The unsung hero – your programme/services description

I can guarantee you won’t be expecting this!

Spoiler alert: your programme or service description is almost (note I said almost!!) as important as the rest of your contract put together.  Legit.

Now I know that might come as a bit of a shock – especially from a commercial contracts lawyer – but in over 20 years of advising clients about their contracts, my experience tells me that when the chips are down, and a client has a wobble, this is often the aspect of your legal foundations that will either have you punching the air with relief, or experiencing the bitter pang of regret.

And that is because, when a client has a wobble and wants out/starts making noises about a refund, their usual starting place is with the complaint “you haven’t done what you said you were going to do…”

So when that happens, we want to make sure that you have headed the hassle off at the pass with a decent programme/services description.  What we are looking for is:

• A clear step by step description of what you are doing.  This is what sets a solid foundation for your relationship with your clients and will save you hassle further down the line.  
• In a one to one contract this will be set out in a services description and in online terms and conditions you should include the detail in the programme description which is referenced in your ts and cs.  
• When writing the description, this is the question you should have in the back of your mind “If a client has a wobble at some point in the future, what are the nuts and bolts of what I am providing, so I can point to this list and show I have done all the things I promised?” So we are not talking results or marketing speak here – we are talking: number of sessions; length of sessions; amount of support in between; materials to be provided and so on.

If you make sure you put this in place you will be setting yourself up for success (and sheer relief!) in the future. 

Now you know how important this is, don’t stop here –  I offer a range of contracts written especially for coaches. And if you are keen to get all your legal essentials in place, check out my Legal Essentials Bundle.