I believe it was Julie who offered a most valuable Nugget to her coaching colleagues back in 2019. I was teaching my module on the MSc Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, and one of Julie’s classmates was curious as to what, if anything, we should do after a coaching engagement ends.
The easiest way to create more work is through (referral from) people who already know you and your work well. So naturally we wondered how to make repeat-business more likely, and Julie (an experienced coach) shared the most wonderful approach:
She calls them MOT Sessions.
If you’re wondering about the name, MOT is the UK government department responsible for checking vehicle roadworthiness. Most car owner around the world will be familiar with periodical check-in sessions to make sure everything runs smoothly. Sometimes work is needed and so they book you in for repairs. If your vehicle runs smoothly, you’re good to go, but it was worth checking (and also, well, the law).
But law or not, it’s certainly smart to check your vehicle periodically, and if there’s work to do, you’ve got a trusted mechanic at hand to jump right in.
Why wouldn’t we do the same for our clients?
Julie offers her MOT check-ins at a discount to past clients, and if there’s any work to be done, it’s easy to proceed.
The concept is known and familiar to people. Its a brilliant way to offer clients who are finishing a set of sessions to check in 12 months down the line, to see where they’re at.
You may not even want to charge for these sessions, to make it a no-brainer for your clients to say yes to any further work that needs to be done. After all, there’s always desire, opportunity, and possibility.
And a call with a trusted coach who has some context on your journey is a wonderful way to check in with yourself and see if you might want to act on it.
If you’re a coach, is there something you do to check in with past clients?
With Love
Yannick
P.S : Have we worked together before and would you appreciate an MOT session? Let me know and I’ll send you a booking link.
New Content: Is holding space enough? I feel I should do more… Talking about Coaching #73
In this conversation, Siawash and Yannick discuss the question of whether holding space is enough to create results in coaching. They explore the importance of holding space and being fully present as a coach, as well as the practice of holding space effectively. They also discuss the balance between doing less and doing more in coaching, and the role of action and intervention. The conversation delves into different philosophies on intervention and the importance of including the client in the decision-making process. The episode concludes with a reflection on the coach’s motivations and the different perspectives on coaching.
You can listen, watch or download the show.
New Content: Exploring Narrative Coaching with thought leader David Drake, Coaching Uncaged by Animas
Stories impact our lives more than most people appreciate. On some level every coach probably invites their client to consider what narrative is operating in the background as they make important choices.
This conversation, brought to you by Animas, really stuck in my mind for some time as it challenged some of the views I had about what actually constitutes a “story”. I’ve long believed in the immense power of the narratives we’re creating, as well as those that have been unconsciously instilled throughout our lifetime. David was the first to have brought the narrative approach from therapy into coaching, and so I’m excited to invite you to be part of our conversation.
Watch or listen to this episode
Next Event: Intuitive Eating & Body Acceptance with Linh Phan
I’ve known Linh for years, and I think her work is SO important. If I had a penny for every person I meet (myself included) who’s struggling with what and how they eat, I’d, well, have sacks full of pennies! And living in a cultural context of systemic body shaming, most of us could do with doing some work around our relationship with our bodies, essentially bettering our sense of self-acceptance (one of the key pillars of psychological wellbeing btw!). So please get excited with me to see Linh in action with a client, and to get the chance to dig into her approach and way of working.
Learn more about Linh at https://gocoachinglab.com/vault/next-lab/
Tickets available via MeetUp, Eventbrite or catch the recording by signing up as a member.
And if you’d like to be Linh’s client for this session, you can put your hand up here.
