I Didn’t Think I Needed A Coach

Working with a coach changed my career and my life. I became a better salesperson and trainer, a better mom, and a better person. It was worth every dime that I invested and the coaching paid for itself within the time we worked together.

Approaching My Breaking Point

It was 4:32am, I had just sat down with a cup of coffee to catch up on emails and administrative work. I had two hours until I had to wake the kids up for school and “start the day”.

Like many busy professionals I was overwhelmed with balancing my full-time job, my family life, and making time for myself. I felt my days never ended and I still was not happy with my performance in any of those three areas.

Support Was The Missing Piece

My work was going fine, but I wanted to do more. My kids were being raised, but I felt I wasn’t giving them all of the time I wanted to.

My self-care — well, I hadn’t gotten to the gym in weeks and I couldn’t remember the last time I just caught up with my friends over a margarita.

I felt exhausted and discouraged, that I was running at 100 miles per hour and not enjoying life. I knew I needed support but I was not sure where to turn.

Putting Myself Out There

That afternoon while sitting at my daughter’s karate lesson I struck up a conversation with another mom in the room.

We talked about the hectic schedules of running small kids to and from practice and all of those other busy things in our lives. I was shocked when I learned that on top of everything else, she was also running her own business.

I admired that she seemed to have it all together, certainly more than I did. Over the next few weeks, she and I developed a friendship at those karate classes.

Not Just For CEOs and Founders

One day we were talking about our jobs and she asked me if I had ever worked with a business coach. I told her I had not and honesty I didn’t think I needed one since I was “just an employee”, after all I wasn’t running my own business.

She explained to me that a business coach is not just for the CEO but that anyone who wanted to step up their game would benefit from a coach.

Reluctantly, I accepted the name and number of a coach she recommended and tucked it into my bag.

Time To Turn My Life and My Career Around

A few weeks later I got a call from my CPA that my taxes were done and that I owed a significant amount of money this year. I was shocked and thought it must be an error.

After reading through his email the weight of this amount set in. I didn’t have this money and I knew it was going to drain my savings. I felt sick. I was already overwhelmed with life in general and this was a real blow.

Tears ran down my face as I thought, “How am I going to turn things around? I can’t get a second job, I don’t have a winning lotto ticket, I’m screwed.”

Then I remembered the piece of paper that my new friend had given me. I pulled it out of my purse and dialed the number. She answered.

Coaching Is An Investment

I introduced myself and shared why I was calling, after a short conversation she seemed very confident that she could help me, like she has many others. She also seemed really cool, someone that I could see myself enjoying working with.

When she told me the investment for coaching, I was not sure if I could afford it. I was already in a tough state financially. At the same time, I also knew I needed help to make more money and to turn things around. After weighing my options for a day, I decided to do it.

We Made A Plan, And Got To Work

From there, we worked together every two weeks for about nine months. She helped me to set detailed goals, both personally and professionally. We took the time to look through what I needed to do at work to increase my revenue and commissions.

One thing I needed to do was double the revenue that I had previously been earning. I knew it was not going to be easy but we designed a plan to get there.

It Wasn’t Always Easy

She helped me develop some of my professional skills so that I could be a better leader. I had to do more reading and attend a few classes. She helped me find a better balance of work and life so that I could actually have time for my family and myself.

There were also times that she called me out in areas that I knew I needed to work on and she held me accountable to doing those things.

She recommended things that pushed me outside of my comfort zone, in order to elevate my success.

Working With A Coach Changed My Life

Working with her changed my career and my life. I became a better salesperson and trainer, a better mom and a better person. It was worth every dime that I invested and the coaching paid for itself within the time we worked together.

Now, ten years later as a sales coach myself, I love making this type of career change for others. To help them pull out their real goals and dreams and to give them guidance and tools to help get them there. It excites me when one of my clients send me a text that they just closed that big deal or that they earned an award for their hard work.

You Must Be Open To Change

To successfully work with a sales coach, you have to be open to change. Choose someone who you like, if you don’t look forward to talking with them, then you will constantly try to reschedule or avoid your time together. But you must also choose a coach who will push you— and even call you out!

You will be asked to do things that feel uncomfortable, like call that prospect for the eighth time or to put yourself on camera and send a video to a customer. But just like I did, you have to have faith that those uncomfortable tasks are designed to push you and help you grow.

From expertise, to personality, and everything in between, Sales Gravy Master Sales Coach Gina Trimarco breaks down the 10 things you should look for when considering a coach in our FREE guide, How To Find The Right Coach For You.