As a coach your success is directly related to the results your clients achieve as a result of your coaching programme. If your clients succeed, you succeed.

But the success or failure of your coaching programme is largely down to whether or not your clients complete the tasks and assignments you set them. If they don’t complete their assignments and tasks they will fail and that will impact on your reputation.

Let’s face it if they want to change their life or achieve something they are going to have to do something, they are going to have to take some kind of action. You can invite, encourage, support, advise, guide and persuade, but at the end of the day it’s down to the client.

And it’s a good thing it is because it puts the client in control, and empowers them. But some clients just don’t do their homework. They come back time and time again with excuse after excuse. You know they aren’t going to get the result they came for so what can you do?

What can you do to keep them and their coaching programme on track?

Here is a highly effective system to keep your clients on track which guarantees they succeed every time.

1. Get Them To Agree On Their Tasking And Timescale

The first step is to get them to agree on their own assignments and tasking. At the end of each session ask them what actions they are going to take and by when. Some of these will be suggested by you during the session and you can make these as recommendations which they will agree to complete.

Ask them “When do you realistically think you can complete that by?” Let them decide what will work for them and fit in with their other commitments. Ask some extra questions if the timescale seems too long or short, or if the amount of work seems too big or small.

Then when they’ve agreed this make a note in their notes. Follow up with an email with the tasking listed out and timescale.

2. Follow Up In Their Next Session

When they come back for their next session,ask them how they are getting on with their tasking? What have they completed? What is not completed?

3. Find Out What Stopped Them

For any tasks that they haven’t completed this is a sign that they have some kind of block, and you need to find out what stopped them.

A great question to ask is “What stopped you from completing that task?”

There are two acceptable reasons.

• They’re not very good at it. If this is the case you can explore what they need to know or learn that will make it possible. It may be they need some instructions or coaching, or it might be more appropriate to delegate some tasks (especially technical ones) which you can also coach them on.
• The other reason is their confidence, fear, limiting beliefs. In this case you need to use an effective therapeutic technique that removes and releases these.

This is what really separates mediocre from brilliant coaches as having these techniques enables your clients to fly through their tasking next time. When they achieve massive success it will have them come back time and again and telling all their friends about their massive results.

4. What If They Still Don’t Do It?

Once they know what to do, and know they can do it, there isn’t really any reason they shouldn’t do it other than procrastinating. Some clients need to be held accountable in a firm, supporting and also loving way.

So if they still don’t complete their tasking here are three essential questions to ask them that will keep them on track.

• “Are you aware we had an agreement that you would complete this assignment by now?”. If you emailed them the tasking there shouldn’t be any confusion about this.
• “Are you aware that you broke the agreement?”
• “Are you willing to re-make the agreement?”

5. The Three Strikes Rule

If they break their agreement more than 3 times, then you should resign them as a client. Let them know that they have three chances, and also make it clear that completing of their tasking is essential for their success and that failure to complete their tasking will lead to the failure of their coaching programme.