When to start charging for your coaching?

by Jen Waller

“How do I know when to start charging for my coaching?” is a question I’ve seen many new coaches ask. I certainly remember asking myself questions about when to start charging and several people had an opinion and very different approaches.

You may be wanting this post to give a definitive answer that on week x or after y clients and if so I’m sorry this isn’t one of those posts. While I’m not going to tell you what you should do I am going to share some different approaches and you can decide which appeals to you.

You may even notice that you have been trying one approach and it hasn’t been working for you.

I use the word exchange a lot in this article. That is deliberate because you are exchanging your service for an agreed payment of some kind.

All sorts of beliefs, values and fears can get in the way of a coach charging. I will also offer the perspective that what you ask for in exchange for your service can be changed.

So in no particular order here are some approaches you can use when approaching deciding when to start charging for your coaching:

Coaching provides value. It is your duty as a coach to communicate that value by ALWAYS asking for an exchange of money.

I have no doubt that this school of thought is said with all the best intentions in the world. They already see the value that you can bring to your clients. However, I’ve also seen it be a belief that has stopped coaches from practicing because they didn’t feel ready to charge. The end result being is that they don’t do any coaching so are not bringing any value to anyone.

If you are happy this approach you may choose to start charging right from the word go. Your clients will soon let you know if they are not happy with what you are asking for in exchange. 🙂

Coach as many people as you can, regardless of if there is an exchange of money or not. Anybody who will agree – from the person who delivers your post to old school friends. Take the opportunity to get lots of experience.

This approach works particularly well if you are willing to notice the difference your service makes for your clients. While, it may take some longer than others, you will start to see the value that you bring – something that makes agreeing an exchange of money for your service a lot easier. The thinking behind this approach is that at some stage, providing you’ve been noticing the value your coaching provides, it becomes obvious that it’s time to start charging.

Invite your client to pay you what they feel the value that your work has provided.

Some people feel that this avoids making a “difficult” request for money and provides them with an incentive to do superior work. You may also choose to use that method of exchange if you feel that your client is cash poor.

This will depend upon your style but some clients may feel awkward with this request whilst some will love that approach. Often the coach is surprised by the amount a client chooses.

Invite your client to exchange your coaching for some other form of payment other than money.

In effect this is like a bartering system. For example, perhaps you will agree to work with a website designer to create a site for you in exchange for coaching.

If you choose to use this system then you will make it easier if both of you agree in advance what will be provided by both of you.

Exchanging your coaching for an agreed donation to a charity of your choice.

Many who start with this approach use it as a stepping-stone to being comfortable accepting a payment themselves. They find that they can practice asking for a payment in the comfort that a charity who’s work they believe in will benefit.

Exchange your coaching for honest feedback

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard coaches share how they were surprised about how a client has found the experience of working with the coach and the value gained. With the permission of the client you can also use these as testimonials.

This can also give you an idea of how a non-coach would describe working with you. This can be important if you decide to work with individuals/groups who are not coaches/ familiar with the jargon and terminology coaches use.

Make an agreement that your client will “pay it forward” by donating their time and/skills etc to someone else.

Again this is often a gentle approach that some like to take to get comfortable asking for an exchange for the service they provide, before moving onto asking that exchange involve money.

Wait until a set time/event has happened

This normally takes the form of not charging until qualified or attended a particular course.

Sometimes this particular approach has a moving goal post, for example, I’ll charge once I have done the first training weekend becomes, I’ll charge once I am qualified which then becomes I’ll charge when I’ve worked with x number of clients or when I’ve done another course etc.

If this is the approach you are using I strongly encourage you to be aware of if you have moved the goal post.

Wait until your coaching provides x value to clients

Now this is an approach which I hear from a lot of coaches who’ve got stuck. Generally the aspect that trips people up with this approach is one of two things. Either they do not actually define what the “x value” actually means and it becomes this constantly moving goal post in their own minds that they’re never going to achieve. Alternatively they aren’t checking with their clients what value they are getting from the coaching.

I’ve seen all these approaches work for different coaches and I’ve seen some of the approaches trip other coaches up until they changed to a different approach. I believe that this does not have to be a one size fits all approach – I believe a more pragmatic answer is it’s the approach that works for you, and your clients, that’s the right one for you. There’s certainty nothing stopping you from incorporating more than one of these approaches and modifying it so it fits more with your style.

How much to charge is a question to be answered on another occasion but I invite you to begin to see the value that you provide your clients because when you see that when to charge and how much to charge becomes much easier to answer.

Have I missed an approach? Want to share which way you used, or the option that appeals most to you? Fill in the reply box below and click submit comment.

About Jen Waller

Jen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. One of the aspects of her role Jen loves the most is seeing individuals find their voice, grow their confidence and take the next steps so that they make a massive positive impact and difference with their coaching. Jen has owned and run Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog since 2010.

In her spare time Jen is a volunteer for the UK based charity The Cinnamon Trust who support elderly and terminally ill pet owners provide care for their pets. As a volunteer, Jen regularly walks dogs for owners who physically often find that more challenging then they once did. As a pet owner herself, Jen finds it really rewarding to be able to assist an owner stay with an animal that has become part of the family. (Plus it’s a great aditional motivator when working from home to get out and get some fresh air and exercise)

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!