How to price coaching services

Judith Barton, Director of Coaching

I enjoy hearing the stories of how someone gets into coaching.  This is a new profession and there are many streams to enter the river.

Working as a coach with lots of professionals from the legal world, it is obvious this is happening there as well.

Professionals often study unrelated subjects, recognise law what they want to do and move on to a vocational course such as the law conversion course, then onto a training contract with a law firm.

The coaching profession attracts entrants with both experience and knowledge.   For me it is important to develop your understanding with a balance of academic rigour and practical application – for example through an ILM programme.

Others may choose to take an alternative route, such as an MBA and then decide to take a coaching course.

Whatever the route into coaching, identifying your value within the marketplace is something many coaches struggle with, whilst on the other side of the equation some coaches seem comfortable to let the market decide and go with the flow.

This is obviously a market decision but setting off in the business of coaching needs some careful internal thought and reflection.

Here are a few tips on beginning the conversation with yourself on how to price your coaching services:

1. Where are you as a coach? – not physically, but in terms of your mental and financial readiness?
2. Financials – what sort of basics do you need to cover in order to survive?
3. What sort of restrictions, if any, are you putting on your practice – and are these the right restrictions/parameters.  For example – location and type of service you wish to provide.
4. Values – what is it that you wish to achieve through coaching for yourself and your clients?
5. How sustainable is your approach? Will this business become a business or are you there to support a particular lifestyle choice?

These 5 key questions and much more will be discussed in the ‘How to Price Your Coaching services’ CPD course.  You can read more and book your place here:  http://www.britishschoolofcoaching.com/cdp-courses/pricing-coaching-services/

BSC Coaching Network Event: October 2014

In October we launched a new series of Coaching Network events.  In these short, informal sessions we lead a seminar on an important area of coaching, followed by a chance to mix with like-minded professional coaches and share learning.

This event was led by Martin Hill, senior tutor on the ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring.  Martin discussed internal coaching, strategy, confidentiality and ethics.  It was attended by delegates who traveled from as far as the UAE and France (not to mention 400 yards down the road!)

Martin’s seminar was followed by lively discussion and delegates stayed in the venue for several hours afterwards to chat over lunch.

The next Coaching Network event will run on the 17th of January – it will be facilitated by Angela Hill, who will lead a session on the role of the coach to challenge.

Book a place now here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bsc-coaching-network-spring-2015-tickets-13985959381

Visit the BSC Website for more information.

How to Win at Freelancing

Judith Barton, Director of Coaching

If you’re making the jump from a large organisation to life as a freelancer, expect at the very least a mind-set change!  Most people who make this move often feel bereft by the significant change in their lifestyle – both financially and in the change in pattern of their work.

Often leaving at the height of your career can bring additional shocks.  You may feel not only the loss of your status but the realisation that the end of the month is no longer a reliable source of money!  This seems like a very bleak picture – but think about all the other opportunities… to shape your own life; to say ‘yes’ as well as ‘no’; to think about what you want to achieve for others – as well as maybe yourself.

If you’re facing this challenge (or opportunity, depending on how you see it!) then consider these 5 important points…

1. You are it. Your work begins and ends with you.  It is unlikely at this stage that you will receive any external support  – think ‘it will only happen if I do it.’
2. Keep yourself mentally and physically fit.
3. Off days are cost days.  If you’re not able to deliver the work you’ve promised, or you’re not able to deliver any work, then that certainly becomes a cost and not a revenue.
4. Marketing never stops – whilst you’re working, you’re not getting business.  Consider how you balance the challenges of delivering and getting business – what other avenues can you use to market?   Don’t forget to exploit the opportunities that social media bring – although whilst you may have one face for Facebook, you will need to think about your business face for Facebook.
5. Manage risk.  When you set off as an independent or freelancer, funding insurance policies to cover risk may be a really difficult challenge.  Whilst you have a professional indemnity, managing any other risks may have to be about your ability rather than insurance coverage, which may be beyond your budget at this early stage.

Much more of these topics and the ability to come up with a successful freelance plan will be available through our one day programme, run by the British School of Coaching.  

We look forward to seeing you there!


Judith Barton is Director of Coaching at BSC, and is currently leading the ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring in the UAE.

