Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I greatly appreciate your support!
Are you trying to figure out how much to charge for life coaching? Or even just getting started with life coaching and wondering how to get your business going? I’m going to share with you how I got started, my top tips for getting clients to keep coming back, and how I figured out how much to charge for my life coaching services. Watch this video and then continue reading below for how to get your life coaching business set up.
Get started with what you know as a life coach
Even if you aren’t sure what to pick as your specific niche, just get started with coaching in some areas where you already have expertise. You can always change niches and many coaches do.
You won’t know your true abilities as a life coach until you actually start interacting with people. It is only in sessions and being present with others that you will discover how you can help. Then people will start noticing or telling you, “Wow, you really helped me with XYZ.” Pay attention to the themes that emerge with people and how you help them best.
You might be missing something about yourself because you either don’t know you help in a certain way, or it could be that you are embarrassed or hiding an aspect of yourself. Or you might be minimizing an ability you have, thinking it’s really nothing of value.
With time and practice, you will see that your gifts of helping others changes lives. Just simply start with what you know and what you can offer in the present moment.
Related: Get this free checklist to help you stay focused on what’s most important.
How to keep life coaching clients coming back?
I have found that people are more inclined to come back if they feel you are invested in their journey. If you are excited to see them make a transformation or change, then they are going to be more eager to share it with you when they’ve completed it. This is the dynamic or relationship you are creating when you become their coach.
It’s like a basketball coach helping a player become better at the sport. If the player improves, and the coach has invested time and energy in the player, the player is going to be eager to share achievements with the coach.
Related Article to Life Coaching Clients:
Manifesting Coaching Clients Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started
Here are my tips for creating a coach/player dynamic to keep coaching clients coming back.
1. Stay positive always.
They are going to have dark moments and they need you to believe in them and that change is possible. Hold space while they let you know where they are struggling and then acknowledge that they simply need new tools.
2. Coach with tough love and support.
Point out where and how they are keeping themselves stuck and show them how you can support them through it.
3. Ask them what they want to shift or change.
This is really important because it can show you how you can serve them and what they can receive from you. Then make sure they are open to receiving help.
4. Keep them moving forward in a positive way and they will keep wanting to come back to you for help.
Give them tips or tools for how to overcome a present moment obstacle so they can practice implementation.
5. Celebrate wins.
When they have overcome the obstacle or reached a desired achievement, make sure to celebrate with them in some way. Cheering them on… taking them out… high five… something to acknowledge they have arrived! I invite my clients to text me, email me or leave me a message about their win. And I always take a moment to get back to them so we can celebrate!
How much to charge for your life coaching services?
1. Start with something
If you have never charged for a service like life coaching, it might feel awkward at first and that’s totally normal. Ask yourself if there is a a small amount that feels right to you and start there. I charged $20 a session when I first started out.
2. Once you get comfortable, increase the amount
I soon discovered I was way undervaluing my services and then it was time to up my price. As you share your life coaching services, you’ll start to notice that you feel something needs to change… it could be the price, it could be your approach, it could be the need for a new space. It’s important to hear yourself when you are repeating something and make a tweak or change. You might even need your own coach to hear the things you are working through as you are growing along with your business. The important thing is to get the support you need and to allow yourself to grow.
3. Discovering your value
One way to discover your value as a life coach is to simply ask your clients what they would pay for the service you provided. When you start off, it’s okay to do a few life coaching practice sessions and ask for testimonials. You might also ask what price they would pay for this service. The beginning phase of your life coaching business is a great time to do some market research to see what “the market” says is a fair price.
Another way to discover your rate would be to ask yourself what hourly rate you would like to get paid. Then spend a little time figuring out how much time it takes to provide your service for one hour to a client. How much time did you spend advertising to connect with them? What was your cost in advertising? What about traveling costs if you are meeting them? And don’t forget about your cost of living. Basically take all of your overhead cost plus your cost of living and boil it down to the price of one hour of work. I go over this in more detail in the Be Passionate and Prosper Course.
Related Article for Life Coaching Business:
Start a Life Coaching Business as a Side Hustle- Step-by-Step Guide
Scaling your life coaching business
At some point, as a life coach, you will start to see a theme emerge. You will understand what your gifts and abilities are and how you can best serve. You will also start to feel like you are repeating yourself to your one-on-one clients. It’s important to keep growing and expanding so you can serve more people in the way you are meant to serve.
Here are some tips for how to scale your life coaching business:
1. Create a Signature Program
Once you start to feel overloaded, create a signature program and charge a few people for a longer period of time as a package. This allows you to work with a few people in a deeper way rather than having to scatter your energy with many clients in short bursts.
A signature program is ONE offer which becomes your main focus. It helps you be clear in your advertising and allows the right clients to find you.
Promote your signature program through your social media by providing content that hits home with your client and then talk about your offer. You could also invite them to join an email list and then nurture them through the email by talking about their pain points in a deep way. I use Mailchimp as my email provider and create what’s called an “education series.” This is a series of emails that you write (similar to a funnel) to educate and connect with your clients.
2. Create a Course
Once you discover what you are repeating to your coaching clients, develop a system and create a course which allows many people to go through the same training at their own speed.
I have created a few courses on Teachable and I love their platform. It is so easy to use. Whenever I feel the call to create a new course, I just go into Teachable and create a small outline of the major points. Then I go in day- by-day and add materials under each heading of the outline. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can create a course in Teachable.
3. Create a Group Life Coaching Program
As you become more clear about your life coaching training and how it serves your client, you will start to see the same questions repeating. This is a good time to pivot into a group program where many people can come together and receive training or focused help.
Often the question of one person from the group serves many people in the group. And with a group program, people can pair off and work together, find accountability partners, and enjoy celebrating wins together.
You can easily form group programs through Facebook and hold Facebook lives. Or you can use an email list and send a Zoom link to everyone and have them all join a Zoom conference at the same time. Zoom even allows you to put people in groups or pair them off to work together and you as the moderator can join in and check in with the smaller groups.
Just Start Life Coaching
If you are reading this post, you are probably already offering life coaching services. You might be doing it for free or already charging. The important thing is to challenge yourself wherever you are in your life coaching journey. If you aren’t charging yet, challenge yourself to pick a number and just say it to people when you talk about what you do. If you are already charging, ask yourself if it is enough. And if it isn’t, spend a little time calculating what you need.
I hope you enjoyed this article on life coaching and it empowers you to take the next steps in your life coaching journey, wherever you may be!
Pin It For Later
Where are you in your life coaching journey? Are you charging for your services? If not, what is holding you back?
