How do you become a coach?

“Say, Tom: as a starter in this market, I don't have a good idea where to start, so I was wondering if you might have some tips for me?” Sure! I would be happy to help you take your first steps on the market. From choosing your specialty, taking training courses and joining professional organizations to applying branding and avoiding falling into common pitfalls. How do you become a coach?

Becoming a coach is how you do it!

In this blog I give you countless tips on how you can start your coaching business and become a successful coach. Below you will find an overview of what we will discuss:

• Specialism
• educations
• Professional organization
• Types of coaching
• Gain experience
• Putting yourself on the map
• Exude professionalism
• Contact with other coaches
• Pitfalls
• Advantages

What kind of coach do you want to become?

What is a coach?

You want to become a coach – fantastic! However, coach is an extremely broad concept. For example, Van Dale describes a coach as: 'personal supervisor, for example of an employee to help him or her function better'. Personal counselor, that's quite abstract!

So the question is: what kind of coach do you want to become? Who do you want to coach? And for what purpose? It makes quite a difference whether you coach employees who are on the verge of burnout in learning to say 'no' or real impact makers in growing their already successful business even further. Of course you would like to help everyone, but that is not possible. The more specific your niche, the more you can specialize and the better you can serve your customers.

If you know exactly which direction you want to go as a coach, you can follow exactly the right training and courses, read the most suitable books and coach clients over and over again that offer you the experience you need to continue to grow as a coach.

So first ask yourself what kind of coach you want to become. For example, will you become a lifestyle coach, a career coach, an entrepreneurial coach, a stress coach or a relationship coach? Go for that specialty that makes your heart beat faster.

Specialism

To find out which specialty that is, you can ask yourself who your ideal customer is. How do you envision it in your coaching business? Who do you have sitting in front of you? What does he or she encounter? How are you going to help him or her? Try to visualize your ideal customer as clearly as possible and preferably describe it on paper. This way you know exactly who you are talking to when you address your customers! This will come in handy later when we talk about your branding, your website and your social media channels.

And know: by getting started you will automatically notice which target group suits you best. As long as you start. Otherwise, becoming a coach will remain a dream and will never become a reality.

Which training(s) do you follow to become a coach?

Once you know which direction you want to go as a coach, you can start looking at any training courses you want to follow. Perhaps you have already completed a pedagogical training, you are a mindfulness trainer or you have years of experience as an entrepreneur. In principle, you can become a coach whenever you want – it is (unfortunately) not a protected profession.

However, we recommend that you follow specific training to become a coach. Because coaches are popping up like mushrooms these days, clients often cannot see the forest for the trees. What do these people look for when they want to be sure that they really have a good coach? His training. You can rely on a coach with a thorough background and who also undergoes regular further training. And there are not that many of them in our country!

If you want to stand out as a coach and offer your clients only the very best, then you should look for a recognized training course. And then you don't stop! You continue to develop yourself continuously, both as a person and as a coach. You continue to take courses, participate in training and read books.

Register with a professional organization

This is also a requirement set by the 4 professional organizations for professional coaches active in the Netherlands. LVSC, Noloc, NOBCO/EMCC and ICF Together they account for less than 4,000 coaches. Of the more than 67,000 coaches in our country! You understand that when you register with one of these professional organizations and meet their requirements, you immediately distinguish yourself from more than 63,000 other coaches. In the pocket!

Every professional organization requires that you have completed at least a human-oriented higher vocational or university education and that you continue to develop yourself through education, intervision and mentoring. Within your professional organization you then have the opportunity to achieve various levels, based on your education, experience and additional assessments that you can take.

Does it mean that you find all the good coaches at professional organizations? No. I know plenty of coaches in my area who are very good at their profession and are not affiliated with a professional organization. However, joining is worth considering.

Which professional organization suits me?

To find out which professional organization is best for you to register with, you need to do some research. For example, LVSC focuses mainly on coaching employees, teams and organizations and Noloc is there for career coaches. Both NOBCO and ICF are more broadly oriented; In fact, ICF is the world's largest professional organization for coaches. So read up on each of these professional organizations, see what the conditions are for becoming a member and choose the professional organization that best suits you and your target group.

What type of coaching will you offer?

Once you know who your ideal client is, you can also ask yourself what type of coaching best suits that ideal client. How do you envision it? Do you provide 1-on-1 coaching or do you work with groups? Do you speak to your clients live or online? Do you visit companies to coach entire teams or do you invite entrepreneurs to your office? Do you choose one type of coaching or do you combine several forms?

In any case, it is advisable not to focus on too many different types of coaching, just like focusing on too many target groups. Stay focused and distinguish yourself by daring to choose. Are you that unique online coach with whom a client feels just a little safer? Or do you attach great importance to real contact, the atmosphere in the room and non-verbal signals that you only pick up in real life?

To become a good coach you need experience

You want to become a coach, you have set up your own coaching business, and then what? Just wait until the first client registers spontaneously? Not really! You're not going to sit still, are you? We will talk about everything you can do to put yourself on the map as a coach, but what we think is just as important to become a good coach is gaining experience.

