Elham Mazaheri: Hi Taymour, I am researching the experiences of coaches about the idea and benefits of having a pilot session with a prospect client. My goal is to bring some insights to coaches who are starting off who are not familiar with this concept and structure for their coaching practice.

Taymour Miri: Hi Elham. It is great to be speaking with you and thank you for doing this interview. I find such research very valuable for the coaching profession and I am glad that you want to share its results to a wider audience.

Elham Mazaheri: Let me start by asking, “what do you think is the importance of the pilot session for coaches?”

Taymour Miri: First of all a pilot session in your coaching practice is a structure to meet and decide whether you and the client want to work together.

This is a very important to both the coach and the client. You will hear and agree the client’s wants, needs and desires from this coaching program. You will also establish whether it is actually coaching that they want and need. 

You both decide whether this coaching process is going to be of benefit and value – it is a partnership for both sides to win. This means apart from all the decision already mentioned, you both have an opportunity to look at the coaching relationship from different angles. The way that you want to work together and guidelines and principles to be adhered to are agreed by both parties. You as a coach believe the client will reach their desired outcome. The client believes that they are going to get a return on their investment of money and energy.

Elham Mazaheri: Thank you. My next question is “what is the structure of a pilot session look like for you?”

Taymour Miri: The first thing I can say here is that the structure of my meetings changes slightly with every new client. The structure is designed based on understanding the client first and adjusting to their needs. Of course, there are parts of my structure that remain the same.

I share about the coaching process. The client gets to know what is likely to happen during our journey together. This is represented in a visual way with a brief description to quickly get the message across.

We also cover the coaching model which is my unique way of running the sessions. The client understands this best by using a laser coaching session for the client to start seeing the value of the sessions to come.

The overall structure of the pilot session is very similar to the structure of a typical coaching session with a clear focus on the journey and overall outcome. We are using the coaching skills to determine the vision and long-term goal of the coaching program. I am listening to the client to hear that the chances are high that the clients will succeed. Hearing a high commitment and need for this change is very important.

The client gets to hear the way we are going to work with one another and the guidelines and principles we agree to adhere to. It is an outline of our agreement – our contract.

Most of the time in these sessions, both sides get to listen and ask questions and agree on the working arrangement. This includes the financial commitments and payment plan arrangements.

Elham Mazaheri: How do you develop these guidelines and principles?

Taymour Miri: In our coaching education program at ICE, we provide the basics. I also learned the basics when I was training. We provide a module that outlines the construct of a pilot session. It addresses the various scenarios that a coach and client may encounter. Before it happens, we decide what we would do – we agree in advance how we would meet challenges if and when they arise. These scenarios have been developed over years of experience. To this day there are times when a new scenario occurs that I had not thought about. We simply have a conversation and agree and amend the contract.  

Like many processes like this, as you get started you start seeing some challenges. What you desired or wanted may be different to what you are prepared to do! For example, you want the client to be on time and you both agree this. When the client starts coming late, you find it difficult to address this by having a direct communication! This is a development opportunity and that is why all of us coaches need our own coaches to partner with us for

further growth.

So, as we grow as a coach, we start adjusting the structure a little and improve the impact it has on the coaching relationship and the coaching process.

Elham Mazaheri: Thank you very much for sharing your experiences so generously. Another question that many coaches may have asked you in the coaching education programs is: “What do you know about the key to success in turning a pilot session into an agreement?”

Taymour Miri: My biggest learning in the last two decades of coaching clients is that I listen to my feelings. My experience says that this feeling is very close to the truth. By the way this has elements of my talent of strong intuition or inner radar. However, the bit that is learnable is to refer to your experiences and the patterns of behavior seen in clients. Trust yourself and your feelings.

So, I am not in the pilot session to sell. I am there to see whether we are a “suitable” match. To do that I quieten the other possible inner conversations that may lead me astray. Things like “what about the financial benefit” or “I cannot lose this client”. I have learned to switch off the possible drivers from the ego, such as “I can work with any client”. In the quiet space of my mind, I’m listening to my inner feelings and intuition. My focus is on questions such as: “Is this a client that I would like to work with?”, “Can I make a difference to this client?” “Is this the right choice for me?”

I believe that if I spend my time with clients that are my ideal clients, then everyone wins. Those that I do not work with will find the right coach for themselves. In fact, I often help them find that right coach – I know a lot of coaches!

If the client decides not to work with me, I believe this is simply a learning opportunity to grow from. The key is not to take it personally!

Elham Mazaheri: Thank you for your explanation and I very much agree with your recommendation of not going into sales mode. Do you see a difference in the pilot session when coaching in organizations?

Taymour Miri: Yes, there are some differences. The main one is that there are more decision makers to align with in organizations. The coach has the sponsor and the key stakeholders to ensure the coaching agreement is aligned. It does not simply depend on the coach and the client.

Also, the need of the client and the sponsor and main stakeholders can be very different. The coach needs more time and attention to understand these differences. This means potentially more meetings and longer periods to reach agreement. So, for example, there may be a pilot session with the representative of the organization to start with. Then another with the client and possibly the sponsor or some of the stakeholders.

Some of the commonalities are that the coach still sets the guidelines and principles and agrees that with everyone involved. Also, listening to how you feel working with the client and the organization. Asking whether you will be able to add value? Noticing whether there is commitment from the client and the organization to ensure the outcome is reached.

Elham Mazaheri: I can see the element of complexity involved and the dynamics of the pilot sessions in particular if there are multiple people in one meeting. 

My final request is for two basic tips from your past experience to enhance the impact of the pilot session. In particular considering the coaches starting their practice.

Taymour Miri: My first tip is to be a coach throughout the pilot session. Listen actively and ask powerful questions to dig down to the real outcome required and why. The client leaves feeling cared for, trust has been built and they feel understood.

This session is not a sales session in the classical and traditional sense. This is a meeting where you are demonstrating your brand and values by the way you are showing up. We are aiming for both parties to make the best choice for themselves. Both the coach and the client.

You are listening for alignment of values of the organization and yourself. The commitment for creating powerful change or is there another agenda behind the coaching initiative. For example, a team leader wanting to spend a budget that is going to be taken away unless spent.

My second tip is not to let the potential financial benefits get in the way of our decisions. Listen to how clear the client is about wanting coaching rather than something else. Listen to the clues that show commitment for change and the reason why!

For example, if your client has had no previous experience with coaching, it may be very difficult for them to put a value on the work that you will do.

Focus on what the client needs. What value are you really bringing for the client? In other words, you are looking for the value the client receives from the coaching program. The investment they will make must be much higher than the return they will receive. The commitment to drive the change to fruition must be worth them while. The client must think and feel that this is the right choice for them.

Elham Mazaheri: I know we have ran out of time. Perhaps in another interview we can delve into the remuneration we ask for and the perceived value the client believes they will get. Thank you very much for sharing your experience and insights.

Taymour Miri: It has been a pleasure and I look forward to our next interview.

Interviewee: Elham Mazaheri (PCC) and faculty member at Farsi Coaching Academy, an accredited ICF coaching education provider

Taymour Miri is an ICF master coach and a Gallup certified strengths coach and more recently one of the first 136 coaches world wide to be awarded an Advanced Certificate in Team Coaching. He has 30 years’ experience in leadership roles and 20 years of experince in coaching. Taymour has trained over 1,500 coaches across five continents and is the founder of International Coaching Education (ICE).