The biggest mistake I see in Client Agreements – and what to do instead [SAMPLE LANGUAGE]

by | Sep 7, 2020 | Client Agreement

During the past couple of weeks I have been sharing some Legal Love™ around Client Agreements because protecting your income is so important during this new reality we’re navigating these days.

It breaks my heart when I see things go wrong on the legal front.

My whole goal is for you to feel safe, secure, confident and empowered to create whatever you want in your business.

That’s why I want to share with you the biggest mistake I see in Client Agreements – and what to do instead.

 

 

The biggest mistake I see is biz owners and coaches using a very short contract – like only 1-2 pages.

I know, I know.

You might be afraid to send a 4-5 page contract because you worry your clients will think it’s “too long” and might scare them away.

However, short contracts are generally vaguely worded or incomplete in that they are missing key sections which can work against you.

The way that law works is that if something is not spelled out in writing, it’s harder to prove or defend. The vague language can more easily be construed against you – which isn’t good.

You need to spell out your policies in detail to be super-clear – which means a Client Agreement usually needs to be more than 1-2 pages. 

Here’s an example if you have a 30-day money back guarantee…

VAGUE WORDING (don’t say this): “I offer a 30-day refund.”

Yep, that’s short and sweet but how does the refund work? Is it a full refund? Partial refund? Is it 30 days from the date of purchase? Or 30 days from the date when the course starts? Do they have to email you to get the refund? Turn in any homework?

See how short and sweet can be so vague????

CLEARER WORDING (say this): “You have 30 days from your date of purchase to request a refund by sending an email to me at this email address:  ________________.com.”

See how that’s more specific?

Here’s an action step for you: Check out your own Client Agreement’s refund policy. Is it short and sweet and vague – or longer and more specific?

(Don’t have a refund policy? Don’t have a Client Agreement or need a new one?
Grab my DIY Client Agreement here.)

NOTE: If you’re a licensed practitioner who is wanting to get into the online space for 1-on-1 work, please book a free 20-minute Legal Chat with my team BEFORE you use a Client Agreement because it may not be right for you depending on what you want to do.

Here’s to understanding why you don’t want to have a super-short Client Agreement – and why you need to spell out your policies with clear wording instead!