As a coach, improving your clients’ performance 📈 is probably the most important part of your career. Like all professional coaches, you may teach some skills to your clients and receive some payment 💰 in return. That’s why you need to have an effective coaching contract to solidify this great business relationship!
A coaching contract serves as a legally binding document. Depending on the type of coaching 💪 you do, you might need to adjust your legal document’s name and contents accordingly. For instance, as a sports coach, you will need to put together a “sports coaching contract.” Whatever niche you’re in, however, this article can help you create a comprehensive coaching contract!
5 Important Considerations for Your Coaching Contract
A good coaching contract protects you and your client. It can also limit the possibility of needing legal advice to deal with a disgruntled client. When drafting ✍ your coaching agreement, don’t forget to address the following key issues!
1. Roles and Responsibilities
Outlining your responsibilities is the most important part of building a coaching relationship 👌. You need to clearly state what your coaching business offers in exchange for payment. Also, you probably want to outline what your clients need to do to meet their desired business goals ☑️. After all, you can’t offer effective coaching services if your client doesn’t do their part!
If you and your client write down what you expect from each other in the beginning, you’ll develop a proper coach-client relationship. By outlining your responsibilities as a coach, you avoid running into unwanted lawsuits in the future and keep everyone’s expectations about your coaching program 100% clear.
2. Confidentiality Clause
As a coach, you probably want to inspire, empower, and improve your client’s mindsets 🌱! This is why you need to include a confidentiality clause in your coaching template. Privacy policies give your client a sense of security and trust in you. When your client knows that you’ll maintain a professional coaching relationship, they’re more likely to feel safe and even send prospective client referrals to your coaching practice.
3. Policy for Client Cancelations
Sometimes life happens, and you have to miss appointments. As a coach, you should expect your clients to do the same. That’s where a cancellation policy comes in.
If your client misses a coaching session, that can mean time and money 💸 down the drain. Your awesome coaching program needs to have a cancellation policy and legal terms to ensure that you still get paid if your client misses coaching sessions without giving you a heads up 😇. The same approach to coaching goes for canceling the contract.
What if you have to cancel a session? An adaptable coaching contract needs to have a policy refund policy for such occasions. The clearer you can be about this, the better!
4. Time and Access Limits
As a coach, you have to enforce access your clients have to you. Some clients can request more of your time than others, and this can leave other clients with less time frame to coach 😳. It can also infringe on your personal time, especially if your clients have your personal phone number.
You need to manage your time well 🤙, so ensure you talk about your personal boundaries and ground rules regarding time during your initial contract and client intake process. Clients need to make realistic expectations about it and respect your time as a coach during each discovery session.
5. Payment Details in Coaching Contract
In your coaching contract template, make sure to clarify your payment terms 💰. Do you want the client to pay upfront? On a schedule? After completion of the coaching? What is the service fee for your professional contract and services?
As a matter of common practice, every client has different needs. Remember to write out your 📊 rate according to what the client wants and the process it will take to meet their expectations. This helps you avoid damaging a client relationship.
Need Legal Help with Your Coaching Contract?
Putting together a coaching contract isn’t too difficult for someone who knows the legal requirements 😇. However, if you’ve got more expertise in coaching styles than legal documents, it doesn’t hurt to have a legal professional at your side when you go about these matters 📋. That’s why our team is here to help 😁!
We’ve put together a professional and effective customizable coaching contract template 🙌 that is sure to meet all your needs as a coaching professional. If you’re looking for the best help with putting together your coaching contract, buy our template or book ✍ for a consultation with us here. Your coaching clients will thank you!