Coaching program templates to help you get started fast!

Ready to launch an online coaching business but feeling stuck? To get unstuck and get your coaching program off the ground, you need to map out the growth journey you’ll take your clients on, and then plan your sessions so you and your clients get the structure needed to reach their goals. 

Selling coaching services is easier said than done, right?

That’s why we’ve created coaching program templates that you can use to map your online coaching program in just a few hours. These coaching resources are designed to be broad and flexible for a wide range of coaching types, including life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, and more.

First things first

Every coaching program should begin with an assessment that helps you understand where your client is coming from and where they’d like to go. This gives you the foundation you need to understand the client’s problem or concern and how you might solve it. 

After a client joins your program, start by asking them to complete an assessment that tells you what they’re trying to achieve, what they see as their biggest obstacles, and how willing they are to do the work to overcome those obstacles.

Tip: Use this same assessment at the end of your coaching program to measure their growth. This can be eye opening for your clients, who may not stop to realize how much they’ve achieved. 

A generic coaching program template

Each coaching session should take your clients one step closer to their final outcome. A generic agenda for your coaching sessions might be:

• Welcome, overview, and a quick update on what’s working, what’s not, and challenges that the client needs help with
• Teaching (you have the floor) or listening (your client has the floor)
• Collaboration and discussion
• Action plan
  

Tip: Always let your client know in advance:

• Learning material they need to review before the session
• What to bring to the session
• Hardware specifications for joining the session
• What to expect during the session
  

Tip: You can add this information to your coaching program. In each session’s agenda, list the learning materials your client needs to review. Give them an assignment or action steps. And when to schedule a 1:1 session with you.

Mapping your coaching program

Coaching programs may be any length. But they’re often 4, 6, or 12 weeks. It largely depends on the complexity of the solution you’re offering and the amount of 1:1 training you give each client. 

As you design your coaching program, think about the growth journey your clients must take to go from where they are now to where they want to be. Usually, that journey looks like this:

• Setting the goal and identifying the things holding them back (This may be different for everyone.)
• Mindset adjustment — realizing the goal is achievable and accepting the work or growth that will need to happen to achieve their goal
• Step-by-step lessons, training, or support (Usually, one growth step is covered in each coaching session.)
• Evaluation, Q&A, and assessments
• Next steps

To achieve success, your clients will need to move through all of these steps. But you don’t need to dedicate a session to each of them. Mindset, for instance, may be covered in just five minutes in your first session. Or you may assign homework that helps with mindset challenges.

The meat-and-potatoes of your coaching program are the step-by-step lessons you’ll take them through. And this is where you’ll start when you map out your coaching program. So pull out a blank document or a pad of paper, and list the growth steps your clients need to go through to get from “here” to “there.”

Now simplify. Combine steps that work together. Remove unnecessary steps. Try to create a growth plan that can be completed in 4, 6, or 12 weeks. 

List any resources or homework that will facilitate that journey. Then create a lesson plan for each of the steps in your growth plan. Voila! Your coaching program is mapped. You only need to build it out, and you’re ready to launch.

Sample 12-week coaching plan

There’s no right way to build out your coaching program. As mentioned above, your best guide is the unique growth journey needed to achieve the outcomes you’ve promised. 

That said, sometimes it helps to see a coaching program template. Here’s how you might map out a 12-week coaching program.

Week 1: Onboarding and reviewing the assessment

Welcome your client to the coaching program. Share a little about your personal passion for coaching, as well as your credentials. Make the client feel confident that they’ve made a smart decision selecting you as their coach. 

Then review the client’s assessment. Pay attention to the things that excite them, scare them, or raise questions and concerns.

This is a good time to confirm that they’re in the right place, working with you, and to begin setting their goals and creating a wellness vision (more on that in week 2). 

Update them on important details such as record-keeping, confidentiality, and communication. Show them how to access your coaching program, how to work through the sessions, and where to upload their homework or record their notes. 

Let them know that you’ll be monitoring their progress, so they feel accountable. And make sure they know how to reach you with questions.

The great thing about using Kajabi for your coaching platform is that you can set up all of this once, and then automate it. The moment a client signs up for your coaching, you can automatically subscribe them to your email list. You can also set up emails with instructions or encouragement when they complete a specific lesson. 

Week 2: Developing a wellness vision

A wellness vision is how your client visualizes their best self, expressed in their own words. The wellness vision can act as a compass rose to direct your coaching, so the client experiences real success. 

Understanding key motivators

Each client is motivated differently and as the coach, it’s up to you to discover what encourages them to take action. The client already has the desire to change — it’s up to you to turn that desire into impactful action.

Ask them what they feel are the biggest benefits to making change now as opposed to later, and what finally made them decide that now was the time to make a change in their life. This will help you to uncover the key motivators that have brought them this far, and how they can continue to be used as the client progresses in their coaching session. 

Tip: Give your client some visualization exercises, reading material, or tools that will help them realize their vision. Using Kajabi’s seamless content delivery, you can ensure that your clients have access to the coaching resources they need to tackle their challenges head-on. 

Choosing a goal

Both short and long-term goals are important to the success of any coaching client, and setting specific goals gives them something to work towards during your coaching program.  Ask them to choose goals that would align with their wellness vision. Help them prioritize which goal is the most important for them to set and achieve.

