Ready to grow a coaching team? Read this first!
As a coach, you know how important it is to keep your clients happy and engaged. But what if you're feeling like there's just too much work for one person? Or maybe you want to expand your coaching practice into new areas but don't have the time or expertise yourself. In these situations, hiring coaches can be an excellent solution - but only if done well. Here are some key steps to take when expanding your team.
If you're thinking about hiring someone to help you out with coaching, good for you! You're on the right path. After all, you can't be a super-coach 24/7 without ramping up your stress and risking burnout.
So where do you start? Ask yourself these questions:
Do I have enough money in my budget to hire a new person? If not, what can I cut out or reduce from my budget that's not as important to me as bringing in more clients and growing my business? Is there something in my business that doesn't bring in revenue but still feels like an essential part of my workday—could I hire someone else to handle this part of the job so that I'd have more time for the stuff that matters most?
What are some of the roles or responsibilities I want this person to take on once they're hired by me (e.g., will they be engaging in social media accounts, answering emails from prospective clients)? I think it's important here not only because it helps clarify exactly what needs doing but also because it gives them specific tasks they can start working towards as soon as they begin their new roles within our company/team!
Once you're ready to hire a coach or two to join your team, what should you do?
If you're ready to grow your coaching team, here are some guidelines for getting started:
Identify your values and expectations around client care. What does exceptional customer service look like? How do you want clients to feel about working with you and your team members? What kind of attitude do you expect from employees?
Identify the work to be delegated. As a coach, how will each potential team member's specific strengths contribute to the quality of services that are provided? Can they take on more responsibility for marketing and outreach, or will their expertise best support other areas of client care such as scheduling or intake procedures. Look at what aspects of entrepreneurship excite each person so that they can find an area where their individual talents can shine through.
Let potential coaches know what their specific contribution would be if hired onto the team. Do they have skills that complement yours in any way—list them out! Be sure this information is conveyed clearly before hiring so there won't be any confusion later on down the line when hiring decisions have been made."
Identify your values and expectations around client care.
As you begin to grow your coaching business, it's important to identify what you value and expect from each side of the relationship. First, define your values. As an example, I value trustworthiness, transparency and authenticity in all my relationships—clients included. These are core values that inform how I engage with others in business and life in general.
Next, define the expectations of your clients. For example:
What level of autonomy do they want when working with their coach?
How much time should they expect to spend on a call or Zoom session?
Do they want access to a library of resources (e-books or audio recordings), or do they prefer one-on-one calls only?
Once these expectations are clear for both sides of the relationship (you as coach/client), it will make it much easier for everyone involved if there is any misalignment later on down the road.
Let potential coaches know the specific ways they'll contribute to the work.
It's important to outline what you want a coach to do, so that each person hired has a clear sense of how they'll be contributing and how their role fits into the bigger picture. As you're building out your coaching team, consider the following:
The type of work you would like them to support (e.g., administrative tasks vs. client work).
The types of clients they might be working with (e.g., mainly new clients vs. existing clients).
For example, if someone is interested in joining your coaching team but doesn't have any experience working with clients at all, it doesn't make sense for them to begin working only with brand new clients right away! Instead, think about what type of work will best suit their skill set—perhaps some administrative tasks? Or maybe some training or mentoring sessions?
Do your homework - check references!
Do your homework - check references.
Check social media, but don't expect it to be the goldmine you think it will be. A lot of coaches who use social media are doing so to promote themselves and their services, which means they're going to put their best foot forward in terms of content, photos, etc., as well as what they say about themselves on their profiles (the internet is a scary place!). That said...
Ask current clients what they think of the coach, their work together and how they communicate with them.
Be sure everyone on the team is on board with your systems and processes.
It's important that the entire team is on board with your systems and processes. This means that everyone should have an understanding of what is expected of them, how they will be measured and compensated, as well as how training will take place.
When bringing people into new roles and positions, it is best if you already have a plan in place for training them quickly and easily. You may need to revise or change some things about your system depending on their skillset or background, but it's best to get all this sorted out before hand so you don't have to make last minute changes when things go wrong later down the road.
Growing a team of coaches can be simple and efficient, but it does take more time than it might seem in advance.
Before you begin building out your coaching team, ask yourself: What is my goal for growing the team? Do I want to build a large business that’s scalable and effective? Or do I just want to increase revenue through one-on-one or small groups? Once you answer these questions, consider the time and energy it will take to train new coaches on your methodology (if there is any), as well as manage them once they are on board.
It’s also important to consider whether or not you have enough resources in place — like space for training sessions, enough materials for each coach (so they don't have to buy things themselves), etc.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about growing your coaching team, we hope this post has provided some guidance for how to get started. Remember that the success of your team depends on what you define as success: if you want a cohesive and effective group, they’ll need time to build relationships with each other and work together. That said, don’t let the process intimidate or discourage you! As we mentioned above, hiring coaches can be simple if you follow these steps: first identify what qualities are most important for your team members; then figure out which specific tasks need doing; finally check references before making any commitments.
Want a partner as you strategize and prepare for growing your coaching team?
Schedule a complimentary clarity call today and let’s talk about how we can help you go from me to we.
Define and set up a hiring plan and onboarding process
Audit and organize your systems and processes as you prepare to delegate in your business
Strategize what your new expanded leadership role will look like with the new team
