3 insider tips to spot a bad coach during the free consultation

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Risa Haasbroek, One of Thousands of Entrepreneurship Coaches on Noomii.

Here are three tell-tale signs that the coach you’ve talked with during your free consultation is not going to work out for you.

1. YOU DON’T FEEL HEARD
If the coach did most of the talking and you did most of the listening, that’s a red flag. The best coaches know the power of this acronym:

WAIT – Why Am I Talking?

A coach who is worth their salt has the wonderful ability to listen well. To listen deeply. To listen with all their heart and mind and soul. So that they can connect the dots for you and show you hidden patterns in your life you just don’t see.
When a coach has the gift and the skill of being a good listener you will have the feeling that they just get you.

2. YOU DON’T FEEL ACCEPTED
The sometimes-controversial psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson has a wonderful way to help you find true friends. They are people with whom you can share your sorrows as well as your successes, he says.
The same ideal holds true when picking a coach.
When you get the feeling that it would be okay for you to share your struggles with the coach, but they are uncomfortable when you talk about some of the great things you’ve accomplished, steer clear.
The best coaches create a space for you where you can share both your pain and your pride.
So be on the look-out for a coach who makes you feel accepted for all that you are.

3. YOU DON’T SEE HOW CHANGE IS POSSIBLE
You probably came to the free consultation because you can’t figure out what’s holding you back from going after your dreams. You’re like one of those trained elephants who were tied to a pole when they were little. Back then they were too tiny and weak to move the pole and walk off. But now they’re big and strong enough to run away with the pole but they don’t realize it. And so they stay put with their trainer. The bondage is all in their mind.
In your case it’s also often just things you believe without realizing that’s holding you back. It’s one of a coach’s biggest jobs to point out those beliefs you don’t even realize are there. When a good coach does that, you will feel excited about so many possibilities opening up before you. If it’s not happening during the consultation, it’s not the coach you want.

To summarize, if you talk to a coach during the free session and you feel heard and understood, accepted, and as if change is possible, you want to hire that coach as soon as may be. It could be the one decision that changes everything for you.