Book Review: Coaching and Mentoring at Work

Coaching and Mentoring At Work (2nd Edition)  –Mary Connor and Julia Pokora (2012) Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education

Martin Hill, Senior Tutor, BSC

 This book is relevant for experienced practitioners and also provides a great framework for new practitioners and students. I would also suggest that this is an essential read for purchasers of coaching and mentoring service, HR professionals and managers/leaders who are interested in developing their coaching and mentoring skills.

The book is written in an accessible, easy to understand style and is crammed full with practical examples and tips. The authors even reserve a chapter for one of the key characters in any coaching or mentoring relationship – the client. This is one of the few coaching and mentoring texts that address the position of the client and sets out the factors that clients should bear in mind when deciding whether to embark upon coaching or mentoring and suggests how best to prepare themselves to get the best out of that experience, as well as highlighting some of the standards and behaviours that they should be expecting from a coach or mentor- a useful chapter for the practitioner to reflect upon their own practice to ensure that they are meeting these expectations and standards.

The book considers the similarities between coaching and mentoring and one of the key arguments of the authors is that “a learning relationship is central to both coaching and mentoring, which are more than just a set of activities or skills.” It also highlights the differences between the two disciplines, albeit the majority of the book focuses on the common elements.

The structure of the book prompts reflection and learning opportunities for the reader- reinforcing the reflective learning discipline that is a prerequisite for the wise practitioner! I found the chapter on contracting to be a practical and comprehensive guide which addresses the key factors that one encounters in reality – a book that addresses the practitioner elements as well as the subject theory.

The main model that is advocated by the authors for both coaching and mentoring is Dr Gerard Egan’s Skilled Helper” model-once again the authors approach this with a winning combination of theory and practical application. Two chapters show how the model would apply to a coaching scenario and a mentoring scenario. The authors also highlight other models commonly encountered in coaching and mentoring.

The authors also provide a comprehensive guide to tools and techniques that will support the successful implementation of the model – twelve tools and techniques that are succinctly described and the pros and cons considered.

The second edition features a new chapter which deals with reflective practice, supervision and accreditation – this is outlined with the same hallmarks of clarity and practicality with useful checklists and prompts.
This book will be one of the “default” texts that I turn to in my coaching and mentoring practice, and also in my role as manager and leader. It will be one of the texts that I will recommend for my ILM Level 7 candidates as a good “foundation” text.

Martin is a Programme tutor for British School of Coaching's executive coaching courses.  Read more about our ILM qualifications and CPD courses here.

ILM Level 2 Award in Mentoring, Dubai 2014

A few pictures from our 3rd ILM Level 2 Mentoring course, run at Dubai English Speaking School, UAE

www.britishschoolofcoaching.com

How Manuel Pellegrini's coaching style won Man City the Premier League

A common factor in all successful athletes or sports teams is that they had a fantastic coach. 

Football in particular is a sport which puts a lot of focus and emphasis on the role of the coach.  Not only do they have to pick the team, but most are heavily involved in training, tactics and many other administrative aspects of the club, e.g. transfers. Many top international players have commented about their coaches and how they helped them become the best player they could.

Enter the Chilean Maestro Manuel Pellegrini.  Manchester City’s new manager joined the club in 2012, faced with a tough task – turning an underachieving team of huge egos into a championship winning club.

On a simple talent level Pellegrini inherited one of the most talented squads the premier league had in Manchester City with world stars such as Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero amongst its ranks. 

However this was a very similar squad to the one that lost out on the Premier League title by a massive 11 points only one season before. 

Arm around the shoulder:

Pellegrini inherited a squad full of bruised egos (and top international egos at that!) He identified straight away that he did not need to completely revamp the team or start a revolution. With a characteristically calm demeanour, he merely put an arm around the players’ shoulders and told them they were the best and that they would win the league.


This painfully contrasted with the style of previous manager, Roberto Mancini, who ,may have operated with a much more brusque style when communicating with his players.
Top professional athletes do not expect criticism from their coach in the public eye and Pellegrini understood this. 

In fact a Coach should be reviewing performance and asking the right questions.   When the media tried to he acted like a father figure, defending them at every opportunity. The Manchester City players respected this and gave their all for the Chilean Manager.

This success was shared when they won the title making Pellegrini the centre of attention.   This is an exemption must Coaches work in the background and successful clients may honour you with accolades but more commonly a client offers quiet recognition of the Coaches contribution to their success.

