I am continuing my series on Nightmares from the Back of the Room. Today, I want to talk about the coaching zone (laughs).
If you have ever been to an event and it had the coaching zone, you probably went to this event thinking, “If I go to this coaching zone and get some coaching, support, and ask my questions, then I’ll be supported, and it will be fabulous.” That’s what you would think the coaching zone would be but, in many cases, that is not at all what the coaching zone has been.
A coaching zone is really the “sales zone”, but no one really likes the word “sales.” So, they call it something else to make it less threatening and less intimidating. Now where I support the coaches really is in the coaching zone; where you can ask questions, be supported if you have questions about a program, then the team of course is there to support you and answer those questions.
When you look at your event and creating that cohesiveness and an atmosphere where your attendees feel supported and they can get some support, or they can get some coaching if that’s what you want to offer, you really have to look at those incongruences because it can be an issue.
One of these nightmares (thankfully this was not my nightmare) was one that a colleague shared in an event and I thought I would share it with you. She went to a multi-day event and things were going well so she went to the coaching zone and had a conversation. Now I’m not sure how that conversation went, but what I do know is she did not sign up for a program. Yet, the person that was her coach followed her into the ladies’ room to continue to badger her about joining said program.
Needless to say, that was not a good experience for her and she is still talking about this incident. She felt some kind of way about being told that this was a coaching zone and to come ask questions to get some support but now someone is literally stalking her into the ladies’ room to try to strong-arm her into enrolling in a program. That is a no.
So just a couple things of what not to do at your events. Trust me, she never went back and as she shares the story with her colleagues, we’re all like, “Oh no! Definitely not going there.” Also, make sure your team again is cohesive so that your team members are doing things that are in alignment with you, your values, and brand.
I don’t know this person that hosted the event my colleague attended (and that may not have been their jam) but guess what, they have someone on their team that was doing this and now event attendees are not having a great experience. It is really important to look at all these different aspects as you’re having your events, as you’re building your business, and as you’re looking at things that are no longer working at events. These things may have worked in the past but trust me, your buyers are not down for this, and that is just no bueno.
If you have any questions, if you’re looking for some support on an event or in other ways with your business as it relates to sales, check out our website thedoyenneagency.com. On this site you can see what we do, how we can support you, and schedule some time to talk with me or someone on my team.
