The Working Agreement Most Coaches Skip
Between the legal PDF and the vibe: response times, homework, and what done looks like.
The intake PDF is not a working agreement. A vibe is not one either. After the fall reset, say the rules out loud.
The Four Lines
- Response — “I reply on business days within 24 hours. After 7pm waits.”
- Homework — “One experiment. If you skip it, we coach the skip.”
- Done — “We’ll know this is working when [score / behavior].”
- Stop — “If this leaves coaching, we refer.”
Put it next to the cancellation policy, not inside the onboarding fine print they never read.
How to Deliver It
Read the four lines in session 1. Ask “What would make this unfair?” Adjust one thing. Write the version they heard.
Where Coaches Break
- Saving it for “when something goes wrong.” That’s when you’re already negotiating from behind.
- Writing a seventh page. Four lines. If it needs a lawyer, that’s a different document.
The 3-Minute Action
Write the four lines for your current offer. Send them to one active client as “how we’ll work this fall.”