Monthly Morsel for Making MORE out of your COMENSA Membership: What You Can Learn from the COMENSA Research

I hope that you have taken time to read the highlights of the COMENSA National Research Survey that have been available on the website for the last month.  If not, please follow this link to get up to date.  A more detailed report will be released to COMENSA members during the course of this month, and the results will be presents at COMENSA Chapter events around the country during the first quarter of 2012 so watch your events calendars.

One of the interesting points that emerged from the research was that the top 3 criteria that organisations use in the selection of a coach are track record/credibility, professional training and professional knowledge. This is fairly consistent with the 2008 American Management Association's Coaching: A Study of Successful Practices, which cited as top criteria for coach selection as business experience, recommendations from a trusted source and interview with the prospective coach (p.22).  In addition, the 2011 Sherpa Research revealed that it is universally agreed that the two essential elements that make a good coach are training and experience in equal measure.  This research caters specifically to the Executive and Business coaching sectors of the market, and so – when pushed to choose one or the other – the choice was business or consulting experience, followed by training and certification as a coach.

So what does this mean for YOU in your practice?  We know that the rapport between coach and client is enormously important in determining the successful outcome of the coaching intervention.  In fact, one of the results of the COMENSA Research Survey reveals that "the importance of the coaching relationship seemed to override the importance of achieving. One could deduct that the coaching relationship enables and elicits greater self-awareness and development for clients, and that this is deemed more important for clients than achieving specific goals."  However, the ability to contract, create and maintain a successful client/coach relationship requires a level of professionalism that owes itself to ongoing training, continuing professional development and professional supervision to enable the practitioner maintain boundaries and an appropriate relationship with the client.

Experience is a key factor in the success of a coaching practice and we see this in the research results with practitioners who have been in business for longer reporting greater levels of success (in terms of perception and/or billing levels) than newer entrants into the market.  There is a definite correlation between the number of years that a coach has been in practice and the coach's perception of the success of their business. Those practitioners who had been in business for 6 – 10 years rated their business as very successful, and were charging higher hourly rates for their coaching.

The survey did not show a clear correlation between a coach's qualifications and the rates that they charge. However, most coaches who participated in the survey held some form of qualification whether or not it was coaching related.

Again, if you have just started out in the industry, this information can be quite discouraging.  But let's look at how you can tick some of the boxes:  look at what experience you have to offer and what expertise you have in which areas, and make sure that you include this in your profile.  You never know when it may stand you in good stead and get you a foot in the door. 

What qualifications (coaching and otherwise) do you have that add to your expertise?  What professional or non-professional bodies do you, or have you, belonged to, and in what capacity?  What skills or experience have you gained?  Would you be prepared to do some voluntary work for an organisation to gain some experience in a business or leadership capacity?  Let's look at what you have to offer prospective clients, and whether or not you could add value-add services to what you currently do like 360° profiles, and similar.  The research shows that most coaches who responded (64%) use psychometric, personality or competency assessments as part of their coaching process. It's additional income and another way of getting a foot in the door.

Face facts: we are in a competitive industry with low barriers to entry.  It is up to each individual to do the work to set themselves apart and create a demand for their expertise.  Most of the successful people that I have read about and know personally did not become successful overnight.  It took many years of hard work, long hours and sacrificed weekends before work started coming to them without their having to go looking for it, for them to become a "name" in the industry.  Concentrate on getting a few good quality clients from whom you get repeat business and let the rest take care of itself.

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