11 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Coaching program

There has been a lot of new blogging and marketing coaching member sites launched recently. I have brought news about several of them in the past including Jim Kukrals The Biz Web Coach, Daniel Scoccos Online Profits program, Yaro Staraks Blog Mastermind course and more recently, Gyutae Parks Winners Circle.

Whilst I have posted announcements about the launch of these courses and coaching programs in the past, I have never given my view on the subject or talked about the pros and cons of joining one. So I thought I would do just that for all as I don’t think many bloggers have actually discussed the topic (including myself).

Today I will be talking about what you should be looking for when considering a coaching program though tomorrow I will give my personal view on coaching sites in general and whether I believe they offer value for money.

Blogging & Markting Coaching – A brief Introduction

Every coaching site is different but generally speaking, a coaching site offers one or all of the following :

• Premium content
• 1 on 1 Help from an experienced blogger or marketer
• Access to a a forum where you can get help directly from mentors and other subscribers of the coaching program

Nearly all coaching programs require you to pay a monthly fee though I have seen a few ask for a payment up front instead. Daniel Scocco bucked the trend and organised a team of mentors for his Online Profits course however most coaching programs tend to be developed and managed by just one or two people.

Things to look for in a coaching site

The sales page of a coaching course can be very overwhelming. There’s so much sales talk and promises flying around that it’s difficult to see exactly what is on offer and whether the course offers value for money.

Here are the major factors which I think should influence your decision to join a coaching program :

1. How much content will you get access to

   Does the coaching program list all the content that subscribers will get in detail or is it a little vague? Many sales pages list the content that you will get after parting with your cash but it is not uncommon to just see a promise of ‘Premium Content’.

   Pay attention to what topics are covered in the content area as there is no point paying to learn about something you already have experience with.

2. Will there be more content added to the course

   Many courses have a great amount of content available to new members though many courses hold content back and release it later to encourage members to keep subscribing. A technique that many member sites use is to create a site with little or no content and then add more content on a weekly basis.

   This allows the site to be launched quicker as the owner can invest the funds from new members to get new content written.

3. Is it easy to cancel your membership

   If you are really unsure about whether to join a coaching program then this will be an important factor in signing up. Many courses offer money back guarantees for those who are not happy to ease any doubts potential customers may have.

   At one point in the future you will no longer get any value from the course because you have learned all their is to learn and do not need direct help from mentors anymore. Therefore, you should pay attention to the terms and conditions and see if there is a notice period from cancelling your membership.

4. Who developed the course

   Nearly all coaching programs are developed by one or two people and these people are selling themselves as much as they are selling the course.

   If one of your favourite bloggers or marketers launches a coaching program then you will already know a lot of about who developed the course. If you come across a course from someone who you have no knowledge of you need to do a little more research. Find out how well known they are in their niche. Are they popular, are they influential, are they experienced?

   The content contained within the site will likely be written by the person who is launching the site (though no always) and is the person who will be helping you improve as a blogger. Therefore, it is important to both like and respect them in my opinion. I don’t know about you but I would be a little hesitant in joining a course if I didn’t like the owner.

5. Will the course run for a set period of time

   Many courses only run for a set period of time. I think this is sometimes a good thing as it encourages the subscriber to work harder and get the most out of the program when it’s live. It’s very similar to a standard teaching module or syllabus so the learning curve is very structured, which may suit a lot of you.

   If the course does not have an expiry date then I would recommend giving yourself some sort of deadline to read all the content in the program and go over everything before cancelling your membership.

6. Will you get help directly from the creator of the course or some sort of mentor

   One of the main reasons of joining a coaching program is to get direct access to a top blogger or marketer. Some owners will help new members directly via email, telephone call, messenger or more commonly, via a member only forum. You should find out if joining the program will give you premium support from the creator of the program or a mentor.

   The more experienced and influential the blogger or creator, the greater the benefit from getting time with them one on one.

7. Is there a limit to the number of people who can go on the course

   If the main benefit of joining a program is to get access to the course content then it really doesn’t matter if 5 or 5 hundred people join, as it doesn’t effect what you have paid for.

   However, should one of the main benefits of the program be support from the owner then you need to know if there is a limit to the number of members the course will have. You will get much better support from a blogger who has 50 members to help than one who has 500 members to look after. So bear this in mind when considering your coaching program.

8. Membership Cost

   This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest factors on deciding whether to join a coaching program. In my opinion you should not join any program which is beyond your budget. Joining a coaching program should not hurt your personal income or greatly reduce your online budget.

9. Value

   Value is something which is difficult to quantify. Information which is valuable to one person might not be valuable to another. That being said, if you look at the benefits of joining the course and compare it to the membership cost, you will get an idea of whether the course is of good value to you.

   If you are having difficulty advancing your blog or website to the next level and believe that a course will teach you what you need to know then the information contained within the program might be more than the membership cost suggests.

10. Look at the alternatives

    It’s easy to get excited about joining a coaching program when you find a course that offers everything you are looking for. Though I still think it’s important to take the time to look at the alternatives.

    Can the information be found freely on the web? Is the information available in a book? Is there a cheaper/better program available elsewhere?

    These are questions you might have wished you asked yourself later on if you don’t do your research!

11. Time

    It doesn’t matter how fantastic a membership program is or how cheap it is if you don’t have the time to read the content and apply the tips and techniques containted within the site.

    In order to get any benefit from a blogging or marketing course you need to make the time to sit down and learn the techniques, it’s as simple as that.

Overview

As I mentioned previously, the sales page can sometimes be a little too long and occasionally baffling so if you are unsure about anything I encourage you to email the owner of the coaching program and ask them some questions. This can sometimes be a good way to guage how support will be too i.e. if it takes a week for the developers to answer your questions then it doesn’t look like support will be their strongest point.

Take your time and do your research and I’m sure you will make the right decision!

On Monday I will give my personal view on coaching sites and whether they offer value for money. Make sure you don’t miss it

Written by Kevin Muldoon from Blog Themes Club
Posted on July 4th, 2009 and filed under Blogging
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