Tips for Choosing a Reputable Business Coach

There are a number of myths associated with working with a Business Coach. 

The first is that a coach is only used by ‘underperformers’ who are struggling!  The reality is that many successful people from all walks of life use coaches.  With the exception of Bubba Watson (apologies non-golf fans) you would be hard pressed to find an elite sportsperson who doesn’t use at least two performance coaches.

A second myth is that a coach will ‘help’ you achieve your objectives, whereas technically a good coach should ‘enable’ you to achieve your objectives.

The question is, how do you sort the wheat from the chaff?  Here are eight factors to think about when trying to decide who you would like to work with;

1. Get personal recommendations - ask trusted sources for their personal recommendations.  Whilst everyone will have a different Business Coach ‘fit’, you can’t beat starting with tried and tested recommendation.

2. Define what you believe you need help with – make sure you know your own objectives and goals and why you feel you need a Business Coach in the first place.

3. Interview your coach – in fact interview at least 2 or 3!  Compile a list of comprehensive questions.  Aside from the obvious ‘What could you do for me and how?’  You may also wish to consider asking;

• What would your clients say about you to me? 
• Can you walk me through your coaching process?’
• What are you looking for in me as a client?’ 

4. Look beyond the badge – whilst it is important to ascertain you have found yourself a ‘legitimate’ Business Coach, remember this will be a very close and trusted working relationship.  It is equally important that you find yourself the Coach who is best suited to your goals and who you will work best with on a personal level.  Having a badge doesn’t necessarily mean they are the right fit for you.

5. Clarify the coach’s role - consider crossover expertise but do remember it is not the coach’s job to be the expert – that’s your job!  As with highlighting the difference between ‘helping’ and ‘enabling’ at the start of this blog, a good coach will not promise you answers, they are there to support, question and navigate you through the decision-making process that leads you to meeting your goals and objectives.

6. Ask if the coach has a coach! – every good coach will have, or will have had, a coach themselves, and no one is ever above that need.

7. Ask for a no-obligation intake session – you should always have the initial opportunity to speak without charge to a prospective coach, and do not buy into the ‘my time is money’ approach!  Make sure you both understand each other’s requirements and assess whether you a good personality match. Also consider what form the coaching will take; i.e. will it be delivered face to face, via zoom or phone, and over what frequency?

8. Go with your gut!  Intuition is important in choosing a coach for you, but do always have a plan if you feel it’s not working out. Is there a money back policy if you’re delivering what is required of you but you’re not seeing results and are you tied into a long term agreement?

If you fancy putting us to the test against this criteria, or indeed any additional criteria, we would love to hear from you to see if we are a good fit for you. 

Please call us on 01295 675506 for a friendly no obligation chat.