Be Very Wary Of Internet Marketing Coaches

Given the current economic situation this is an area I covered at my Success Coach Blog a short while ago and I thought others might find of interest.

I have had reason over the past week or so to look more closely at some of the people who are calling themselves Internet Marketing Coaches or Online Business Coaches. 

As someone who has spent many years coaching both online and offline and has spent a lot of time developing my skills, I think I am well placed to comment on what I have found.

To be frank some of what I discovered was shocking!  I found people who have had some mediocre level of success with their online businesses who have now decided that they can coach others.

When you look at what they are doing it is little more than pushing their own products and often their half baked takes on what works, with little concern for the individual needs or situation of the person they are dealing with.

Some of what they are doing could pass as mentoring if, and it's a big if, they actually knew what they were talking about and were able to think outside the boxes that they have created for themselves. <!--more-->

Coaching is a skill and it's a different skill to mentoring. Let me explain the core differences between the two:

<strong>A Coach:</strong>

A coach will enter into a "partnership" agreement with you based upon your personal goals and tailored to your individual needs and style. The role of the coach is to enable you to focus on achieving your goals and objectives. 

The coach will ask questions, probe, explore, challenge and very rarely tell you what to do. A coach does not need to be expert in the subject matter that they are coaching someone to achieve in because their skill is in asking the probing questions, challenging the individual and holding them accountable.

<strong>In summary the coach will:</strong>

Ensure that you focus on your goals, be your business partner who holds you accountable for what you say you will do, while having your best interests, health and well being at heart.

<strong>A Mentor</strong>

A mentor, especially in a business context, tends to be someone with experience who acts as an advisor and confidante.  They will generally have fairly extensive experience in the area that they are mentoring in and will be able to provide practical "do this" or "do that" advice.

The very best coaches, in my experience anyway, are those who can blend the skills of the coach and the mentor and use the best or most appropriate skills at the time they are needed. Very few of the so called "online coaches" that I have encountered appear to understand that yet alone be able to do it.

The problem with most of these so called "online coaches" is that they fall into two camps:

1. They have had mediocre success online (or have had none but know all the theory/ideas) and decide that they can make an income by passing themselves off as a coach.
2. They have been successful with their online activity and now try to package it as a coaching programme - that tends to be shorthand for a very prescriptive "follow this approach" and you will succeed.  What it doesn't allow for is the needs of the individual, the goals and aspirations of the individual or the fact that the particular approach may just not work for an individual and they need some other approach.

Now, as I said earlier, the very best coaches are those that can combine the two skill sets  and are able to switch into the appropriate role to suit your particular needs.  But at the end of the day they will stay true to the idea that the Coach does not tell you what to do. 

Engaging a coach or mentor can be one of the best things you can do for your success but you need to know what you want and be clear about what the individual you are thinking of working of can do, how skilled they are and whether they are just trying to make money out of you!

The very first thing you need to do before actively researching a coach or mentor is to sit down and think about what it is you want to achieve. Jot down what you believe are your strengths and weaknesses.

If you want a step by step way of approaching online activity be clear that is what you want.

If you want someone who will focus on you and your needs then be clear that is what you want. Draft a list of potential questions which if you had the perfect coach at your fingertips right now, you would ask. 

Do your research and compare the things you find between the various people.  Narrow your list down to a manageable amount and then start contacting those coaches.  You'll learn a lot about how a coach operates just by the initial contact with them.  For instance, do they respond in a reasonable amount of time?  Where you able to even get in contact with them?  Those types of things will help you to narrow your list even further.

Once you've got a smaller list, start contacting those coaches and asking about consultations.  Many real coaches will offer a free initial consultation to help you find out if the two of you might work well together.  If they just point you in the direction of their prescribed "coaching" programme then unless that is absolutely what you have decided you want head in the opposite direction!

Take this opportunity to "interview" these coaches.  Refer back to your list of questions above and any others that may come up. 

Take note of things like whether you felt rushed or on edge when talking with a particular coach.  Did you feel comfortable and get the impression that they really cared and had time to help you succeed?  In other words, trust your instincts. 

Be honest with your potential coach and yourself.  Trying to make yourself or your business seem more together than it really is will only hurt you more in the long run.  You want success and a smoother flowing business and without honesty, it will never come on it's own.

Finding a business coach is not something you should just jump into with the first person who comes along.  Take the time to really feel confident about the coach you choose, because the better the two of you work together the more successful your business will be.