Why Commercials Are Strategic, Not Just Administrative
By the time you reach this stage in deciding how to choose executive coaching services, you’ve already done the heavy lifting on outcomes, audience, format, methodology, sector expertise, practice and governance.
Now you need to turn that thinking into a commercial agreement that is fair, sustainable and defensible.
If you treat pricing and contracts as a box-ticking exercise, you risk:
- Buying the wrong mix of services because it looked cheaper on paper.
- Under-specifying what’s included and paying for it later.
- Struggling to evidence ROI when budgets are under pressure.
Handled well, this step ensures that:
- Investment aligns with the value you expect to create.
- Terms support, rather than constrain, the coaching design.
- You can explain and defend the spend to senior stakeholders.
Common Executive Coaching Pricing Models
Most executive coaching providers will work with a combination of these pricing models:
- Per-coachee packages
A set number of sessions for each leader over a defined period (for example, 6–12 sessions over 6–12 months), sometimes with additional time for stakeholder meetings and reporting.
- Programme-based pricing
A single price for a defined programme, covering multiple leaders plus elements such as team sessions, diagnostics, workshops or digital tools.
- Retainers
A monthly or annual fee that provides flexible access to a pool of coaches for a defined population (for example, all senior leaders or all regional VPs).
- Project-based or transformation pricing
Coaching wrapped into a broader commercial transformation, usually alongside training, consulting and enablement.
Each model has trade-offs in terms of flexibility, predictability and scalability. The key is to choose a structure that matches your outcomes, audience and format – not the other way round.
Clarify What Is (and Isn’t) Included
Once you’ve agreed the broad pricing model, drill into what is actually included. Ask providers to be explicit about:
- Core coaching hours
Number and length of sessions per coachee; whether this includes preparation and follow-up.
- Diagnostics and assessments
Any tools used (for example, 360s or psychometrics), and whether they are charged separately.
- Stakeholder engagement
Time for contracting meetings with sponsors, mid-point reviews and final reviews.
- Programme design and set-up
Time spent tailoring the approach, mapping stakeholders and aligning to your frameworks.
- Reporting and governance
Programme-level reports, steering meetings and any dashboards or summaries.
- Travel and expenses
Whether they apply, and how they are managed.
- Digital tools and platforms
Access to portals, digital practice tools or content libraries, and any associated licences.
Capture these clearly in your commercial summary so there are no surprises once work begins.
Pay Attention to Contract Terms, Not Just Day Rates
Day rates and unit prices are easy to compare. Contract terms often have more impact over time.
Key areas to review and negotiate include:
- Cancellation and rescheduling
Notice periods for moving sessions; any fees for late cancellations.
- Substitutions
How easy it is to replace a coachee (for example, if they leave the business) or a coach (if there is a poor fit).
- Scaling up or down
How quickly you can expand or reduce the number of coachees without penalty.
- Geographical coverage
Availability of coaches in different regions and time zones; implications for pricing.
- Intellectual property (IP)
Ownership and permitted use of any tools, frameworks or materials developed for you.
- Service levels
Expectations around coach availability, responsiveness and issue resolution.
Work with Procurement, Legal and HR to ensure the contract supports the kind of programme you actually want to run, rather than forcing you into shapes that suit only the provider.
Building a Simple ROI Story for Executive Coaching
Executive coaching is often one of the more scrutinised lines in a people or enablement budget. To defend it, you need a clear, pragmatic ROI story.
You’re not aiming for spurious precision. You are aiming for a credible, evidence-based narrative that links coaching to value.
A simple structure looks like this:
- Investment
- Total cost of the coaching programme over its duration.
- Any additional internal costs (for example, leader time in sessions).
- Leading indicators
- Behavioural changes you expect: better pipeline reviews, stronger cross-functional collaboration, improved coaching from managers.
- Early signs you will track: feedback, quality of decision-making, stakeholder confidence.
- Lagging indicators
- Commercial metrics likely to be influenced: win rate, deal quality, forecast accuracy, retention of key leaders, engagement scores in relevant teams.
- Contribution to value
- Conservative estimates of how changes in those metrics contribute to revenue, margin or risk reduction.
- Qualitative impact on culture, resilience and succession.
You can then position coaching as one of several levers contributing to these outcomes – alongside strategy, structure, incentives and enablement.
Example: Framing ROI Without Over-Claiming
Imagine you are investing £150,000 in a 12-month coaching programme for your revenue leadership team.
You might frame ROI as follows:
- Investment – £150k in external fees plus leadership time.
- Leading indicators – within six months, you want to see consistently stronger pipeline reviews, clearer accountability for strategic deals and improved collaboration with Finance and Product.
- Lagging indicators – over 12–18 months, you are targeting:
- A modest uplift in win rate on strategic opportunities (for example, 2–3%).
- Reduced forecast variance (closer to target, fewer negative surprises).
- Improved retention among key sales and commercial leaders.
You avoid claiming that coaching alone will deliver specific revenue numbers, but you show how it supports the conditions for sustainable performance.
This kind of framing is more credible with boards and CFOs than generic statements about “unlocking potential”.
Pilots, Phasing and Commercial Risk Management
When you’re working with a new coaching partner, it is usually wise to pilot before you fully scale – and your commercial approach should reflect that.
Consider:
- Pilot scope and pricing
A smaller, time-bound engagement with a clearly defined population (for example, the CRO and a handful of regional VPs), with options to extend.
- Stage-gates
Clear points at which you review progress and decide whether to expand, adapt or stop.
- Learning objectives
Not just “did people like it?”, but “what did we learn about what works for our leaders, culture and operating rhythm?”
You can then structure commercial terms so that:
- You are not locked into a large, multi-year roll-out too early.
- The provider remains motivated to prove value and refine their approach.
- It is straightforward to scale up if the pilot is successful.
Budget Ownership and Internal Alignment
Clarity on who owns the budget for executive coaching is essential to avoid friction later.
Common patterns include budgets held by:
- The CRO or commercial function – for coaching tied closely to revenue performance.
- HR / People / L&D – for leadership development budgets.
- A combination, with co-funded initiatives.
Regardless of where the budget sits, make sure that:
- Stakeholders agree on the purpose and expected outcomes.
- You have a shared view of what “good value” looks like.
- Decisions about expansion, continuation or termination are made jointly, based on both qualitative and quantitative evidence.
Questions to Use When Evaluating Pricing, Contracts and ROI
Here is a practical question set for your RFPs and provider conversations:
- Which pricing models do you typically use for executive coaching, and which would you recommend for our context and goals?
- What exactly is included in your fees (sessions, preparation, diagnostics, reporting, design, travel, digital tools)?
- How flexible are you on scaling up or down, and what notice is required?
- What are your standard terms on cancellations, substitutions and coach changes?
- How do you typically structure pilots, and how do you recommend we phase investment?
- How do you help clients articulate and evidence ROI for executive coaching?
- Can you share anonymised examples of how previous clients have justified or extended coaching investment based on results?
You’re looking for transparent, confident answers and a willingness to work with you to balance impact and cost.
How Step 8 Helps You Make Defensible Decisions
Understanding pricing, contracts and ROI is a critical part of deciding how to choose executive coaching services.
Combined with the earlier steps on outcomes, audience, format, methodology, sector expertise, practice and governance, this step ensures that:
- You know what you are buying, at what cost and on what terms.
- You can explain the investment and expected value to stakeholders who may not be close to the detail.
- You avoid expensive misalignment later in the relationship.
Handled well, the commercial conversation becomes an extension of your strategic thinking about coaching – not a last-minute negotiation that undermines the value you set out to create.