You’ve closed the sale, landed a new client, and received the signed contract — but then what? How do you onboard new clients to ensure everyone is on the same page, you have all the information you need, and clients feel the value in your services before even getting started? This presentation, will explore how to create your own onboarding system for new clients and you will: — Get a first-hand look at a successful new client onboarding process. — Learn how to set crystal clear expectations and boundaries with clients. — Uncover the secret to blowing your clients away with value before you even start the work you were hired for and turning them into lucrative referral sources — Discover how to scale yourself, save time, and increase profits by adding an onboarding system to your business. Are you a designer, developer, or agency owner who doesn't have time to create and automate your own onboarding system? Check out http://profitableprojectplan.com

1. New Client Onboarding

2. Every service provider wants their
clients to feel empowered, happy,
and comfortable — and to have an
extraordinary experience

3. You want to create an experience that
turns clients into raving fans who refer
you to their friends, colleagues, and
social networks

4. Creating an extraordinary client
experience begins the minute a client
signs a contract and pays the deposit
It begins with the
onboarding process

5. The Confusion About Client
Onboarding

6. As onboarding has become a more
widely understood concept, it has
become a buzzword
Somewhere along the way, people
began confusing onboarding with
positioning and lead generation

7. What onboarding is not...
1. Creating a portfolio
2. Showcasing testimonials and case studies
3. Making your website easy to navigate
4. Using a dedicated inquiry form
These are not part of onboarding because...

8. Onboarding deals with paying clients
It starts when the contract is signed
and the deposit is paid and ends when
the work you were hired for begins

9. And, any business in any industry,
including both service-based
businesses and product business,
can and should implement an
onboarding system

10. What Is New Client
Onboarding?

11. What is client onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of getting new
clients up to speed so you can:
Work together effectively
Get all the information you need
Have a great relationship with clients

12. “People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did.
But people will never forget how
you made them feel.”
— MAYA ANGELOU

13. During the onboarding process...
New clients acquire the necessary
knowledge, understanding, and tools
needed to be a good client
You acquire the necessary knowledge,
understanding, and tools needed to be a
good service provider

14. Onboarding sets
expectations and boundaries
Crystal clear expectations and
boundaries reduce or eliminate
potential conflicts and hurdles

15. There are three core areas
to focus on when setting
expectations and boundaries
during onboarding

16. What to expect from you, what is expected
of the client, what’s next, the full process1
Availability, best forms of communication,
turn around times, boundaries2
How communication, revisions, approval,
and scope changes will be handled3

17. Onboarding also sets the project tone with...
A strong project kick-off
Client affirmation and confirmation
Client education and value delivery
Information gathering and discovery

18. Bottom Line
Client onboarding is a fancy name
for the process of getting started
with a new client and completing
the project kick-off tasks

19. Two Parts To A Successful
Onboarding Experience

20. Internal onboarding
+
External onboarding

21. External onboarding (for the client)
Welcome the client
Explain the process and set expectations
Educate the client
Add value with surprise tools
Questionnaire to gather information

22. Internal onboarding (for you)
CRM documentation and tags
Welcome and kick-off tasks
Add to project management system
Complete initial project tasks
Set up reminders

23. How To Create Your Own
Onboarding System

24. When I first implemented an onboarding
system in my business, it reduced
administrative time on projects by 50%
and inspired the creation of my entire
client management system,
Profitable Project Plan

25. “All things are created twice; mentally
and physically. The key is to begin
with the end in mind, with a vision
and a blueprint of the desired result.”
— STEPHEN COVEY

26. Systems and processes matter
When you fly by the seat of your pants,
things slip through the cracks
Documented processes ensure consistent
client experiences

27. An onboarding system is proven to...
Increase confidence and satisfaction
Improve productivity and performance
Reduce stress and confusion
And not just for clients, but for you too!

28. The goal is to provide the client the tools,
education, and resources needed to reduce
ambiguity and uncertainty so it is easier for
you and your clients to work together
1 Figure out what must be included
in your onboarding campaign

29. Ask these questions...
What do your clients need to know?
What do your clients need to learn?
What do your clients need to do?
What do you need to do?
How can you add value?

30. Ultimately, you need to know
what you want to achieve with
your onboarding system

31. Benefits of successful onboarding...
Fewer revisions and changes
Greater trust and undertsanding
A client who is happy they hired you
Better client care and support
Improved work product

32. Once you decide what needs to be included
in your onboarding system, it must be
organized in a way that makes easy for the
client to review and understand
2 Outline the onboarding system
and create the content

33. Think about these things...
What order should the content I provide
be in to provide the best experience?
How can I make the content simple
and easy for anyone to understand?
What do I need to communicate to
achieve my onboarding goals?

34. Each step of an onboarding campaign
should build upon the previous step
to educate, empower, and equip the
client to be a great client

35. How the information, tools, and reosurces
are provided is just as important as what you
provide — if it isn’t easy and convenient, the
client will ignore it
3 Decide upon the delivery method
of your onboarding campaign

36. Delivery options...
Canned responses
Email automation
Membership site
PDF welcome packet
PM system notes

37. After more than eight years of using
and teaching my onboarding system
as part of Profitable Project Plan,
email automation is still the most
successful delivery method

38. No one likes email or an inbox full
of things to respond to, but...
Everyone uses email
every single day

39. Nothing will be perfect the first time you use
it and you can’t anticipate every question or
problem a client will encounter, so create
and start using your system right away
4 Create and test your onboarding
system to work out the kinks

40. Creation and testing reminders...
Proofread everything carefully, twice!
Gather a diverse focus group for testing
Use with clients and ask for feedback
Let them know you’re testing a new
business process and value their input

41. When testing your onboarding
system pay attention to the questions
clients ask and work the answers
into your content to reduce
future questions

42. Always be on the lookout
for improvements
Set a reminder in your calendar to
evaluate your onboarding system on
an annual basis

43. “A person who never made a mistake
never tried anything new.”
— ALBERT EINSTEIN

44. A Few Quick Tips

45. Make your questionnaire the last step
of your onboarding process
If you find that clients take a long time
to return your questionnaire, it may
be because they don’t feel confident
in their answers yet — use your
onboarding content to help them
1

46. With a documented system, you can
automate or delegate onboarding
Automation allows you to successfully
onboard new clients without you,
which ensures all clients have a
consistent, extraordinary experience.
2

47. Automation isn’t meant to replace
you and eliminate client interaction
Automation is meant to free up time by
managing the repetitive and non-strategic
administrative tasks so you can spend
more focused time on the important
work that matters most
3

48. Skip the hard work and enroll in
Profitable Project Plan
If you’re a designer, developer, consultant,
or creative professional who sells website
services, my entire onboarding system
(and much more) is included in Profitable
Project Plan — done for you and ready to
be customized for your brand
4

49. An onboarding system is the key to establishing
common ground and providing the client
extra education to help them feel comfortable,
empowered, and excited about the project...
It is your opportunity to recap the scope of work,
the process, and what comes next...
And to remind the client that hiring you
was a brilliant idea!

50. “What you get by achieving your
goals is not as important as what you
become by achieving your goals.”
— HENRY DAVID THOREAU

51. jenniferbourn.com | @jenniferbourn