Questions to Ask Before You Hire A Business Coach
Posted on June 27, 2011 by Arthur Helmstetter, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Small or new businesses typically have gaps in their managerial experience or capabilities, and a business coach can help them learn how to fill them.
• How will I know that this coaching has been successful? Will it improve the profitability of my business, increase sales, increase efficiency, or reduce stress?
• What can I learn from this coach? Will they help me develop my business strategy and marketing plans, improve my sales systems, and measure sales effectiveness?
7 steps to use to select a business coach
Research Just like choosing a physician, you need to understand the coach’s background, expertise and experience that match your needs for business improvement. In addition to credentials and experience, a prospective coach should be able to share with you why they are qualified to assist someone in your situation.
Your goals Before engaging a coach, take some time to consider:
• What are your goals for the coaching engagement?
• What changes are you willing to personally make?
• What other expectations do you have?
Understand their Coaching Method Ask your potential coach to explain their coaching method or style. The response should be succinct, direct and make sense to you. If their response tends to wander, uses a lot of buzzwords and leaves you confused, then chances are your coaching experience with them will be similar.
Know the Details Ask specific questions about fees, confidentiality, coaching policies as well as the duration of the engagement.
Get References Any qualified coach will gladly share names and contact information of previous clients. Don’t just ask for references, call them! Ask them what impact coaching has had on their careers in the short and long term, if they would do it again and who they would do it with.
Trust Your Gut Ultimately, a successful and productive coaching engagement is based on intimate communication and trust. Choose someone who you are comfortable with.
Try Before You Buy If you have a positive feeling about a specific coach, his or her methods and a confidence in attaining your goals, then ask for a free coaching session. Most coaches will offer a free session in order you to test the dynamics of the relationship.
