Do you need one of them? Do you really need to spend all that money for coaching? It might be yes, it might be no. Are you looking for a Business Coach? Or better a Life Coach? Why? Can they really help you?
Disclaimer: I’m currently taking a Life Coaching course so that in the near future I’ll add also that one to my certifications but I’ve already learned a thing or two on Coaching. Feel free to disagree though. And keep in mind that this is just my personal opinion.
Some years ago I had a 1-1 coaching session with a renowned Business Coach when I paid 1.000 euros for a four hours session, not too much considering that the average coach asks for 500 to 1.00 dollars per hour, reason why there are so many around, we are talking about big bucks here. Was the session useful? Well, honestly not as what I’ve learned wasn’t really worth the money I paid.
And this is one of the reasons why once I’ll get my Life Coach certification I’m going to ask far less, unless my clients are millionaires. No, probably I’ll ask the same fee as for everyone else. This way I could become “The Cheapest Millionaires Coach“.
From what I see a Business Coach or a Life one is helpful in showing you that you already have all the answers to your questions only that you just don’t see them. And this shared by many similar professionals, Hypnotherapists and Stress Managers too. I mean, it’s a common approach as it always work.
Beside showing you what you already know a Business Coach usually teaches you some techniques to work better and more efficiently, I guess everyone talks about the Pareto Rule right? The 80-20 thing. Or prioritizing things to do in order of importance. Nothing really new under the Sun. The rules of business are more or less the same. High quality, low price, never spend more than you earn. They are packaged differently but the principles are always those.
For a Life Coach it’s more or less the same, look at the positive things, look at what areas of your life you need to improve to feel happier and so on plus a bunch of, hopefully, useful techniques to deal with things. Again usually timeless principles you can find in many good books sometimes repackaged or explained differently.
Now I’m the first to admit that no one is usually able to see things from himself and that having someone else point of view is the right thing to have a correct perspective on life and business. Three quarters of my job are based on this and so I know how important it is; but is this enough to ask for so many bucks? I don’t think so. Especially if you take into account that most of coaching is based on those timeless principles you can find in many books.
Clearly if I read those books and give you just the meat and bones of them you should pay for this service. If I look at your life and show you things differently but that you probably already know you should then pay for it. But you should pay an honest amount for my help, even if I’m the best Business Coach around. And even if you are a millionaire why should I charge you more? For Privacy? That should be always included. For my knowledge and professionalism? Those are always included.
Because I’m the coolest Life Coach around? Well, that’s not a good enough reason to pay 1.000 dollars per hour. But maybe I’m just strange.
So for the final point next time you’re thinking about having a coach for something try to see what’s the real advantage he’s going to give you and if really his or her fee is worth what you’re going to receive. 500 dollars to really change your life definitely for the better are fine, but for knowing what you already know or can read in a book they are not.
What do you think? Where is the border between being paid for your professionalism and for what you know and conning people or exploiting their weeknesses? Have you gone to a Business Coach or a Life Coach? How it worked?
