Let’s face it, not everyone is ready for high-end coaching.
I firmly believe we can all benefit greatly from different kinds of coaching. Working with a coach, especially one who is a good fit for you, can bring massive results in a fraction of the time it would take you to accomplish something by yourself. But hiring a coach that costs thousands of dollars is only a good decision if you believe YOU are a sure bet.
Yes. You. I’ll explain in just a bit.
Still, if you can make it happen, there are quite a few reasons you should, and a few you should not. I’ll break down some ideas you can use to determine if you should hire a coach or if you should go it alone.
>> Related: For more information on coaching, check this out: What is Coaching & Why Most People Need It.
5 Reasons Why You Might Need High-End Coaching
1. You Have Great Ideas But Don’t Know How to Execute
You need to get the ball rolling so to speak. This person is looking for a lot of 1:1 advice and hand holding. They need an actionable strategy that will actually propel their business forward.
This group may have the most difficult time justifying paying for a coach.
Why?….Because they aren’t making much, if any money yet. Forking over thousands of dollars seems unreasonable. But let’s break this down. If your idea is to start a website, service-based business, or freelance career, do you know how to do it on your own?
Let’s say you have an idea of what you want to do but you have little tech or marketing skills. You are going to spend roughly 50 hours learning technical stuff, trial and error on what software or programs to use.
You are going to spend another 50 hours minimum to learn where to find your audience (no you can’t just slap a post or two on Facebook and expect sales or leads to come rolling in), and let’s say 25 more learning how to write effective sales copy, which can actually take years without help.
Add 20 hours for website design. I spent 4 hours a day for three straight weeks trying to get my site to look and function the way I wanted it to! 20 hours for branding, another 10 to get your social channels set up.
And let’s not forget the 25 hours you put in creating the material for your site.
Just this stuff alone is 200 hours.
And we didn’t even mention the cost of software, wasted purchases on programs that aren’t what you expected, cost of themes, fonts, or other items you might end up paying way too much for.
I don’t know about you but when I started my business, I had roughly 2-3 hours a day to put into it around my day job, family, sports, church, exercise, etc.
So at 2 hours a day I was looking at three and a half months without a single day off, researching and learning all I could, HOPING, the stuff I found was credible.
Hint: Much of it was not, and it took me way more than 200 hours to get my website functioning properly and drawing in more than a measly 25 visits a day. It took me nearly nine months at 2-3 hours a day.
Suddenly paying 10k for a coach who could have had me sailing through this startup mode was making a lot more sense.
10k/200 hours=$50/hour. But since it took me closer to 9 months or roughly 540 hours (UGH) yeah that equates to 10k/540=$18.52/hr…and I wasn’t even signing clients yet. This was just to start my website, social media, and establish some presence online! You can also subtract whatever I spent on aspirin.
And here’s the stinger. If I would have hired the coach, I would have saved months of time AND started making my profits six months sooner.
I would have easily made back my money. The coach could have had me cruising right along after 12-15 hours of solid 1:1 coaching vs hundreds of hours on Google search until my eyes burned from reading at all hours of the night.
Lesson: If you’re serious about your business, hiring a coach will likely pay off. If you’re lukewarm, forget it. If you’re looking for a solid 1:1 coach in regards to success/money, you can apply for my waitlist here, or learn more here.
2. You Need a Specific Skill
If you’ve decided to become a proofreader but don’t know where to start, I’d likely refer you to Caitlyn Pyle.
It doesn’t matter how good you are, how much you love to read, etc. If you don’t know how to get started, you could waste years chasing down individuals or underselling your services on platforms like Freelancer or Udemy.
Maybe you need to learn how to be an effective leader who can captivate an audience with ease. You want to learn how to persuade people without being manipulative. If you are socially awkward but desire to be such a leader, you’re going to need a coach.
When you need to learn a specific skill, coaching is almost always the way to go.
I always laugh when I hear the term “self-made millionaire”. What a load of crap.
Sure there are people who are self-motivated, came from very little, and worked smart and diligently to get where they are today. But Oprah, Warren Buffet, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates….these people did not do it alone.
They hired coaches, advisers, and paid for training in certain areas. These people knew when to ask for help to enhance or learn a skill.
