| If you have been searching the internet for something, | | | | community word gets around quickly about a |
| you will usually end up with a life coach site popping up | | | | company, but on the internet you don't have that |
| in your results at some point. Life Coaching has | | | | check and balance system available. So, buyer |
| evolved over the years and continues to change and | | | | beware! |
| grow - but what is life coaching, how do you choose a | | | | Why people should try Life Coaching: |
| life coach, and what should you be aware of? | | | | Life Coaching is an awesome way for people to stay |
| Life Coaching Past: | | | | motivated, keep their focus, gain self-insights and strive |
| Life Coaching really emerged, noticeably, about 10 | | | | to achieve their goals. Life Coaching deals with the |
| years ago. Most life coaching was advertised as | | | | here and now and goes forward from there, it is an |
| Executive Coaching or Leadership Coaching and they | | | | action based co-active coaching style that is not like |
| were usually hired by corporations for staff or | | | | therapy which deals with past life events and more |
| individual training. With the onset of in-house corporate | | | | psychological issues. A life coach should have the |
| training teams, the need for Executive Coaches | | | | educational/work/life experiences and tools necessary |
| diminished and many sought other areas to continue | | | | to meet the needs of their customers and if not, then |
| coaching in. Since then, there are now life coaches that | | | | say so and refer the customer to a life coach that |
| coach in every area of life you can think of and then | | | | does. I recently tried to get a referral network started |
| some. Many life coaches specialize in one or two main | | | | at the life coach school I attended, so that I and others |
| life areas but many still coach in multiple life areas. | | | | would know where to refer a customer if I felt their |
| Originally, life coaches were people who had some | | | | needs could be better met by another. Only two other |
| kind of previous work experience before going into | | | | coaches felt secure enough to put their strengths out |
| coaching. Most Executive Coaches came out of the | | | | there - no one else! |
| corporate business world and as an Executive Coach | | | | In today's busy, fast-paced world, it is often filled with |
| or Leadership Coach, were able to make great | | | | stress, little personal support and difficult to achieve |
| incomes. Many of these past Executive Coaches also | | | | your goals or solve problems. Life Coaching is a great |
| have become Client Attraction or Marketing Coaches | | | | means to help a person with achieving their goals, |
| in today's climate and their services are provided to | | | | solving problems, getting the support they need so that |
| corporations still but mostly to small or solo businesses | | | | life is less difficult and overall, improved. |
| or individuals. | | | | What to look for in a Coach: |
| Life Coaching Now: | | | | Tips for you, as a customer in choosing a life coach |
| Now life coaching is common, easy to find and is for | | | | include: know ahead of time what you want to |
| businesses and individuals and can be called just about | | | | achieve with a life coach and be able to answer how |
| anything. Today, there are many life coach training | | | | a coach can best work with you and you with them. It |
| schools but there are huge disparities between the | | | | is also helpful to have an idea on how long you are |
| qualities of education students receive from school to | | | | willing to be in coaching before you expect to achieve |
| school. In fact, there are no required educational | | | | your results and how much you can afford; research |
| standards that a life coach school must follow/provide | | | | different life coach websites and read their articles, |
| and there is no regulation of the life coach industry. | | | | newsletters and check out their education/work/life |
| Anyone can call themselves a Life Coach and open a | | | | experience and training; interview 3 different coaches - |
| practice - buyer beware becomes a very serious | | | | include in the interview all your questions on |
| phrase to remember. There are now a couple of | | | | experience, prices, examples of accomplishments |
| professional organizations, such as the International | | | | related to your goal, how long do they think it would |
| Coaching Federation, which as a professional | | | | take to achieve your goal, explain how you prefer to |
| membership organization, is working diligently to | | | | work with a coach and ask what their style of |
| establish coaching standards, life coach school | | | | coaching is; ask for two references that had goals |
| standards and looking at types of regulations that | | | | similar to yours; and most importantly, make sure the |
| could benefit the industry and consumers. | | | | life coach you choose is one that you 'connect' with or |
