It’s that time of year when shops start advertising the imminence of Black Friday – the day when it is alleged you can secure all manner of bargains and leap ahead like a contented festive elf with your Christmas shopping.
Whether you actually really find any bargains, as opposed to reductions on prices that had been recently inflated in the run up to the big day – is anyone’s guess. And then there are those awful memories of those unruly scenes a few years back, of people barging each other out of the way to get their hands on a reduced-price TV in some supermarket. Ugh. Enough to put anyone off human beings, never mind Black Friday.
My line of work doesn’t really lend itself to Black Friday. To be honest, it feels wrong to even be writing the word ‘coaching’ alongside ‘Black Friday’. Is that because I associate it with blatant grabbing capitalism? Perhaps. Is it something more deep seated about my own relationship with money? Perhaps. Is it because I associate Black Friday with products, not services? Perhaps.
In any event, it’s got me thinking about all those things, especially money.
How much does coaching cost?
The thing is that coaching is quite expensive. If you are looking for a ‘life’ coach you can expect to pay anything from £50 per hour (if you are happy to be coached by someone who is still going through training) up to £350 plus per hour and then VAT on top, depending on the individual coach. Many coaches still charge you by the session, though you will find some that charge for a package of coaching and you pay a monthly amount.
If you are looking for a leadership coach, the cost is greater. The argument is that leadership comes at a premium and organisations have larger budgets than most private individuals. Most executive coaches will charge a minimum of £250 for a 1-1 leadership coaching session with prices stretching up to thousands for very senior executives.
Is coaching worth the money?
This is the first million-dollar question, I guess. Some people baulk at the price tag and it is without doubt an investment of a kind which many private individuals simply cannot afford. I guess that is one reason why a Black Friday deal might be a nice idea for coaches – offer some discounted rates at that time of year for those people to take advantage of.
But what would you say if I asked you:
“How much is a change of career worth to you? Or a new start in life? Or waking up looking forward to your day each morning? Or better relationships with your family? Or better health?”
Does that change your view at all? If you are hesitating about investing in coaching for yourself, ask yourself:
“How much is the change I want to make in my career or life worth to me?”
And then revisit the question of investing in coaching.
Am I worth the money?
This is the second million-dollar question. There are so many people who come to me who have spent much of their lives putting other people first – especially if they are parents, and sadly, often, women. While this is a lovely attribute of kindness and care, it is also one that can get in the way of someone looking after themselves or even staying connected to what their needs and wishes actually are. This is not helpful. And not conducive to living or working well.
For these people, the idea of investing £2,000 in themselves – even if they have the money, is uncomfortable. The idea of putting themselves first in this way, is uncomfortable. It can feel selfish, indulgent, extravagant or just wrong.
That is why I always celebrate someone’s decision to enter coaching and invest in their own wellbeing and future happiness. The decision itself can be the start of a new approach to self-care.
How do I know if coaching will work?
And the third million-dollar question. Will it work? How do you know that your investment will get you what you want?
The truth of the matter is – no matter what a coach may tell you – that there are no guarantees. And if someone is trying to guarantee you x, y or z results, I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. For coaching is not formulaic. There are so very many factors that determine whether a coaching process will work.
Ten factors that influence the impact of coaching
The top ten factors that influence whether or not coaching will deliver you the results you want are here:
- The skills of the coach
- The ‘fit’ between coach and coachee
- The readiness and receptiveness of the coachee
- The willingness of the coachee to take up the invitations and practices offered by the coach
- The degree of shared ownership of the process of coaching between coach and coachee (when both ‘lean in’ fully to the process is when magic happens)
- Timing and context – what else is happening in the coachee’s life that is helpful / unhelpful to the aims of coaching
- Unforeseen events that unfold during the course of the coaching
- Poor contracting between coach and coachee that means there is a lack of clarity about what is needed and/or ways of working
- Shared understanding of what coaching is and what it is not
- Ambivalence on the part of the coachee about they want from the process.
What I can tell you is that if you stick with the process, with a coach that is skilful and with whom you share a trusting open relationship; if you are open and ready for a process of challenge and support, at a time when the circumstances are ‘right’ for you; then you will benefit from it.
Results I have helped my clients achieve
I have helped people change their careers, find new jobs, recover from burn-out, re-find their confidence and their mojo, heal from traumatic events at work and at home, set up new businesses and choose to leave jobs they have outgrown. I have helped people transition to new leadership roles, develop new ways of leading teams, create a stronger team identity, find new ways of having difficult conversations, develop more human ways of being in business, develop impact and find a greater sense of purpose.
I have also helped people grow as human beings, increase their self-awareness and their emotional intelligence. I have helped them get to know themselves better, learn how to look after themselves better and develop greater clarity about what is important to them.
I believe these outcomes are worth the price tag of coaching with me.
Coaching prices in 2024
So I won’t be offering discounts on Black Friday. What’s more my life coaching prices will be going up in 2024.
What I will be doing is my annual offer of pro-bono coaching for International Women’s Day next year. Last year I offered a 6-month programme of coaching for free. Sign up to my mailing list here if you want to hear about the #IWD2024 promotion ahead of time.
And, if you want to embark on a new beginning, contact me to catch the last of my 2023 pricing for life coaching. Book a call with me and let’s discuss.