Defining actions that lead to achievement

One of the best ways to help your client once they’ve chosen a goal to work toward is to convert that lofty goal into SMART behaviors that lead to the desired action. SMART stands for: 

Specific

Measurable

Attainable and Achievable

Relevant

Time-Bound

In addition, be sure to understand the client’s confidence in achieving the goal. If they sincerely believe it can’t be done, very little of what you tell and share with them will have any effect. Having them to restate the goal in their own words also gives them ownership of it and makes it more real and attainable in their minds. 

Weeks 3-10: Leading their growth journey

Each week, help your clients take the next step in their growth journey. Create a session for every step you mapped out when you planned your coaching program. Make it as actionable as possible. Yes, they may need to read an article or watch a video, but they should also do something. 

Give your clients templates, worksheets, and other resources to facilitate their growth. It’s a good idea to upload those resources to the coaching session they’re needed in, so your clients never have to hunt for them. 

Note: This sample coaching program has 12 sessions. Taking the introductory and concluding session into account, seven sessions are dedicated to the growth journey and teaching your client new skills. 

You can follow this same format for a 4-week or 6-week program. Just compress the introductory sessions and add your final send-off to the last coaching session. That gives you anywhere from two to five weeks to focus on teaching and coaching, even with a shorter coaching program.

Week 11: Discussing and evaluating progress

As you wrap up your coaching program, you may want to revisit the wellness vision and talk about what your client has learned so far. Getting them to state the progress they’ve made in their own words helps them realize how much value they’ve taken away from your coaching.

This is a good time to address challenges they’re still struggling with and answer lingering questions.

Within their dashboard on Kajabi, the client can go back and review any of the work they’ve done at any time, and you, as their coach, can see their progress. This helps you course-correct if necessary or give them a gentle nudge toward completing any remaining exercises or tasks.

Week 12: Exploring pathways forward and next steps

In the final session with your clients, it’s a good idea to look toward the future. Encourage them to continue on their growth journey. Share resources that could help them. Map out a unique next-step for them. 

Be sure to thank them for their hard work. Should they need more help, now is the perfect time to highlight other coaching offers that might help them continue their growth journey.  

Your goal is to help them step into their new future while retaining them as a client and encouraging referrals. 

Coaching resources and ideas 

By now, you’ve got your coaching program mapped out and you’ve built your coaching program template. Let’s make sure you get it off to a great start. Here are some tips and ideas for getting great results.

Improve your coaching skills

If you’re struggling to help your clients succeed, you may need to brush up your coaching skills. At Kajabi, you’ll find tons of resources for coaches and other knowledge entrepreneurs.

Here are some guides to get you started:

• How to improve your coaching skills
• How to become an online business coach
• How to get more coaching clients

Get feedback at regular intervals

It’s important that you review your progress with your clients periodically. A great way to do that is with Kajabi’s Assessments. Use them to get feedback and determine areas where you can improve. 

In addition, with Kajabi, you can tag certain answers in your surveys and assessments and build automations that address those issues. For instance, if your client is struggling with a session, send them more resources. If they look like a good candidate for another coaching program, after they finish their current sessions, let them know it’s available.

Respond to the challenges without judgement

Challenges are inevitably going to surface, and when they do, it’s important that you and your client work together to solve them. That means anticipating what those challenges could be and having the tools and strategies to deal with them as they arise. 

Clients can become defensive, obstinate, pessimistic, or fearful. It’s important to remember that these emotions are part of the growth journey. Don’t judge!

Accept your client’s journey. Work with them to find the source of this negativity. And work together to turn things around. 

Focusing on the problems themselves may not shift your client’s thinking. Helping them see their progress and believe in their future success will almost always help them overcome negativity and get excited again. 

Remember, coaching as a whole is a trust-building exercise. The more you communicate with your clients and guide them, the more you’ll continue to build trust and credibility. 

Reaffirm the wellness vision 

Week after week, it’s easy to get so focused on the immediate goal that you lose sight of what the client truly wants. It’s entirely possible that during their sessions with you, they’ve discovered a great deal more about themselves than before, which has in turn opened up new strengths and new challenges. 

It can help to revisit the wellness vision, reaffirming the goal and your client’s commitment to it. Completing a “check-in” like this helps your client focus on what’s truly important and not get too bogged down in “analysis paralysis.” 

Selling coaching services with Kajabi

Designing a coaching program template is pretty simple. But as you can see, it can be challenging to create a program and structure that gives your clients the outcome they’re looking for. That’s where Kajabi can help.

With a system that fully integrates your website, online store and coaching system (including payment and scheduling, private notes and progress), Kajabi gives you more than coaching agendas and a way to connect with your clients.

It’s a full solution that helps you provide an incredible customer experience while giving you the freedom to market your coaching business your way. Whether that’s through email, a podcast, or direct outreach and scheduling, you have everything you need at your fingertips to make it happen. 

Plus, because there are no hidden fees, more of your profits stay in your pockets. This allows you to grow and scale your business at your own pace, without costly transaction fees eating away at your profits. 

With Kajabi, it’s easy to leverage your knowledge to build a profitable coaching business. So what’s holding you back? Start your free trial today!

Still researching?

Check out our downloadable guides. Or, join us for live Q&A webinars every day, Monday through Friday. Register today to learn everything you need to know to succeed as a knowledge entrepreneur, including selling products, Kajabi themes, pipelines, webinars, and the Kajabi Partner Program.

Watch this video to get tips from three coaches using Kajabi:
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