194: The 4 Essential Parts of Your Coaching Intake Packet

I think every coach knows that before they work with a client there are two crucial things to do. One is to receive the client’s payment and the other is to help the onboarding process with a smart intake packet. That’s when the co-creative relationship becomes official and professional. Find the full transcript for this episode with helpful links at prosperouscoach.com/194

When I first started as a coach, I didn’t have a smart intake packet. I had copied another coach’s documents with their permission, and honestly, with so many other things to learn, I didn’t give it a lot of thought.

That way until I was asked to develop certification curriculum for Coach Training Alliance and I buttoned up a lot of my practices. CTA still uses my finessed intake packet and the curriculum 21+ years later and I’m honored.

By the way, that’s one of the benefits of stepping into a leadership role — you rise to the occasion. Think of your coaching business as a leadership role and you’ll be inspired to higher degrees of professionalism. It’s for you as much as it is for your clients.

So why is an intake packet important? 

I’ve never been more certain of an intake packet’s value for the client than after hiring a social media coach who had a minimal onboarding process. She asked me to set up our first session and that was all the due diligence there was — no questions about me, my background or anything more than getting my payment.

I ended up asking for a prorated refund after one session because we weren’t a good fit and she wasn’t modeling good coaching practices in her services. I did not feel seen or safe, which are critical in coaching. 

Onboard Your Coaching Client with Care

A critical benefit of a good intake packet is to help your client onboard smoothly into your services. Show them you care about them and want to understand who they are. It helps them feel seen and safe. Episode 186 is called 4 Ways to Help Your Coaching Clients Feel Safe. It’s a good listen, if you haven’t heard it already.

People feel safe when you take time to understand them. But that’s not the only value of a smart intake packet. Here are 4 other reasons to show you care with your intake packet:

·      Gather important data about the client

·      Convey policies and procedures

·      Make clear your role and their role

·      Learn what makes them tick

Let’s go through each of these …

Get a Profile of Your Coaching Client

One of the 3 documents in my intake packet is a simple Word document with fillable spaces to capture their:

·      Name

·      Email address

·      Phone number

·      Time zone

·      Physical address

·      Website

·      When they finished coach training (which is germane to my niche)

·      Their partner’s and and kids names & ages, if any

·      Their current employment & title

·      Plus, a catchall question – What else would you like to share with me at this time?

Rhonda Hess helps new coaches leverage their zone of genius into a profitable coaching niche and launch with confidence. For VIP step-by-step support apply for Rhonda's VIP Coaching Business Breakthrough Program here and she'll be in touch to invite you a discovery call. Or if you're stuck on your coaching niche, grab a Nail Your Niche Strategy Session with Rhonda here.