| There are now between 10,000 and 20,000 life | | | | that 'feels right' to you. Other possible questions can be |
| coaches that are providing services to customers. | | | | asking what the life coach feels are their strengths and |
| There are an increasing number of people pursuing | | | | weaknesses. Also be cautious if you get the |
| becoming a life coach. Many people want to help | | | | impression that the life coach may end up 'telling you |
| others but many think they can earn a tremendous | | | | what to do' or pressuring you into goals or avenues |
| amount of money while being able to work at home in | | | | that you do not want and they seem more the |
| their pjs, part-time. If only it was that easy. Today's | | | | agenda of the coach than yours. |
| world of having a web based business and all it entails | | | | Life Coaching is supposed to be about the customer |
| has become very complicated and it isn't as cheap in | | | | and what they want to achieve and their style of |
| start-up costs either. Most life coaches are earning | | | | learning/growing/achieving through the process of |
| much less than $20,000 a year because they don't | | | | reaching their goals. It is not about the life coach. In fact, |
| have enough clients. Many coaches fail because you | | | | every life coach's goal should be to put themselves |
| have to be a person who can structure their own time | | | | out of business. If coaching were done well, then |
| while working from home. When you work in a | | | | eventually, fewer people would need it. As the saying |
| business, it provides structure that you work within. At | | | | goes, 'teach them to fish rather than feeding them fish |
| home, there is no structure except what a person | | | | and they will never go hungry'. Costs for life coaching |
| creates and it is all too easy to not be structured. | | | | services can typically run $300-$600 a month and |
| Marketing has become a huge part of daily life for life | | | | some will go to $300 or more an hour. Some coaches |
| coaches, much more than ever before and many | | | | actually earn $18,000 hour. If the life coaches you |
| have taken marketing to an incredible level of hard | | | | check-out don't publish their costs, ask. |
| selling. Those 'coaches' providing marketing or small | | | | What is the future of Life Coaching? |
| business start-up coaching have created a huge | | | | Where is Life Coaching going in the future? While the |
| income based industry but it has also gained | | | | economy and the increasing stress of everyday life is |
| tremendous competition over the last few years. | | | | severely hurting the quality of people's lives, life |
| Niche Is In: | | | | coaching will continue to grow in the number of people |
| Niche in life coaching is the current theme - this means | | | | it serves as well as the number of life coaches |
| that a life coach 'specializes' in one or a few areas | | | | entering the field. The number of people utilizing the |
| only. There are many life coaches though who still | | | | web and becoming web based businesses will |
| would be considered general life coaches and offer a | | | | continue to increase the number of coaches who |
| much broader range of coaching services. The market | | | | provide marketing, client attraction and who start |
| is pushing life coaches to have specific niche's quite | | | | business types of services. |
| hard and explain that the public prefers 'specialists' and | | | | One of the newer life coaching waves coming is |
| are willing to pay more for them. It is rather like the | | | | 'Wellness Coaching' which is similar to health coaching. |
| medical profession, you have generalists, generalists | | | | Of concern to me is that many, who are entering this |
| with a smaller focus, specialists with a broad focus | | | | 'niche', receive only 20 hrs of training. Many life |
| and specialists with very specific focus topics. So, | | | | coaches practicing health or wellness coaching have |
| everyone entering coaching is told to have a niche; it | | | | not checked their state's laws on what they can and |
| could be life coaching, client attraction, marketing, public | | | | cannot coach on in this 'niche'. A life coach cannot |
| relations, Christian, organization, health, financial and | | | | treat, diagnose, cure, prescribe or provide counseling. |
| many, many more areas that 'coaching' is being | | | | As a Holistic Practitioner, Certified Life Coach and |
| offered in. | | | | Licensed Social Worker, I fear for people receiving life |
| Buyer Beware: | | | | coaching services on health related subjects from life |
| Throughout my research, I was totally amazed at how | | | | coaches with so little background in health and thus the |
| few life coaches will post their prices but also, and | | | | potential for harm of the customer may occur. This is |
| perhaps even more importantly, they do not post their | | | | my concern and opinion which is shared by some and |
| educational or work experience! I don't know about | | | | not by others. The pressure for more specific |
