Client Expectations & Onboarding

Episode 004 Setting Client Expectations & Onboarding

I love the feeling when a client or customer says yes, yes to me and the service I have created for them! The investment for that person can be life changing and very scary at the same time. So are they feeling confident and nurtured once they have put their money down or are they feeling ripped off?

At its fundamental core, we as humans need to belong and need safety. Your clients are exactly the same with the same basic needs. No one wants to feel just like a number or dollars in a bank account. Creating this nurtured environment right from the beginning is so important. Long term clients are gold, and everyone strives for them. But as soon as the dollars hit the bank account there seems to be a disconnect with expectations and delivery.

Welcome your clients

The whole purpose of an onboarding strategy in your business is to welcome your wonderful new clients into your business. Many will have so many question and wonder how the process is going to happen. This is when I believe we mess up the most, we don’t set the good old “Boundaries” for fear of scaring our new clients and customers. Stop that thinking right now, they have paid you in cold hard cash people, they are yours, time to talk rules of the game! Set your expectations now so they know how to interact with you, when they can contact you, what they are getting from you and how. A great example is I cringe when I see people in Facebook groups complaining that their customers have become unruly and contacting them at all hours of the day and night! This is your fault honey!!!! Sorry to be the fun police here, you need to stand up for yourself and state really clearly that there are xyz methods of contact between these hours and that’s it, stick to it!

Boundaries

You are not in business to be a slave to your clients and customers, make that declaration now, I want to hear you screaming that from the rooftops. You are worthy of a great working relationship with your clients.

Also now is nice time to also consider sending them a gift. This is completely optional, and very much depends on the price of the course!  A gift can be anything, I have seen some pretty amazing gifts in my time from gift baskets to vouchers, bottles of champagne and flowers right through to personally signed thankyou cards! For me I love the handwritten note, it means you actually took time out of your day to write something to me, and champagne, I am a sucker for champagne!

Implementation

Your clients are like sponges right now and ready to receive all the goodness you will be shipping or teaching them.

Depending on where you are right now in your business, your onboarding strategy will be different. So I wanted to go through a few different style of onboarding, you can mix and match or do something completely different. This is where you bring your personality and style into the equation.

This absolutely needs to be an automated process, again you are not a slave to your business, I will be popping in with the concepts of systems & automation a lot! Along with the show notes there will be a checklist and resource list that you can download to get your onboarding process done. Make sure you look out for that one!

Strategies can include a straight email campaign where you send a number of emails over a week welcoming them into the business, explaining more about yourself or the business, and explaining more about what they have purchased. You must include information around how they can seek support, whether that is through an email or telephone number and what hours they can reach you.

I love the option of a questionnaire, in the case of a service business this could be around getting to know your clients better, or if you have sold them a product it can be about their shopping experience! Your audience loves to give opinions so give them every opportunity to tell you how they are feeling. You find out so much information about your systems, and often where things have been missed or links are broken!

Managing your clients expectations is EVERYTHING, if I could write the word everything in capitals I would bold it also!!!! Client onboarding is so much about making sure that there is no buyers remorse. The time between paying their money and receiving the goods or services from you can be a void of time to think and reflect, if you are nurturing them and serving them in a way that makes them feel appreciated you take the unnecessary doubt out of their minds.

Another option and I know quite a lot of you will be squirming at the thought, but don’t knock it until you try it, record some short videos! ! I promise you do not need to be in your Sunday best with all the bells and whistles. People love to connect with you, and what better way than video straight up to make them feel at ease with you!

Record 3 or 4 short 1 min videos or one longer video explaining all the elements that are required to work with you and gives them a feeling of security that they have made the right decision. These can be emailed out or you can create modules on your website, on its own dedicated page! Another great option is a short welcome call with them, but I often see this happening once a few housekeeping emails go out.

Welcome Sequence

Creating a welcome sequence is not as hard as many imagine, think about how you would like to be treated after you make a purchase. What information would you like to know and how would you like to feel. Your onboarding strategy is an extension of your brand and is demonstrating to your clients your authority in the space.

There are countless studies and internet facts that keeping clients is easier than getting new ones. , Consider this onboarding process as part of your sales which creates such a wonderful experience for your clients that they turn into walking billboards. Personal testimonials and recommendations are gold, these advocates for your business are so important, they are literally money cant buy advertising. In the message dense world we live in, we are opting for more personal recommendations than ever before, so make sure that you are utilising all aspects of your business to create these amazing people for you in the long run!

Download and additional help.

I have created a great checklist and examples for you to get started creating your own onboarding experience for your clients. Please as always share your ideas in the group or ask for help! If you are not part of Plan to Profit community then please check out the link below and join our brand-new community!

Meet Your Host

Carol Lange 

From a young age I have been surrounded by business success. Having formally studied a Double Degree of Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Management, this led to many successful opportunities.

I have been an employee for large accounting firms and international companies. I have run two highly successful businesses, becoming sought after in my industry internationally.

I have spoken nationally on the topic of money management and loved having the quiet coffee making radical changes for my clients. I am not a limelight chaser, just a quiet achiever looking to make a difference in the world.

Thankyou for joining me on the podcast, my dream is to inspire you to take action that will create a difference in your life! Dream no more and live the life that you have always wanted.