That Free Coaching Session May Cost you Plenty!

Suppose you're a successful business owner. You value a long-term coaching relationship to "stay on track" and have a sounding board. If you tend to procrastinate or lose focus, partnering with a coach may mean the difference between staying in business or going broke.

But suppose you want to decide whether to go into business for yourself. You need a consultant to show you how to write a business plan, research the market and design a killer website.

When you seek help from a coach, consultant or counselor, forget titles. These days a public relations consultant now calls herself a "media coach" and a psychic is an "intuition coach."

Be proactive. Before you pick up the phone, ask yourself, "Do I know what I want to do and how to get there, but I get drained and distracted along the way? Have I established bad habits, such as procrastination, that are hard to break?" If so, you probably want a coach for long-term support.

But if you need information to make decisions, you need a consultant or counselor. You can get a free taste of coaching just as you can sample a bite of cheesecake. A coach can demonstrate his skill by asking probing questions for twenty minutes.

However, consultants sell expertise. Once you have the information, you have gained a benefit from the consultation, and you may not need more. Conflicts arise when you accept a free "coaching" session but seek consulting. For instance, I wanted to attract more business. During a free session, the coach said, "If you phrase the offer correctly, you can turn free clients to paying clients." I was hooked. Needless to say, the coach's secret could be explained in five minutes and didn't work anyway. . I was not clear on the difference between coaching and consulting and the coach, if she knew, chose not to enlighten me.

This difference became greater when I was fumbling around with my website. My coach cheered: "You're doing great!" as I played with colors and typefaces. Neither of us raised tough questions about branding, target markets or salesmanship. I heard her words as feedback, while she probably intended them as encouragement Bottom line: If you want expertise, offer to pay for a session or two of all-out consulting. Agree on realistic outcomes for each session. Don't settle for promises of future secrets to be revealed after you pay. Spending $50-250 for a session or two can save you thousands.

You don't want to risk even $50? Read what your consultant has written on and off the website. If you sought guidance from Martha Beck, Carolyn Myss or Lynn Grabhorn, would you need a free session? I suspect not. A few chapters from a consultant's ebook will be far more helpful than a free session or two, if you're seriously trying to make a decision.