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What The Experts Say

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

Sales Teams Need More (And Better Coaching) by Scott Edinger

“We hear constantly about the importance and value of coaching, especially in sales. But, the reality I have observed while working with hundreds of organizations is that a true culture of coaching rarely exists. "In a survey conducted a few years ago with a sales team in a Fortune 500 telecom company I found an interesting contrast.” Read the Full Article→

FORBES

Eight Signs Its Time To Hire A Business Coach by Forbes Coaches Council

“As a leader, you might think you should have everything figured out already, but this simply isn’t true. While all of us have our own talents, leadership skills are often something we have to learn along the way. Enter the business coach.” Read the Full Article →

ENTREPRENEUR

Coaching Makes All The difference By John Brubaker

“What separates the winners from the losers? At the most elite levels it’s not talent, because everyone is supremely talented. Coaching is what makes the difference.Coaching isn’t just important in sports, it’s the X-factor that makes a big difference in your business results as well.’” Read the Full Article →

4 Reasons You Should Seek Out A Business Coach by Jeff Boss

“There comes a point where stagnation sets in. You can take yourself only so far without the help of others. Hey, it happens. Consider it part of the startup lifecycle. Enter the business coach. There isn't anything else that you receive 100 percent dedicated attention to you.” Read the Full Article →

What To Look For In A Business Coach

9 Things to Look For When Hiring A Coach

Hiring a business coach is a big decision. It is also one of the best decisions you can make for your business. There are a lot of coaches out there these days, so how do you find the right coach for you? Here are 9 things to look for when hiring a coach.

Experience: Your business coach should have extensive and applicable experience in the business world. In order for a coach to be effective, they need to have "lived it". They must have experienced many of the challenges their clients are facing.

Outside Perspective: Your business coach should provide a clear outside perspective of your business. Some prefer to hire a coach that works specifically in their industry. While this can be valuable in certain situations, it is very often the "fresh look" from someone outside of that industry that provides the most value.

Proven Systems: Your business coach must have a proven, consistent system by which they guide you and your business. If your coach "flies by the seat of their pants" and moves around from topic to topic with no organized process, this may be a warning sign. More importantly, your coach and their system must be demonstrated to have produced quantifiable results for their clients.

Aligned with Your Goals: Your coach should be able to be flexible and focus on your goals, needs, and concerns. If you express a desire to focus on a certain area of your business, your coach should respond to and satisfy that request.

No Fear of Numbers: Good coaches measure the results that are achieved with their clients. They want to make sure that their clients are getting a substantial return on their investment in coaching. You should know what kind of return you are getting.

The Accountability Factor: One of the many reasons why coaching is so effective is because of the accountability factor. Your coach should hold you accountable to your commitments. If he/she doesn’t, this is also a warning sign. If you want to move your business forward, you need to be held accountable.

Empathy: As business owners, we all have periods of frustration and need to vent. Your coach should listen and let you vent, but not jump into the "pity party" with you. Once the venting is over, your coach should be guiding you through possible solutions to address the problem.

Enthusiasm: Second only to you (and perhaps your spouse), your coach should show that they care completely about the success of your business. Their outlook should always be positive and solution oriented.

Confidentiality: You must have the utmost trust in your coach, having 100% confidence that everything you discuss in your sessions remains confidential unless you have given permission for it to be released.

4 Signs It's Time To Consider Hiring A Business Coach

Are you asking yourself, "Why would I need a business coach?"

As a business leader, often the majority of your day is spent dealing with day-to-day tasks, leaving little to no time to spend on considering and planning for the long-term success of your company. In other cases, you may be the owner of a business and an expert in your field, but find that leadership ability does not come naturally to you.

These are but two examples where you could benefit through a partnership with a business coach. A business coach is your guide to starting, growing, and developing your business. They work with you to understand your unique needs and concerns and help you develop the skills necessary for success.

Here are 3 other signs that it may be time to consider hiring a business coach:

You don't know where to turn for help

If the feeling of having too much to do and not enough time to do it overwhelms you, you are not alone. Owning a business can be a lonely endeavor and having someone to bounce ideas off of can mean the difference between success and failure. A business coach offers an outside perspective on your business and can help identify the root of what is overwhelming you. Your coach will hold you accountable and provide feedback that will help keep you focused on business growth.

Your direction and priorities continuously change

The single most important factor in running a small business is a unified vision. Without clear vision or priorities, it's impossible to get where you want to be. This is especially important if there are multiple owners, but even if you are a solopreneur, the importance of a consistent vision can't be understated. Whether your business is struggling or thriving, a business coach can help you create a map for the future and stick to it.

A 60-hour workweek is your new normal

If you can't remember the last time you took a vacation - or even a day off - there's a good chance you are overextending yourself, which could adversely affect your business. Often times business owners feel doing it themselves is the best option when it comes to completing specific tasks. As a business owner, you need to delegate some of the tasks to employees. A business coach can help you get out of this vicious cycle and decide what to hand off.

Being a business owner can be lonely, and the challenges are significant. Having a business coach by your side to help keep focused on the important elements in your business can prove invaluable.

Do you know what success looks like for your business? Hear from our coaches as they talk about how they help their clients in setting, measuring & redefining goals for their business.

FocalPoint Coaching has been educating and motivating business owners, corporate executives and other passionate professionals to move past obstacles and accelerate their personal and business growth for more than 30 years.

Over 1,000+ companies have successfully employed “The Focal Point Way”. If you are facing time, team, money or exit-strategy challenges, FocalPoint coaches can utilize our proven methods and systems, tailored for you, to reveal new ways of approaching business issues and find new opportunities that may been previously obscured by the day-to-day “grind”.