Willing to adapt and admit to mistakes:

As a Coach one of the most difficult  traits is that of being unwilling to adapt and change, which seems difficult to understand given the work is more often than not about change.  However some Coaches work with clients who but their services for exactly that wanting what you, (the Coach), has done before, in this case with other football team.  

Manchester City’s home form all season was phenomenal but by October their away form was threatening to ruin their season. Rather than sit and hope he listened to what his players were thinking and adapted.

This led to an amazing run of away form which guided them to the title. 

Being decisive:

Top coaches make tough decisions when they have to. City’s English International goalkeeper Joe Hart was clearly struggling for form and a series of mistakes saw him heavily criticised by the media. Many coaches would have let their number one get away with it and not improve, but Pellegrini did not. 

Understanding Hart’s personality, Pellegrini immediately dropped him from the starting 11 – a highly unusual move in modern football -  and explained his reasons for doing so. 

After a couple of months in the reserve team, Hart returned with a hunger and motivation not seen for a long time. It is often said that a poor builder blames his tools, but Manuel Pellegrini did not do this. Instead he motivated his players and got the very best out of them.

A charming man:

Manuel Pellegrini is a very different breed of manager to any other the Premier League has seen. Throughout the Premier League campaign unlike many other managers he has not become embroiled in childish spats or taken part in the media game of blaming referees after the game. 

Rather than aim pointless abuse like many other coaches do Pellegrini has proved to be a true gentleman preferring to only talk about his players in a positive light and no others.
Pellegrini broke down the walls of division in the Manchester City squad by being calm and collected. 

Manchester City’s midfield maestro David Silva recently said “Pellegrini’s calm manner gave them as players’ joy and freedom to express the talents they had”. Silva went further to suggest “that if you see the manager being edgy on the side-lines then that translates to the performance on the pitch”.

Honesty:

Perhaps it is a rare trait in modern workplaces, but Manuel Pellegrini’s coaching style is entirely based on honesty.  Players have spoken of his willingness to tell hard truths so they know exactly what he wants and why he has made certain decisions. 

His own honesty in publically admitting personal mistakes rather than displacing blame has fostered a deep respect from his players.  

One of Manchester City’s most controversial and outspoken players in Samir Nasri said “the players appreciate his honesty and that he made the players want to put their egos to the side to work for him and the team.”


In any team sport one of the coach’s greatest jobs is creating a sense of team unity and making every player want to give their all for the team. 

Pellegrini’s coaching style of being calm, honest and willing to adapt has brought respect and a willingness to play for the team from a clearly very talented group of athletes. This charming man has become a coach who many could learn from and one whose coaching styles will be copied for many years to come. 

Remember international coaching week starts on Monday 19th May 2014.

The Sound of Silence

 

Sanam Yakub

 ...

Did you hear that? 

It was the sound of silence.

Sir Conan Doyle had it right when his character Sherlock Holmes criticized Watson for only ‘looking’ and not ‘observing’. We all ascend the same stairs everyday at home, but do we observe how many steps there are? 

Similarly, it can be easy to ‘listen’ to what your client is saying, but do you always ‘hear’ what they say?

Listening to what the client is saying and hearing what they actually mean is a skill that all coaches should develop.  A coach must not only focus on the clients spoken response but also pay attention to non-verbal clues, which can be imperative in guiding further questioning.

Techniques such as pausing after questioning, are essential in allowing the client time to think about their response - silence is where the thinking and change is taking place.  

In addition, listening for key information and phrases can give clues to the clients thinking. Furthermore, paraphrasing, reflecting and summarizing what the client has said can help to develop the thinking of the client and ensuring that the coach has heard the clients response correctly.

Once effective listening has been mastered, open-ended questions can be powerful for extraction of information.  

Listening is more than just sitting back and taking in the words of the client. 

It is about picking up the clues in the unsaid words, facial expression and body language. So next time you are listening to your client, ‘observe’ and ‘hear’ the silence – it should speak volumes. 

Sanam is CPD Leader at Dubai English Speaking School.  Having completed the ILM Level 3 Award in Coaching with flying colours, she will now be embarking on this May's ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring!

www.britishschoolofcoaching.com

www.dessdubai.com