One of the phrases that I hate that I hear online business coaches use all the time is “invest in yourself.” It’s a phrase that’s used so often that it has become a little trite in my opinion and a little problematic. If you’re have an internal and external conversation with yourself and others trying to decide if you should hire a coach-listen on. Choosing a business coach can be a little stressful because it’s likely you’re at a point in your business where you’ve stalled out, are tired or are trying to uplevel your business. Oftentimes, during those moments making those spending decisions can be really stressful. For me, I was paying off thousands of dollars of dollars in debt when I decided to hire my first business coach. She was wonderful. But, the program was $1600 and I couldn’t go into debt in order to pay for it. I ended up using the payment plan option, side-hustling and paying cash for it. It was worth every penny but it was a really difficult decision for me to make. I needed to feel like the coaching helped me achieve one of my spoken and unspoken goals. Basically, I had to FEEL like the coach met my needs and I needed to have some sort of result to justify spending $1600 of money I could have put down on debt. Or, maybe you have the money but for some reason you’re paralyzed by making this decision.
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Show Notes
- Here is a strategy that you can use to make sure you’re making an informed decision before hiring your next business coach.
- Step #1 Be clear about the problem that you’re needing solved– In my case, I coach perfectionist online entrepreneurs who are unable to get things done. They are stuck and as a result spend time spinning out on how perfect their books, courses, websites, podcast, vlogs, etc. have to be before they will actually put them out there in the world. In order to be clear about the problem that you need solved spend some time reflecting on what isn’t working for you in your business. You can journal, use a voice recorder, but basically, set some time aside to figure this out. When I finally decided to hire a coach I was really frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t seem to uplevel my business at the time. I needed someone who was a few steps ahead of me to help me with that process. My coach helped me:
- With clarity around marketing
- Money mindset-This was something that I really struggled with and impacted my business for years.
- Connect with other online entrepreneurs who were dealing with the similar issues
- When I picked my coach it was very clear to me that she could help me with those problems. And she articulated variations of her expertise in various ways. In podcast interviews, in her social media, with her results, from accolades received from others, etc. Is the coach that you’re looking at articulating the results that they can help you achieve?
- Step #2-Assess your future coach’s products. It’s my view that coaches who only sell one thing are more likely than not in the position of really pushing their coaching programs. In particular, pushing products to clients who may or may not be in the position to either afford coaching OR aren’t ready for coaching at the time. Ideally, coaches should have products that can meet you wherever you’re at in your business journey. That should look like the following:
- Free content via a website/podcast/blog/etc
- Free content via social media
- Low-Cost Items such as inexpensive ebooks, PDFs, etc.
- Mid-Range-Courses, webinars, etc.
- High End-Coaching
- Miscellaneous revenue streams that might not be client facing such as.
- Brand partnerships-I worked recently with Experian recording a course about Credit Scores
- Freelance writing projects
- Affiliate income.
- Ad revenue from websites.
- Basically, you’ll learn three things from this business set up.
- The coach understands the concept of the client buying journey
- Your potential future coach has diversified income which would be a huge benefit to YOUR business
- Ideally your coach won’t be motivated to sell a product to you that you DON’T need or AREN’T ready for yet.
- Step #3-Let’s Talk Money-By this what I mean is resist the urge to go broke for coaching. Seriously, just do. One of the main reasons people get so upset with online coaches is that they spend with a Hail Mary in mind. It takes time to get results so if you’re hoping that your results will happen fast with money that really should be spent…you’re going to be really unhappy. Basically, I want reasonable pressure around this investment not unreasonable expectations. Here’s what I suggest:
- Be clear about your budget-Coaching could be something that you allocate a certain amount towards every year. You could open up a Qube Money account and allocate a certain percentage of income towards saving up for coaching.
- Payment Plans-Most coaches offer payment plans in order to access their services. This makes coaching a lot more accessible and palatable to people who may need the help but would find it difficult to come up with a large sum of money outside of credit cards.
- Does the coach pressure you to spend or respect where you’re at financially? I was broke at the time that I paid for coaching but I hadn’t hit that desperation stage that many entrepreneurs experience at least a couple of times during the beginning stages of their business.
- Step #4-Have a list of what you’re looking for in your coaching experience-Your list may differ from this. Be clear about the logistics connected to the experience you would like to have.
- Does the coach provide resources and content that supplements in person discussions.
- Are there opportunities to meet with the coach how often and are they at times that you can actually attend?
- Does the coach provide recordings of important content?
- Is bonus content available?
- Do you have access to testimonials? Typically this are shared on the coach’s website.
- Are they comfortable answering your questions prior to your purchase?
- Is the coach fairly easy to contact?
- Step #5-Are you the coach’s ideal client? This should be clear in the coach’s content. If you’re not sure see if they have a free 15-20 minute free coaching call where you can actually speak with the coach about your concerns before you say “yes” to the program.
- One more thing-Some coaches may not have “the flashy” look but have results. Be able to ascertain what’s important to you. Do you want the person who is earning money, attracting projects and working with people? Or, do you want someone who has the “look” of a successful coach. Newer coaches can fall into this grey area. Where they are making things happen on slightly unsexy platforms.
Picking an online business coach can feel like a daunting process, especially if it’s your first time. Hopefully this has been a helpful resource for you. Good luck on your search.