One of the things that prevents coaches from actively marketing their coaching services is simply not knowing what to say. The solution is to anticipate and prepare responses to the most common questions a potential client might ask. This is just the same as preparing for a job interview – you give some thought to the typical questions and practice what you are going to say. Of course, you can’t anticipate all the questions and you certainly don’t want to come across like a robot, but it does help to be prepared.
Here are the most common questions I get asked about my coaching services, along with some suggestions on how to answer.
1. What do you do?
The key here is to keep it short and give concrete examples of what you help people with. Make your examples very specific and tailored to what regular people can relate to. Avoid coaching-type language such as “personal development, authentic life, and transformative experience” which leaves most potential clients totally confused.
“I’m a ______ Coach. I help people with things like ______, ______, and ______. :
2. How does that work?
Don’t go into a long explanation of the coaching process. A couple of short sentences will suffice.
“I meet with my clients once a week. We develop goals and a plan to meet those goals. And then I help them stay on track.”
3. What’s your background?
Again, keep it short and sweet. People don’t want your entire career history. They ask this question for one of two reasons: 1) they’re curious about coaching and wonder what it takes to become a coach, or 2) they’re intrigued by the idea of coaching with you and want to know a bit more about you.
“I’m an experienced coach, and I specialize in ______. I’ve been doing this type of work for ___ years.”
If you are a new coach, you can still answer this question with confidence.
4. Can you help with _________?
Answer honestly. If it’s clearly outside your area of expertise, say: “I don’t help people with _______, but if you’re interested I can probably recommend someone who does.”
If you’re not sure, or you think the presenting issue is not the real issue, say something like: “Tell me more about what’s going on with _______ for you.”
If you know you can help, say: “Sure, that’s exactly the type of thing I help with. Tell me more about what you want to achieve.”
5. What’s your process?
This question is similar to #2 “How does it work?” but needs a more detailed answer. The person is expressing some real interest in coaching with you, as opposed to just curiousity about coaching in general.
It’s very important to have a process. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but you do need to be able to describe a method or roadmap that you follow.
“Well, I have a ___ step process. It starts with an assessment to find out exactly where you’re at. Next there is the _______stage, where we ______. This is followed with ______, then ________ and finally _________. By the end of the process, you will have achieved _______.”
6. What theory underlies your approach?
In the ten years that I’ve been coaching, I’ve only been asked this question once. My mind went blank and I was completely tongue-tied. You may never be asked this question, but just in case it comes up I want you to be able to avoid the embarassment that I went through!
“The main theory I draw from is _________. Have you heard of that? No? Well, it’s a solid approach for _______. The main idea behind it is _________.”
7. How much does it cost?
“When I do groups, it costs $___ for a 6 week group. When I coach people individually my fee is $___ per month.”
8. If I was to sign up, what happens next?
“I have a group starting on _______ and we meet at 12.30pm for an hour each week for six weeks in _______ (name of city). Would you like to register now?”
“For individual coaching, we can get started this week if you like. We’d set a time to talk on the phone, and I’ll ask you about what you want to achieve. Then I’ll explain the program to you, and we can make a plan for exactly how to achieve your goals. Would you like to set up an appointment now?”
Notice that I asked for the business: “Would you like to _____ now?” This is very important!
Practice, practice, practice
You need to know exactly what you are offering and be able to speak confidently about it.
Prepare answers to these questions and practice answering them until you feel confident with your replies.
Ask several different friends or family members to ask you the questions (mix up the order and wording of the questions to make it more realistic) and practice, practice, practice! Be careful not to rush through your answer.
Answer with a smile
Keep in mind that when people ask you these type of questions, they aren’t trying to test your knowledge or trip you up. They are simply curious. They want to learn more so they can decide whether hiring you would be of benefit to them. So keep your answers short and simple, and reply with a smile.
Share your answers with us!
I hope you enjoyed reading the article and using the templates to create your
own answers. If you’ve got questions or would like some feedback on your answers, just post your answers in the comments section below.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I found this to be very informational and helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Nice work, Barbra! I love your done-for-you templates (your bio template is great, too).
One of my clients is a newly minted career coach, and I think she’ll find this incredibly helpful.
Barbra – This sounds like a great process to practice for someone who wants to be more successful at networking events. I’d like to add that asking more questions about the other person can work wonderfully, as well.