Coaching’s Hottest New Trend: Is it for you?

iStock_000019488907XSmallOne of the hottest new ideas to take the coaching industry by storm in the last 5 years is the Virtual VIP Day. This type of coaching is so beneficial for both the client and the coach, it’s no wonder it’s become so popular.

There are two types of VIP days: a full day (5 hours, with appropriate breaks) and a half-day (3 hours, with breaks). Just to clarify, these are not extended coaching sessions!

VIP days have a specific structure (designed by you), which works hand-in-hand with what your ideal client needs. The underlying structure often includes the following elements at its core:

  • Evaluation of the client’s situation, what’s working and what isn’t. Identifying obstacles and challenges.
  • Exploration to determine the root causes of challenges.
  • Addressing the challenges.
  • Setting short and long-term goals.
  • Developing a strategy to achieve those goals.

The day can be structured to include specific powerful exercises, empowering questions, brainstorming, neutral information (this is where your niche expertise comes into play), and many other tools to help the client bust through blocks, set goals, create their own powerful structures and tools to support them, trigger “ahas,” and transform mindsets.

It’s a virtual, private one-on-one coaching “retreat.”

In addition, it’s customized by the needs of your particular niche market and the niche-specific knowledge and tools you bring to the table.

It’s a virtual, private one-on-one coaching “retreat.”

Clients are thrilled because who wants to wait for three months to get results slowly when you can get them all at once, in one day? The best part is, it’s possible to accomplish much more in the same time frame as a series of weekly sessions.

In a series of short sessions, the client can just be getting deep into something and then it’s time to wind up. Then the following week, they can come back in such a different place mentally, it can be hard to pick it up again.

In a VIP day, clients can roll up their sleeves, getting into the work without interruptions and really accomplishing a significant amount. Plus, it’s easy to record the day so they can listen again later to deepen the experience.

It’s also great for those on a budget. The client knows exactly what the investment is, and what the expected results are.

It’s great for you as the coach, too. Check out all the great reasons to offer a VIP day as a coach:

  1. People pay for speed. There is a much higher perceived value when the results are achieved immediately in one day.
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  2. The focus is on results, not time. It gets you away from the “hours for dollars” model, so you can charge what you’re worth, and the client will happily pay it for the results.
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  3. It eliminates the scheduling challenges that come with weekly sessions. Less work for you, and no worries about re-scheduling hassles, no-shows, or losing momentum!
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  4. Your clients are excited! They start the day excited, and end the day even more excited when they see everything that was accomplished. This makes it easy to enroll them in your high-end, 6 month program (yes, you want one of those too!)
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  5. It makes “in person” work practical. For those who prefer to meet in person, for instance business clients, it makes travel easier and more practical to do the work in one day.
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  6. New coaches can get testimonials right away. Instead of waiting three months to get the testimonials you need for credibility, you get them instantly – after just one powerful day.

VIP days are fun, transformational and offer a unique opportunity to increase that all important “like/know/trust factor” with your clients, so they become loyal fans and keep coming back. Give ‘em a try, you won’t be disappointed!!

6 Responses to Coaching’s Hottest New Trend: Is it for you?

  • Steven Shmerler says:

    Great article Kellie. One of the things that is great about working with you on a long term basis is that I get to experience the above as a client when I took your VIP Day, of course taking note how I would incorporate what you were doing and giving me into my coaching practice. And now that I’m in your Platinum Program, we’re doing just that!

    Specific to the VIP Day, the 6 points above are the big WIN for your client. I’d like to add one more benefit as an adjunct to losing momentum when doing weekly calls.

    We’ve all done them and we all know there is ALWAYS chit chat at the beginning of EVERY call. Lets do the math: if you have 6 sessions vs one 6 hour VIP Day, in the weekly sessions how much time is chit chat? 7 to 10 minutes? That’s a range of 42 to 60 minutes of totally unproductive wasted time that doesn’t happen in a VIP Day.

    Hope that’s helpful. Thanks Kellie!!

    • Kellie deRuyter says:

      Hi Steven,

      Thank you for the comment. It’s true, there’s always ramp up time and wind down time. Although I would encourage coaches to cut your chit-chat time down during the times you do have regular sessions, a minute or two is plenty most of the time. It doesn’t really take that long to re-connect with clients. It also depends on how long your coaching sessions are. 7-10 min is definitely too long for a 30 min session. One way to re-connect and add value at the same time is to start out by asking your clients what they’re celebrating (so you can celebrate with them!). That takes the client out of “problem” mode quickly and puts them into a positive frame of mind, which makes the ensuing coaching more productive.

  • Luisa I. Santo says:

    Thank you very much for the information . You put a Light into my mind.

    Sorry, because my English isn’t so good. But I am sure you could understand, what i am talking about.

    Sincerely.

    Luísa

    • Kellie deRuyter says:

      Hi Luisa,

      “Light” has the same positive influence in every language, and I’m so glad I’ve given you a bit of it!

      • Lais says:

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