your personal values. The first part of brand identity has already been done – you’ve found something your passionate about and want to pursue it full-time. Next decide what message you want to convey to your target market. A mission or values statement will help you convey that message. I know this sounds very “corporate-y” but don’t be alarmed! A short paragraph describing the goals and objectives of your business is all you need. In this statement be sure to include: exactly what you do, what benefits you provide for your clients, what sets you apart from your competition, and what you envision for the future of your company. Keep this statement in plain sight for you, your employers and your clients. It will keep you on track and everyday you’ll be reminded of your accomplishments. Just as your values are an extension of you, so is your brand.
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cation enhances the therapeutic effectiveness of the provider-client relationship. Appropriate use of empathy as a communication tool facilitates the health related interview, increases the efficiency of gathering information, and honors the patient / client. It is one of the vital facillitative conditions of coaching talked about by Dr. Arloski.
ord empathy dates back to the 1880s, when German psychologist Theodore Lipps coined the term "einfuhlung " (literally, "in-feeling") to describe the emotional appreciation of another's feelings. Empathy has further been des cribed as the process of understanding a person's subjective experience by vicariously sharing that experienc e while maintaining an observant stance.9 Empathy is a balanced curiosity leading to a deeper understanding of another human being; stated another way, empathy is the capacity to understand another person's experience from within that person's frame of reference.10
e Thoughts on Empathy," Columbia University psychiatrist Alberta Szalita stated, "I view empathy as one of the important mechanisms through which we bridge the gap between experience and thought." A few sentences earlier in her essay, she had emphasized that ... "[empathy is] consideration of another person's feelings and readiness to respond to his [or her] needs ... without making his [or her] burden one's own."11:p151
