Trust – A Different Perspective
A key element to being a successful cash flow coach is the ability to establish rapport and build trust with your clients. Old school sales professionals will admit that trust is very useful in getting people to buy. In a transactional situation, trust need only be fleeting; however, from a coaching perspective trust is a much deeper and powerful principle that needs to be treated from a much different perspective.
As a starting point and fundamental premise, cash flow coaches approach interactions and communications with clients with the belief that the client has all the answers within them. Or they have the ability to arrive at with the answers themselves. As such, the role of the cash flow coach is to assist the clients in getting in touch with their own solutions.
It sounds obvious that the client has information and knowledge about themselves. However, the level of this self-awareness will vary from client to client with some client’s self-knowledge quite deeply entrenched in their sub-conscious. The basis for the cash flow coaching relationship is to connect the client to their own self! Once they have done this, they are better positioned to immediately recognise the pathways for change or more commonly to commence a journey of reflection, collecting more understanding and gradually transitioning to a new personal habit.
The cash flow coach’s primary tool for assisting clients with this connection is open-ended questioning. And the environment that will maximise the connection is one of trust.
The International Coach Federation (ICF) has, as one of its competencies – “Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client”. And it defines this as the “ability to create a safe, supportive environment that produces ongoing mutual respect and trust.”
A Different Approach to Trust
A keyword in the ICF definition is mutual. Gaining trust from a client often stems from the coach’s values and beliefs and by being trustful themselves.
In terms of a cash flow coaching context, the demonstration of trust should be focussed across three areas.
1. Trust in the Cash Flow Coaching Process
Having confidence in how to position your initial cash flow coaching conversations and engage clients in establishing their own journey and achieving their own desired outcomes. Cash Flow Coaches recognise the ongoing relationship and the accumulative effect of each session and that their role is to support clients along their journey and at a pace that is appropriate for them.
2. Trust in your Cash Flow Coaching Skills
This involves knowing when to use the relevant skills you have acquired at the most appropriate junction in the client journey. Your ability to support the clients by asking questions, offering comments and even staying silent at the times when the client is considering things from their perspective and accessing the solutions they hold.
3. Trust in the Client
As mentioned, the basic premise is having trust that the client knows themself and has the ability to reach their own conclusions and form new, improved habits.
Developing Cash Flow Coaching Skills
Along with being comfortable with the cash flow coaching process, a key factor in demonstrating trust is developing and utilising cash flow coaching skills. Like most skills, this will take time and practice, and cash flow coaches normally work through the following skill levels. And because trust is a mutual connection, the levels need to be traversed with each new client.
Base Level
In the early stages of establishing themselves, cash flow coaches usually concentrate on creating a confidential and comfortable setting and atmosphere, in which the client is at ease to speak freely. This is a strong fundamental and extremely important facet of cash flow coaching.
However, primarily due to inexperience and low trust in the client’s capacity to find their own answers, the cash flow coach needs to guard against problem-solving and moving the client to an outcome. It is easily done as clients will often present a problem that they think is the issue. Whether it is or not, the cash flow coach should trust in their coaching approach and skills and engage in listening and questioning rather than advising, telling, teaching or even suggesting.
At a base level, the cash flow coach can get caught in thinking about their own performance rather than the coaching process. There is a focus on the ‘what’.
Intermediate Level
Again, the foundation for this level is the creation of a supportive and safe environment in which the client is comfortable. The difference with the intermediate level is that the cash flow coach is more focussed on the client themselves and not just problems, solutions and results. There is an interest in who the person is, as part of what they want to accomplish. There is a focus on the ‘who’, and this is a major leap forward in cash flow coaching skills.
At this level, cash flow coaches will still get caught in the ‘what’ and solving problems. However, they are starting to allow the client to tap into their own self-knowledge. They are more at ease with the cash flow coaching process and working with the mindset of the client – responding to and being aware of the client’s reactions, feelings and deep-centred thinking.
Advanced Level
At this skill level or stage of coaching with the client, there is a genuine human-based connection between client and coach. The cash flow coach has total trust in the process, their skills and the client’s capacity to find solutions.
The cash flow coach will work naturally at the client's pace and without thinking, allowing the client to feel, process and reflect in a manner that suits their learning style.
The cash flow coach will be relaxed and the questions will flow, even though they are at a very deep level. Problem-solving will not be present because, at this stage, cash flow coaching is about supporting the client to be truly authentic to themselves.
elevateB provides the training program as well as support and ongoing development for certified cash flow coaches. Individuals who choose to work with a certified cash flow coach are better placed to achieve financial independence and security. If you would like to make a difference and help everyday Australians be more financially prudent and savvy, consider becoming a cash flow coach today. Click here.