Frequently Asked Questions
"How does Individual Coaching work?"
Individual professional career redesign and performance coaching is typically provided over the phone on a 2-4 times/month basis, with e-mail support, accountability and follow-up provided much more frequently. Scheduled coaching sessions may vary from as little as 30 minutes, to up to 50 minutes each. (As you would guess, monthly packages' costs vary based on both the frequency and length of calls.)
"Can I ever meet with you in person?"
One of the beautiful things about coaching is its versatility and convenience, which allows very busy people from all over the country, or even from all over the world to fit it into their weekly schedules, often without the worries of parking, traffic, or child care that might come otherwise come up. In fact, many of my clients are able to keep the continuity of coaching flowing easily by calling in from their cell phone when they are traveling on business or away on vacation. If you are local to the Ann Arbor area, (where Focused Coaching is based), or will be traveling this way and would like to arrange an in-person meeting, I am always happy to work with you to arrange that.
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"I'm not used to meeting with someone on the phone. What is it like?"
Most clients tell me after a very brief period of time that they really like it, and sometimes, actually prefer the phone meetings. There seems to be something about the lack of distraction and the intensity of focus on the phone that actually helps people really tune in to the call, and stay very focused and on target to the tasks they wish to accomplish. Also, it is not uncommon for our clients to be both very busy and frequent travelers, so this means we can schedule and meet on the phone much more easily.
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"Okay, so how much does it cost?"
I always tell people to think about coaching as an investment in themselves and their future, not a cost. This is not a depreciating asset, but rather an investment in you, your overall life satisfaction and happiness, and your performance in areas of your work and personal life that are meaningful to you in the long run. Not unlike taking graduate courses, or getting another credential, coaching is an investment in your future for many years to come.
Our individual packages currently are running between $500 -$800/month with an associate or, $600 - $900/month with me, (the principal), when available. Again, price will vary based on the frequency and length of calls and whether they are all delivered by phone or Skype, or whether some or all face-to-face. Feel free to ask about options. We can usually tailor something within these ranges that will perfectly meet your needs and budget.
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"That sounds like quite a bit of money, and I'm currently (unemployed a full-time graduate student, etc.) Is there ever any way that I can work with a coach?"
I cannot speak for other coaches, but I know I always reserve a couple of slots for people who appear highly motivated and likely to make great clients, but are very low income. I typically will see these clients for a short period of time at a greatly reduced sliding scale fee, in order to help them until they get financially on their feet and are able to afford regular coaching fees. If you feel like you may fit in this category, please contact me to see if any of these slots are available, or, will be available soon.
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"How do I know it will work?"
While there are no absolute guaranties that I can make about you and your specific situation, because the work, ultimately, is done by the client and based on their effort and follow-through, I can tell you that the reason that I got into coaching is because I was impressed at how well it works. I have seen this in my own life as well as the lives of others. It's a practical, positive and powerful way for smart, creative, and resourceful people to accomplish their goals much faster than they would on their own. And, it's energizing and fun!
I typically work with people for periods of six months to a year at a time, but I do find some people find coaching works so well for them that they want to continue to use it to keep moving toward new, bigger and more challenging goals. In cases like these, they will then renew the coaching agreement, often working with me for a number of years as they continue to move forward . I do have a simple coaching agreement, to clarify our understanding and our respective roles in your success.
I also offer, on a regular basis, a 30 minute complimentary coaching consultation with absolutely no strings attached which allows you to find out more about coaching, get a "taste" of what coaching would be like, and decide if it would be of benefit for you. This also gives you a good idea if I would be a "good fit" for you as a coach, and helps me to determine if you would be a good client for me. I urge you, if you are interested, to take advantage of this opportunity. You can email me, or call (734-663-0420), whichever is easier, to set up a time for this.
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"Why should I hire a coach when I could probably do this myself?"
If you are a smart, creative, and resourceful person there is no doubt that you could accomplish many of your goals on your own. The question is, how long will it take, and how much will "life" get in the way? Most of us have great intentions to make changes, but often are distracted by the demands that come up in our day-to-day lives. With no accountability, often the best laid plans can get set aside, almost without our noticing, as we put our attention to what is "urgent", rather than what is truly important.
An accomplished coach can both "hold your feet to the fire" on things that you know in your heart are really important, but others in your life are "letting you slide" on, and, encourage you to aim high, often much higher than you might have thought possible on your own. A coach who believes in you will remind you of your strengths, unique gifts and personal power when you might otherwise have a tendency to become discouraged or give up. There is really no other relationship in your life where the only agenda is your agenda, and helping you make that happen.
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"Are there other ways that I can get coaching?"
Sure, there are thousands of people out there who call themselves coaches, and many different ways of delivering services. Some of these folks have a great deal of rigorous training and professional credentialing, and some have very little, (or even none!) I also do executive coaching, which differs from individual coaching in a number of ways: it is typically contracted for by an employer, or company, there is much more assessment and reporting back, and, understandably, it is significantly more expensive.
I addition I provide, from time-to-time, small group coaching. This format lends itself to small groups of people, (I define this as not more than twelve), with similar enough interests and coaching goals that they can benefit not only from my coaching, but from the experiences of others in the group. This is a very cost-effective way of getting the benefit of coaching for some, often about half the cost of working with a coach individually. If you are interested learning more about these options please contact me.
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