The Rise of Fake Coaches

Have you ever worked with someone and felt what they were saying was a little suspect?

I want to share a story that I heard recently from a friend and some of my thoughts on the growing number of fake coaches.

Let’s talk about it…

Meet “John”…

I spoke to my friend recently, who we’ll call “John”. He told me about an experience that he had with a coach he’d hired to help with his business.

John is a personal trainer. He was looking to grow his business and adapt to the changing landscape that the pandemic has presented.

He is part of a few online communities, including Facebook groups. So he reached out to the people around him and asked for recommendations.

A coach was recommended. John checked him out and liked what he saw. There was a lot of positive buzz, and the coach appeared to know what they were talking about.

John hired the coach for a 3 month period and they got started making changes to John’s business.

It wasn’t long before John felt something was a little off.

The coach was saying good things… but they never felt like they were truly personalised to John’s experience. Instead, it felt like there were buzz words and generalised suggestions.

My friend John is an inquisitive fellow. So he dug deeper into the coach that he was working with. Unfortunately it wasn’t good news.

John found that the “coach” had previously run a couple of businesses, including being a personal trainer himself for the previous 2 years. Before that the coach ran a mobile coffee bar.

There was no record of the success that the coach claimed. In fact, the accounts filed for the personal training business barely showed a profit and limited revenue.

How could the coach be delivering on the things promised on his website or in the videos he uploaded to YouTube?

It seemed like his whole business was built on a tower of lies.

John sent an email to the coach with some polite questions. He never received a response. There wasn’t another session.

That same coach still advertises their services today.

Do coaches need to be successful?

One of the most basic starting points for a coach is that they have experience in the particular industry or skillset that they’re coaching about.

You could reasonably assume that if someone was looking to coach a personal trainer or a web designer, that they have relatable experience and value to share.

You’d also assume that they have been successful. After all, is there any point learning from a coach who has never excelled in their own business?

A successful coach is well positioned to share their knowledge with others.

How should we define success?

This can be a little subjective, so we can’t just say that someone needs to have worked in an industry for X years or have Y revenue.

Instead, what we can (hopefully) agree on, is that a coach should be someone who has achieved success in the industry they specialise in.

Whether that’s defined as running a profitable business, winning awards or otherwise – that’s up to you.

For me personally, I’d like to see a coach who has run a profitable and healthy business for multiple years. Perhaps they exited their business and sold it.

A good history of case studies and testimonials is also important. We call this social proof when we have sales pages online.

What are the clients of the coach saying about them? What are the clients or customers of the coach’s former business saying about them?

If you feel inclined, drop a comment below and let me know how you’d define success for a coach.

Don’t take things at face value

It’s really important to not take the things you read online at face value.

Just because someone is showing up in a Facebook group or an online forum and saying things that sound great… doesn’t make them someone you should automatically throw money at.

In John’s case, he saw comments and posts from the coach. He liked what he saw and he felt drawn to that person. The recommendations from other people in the groups made John feel safer in his choice.

It’s really easy for anyone to say something valuable. You’ll find this in almost any Facebook group that exists online today.

People are only too happy to write a helpful comment or thought point. Even if they have no experience in doing the thing they’re suggesting or recommending.

However, when doing that, it would be really helpful if they actually shared that point. Recommending something that you’ve never actually done yourself has the potential to hurt someone as much as it does to help them.

So when you see someone looking like they’re always being helpful, it’s okay for you to feel drawn to their expertise.

It’s okay for you to want to recommend someone to others.

But do your due diligence and check out that person’s background if you are recommending that someone considers working with them. You don’t want to look stupid in the future when the tower of lies comes crumbling down.

Due diligence can save you money

Two of the most important words in the world are: due diligence.

They have the potential to confirm that you’re making the right choice and also to save you from making a terrible decision.

It’s especially important when hiring a coach.

The pandemic appears to have created a rise in fake coaches. It’s apparent across many industries. I’ve even seen it in the design agency industry, which I’m a part of.

Just like “fake gurus”, you need to be really wary of a fake coach.

Anybody can claim anything in this world.

I could tell you that I run a 7 figure business, training racing snails in Madagascar.

Of course, that is obviously not true and would be really easy to disprove. Everybody knows that the best country for training racing snails is Belgium.

My point is though, that you need to have your guard up. It’s really easy for someone to parrot what they’ve read in a book, a podcast or in a blog post.

They can seem smart and charismatic. In fact, a lot of the fake coaches will come across as exceptionally charismatic. It’s a tactic.

If you come across as likeable and always on the right side of any story, people will naturally be drawn to you.

Do your background research, use your favourite search engine and look at people’s history.

Are the things they are saying true? Can you prove that?

Are the people saying good things about them real? Can you speak to them personally?

Make sure everything lines up and your decision to work with a coach will be much easier.

Not all coaches are bad

This post is by no means a giant swing at coaching. The coaching industry has many bright sparks. There are some brilliant minds out there helping their clients to achieve more in their lives and businesses.

My issue is with people who are only too happy to build their coaching business on a tower of lies.

They’re unethical at best and have a scary potential to completely ruin someone’s life or business.

Working with a coach should be one of the best opportunities that someone can have. To find someone with relevant experience who can take them to the next level.

Whether it’s working one-to-one with a coach, joining a mastermind or purchasing a course – there is a ton of value out there.

All you need to remember is that all that glitters is not gold.

Marketing is designed to sway you, capture your interest and convert you into making a purchase.

Before you pull out that credit card, take a step back and verify that the person you’re speaking to is truly qualified to help you.

If they are, you’re in for a great experience.