I hear entrepreneurs and small business owners tell me all the time, “I don’t need a coach, I got this”.  They also say things like, “I am too busy for a coach” or “I don’t have the money to spend on a coach.” My answer is always the same when I say, “my point exactly.”  A coach is the person who will make you better so you are not too busy to get better, and not so broke you can not afford a coach.  These excuses are the exact results you produce by not getting a coach.

Competition exists in the corporate world. There are people out there who want to win, whether you realize it or not. You’re being challenged by others. Others want to completely destroy you instead of just beating you. These other people are highly skilled, well-trained, and some of them will be brutal in their quest of commercial and entrepreneurial success. Keep this in mind as you enter the arena of business conflict. You will be killed if you arrive unprepared.

Here are a few tips as you search for, interview and then hire a business coach.

• When choosing a coach, be clear about what success looks like. Know your desired results before you start looking for and interviewing coaches. You will know exactly what questions to ask a coach during an interview if you are clear on your goals and vision for where you want to go. This will improve the effectiveness of your interviews and provide the answers you need.
• Has your coach ever played? – Once you know what you are looking for make sure your coach can deliver. I am shocked and surprised at the number of people that are “business coaches”, “executive coaches”, and “entrepreneur coaches”, and they have never run or operated a business.  Or, if they have, it has been far from successful.   If you are looking to grow a multi-million dollar company and brand, look for a coach who has done the same.  If you are looking to grow a business that runs without you, hire a coach who has done the same (check out an article I wrote about this in INC).
• Can they teach and train you what they know? – You know your outcomes and have found somebody who has produced these outcomes. None of that is important unless he or she can pass this knowledge to you.  Make sure as you interview and speak to a coach that they can effectively pass the knowledge to you so you can retain and apply it.  Look for testimonials and examples like this one.  Make sure they have a proven track record of successfully passing this knowledge to you and your company.
• You should get 10 times the value– As a coach, I make sure I deliver 10 times the value of what my customer is paying. Working with a business coach is a huge investment, so make sure if you make a $1,000 investment that you get minimum $10,000 return.  Do not worry so much about what you pay the coach, but that you are getting real value.
• You get what you pay for: An effective business coach might set you back hundreds to thousands of dollars per hour. Again, be sure to earn a significant return. Keep in mind that coaches know their worth and how much they should be paid. Don’t undersell yourself here. In comparison to a coach who charges more, one who charges less will not provide as much value.

I hope this answers some of your questions about what to look for when hiring a business coach.  Please feel free to comment and post here if you have any more questions, or need any feedback.