| you, but I'm not really interested in sharing my dreams | | | | specialization, 'niching', will likely increase as well. |
| and goals with someone unless they are qualified and | | | | Will social media change the face of coaching? That's |
| that means having work, life and educational | | | | unknown at this time. There are many blogs and |
| experience in their 'niche' or coaching areas. I've asked | | | | forums now that people can access for support for |
| many other coaches, and some of them are very well | | | | their specific needs, meet and get to know other |
| known and successful, and been told that education | | | | people interested in the same things. The world has |
| and experience are not important! So, I guess from | | | | gotten smaller and it is much easier to find people to |
| that, if someone worked at the local animal shelter and | | | | talk to on the web, yet we are more isolated in our |
| didn't graduate from high school, they are just as well | | | | 'real' lives than ever before. |
| qualified to provide life coaching services as everyone | | | | I envision the complexities of marketing, which include |
| else. NOT in my book. We check out loads of | | | | free give aways, membership groups, increased |
| information before we buy a car, before we choose a | | | | administrative time (which means less time for |
| doctor, and even before we purchase a mattress. | | | | coaching), hard selling and heavy marketing will |
| Why wouldn't it mean something about what education | | | | continue to increase, as well. I envision there will be |
| and work/life experiences a life coach has? So, buyer | | | | expanded Coaching Schools that provide coaching |
| beware! | | | | education that gives core basics for all types of |
| Marketing and using psychology to sell whether on the | | | | coaching and then gives additional education in specific |
| web or in 'real' life, is something every business uses. | | | | areas of specialty types of coaching. These will |
| Unfortunately, the web is unregulated and you cannot | | | | greatly lead to better qualified service providers. I found |
| check things out and be secure that the information | | | | it amazing, how many coaches actually came out of |
| you get is honest and truthful. There is no Consumer | | | | the computer field from computer programming, IT |
| Reports or Better Business Bureau for the Internet. | | | | support, web design and such. I do hope that |
| The science of selling is intense and is geared at: | | | | something can be done to make sure the |
| getting visitors to give e-mail address for a 'free' gift so | | | | competency, skill, education, and experience of life |
| they have you in the mailing data base; use words and | | | | coaches becomes more uniform and is not as much a |
| colors to attract you and make you 'trust' them, offer | | | | 'shooting in a barrel' experience for customers to find |
| free material to read and low priced items and then | | | | truly skilled and dedicated coaches. |
| you'll receive e-mails about tele-seminars, videos, guest | | | | In conclusion, life coaching has gone from corporate |
| speakers, and high cost products/memberships | | | | America to mainstream. The benefits of life coaching |
| mentorships and mastermind groups. Many coaches | | | | are becoming better known and there are many gifted |
| are genuine but how do you tell the difference without | | | | life coaches available - but you will have to do some |
| making many painful, expensive and time consuming | | | | weeding first. Life Coaching can improve the quality of |
| mistakes. Also read the fine print, many web | | | | your life and even your physical and mental health and |
| businesses do not have guarantees or refunds | | | | thus, it is hoped, it may be covered by health insurance |
| available. Look for coaches who belong to national | | | | as pro-active services someday. In the mean time, life |
| organizations, who post their credentials (experience | | | | coaching is affordable and easy to find. If you are in |
| and education), and did they graduate from a life | | | | search of life coaching for a very specific area of |
| coaching or coaching program or school? You can't | | | | your life or goal, there is likely a life coach that covers |
| trust testimonials often, due to a business may have | | | | it. But the bottom line is that it is up to the consumer to |
| provided services to hundreds but you will only see the | | | | pick the 'right' life coach for them and if it doesn't work |
| few who wrote glowing testimonials, a site that has | | | | for you, then stop and switch to a life coach that will |
| ratings on it is great but can be doctored, asking to | | | | 'fit' you better. Life coaching has evolved considerably |
| speak to a former client is the best method of | | | | and will continue to do so and in 6 years, we'll write |
| checking out a particular coach business, even many | | | | another article updating you on how things have, yet |
| former clients is better. I hope there will be some type | | | | again, changed. |
| of review system devised someday, as in your | | | | |