Up until now, you’ve more or less been setting the table for your clients. And you’ve done a great job, but your client is hungry. So let’s get to the main course: actually running the damn project.
Ready? Let’s dig in.
Up until now, you’ve more or less been setting the table for your clients. And you’ve done a great job, but your client is hungry. So let’s get to the main course: actually running the damn project.
Ready? Let’s dig in.
Start with a rock-solid onboarding experience
Start with a rock-solid onboarding experience
Client onboarding is far from a formality; it’s a crucial stage that sets the tone for your entire working relationship.
The good news? You’re not starting from scratch. The client’s experience of working with you began with your first contact (you know, when you were selling your services and communicating your pricing like an absolute pro). Now your job is to seamlessly carry that experience through the duration of the
project. This starts with onboarding.
As a rule, I encourage you not to feel obligated to be overly “business-y.” The smaller your business is, the more you can take advantage of your agility. You’ve likely noticed that as companies grow, they tend to become bogged down by layers of bureaucracy—more people, more departments, more approvals. This can be a death sentence for momentum and enthusiasm. Many clients are pleasantly surprised when they experience a consulting process that emphasizes speed and responsiveness over unnecessary red tape and decorum.
That said, there are foundational steps that you should not overlook.
Client onboarding is far from a formality; it’s a crucial stage that sets the tone for your entire working relationship.
The good news? You’re not starting from scratch. The client’s experience of working with you began with your first contact (you know, when you were selling your services and communicating your pricing like an absolute pro). Now your job is to seamlessly carry that experience through the duration of the
project. This starts with onboarding.
As a rule, I encourage you not to feel obligated to be overly “business-y.” The smaller your business is, the more you can take advantage of your agility. You’ve likely noticed that as companies grow, they tend to become bogged down by layers of bureaucracy—more people, more departments, more approvals. This can be a death sentence for momentum and enthusiasm. Many clients are pleasantly surprised when they experience a consulting process that emphasizes speed and responsiveness over unnecessary red tape and decorum.
That said, there are foundational steps that you should not overlook.
Lawyer up (just once)
Lawyer up (just once)
Okay, everything I said above is still true, but there’s one notable exception you can’t ignore: you will need to preemptively cover your own ass, in a legal sense. I strongly recommend having a lawyer draft a simple contract for your agreements. This shouldn’t cost too much, and will pay for itself in the long run.
This document should protect your interests as a business owner, covering aspects such as payment terms, confidentiality, and liability issues. A well-structured contract not only safeguards you; it also reinforces professionalism in the eyes of your client.
The thing to understand is that there is a sweet spot to find. Don’t be too business-y, but also, give them enough confidence that you’re not going to cut and run the moment the deposit payment lands.
Great onboarding starts with clear communication
Great onboarding starts with clear communication
The easiest way for a client relationship to go south quickly is to have an easily avoidable misunderstanding. They usually crop up over something you didn’t think you needed to mention; maybe you set a project rate assuming that no client in their right mind would ask for more than three rounds of revisions, and
now you’re on “FINAL_V8”, wondering how you got here. Or maybe your client emailed you at 6 am and is visibly distraught that they haven’t heard back by 6:55.
There’s no real way to know how you’ll work with a client until you’re actually working with them, but putting your ideal relationship and workflow into writing will help you more than anything in getting closer to that vision and sticking to it.
Even the most casual and chilled-out clients still want to hear that you have a proven process, and that it’s repeatable with them in achieving the goals that they’ve outlined. But most importantly, you should have a process that feels natural, necessary, and appropriate for your size.
I recommend writing a straightforward, easily digestible onboarding email that both you and your client can easily refer back to over the duration of the project. In this email, you can clearly set out your process around things like turnaround times, delivery methods, how you’d like the client to provide feedback (in an email? In the “comments” section of whichever platform you’re working in? Over Zoom?), your working hours, communication windows, and how you ideally like to be briefed on work.
You should also use this time to walk your client through your typical workflow. For example:
The easiest way for a client relationship to go south quickly is to have an easily avoidable misunderstanding. They usually crop up over something you didn’t think you needed to mention; maybe you set a project rate assuming that no client in their right mind would ask for more than three rounds of revisions, and
now you’re on “FINAL_V8”, wondering how you got here. Or maybe your client emailed you at 6 am and is visibly distraught that they haven’t heard back by 6:55.
There’s no real way to know how you’ll work with a client until you’re actually working with them, but putting your ideal relationship and workflow into writing will help you more than anything in getting closer to that vision and sticking to it.
Even the most casual and chilled-out clients still want to hear that you have a proven process, and that it’s repeatable with them in achieving the goals that they’ve outlined. But most importantly, you should have a process that feels natural, necessary, and appropriate for your size.
I recommend writing a straightforward, easily digestible onboarding email that both you and your client can easily refer back to over the duration of the project. In this email, you can clearly set out your process around things like turnaround times, delivery methods, how you’d like the client to provide feedback (in an email? In the “comments” section of whichever platform you’re working in? Over Zoom?), your working hours, communication windows, and how you ideally like to be briefed on work.
