Hiring a business coach offers a number of benefits, even if you’re already leading a multimillion dollar company.
For instance, if you feel stagnant in your professional life, like you’re not reaching your true potential, a business coach can help you determine what is standing in your way. They do this while simultaneously pushing you to take the steps necessary to create a career that feels more satisfying. More fulfilling.
Or maybe you’re struggling with an issue that you can’t quite figure out how to resolve. A business coach can provide an outside perspective, giving you a fresh new look at the problem, thereby increasing your ability to solve it effectively.
The problem is that there are currently almost 56,000 business coaches from which to choose. How do you find the right one for you? Here are five factors to consider.
- Your Goals
You have to know the outcome you want before you can expect to achieve it. So, what are your top one or two reasons for wanting a business coach?
While the career resource site Ladders suggests that the goals for entry level and junior level leaders typically involve developing rapport with employees and articulating their vision, for senior executives, these goals generally revolve around continuing to learn and figuring out how to get out of your comfort zone.
Not sure what your goals are? Take a moment and think about how your life could improve if you hired a business coach. These are the outcomes you want, which makes them your goals.
- Your Motivational Preferences
We all have a different motivational style, a different way of being approached by others that inspires us to be our best selves possible.
For instance, some of us respond better to someone with a boot camp approach while others prefer to work with someone who is softer and more empathetic than forceful.
Knowing up front which style works the best for you allows you to select a coach that will approach you in that way. It also enables you to tell your coach which method of motivation you respond best to, allowing them to help you in the manner that is most effective for you.
- Your Budget
Like with any other business-related expense, you need to budget for a business coach. According to CostHelper, the average cost of this type of coach ranges from $50 to $300 an hour.
While it may be tempting to not hire a coach because you don’t want to pay this cost, you need to ask yourself how much it’s worth to you to get where it is you want to go. In this case, the investment may be worth it.
- They Have Proven Experience
This fourth factor requires that you take an in-depth look at the coaching service your evaluating, to identify whether its coaches have experience with others in positions similar to yours.
Take CEO Coaching International for example, an organization that has several testimonials and client names listed on its website. This kind of evidence helps you ensure that you’re working with someone who understands the challenges and opportunities that you face specifically. The more you can align yourself with a coach with the right type of experience, the more likely you’ll see the results you’re after.
In the same way that you wouldn’t want to go under the knife with a first-time surgeon, you should avoid being a business coach’s first client. As nice as it might seem to give a rookie coach the opportunity to break into the profession, you have to remember that you’re running a business, not a charity.
- Any Additional Business Coaching Services Offered
Before choosing a business coach, it also helps to learn more about whether they offer additional services that can motivate and inspire you between coaching sessions. This may be via podcasts that you can download and listen to while on your commute to and from work or blogs you can read when you only have a few moments of spare time.
The more you can surround yourself with the methodologies, attitudes, and motivations offered by your coaching service, the easier it is to follow through with the actions you’ve committed to take during your coaching sessions. It’s like getting a little pep talk to keep you going as you strive to reach your professional goals.
One Last Piece of Advice…
Also, when picking a coaching service that best fits your needs, don’t be afraid to “try them on for size” so you know you have the right one for you.
Some business coaches offer a complementary first session so you see if you’re the right fit.
If they don’t, ask if you can speak to someone for a few minutes. This gives you the ability to ask any questions you have and, more importantly, to see how they respond.
If they sound like they’re just trying to sell you, it may be time to move on. But if you get the feeling that they’re there to really help, you’ve likely found the right one for you.
