Challenges that Face Life Coaching as a Profession
With the Labor Movement growth in the 1800's, the eight hour
work day was created. These union strikes, such as the Haymarket
and Pullman , ended in much bloodshed as workers united against
business and the government. Some might ask what need do we have
for Life Coaches? Starting in 1996, many corporations discovered
the high threshold for workers to double their productivity at
the cost of hiring fewer employees. With the initial cost
savings in Medicare, social security, and Unemployment
insurance; employers seen the benefits of reversing the popular
stopgap on overtime. Unlimited overtime and unemployment was on
the rise. For those still employed love the conditions when
others found new trades. Along with this fact and withdrawal of
society into work since 911, Life Coaches are needed more than
ever.
But if Life Coaching is to grow and sustain as a bonafied
profession, some standards need to be created. Albeit, not
governmental, but along some manner of guild system. Granted we
have some schools that accredit coaches, but the real problem
lay in the fact that no real state or federal body accredits
these organizations. The other fact that remains with these
schools is that no one knows if they stick or follow to any form
of standards in pricing, codes, or activities. Some my say that
there is more Life Coaching schools than Life Coaches.
But for Life Coaching to remain viable in the left brained
financial word, we as coaches must form some standard ourselves
along with education materials and group marketing of what our
profession is. For when most people hear of Life Coaching, they
shrug their shoulders. Or for the others they get the impression
of Tony Robbins or the Nip and Tuck Character, Ava. Some may say
that any press is good press, but is it really? So in
coordination, either privately or group orientated, we must push
forward the marketing and education of the public to this field.
But we need some standards first.
Take pricing. I tried initiating a sliding scale based on income
level checked against pay stubs or W-2's. But I felt like I lost
clients due to presumed value. If everyone else in the field was
charging a higher premium than I, without garnering trust, my
services was held as unscrupulous . For the average of pricing
per month, not hour which I was going by, was between $250 to
$500 a month for 4 45 minute calls. The price per hour was
between $25 and $500 dollars at the most. Now I was coaching
clients up to 3 times a week at hourly rates, but I find out
this was not the norm. A guild would set up guidelines for such
issues.
Then what is the standard, Phone, email, or in person. What do
we as coaches do we want the public to think about first thing.
For many when you think of auction, they think online. When
others think education they think brick and mortar ivy league.
What do we want our customers to think of us first. In person
gives us the luxury to meat, joke, and share with a real living
person. But online gives us far more potential to reach people
around the world through email or on phone. Especially with the
advent of broadband VOIP services giving worldwide coverage for
minimum costs, we can bring our occupation to most barren
location of Alaska and still be viable entity on a fiscal map.
But we need to market and inform the public on validity of what
ever we choose.
Frequency, I did touch on this a little above, but let me give
this topic its full measure. How many times a month and for what
duration should be suggested? Should impromptu home calls
throughout the week be allowed, or just strict scheduling? How
far in advance should schedules be kept or fulfilled? With a new
field emerging and an uninformed public, we need to answer
questions like this collectively.
Marketing practices! Well so far we are all SEO experts fighting
a war with each other. With over 36,000,000 listings showing up
in SERPs for the keyword Life Coach, we are strangling each
other for a word few even ever heard of. My friends laughed at
me when I started, even though I had been advising them for
twelve years before I went professional. With only 1,000
searches on average a month, we are failing here! We need real
live marketing strategies with real people. But who? Trader Joes
and other whole food stores, tends to have mini seminars
promoting alternative health professions. Panera Bread cafes
have back rooms that have been used for Buddhist meetings and
other new age events for free or limited cost. Organized health
fairs. Possible meetings with the DA's office and the probation
department along with prevention centers. How about human
resources of major local companies. On the Brain Brew there was
one coach who specialized in getting the lawyer who does not
play well with others to straighten up instead of firing him.
But How do we keep our internet presence strong and grow real
living connections at the same time?
One last note on the internet. Maybe we need a guild directory
that lists our profession by location and specialiality. A
natural linking directory for Goggle points, but also something
entertaining aesthetically and functional for the public. Niches
are always stronger than obtuse markets. This directory must be
promoted as the standard, for now we have too many that no one
can get through more than five listing before they give up. Very
few click throughs ever show up in my site reports.
Education, education, education, and education. For us is more
important than location. I suggest writing free content for
syndication through sites like Go-Article, Ezine, Article Hut,
Article Marketers, Article City, and Self growth. Also writing
free content to your local news papers and creating flyers to be
hung at food stores and town bulletin boards. Even Local or
State government offices. They are always trying to get brownie
points for informing the public on services. Get a State or
county Rep to back you in a community project, or at least
inform them of your existence. Maybe befriend your local high
school guidance counselors. For clients or career options for
the youth. But education, education, education, education is a
must at this time!
So I presented many challenges to our growing profession that
need to be looked at and addressed collectively in some fashion.
I hope we do so. For Colonel Sanders had a more daunting task
traveling with a pressure cooker in his truck around the nation,
or Edison powering a Manhattan neighborhood with the first light
bulbs, or the Wright brothers receiving any money to build
flying machines when they only built bicycles for children. We
can get through these birthing pangs, but we need some
collective effort to do so.
If Any be of interest, I can be reached at docspond@yahoo.com if
anyone would be of like mind. Cheers, Chris