Woohoo - congrats! You've landed the business and are kicking off a new partnership, but now what? You don't just launch into go-mode; it's time to onboard your new client. The onboarding process is vital as it helps you communicate with your client how you'll be working together, what to expect and even shape the energy around the project or partnership. If onboarding a new client has been a daunting task or inconsistent part of your business, we're sharing three tried + true tips to help you welcome your new client with professionalism and ease.
1. Schedule a Partnership Kick-Off Meeting
The greatest way to start off your new partnership is with a client onboard meeting. Whether it's Zoom or in-person, this meeting is a great way to get to know one another, lay some groundwork and establish a trusting relationship. When we host virtual meetings we always send an agenda ahead of time along with any project details we'll be referencing. If it's an in-person meeting, we'll bring agendas with us (and with some yummy snacks!). During the meeting, we really get to know our clients personally, answer and ask any lingering questions and get familiar with how our new client operates.
2. Discuss + Align on Goals
Project goals should always be completely clear to both you and the client when embarking on a new project together.
This is something that can be discussed in your onboarding meeting if time permits, but we typically schedule a second meeting that is very specific to strategy and goals to make the best use of time.
This is a great time to talk about what success means to the client and opens up the floor for honest conversation about what their goals are for their team along with any stakeholders. We'll also share our tactics and an overview of how we can best help our client reach their goals.
3. Ask for feedback
Feedback is a two-way street in any working relationship, so it's important to ask for and give feedback when appropriate
It's critical to ask questions like: "Is this meeting schedule working for you?" or "Does this timeline work in tandem with your goals?" to lend to a healthy working and communicative partnership. We always give space for our clients to ask questions and like to work in a way that encourages conversation!
Do you have any other questions about onboarding a client? If you do, drop them below!