Business Coaches

Telephone Business Coaching Services

Can a weekly phone call with a business coach improve your business? While many prefer face-to-face coaching sessions, there are those who swear that telephone business coaching is highly effective. We'll talk about the benefits and possible drawbacks of telephone business coaching services.

Telephone business coaching has become an increasingly popular method for entrepreneurs to connect with professional coaches.

While some business owners prefer face-to-face meetings, others have developed a preference for phone-based coaching sessions.

But can telephone business coaching really be that effective? You probably wouldn't tolerate phone meetings with a therapist or mentor, so why tolerate them with a business coach?

As it turns out, there actually are a lot of reasons why telephone business coaching services make a lot of sense. Although there are a few possible drawbacks to telephone-based coaching, the advantages make it worth considering as a coaching option.

• More choices. Telephone coaching significantly expands your list of potential business coaching candidates. Face-to-face coaching is limited to the coaching professionals in your geographic vicinity. But it's not uncommon for the majority of a telephone business coach's clients to be located in other states or even other countries.
• Convenience. Let's face it: It doesn't get much easier than picking up a phone and talking to your business coach. For time-strapped entrepreneurs, telephone coaching is a godsend because it lets you maintain a coaching relationship on your terms and timetable.
• Cost-effectiveness. Telephone coaching is usually less expensive than coaching that face-to-face coaching. Instead of incorporating travel time and other expenses into their fee schedules, telephone coaches have the ability to offer highly competitive rates to their clients.
• Coach-client equity. One of the critical characteristics of a successful business coaching experience is the equity between the coach and the client. If either one is perceived to have the upper hand, the coaching experience have limited success. Telephone coaching makes it more difficult for either party to dominate through nonverbal cues or posturing.

At the same time, remote communication can be a potential drawback. Although telephone coaching makes it difficult for one party to dominate the other, it also eliminates nonverbal cues that are essential for relationship building and the establishment of trust.

Would you be inclined to take advice from a slovenly person who sits around the house in a bathrobe all day? Probably not . . . but in a telephone coaching situation, that scenario is always in the back of your mind. For your own peace of mind, try to sprinkle a few face-to-face sessions into your telephone coaching routine.

Share this article

Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary