Money and Coaching

At Feroce, we believe access to coaching should be as independent of money as is economically feasible for us.  At Feroce, we're public-spirited by background and by nature.  Accordingly, we aim to set aside a certain number of coaching sessions per month for clients who reasonably believe they lack the ability to pay market rates for coaching and request a lower price on a sliding scale.  So that money and coaching are more separate issues.

Review these three sections in order to complete an application.  If you intend to request below-market pricing, completing the form below is required.
 

I.  Application for Sliding Scale

II.  FAQs on Eligibility and Process

      Q: Who must use your application form to apply for the sliding scale?

      Q:  Is there any other way to reduce costs?

      Q:  Who may be eligible for the sliding scale?

      Q:  Are there types of applicants for whom the sliding scale is probably not appropriate?

      Q:  Why do you require an explanation of my financial circumstances?  Shouldn't that always be private? 

      Q:  Do you offer coaching to all people regardless of financial situation?

      Q:  Can you give an example of someone who would be eligible for the sliding scale's below-market pricing?

      Q:  What about someone who would likely NOT be eligible for the sliding scale's below-market pricing?

      Q:  Is there a minimum time commitment for coaching on a sliding scale?

      Q:  When and how do I pay?

      Q:  Who makes and pays for phone calls?

      Q:  How do you know if the information I give you is true and accurate?

III.  Market Rates for Individual Coaching

Application for Sliding Scale  

If you wish to request a price on our sliding scale below market rates, we ask that you do the following:

1.  Review our standard rates and the market rates, below, so that we're starting on the same page.   

2.  Read through the FAQs below in order to understand the purpose and spirit of the sliding scale offer.

3.  Review your budget, including income and expenses, and your assets.  Try to distinguish between discretionary expenses (those about which you have a reasonable degree of choice in the short-term, on a level with getting coaching) and non-discretionary (those that are not reasonably voluntary, like rent, basic food, and medical). 

4.  Fill out the short form below. It will go straight to the coach you selected, or, if you didn't select one, to the Head Coach. We'll assess your request and get back to you as soon as we can.  We want you to get the support and direction you need, as independently of money concerns as we can manage. 
 

Application for Below-Market Coaching Investment

First and Last Name
I affirm that I am applying for below-market pricing not because I would rather not pay market rates but because I cannot pay them.	Yes No
I have reviewed the market rates for coaching investments as well as the rates typically commanded by Feroce coaches	Yes No
I have reviewed my monthly budget, including income and expenses	Yes No
My reason for applying, including the status of my income and assets, is:
My monthly credit card charges are:
My monthly credit card payment is:
I propose the following monthly coaching budget:

 
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FAQs on Eligibility and Process

Q: Who must use your application form to apply for the sliding scale?

A:  Anyone requesting a rate below our rock-bottom minimum coaching rates for 30-minute or 45-minute sessions.  Those requesting the minimum rate or above may discuss the matter individually with their coach.

Q:  Is there any other way to reduce costs?

A:  Yes.  First, you can shorten the length of your coaching call to 30 minutes, or you can choose to have 2-3 sessions per month.  Many coaches in the industry do 3 sessions per month as a matter of course, and so, while we think the two-week break can cause you to lose momentum, it's definitely an option.  Second, you can commit to a longer term of coaching, which is most effective in any event.

Q:  Who may be eligible for the sliding scale?

A:  Anyone who reasonably believes that their financial circumstances are sufficiently different from those of other coaching clients as to merit their paying less than the market rates applicable to the majority of consumers of coaching.

Q:  Are there types of applicants for whom the sliding scale is probably not appropriate?

A:  Yes.  We're glad you asked ;).  The sliding scale is NOT a way for clients to end-run market rates for coaching (generally up to $160 per week, though usually less at Feroce).  We would of course ALL like to pay less, for everything.  For reasons that should be obvious, though, we must discourage applications from people who, compared to others, arguably have sufficient funds, or are quite comfortable charging other discretionary expenses on their credit cards, but who simply do not wish to prioritize coaching among their other expenditures.  E.g., "I need to pay less for coaching because I am already spending a lot on a personal trainer, car payment, acting lessons, dog-sitting, home renovation, etc." 

