 Introduction
The majority
of coaches build their practice by offering one to one coaching. A full practice
may consist of anywhere from 5 to 40+ clients who are coached each week. As coaches
find their ideal number of clients, they start to offer other programs and services
in order to leverage their time and increase their income.
Typical features
of one-to-one coaching:
 Most coaching takes place via
the telephone. Some coaches offer in person coaching for a higher fee.
A typical coaching session is
30 minutes in length offered 3-4 times a month. Some coaches offer longer sessions.
The monthly coaching fee ranges
from $200-$500+ for a set number of sessions per month.
Most coaches offer a complimentary
coaching session so potential clients can experience coaching and the coaches
style.
Variations from the typical
examples:
~ Clients pay a monthly fee and receive coaching on an 'as needed'
basis throughout the month.
~ Coaching via instant messenger at predetermined
times or on 'as needed' basis.
Real World Example
Laura Young: One to One Coaching
Wellspring Coaching | johnsonyoung@earthlink.net
Hi, I am Personal Development Coach, Laura
Young of Wellspring Coaching. I began life as a psychotherapist in a hospital
system. My position was very stable, salaried and I had the respect of my colleagues.
I was also burned out and overworking. 
Coaching appeared on my radar screen while
I was researching wellness models for the hospital. It looked like the perfect,
fun, creative, energizing profession for a good friend of mine. I certainly already
had a career so why would I need it? Okay, I was a bit slow on the uptake back
then...burnout does that to you. So, the lightbulb eventually went on and I began
my serious pursuit of coaching in 1999. I read Thomas Leonard's The Portable Coach.
It lit me on fire! I signed up for Coach U (Coachville had not yet burst forth).
I had 8 coaching clients by the end of my first
month of practice. My goal was to leave my job in 2 1/2 years-on my 40th birthday,
as a present to myself. In just 8 months, I had enough clients that I had to transition
to a part-time therapy practice to make more room for coaching. Within one year,
I was a full time coach, with an income 60% higher than my previous salary CAP!
My practice tripled between January and July of 2002 (even taking time out for
some house remodelling and major surgery!). I work with 22-28 clients in any given
month. Twenty-five percent of my clients have been with me for nearly 2 years.
My practice average is 8 months and continues to increase.
How did my practice grow so quickly? Hmmm ...
Personal foundation, ... personal foundation, and, oh yes, personal foundation.
Also, there is the Principle of Attraction. Attraction! Attraction!! I committed
myself to coaching. Completely. I understood this profession was going to require
a lot of me. Would demand growth. Would challenge me. I was up for the challenge.
This is not a get-rich-quick fad. This is a true profession with distinctive skills.
I believe this profession is an integral part of a cultural evolution. I allowed
myself to be a student. I willingly paid for my education and my coach, knowing
I was investing in a profession that would serve me for a lifetime. I worked intensively
with my coach to get clear on what I wanted in my life. I learned how to say no.
I stopped hanging out with other burned out people. I cleaned my house (my physical
house, my relationship house and the house that is my head). I raised my standards.
I chose to only work with clients I knew I could fully commit to and have turned
down thousands of dollars from non-ideal clients (Integrity first!). I do not
have a website (but am on several referral listings). I do not belong to the Chamber
of Commerce or any speakers bureaus. I have not written a book. Yet, people approach
me everywhere I go. I got a client at a garage sale. I believe in the power of
intention and the magic of synchronicity. So do my clients. Their lives are transforming
in similar ways.
Of course, some day I will have a website.
I do want to write a book. I am fully aware that I have only scratched the surface
of the potential of this career for me. So, if you are a new coach (or established
coach)and obsessing about the colors of your business card, your brochure and
your catchy name, just make sure that you are also working on the HEART of your
business: YOU! Make the distinction between the who and the what. There are the
trappings of a successful business and there is the soul of the business. You
are the soul. Treat yourself well, invest in yourself and the rest will flow.
Chris Barrow: Set Up a Coaching Gym
thebusinesscoachingco.com | Chris@thebusinesscoachingco.com
Two years ago I became tired of the routine
of back to back coaching calls in a very busy practice. Looking at my appointments
diary for the day and seeing a long list of names was an energy drain. I then
decided to use the metaphor of the gym to deliver my tele-coaching.
Clients are invited to visit the coaching gym,
by email, voice mail or fax, as often as they like, with the proviso that:
~
if they do not visit they do not get coached and
~ if they do not visit they
do not get a refund.
For the old clients, there was a short, difficult
period of transition. For the new clients, they had never been offered an alternative
coaching model. I now coach 100 clients at a time, with little personal effort.
I receive approximately 12 emails and 6 phone calls a day (having established
firm boundaries in that they know that I only coach 4 days a week). The emails
I reply to at my convenience, within 24 hours. The voice mails I respond to quickly
and the calls are always laser-like and seldom last more then 15 minutes. Occasionally,
a client faxes a document for me to read.
I now have much more time to develop creative
ideas for my coaching programme and a better balance - more profit in less time!
Suggestions related to starting a 1 to 1 Coaching Practice
As soon as you start a coaching course start
coaching!
Express clearly what benefits and values you
provide potential clients.
Charge for your services (even if it's less
than the going rate at the beginning)
Believe in the value and benefits that you
bring to clients.
Target a specific niche (see the Full Practice
ecourse for more info)
Related resources
The Full
Practice ecourse is free to Coachville members. Learn how to market your
practice.
Register for the Full
Practice Marketing Conference.
Articles and resources under
Practice Building in
the Coachville members area.
All services
are from CoachVille.com.
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