Excuses abound for not hiring a business coach. It is usually all about the owner who keeps making excuses for not moving themselves and business forward. They are just kidding themselves. You are a natural technician; you love fixing things, but not your business.
Here are some common excuses people give not to hire a business coach:
- It’s too expensive, and I can’t afford it.
The most common excuse. Every shop owner I’ve ever interviewed has said it was their lamest excuse that held them back for years. Most never regretted investing in themselves because t helped them grow exponentially.
As you interview your business coach candidate, ask them how they will help you generate enough income to pay for the coaching support. You’ll be surprised how quickly it will happen if you become a good student.
- I don’t need a business coach, I can do it myself
Up to now, how has it been going? When is the next business management night school class you are attending? Every top shop operator has confessed that they loved to fix cars and constantly went to training to learn their craft, but never took a business, human resources, marketing, finance, productivity or margin management class. These are all areas where a coach can help you. Don’t expect instant results because you are the heavy lifter of change in your business and your coach is the teacher. Remember the student does all the work.
DIY thinking potentially leads to feelings of isolation and frustration, which only worsens with time. You’ve said over and over again that you are going to change and resurrect your business, so where are you now? Same place, right? You need the structure and knowledge that a business coach can give you.
- I’m too busy and don’t have the time to work with a coach.
Imagine if you were disciplined to manage your time better? You couldn’t wait for the next meeting with your coach so you can report on your projects, numbers, and successes. You’ll wonder how you did it before.
- I’m afraid of what my peers will think if they find out that I hired a business coach
Yep, it is all about ego. Imagine if every top shop operator didn’t hire a coach because they were worried about what others would say. As an independent aftermarket, we would be a scourge to the consumer. The dealers would be taking huge market share because we were poor business people and could not give good customer experience nor hire high-quality, talented people because we couldn’t afford them.
You also don’t want to expose your vulnerabilities. That is the exact reason you need to hire a coach to overturn your lack of knowledge and/or skills as a business leader. Put your ego on the shelf and accept that you were never trained in business or leadership, and go and get it so you can be a top shop earner, which you deserve. Stop robbing Peter to pay Paul. Stop pitting supplier against supplier. Stop maxing out your credit cards to keep the business afloat.
- I’m clueless about where to start.
If you do not belong to a networking group, then you are on an island by yourself. I know of two great resources to help you.
As the industry’s premier podcaster, I’ve interviewed many coaches and had hundreds of panel discussions with coaches and shop owners. I recommend reviewing some key episodes HERE and help squash your excuses and see the power and value of coaching.
Also, a group of business coaches unified to help the industry with a common cause: Working together with shop owners to elevate the industry through automotive management training. CAMP (Coalition of Automotive Management Professionals) website is automotiveprofessionals.org
