Unlike most websites you will find that rank on the first page of Google, who are only really trying to sell you something, this post is intended to really guide you on becoming a life coach. This will cover mostly the Associate & Professional Life Coach certification track.
Before going into details lets first get clear of important definitions:

Life Coaching Certification Vs Life Coach Accreditation
The life coach certification is a longer process. It took me two years to complete the life coaching course I had signed up for, while some of my peers took only 12 months to complete all the course work. They were also attending classes full time while I could only attend part time.
There are three main paths in the life coach certification track:

• ACC Associate Certified Coach
• PCC professional Certified Coach
• MCC Master Certified Coach

The ACC is really more like an introduction to coaching it is much shorter in length and does not go into much depth on tools and resources that are indispensable to assist others to achieve change in their life.
If you are serious about becoming a life coach then the PCC track is what you are after.
In order to become a life coach and obtain your Professional Life Coach Certification here are list of requirements you will most likely have to complete. While it may vary depending on the program you decide to enroll, here are the fundamentals.

What are the requirements for the life skills training coach certification and coaching?
There are currently no main requirements for the life skills training coach certification, all that is required is the time, the financial resources and the desire to do so.

Attending Classes

You will be required to attend approximately 90 hours of classes. These classes will cover a wide array of modules that important for every coach to be proficient with working with clients. Some of the Key learning outcomes of the program include:

• A core understanding of what is coaching and overview of the industry of coaching
• Complete resource and core tools of coaching
• Program specific Power Tools such as: Active listening, Reframing, Game Vs Significance, Trust vs Doubt.
• Develop the ability to develop an effective coaching model and a unique version of the coaching process
• Develop the capacity to grow your coaching thinking process
• Improve the ability of the coach to build a profitable coaching business.

Communities of practice:

One of the most important aspects of coaching is the ability to identify a target coaching niche. In most cases you will be required to complete 12 hours of communities of practice. This will allow you to discover and test out several niches to identify what works best for you, based on your coaching style and your background.

An example of such niches are:

Spiritual coaching
Executive coaching
Leadership coaching
Single Mother Life Balance coach
I want to take a moment to point out the last one, which is a perfect coaching niche for two reasons:
a) It is very specific
b) There is low completion.

We will get into more details on coaching niches later on.

Coaching and Being Coached

You will be required to complete 12 hours as client and 60 recorded hours as a coach. It will usually take place as 2 peer clients (Those inside the coaching program) and 2 outside clients, and an option of one more client of your choosing either inside or outside of the coaching program.

Business Building Group Study

You also be required 12 hours of business building group study courses to aid you in developing a profitable business.

This will be one of the most critical skills for you to learn. Robert Kiosaky in his book Rich Dad Poor Dad, outlines the importance of having a skill but yet more so important is the ability to sell that skill to the masses.

A good life coaching course will include large amount of resources and training to develop those skills. We will discuss more on business building later on.

Supervised Coaching

You will be required to attend 12 hours of supervised coaching session where you will experience the process of coaching with an already certified and experienced coach on the line to provide feedback an evaluate the coaching process.

Coaching Oral Assessment

As part of the requirements you will be given an oral assessment which consists of 7 questions. 5 of which are brought up during the supervised coaching session, and the remaining two will be about the ICF code of ethics.

Research Paper

You will be required to turn in a 2000 word research paper regarding one particular aspect of your coaching. This paper will be evaluated by the comity in order to identify the students purposeful use of:

• Research and analytical data
• Capacity to express point and argument
• Presentation and referencing
• Understanding of topic being presented

The ACP track only requires 750-1000 words for the research paper.
The above is an overview of what is expected for the PCC route on becoming a life coach.
Master Certified Coach is already for those individuals who have existing experience as a coach. They will be required to have at least 2,500 hours of coaching and 35 clients as a minimum.
They will be required to submit one recording of their coaching session.
Attend a 30 min oral live oral exam
If the participant currently holds a PCC they will not be required to take the written exam otherwise passing this evaluation becomes a requirement.

How much does a life coach training cost?