Focus on Vision: The FocalPoint Way starts with a focus on your vision. What is the vision for your business, for you personally, and for your family? Where do you want to be in a year from now, five years, ten years?

Focus on Strategy: Your FocalPoint coach will help you identify your vision and will guide you through a process to systematically identify the most important factors and the optimal business strategies to achieve your goals. We work with you one-on-one, helping you concentrate your efforts in the most meaningful and productive areas of your company.

Focus on Understanding: An important part of the FocalPoint coaching process is education – helping you gain a crystal-clear understanding of where you are today, what resources you have available, and what obstacles you anticipate encountering on the path to reaching your vision of the future. We focus on quantifiable results, tracking and measuring key metrics so you can clearly see the gains you are making towards your goals.

Focus on Success: With a clear vision, strategy and an understanding of what you will need to achieve your goals, you can begin the process of driving forward to create that vision. Your FocalPoint coach is your confidant, mentor and guide along that journey, helping you leverage your strengths, improve upon areas for development and realize previously unimagined gains across multiple areas of your company.

Here at FocalPoint we clearly understand that our value as professional coaches can only be measured by the success that is achieved by our clients.

Become our next success story - reach out to me and LET'S GET STARTED!

Speak With Coach Alay

Hear from our coaches about how they employ the FocalPoint Way to help their clients to “Find Their Why” - understanding who they are and what drives them in their business.

Client Stories & Successes

As a FocalPoint Coach, I work directly with business owners, executives, corporate teams and other professionals to change their business lives for the better. Below are a sampling of client testimonials to begin discovering what is possible for you or your business through coaching and training with me.

"Alay is an incredible business coach. With his guidance, my business skills have improved, directly resulting in a much improved bottom line. Our coaching sessions are always relaxed, yet focused and productive. I highly recommend, Alay, to attorney colleagues who are looking to: gain business skills; reduce their stress, clearly articulate their unique value to clients and above all get more clients. Thanks Alay! - Nerisha Soodeehul "

"I've recently completed Alay's business development course. It was engaging and really fueled the fire I need to make my business grow. I've had some of my best months, financially, since beginning this work, and the clients have been flowing in. I feel that the investment (both of time and money) was well worth it. I look forward to seeing what more comes of working with Alay. - Sara Raymond "

"Alay is an experienced and competent business coach. He is naturally insightful with a laser sharp understanding of the issues faced by most small business owners. His techniques have helped me grow my business, stay focused, manage my time and organize my schedule. He is dedicated to his clients and passionate about helping businesses achieve their highest potential. He is wise and trustworthy. I highly recommend Alay. - Lubna Jahangiri "

"Alay has been instrumental in growing my business and in changing my life. I moved to a new area about 3 years ago and Alay's practical approach helped me focus on the vital few issues that really improved my business and my life. I am now working smarter, am having more fun outside of work, and am having yet another record-setting month! Alay's business know-how, encouragement, and accountability have all helped me build my business. Most of all, he cares about me and my team, and is completely focused on our success. I highly recommend Alay to business owners who want to achieve the next level of success! - Maureen Torretto "

"I worked with Alay during a crucial part of my growing business. His time and help in guiding priorities and task management were a big part of being able to take our company from acquisition to growth to personal exit. I very highly recommend Alay and his services to anyone growing a small to mid sized business. - Aaron Eddy "

"Alay is a tremendous business coach, champion, and now a friend. I selected Alay as my business coach a few months ago to help me manage all the plates I had spinning. In addition to learning more about myself, Alay helped me get clarity around my target market and ideal client. He has helped me refocus my business, retool my marketing messages, and update my lead generation tactics. Along the way, he's given me information, tools, and techniques that I put to use right away. With these changes, I have greater focus, control, and alignment in my business and in my life. He's an amazing business coach and I strongly recommend him. - Clifford Stephan "

"Alay is one of those rare people who also naturally serves as a great coach for the company as a whole along with the management as well. Alay exhibits strong interpersonal skills and a unique capacity for empathy. These qualities most notably translate in his ability to help us focus and also motivate us to complete our projects and be invested in the project’s success. Alay is a go-to person for conflict resolution and problem solving; when fights break out in boardroom meetings... Husband and Wife, he steps in to diffuse tension and induce compromising. Though he’s never one to draw attention to himself or be defensive about his suggestions, Alay's positive attitude and the respect he gives others helped motivate us to push our business to the next level. - Tim Smith "

"Alay Yajnik has helped turn our law practice into a business. He has dedicated a great deal of time and energy helping 3 women lawyers learn how to market, strategize, plan and manage a business to make us more successful. He is an excellent coach and we highly recommend him to anyone who is starting out a business or who needs help growing their business. - Ivette Santaella "

Case Studies

MERLE NORMAN DAY SPA

Patricia and David were doing a good job growing their Day Spa business, however, they were facing problems with employees and profitability.

Find out how their FocalPoint Business Coach helped them increase their net income by +300% in one year.

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

The owners of a busy installation and service contracting firm lacked confidence in their field employees and were not making a net profit.

Learn how their FocalPoint Business Coach helped them reduce their billing time by 90% resulting in a $10K savings to the business.

ANIMAL HOSPITAL

The doctors of the Animal Hospital had a successful practice but recognized they needed to increase efficiencies within the business and revamp their marketing plan.

See how their FocalPoint Business Coach helped them identify cost savings of $10K/year while increasing client satisfaction, revenue and profits.

You could be our next success story - Contact Coach Alay today!

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