Before You Sign: a resource center
Everything that protects you is cheaper before you sign than after. Decide one rule before you walk in: you do not sign or pay on the day. Then use the checklist, the questions to put to the seller and the red flags. A real offer will still be there Monday.
What can you learn about protecting yourself before you sign?
Three separate tools sit here. The checklist tells you what to do in the room, from the PDF you ask for to the photographs you take. The questions tell you what to ask and what answers to get in writing. The red flags tell you when to walk. A pre-committed rule matters because in the hot moment, knowing a tactic does not always translate into resisting it [S21][S16].
- FILE 01
What should I do at a coaching event so I don't sign something I regret?
Decide your rule in advance, tell someone, and work through the checklist: ask for the contract as a PDF to read overnight, photograph every screen, ask the cancellation question and the total-cost question, and leave the room before you decide.
- FILE 02
What questions should I ask before I sign a coaching contract?
Ask about the total you would owe if you never attended, how to cancel and where it is written, what happens if you miss a payment, who collects, and what past buyers typically achieve. Get every answer in writing.
- FILE 03
What are the red flags in a coaching sales pitch or contract?
Deadlines that apply only today, a refusal to send the contract first, results claims with no written disclosure, and a long fixed term sold as a payment plan. A red flag is a reason to slow down. It is not proof that anyone did anything wrong.
Sources
- S21 Friestad, M. and Wright, P. (1994), The persuasion knowledge model: how people cope with persuasion attempts · Journal of Consumer Research 21(1), 1-31 · doi.org · accessed 2026-10-27
- S16 Loewenstein, G. (1996), Out of control: visceral influences on behavior · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 65(3), 272-292 · doi.org · accessed 2026-10-27