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X E-mail: info@www.thesmartschool.co.uk Info: Nick Bolton is founder of the Smart School and now heads up the unique Rapid Results Business Coaching programme.Posts by the author (17)

Can you make a living as a life coach?

Many people who train at the Smart School want to create a living as a coach or, as is often the case, blend coaching with an existing therapeutic practice.

For those who want to use coaching in the work place, the title of this post won’t have much relevance but for many it’s a real and present issue.

We’re asked it a lot! “Can you make a living as a life coach?”

And my answer is typically – if you’re prepared to do what it takes.

You see, learning how to be a coach is not the same as being one.  If I were to go on a plumbing course, I wouldn’t magically turn into a professional plumber with requisite boiler suit, van and list of houses to attend.  I’d have to take that new skill and find people (or get found by people) who need it.

Interestingly, what most people REALLY mean is – will people pay for life coaching?  Is there a market for it?  And the answer to that one is much simpler.  Yes!

People can and do pay for coaching both in the business setting and in their wider personal life. People will pay for something if it gives them the value they’re after.  And if that something is a change in their life and they understand how you’re part of their journey to making that change, then yes, they’ll pay.

So once more it comes back to you.  Are you prepared to do what’s needed?

The coaches who succeed learn quickly that you need to get active making connections.  That could be in your local town or your industry or in a given niche.  It doesn’t really matter too much which you choose so long as you know what you stand for, what change you can bring about and then meet people who need what you do.

And as a life coach, that could be anyone!  So you need to talk to people. Not SELL to them.  Talk to them.  Find out what’s happening in their life, what they’re frustrated with, what they’d like to have or to achieve, what’s stopping them.

And then, IF you think you’re the right person for them, you tell them so.

Learn these words carefully: “I can help!” and make sure you believe it because if you don’t they won’t!

The truth is that there is a huge market for life coaching.  It’s just that most coaches shrink from putting themselves “out there” for fear of rejection or looking salesy!

I say, get over it!  You have a job to do to help people grow and to reclaim their power to make choices.  As a coach you have this skill.  How could you not go and do it?

 

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