No one knew as we toasted to the new year that all of our plans and projections would be entirely overthrown by the most unprecedented year in recent history. 2020 arrived with its own set of rules and left no assumptions unchallenged as the months unfolded.

Now more than ever, the wise words of Spencer Hays have deepened our understanding of the importance of finding a way:

“There are two types of people in this world: One finds an excuse; the other finds a way. It doesn’t take guts, gumption, or determination to find an excuse; anybody can locate one. It takes quality people to find a way over, under, around, or right through any obstacle that stands in the way.”

In March, over 80% of Southwestern Consulting’s scheduled coaching workshops were canceled. While the physical office closed and all team members transitioned to virtual work environments, we rallied our team of 130+ coaches in over eight countries by doubling-down our efforts, communication, and support. Our operational teams pivoted—updating our tools and resources, providing technology training, and delivering new digital assets. With a clear focus and constant communication, the leadership team provided an updated strategy and direction, implementing new support systems to drive success. 

It did not happen overnight, but with a steadfast and consistent effort from team members exemplifying our foundational principles, we have great accomplishments to celebrate in 2020:

• In October, we experienced our most successful month of lives changed (highest enrollment of new coaching clients in a single month) in company history.
• We have increased the recruitment of new coaches by 63%. 
• Southwestern Consulting is on track to close out 2020 ahead of 2019 and see a revenue increase as well as a profit margin increase.
• August, September, and October have been the best months in Southwestern Consulting’s company history for 3 consecutive months in a row.

These numbers represent only a portion of the picture. The larger part of our success is continuing the mission of helping people achieve their goals in life—both within our company and throughout the world.

“My referral game is going up, I am more confident when I speak to customers.” – Current coaching client in the insurance industry who has tripled his income in over just five months during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic

“Southwestern Consulting provided creative approaches to marketing, allowing me to approach virtual training with a high level of success. We learned we could change just as many lives virtually as we could in-person, lowering the costs of time and travel.” – Adam Outland, Partner

Finding a way for Southwestern Consulting meant continuing to empower our existing and new clients, as well as our team, every day. Through coaching, our clients have not been paralyzed by the unknown of 2020. Instead, they have been guided to focus on the controllables, keeping a positive mindset, while being held accountable to the right habits.

Having impacted over 16,0000 coaching clients since we began in 2006 and increasing their income average by over 25%, we have learned that results are never confined to a single individual. When we train a division manager to implement effective systems and tools, there is a team whose performance will be elevated by those shared principles, resulting in shared success. When we coach a CEO on goal setting, leading to increased revenue for their company, that CEO produces fulfilled employees instead of furloughed employees. When we coach a high-performing professional on time management, they find more hours in their week, and a family finds more joy in connection. These are the results that make the difference and continue to drive our mission.

“At the end of the day, revenue is secondary to impact. Changing lives is the ultimate goal, and impact is our measuring stick.”

– Dustin Hillis, co-founder of Southwestern Consulting and CEO of Southwestern Family of Companies

For more info about Southwestern Consulting, to become a certified sales and leadership coach, or to hear more about becoming a coaching client, email [email protected].