Your first customer!

Guiding your first client is incredibly exciting! Yes, you will make mistakes. Yes, you will encounter yourself. But as a coach you know better than anyone that developing yourself involves trial and error. The more often you fall and especially the more often you get up, the better you become.

So start coaching as soon as you are ready! There is probably someone close to you who could use your help. Offer him or her your coaching, possibly at a reduced rate. This way you both benefit from a fruitful collaboration! You help your first client and he or she unconsciously teaches you to become a good coach. Of course you can also ask for feedback in exchange for a reduced rate. Receiving compliments is nice, but it is mainly constructive criticism that helps you further!

Put yourself on the map as a coach

If your coaching business is open and you are gaining experience, it is time to recruit more clients. But how do you get clients as a coach?? By putting yourself on the map! In this digital age you can no longer do without a website and social media. A place where you show yourself and offer value to your customers.

Branding for coaches

Before you start building a website, it is wise to think about what you want to convey. Here too, the picture you have painted of your ideal customer comes in handy! Your 'branding', or the way in which you present yourself as a company, must reflect both you and your ideal customer. Consider your logo, your use of color, your fonts, your writing style, the way you address your target group, the channels you use, etc. Wherever you are found, you use the same style. Does a customer come across you on social media and click through to your website? Then the atmosphere in which your customer finds himself does not change. Do your Instagram followers accidentally come across a sponsored post of yours on Facebook? Then they immediately see that it is you!

You are that coach with those cheerful ocher yellow pictures, who always posts on Mondays and Fridays. The one with those funny videos, humorous hooks and secretly quite apt texts. That coach whose free e-book has been downloaded by dozens of customers, in the same ocher yellow color and with the same fonts as your customers encounter on your website. Everything is correct. That is establishing yourself as a brand!

Website

So you implement that branding on your website, among other things. Where potential customers can find everything they need to know about you. And more! After all, your website is not a static business card. A good website stays up to date!

First of all, you make sure that your website is rock solid. That your branding is correct, your texts are error-free and your SEO is in order. It is then important to provide your website with regular updates. To prepare and continue to produce valuable content for your readers. How do you do that? With blogs, for example. Publish a new blog once or twice a month or preferably even every week. An article with valuable information that will be useful to your readers. A text that they recognize themselves in, from which they can get useful tips or that answers their questions. Such a text shows your readers how valuable you are to them!

You position yourself as an expert and you create goodwill among your potential customers. Yes, it is an investment to produce content over and over again. However, you want to help people, really help them. This way you give them a push in the right direction. They can immediately get started with your tools and experience for themselves what you can do for them. Once they become convinced of your abilities, they will only want more!

Free giveaway

And you give them more. By continuing to produce blogs, but also by creating a free giveaway, for example. A practical e-book, a useful challenge or a handy online training! A free product with which you help your potential customers one step further and which gives them even more of the impression that you are really the right person to guide them. In exchange for this free product, you will receive the email address of your potential customer. If you give him or her explicit permission in the registration form to receive your newsletter, for example, you will once again have a wonderful channel in your pocket to spread your message.

E-mail

Such a newsletter or perhaps another mailing list is ideal for recruiting customers. After all, people who have signed up for these emails are already genuinely interested in what you do. They already know you, have tasted your free offer and want more. By working this way, you focus on an increasingly smaller group of people. Your website and social media are available to everyone, including internet users who do not even belong to your target group. However, whoever signs up for your emails could really be your ideal customer.

You can work at a level higher than on your website and social media, because someone who has signed up to receive emails from you has already taken several steps. While you still have to introduce website visitors and social media followers to your company, you can focus more on creating a bond of trust with your readers in your emails. You give them exclusive value and you introduce them to your offer. This way you always go one step further...

Social media

What applies to your website also applies to your social media. Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest – where are you active? This is possible everywhere, but it may not be wise. It is better to ask yourself where your target group is located. Do you focus on large companies, business teams or real career tigers? Then LinkedIn is probably an ideal medium for you. If you coach mothers or online entrepreneurs, you probably should be on Pinterest. Instagram is generally more suitable for the younger target group, while the slightly older generation is more active on Facebook.

One does not exclude the other, but it is advisable to focus on one or two channels. The more focus, the better your performance. Whatever media you choose, make sure you use the same style here. The same colors, fonts, tone of voice, etc. And all that valuable content that you share on your website, you also share here. Post links to blogs, but also share posts that generate recognition, are worth saving and are shared. For example, use Instagram Stories to give a look behind the scenes and to show your followers more about you as a person. Use all the functions of the various social media to offer your followers value and create a bond of trust.

Only then do you start sales. A little then. Because once you have put yourself on the map, you don't have to put in that much effort anymore. You have turned your readers and followers into fans, who know exactly what you do and what you can do for them. If you do that right, they will know where to find you when they need you! They have noticed how much value you can offer, they know how professional you are and they feel a connection with you. You are the one they want!

