Top 7 Tips For Finding A Coaching Certification Program That Will Expand Your Business Results

Becoming an executive coach is one of the hottest new businesses. With career, life, small business and executive coaching now a multi-billion dollar industry, many are looking to cash in on this cash cow including those offering coaching certification programs.

A recent search of the Internet revealed over 200 coaching certification programs and schools. There are probably many more. For example, did you know that 53% of the coaches make less than $20,000 a year and only 9 out of 100 make over $100,000 annually (Source: Stephen Fairley, author of Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching)?

With the continued growth of this billion dollar plus industry, it appears that innovative individuals have decided to take advantage of those who wish to become coaches and provide a certification process. After all being certified automatically means that you are more credible, can deliver better results and earn more money? If this was true, then why do most coaches (53%) make less than $20,000 a year?

If you are thinking about becoming a coach, do your research. Before you spend thousands of dollars on that coaching certification program, use the following questions as tips. (Note: A quick Internet research suggested coaching certification ranges from $2,000 to $5,000 and even higher.)

  1. Do over 60% of graduates from this certification program earn more than $50,000 after 6 months to a year? (Note: If the program is good, then the graduates should make more than those who do not have certification. Otherwise, why bother with certification?)
  2. Does the certification program use a proven process? (Note: A proven process will generally deliver higher results.)
  3. What type of measurable results do their clients receive? (Note: The process that the three mastermind groups that I participate in generally doubles results in 30 to 90 days.)
  4. Can the same process be used in a variety of industries? (Note: Within these same mastermind groups, the coaches have worked with individuals including a U.S. Senator, Fortune 500 executives, high school and college students, small business owners and housewives. The industries range from manufacturing to high technology.)
  5. Do proven, high quality tools with a demonstrated history of success support the process? (NOTE: Sustainable success comes from proven tools because these tools allow for execution of the new strategies. Since coaching is relatively new, many programs can't provide any long term history.)
  6. Are testimonials available from both graduates and clients? (NOTE: Written testimonials or actual contacts should be provided to verify the results of the certification process.)
  7. How quickly will you receive a return on investment for this coaching certification? (Note: Again, over 50% of coaches makes less than $20,000 a year and the most certification programs cost at least $2,000 to $5,000, this suggests you may not quickly secure a positive return on investment.)

Executive coaching is a rewarding career. Just be careful that you don