Are you new to coaching? If so, you might not know that a coaching intake form is a necessity for the longevity of your coaching business.
As a certified digital business consultant and web designer for coaches, I’ve seen the impact of a coaching intake form can have to eliminate the frustration of no-show appointments, calls running over time, and not having the information you need to effectively help a potential client on a consult. Does any of this sound familiar?
Keep reading to get a professional’s breakdown of:
- What a coaching intake form really is
- What it means to your business
- When to introduce your intake form in your sales process
- What questions to include
- How to create a customized coaching intake form
Plus, I’ll include some examples for you of life coaching intake forms from some of my web design clients who have had success integrating an intake forms into their sales process.
What’s a Client Intake Form & Why Do You Need One?
To put it simply, a client intake form is like a digital getting-to-know-you sheet that coaches give to potential clients. Having this information helps you understand your them better so you can help them in the best way possible on a consultation call.
Think of it like filling out a form at the doctor’s office, except this form is centered on an individual’s personal growth and goals.
This coaching intake form is important because it helps you get to know a potential client and, more importantly, whether or not you’re going to be a good fit as a coach for them.
The goal is to save you time by collecting data on the right type of potential client and separating those who might not be as committed to the inner work needed with coaching before spending time with them on a consult.
Are You a Brand New Coach Without a Coaching Intake Form?
If so, by this point, you might be wondering how important it is for you to have a coaching intake form ready to go.
Let me be the first to tell you that it isn’t necessary at all in the beginning.
An intake form is something you’ll definitely want to implement as your business grows. But if you’re brand new to coaching, it’s safe enough to gather the essential information that would be reflected on a life coaching intake form on your consult call with the prospective client. You don’t need an intake form beforehand.
Be prepared that your consult no-show rate will likely be higher than if you did implement an intake or application form. When I asked around in my coaching network, people said they generally see a no-show rate of 50% or higher before using one, depending on their niche.
But I still recommend going without an intake form when you first get started because you’ll get the benefit of the sales experience that comes from talking to anyone, even if they aren’t a great fit. And you’ll better learn what their pain points are, which will help you write more effective copy.
When’s the right time to introduce an intake form into your sales process? My observations from clients have taught me that it’s much wiser to practice marketing and selling at the beginning of your business than it is to focus on adding friction to your sales process with this form.
Consider being close to fully booked with 1-on-1 clients to help you practice doing as many consults as possible before considering the creation of a coaching intake form. Doing this will better prepare you for the qualifying questions your form should include and make you a better salesperson.
How Do I Create a Coaching Intake Form?
One place coaches get stuck when curating their first coaching questionnaire is the coaching intake questions themselves. After that, they get hung up on tonality, format, and delivery (not necessarily in that order).
Because the tech of creating a form is its own challenge, I’ll dig into that a little later in this article. For now, let’s start by thinking through the form’s tone and format.
Most coaches I’ve worked with aim to keep the tone of their form professional yet still approachable. This helps clients feel comfortable sharing personal details. Carefully curate the questions on your life coach intake form to gather the information you need while still using a friendly and inviting tone.
My philosophy on intake forms is that they should include ONLY the necessary questions. The goal is not to introduce too much friction into the intake process, friction that might prevent someone from finishing your form.
I recommend using more closed-ended questions for detailed insights over open-ended ones, that way they’re easier for people to process and answer. Let’s break our form questions into sections: Personal Information, Personal History, and Qualifying Budget Questions.
Section 1: Personal Information
Collecting personal information on a coaching intake form helps tailor your one-on-one sessions, creating a personalized, effective coaching experience from the start.
Here are the essential questions to ask in this section of your intake form:
- Full name
- Phone number (if you’re meeting via phone)
- Do you have a [problem to be solved] goal?
- What are your goals related to [your niche]?
The last two questions have brackets because they work best if they’re niche-specific. So, if you’re a parenting coach, these questions are ideally aimed at their parenting goals. If your niche is money-focused, then they should relate to their financial goals, etc.
Section 2: History
Next up are questions about the potential client’s history. These details help you understand their background and what got them to where they are. Here are a few questions you might ask in this section:
- What has worked for you in the past to solve [insert problem]?
- Why did it stop working?
- How will your life be different when you achieve [insert solution to the problem]?
- Why is now finally the time to solve [insert problem]?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it that you [insert problem to solve] so you can [insert goal they want to achieve]?
- Why do you think I’m the right person to help you [insert problem to solve]?
I understand this is a lot of questions. Try not to get overwhelmed, though, because not all of them will be relevant to your niche, so season this list to taste.
Overall, these are strong examples of the types of questions that could go in this section of your coaching intake form.
Section 3: Budgeting Qualifiers
Asking about a potential client’s budget on your coaching questionnaire gives you a sense of the alignment between your pricing and their financial capacity. Asking about budget might seem intrusive, but in my opinion, it actually isn’t. It encourages transparency and sets realistic expectations, ultimately leading to a more effective and trusting coaching relationship.
Here are some of the questions that you might consider including in this section of your coaching intake form:
- If your application is approved, the next step is to schedule a call to discuss your [insert problem/solution]. Are you committed to coming to the call?
- Are you committed to dedicating time and money to solving [this concern]?
- What budget range works for you? (include a few range options)
What I love to do is set some sort of qualifications on these questions so that they’re not able to see your scheduling page after submission if they don’t have the budget for your services to start with. This takes a little bit more technical know-how to set up, but it really helps smooth out your sales process when you can achieve it.
You can then manually reach out via email to those who indicate a lower budget, letting them know your package investment range and inviting them to let you know if they have flexibility in their budget.
This helps deter if not eliminate no-shows in addition to setting a tone of professionalism surrounding your coaching offers.
Getting Your Coaching Client Intake Form Ready For Delivery
Swinging back to the deterrent of delivery of your intake form because plenty of newer coaches get hung up here. You might be wondering:
- Should the form be sent via email before the consult?
- Should it be provided during the initial consultation?
- Or perhaps integrated into an online onboarding platform?
Here’s my thought: Your life coaching intake form works hardest for you when it’s delivered to a potential client before scheduling any type of call (audio or video).
The best way to get your coaching questionnaire into the right hands is by making it available on your website. If you need help with this, my team and I can do it for you as part of your website project.
Otherwise, I recommend using easy-to-use tools like:
This is ideal for those who aren’t super technical and want a simple way to set up a quick form using an interface that’s familiar — Google!
A robust tool with features in place for potential clients to have a personalized interaction with you as they fill it in. It’s what I use and my audience loves it.
A solid substitute for Google Forms that comes with the ability to have conditional thank you pages based on how the potential client has answered the questions present.
Gravity Forms is WordPress specific, and might require a little more tech knowledge than most other form tools, but it also allows you to customize what happens after a form is submitted.
The reality is that each method has its pros and cons. Providing it during the first session can foster discussion but might take up valuable time. And using an online platform saves you and your clients time in the long run, but requires you take the time to set the form up first.
Are Scheduling Tools a Help or Hindrance With This?
Scheduling tools come in handy by allowing coaches to send these intake questionnaires automatically, collect responses efficiently, and schedule follow-up sessions seamlessly, helping you streamline your intake process. All of this saves you precious time and leaves you feeling confident and ready for the meeting with the necessary data points.
Pro tip: As part of your scheduling tools, such as Calendly or Squarespace Scheduling, you can sometimes add simple intake questions as part of the scheduling process.
Finding a tool that fits all these needs can be tricky because there are so many options, each with individual features and benefits. It’s sort of like trying to find the perfect pair of shoes—you want something comfortable that also looks good and lasts long!
Real Intake Examples From Coaches
I’ve said a lot of words in this post, but I know examples are more helpful than ideas. Here are a few examples of intake forms from real coaches like you to help you craft your own:
Personal Questionnaire in Video Form | Jennie Lakenan
Life Coach Web Design
My services intake form is built with VideoAsk, which is a software designed to make my form feel as personal as a mini-consult call. While my business isn’t strictly coaching, this same tool works great for coaches. Clients feel like they’re speaking directly with me, though they aren’t. The downside of this clever piece of tech is its price. It’s a little on the high side ($50 per month), but my intake form is a huge part of my sales process, so I’m happy to budget for the expense.
Simple Life Coaching Intake Form | Coach Maximum
Coach for Entrepreneur Dads
This form is simple and easy to navigate. It’s also straightforward and to the point regarding the question presentation. There are two questions per page, making it less overwhelming for potential clients, and eliminating a lot of friction in the initial connection.
Conditional Client Questionnaire | Dave Moreno
Entrepreneur Coach
This is an example of a bold and conditional intake form where each question is a requirement to continue. Intake forms that have these conditions prevent you from needing to give access to your scheduling calendar unless the client is the right type of client for you. This can save you a ton of time and help you down-sell an additional, perhaps more suitable offer or redirect them to your email marketing list.
Closing Thoughts on Coaching Questionnaires
Creating, constructing, and delivering coaching intake forms might seem like a big job, especially for coaches new to using them. But as you can see, with the right tools and a few tangible examples, the idea of creating your own gets easier.
Remember, potential client intake forms help you understand your client’s needs, whether or not they are your ideal client, and if they can afford your services. They also help you provide the best coaching possible. Keep things simple, clear, and friendly.
Read More: 12 Winning Email Marketing Ideas for Coaches
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