Texts

You can achieve that effect by sharing the right content in the right places. Content that contains value, in the form of recognition or tools. Content that touches your reader. To achieve this, it is important that you speak the right language. Use words that your reader understands, quote anecdotes that your reader recognizes and identify exactly those stumbling blocks that your reader encounters. You want him or her to think, 'where are the cameras?!' Your reader should get the feeling that you know him or her inside and out.

In addition, your reader should also get the feeling that he or she knows you. By staying close to yourself, you not only make it easier for yourself to write smooth texts, but also more valuable for your reader. After all, it doesn't benefit anyone if you pretend to be someone else. Certainly not if you want to become a coach. Your coachees must be able to trust you and therefore they must know who you are.

If you show who you are and that you know your customer through words, photos, videos and other content, you have won. Or better said: bring in those customers.

Make sure you appear professional

One of the ways to distinguish yourself from other coaches is to radiate professionalism. People pay (a lot) for your good services, and therefore expect quality. Contact via Whatsapp, email, telephone, messages; Keep notes in Google Docs or Trello; Assigning oral homework... It is possible. But can it be better?

Absolute. Trackler was created by and for coaches, to ensure that you can bundle all your communication with your coachees, always have shared or private notes at hand, and you can use super handy coaching tools to take your coaching sessions to the next level .

Get in touch with other starting coaches

Have you still not finished learning after all these tips? Then sign up for online groups where you can spar with other coaches. As a coach and as an entrepreneur you have to continue to develop yourself and for this you can sometimes use some tips and inspiration from other coaches. We are here to help each other! So use it to your advantage.

Interesting groups include the Community of Coaches, Trainers and Therapists on LinkedIn and it Network for psychologists, therapists and coaches or the group Online coaching Netherlands on Facebook.

In any case, it is wise to create a profile for free on the Trackler Community. It provides more visibility and makes it easier for you to find your way in the coaching world. You will find marketers who specifically focus on coaching. You can get inspiration from other coaches and possibly look for training courses or coaching locations.

Want to become a coach? Don't fall into these traps!

Whatever stage of becoming a coach you are at, there are always some pitfalls to watch out for. Forewarned counts for two, so we have listed a few for you:

1. Trying too hard

More is not always better. Working harder doesn't necessarily pay off. Of course you do your best to become the very best coach, but don't fall into the trap of trying too hard. You can also enjoy the process. Of every step you take and every success you achieve. Becoming a coach may be your long-cherished dream, but you don't want to give up on it. Continue to take good care of yourself, continue to make time for other things and show your clients that you too dare to trust yourself.

2. Want to solve problems

Not trying too hard also means not trying to solve someone else's problems. You want to become a coach to help others, but you don't do that by giving them answers to all their questions and offering ready-made solutions. You only really help someone if you can help them see how they can tackle problems themselves. 

3. Charging rates that are too low

Dare to appreciate the value you provide to someone else in this way. It's all well and good if you can coach everyone who wants to be in the ringside for a dime, but in the end you don't help anyone with that. Not yourself, because you work overtime and still cannot generate a monthly income. And not your clients, because you can't really go into depth with anyone.

Do research, look at the competition and determine how much you can do for others. Wouldn't you rather help a number of people take really big steps than help everyone with a solution that will only benefit them for a few weeks?

4. Coaching others without being asked

Don't just meddle in other people's affairs. Do you hear someone complaining about her personal struggles at a family party? Do you see fantastic opportunities for that entrepreneur you are friends with? Don't coach them without being asked.

First, they may not want your advice at all. It can really rub them the wrong way. Secondly, you will not achieve anything by coaching them in such an accessible way. If you really want to help them, you go into depth. And for that you need extensive conversations! And last but not least: a retailer doesn't just give away his merchandise for free, right?

Enjoy the benefits of becoming a coach

Yes, as a starting coach you have to learn a lot. But don't forget to enjoy yourself! Becoming a coach offers many advantages and you will certainly benefit from them in the long term.

1. You can organize your time yourself

One of the biggest advantages of becoming a coach is that you can manage your time yourself. Do you want free time on Wednesday afternoon? Then you just do that. Do you like working in the evenings? I'm sure you'll make some people happy with that. You decide, because you are your own boss.

2. You learn more about yourself

As mentioned, if you want to become a coach, you will have to continue to develop yourself. You continue to follow education, courses and training to always be aware of the latest developments in your field and to continue to work on yourself. Thanks to this continuous flow of information and insights, you learn a lot about yourself. This will benefit you, and so will your clients. Nice bonus!

3. You contribute to the well-being or success of other people

After all, that is ultimately what you do it all for if you want to become a coach: to contribute to the well-being or success of other people. You can occasionally take a moment to reflect on the fact that you are helping people! They become healthier, happier and/or more successful, thanks to you. That is definitely something to be very proud of. Do you have more questions about becoming a coach or would you like to discuss how you can take your coaching business to the next level? Feel free to send me a message!