Small Business Coaching: What to Ask When Looking for One

Mar 17
09:14

2011

Carla Jiroux Kaplan

Carla Jiroux Kaplan

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Your business is something that will require work and time, and if you are stuck on some things, small business coaching can help you. The good news is that no matter where in the world you live, there are business coaches simply waiting for you to take your service to their door.

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But don't make the mistake of hiring the first coach you speak to. Aside from limiting your options,Small Business Coaching: What to Ask When Looking for One Articles that also happens to be a recipe for future disasters. There are a few things you should keep in mind, as well as ask any coach you are looking into working with about.
What Type of Personal Experience Do You Have?
You should always aim for finding a coach that has practiced what they are teaching you. They should also be able and willing to open up as to how they used the skill or tip and tell you what the end results were. They don't need to have an Internet business such as yours, but they should at least be able to tell you how they applied concepts.
What Are Results From Your Past Clients?
You do not need to ask for specifics, but the coach should be able to explain what results their past clients have achieved over time when applying their tactics. They should be able to talk to you about their success as well as how the tactics were applied. Your coach should be able to offer more than just helping you get "unstuck."
Can I Contact Past Clients?
They are most likely going to have videos as well as testimonials bragging about their experience, but don't be taken in by the amazing claims and the impressive guarantees. Take the time to ask them for references, and if it's alright with them for you to contact their past clients. That is not to say that you actually will, but if a company is willing to let you, then chances are that they are a good company to work with. They have nothing to hide because their methods work. Any company that is not willing to let you speak to past customers is most likely hiding something.
In order to see any kind of results, you should stick it out with small business coaching for at least three months or so. This gives them time to see what works best for your business as well as to let your customers adapt to new changes.