How can a business coach help me with operations?
If you’ve got bottlenecks, problems, or complaints when it comes to your operations and delivery, you may be wondering “how can a business coach help me with operations?”
And that would be a great question. So here’s an honest and open insight into how a business coach can help you with operations.
Can a business coach help any business in any industry with operations?
Yes, a business coach has the potential to help businesses in any industry with operations. Although having a coach may not be the best fit for you. It’s worth understanding first exactly what a business coach does. You can do that by visiting our comprehensive learning centre here which has lots of educational articles on how business coaching works.
A business coaches role can be to offer guidance, provide new perspectives, and help find the best strategies for improving operations, and processes and increasing efficiency. However, the extent of their support may vary based on the unique circumstances and challenges of the individual business and industry.
Generally speaking, when you work with a business coach to help improve operations, they’ll start out by getting really clear on what the problem is. Once you have some clarity, it’s time to look at the options. A coach will help you look at what you could do to fix the problem. Then finally a coach will help you choose the right option for you and then hold you accountable for completing that action.
Here’s a quick summary:
- Get really clear on what the problem is
- Look at what you could do to fix the problem
- Choose the right option and strategy for you
- Hold you accountable so that you complete the action
What if my industry is a little different?
A business coach can still help you regardless of your industry. After all, the fundamentals of running a successful business don’t change. You might want to be careful choosing the right coach. Some business owners want to work with a coach that has the industry experience and see that as a positive. Other business owners see industry experience as a negative because they impose their ideas instead of getting the business owner to do the thinking. Others aren’t too bothered either way.
Which one’s the right way?
The answer to that is simply whatever is the right way for you.
Some take the stance, “who wouldn’t want an expert partner to bounce ideas off of, hold them accountable, and help them reach their goals in a faster and more efficient manner?” They are generally happy to bring on a business coach and let the good times roll.
Others aren’t sure whether they want a business coach, a business consultant, or maybe even a mentor. Hey, they might even want to do it themselves. For some people, it’s important to take some time to learn and research so that you can make the best choice. You’ve got to work out whether it’s worth paying for a business coach and what the right kind of coach for you is if you decide to go for it.
What exactly will a coach do to help me?
A coach can be like your personal cheerleader, strategist, and drill sergeant all rolled into one. They’ll cheer you on, believe in you, and support you like a cheerleader. They’ll help you come up with great plans like a strategist. And they’ll make sure you’re taking the action and keep you accountable like a drill sergeant.
They’ll help you tackle those operational hurdles and streamline your processes to make your business run like a well-oiled machine.
They’ll challenge you to think outside the box, hold you accountable, and provide practical solutions to help you overcome any operational roadblocks.
With a good coach by your side, you’ll be able to tackle tasks with newfound confidence and efficiency. And let’s not forget the added bonus of having someone to celebrate your successes with. So, if you’re ready to work with a coach, buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride filled with lots of laughter, hard work, and, of course, fantastic results.
A coach might also get you thinking differently by asking you some questions. Basically, that’s what a great coach does. They ask you questions that you may not have asked yourself before. And when you ask yourself a new question you get a new answer.
The Coaches Questions
Each question would be different in different industries. A great business coach would ask an accountant a very different question than they would if they were speaking to a wholesaler or manufacturer.
But here are some questions that a coach may ask you when it comes to getting help with your operations.
- What strategies might work for streamlining processes and improving efficiency?
- How can you better manage your team and delegate tasks effectively?
- How can you effectively manage and reduce operational costs?
- How can you create a system for tracking and measuring performance metrics?
- What are the common operational challenges that your business faces, and how can they be overcome?
- How can you develop and implement an effective crisis management plan?
- How can you better manage the supply chain and logistics operations?
- What tools and technologies are essential for effective operations management?
- Are you making sure that all appointments with customers are on time and not running over?
- If you’re a service-based company, do your customers feel the tangible benefits of your service?
Creating raving fans
The whole point of getting your delivery and operations right is so that you can create raving fans. Raving fans do your marketing for you. They shout about you from the rooftops and even act as salespeople. These are the guys that really love you and your business. You love them and they love you right back.
Creating raving fans in business is like whipping up a batch of grandma’s secret recipe cookies. But instead of using sugar, you use customer service magic. The key ingredients are a heaping spoonful of empathy, a pinch of creativity, a handful of consistent delivery, and a dash of humor.
Mix it all together and you’ll have a recipe for success that will have your customers lining up. They’ll be off telling their friends and family about you, and most importantly they’ll keep coming back for more.
And just like with those cookies, the secret to creating raving fans is in the love and care you put into each interaction.
Get the mindset right to create raving fans
No seriously, it is. Part of creating raving fans is getting the systems right. That’s the transactional and logical stuff. You won’t have raving fans if all your customers get different experiences. You need to have the systems set up and designed so everybody get’s great service, every time.
But the second part to the formula is putting that love and care into each interaction. Once you’ve got the system right, it’s making sure everybody in the team has the mindset right. If you have someone with a terrible attitude following the world’s best system, they’ll still screw it up.
So, preheat your customer service oven, put on your apron, and get ready to bake some raving fans (disclaimer, please don’t put any of your customers in the oven).
You can order Ken Blanchard’s book on creating raving fans here.
How can a business coach help me with operations?
How much will all this cost?
Prices for business coaches, consultants, or mentors can vary greatly. There are some free coaching programmes in the marketplace and some that are paid. It’s ultimately about finding the right programme and the right coach for you and deciding from there.
To take a look at Action Coach’s programmes that start from £12.50 + VAT per month just click here.
How often do I need to see my coach?
It’s a common misconception that you only need to see your business coach once and they’ll magically solve all your problems.
In reality, it’s like going to the gym. You won’t see results if you don’t put in the effort and show up regularly.
So, how often you should see your coach depends on your goals and commitment level. A good rule of thumb is at least once or twice a month. Unless you want to have a really strong business and then you might even look at weekly. Basically, you need to see your coach as often as you need to complete actions that help you work on the business. You also need to see them as often as you’ll need a motivational boost and a reality check.
If you want to find out more about joining a coaching programme, either head over to our learning centre or click here to join a membership.
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