Career Intensity by David V. Lorenzo, Business Coach and Advisor

April 22, 2007

Seven Questions to Ask Your Business Coach

Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Business coaching is hot – especially in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and all of South Florida.

There are many, many people who claim to be experts and advisors in ways to help you run your business.

How can you sort through them all and separate the good from the bad and the down right ugly? Here are 7 questions you should ask your business coach before you hire him or her:

Who have you coached and what have the results been? You don’t want to be the first client your coach has worked with. Let them practice on someone else. Many coaches figure it out as they go along when they start their coaching practice. You don’t want to be a lab rat for anyone. You deserve expert advise from a professional with experience.

Where did you learn to do what you do? Your coach should have a combination of business experience and formal education. If they only cite a certification from a coaching association you should run away as fast as possible. Some of the coaching certifications out there only require that a person call in to a series of conference calls in order to be “certified”. If you are paying for coaching you want someone who has been around the block a few times.

What is your coaching process? Your coach should be an expert first and foremost in drawing answers out of you. You will need to do the hard work of developing you business. Your coach should be able to describe his/her process for getting the most out of you. If they can’t, chances are good that they are just “winging it”.

What business discipline do you specialize in? Many business coaches claim to be experts in everything. Remember the phrase: “Jack of all trades and master of none”? For example: If you need sales and marketing advice you should go to someone who has worked on sales and marketing issues over the years. They should also have some form of education in this discipline. If they can’t tell you three or four business problems they solved in their area of expertise, then there’s a good chance they read a text book on some theories and never put them into practice.

How will we measure our progress? Working with a coach makes you feel better. There’s no doubt about it. But when you are paying someone to help you get your business on track you want results. Your coach should be able to help you benchmark your progress as you work together. Specific, measurable results will not only help you understand how you are progressing, it will also keep you motivated. Your coach should have a system for measuring your progress.

What resources do you have to help me? Your coach should have a network of professionals with whom he interacts regularly. For example: He should know several qualified accountants, attorneys, web designers, printers and other business-to-business professionals. The coach should have thoroughly vetted these folks to make certain that they will provide you with fantastic service. Most importantly, your coach should trust these people and the service they provide.

Will you guarantee my satisfaction with your coaching? This is critical. You must trust your coach. Trust starts with the elimination of risk. While it is always tricky to guarantee results – different individuals progress at different rates – it is completely possible to offer to refund your money if you are not happy with the service you receive from your coach. Let’s face it, you are going to open your life and your business up to this person, the least they can do is to make sure you feel good about your emotional and financial investment.

These seven questions are a good start in helping you understand what makes your coach tick. You should feel completely comfortable in having a direct conversation with your coach about these topics. Good coaches are not inexpensive. You should be able to realize a huge return on your coaching investment. This return is dependent upon the quality of the individual you have selected as your coach. Take your time and do your homework. You’ll be glad that you did.

Filed under: Coaching
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