Be honest with your customers

Honesty is one of the qualities most valued by every client, however, many coaches prefer to use deceptive resources to obtain results at the expense of the damage they inflict on their clients. Being honest implies maintaining an ethical-moral behavior consistent with the values required of all professionals, so that we know how to assume the responsibility of rejecting a job when we know that this is not in the best interest of our client.

During the development of the following guide we will be analyzing some of the most recurrent situations in which we must act from honesty, in order to prevent problems in the future.

Be honest when turning down a job

The fact that you are a professional coach does not imply that every type of job fits your profile or problem-solving skills. When a client comes to us with a problem for which we are not qualified, it is better to refuse to take on the case and honestly offer reasons why we will not take the job, than to assume the obligation to take on something for which we are not prepared.

Taking on work that is beyond our capabilities, either because we do not want to lose the client or because we are embarrassed to accept that we are not ready, will cause significant problems for both the client and the coach. In the case of the coach, he/she will have to deal with a high stress situation that will constantly afflict him/her knowing that he/she does not have the necessary tools to solve the situation. The client, on the other hand, will be wasting his time with a person who cannot help him, wasting resources that could be used in other actions and feeding false hopes.

In the same way you must be honest when you detect that they are presenting you with a problem that should not be addressed through life coaching, but requires other specialists such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. These cases can be very common since these professions generate some confusion, that is why your ethics must prevail to know how to guide the client in their best interest.

Be honest with the rates of your services

There is a very important balance between knowing how to value our work and charge a fair price for it, and abusing the needs of a desperate client. Your rate should not vary according to the need and urgency you appreciate in a client, but to the effort you will make and the real value of the work you have to do. Dishonesty in this sense is easily perceived, since your own competition will know how to offer a better option to your client and you will end up losing any kind of credibility.

Be honest with your competition

Unfair competition is one of the most criticized practices by any professional who respects himself in his sector. You don't need to crush anyone to stand out among your clients; the best way to attract their attention is to do a good job and show satisfactory results.

Actions such as badmouthing other coaches to steal their clientele will be perceived negatively by your clients, who appreciate that you are honest and focus more on what you can offer them than on what you can criticize about your colleagues. Don't be afraid to steer a client to your competition if they don't find a solution to their problems through your services, as you are demonstrating that your primary interest is in solving the client's problems and not in charging them for your work, as you only agree to work on problems where you can add value.