Specific skills for you might be marketing (very common), sales copy, traffic or email building, writing, video editing, software, program creation, sales calls, web design, leadership, finance, time management, social media, law of attraction, money mindset, finance, and on and on and on.
Basically anything you can learn in college, you can also learn through high-end coaching. And usually in half the time without all the student loan woes and waistline expanding cafeteria food.
3. Your Business is Stagnant & You Want to Uplevel Your Business
Maybe you’re someone who has already made a good portion of money in the past but has hit a plateau. Or worse, your income is declining and your audience is dwindling.
This is one of those cases where I recommend you definitely get a coach unless you’d like to go back to work for someone else and give up on owning your own business.
Don’t self-shame. We all hit patches of “What’s next?”, in our businesses. Some people rely on the same program over and over until suddenly people just aren’t showing up anymore. Maybe you’ve lost your passion for it. Perhaps the market has outgrown your type of service (Facebook Ads I might be talking about you).
Some people change their minds too frequently or panic if they aren’t seeing results and jump ship to something different too soon. A coach may have been able to salvage your idea but help you find a new way to execute it.
Either way, you are capable of renewing and revamping your business, but a lot of this has to do with admitting you need a fresh perspective and that someone else might be able to pluck a good idea out of you better than you can go digging for it yourself.
Intuitive business coaches are great for this. They can see what might work for you, even if you can’t see it yet.
If you’re seeking some direction first, take this free five-day assessment for some real clarity in your goals.
4. Your Health or Personal Wellness is On Edge
Fitness coaches have been making a killing for a long time. People want help to look good and feel good. I only recommend hiring a high-end fitness coach if you have good access to the coach and you are motivated to do what they say. Otherwise, you are just tossing your money out and you can do that with a $39/mo gym membership.
But have you noticed the rise in life coaches who specifically deal with helping people slow down and enjoy life? Life coaching covers a multitude of areas that I could write an entire post for. And it used to be that the high-paid ones basically helped people make major life decisions.
Now, we’re seeing a rise in yoga and meditation coaches, manifestation coaches, relationship wellness coaches, spiritual wellness coaches, dating and marriage, parenting coaches etc. And people are paying top dollar for these services. Have you priced out a Tony Robbins Weekend Retreat? People crave inspiration and hope more than ever.
People want help to make their lives less hectic and more enjoyable. If this is you, coaching is probably a great fit. You might not see a monetary payoff depending on the type of coaching you’re seeking, but what you gain in personal wellness will be worth way more than what you pay for the program. Having less stress adds healthy years to our lives and most people would easily pay for that.
If life has you stressed out to the point that your coping skills aren’t working properly, coaching may be an excellent option. Especially for those people who don’t want to start pounding anxiety or depression medication that can have nasty side effects. Exercise and behavioral coaching can a long way in teaching us new skills and habits for a healthier and happier life.
5. Your Mindset Needs a Makeover
This is where life coaches, mindset coaches, money coaches, intuitive coaches, leadership coaches, fitness coaches, law of attraction or spirituality coaches all overlap.
More often than not, our skills only need a little help. But our mindset and self-esteem need a whole lot more. You could accomplish something you truly desire, if only you actually believed you deserve it or are capable.
Myth: This world is set up to help me succeed.
Truth: It is, however, society conditions people to fear, worry, and doubt themselves every day.
We are taught from a young age that making money is difficult, we aren’t worthy of the things we deserve, and that our dreams are out of reach.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. But you’ll notice the vast increase in mental health issues on the rise across the first world nations in particular. People giving up on the American Dream, people giving up on any of their dreams. Losing Hope.
For decades people were taught to work harder, not smarter.
They were taught to ditch their families in favor of overtime, to chase money instead of letting money chase them. To ditch what they loved in order to do what put more money in the bank accounts.
How many people have gone into a field of study, and then into a career that has sucked their happiness dry, because it wasn’t true to who they really are or what they really want to be doing?
We are also taught a “what’s in it for me?” mentality. This is crippling. Doing what we truly love and enjoy will rarely have you asking what’s in it for you. Because you will be handsomely rewarded in both money and relationships when you are doing what you love. When you do what you love, it flows over to the people you are helping.
How to Finance a High-End Coaching Program:
So if you think you might be a good fit for coaching, how do you come up with the money? Paying for a high end coach or coaching program is usually what stops most form hiring a coach.
We get it – being able to afford coaching is the number one concern for most individuals looking for a coach. I’m going to break this down into two perspectives.
1. Can you afford coaching?
Right off the bat, most people’s mindsets about money say “nope” and then go into a whole slew of self-limiting beliefs, aka excuses, as to why the time isn’t right, or guilt about spending the money on self. I encourage you to challenge those beliefs and get to the reality of whether or not you actually desire the changes coaching will bring you. When the desire is true, the way will be made.
Many people do not have $5-15k sitting around in our bank accounts, however some do. This is a general price range of quality high-end coaching. You can find some a little less if they are just starting out. However, most successful coaches are quick to raise their rates if their ROI is really good.
You can also find coaching that costs way more than this (think Jack Canfield and Tony Robbins)
If you have this kind of cash lying around and can reasonably spend it, great.
2. You Have Financial Options
Most coaches offer installment plans. These generally mean you will pay more than the pay-in-full price for the luxury of spreading out the payments.
For example, if the program costs 10k for a pay-in-full client, the installment plan might have you make a $5k deposit and 3 monthly payments of $2500 meaning you will end up paying $12.5k for the exact same program but are getting the opportunity to stretch out the payments. You have to weigh the pros and cons of each method.
If you are super tight on cash or incoming funds, you can apply for a credit card. Always look for one with zero-interest for as many months as possible. I only recommend this method to people who are a sure bet. This means YOU KNOW YOURSELF well enough that you will follow through with the entire program, do what is asked, and have a pretty good shot at making all of the money back in a reasonable amount of time.
Or if it is not money related, you know you will do the homework and exercises to reach the desired outcome of the coaching (fitness, mindset, nutrition, etc).
Keep in mind that given the digital nature of most programs, refunds are almost obsolete. And chargebacks can get you into a slew of legal trouble. Most coaching contracts forbid them and once you sign on the contract, you must pay what is owed for the program/service.
Most coaches work their tails off to put together a rock-solid program and screen their applicants well. If they let you in, it’s because they believe you will do the work and get the results. But be wary of coaches that make overly exaggerated promises. Scammers are out there.
Other ways I’ve heard of people financing coaching are selling an extra car, taking on a second job for a couple of months to fund it, taking some out of savings and using a card for the difference, and fundraising. Yep, I once saw a girl having a bikini car wash to fund the money she needed to get into a weekend retreat that cost $5000. She raised her down payment of $1500 and financed the difference.
Please don’t ever consider refinancing a home, borrowing against retirement, or other such ventures. This will only cause more stress. No coach with any integrity will ever ask you to do this!
If you are unable to follow through with the coaching, or if your program turns out to not be as good as expected, you’ll be in a tight spot. And if you do use credit, make sure you pay it back quickly!
And last but not least, you can always look into their group programs/self-paced programs that are often way more affordable. 1:1 Coaching costs more because it requires much more of the coaches time and gives you customized, personalized support. And you won’t have to listen to one person in the group take up all the coaches’ time while you got zero questions answered. Choose wisely.
Final Word on High-End Coaching
Are you ready to take your business and life to the next level? Are you feeling stuck in one area or feeling like you have plateaued? If so, it might be time for you to seriously consider high-end coaching for your business, or even just your life!
For most of your childhood, you have a coach. They might be a sports coach, a parent, a family friend, a teacher – but someone is always there coaching. Oftentimes, as adults, we miss out on this coaching because we think we must do everything ourselves! But this is the wrong mindset!
High-end coaching isn’t for everyone, but it is worth it when you’re at the right place in your business! I don’t offer group coaching but I do have a mid-level version of my program that still includes two calls with me and unlimited email support that comes in at $6k less than my 1:1 program.
Ultimately, high-end coaching has changed many areas of my life. I’ve worked with different types of coaches in different areas of my life. I owe so much gratitude to some of my former mentors and coaches who improved my quality of life by so, so, much. Only you can decide if you’re ready for the leap!
xoxo-Deanna