Your marketing is working. After months and months (or even years) of splotchy leads you are now getting solid nibbles that have potential. From the right (your website and social media efforts), from the left (your newsletter and blog posts), it feels like you’re sloshing in the middle where you’re about to nearly drown with requests for a quote or an appointment to talk about how only your business can help. Don’t grab an umbrella to deflect anything or run for cover instead slip your tootsies into some galoshes and get ready to wade forward knowing what NOT to do and what to DO when it’s raining clients.
First, let’s review what NOT to do:
- Don’t panic.
- Don’t stop marketing…entirely.
- Don’t feel that everyone needs to have their consultations or assessment phone calls on the same day or even the same week.
- Don’t get caught without a plan for handling client in-take.
And what you should DO:
- Continue marketing. It’s obviously working in bringing warm leads to you. The answer is making your efforts scalable so whether in times of feast or famine you are still doing something.
- Have a documented client in-take system so you know how the process flows and will automatically fall into routine when an inquiry comes in. Knowing what needs to be done and in what order will set your mind into auto-pilot.
- Stagger incoming clients, if practical for the types of services you provide. It’s all right to let the client know you’ll be ready to begin in a few days or within 2 weeks while you wrap up a few projects to get ready for their projects. Clients aren’t aware of your current project load when they reach out for support. Look at your projects calendar and decide when your next opening is and if that date works for beginning the new projects.
- Have a listing of referrals ready just in case during the assessment call you realize that the requests are better suited for another VA firm. It’s fine and often appreciated to refer to another service provider. It doesn’t mean this client will never come back but they will know which services are your strength and which are better suited with another provider.
Knowing the steps, having thought ahead, to what needs to take place, when, and in what order will ease any panic or overwhelm that comes when multiple clients come into your practice on a single day or week.
If you’re curious how this client in-take process works I’ll take you through mine. Your process can be customized any way that works for you. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
When I get an inquiry from my website it may include specifically listed services that are needed or be very general so I typically will reply by email and ask for more information. Depending on the response I may be able to proceed in giving a quote immediately or may suggest scheduling a brief assessment phone call to better understand the scope of the project.
I try to prepare a quote within 24 hours or less of talking with the prospective client.
Once I get a “Yes! Let’s work together” email or phone call I begin the client in-take process.
This includes:
- Preparing a work agreement or contract
- Creating an invoice for a Getting Started payment or advance payment in full
- Customzing my eWelcome packet to further introduce this new client to me, my business, and the full service offerings
- In the office I set up a file folder for invoices and client data
- On my computer I set up a client folder
- In QuickBooks I set up a client record and tracking
- In my timetracking software I set up a client account, if applicable for the type of projects
- If we’ll be using Dropbox to share files I send a request to the client to share a folder to me
- Where applicable I forward a mini checklist of information and files I will need to begin the project
- If this client came by referral I prepare a thank you note to the referring person
- And lastly, I mark a date on my calendar to go out to dinner to celebrate gaining a new client.
Soon you’ll be laughing and singing in the rain instead of drowning when it begins raining clients. Find those galoshes so you can make a big splash.