Are you a business coach looking to improve your services and better understand your clients? Then you need an intake form to get started. This essential tool allows you to collect valuable information from potential and current clients, including their goals, needs, and challenges. With the right intake form in place, you can tailor your coaching program to each individual's unique situation, helping you track their progress and deliver results that lead to long-term success. 

Using an intake form sets the foundation for a successful coaching relationship. It is vital to collect the necessary client information so you can provide focused guidance and support. The process of creating an intake form may seem overwhelming but with our guidance, you'll be ready to tackle it in no time. 

In this blog post, we'll guide you in creating an intake form that will optimize your coaching services. Keep reading to learn how to create your own form!

Importance of an intake form

When it comes to coaching clients, an intake form is an essential tool that helps you understand their needs, preferences, and goals. An intake form serves as a way to gather valuable information about your clients before beginning coaching sessions. By providing a structured format for gathering information, an intake form will help you gain a more complete picture of the client's situation, making it easier to offer personalized coaching that meets their specific needs.

Benefits of using an intake form for coaching clients

Using an intake form for coaching clients offers numerous benefits. It enables you to gather the information you need to tailor your coaching services to meet their unique needs and goals. The form can help you to understand your clients on a deeper level, which can lead to more successful coaching relationships. In addition, having an intake form can also help streamline your coaching process, making it easier to manage your clients effectively.

Creating an intake form is an essential component of life, business, career, and health coaching. It's a powerful tool that will help you better understand your clients. It can also help you provide tailored coaching services that meet clients’ needs.

Preparing for the intake form

Before jumping into creating your intake form, it is important to take some time to prepare and plan. This will ensure that your form is effective and meets the needs of your coaching clients.

Identifying the purpose of the intake form

The first step in preparing for your intake form is to identify the purpose of the form. What information do you need from your coaching clients to best serve them? Do you want to achieve anything specific with the form? Having a clear understanding of the purpose of the form will guide you in creating relevant and useful questions.

Defining the target audience

It is also important to define your target audience for the intake form. Will it be used for a specific type of coaching, such as career coaching or financial coaching? Who are the ideal clients for your coaching services? Understanding your target audience will help you create relevant and meaningful questions.

Planning the questions and fields

Say you’re done identifying the purpose of the form and your target audience. It is time to start planning the questions and fields that you will include in the form. Make a list of the information that you want to obtain from your clients. Then organize the questions into categories or sections that make sense. Consider using a mix of open-ended and multiple-choice questions to get a range of responses.

Planning the format and layout

Finally, consider the format and layout of your intake form. Think about how it will be delivered to clients – will it be a physical paper form, a fillable PDF, or an online form? Consider the visual design elements as well, such as font, color, and branding. A well-designed form will make it more engaging and user-friendly for your clients.

Evaluating coaching intake form templates

When creating an intake form for your coaching clients, it is important to consider using a template. A template provides a foundation for your form's structure and layout, making it easier and faster to create a professional-looking document. Here are some factors to consider when evaluating coaching intake form templates.

Content of your intake form

The content of your form is crucial, so make sure the template includes all the necessary questions and fields. Look for a template that covers all key areas, such as personal information, goals, challenges, and expectations. Also, consider if you need specific questions for your coaching niche, such as executive coaching questions or career coaching intake form questions.

Customization options

While a template can save you time, you still need to make it unique to your brand and goals. Therefore, look for templates that allow for customization on various levels, such as font styles, colors, logos, and headings. You should be able to modify the template to reflect your brand, coaching style, and target audience.

Ease of use

A good template should be easy to use and navigate, even for those with minimum design skills. Ideally, the template should also offer a drag-and-drop or fill-in-the-blank interface. This allows you to add your questions and fields with ease. Make sure the template is user-friendly and saves you time and effort.

Compatibility

Lastly, consider if the template is compatible with your preferred platform and software. For instance, if you prefer Google Docs, ensure that the template is available in a Google-compatible format, such as a Google Forms template. Also, make sure the template is mobile-friendly, so your clients can access and complete it on their devices.

