[ad_1]
Are you interested in becoming a life coach?
If so, then you might not be sure where to start.
With this article we wanted to offer you a four-step process for getting started with coaching.
FIRST STEP: Define your “AVATAR”
This may surprise you, but this is a crucial first step.
You may be familiar with the concept of an avatar, but if you’re not, let me explain what we mean.
An avatar is a profile of an ideal customer. It’s an image of the kind of person you would like to have as a coaching client. Now you might be thinking it’s too early to know or you’re just not sure. But that’s ok. We still encourage people to think about it first.
You can do this by asking yourself questions like:
- Who would I like to work with?
- What things would I like to help you with?
- Why should it matter to them to do such things?
- Why might they need the help of a coach to do/achieve these things?
Sure, it might seem early to have answers to these questions, but just give it a little time. I almost guarantee you’ll come up with some answers. And when you do that… I also suspect that you will become even more passionate about life coaching! (If not, you should probably look into something other than coaching.)
We are so passionate about this process that we begin our own coach education and certification with an in-depth look at this concept. In fact, we have our coaches create a specific profile of an ideal client before they even begin training on any coaching strategy or principle.
You may be wondering, “What does this tell me about becoming a life coach?” Well, it helps to do two things.
- It helps you start the process of clarifying the kind of people you want to help and that will start a fire in you. And that fire will support you as you move through your training and certification process. (Even if this isn’t the case, you may need to look elsewhere.)
- It helps you jump-start the business side of your coaching practice. In fact, it helps you take a step that most coaches never do. As a result, you begin to get very clear about the types of people you want to connect with and build your business!
STEP TWO: Decide on a schedule
Well, I know that some people LOVE making up schedules and schedules and others cringe at the thought. No matter which side of that fence you’re on, this is still an important step.
How do you want to approach your training? Do you have to do this while you have another job? Do you need to consider work/family schedules and free time? Do you need a training option that allows for little to no travel or absences?
How fast do you want to coach? If you plan to start coaching in a year or two, you may have more flexibility. But what if you want to become a coach in the next three to six months? Do you need to find a coach education program that fits into this schedule?
Here are some additional questions to help you put together a specific short-term schedule:
- I would like to start my coaching training by ______________ (date).
- I would like to complete my Coach Training by ______________ (date).
- I would like my first coaching client by ______________ (date).
- I would like my fifth coaching client by _____________ (date).
Sure, it can be difficult to push yourself to fill in this data. But give it a try. And then look for programs to help you hit your schedule.
You may need to be flexible, but this schedule can help you filter through some of the instructor training and certification programs available. So if the program fits your schedule, great! You can consider it. But if not, then you can tick it off your list of options!
STEP THREE: Define your budget
This is an important step to take early on as it will also act as a filter as you explore becoming a life coach.
Even now, you may need to be flexible. But at the same time, this process is similar to buying a house. So when you decide to buy a home, it’s important to give yourself a few parameters before you go off and look at million dollar homes. Well, if you’re ready for a million dollar house, by all means grab one! But if you realize you’re more at the “starter house” level, that’s fine. It’s just important to think about it before You start shopping.
Well, I will say that when it comes to coach education and coach certifications, a higher price doesn’t always mean it’s better. It could just mean it’s more expensive. So don’t just decide on a program based on the price, but definitely think about it.
The other thing to consider here is the other costs that can come with life coach training.
For example, if the program includes several trips to a city for training, you also need to factor in travel expenses and time off. You need to plan a budget for this too.
You also need to find out if the certification is included in the program. I know this may sound strange, but I recently met a woman who was going through an extensive trainer training program. She had spent $7,000 on training and about $1,500 on travel expenses. But then she found that she would have to spend an additional $4,000 for the certification portion of the training (as well as additional travel expenses).
Well, if you’re budgeting for these things, it’s fine. But if you don’t, learning about such an extra cost can be a devastating blow…as you can imagine.
In fact, one of the main reasons why our graduates point to our online curriculum is that it suits them best because they can attend the training with no travel expenses. Also, they find that it helped to know that they only pay one price and don’t have to worry about hidden fees.
Here are some sample questions to help you with this step:
- I want to be able to spend _____________ or less on my coaching education and travel.
- I would like to charge my clients _____________ for a coaching package. (Industry average is $150/hour) So I could recoup that cost with __________ customers.
STEP FOUR: Decide on a Good “Personality Match”
When we talk to people who are asking the question, “How does one become a life coach?” A final consideration is the “personality” of the life coach training program.
Why? Well, there is a very good chance that you will spend some time with the creators/moderators of the program either through live events, video training and/or conference calls. So you want to make sure they’re the kind of people you want to spend time with and learn from.
Also think about their approach. If the program seems very theoretical or full of study and research and you love that kind of thing…then great! This could fit perfectly! But if you want to roll up your sleeves and get down to the practical and hands-on aspects of training, make sure you find a program that you enjoy.
So here are some final questions to consider as you consider your “personality match” with the Coach programs:
- Looking at the training offerings, do I want to spend _______ (more or less) time with the organization?
- I really like (like/dislike) the approach of this organization because _______________.
- My gut feeling for this organization is _____________________.
In summary, we hope these four steps will help you in your decision making as you ask questions about becoming a life coach.
If you would like additional resources, including the mini-course Five Critical Questions Everyone Should Ask Before Becoming a Life Coach, you can visit our website www.trainingtobealifecoach.com to get it for free.
This is Auto Posted article collected article from different sources of internet, EOS doesn’t take any responsibilities of this article. If you found something wrong in this article, please tell us.
[ad_2]
