MARK Daniels began his working life with a gardening apprenticeship 33 years ago. Two degrees and a senior management position later he's the top-earning business coach in a New Zealand franchise.
The Wanganui man scooped the two top awards at the ActionCOACH Business Coaching National Conference last month - for the
third year running.
That means he's the top earner out of about 30 coaches in the New Zealand part of the franchise. He's also in the top 40 earners among more than 800 coaches worldwide, his partner Jenny Duncan said.
He's been with Action as a coach for seven years, and said he was thrilled to win Overall Business Coach of the Year.
He attributes his coaching success to caring about clients and persisting in "getting people to do the things they need to do but have put off".
Ms Duncan listed some of his other attributes. "He's very focused on outcomes and he gets results in substantial proportions.
"Mark only has two speeds - flat tack selling or coaching, or recovering."
He has about 30 clients, located from Hamilton to Levin. He typically spends about an hour a week with each of them, either on the phone or in person, which means he travels a lot.
Much of his of work comes in through referrals, and he employs people to do marketing. But he's very good at selling himself, possibly helped by his Salvation Army background.
He said he learned early on to be comfortable talking to strangers, and to know that not everyone would say "yes".
The Action franchise is about three things - how to make more profit, how to have more time for yourself and how to sort out staffing issues.
In a tough business climate many of Mr Daniels' clients were still showing growth, he said.
"Most clients can return 10 times the value of the coaching fee, and more for larger businesses."
