Is it time to review - and maybe revise - your client intake process?
If you've been in business a bit, you're already doing some form of client intake.
Every service-based business needs to go through a process of collecting information from prospects and clients. But it doesn't stop there ....
When your client intake process isn't working well, you face issues like:
- signing on poor fit clients,
- surprises that mean you have to back pedal, course correct, or pause while you gather more information from the client about goals, needs, budget, regulatory issues, and so on,
- customer complaints about not getting what they expect or things taking so long, or
- you, not putting in the work to sign on new clients, or maybe not even wanting to, because onboarding new clients takes too much time and energy.
All of these things impede your ability to sustain and grow your business.
The popular sales rhetoric is misleading.
A lot of the rhetoric about "removing barriers" to working with you actually encourages you to introduce barriers to your own success.
- "Make it easy" frequently manifests as shaving off a few seconds or not making leads answer too many questions
- Alternatively, you can structure your intake process to feel easy - for both you and them - while still getting the information you need and making sure you're a good fit.
- "Art of War"-style and pushy sales techniques are things like "do whatever you can to get them in the door" or "at least get their names on a list."
- Instead, by being clear about what you do, who it's for, and what they'll "get" from working with you, you can spend your time focusing on folks who are a good fit for what you do - instead of a list of folks who collect all of your freebies but never buy.
- The name of the process - client intake - misleads us into thinking this is something that only happens after you sign the contract and they become a client.
- In reality, intake begins before you write that proposal or sign that contract. This is your chance to vet and qualify, that is,
- make sure they want and need the service you offer - because it's your expertise here that qualifies you
- figure out who is qualified to work with you on the path to success - because they'll have to do some work here, too, even if it's just giving you information you need to deliver the service
Stack the Odds for Successful Outcomes with Ideal Clients
This 6-session program gives you a different framework - one that mitigates against the common rhetoric-inspired pitfalls and focuses on you achieving successful outcomes with ideal clients.
Here's what's inside:
- What the client intake process is - and how the different parts of your business need to be coordinated with intake
- Guidelines for an efficient and effective intake process
- Guidelines for creating and revising intake forms and sequences using tools like Calendly, Jotform, Google Forms, and email
Session Overview
Welcome!
- Here's what you can do while you wait for the program to begin
- Download the workbook
- Add the meetings to your calendar
Week 1
- What is the Client Intake Process?
- How your business' identity and network play a role in intake
Week 2
- How to use your past data to inform Client Intake and related processes in your business
Week 3
- Getting clear about expectations and deliverables related to your business' services
- How those expectations and deliverables inform the Client Intake Process
Week 4
- Reviewing various intake sequences and forms and why they're set up that way
Week 5
- Bringing it all together - drafting your own intake steps and forms
Week 6
- Critique - live feedback on your intake interview questions or forms, sequences, or overall process - whatever you need and want to put forward for review
What are people saying about this framework?
"You really helped me, because, as I'm scaling up my business, just because I did things one way doesn't mean I can necessarily do it that way as I grow my business. So having this program to help me truly look at my clients, and what does work and what doesn't work, will help me in the future to manage my time and meet all my clients' needs."
- Gina, Business Owner
This program is currently between sessions.
If you missed the enrollment deadline,
be sure to join the waitlist for the next time it's offered.
Hi, I'm Barbara!
I've been a business consultant for over 15 years, working with a range of companies from Fortune 500s to solopreneurs. Most of these companies - including my own - are service-based.
Unlike a product-based business, service-based businesses face a unique challenge ....
It can be hard to nail down a process when it seems like everything you do is customized and bespoke. Especially when it feels like you could devise a solution for whatever problems a client brings your way.
That's where frameworks come in. They allow you to provide a customizable range while still giving you the guidance, support, and reliability you need.
The framework I cover in this program is one I devised and honed first in my own business, and which I now help my clients apply in their businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will there be a recording?
No, you must attend live.
Q: Do you offer any kind of guarantee or warranty?
There are no guarantees or warranties of any kind associated with this program or the framework covered in this program. This information is provided as general information only. Any critique, comments, or ideas offered are solely for the purpose of helping you decide what might be applicable to your own business and how, and those decisions remain your own.
Q: I signed up, but I won't be able to attend.
Contact us before the first session about cancelling your enrollment and getting a refund.
Q: I'd like my entire team to take this program. What are my options?
Contact us directly to discuss scheduling and pricing options for your group.