Tony Betts on Niche Coaching

Management Futures: Coaching at the Heart

I was looking at some websites of my coaching colleagues, and I was getting quite curious about the content of online biographies - you know, those little bio pieces that appear on people's websites. Something about them felt a bit odd - and at odds with what I thought coaches got up to. You see, when we're coaching - we're not supposed to be giving of our expertise - even if we've got that expertise. And yet in these online bios I'm seeing people reporting on their great experience or tremendous skills and interests within a certain industry or context. So what I'm wondering aloud is: as a coach, do I really need to niche? To Niche or not to Niche. I know just the man for an exploratory chat about niches - and that's top international coach, Tony Betts! We really hope you enjoy the conversation, All the best Hugh Hugh Reynolds, Head of Digital at MF If you'd like to skip forward to a point of interest - here are some timings: 2:55 What do we mean by 'niche coaching'? 5:20 Assuming I'm a good coach, does it matter what my background is? Is it good for the coachee to know about my expertise? 8:40 Is there some kind of 'useful forgetting' going on here, with the coach guarding against applying their contextual knowledge? 10:58 The importance of giving a client what they need - which may not be exactly what they've asked for. Be aware of what's being brought in to the interaction. 13:18 Understanding the client as an individual - their needs on the day - which can be distinct from understanding them in the wider context. 16:30 Our role in helping the client to better understand themselves. 18:30 Marketing ourselves to particular audiences - and how having a point of difference can help (depending on where we're starting from). 21:50 What's the common denominator in my work? An example niche Tony carved for himself: The Art of Not Doing. 23:22 Differentiating ourselves. Standing out from the crowd in an authentic sense. 24:20 Find out what the market wants. What are the problems people want help with? 26:40 The frequency of update and refresh for our bios. Giving elements from which the coach can be constructed! A couple of examples of Tony's bios online: https://www.managementfutures.co.uk/team/tony-betts https://www.loving-your-work.com/coach-tony-betts/