09-04-2025
18 Ways To Overcome Common Objections To Hiring A Coach
Even as coaching gains greater traction in the business world, many companies remain hesitant to commit to it. Company leaders' concerns about returns on investment, skepticism about long-term impact or a basic lack of understanding about what coaching actually entails can all stand in the way of landing a contract.
Fortunately, there are effective ways to address these concerns, from aligning services with business goals to proactively tackling common misconceptions. Here, 18 members of Forbes Coaches Council share practical strategies for overcoming the skepticism of prospective organizational clients and successfully making the business case for making coaching a priority.
Leaders often use coaching for problems once they arise rather than to develop leaders and teams in the service of desired business outcomes. Coaches must understand an organization's needs and pain points and address how individual and team coaching will help the organization meet important business objectives. Helping potential clients understand how to effectively use coaching services is key. - Christine Allen, Ph.D., Insight Business Works
Many companies don't understand coaching or its value. As a coach, it is essential to have case studies available that demonstrate your value and its short- and long-term impacts on individuals and companies. - Carol Geffner, Geffner Group, LLC
Companies invest in what drives revenue growth—period. Coaching can be that catalyst, but only if the coach's skill set aligns with the company's needs (think of the character Wendy Rhoades in the TV series Billions). When coaching sharpens leadership, accelerates decisions and boosts team performance, the ROI is clear, which is why a strong request for proposal with defined success metrics is essential to winning clients. - Teegan Bartos, JYC
Companies can be skeptical about hiring coaches if they don't see a measurable return on investment. That's why at our company, we use tools like surveys and progress tracking to evaluate ROI. With real-time insights, customized leadership development plans and data-driven feedback, we empower businesses to make informed decisions and understand the value coaching brings to their teams. - Sara Ellis Conant, a)plan coaching
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Companies can be skeptical about coaching for two reasons: it takes time to drive change, and it is not easy to measure the impact of coaching. To deliver faster results, I believe coaches must use a solid assessment at the beginning to offer a clear path forward, as it relates to measuring the impact of coaching. I suggest doing a closing assessment as well to compare with the first one. - Alex Kergall, Altior
My experience has shown a lack of understanding about what value a coach brings and what a coach will actually do for them. When confronted with this, I give prospective clients live case examples so they can begin to relate to how it applies to them. The resistance to change and having their perspectives challenged can often be the barrier to coaching. The lack of knowledge of the role of the coach needs to be addressed. - Melinda Fouts, Ph.D., Success Starts With You
Some companies hesitate to hire coaches because of a lack of results. One of the conversations that I hold consistently with current and new companies interested in coaching is discussing how to measure success. At times, the company has engaged in coaching, but it didn't lead anywhere in creating new behaviors or actions. Be open in discussing the success stories when creating measurements and what results the organization is seeking to achieve. - Bryan Powell, Executive Coaching Space
Some companies may not see a direct correlation between hiring coaches and the impact on their business results. Coaches need to differentiate the expectations for short- and long-term results with their clients. A three-month gig won't deliver the same outcome as a six-month contract. Agree on KPIs up front. Underpromise and overdeliver by keeping the coaching client accountable for deliverables. - Cellene Hoogenkamp, KokuaHub Inc Coaching
Companies hesitate to hire coaches because they may see coaching as a remedy for poor performance rather than a strategic advantage. The key to overcoming this is shifting their mindset. I position coaching as a business solution—showing how it drives better leadership, decision-making and results. By aligning coaching with their goals, I help them see it as an investment, not a nice-to-have. - Denise Russo, School of Thoughts Publishing
Coaches can be more objective and discerning than internal hiring authorities, who are likely encouraged to hire a certain individual or who do not want to get on the wrong side of a given hiring manager. Mistaking confidence for competence in a candidate is a massive problem that companies often don't admit to having, but it's a reason so many leaders fail in new leadership roles. - Bill English, OnPath Coaching
Skepticism exists for two reasons: First, not all coaches are created equal. Accreditation is easy, but true impact requires a proven skill set and personality fit. Second, coaching is still seen as remediation, when in reality, it's a high-performance tool for driven leaders looking to refine their skills and accelerate impact. The key? Normalize coaching as a strategic advantage, not a safety net. - Leisse Wilcox, Leisse Wilcox Consulting Inc
Coaches must differentiate themselves from consultants. There are many qualified and effective consultants, but the results are often unsustainable. Coaches teach, empower and hold clients accountable to agreed-upon metrics. The differentiator is organizational habits that are formed and consistently executed. - Edward Doherty, One Degree Coaching, LLC
The word 'coach' has been overused, and it's because many non-experts have entered the space claiming they solve your biggest pain point. Choosing the expert who has direct experience with the exact situation the company is going to be facing, along with verifying the effectiveness of their method, will help companies see the true value in the right coach. - Lynn Smith, Lynn Smith Media & Communications
What I've seen is that skepticism usually isn't about coaching itself—it's about wasted time, energy and money. Leaders don't want another vague conversation; they want traction. I cut through that by focusing on high-stakes outcomes—decisions that shift culture, strategies that retain top talent and mindset shifts that directly impact the bottom line. - Laurie Arron, Arron Coaching LLC
Many companies see coaching as too soft to drive measurable results. To overcome this, coaches must showcase success stories backed by clear data (impact on talent retention, team performance and so on). This evidence-based approach transforms skepticism into a compelling case for the strategic value of coaching. - Kerri Sutey, Sutey Coaching & Consulting LLC
Many companies see coaching as something 'good to have,' fearing it is just feel-good talk with no real impact. The best way to overcome this skepticism is to speak their language and tie coaching outcomes to measurable business metrics like team productivity, retention rates and innovation cycles. Thus, positioning coaching as a business performance accelerator with clear, trackable ROI is key. - Thomas Lim, Centre for Systems Leadership (SIM Academy)
Coaches are known for acting like therapists, such as by asking leading questions, not providing advisory services and pulling people through problems with a systems understanding and a wide tool kit. They don't necessarily get involved on a consulting level as needed, such as by intervening when a client is flailing with their stakeholders. Often, that's the reassurance a client wants—a more secure feeling. - Kinga Vajda, Execute Your Intentions, LLC
Some companies hesitate to hire coaches due to the damage caused by unqualified or transactional coaches, leaving a perception of low ROI. To overcome this, a coaching practice must showcase proven track records, real case studies and measurable success stories, demonstrating clear business impact and aligning coaching outcomes with strategic goals. - Carlos Hoyos, Elite Leader Institute
