Business Coach

How to Become a Professional Business Coach?

Engaging a business coach has become a norm over the last decade. The coaching industry has evolved into much more than just hiring someone to solve problems. Business coaches are hired for a range of purposes, from helping clients step outside their comfort zones, to holding them accountable when they’re not performing.

Apart from being valued for customised one-on-one mentoring and counseling, a business coach is also expected to provide unbiased perspectives on the client’s business.

A business coach who has been an entrepreneur in the past or still runs a viable business, would of course have more credibility with clients. It is a natural progression for successful business owners to want to share their expertise.

If you’re considering becoming a professional business coach, avail yourself to attend a coach training not only to learn coaching tools but also to meet other coaches in the industry.

Let’s look at the three following most important requirements that need to be fulfilled as well.

Do you have what it takes?

If you are an individual who is passionate about empowering others to seek solutions for their business dilemmas, you are on the right track. A willingness to share your expertise generously is a must.

Your success as a coach depends on your client’s achievement of success. This is why attending a coach course is invaluable, to learn formal tools that are transferrable across to clients.

Having business experience does lend credibility. But qualities such as being an empathetic listener, having emotional intelligence or possessing strong intuition gives you the edge.

In order to become a successful business coach, you would need to put your ego aside and play an advisory role to help clients explore what's best for their business.

Another crucial area is your networking skills which are fundamental to success. Sharing with other coaches at a coach course for instance, could give you insights and knowledge to populate and expand your mind.

The exchange of stories and ideas is important for your role to operate as a business coach who comes across experienced. Consistent networking also brings you clients. I found my first client this way and realised then, the importance and power of personal branding.

Being a business coach after all, is a personal business. If you are able to make meaningful connections as a result of attending networking events, that’s your sales done for the day.

One way to enhance these qualities is to attend an NLP coaching course or a coach course run by an entrepreneur, who has credibility in the business world and runs-on-the-board to prove their worth.

Invest in Credentials

In addition to business expertise, it is highly recommended that you invest in a coach course, to acquire credentials and learn the art and structure of effective coaching.

Coach training will certainly put you on the fast track in this profession. Most clients would prefer to work with a business coach who is certified by a recognised body.

Certification would indicate that you have undergone rigorous training plus the required hours of coach experience, set by the certifying organisation. It would also indicate that you have demonstrated the required level of skills in applying the core competencies of coaching.

Find Your Niche

A business coach who specialises in a specific area of running a business, such as sales & marketing, organisational behaviour or performance management, is seen as more of an asset, compared to a general business coach.

Being a generalist in the beginning of your coaching career is acceptable, but over time it is recommended that you find a niche based on your strengths. For example, if your strength lies in identifying weak links in the sales process and resolving them, market your niche accordingly.

This is where attending an NLP coaching course will help you identify your strengths and teach you how to match it with a lucrative niche.

Summing up, it's a natural progression to share your expertise to help others achieve business success. It is even more rewarding to share your expertise in a structured and efficient manner. This will not only help others achieve the outcomes they desire but also grow your career as a business coach.

And if you're already in the line, why not enhance your skills and give yourself a leading edge by learning the art of professional coaching through a coach course. Taking your business coaching skills further with an NLP coaching course, you could blitz it way ahead of your competitors, to help your clients prepare their mindset for business ahead.

Sylvia Fernandes is the Founder & CEO of VIA Frontiers. She is a Master Trainer of NLP who is specialised in corporate applications. She started her business in Sydney in 2002 and has been operating in the Asia Pacific Region ever since. She is currently based in Singapore. She is also the author of Bye Bye Black Cat -- Turn Your Luck Around and Realise Opportunities. Visit VIA Frontiers for more information.