We have also found that if a potential client does not value coaching in accordance with the value placed on coaching by the rest of the coaching market, that person is more likely to take the coaching less seriously, and therefore to make less progress, and even quit sooner.

Q:  Why do you require an explanation of my financial circumstances?  Shouldn't that always be private? 

A:  The short answer is, You are asking that your coach earn less for his or her time and skill than he or she could be paid by other clients, and people have strikingly different interpretations of what they can "afford".  So we must have standards.

In other words, the sliding scale is for those objectively in need, rather than those who could afford coaching at or near market rates but either subjectively do not value it as much as other expenditures in their lives or see the sliding scale offer as an easy discount.  It’s all pretty subjective in the end, but getting a sense of a person’s income, expenses, and assets, as the government, pro bono lawyers, health clinics, or other providers do, is the only way we’ve found that is fair to coaches and to other applicants and that minimizes abuse of the offer.

All information submitted remains completely confidential. 

Q:  Do you offer coaching to all people regardless of financial situation?

A:  No, we don't.  We do some free or drastically reduced coaching outside of the work we do through FeroceCoaching.com.  Through this site, however, we are only able to accept a modest number of sliding scale applicants who have a true, demonstrated need for a reduction in price. 

Q:  Can you give an example of someone who would be eligible for the sliding scale's below-market pricing?

A:  Someone who is unemployed, or has a very low income, and who has significant non-discretionary expenses, or someone who has a fairly good income but has unusually high expenses, such as large medical bills and the like.

Q:  What about someone who would likely NOT be eligible for the sliding scale's below-market pricing?

A:  It's all relative, of course, so eligibility depends on the circumstances of other applicants. 

First, someone is unlikely to be eligible if their high expenses are primarily discretionary, which is to say, they already pay market rates for things that aren't necessities but would like to pay less for coaching due to their other, higher priorities.  The sliding scale is for an inability to pay, not for placing a different value on coaching than the rest of the market of consumers.  The solution for differing values is to find a less expensive coach or other means of answering one's needs.

A second category of those who may be asked to rethink their coaching budget includes those who are comfortable using credit for other types of expenses but wish to apply a cash-only monthly budget only to coaching. 

Third, someone with above-average assets, such as a house (or two), an expensive car, and a stock portfolio,   is, absent other circumstances, less likely to be eligible.

Q:  Is there a minimum time commitment for coaching on a sliding scale?

A:  Yes.  This offer is available only for coaching arrangements of 3 months or longer.

Q:  When and how do I pay?

A:  Sliding scale clients will pay either the entire amount upfront, via credit card or check or, if your coach permits it, you will pay in installments.  Please be aware that if you pay in installments, the first installment(s) will be larger, or close to the normal price,   while the later installment(s) will contain most of the discount. 

Q:  Who makes and pays for phone calls?

A:  Generally the client does both.  Except in extraordinary circumstances, the client always takes the initiative to make the call.  Sliding scale clients may discuss with their coaches whether sustaining the call represents a disproportionate financial hardship to the client, and whether the coach might therefore call the client back on the coach's dollar.

Q:  How do you know if the information I give you is true and accurate?

A:  We don't.  We have to trust in clients' integrity.  If we came to feel the sliding scale offer was being abused, we would need to consider ending it or asking for stronger evidence of financial status (such as tax returns), but we have no wish to do that.

Market Rates for Individual Coaching

Feature	Feroce Coaching	Other Coaches
Sessions per month	Custom; 2, 3, or 4	Usually fixed at 3
Session length	30, 45 or 60 minutes or custom (e.g., 3 x 15 min.)	Varies
Email access	Unlimited	Some unlimited, others do not mention, others limit
Instant Messenger access	Unlimited	Rarely offered at all
Emergency access	Yes	None known to us
Experience in all manner of careers	Yes	Rare
Real business experience	Yes	Variable
Schedule flexibility	Days, nights, weekends	Variable
Phone charges	Discuss with your coach:  may be free to client for U.S. locations (for others we use free or low-cost Internet Telephony, depending on location)	Depends
Average Price Per Coaching Unit*	$120-199 per week for 45-minute sessions $99-110 per week for 30-minute sessions   Prices depend on the coach and the length of commitment (12 months to month-to-month	Average $125-180/week

* Standard Pricing depends on the coach used and the length of the coaching term.

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