Booking a new client is always super exciting! Whether it’s your first or your 791st they all are so important to you. You want them to enjoy the time they spend with you, but experience has shown you that you still need to establish some boundaries. Your clients will appreciate knowing what to expect from you and what you expect from them, so don’t feel bad for setting some ground rules. This is why having a client welcome guide is so important! These “boundaries” aren’t actually gonna look like boundaries at all! They are just gonna look like a high-end I’m so excited to be working with you, kinda thing.
Now if you don’t currently have a welcome guide, or you’re starting to think your current guide needs a revamp, you probably are looking for ideas on what to include in your welcome guide. Well here are the two most important things to include in your client welcome guide
Authentic Office Hours are a must
I’m sure you assumed that you would incorporate your office hours, but if you’re still in side-hustle mode or a work from home mom, your office hours may not fit into the traditional 9-5 concept. AND THAT’S TOTALLY OK!!!
There is nothing wrong with working in the wee hours of the morning, or way late at night. Personally, I am typically up at 5 am and work until my little family decides to greet the day. But my clients want to know when I am actually available not pretend hours that I made up because it’s what I assume people want to see.
So when figuring out your established work hours, be authentic. Whether you’re an early bird, a night owl or a grab a moment when I can kinda person. Embrace it!
How you’ll communicate during your project
Letting your clients know how you’re going to keep in touch along your journey is an absolute must. Do you use slack to stay in touch? Make sure you include instructions on how to use slack. Want all your communication to stay in Honeybook? Then let them know. Don’t mind your clients texting or using Instagram DM? Then let them know that too!
It doesn’t matter how you want to communicate, all that matters is that you let your clients know when you’re reaching out, how you’re reaching out and how they can reach you.
Sometimes your clients will need to ask you a question after hours. It may not be an emergency to you because you deal with unique situations all the time. But to your clients, this is all new and they need your reassurance and expertise. So including how you’ll handle communication outside of your established office hours is a must.
Bonus: Don’t forget to tell your client’s how important honest feedback is throughout the process
I cannot stress this last one enough. If your clients are nervous about giving you honest feedback, then you may run into the territory of them having a not so great experience. I make sure to let every client know that I 100% just want them to be honest. Let’s be real you can’t get it all right the first try 100% of the time. So if they don’t connect with your proposal that’s not the end of the world!
I also reiterate this point throughout the whole design process, and I would encourage you to also!