By evaluating these factors, you can select a coaching intake form template that meets your needs, preferences, and goals. 

Creating the intake form

Once you have chosen a template for your coaching intake form, it's time to create the actual form itself. You need to make sure that your intake form is clear, complete, and effective in gathering the information you need from your clients.

Importance of clarity and completeness

Your coaching intake form should be clear and easy to understand to avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretations by your clients. Use simple, concise language. And make sure that each question is written in a way that is easy to answer. Additionally, ensure that the form is complete. All the necessary information should be included. This will enable you to provide the best possible services to your clients.

Choosing the right wording and phrasing

When wording your questions, phrase them in a non-judgmental and objective way. This will help put your clients at ease and make them feel comfortable sharing personal information. You can also use specific wording and phrasing to help you gather the information you need with accuracy and precision.

Organizing the questions and fields effectively

The layout of your form is also important to consider. Organize your questions and fields in a logical and easy-to-follow order. This ensures that your clients don't miss out on providing important information. You can also use different types of fields. These include checkboxes, radio buttons, and drop-down menus to reduce the possibility of errors.

Incorporating branding and design elements

Finally, consider branding and design elements so that your form reflects your coaching brand. You can add branding elements such as your business logo and brand colors for better visual impact. These elements will help your clients recognize and connect with your coaching brand more easily. However, ensure that you don't make the form too cluttered and distract your clients' attention from filling the form.

By following these guidelines, you will be able to create a clear coaching intake form. You can create an informative form, one that’s easy to use. Making sure that your form is well-designed and incorporates all the necessary elements is crucial to establish communication with the clients to deliver the best coaching services.

Reviewing and testing the intake form

Once you have created your coaching intake form, it's crucial to review and test it thoroughly before sharing it with your clients. 

Thoroughly checking for errors and inconsistencies

Read through the form several times. This will help you check for typos, grammatical errors, or any inconsistencies in the wording. Ensure that your questions are clear and precise, free from any ambiguity, and that they reflect the purpose of the intake form.

Feedback from potential users

Before sharing the coaching intake form with your clients, request feedback from potential users. This feedback will enable you to determine your form’s effectiveness. It will help you know whether it meets your target audience’s needs. Ask for suggestions on ways to improve the form's content or format and incorporate the feedback where necessary.

Making necessary revisions and improvements

Based on the feedback received, update and make any necessary revisions and improvements to the form. Ensure that the form captures all the essential details required to inform your coaching process. You may also want to add questions or fields to the form that were not present initially.

Creating a final version of the form

Once the revisions are complete, create the final version of the coaching intake form. Ensure that the form is professional, aesthetically appealing, and reflects your branding. Make sure that the form is easy to fill out. Plus, the instructions must be clear and concise. Congratulations! You are now ready to share your coaching intake form with your clients.

Final thoughts on creating an intake form

Creating an intake form for coaching clients can be made easier by following the steps outlined in this blog post. Remember to keep the purpose and target audience of the form in mind, choose the right template, and design a clear and comprehensive form. Testing and review are important aspects of the process to ensure that the finalized form meets all necessary standards.

Use an intake form for coaching clients

Using an intake form for coaching clients can provide many benefits, including a personalized approach and more efficient use of coaching sessions. It also allows coaches to gather information about their clients that can help them to tailor their coaching services and provide better outcomes. Therefore, we highly encourage coaches to use intake forms as an integral part of their coaching process.

Resources for further information or assistance

If you require further information or assistance in creating an intake form for your coaching clients, you can refer to various platforms that offer templates and guidance, such as Canva, Google Forms, or Typeform. Additionally, professional coaching organizations such as International Coach Federation (ICF) offer resources and guidelines on intake forms and other coaching-related topics.

Qualify your prospects and streamline the onboarding process with B12

Need help qualifying which of your prospects are the right fit for your business? B12 is the all-in-one platform that enables you to qualify prospects and streamline your onboarding through client intake forms. 

B12 lets you add intake forms to your site, customize them to your liking, and view form submissions in one platform. Our client intake form solution makes your client onboarding more convenient and organized. Get started for free.