Back to: Build Your Business
Now comes the fun part. Putting the pieces in place that you need for a strong foundation, and getting creative.
You want to make sure you have things in place such as work for hire agreements (even if it’s family or a close friend!), policy outlines, information gathering template, welcome/onboarding messages. (We have templates for all of these items in your resources section that you can model from and make your own.)
Agreements are important to have in place because no matter how close a relationship you have with someone, there could easily be a misunderstanding that could blow out of proportion if there is not an agreement in place. You don’t want to ruin your relationship or your reputation over something like this.
Decide ahead of time what your vision is for the business. How do you want to run things? Put those policies in place. Decide on what your clients/customers can expect from you and what you expect from them as well (if that applies to you). Set boundaries right up front so there is no confusion about when your work hours are, how to reach you, how to best communicate, etc.
Don’t be afraid to put your expectations from the client in your policies also. You want to be clear about how you communicate best, what time line you expect things in for projects in order for their deliverables to be completed on time, and any other expectations you have. Putting this in writing won’t make them run the other way. It will give them even more respect for you.
Information gathering templates are great for finding out information that can help you custom design the end experience to the client/customer. Things like their birthday (day and month only) so you can send a card or gift, mailing address, best way to contact and when, are they married/have a partner, do they have children, pets, etc. are great to know to build your relationship with them. You can stand out from the crowd if you are going above and beyond to make them feel special. Send a small gift of one of their favorite foods or a gift card to their favorite coffee shop if they are having a stressful week (personal issues or work stress). Send a great article or recipe you found that relates to a conversation you had recently. There are ways you can stand out that don’t require a lot of money, just some thought, and that is much easier when you know some background.
Have an email system/CRM in place so you can keep track of all the people you work with, are in contact with etc. and it is also a way to create a signup form so people can sign up to be on your online newsletter (if you choose to send one). Yes, this is a small investment but it is worth it to start with this early, not put it off till later. This is also where you will send out your welcome/onboard message from. This message is a warm welcome to your new client or customer with all the important information they need to know included in it. It should be something that is easy for them to print off and keep handy if they want to but also make them feel seen and part of your brand.
You can also have some business cards created and printed at this time. Use the front and the back. The front should always share your business name, your name, contact info, and website URL. The back is great for putting information you think they should know such as a tagline, hours of operation, important information that makes you stand out from the crowd. It is a small investment for cards. You can order them on Vistaprint or shop around to some local print shops if you have some in your area to get the best options and pricing.
Action Steps For This Lesson
Make sure you have prepared all your paperwork for new clients
Be clear about your vision for your business and the policies you need in place to achieve this
Decide what information you would like to gather and put together ideas on what you can do with that information to build relationships
Choose a CRM system and get that all setup
Order business cards
Have questions about this lesson?
Email Us!