You can expect to pay between $2,500US upt $4,000US.
Cert Life coach for under $1,000
Any cert life coach for under $1,000 that you find will not be worth it. You get what you pay for; if you are serious about becoming a life coach you must take your training seriously. Would you prefer to visit a doctor that attended a cheap medical school? Or a school with a track record of training good doctors.
Add additional tools toy your toolbox. More on Life coach training cost
Another great beneficial skill that would go well with life coaching and has no previous requirement is NLP Neuro Linguistic programming. It is dedicated to understanding how the mind works and how it records information in order to create change. Hypnosis is another valuable tool that taps into the subconscious mind to change behaviors that are not readily available to the conscious mind. It is a way to bypass the current limitations of the mind and install desired behaviors from the root.

Building a Life Coaching Business

If you are serious about answering the question regarding how to become a life coach there are two important elements that are imperative that you have firm grasp and understanding of. While the training and your natural skill will play a key role in your success, choosing the right coaching niche based on your experience and having solid business skills is what will set you apart and make you successful in the long run.
About Coaching Niches

As a rule of thumb take a look at your work experience, what types of books have you read, what your hobbies are. By taking a dissociated look at your life in your professional and areas of interest could form a base line to identify your niche. Not only will it be critical towards your marketing success but it will also aid when talking to potential customers. Let the “I” come out.

If you are a single parent that works full time and has success in achieving happiness both in the workplace and with your children, then perhaps Single parents Balance Coach could be your niche. This coach would focus on supporting single parents on finding balance with their home and work life. If you have a background in yoga, or Pilates; Yoga Therapy Coaching, is the process of combining the body energy and self exploration to create change.
There are no predetermined niches, if you can create a niche that has a market and you have prior experience with it, you will most likely be successful.

Why you need to learn Internet Marketing

One of the wonderful things about coaching is the option to have a complete practice remotely. Your only requirement would be internet, an internet phone, life coach crm, and a computer. You are totally mobile. The challenge however would be to determine how are you going to get the word out.
Internet marketing is very different than traditional marketing. It focuses around driving traffic, building a large social media profile and establishes yourself as an expert in the field. As you may have noticed this website ranks on first page for several top keywords in Google such as life coach crm, life coaching courses, life coach course to name a few. This is no coincidence this was done with purpose, while I will not be getting too much into that you can vist my friends Mark And Court and for just $1 they can teach you all you need to know. The fact remains that you must become an Internet Marketing expert.

Learn to Sell.

Before you can coach someone you must first sell them on the idea of coaching, then you must sell them on why you would be the best ideal coach. You see coaching cannot start unless they are signed up in the program. Enroll in sales training courses, read as much as you can on selling and dedicate yourself to become a master sales person.

Life coaching elevator pitch:
You are in the elevator in the 10th floor you meet someone and then they ask, so what do you do? Do you stand cold and mumble a few words or do you say:
My name is _____ and I help coaches find new clients, and get more leads.
Having a clear message in the short in 30 sec or less will be a key factor to peak interest in potential clients.

Learn to Manage your Leads:
If you do not have a CRM system or do not know what a contact management system is? Then you need to get up to speed quick. That database is your Gold mine!!! Everyone you meet goes in the crm system, with time you will have hundreds of contacts and start building a network that will lead you to profits. Follow up on each lead until you hear a yes or a no. If you get a No it only means to try back again in three months.

Before You Quit Your Job:

1. Make sure you have experience with coaching clients
2. You have track record of success
3. A few good testimonials
4. A solid lead capturing website on first page of google
5. Have a good handle on your income vs expenses
6. A well defined and TESTED niche
7. The basic outline of a business plan with a one year and three year projection
8. A populated life coach CRM system
9. If you live in the US visit your local SBA office: Small Business Administration

I leave you with one last thought:

Define Your Why.
before asking the question: how do i become a life coach or how to become a life coach you need to take a closer look at your WHY question:

Why do you want to become a life coach? Do you have a background in therapy, psychology or do you just happen to be the go to person when someone is having problems? Do you like the feeling of aiding others to achieve greatness?
It is important to have a clear definition of your why so that you can move forward during the challenging times in your life.

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