A Successful Partnership?!
So, when was the last time you heard about a truly successful partnership? We all know (currently or in the past) somebody that was in a bad experience with a partnership, right? And if you ask most people, you’ll probably hear, “there are no good partnerships”! However I believe there are good partnerships, and let me tell you about a recent experience I had with a good client of mine.
We were talking about the relationships between coaches or trainers with their clients; when do you know it’s time to end the relationship or should it be continued as long as possible, was the topic of discussion? This came up because he was discussing what was next with one of my associate coaches, and so I asked him how the conversation went. His response was unique, at least to me at this point in my 15 year career in that I had never heard anyone look at the relationship between a coach or trainer and their client quite like this.
He said he and his wife had been discussing the monthly fees that my company was charging his company for his (Owner) and his Service Advisors training. He said he explained it to her like this, “coaches are like partners without all the bad stuff you normally get with partners”. He said that “a coaching partner gives you advice and if he or she is good at their job (we’ll assume they are for the purposes of this article), you listen, evaluate and move forward on that advice. Now, this isn’t much different than it would be with a regular business partner except that (depending on how it was set up) there would be pushing for control, egos could be damaged, or feelings could be hurt. They would likely try it with one almost always standing over the other saying “this isn’t” or “this is” going to work constantly. Inevitably there would be words if it did or didn’t work and generally the partnership would be stressed. With every major decision….wow!
In the case of myself as the coach (partner) and my client as he explained further, none of the above applies, AND when it does work he doesn’t have to share the profits through bonuses or partner splits. There is no workers comp involved, no payroll taxes, no typical employee issues, and if he doesn’t want to try the suggestion, there are no hurt feelings. That being said if the client doesn’t want to try the recommendations too many times, please understand that most coaches will eventually fire you as a client, as they should! You see, in our opinion any coach not willing to give up the money for his/her reputation is probably not a coach or trainer you really want, they’re in the business for the wrong reasons! Myself and my companies associate coaches all believe that if you do your job properly, money will follow and conversely, that if you put money first…..well, again, you’re in the business for the wrong reasons!
My client saw GREAT benefit in having this type of partnership(s) and after thinking about it a while I started to understand his theory as well! Sure, if the coach’s suggestions or recommendations don’t work or fail, the coach doesn’t share in the loss either, but how long would he or she be recommended as a coach if what they taught didn’t work? They would weed themselves out of a job very quickly! This might be a good time to ask how long your Coach or Trainer has been in business or doing this for a living!
So, the take away here; whether you’ve been in business 1 year, 5 years, 20 years or a lifetime, everyone needs someone looking at your business from the 30,000 foot view. Someone not pulled into the day-to-day workings of the business, someone not clouded by daily attitudes and trivial business issues. Yes, a coach, or in this clients perspective, a partner! A coach/partner that doesn’t bring all those bad traits we’ve all heard about regarding partnerships and partners. And as you search for this Coach, Trainer or Partner, remember to VET them thoroughly! Ask for references AND call them! Ask the references if they know of other businesses using the particular Coach or Coaching & Training company and call them as well. Look into their website and see if they have reviews listed and call some of those facilities, but most of all make sure that this is their primary industry, because it matters! Many Coaching & Training companies came from outside our industry and although we all know that basic business is basic business, there are many idiosyncrasies in and with the automotive business that make it different…..so choose wisely! Whether you choose us or another Coaching & Training company, we believe everyone needs an “outside looking in type person to help them with their business, find someone you’re comfortable with, and VET them!!
If you need help with your business and want to see and feel the successes you expected when you opened your doors, give us a call at: The ACT Group, 805-444-2598 or visit our website for more information www.automotivecoachingandtraining.com