A warning about investing in coaching in these tough times.
I’m utterly fuming and disgusted by something a client told me today.
(I have permission to share this.)
They said that like their friend they’d invested thousands to work with an organisation to grow their businesses.
My client to date has only had 1 x 2 hour session with me and is already selling more, getting powerful conversations converting to customers who are even suggesting new (more expensive) products they could buy and as you can imagine she is over the moon.
Prior to this my client was very busy creating tons of content, talking on lots of platforms, engaging in every way they knew how but were gaining no new business, no leads to be fair they weren’t even able to get people to engage with their company!
They told me that their friend had invested £3k and when they were seeing no benefit and couldn’t afford the £700 a month the organisation told them to put it on their credit card!
If coaching is not working and you need to go into dept it surely proves it’s not working doesn’t it?
My clients who were financially struggling are able to pay for their monthly sessions out of the additional profit they’ve made as a result of our coaching time together. Obvious really.
To me this is morally and ethically wrong and brings the coaching industry in disrepute. If you spend thousands with a company and get no tangible benefits for your investment, step away, ask for your money back and when you invest again ask for evidence IE “Can I speak to some of your customers please?”
If they don’t let you do this then walk away.
Coaching is a tangible process that can and does lead to great things both for your business, you and your staff and I’m happy for you to speak to my customers, in fact my customers are very happy to speak to you too.
If a client returns for a 2nd session and hasn’t made progress I will do one of 2 things;
1. Stop coaching – it’s wasting their money if they don’t take the actions we’ve discussed and that will demoralise them further.
2. Tell them about option 1 and then ask them if they want to walk away or option 2 find out what stopped them from taking action. As you can imagine even the inaction then becomes positive action.
For the record in my many years of coaching only one client has taken option 1. I didn’t abandon them I told them I’d be there as a friend for the foreseeable future and I’d be there in the future as their coach again when the time was right. And I was and still am. (Sometimes coaching is not right for people because of what is going on in people’s lives, in a conversation I’m able to ascertain if that’s the case and won’t let you invest at the wrong time.
Never has any investment in you, your business and your team been so important to get right. you worked hard for your profit, don’t let someone waste it. And I’m happy to have a chat anytime.
01206 381482.
