Coaching Intake Survey

The single most important goal, current state, prior coaching experience, time commitment available, budget range, the type of coach being considered, preferred coaching format, biggest concern about coaching, and the ideal outcome of the engagement. Together these provide the input needed for a productive first session.

ICF 2025 Global Coaching Study shows structured intake correlates with 30% higher client satisfaction. The first session is much more productive when both sides arrive with a shared understanding of goals, history, and constraints, intake removes the early sessions usually spent gathering that context.

No. Coaching outcomes vary widely by individual, goal, coach client fit, and external context. The intake survey produces useful structure for the engagement, but no intake process can guarantee specific outcomes. Treat coaching as a process, not a transaction.

After a fit conversation or discovery call but before the first paid session. The intake input becomes the document that anchors the first session and the engagement plan. Sent too early it lacks context, sent too late it slows engagement kickoff.

The coaching intake survey embed automatically sets a cookie after submission so the same browser cannot submit again from the same device. For higher-stakes use cases, gate the survey behind an email capture or a signed link sent only to a specific contact list. That eliminates duplicates from the same person across devices.

A discovery call is a 20-60 minute conversation between a prospect and a coach to determine fit on both sides. The coach learns about your situation, goals, and timeline; you learn how the coach works, what the program covers, and whether the chemistry feels right.

Readiness signals across several dimensions: commitment to show up consistently, openness to uncomfortable feedback, available time for sessions and between-session work, budget fit for the typical program investment, and a directional outcome you want to achieve.

The most common coaching categories are business or entrepreneur coaching, executive coaching, leadership coaching, career coaching, life coaching, health and wellness coaching, sales coaching, and money or financial-habits coaching.

Readiness typically requires five conditions: clear direction (not just unhappiness with the current role), financial runway for a 6-12 month transition timeline, transferable skills with a learning plan for any gaps, a network in the new direction, and a realistic risk tolerance for the uncertainty.

Consulting fees pencil out when the problem is specialized enough that experience matters more than information, the stakes are significant enough that the cost of getting it wrong exceeds the fee, the internal team lacks the specific expertise, and the timeline does not accommodate the learning curve of DIY.