You rock! Just the fact you’re visiting this page demonstrates character.
Commitment.
Boldness.
Intelligence.
Intuition.
Drive.
Ambition.
And…
Well, you know what time it is—or you wouldn’t be here. And my job is to explain my world of business coaching, answer some common questions, and help you quickly decide if coaching is right for you.
Let’s get right to it!
First, if you’re just looking for more background or testimonials, check out:
More info? Ok, here goes:
I’ve been coaching and business / technical consulting for almost 30 years. During that time, I’ve helped transform some of the smallest micro-businesses (e.g. a single person), to some of the largest governments (e.g. United States). And all points in between.
Project budgets have extended from 5-figures through 8-figures. Our coaching business routinely grosses in the mid six-figures plus, just for coaching and consulting. (excluding products, software, and other projects.)
You may be thinking: Corbin, that’s all nice, but I want to take my business into the 6-figures and beyond—like yours.
Fair enough. Let’s fast-forward to today:
My experience, goal, and role in all of this is to help you succeed.
Not just a little bit of success—or a “taste” of success–but a LOT. But “success” means different things to different people. So here are some of my most commonly-asked questions:
Is Business Coaching Right For Me?
Do you have a business? Are you planning to start a business? Are you already an expert in your area of products and services? If yes, then you’re definitely a fit for some level of business coaching.
Read on to see if you’re a match for my particular brand of coaching.
What’s the Difference Between Coaching and Consulting?
Here’s how I define coaching:
- Coaching advises, guides, directs, supports an objective. For example, launching a new service, or suggestions on how / where to get clients and new business.
- Coaching provides accountability. Coaching clients are generally 10x more likely to reach and surpass their goals when the accountability step is in place.
- Coaches help clients brainstorm solutions, overcome limitations, provide a sounding board.
- Clients do the physical business work themselves. Coaches guide and provide “GPS” services.
- Coaches provide guidelines, suggestions, templates, exercises, and resources.
- Coaching is a longer-term endeavor. Coaches and their clients realize that big results may require an ongoing process of discovery, testing, and implementation.
and consulting:
- Consultants have a very deep-level expertise in a particular area. (E.g. a Human Resources Process Consultant, or a Procurement Consultant.)
- Consultants often (not always, but often) do physical work. For example, a consultant may be hired to go onsite at a client’s business, conduct interviews, or create / update software.
- Consultants are often brought in to solve a very specific problem or set of specific problems.
- Clients often have deliverables and dates tied to them. For example “fix this software problem by such-and-such date”.
Another way to view all this, is the consultant is often directly in control—and directly responsible for—a particular outcome. For example, reducing helpdesk costs by 25% per year, or automating a process that usually takes 10 days and 10 people to one that takes less than 1 hour and no people. (Yes, our firm does this as well!)
How Much Is the Coaching Call?
Remember: coaching is an investment, not a cost. This is exactly how we justify hiring our own coaches and consultants each and every year. I personally spent over $30,000 USD in coaching last year, and it was worth many times that investment. Coaching has been a HUGE growth factor in our own business, which doubled last year.
That said, a one-hour coaching call is $500.00 USD.
Fence-sitting note: This number is increasing in March 2017. So if you’re even remotely considering a business power-up, jump on it now.
Are There Refunds? Can Calls Be Rescheduled?
All appointments require preparation, calendar booking, saying no to other potential clients and paying consulting work.
Put another way: when an appointment is booked---it's booked. Accountability, and meeting timeline commitments are hallmarks of ANY good coaching relationship.
Refunds are granted in one---and only one---situation: where I'm unable to make the call. This has never happened in my coaching (or consulting) career, but it could (disasters, acts of God, etc.) Another possibility is if we find issues, or possible conflicts of interest with your coaching packet. Again---hasn't happened before, but I work with so many different people that it is a possibility.
Should a refund become necessary for the above situation, you will see it promptly back in your account within 48 hours.
Appointments are considered "set in stone" when you book them. Please use due care and caution when selecting your appointment. If for any reason you select the wrong time by mistake, just forward your payment and appointment confirmations to "support@corbinlinks.com", and a CorbinLinks.com Super Service Team member will be in touch to find another option.
Do You Offer "Free" or Non-Profit Pro Bono Coaching?
I offer a metric ton (or "tonne" for our friends across the pond) of free consulting in the form of this blog and podcast. In fact, I suggest all potential clients spend at least 2--3 hours with my materials and a couple podcast episodes to ensure my style is right for them.
The other main resource of 'f-r-e-e' consulting / coaching / advice is found on the CorbinLinks.com VIP List. I highly recommend ANYONE interested in creating or growing a service business subscribe to https://corbinlinks.com/viplist. I share some of my best work on that list, plus many "insider" things I do not---or cannot---share on a public internet forum. I guarantee that between the free blog, podcast episodes, and VIP List, you'll have a a suite of proven power tools to get you going. Plus, it's a great way to see what makes me tick, how I approach business and life in general. You'll know after an episode or two if we might be a fit for each other.
That said...
We do allocate a limited number of hours per year for "special-case" coaching. And yes, we already have a full list of private organizations we support. If you feel you have a very special business-case coaching requirement, please submit a request over at https://corbinlinks.com/contact. Our team reviews each request. No guarantees, but we will review all submissions.