You should also use this time to walk your client through your typical workflow. For example:
workflows
If you’re a designer, walk the client through your entire creative process: how you ideate and research, how you deliver your work, and how the client can keep the project moving on their end.
If you’re a fractional CFO or bookkeeper, explain how you plan to audit their financials, and provide examples of what you’ll go over every time you meet.
If you’re a marketer, take the client through your process for exploring new channels and how you plan to track campaigns over time.
Having all this in writing makes it way easier to set boundaries and stick to them. And if your client is being unreasonable, you have something to (nicely) point to that tells them so, instead of having to have an awkward conversation after a few weeks, or worse, saying nothing and white-knuckling it through a nightmare workflow until the project is over.
An exceptional project is a well-executed one
An exceptional project is a well-executed one
There are many different types of projects and ways of working that you might be planning for your clients. You could have a very straight-up consulting gig that only requires you to show up; or maybe you’re being brought in for a very specific project with a timeline and deliverables. Regardless of what you’re doing for your clients, I want you to focus on two things:
1) Prioritize clear, open communication, always.
Find whatever way you can to have a free-flowing communication channel with your client. Slack is great for this, but I’ve even had clients in WhatsApp groups before (I use these more sparingly since they can blur the line between business and personal). Having these open, perennially active channels ensures that you’re mutually available to one another. Obfuscating, complicated communication is for big companies, and that’s just not you.
2) Find a process that’s just enough.
When I say “just enough”, I mean the level of process that you need to run projects that are clear to all parties, well-executed, and completed on time. Once you’ve found that level of process, don’t take it any further. Remember, your agility is your asset. Enjoy it while you can. One day you might be so big that you’re bringing people into the company who bring nothing but process.
Finding your “just enough” process will take a little trial and error, and may change slightly depending on the nature and extent of your engagements. You might also find that your “just enough” is your client’s “not be nearly enough”, or conversely that you spend a lot of time preparing project process materials for clients who never end up reading them.
No matter what your process, start as small as you can, and take the temperature of clients as you go. Create a small internal project tracker, include a timeline, and add a running log of all your meeting notes. The project should feel very clear to you. If the client insinuates that they need more clarity—or straight up asks for it—give it to them. With that said…
3) Own your boundaries.
You are not an indentured servant. The project might be the most important thing in the world to the client, but you put your boundaries in writing at the beginning of this project for a reason.
Most projects are subject to a certain amount of change, but resist the urge to give into everything the client throws your way. You do not need to bend to their will every single time. It may feel difficult at first—finding the line between flexibility and spinelessness can be surprisingly hard—but maintaining strong boundaries will serve both you and the client well.
There are many different types of projects and ways of working that you might be planning for your clients. You could have a very straight-up consulting gig that only requires you to show up; or maybe you’re being brought in for a very specific project with a timeline and deliverables. Regardless of what you’re doing for your clients, I want you to focus on two things:
1) Prioritize clear, open communication, always.
Find whatever way you can to have a free-flowing communication channel with your client. Slack is great for this, but I’ve even had clients in WhatsApp groups before (I use these more sparingly since they can blur the line between business and personal). Having these open, perennially active channels ensures that you’re mutually available to one another. Obfuscating, complicated communication is for big companies, and that’s just not you.
2) Find a process that’s just enough.
When I say “just enough”, I mean the level of process that you need to run projects that are clear to all parties, well-executed, and completed on time. Once you’ve found that level of process, don’t take it any further. Remember, your agility is your asset. Enjoy it while you can. One day you might be so big that you’re bringing people into the company who bring nothing but process.
Finding your “just enough” process will take a little trial and error, and may change slightly depending on the nature and extent of your engagements. You might also find that your “just enough” is your client’s “not be nearly enough”, or conversely that you spend a lot of time preparing project process materials for clients who never end up reading them.
No matter what your process, start as small as you can, and take the temperature of clients as you go. Create a small internal project tracker, include a timeline, and add a running log of all your meeting notes. The project should feel very clear to you. If the client insinuates that they need more clarity—or straight up asks for it—give it to them. With that said…
3) Own your boundaries.
You are not an indentured servant. The project might be the most important thing in the world to the client, but you put your boundaries in writing at the beginning of this project for a reason.
Most projects are subject to a certain amount of change, but resist the urge to give into everything the client throws your way. You do not need to bend to their will every single time. It may feel difficult at first—finding the line between flexibility and spinelessness can be surprisingly hard—but maintaining strong boundaries will serve both you and the client well.
Don’t get caught up in the day-to-day
Don’t get caught up in the day-to-day
Process is important, but managing it should never eclipse the actual work you’re doing. Getting caught up in the tedium of the day-to-day is a slippery slope. Remember, what matters more is achieving the results you promised. If the critical stuff is clear to your client, that’s all that really matters.
Process is important, but managing it should never eclipse the actual work you’re doing. Getting caught up in the tedium of the day-to-day is a slippery slope. Remember, what matters more is achieving the results you promised. If the critical stuff is clear to your client, that’s all that really matters.