The idea for this week’s post topic bubbled up from a recent project with a client, but the foundational concept is something I’ve been practicing for decades in large organizations like the federal government, my solopreneur clients and all sizes of businesses in between.
I’ll start with the one liner you should take away from this episode – You have to clearly guide your potential and current clients through your processes.
If you’d rather listen than read, I recorded a version of this for my podcast. You can subscribe to “Book Coach Biz Tips” on Apple or Spotify.
You Know What They Say About Assumptions
You can’t assume they know what to do next or what the result will be when they do.
Giving people the next steps for potentially working with you, during client onboarding, or when a project is done will help them understand what they need to do and set expectations on both sides.
I’ll share a recent example with one of my clients. She’s planning to use a new system to send proposals and contracts, so here’s how I set up the work flow.
- First, above the area where the client signs the contract I added text that says “After signature, you’ll be taken to the Acceptance form and the deposit invoice.”
- They’re automatically taken to the form after signature. The top of the form says Please fill out this Acceptance form to make sure we have the most up to date information and press the next button at the bottom of the page.
- Then they get a message that says “Thank you for completing the Acceptance Form, you’ll now be taken to the deposit invoice.” >
- After they pay the invoice they get a message that says “Thank you for taking care of the deposit for your project. We’ll email you within two business days with your client portal log in and next steps.
You may notice that every time the client may have had a question, I made sure the answer was already there and they knew what to expect next. This way my client wasn’t distracted from her work to answer process questions and she can close deals faster because potential clients aren’t pulled out of the flow.
This client also offers monthly packages at a reduced rate after her initial project, which she mentions In her off boarding email.
But I suggested she send an email 30 days before her 1:1 projects end and include a line that says, Let me know if you’d like to sign up for the monthly package at a reduced rate so I can ensure it’s in place to provide you seamless coaching as soon as your project ends in 30 days.
This way, they understand better how to get the package and why they would want to do it as soon as possible.
Following this for my own business recently helped me when I sent a proposal to a potential Strategy Session client. I had spelled out in the proposal that within 2 business days of our paid Strategy Session, I would send her an action plan based on our call and gave the fee for the action plan.
I had mentioned it on our initial Discovery call, but didn’t assume she would remember or think about it later. After getting the proposal She said she was grateful to have that information in there because she only sort of remembered me talking about it. Which is understandable. She was probably more focused on getting the strategy that would help her get more book coaching clients, and not the nitty gritty details.
And here’s how this helps you. You’ll get fewer questions and when people do ask questions, You have something to easily refer back to. And, maybe even better for you, potential clients feel confident you know what you’re doing because they can see your steps laid out in a plan that will help them achieve their goals.
So, here’s your next step. Take a look at what you write or say to potential clients and current clients to make sure each step is crystal clear and expectations are spelled out.
If you need help with this, you might be a good candidate for one of my Strategy Sessions. Book a free 30 Minute discovery call with me to find out.
Over to You
I hope this post helped you see areas where you can include more information on next steps and expectations for potential and current clients.