#75 Case Study: Emma Marinos, successful Executive Coach working within the Public Sector

Emma Marinos is a successful Executive Coach who works within the Public Sector. We worked together from March to June 2024.

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Emma joined my Elevate programme earlier this year, which focused on group coaching and online courses. It's been a joy to see the progress she's made and the momentum she's gained.

A huge part of Emma's success has been the signature solution part of the Elevate programme.

I'm launching a programme called Signature Solution right now, so it's the perfect time to share her insights, which will show you how gaining real clarity can bring in a lot of work and get you way more fully booked.

Tell us what was going on with you before you joined the Elevate programme, Emma?

I'm an executive coach and I work with individuals and with teams and with groups mainly in the public sector. I joined the Elevate programme because at the time I was really wanting to develop a new pipeline or a new offer or service that was something that individuals could buy in for themselves.

Most of my work previously has been commissioned through organisations and I was hoping that this might be a way of doing something different and increasing my revenue at the same time.

What was most helpful for you in the Elevate programme?

For me, the absolutely number one thing that was most helpful was creating the signature solution document. I did a number of research calls and really listened to them in terms of what they needed and what would be helpful in designing a programme.

Also, I really liked the pace of the programme. Knowing what I needed to do by when really helped get the momentum going. And having the signature solution document was really helpful because it was really well thought through.

I put a lot of thought into it, which meant that I could very clearly explain what the offer was, who it was for, why it might be useful and to have a really structured conversation with people. And it also meant then my LinkedIn content was much more focused and clear about that offer.

And what happened for me through doing that was that having those conversations led people to ask me to develop a different version of my programme for a particular target audience.

Or I could offer one to one leadership coaching which would work better for a certain individual. So it became a springboard for different elements for different needs and that worked well for me.

It also meant that I was miles more proactive than I'd been to date. Even if they didn't do the leadership coaching, people were asking me to do other things for them. So whether that was facilitating a workshop or just general coaching, not specifically career coaching, it just opened up a conversation which was relevant for them, and enabled me to give them a service that was helpful for them, and obviously we want to be helpful!

What would you say in specific terms is different now to your workload or what's come in as a result?

What's brilliant is that I'm really, really busy and not just busy for now, I'm also busy through to September. It's also enabled me to think about how do I keep that pipeline going even when I'm really, really busy, and that's also been helpful to just think about how that is part of my work, as well as designing and delivering great services, and to keep that going.

The signature solution document has been the thing that's been a game changer for me.

It's also changed my perspective on how many people I know, and contacts I've got from working all these years, who are all really happy to help. They want to have a conversation. It's not like I'm the provider or the supplier and they're the clients. It's much more. We're in it together, exploring this together. And I'm going to do that much more going forward than I did before.

What would you say your experience of working with me was like?

I liked the structure, over the three or four months of the programme. It was obvious that you'd given so much thought to the design and the access at different times.

I really liked the energy and the momentum because you're not sure if you're going to get the work done in time but it's good to have that accountability, which you don't have working on your own. So that was brilliant. I thought the tasks were doable. They were a stretch at times, but all the resources were there and it was very easy to do it when you needed to do it, rather than thinking it's all got to be done on this day at this time. Working with a group, it was really great hearing from them and their experiences.

I also like your flexibility, how you really listen to the group and suggest what would be helpful to them and then change and tweak things and how you added on more sessions. It was really fantastic to be part of that. I felt that you really wanted to provide the support that would be helpful to us as a group, rather than "this is what I offer, take it or leave it".

The other thing which was brilliant, and I'm sure this will help me for years to come, is your generosity in terms of sharing all the knowledge that you've got and all the contacts you've built up in specialist areas.

And this amazing rich resource of all the different tools you can use and how you use them. We're so fortunate that being on your course has given us continued access to that.

The programme's also given me ideas about other possibilities for the future, like maybe doing a podcast.

I would recommend anybody to go into your programmes with an open mind. I've been running my business for three or so years and I do things differently now than I did then, and I put things a different way.

What I really love about working with you is seeing what the possibilities are, and how you can build on your foundations and move things on.

You can really feel that you're with us and you really want us to be successful, which is such a lovely intent.

What would you say your biggest takeaway is from the Elevate programme?

I think being really focused, being really clear about what you're offering. I think that being much more proactive was my other big takeaway and building the business development into the way that I work on a regular basis. And not apologising for that, actually, knowing that I've got something great to offer and that I'm not going to be offering you a service that I don't believe in.

All of those things I think would be my takeaways. For me, actually just talking to you now, it's almost like a mindset has changed for me. It reminds me that I've got a lot of experience, but practically and in my knowledge and skills. And that this is something that I want to offer and serve people with so I therefore need to tell you about it. Your message isn't going to get through unless you tell them and you're clear about it.

I need to be somebody who's hard selling all the time to get work and, equally, I think you need to do more than just think you've got an abundance mindset.

That's easy to have when you've got loads of work and it's less easy to have when you've got less work.

What's next for you?

I'd love to be completely fully booked for the next year. That would be my dream, so that I'm not having to spend a lot of time on getting on getting the business, that I'm actually delivering it and delivering great things. I'm not far off getting there, which is really exciting.

Would you recommend the programme? And if so, who to?

I definitely would recommend the programme. To who, I would say it depends what you're looking for.

It may not have been your intention, but I think you can cater for people looking for different things because a lot of the principles are similar. So if you're looking to design a programme which is online only, and there's a lot of pre-recorded content, this is definitely really, really helpful.

If you've got a new service that you want to offer, which is maybe all in person or a mixture of online and live then this is definitely for you. If you've been a coach for two or three years and you're looking to consolidate and work out what's next for you then this is definitely for you. It gives you a chance to look at what the future possibilities might be, how you might go about moving your business in a different direction. It depends what you're looking for, from where you are, but it's not just a fixed set of "this is what this will give you", if that makes sense.

And it's a great way to quickly make sure that you're really up to date with all the latest information and resources, because you've done so much work providing all those resources, and you're so knowledgeable, and it's all very accessible when you need it.

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Thank you for sharing your insights, Emma. You were a joy to work with and I'm so happy to see your continued success!

How I can help you

If you would like my help in doing this, this is what I do in my programme, The Business of Coaching. I also run Elevate, on Group Programmes, and online courses occasionally.

Right now, I'm launching a pure self study, digital course called Signature Solution. So, if you want to land yourself a Signature Solution document like Emma did, then dive into that programme. Just to be completely transparent, it doesn't come with the momentum, the support and the feedback that is included in my Business of Coaching programme.

If you're looking for an option that is super affordable because it doesn't include that personal support but it does give you the knowledge you need and you are self-motivated, then jump into Signature Solution.

Hopefully you're reading this in time to benefit from my 50% off very specific three-day window, running from the 17th to 19th July.

This programme is a steal with or without the offer, so I hope you find huge value in it.

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Prefer Audio?

You can also listen to all my new content on my podcast?Women in the Coaching Arena

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you grow your coaching business:

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1. Love coaching, but struggling to get clients? Download the 12 Quick and Easy Ways to Get Clients now.

2. Interested to know more about the Business of Coaching programme? Click here.

3. Find out more about my pure self study, digital course called Signature Solution. It's launching right now!

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