If you are a business coach who has made it to this blog, it’s safe to assume that you are not the type of business coach whose sales plan is to pressure clients into buying something they can’t afford, without consideration or time to review the client agreement, right? We’ve all heard the stories or experienced this for ourselves.
If this is you, let me guide you on the importance of allowing your clients time to consider your agreement BEFORE they commit to working with you.
Business coaches should set exemplary business practices for their clients to emulate. If you don’t use coaching agreements for your business, you could set yourself up for disappointment and unnecessary stress. Not to mention it’s plain unprofessional not to have a coaching agreement in place.
Coaching Agreements Deter Conflict
Regardless of how you attract your business coaching clients, a well-drafted contract deters conflicts and unnecessary disputes. You won’t have to wade through emails back and forth to remember the promises made by both parties.
A coaching agreement should establish expectations for both parties about the coaching to be provided. No one is in the dark.
The coaching agreement, when written well, also sets out how to resolve problems if/when they arise so they can be dealt with quickly.
There is no reason not to be upfront with your clients about these terms. By simply being clear about resolving these issues, you should find that they don’t escalate as they may have in the past.
Coaching Agreements Help You to Get Paid
A well-drafted coaching agreement sets out payment and terms, so there are no surprises. Terms and conditions (contracts/agreements) are important whenever services, products, and money changes hands between clients and customers.
The last thing you want to do is lose trust with your clients because you didn’t take the time to explain your terms and educate your clients about expectations or the frequency and amount due for payments.
Coaching Agreements Set Clear Expectations
Business coaching does rely on your clients taking effective action to achieve their results. Clear expectations about deliverables and outcomes are critical for an ongoing, positive relationship with your clients.
Have you covered your business process and legal obligations and responsibilities and ensured your clients interests are looked after too? (No one likes a one-sided contract).
Is your Business Coaching Agreement crystal clear about what it means to work with you?
Do you give potential clients a chance to read and get advice on your terms before committing?
Your Business Coaching Agreement needs to showcase your service while protecting your business and showing your clients that you are operating responsibly (and legally).
Remember, you are charging for your service, and a Business Coaching Agreement manages expectations that may run wild unless boundaries and responsibilities are established and clearly stated in a coaching agreement. You’re a business coach, not a miracle worker, and it is essential to set the right expectations.
Coaching Agreements are Negotiable
If you have a well-drafted Business Coaching Agreement that clearly sets out what you do and what you expect from you client, you will likely see that your agreement gets returned quickly and without requests for changes.
However, if you are getting your agreements returned to you with multiple changes, comments, and concerns, it’s time to get that contract reviewed, updated or redrafted. It’s not personal. Your agreement will need to be updated as your business evolves too.
Contracts are negotiable. You don’t have to accept those changes. However, it’s worth paying attention to what is requested and how you can improve your contracts. As a result, it can enhance relationships and expectations with clients. Look at this as an opportunity for improvement in your business.
You can read more of my thoughts on how to check if your Client Agreement is well-written in my blog, Being a Heart Centred Entrepreneur – What Does Your Client Agreement Say About You?
If you don’t have a Business Coaching Agreement, or you know you need one that better suits your business, check out our Business Coaching Legal Essentials Template Bundle. This bundle includes all the foundational agreements and policy templates small businesses need to protect their interests and deliver coaching programs to their clients, including a Business Coaching Agreement, Privacy Policy Template and Website Terms of Use Template.
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