Question from a coach – How do you determine the amount of time that you sign a person up to work with you for an issue?

Question – Should I sign my clients up month to month or for long contracts?

Jennifer - There are many different ways to look at how you work with people. You can work with them on a monthly basis, where you charge them a retainer type fee that may include two, three or four sessions a month (and some additional support between sessions). That's what I do. I don't know when a client's going to be done with the work that they’re hiring me for. However, I do know that it's not going to take less than a month and will probably take on average 4 or 5 months to get some momentum. Therefore, I just offer them a month to month option.

But like I said, there are MANY ways to work with clients.

Another option coaches like is to offer a 3-month or  6-month contract. I've even seen coaches do a year-long contract. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. However, typically if the coach offers a year-long contract, it's because they're running the client through a program of some sort, that's going to have some structure to it. For example, maybe the coach is certified in Emotional Intelligence assessments, and they use the information gleaned from the assessment to keep the coaching going for an extended period of time.

Personally, by choosing to go month to month, I've found the ideal way to give the client just what they are needing without having to obligate them to a long contract. But that is what works for ME. You have to try many different ways until you find the way that works for YOU. There really is no right answer. Remember, you’re the boss, applesauce.