How Many
Business Consulting-Coaching Franchises
Are There?

How can I be sure I have found the best
Business Coaching-Consulting Franchise?

With the explosion of demand for people that can accelerate the learning curve, the success and problems in business today, a forest of companies now offer some type of program that they claim will make you a successful business coach. There have been estimates by some that there are almost 160 companies offering a business coaching opportunity.

With so many possible choices, how can anyone tell what is real? They almost all have great web sites and are very credible and persuasive. How can you figure out who will best launch your career?

Here are our suggestions for
"sifting the diamonds from the dirt"

Begin by discarding those selling just a book or some cobbled together short training program that gets you "certified" for a fee. Real success relies on a lot more than a book, a web course or a few days finding out how to sell a hodge podge of product - at least, for most of us. Becoming successful, getting clients before you starve and who you can keep for a long time is a lot more complicated and takes a lot more than that - at least for us mortals!

Select the real options by considering only those firms who are real teaching, learning and educational companies, not just a web site with an individual or two behind them. This criteria will narrow the field to just a few companies. These will have content and training that is credible and that lasts beyond cashing your check. They will have a long record in working successfully with businesses clients. These are the real contenders that you will want to focus on... that is, if you really want to be a success and not a statistic.

THE 6 CRITICAL FACTORS
YOU MUST KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT
TO MAKE A SOUND BUYING DECISION

Since you may be new to this industry, you might not know the critical places to really probe, when to really check deeply beyond the statements and ad copy and find out the reality of what you get vs. what they say you will get. The following are by no means everything you should ask, but great answers to these basic questions are absolutely critical to your success!

• Brand and reputation - who has ever heard of them in the USA? What is their reputation? Do they even have a reputation? (The larger the company you plan to work with, the more critical brand and reputation will become.
• Are their franchisees/users making a living selling the franchise services or selling something else? (You need to learn what people in a program are really selling, weak programs will sell low-value products and services and need 30, 40 or even 50 clients to make ends meet. It is a great qualifying question.)
• What training do you get; how good is it? Is training all about how to sell with little attention and training on learning how to work effectively with clients and fully utilize the material and program to help your client move farther, faster?
  
  Does it train you to be a professional with good fundamental coaching skills and the background to deliver their program? (Asking the people who have taken the training and are out using what they learned is the only way you will really know.)
• Is it a ready-to-use program or are you left on your own to invent, scramble and put together an approach, courses and materials from a mish-mash of articles, theory and pieces? Exactly what is it you are getting - promises and fragments of a program or a complete well thought out approach and a reliable, repeatable process that creates solid results for your client?
  
  (This is a critical factor, you really must absolutely see and closely examine the material you will coach from and be sure of its quality: Is it a) well thought out, b) comprehensive, c) proven to work with hundreds of companies, d) complete in every respect, and e) ready-to-use off the shelf? Answering this one question will eliminate many many contenders!)
• What post sale support and training do you really get? (Not what is said, what people in their system tell you they are really getting.); are you continually being trained and your skills upgraded in marketing, selling and working with clients?
  
  Continuous support is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to your success - in fact, it is one of the main reasons people fail completely or fail to reach their earning goals - that FocalPoint has a minimum of 3 weekly knowledge building and problem solving sessions with you every week post training following an intensive new member "Fast Start" program. Our home office and local teams work with you, training, coaching, taking you through the very same program we deliver to our clients means you have the support you need to succeed.
  
  Moreover, we normally hold regional meetings every quarter where coaches and developers come together for two days to share best practices and learn from each other.
  
  Backing you up and making sure you have the attention you need to succeed - you'll have the support you need to succeed.
• Are the support promises delivered upon or are they merely that, promises that are only half fulfilled or ignored after you have paid your money and joined up? (Asking others in their program will reveal the true answers.)

Make a matrix of these questions and contenders then fill in the blanks; talk to franchisees from each company then compare reality with brochure babble and sales chatter.

You'll be glad you did your homework!

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