Connecting for the sake of connecting vs. making a sale

i hope that no matter where i go, what i achieve, or how i live, i remain true to who i am deeply, what i believe in, & where the hell i came from.

as of lately i have found that building connections with other folks who are building coaching/service based businesses, nearly impossible.

why? because the bottom line is a buck.

it became super clear at least in this instance, when i signed up for a class, with another business/life coach. the class was cancelled due to low turnout. it was a really affordable writing workshop. there was at-least 9 folks registered at $25 for the class. it was going to be a couple hour long writing session with others who enjoyed the writing process. how awesome is that?

so you can imagine my disappointment when the class was cancelled due to low enrollment. sad me. would have been the perfect rainy day Saturday! oh well. it happens.

so as it happens, i sent an email to the coach, would love it if she decided to hold it again, if she could send me update. I know, it should be me constantly checking back with her Facebook page, blog etc. but in my mind, it was like hey...i want to take your workshop, would love a heads up. i'm thinking, i would say "absolutely." Good customer service, relationship building, whatever the case. not quite how it went.

The e-mail was pretty short & honestly blunt. Asked if i was local. well yes, otherwise i wouldn't have signed up for an in-person writing workshop? then got the low down on why it was cancelled. in my mind ~ again, just me. 10 folks $25 bucks, couple hours of time, building connections, creating, writing. sounds like fun. i would jump on it. i know it's not a ton of money, but there we go again. are we doing stuff because we really love it, or because we are hoping to make a boat shit ton of money.

my next email simply explained where i lived now, that i was from that area. that's where i grew up and i am still there often. so it would have been a perfect addition to my weekend. sorry it got cancelled. again any updates highly appreciated. have a super awesome weekend!


i get back...Sure, YOu Too. with a link to her program. Which by the way is $1000 vs. $25 i signed up for.
And got the "why don't you sign up for my newsletter so when i offer it again, you will know.

i don't know. maybe I'm overly sensitive. read too much into shit. but i just wasn't at that point feeling any connection other than, an attempt at a sale. what connection i felt at first in regards to the writing workshop, has also fleeted. and the fact that yes she is local was a nice bonus.

some how in the midst of the crazy coaching industry and every one brewing their top secret recipes for success, i am feeling that we are losing touch with why we started out wanting to coach to begin with.

there is a huge push in the entrepreneur coaching niche, which in my opinion is creating a deep split between creating successful companies, trust and building supportive relationships.

the inability to reach out to a coach because you resonate with them is almost taboo. the only way to reach out is to pay the money and work with the coach.

i totally get that we all need to make a living, and maybe i had one experience that just didn't set well and i need to move beyond knowing that not all business coaches roll that way. but it certainly was an eye opener as to how i never want a customer, potential customer or a beautiful follower to feel. i want people to feel that whether they can afford me or not, they are incredibly important and i am there to help within my scope of abilities.

it's pretty simple for me.

i know all too well what its like to come from a crazy, dysfunctional, non-supportive family.

i know what it's like to get divorced, lose your house, your job all in the same 6 months.

i can resonate with feeling like your never going to dig yourself out of the hole.

i especially resonate with thinking "so this is the bottom, now what?"

been there, dug, scraped, prayed, cried, begged and climbed my way out of despair.

i'm on the other side.

and with that comes:

Praying - don't ever let me forget how i got here.

thankfulness - for the knee scraping journey

gifts to share because they aren't meant to be held onto.

unconditional support - because my family is still non-supportive. so i choose alone rather than abuse because no one is excusable from that.

non-judgement - i'm not perfect, never have been, never will be. and i'm ok with that. i don't judge me. i choose daily to try my darndest to live truthfully, learned from lessons, the hard way.

i try and practice self love constantly, because that was the first step towards getting out of the shitty bottom of the barrel. learning i am enough.

i want to pass that on to everyone i meet, but more than anything to the people who like me, never had it. i want you to know, your not alone. your more than a client. your not a sale. i will do what i can with what i have to always help others.

thanks again for reading.
would love shares and if you would visit my facebook page @ shelmcnamaracoaching.

Comments always, always welcome.
Criticize away, with love please!

((HUGS))
Shel

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