What About Enterprise Consulting? Business Automation, Identity Access Management (IAM / IDM) and Other Things. Can You Still Help Me?
Let's chat. Enterprise-Grade Business and Technical Consulting is a separate part of the business. If you'd like to schedule an enterprise project analysis meeting, visit the Contact Page.
How Are Your Coaching Calls Conducted?
I do almost all my coaching calls over Zoom.us (preferred), or Skype.
Zoom is an up-and-coming video conferencing and screen sharing service we use with our biggest clients. It's free for clients to use, and has excellent screen and audio quality around the world.
We can also do Skype-to-phone by arrangement, as long as your phone line is clear, and reachable via Skype. Even then, we almost always use Skype. Call clarity is super-important when delivering coaching services. I highly recommend testing your full audio setup (computer headset and microphone) to verify the sound and quality on your end before booking a call.
Is Online / Video Coaching as Effective as In-Person?
Honestly, the in-person, face-to-face is always a better experience. There is no human-to-human substitute for being together in the same space.
But for pure effectiveness? Online can be more effective in some ways. For example, sending files to review in real-time, split screen viewing of business documents, resources, and websites, call recordings for future viewing, and the list goes on. Just be aware that a good microphone, headset, and (optionally) video camera are required to make it work. Spend a bit of time tuning and testing your setup before the first meeting.
Which reminds me of another common sub-question to this: calls that disconnect or need fixing due to technical issues do not count against your time. Just be aware that if your connection is bad and a lot of reconnecting is needed, we may need to reschedule at least part of your call.
Do You Provide Recordings of the Coaching Calls?
Absolutely. Just be aware of two things:
- You should plan to use the highest-quality internet connection and audio equipment you can find. This will ensure we not only hear each other clearly, but that your recordings are sharp and crisp.
- Recording your call will require Skype (preferred), or Zoom.us. Landline calls (pre-agreement required for landline calls) are not recorded.
What Can I Expect on the Call?
- We'll get started right on time.
- We'll discuss your business, do Q&A, establish firm goals for the session.
- We'll pick 2--3 areas to focus on for the hour call.
- Expect to take a LOT of notes.
- Actionable strategies, tools, and suggestions to meet your goals.
- A recommended set of next steps for your business growth.
In short, you can expect it to be an eventful, action-packed call geared toward results.
NOTE: All paid coaching calls include a mandatory registration / onboarding survey. Please be as complete as possible when filling it out. I will review it before our call and have some ideas flowing when the call starts.
Do You Guarantee Specific Results?
I guarantee I'll give you 100++% during our call and do everything possible to help you hit your goals.
Unfortunately, I cannot legally or ethically guarantee you specific results---no real business coach can.
Why?
Because unlike consulting, in which a consultant does specific work for the business, coaching is all about the client. In other words---the actual doing and action-taking is up to you. (See previous Consulting / Coaching definition above.)
I'll guide you, discuss strategies with you, advise you, and give you tailor-made, you-specific action strategies.
But let's be honest---only YOU can actually do the work (or not...) If you're already an expert in your field, and have drive, ambition, and willingness to get things done, then we're the perfect fit. Success is sure to follow. In that scenario, you'll implement all my suggestions and get results.
What If I Need More Than an Hour Session?
We can work this out together during the call. Our company has several ongoing coaching programs to help individuals and businesses exceed their goals and income targets.
Do You Offer Coaching Packages
Absolutely. Real transformational coaching can take weeks, months, or even years to see the biggest results. Many clients who are new to coaching start with a call or two, then join a longer-term, more intensive program.
During your call, we can determine if a package makes sense for your life and business.
However, I'll answer something you may be wondering:
Is the call some type of 'pitch' for more coaching?
NO.
We'll approach the call as a 100% localized, transformational, one-time business boost. We'll both know if more sessions are warranted, and can follow up after the call.
This call is about YOU and your business. Period.
What If I Cannot Afford the Call?
To be honest---and I mean this with all empathy humility---you're not ready for business.
Don't get me wrong. I realize that my particular brand and style of coaching isn't for everyone.
But whether it's me, or some other expert business coach, good coaching is crucial to next-level success these days. Think of any major celebrity, or business / life expert out there, and they've had coaching. I've been coaching and consulting for 30 years and even I have coaches and consultants. It's been one of the biggest growth factors in our own business as well. I'm a HUGE believer in the value---and necessity---of quality coaching for any wants-to-be-successful business owner.
My suggestion is to reframe the question. It's not "can I afford it?" But rather "can I afford NOT to be coached?"
Corbin, I'm Still Not Sure...?
You'll know when you're ready. In the meantime, I've created dozens of hours of audio and written content on CorbinLinks.com. Most all of it is there to help you be a better, healthier, wealthier, coach, consultant, or service provider. I even created a full end-to-end coaching-business course, which releases twice yearly. (Stay tuned for announcements.)
I you're still unsure, just browse around for a while and listen to a few episodes of The Corbin Links Show.
You'll know when you're ready...
Ready to jump off the fence and move forward with your life and business? Just click over to the coaching appointment page and you're on your way!