By Mary Cravets, Business Coach & Speaker
Sedona AZ (January 14, 2015) – Recently I heard about a very well-known Business Coach who charged $10,000 for a two-day one-on-one retreat at her home. This is a 
high, yet reasonable fee for any Coach who can deliver on promised results. This Coach, however, did not deliver the promised results, and instead used the majority of the two days to show off her lavish lifestyle… and then pitch her $25,000 program.
As a Business Coach myself, this story just burned me up inside, because this kind of situation reflects on my entire industry. In response, I was prompted to create the following questions to use when considering investing in a coaching program:
- Has the Coach “been there, done that”? If they are promising 2,000 followers on Twitter, check out how many followers they have. If they are promising you’ll double your income, find out whether they’ve doubled their own income.
- Are they promising unrealistic overnight success? In general, programs promising overnight success are the ones to avoid. Any successful person will tell you there is no such thing as an overnight success. Someone who makes this promise is probably hoping they will become an overnight success by selling you their program.
- Do they claim you can’t get what they teach anywhere else? The overwhelming majority of claims of this type are false. While every coach brings a unique voice and perspective to their area of expertise, there is (almost) nothing new under the sun. This claim is generally made to elicit feelings of desperation in hopes that you’ll buy what they’re selling.
- Do they spend more than 10% of the time at their events selling? If a coach uses most of the time at an event selling (themselves), it creates tension and can stir up fears. Tension is a natural part of the sales process, but constant tension-building is a manipulation technique which creates an environment where one can no longer make rational decisions.
- Are you feeling desperate, needy or overwhelmed? Regardless of what someone is selling, or what their motives are, remember, the buck stops with you. Be present when making buying decisions. Be clear about what you need, and if the program presented is the best option, then invest! However, if you feel desperate, you will very likely make a decision you’ll regret. You’re allowed to step back and decide tomorrow. Be wary of anyone who pushes this boundary or tells you otherwise.
- The bottom line? As you would when considering a high-ticket-item purchase, research the coach, find out about their track record or history and talk to others who can recommend the coach from their own positive experience.
Disclaimer: Please understand that NONE of the above definitively identifies someone being unethical. In fact, because of the vast influence of a few big names in the training industry, it is almost impossible to sort them all out.
What do I mean? As coaches, we seek expert advice in order to grow our own practices. Problems arise because many of the best-known industry experts advocate the use of the practices above, often presenting them as the only way to succeed (see #3 above). Consequently, we may feel backed into a corner, like we don’t have any other options (see #5 above), even though it feels icky.
I cringe as I admit this, but in the past I tried some of these methods myself, mirroring what I saw as acceptable business practices in my industry. But I was terrible at them.
These accepted “techniques to help more people” were totally out of alignment with the way I wanted to treat fellow humans. So I tossed them all out the window (the techniques, not the humans), and started simply connecting with people to find out if and how I could offer them value. This approach empowered my prospective clients whether they hired me or not, and at the same time my closing ratio went up substantially. Doing the right thing pays off for everyone.
So, if you are a coach, or you’re looking for a coach, just remember this: you’re on the right track when you feel empowered and are empowering others along the way.
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Mary Cravets is a Business Coach and Speaker who works with highly driven small business owners who are tired of working all the time, and who want their business to run like a well oiled machine and get paid what they’re worth. Mary’s entrepreneurial journey includes successful careers in Real Estate, Direct Sales, business-to-business Networking Events and now Business Coaching.