One of the first things many people want to know is how much coaching will cost. I don’t have a quick answer for that because I typically set things up so I’m working by the job rather than by the hour. The reason for this is something I’ll describe as “incentive structure.”

If I am working by the hour, it is to my advantage to maximize the hours so I maximize my pay. For my clients, it would be the opposite. They save money by minimizing the hours. That could very well cause them to rush through things when we’re working together because they don’t want it to cost more than absolutely necessary. I don’t want to create situations where the client and I have incentive to pull in opposite directions. That’s not effective or efficient and it's an unhelpful incentive structure.

I will put together a program or plan based on what my clients want to accomplish. The plan details what I will deliver and what the client will need to do to reach their goal. It will also contain how often and how we will be working together to meet that goal, as well as the cost and duration of the program. This way we both can see the cost, the value and the time frame. Our efforts are also aligned together. We’re not working against each other. Our focus is on what we’re going to accomplish, with the cost based on my estimate of the time, effort and creativity I’m going to need to put into it. It’s not just my time that has value, but also my ability to see the big picture, understand how various things will work together, find solutions that aren’t obvious and anticipate what is likely to happen over time. Working by the job rather than by the hour gives both of us incentive to be efficient and effective. This is a beneficial incentive structure.

For both individual and business clients I start with a preliminary assessment questionnaire. From there I’ll either be able to put together a proposed plan or see that I need to ask more questions to be able to come up with a plan. After that we’ll talk about the plan and what it will cost. I won’t agree to work with a client unless we both see that the value they’ll get from it will be significantly more than what it will cost them.

Many clients will elect to pay for the coaching a month at a time. However, there will be a 10% discount for those who choose to pay for the full program up front.