Home>Becoming a Coach > What Coaches Do

It is very important for you to really see and feel what coaches do with their clients and what it is like to have a coaching business. We suggest to all new coaches that they speak with people doing coaching and get a feel for what they like about coaching, what their days are like, and what to expect. You wouldn’t open a business without a clear picture, right?

WHY WOULD PEOPLE HIRE YOU TO COACH THEM?

Coaches get hired because of their past experience in life/work and their skills and talents and because they have specialty coach training.

You will have clients hire you because of the jobs you’ve had, education, and experience you have had at work. Also, because of what your values are, your natural skills, and the talents that you probably take for granted. For example, we worked with a coach who we considered so organized. When she was looking for a coaching niche and deciding what types of clients to attract, we helped her see that one of the talents she took for granted, being organized, is in high demand and that many clients would hire a coach for this. She is now one of the top organizational coaches.

So, make a list of your life and work experience. Go back, decade by decade. Where did you work? What are your skills, talents, abilities, etc?

WHAT THE BEST COACHES HAVE IN COMMON

The most successful and highly regarded coaches have the following skills/traits in common:

1.      Can think on their feet

2.      Deep listening skills

3.      Ability to be with many kinds of people

4.      Non-judgmental

5.      Ask powerful questions

6.      Make great observations

7.      Speak the truth

8.      Integrity

9.      Have a light perspective

10.  Excellent communication skills

THE TOP COACHING NICHES

You can be a coach in almost any specialty area and be successful. These are the niches that are thriving today:

1.      Career Coaching: This recession proof niche is the largest coaching niche. When times are good, people change jobs or start their own businesses and hire career coaches, and when things are tough and companies lay people off, people hire coaches to find a job. Coaches in this niche will always be in demand.

2.       Business/Corporate Coaching: Companies and their managers want to be more successful and want to make a profit. They also want teams and leaders to possess more coaching skills.

3.      Personal Coaching: With all of us having more demands placed on our time and wondering about our life purpose, more and more people each year hire coaches to help them create a better life. Coaches working with individuals to get more out of life have many clients, as this is a very popular form of coaching.

4.      Health/Wellness/Weight Loss Coaching: Let’s face it, the health industry and the weight loss industry are both industries that have been growing for years. With more people focused on self-care and alternative health care as well as “diet”, this niche is well set.