I realized that life had much more to offer than I had anticipated and decided to help others in their human journey. Thus, I become a trainer and a coach with passion for transformation.
Ann Betz
Congratulations – you’ve decided to hire a coach! But, now what?
Hiring a coach is one of the best decisions a person can make to supercharge the results of what they are working on. It can also feel a little overwhelming, especially if this is your first time hiring a coach. Here are some basics to help you find the one that is right for you.
Do some groundwork
There are some important things that you’ll want to accomplish before you start the hunt for the perfect life coach. Here are some of the things that I recommend everybody do:
Pick a price point before you start.
Coaching can range from $35 to $1,000 per session. Plus many coaches put together packages and programs that you pay for in one big lump ranging from a couple hundred
The most important thing that I tell people when choosing what to pay is that the number should be a little scary to you. You really want to view this as an investment into your future, and that means you want to get the very best that you can reasonably afford. I am NOT saying to break the bank and go hungry so you can hire a coach, but I AM saying that you should definitely feel like the amount you are going to spend will commit you to the process and the work. Read this if you want a glimpse into why.
Figure out what kind of coach you are actually looking for.
This can be a bit tricky, but there are some obvious things to look out for. ‘Life Coach’ is a very generic term, which doesn’t help you identify if you want to work with somebody. As you go into the process of hiring a coach, have a firm idea of what you are hoping to get out of the coaching.
As a basic rule, if you are looking for spiritual guidance: don’t hire a business
As you start reaching out to coaches, don’t be afraid to ask them what their specialty is, or who their ideal client is.
Decide if certifications are important to you
Life coaching is kind of like the wild west right now. There is no over-arching governance board verifying that people calling themselves life coaches have any training or experience whatsoever. So it’s up to you to suss out if they are up to snuff.
One thing that some coaches go in for is certification. Organizations like the ICF and IPEC offer certifications that verify that a coach has learned the certain core competencies and has had enough practice hours to satisfy their credentials. Each certifying organization is a little different when it comes to what those requirements are though, and there are plenty of bogus organizations offering bogus certifications as well.
Recognize also that MOST coaches right now are not ‘certified life coaches’, and that doesn’t mean they are less-than-par coaches.
If certifications are really important to you then make sure you ask any coaches you consider hiring what their credentials are and then research what those credentials actually mean. Also, recognize that they will usually charge more than a non-certified coach.
What demographics matter to you?
Do you want to work with a man? Do you want to work with somebody who is the same race as you? Do you want to work with somebody older or younger than you? If you are a woman looking to increase your confidence in the workspace it’s probably best to work with a woman who specializes in that.
Identify which things are important for you. If they aren’t important, then don’t worry about them. Simple as that.
Choose how you want to meet
In-person or by-phone? If you live in a small town, finding the right coach to meet in person can be challenging. There are lots of coaches who only do sessions by phone. If meeting in person is important to you, make sure you verify that any coaches you find are able to make that happen.
How to search for a coach
This is where I wish I could give you an easy answer. There are plenty of coaches out there wishing that you would pick them as your coach. Unfortunately, with the wild-west nature of the profession right now it can be a challenge to find the right coach for you. Thankfully there are some helpful tips.
Hit up your network
Ask your friends, family, co-workers, and anybody else in your network if any of them have a coach or know somebody who does. Getting a personalized referral helps a lot if the coach is in high demand, but it’s also really nice to be able to ask somebody you know about their experience with the coach to get a better feel for them.
Use an online directory
Keep in mind that almost all online directories are
Make sure to read through their profile, and check out their website if it is given to you. Look them up on LinkedIn, google their name, see what comes up. Do your homework basically.
Google it
When all else fails, hit up google to find some options. Google should give you a couple of local results, as well as a ton of other results. The more specific you are here the better the fit will be. If you are looking for a women’s confidence coach google ‘Women’s confidence coach’ to get somebody aligned with what you are looking for. It’s up to you how wide of a net you want to cast to find the perfect coach.
What to do after you find a coach who seems like a good match
First off – check them out.
See if they have a blog/podcast/published articles, etc. Go through anything they’ve got and
Establish Contact
If you used an online directory, they will probably establish contact with you,
Establish contact. Shoot them a call or email. Give them the basic info of what you are looking for and ask them if they’d be willing to
See how they respond. Are they full of cheesy one-liners? Do they send you a three-page long email response that rambles? Do you feel confused or empowered at the end of the call? It seems silly, but paying a lot of attention to the answers they give you to your questions will tell you much about how they work as a coach.
Go through a first session
Whether it is free or not, set it up so that you get some one on one time with them in the coaching environment. Don’t sign any contracts before you determine if they are a good match for you personality-wise and coaching skillset-wise. It’s way easier to pay $100 to learn that you aren’t a good match than it is to shell out $3k to decide it isn’t a good match down the road.
Reflect on that first session
If you feel like they totally get you, are a great coach for what you want to achieve, and you got a lot of value out of the first meeting then chances are that this is the coach for you! If you feel doubtful, confused, or your gut just tells you it isn’t perfect – SHOP AROUND SOME MORE! You can always come back to this coach if others aren’t as good, but it pays dividends to walk into the relationship with confidence that this is a coach who can help you get where you want to go.
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