The Wild, Wild West, How to Find the Right Coach
 

Hold onto your hats folks if you are looking for a business coach. Coaching is like the wild, wild west. It is an unregulated profession which means ANYONE can call themselves a business coach. This makes it difficult if not downright dangerous for people who are looking for a coach.

There are many terrific coaches out there. Unfortunately, since the Pandemic there are many terrible ones too. After coaching for twenty-one years, it is my observation and my opinion that since the Pandemic there are fewer good ones to choose from. 

Here is the reason why. During the pandemic when people shifted careers they were told by friends and family that they would make a great coach. Working from home was appealing and they were told they were good, so they became a coach. Many found that coaching real clients was way different than coaching friends and family. Many excelled and became really good but others did not.

 Please don’t misinterpret what I am saying, and don’t be dissuaded from finding a great coach because a great coach will get you to your goals better, faster and cheaper than you can get there on your own. Just be aware and do your homework before selecting someone.

The thrust of this article is to help you find the great ones.

The first thing that you want to do is figure out how you want a coach to serve you. Do you need help with all aspects of your business, or just marketing? Do you need work-life balance, or better staff training? Take an assessment of what your needs are as you see it.

Next start interviewing. The way I suggest you interview is by asking the coach how they would guide you through the areas that you determined were weak. Listen to their answer. Do they exude confidence? Does what they say make sense? Do you resonate with the person?

You then want to ask the coach “their story”. How did they get into coaching? What is their energy like? How successful are they in their business? Then start proving it.

Here is a fun fact…according to Forbes Magazine guess how much the average salary is for a business coach. Did you guess $500,000? $350,000? If you did guess that you would be wrong. Are you ready for the answer? Are you sitting…$50,000 is the average salary of a business coach! Let that wash over you for a second. You are going to a business coach to help you grow your business and…they only earn $50,000 A YEAR? Crazy little fun fact, isn't it?

So, to do a proper due diligence, ask the coach to show you a liquid account (stocks, bonds, cash) of $1,500,000.00 or more. Don’t let them show you property, or a car, or a boat; I am talking liquid funds. Why do this?

If someone is going to coach you, don’t you want to prove that they have built a successful business themselves? Now, granted you will never know if they inherited that money, but you can start to get a feel from your discussion/interview coupled with their assets if they are the real deal or not. Don’t be bashful, ask.

If they tell you they won’t show you, they don’t have it. If they tell you they will have to have their accountant give access, it’s just an excuse. Be honest and tell them you are looking for the real deal. You told me you are successful, now prove it. I think it’s a fair ask, and I never get offended when I am asked.

What about talking to other clients. In my opinion forget it. It is unethical in my opinion because do you think the coach would give you anyone who would not sing their praises? Therefore, the cards are stacked in the coach's favor. Also let’s say that someone had a great experience with the coach. Does that mean that you will have a great experience too? What if they had a horrible experience? Does that mean that you will have a horrible experience?

You will get out of your coaching experience what you put into it. Instead of speaking to a client, do some research. Google your perspective coach. Look at the reviews. Look at their social media. You will get a very good idea who they are in addition to interviewing them. The interview is most important. Do you resonate and do you believe that they will help you?

Are they punctual? Do they do what they say? Are they needy? This is really important. If the coach is in “Have to mode” meaning I have to get this client to pay my bills, is a very poor choice of a coach to work with. Why? The whole idea of using a coach is for the coach to tell you the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts. If the coach feels that telling you the truth will cause you to fire them, do you think they will tell you the truth?

Here is a true story. A new client came to me. He had paid about $5,000 for a new website prior to working with me. The truth was his website was pretty and easy to navigate but it would not make him money. I told him the truth. When he pushed back about how great it was and all the money, he spent…if I needed his fee to eat it would have been very easy to say, you know you’re right leave it. But, that is not the truth and since I didn’t care if he fired me for telling the truth, I pushed back and explained why it would not make him money. You know what happened? He fired me. Don’t get me wrong being fired sucks, but telling the truth is more important.

Ten months later he called me back. He said he didn’t make a dime from his website and that I was right. Would I be willing to work with him again and help him fix the website. We began working together. He spent about $800.00 to fix the website and now it earns him money daily. In addition, his business almost tripled over the next eighteen months. This is why when you find the right coach, magic happens.

Fees. The old story that you get what you pay for is 100% true in coaching. Who do you think will help you to grow better, faster and ultimately cheaper, Tony Robbins at $100K/month or Joe Shmo at $500/mo?

You can always find someone less expensive. Work with the right person within your budget and you will do fine. Most coaches who are not in have to mode will work with their clients financially because they enjoy the process of helping people and money is secondary to them.

Do your part! If you expect to sit in a corner while the coach does all the work, good luck. Actively engage. Work your butt off and achieve all of your dreams because you deserve it.

I hope this guide will help you find the right coach. When you find the right one the magic begins. Good luck on your journey. 

In Gratitude,

Paul

If you want to see if we are a fit feel free to Click here to schedule a call I will show you exactly how you can be helped and how you can work within your budget.

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In Gratitude,

Paul