Maybe it's true that you don't have to understand balance sheets, turnover ratios, or acceptable ROI in their industry to coach business owners in you target market.

It's possible that you don't have to know how the dozens of management tools they use regularly work, what the represent, and how they identify problems and opportunities.

But to be credible, so they'll hire you in the first place, and pay you for your services, you sure do.

Business terminology is how they frame their conversations. You will need to be able to "talk the talk" or you'll probably lose out to someone, probably without your skill and sensitivity, who can.

In 2003 I published Doing It Right, a collaboration between Dan Elash PhD and me.

It was a learning, teaching, and doing toolkit published using amazingly straightforward and easy to use ebook software.

In 2006 it occurred to me that if I was going to reach 500,000 business owners and the professionals who serve them, I should convert it to HTML, put it on our web site and let the search engines and word of mouth do the rest.

What he and I set out to create was not another boring business text book.

What we had in mind was an interactive resource that business owners and their advisors could reconfigure on the fly to address any question, challenge, or opportunity that comes along.

Like all text books it is a mixture of concepts, tools to implement them, and relevant examples from real-life stories of everyday people.

Unlike other text books, the concepts and strategies are explained simply, so everyone from a brand new coach or entrepreneur to the most savvy executive, can understand them.

Likewise the tools are relevant to businesses of all sizes.

And the examples are from companies we can all relate to - people like those you and I work with every day.

This article appears along with others in the Resources for Professionals area of our web site. The articles in that area are being created from our decades of experiences helping business owners design the futures of their companies.

So the following example if for those of you who seek to serve the universe of business owners successfully.

For example, if your client is experiencing a marketing related challenge, you should review Section #7, Acquiring Market Savvy - drilling down via the various internal links until you have a better understanding, will help you add value to your next interaction with them.

In this section alone there are six strategic examples you can use to help your clients understand opportunities. There are three examples of Main Street businesses successfully acquiring market savvy. And there are six different planning tools.

Between now and your next client meeting you can become well acquainted with marketing strategies, at least well enough to convince them of your commitment to learn what's important to them.

In other words you are using Doing It Right as a way to gain knowledge and self-confidence. With Doing It Right as your transparent knowledge base you can become more conversant in their language faster.

There are two dozen stories that illustrate challenge and successes business owner are experiencing. These are relevant real-life situations you and your clients can connect with.

Use the stories, the strategies and the tools as part of your coaching, training, and consulting - or simply tell your clients about them. You get credit with them either way.

We worked hard to make the strategies, examples, and tools understandable and actionable for organizations of all sizes and for use by emerging professionals as well.

The more familiar you become with the range of materials the more prepared you are to manage your own business, discuss business issues with prospects and clients.

And the more likely you will be to spot opportunities where your services will add value to your clients.

In a future article to be posted in the Resources for Professionals of our web site I will show you how I am using Doing It Right in my presentations at service clubs, a very effective way for developing new clients.

Stay tuned.

<< Back to More Articles