I don’t have to tell you that working with even the most aligned clients can have plenty of ups and downs. Highs like landing a new client can be immediately followed by the lows of stressing over the project, drowning in emails, and chasing people down to get paid.

But, what if it didn’t have to be such a stomach-turning, hair-whipping ride? What if you could make your business more like an all-ages, elephant-themed circuit ride? You know, fun without all the screaming and thrashing 😬

When your business is fueled by your creative passion instead of the stress and panic of delivering, you do work that excites your clients and takes your creativity to new heights. I created The Passion Driven Process Workshop to empower you with the confidence and structure you need to ditch the new client panic for good and see them as aligned collaborators you can’t wait to work with.

Let’s get into how to strengthen your client management process to transform the way you work with supportive systems:

1. Streamline Your Inquiry Process

Make it easy for clients to reach you

When leads head to your website to reach out to you, the process should only take a couple minutes. Your inquiry process should be simple and straightforward, the goal is to get your leads from your contact form to getting in the room with you asap.

• Simplify your contact form: This is not the place to get the lead’s full life story. You want just enough info to know if they’re an aligned client in terms of industry, needs and availability. Include essential fields only—name, email, project details, and budget. Keeping it simple will land you more inquiries instead of people abandoning the form halfway through or insisting on reaching out via DMs, email, text, etc.
• Automate responses: Use an automated email response to confirm the form submission inquiry and immediately deliver next steps, whether it’s the link to book a consultation or an estimated response time with bullet points of what they can expect to hear from you in the coming days.
• Qualify your leads: If you haven’t streamlined your inquiry process because you worry that some people won’t follow it, you NEED to do it now. The process can weed out people who aren’t actually ready to work with you or the ones who might be rough customers 😬 Your process should help you determine who is and isn’t a good fit for your services, from asking the right questions to setting your boundaries early.

2. Beef up Your Project Management Process

Show your clients how to work with you

Use your project management process to bring clients into the project as collaborators, not just bystanders watching you make magic happen on your own. Structure the process in a way that tells them their role in bringing their vision to life, and sets expectations and boundaries for the container. This is where you empower them with the information they need to engage in the creative process instead of feeling lost and confused, emailing you for updates or ghosting when you need their input.

• Introduce them to the platform: Whether it’s a quick video or something you do in a meeting, show your client the project management workspace and give them an idea of how to engage with it. Let them know what actions should be made in the workspace vs in your communication channel.
• Set communication standards: Speaking of communication, make sure your clients knows where they should communicate with you and where they can expect to hear from you. Let them know when it’s time to talk on the designated communication channel and how to find you there. Don’t be afraid to remind them and send nudges to make sure they’re using the process.
• Zoom out on the process with them: A huge part of empowering clients as collaborators is informing them of the process and the objectives. Zoom out on the process with a few bullet points covering what to expect during the project as far as stages of the project, when you’ll need their feedback, etc.

Ditch the busy work

Your systems should take on those tiny, annoying tasks for you or make it as easy as possible to complete them. Make sure you’re automating where you can, removing unnecessary steps and using checklists and SOPs to stay on task without missing a step.

• Email templates for everything: If you find yourself sending the same message over and over, just to different clients with different details, make that message a template! Add placeholder text wherever you need to add specifics to get the message right every time and get out of your inbox and back to your projects asap.
• Use the tools you have: Use project management tools you have to create a structure for delivering project you can use over and over again. This process shouldn’t just be for you, either, don’t be afraid to bring your clients into this space for a shared workspace to build on the project together as you go.
• Automate data entry: Use Zapier to get your different platforms to talk to each other and take the busy work off your plate. I recommend creating zaps for data entry to collect client form submissions, contact info and more in your project management workspace throughout the project.

3. Get Intentional with Your Offboarding Process

Tell your clients what you want from them

Don’t just hope for testimonials and referrals – ask for them directly and make the process easy for your clients! Your offboarding process takes project delivery to the next level with clear paths to keep working with you, share their experience during the project and recommend you to their friends. Make sure you’re providing the necessary info to keep the good vibes going and see your biz grow!

• Keep it clear: At the end of a project, give clients clear steps on how to leave a testimonial, refer others, or purchase additional services. Make sure you add links and clear calls to action so they know what to do.
• Incentivize Actions: Offer discounts, freebies, or other incentives for leaving a review referring a friend or making an additional purchase. If you’re offering a discount, I recommend putting a deadline to get them to act asap.
• Keep the convo going: Go beyond a basic follow up message and create a messaging funnel to keep the offers you mentioned front of mind. Automate your funnel to send a message every few days, sharing more details and benefits of your services with clear calls to action.

A good client management process empowers your clients as collaborators and lets you show up as a passionate creative visionary. Instead of tiptoeing around each other hoping for the best, you get to lean all the way into the relationship, confident that you’re doing work you’re proud of and that your clients will love.

I know you’re tired of stressing over every new inquiry form notification and crave a supportive client management process that allows you to really celebrate your wins. That’s why I created The Passion Driven Process Workshop. During the three-part, pre-recorded workshop, you’ll gain the tools and strategies to:

• Structure a streamlined and engaging inquiry process
• Strategize the best project management process for your offers
• Empower your clients to use final project assets with confidence
• Identify intentional next steps after clients work with you to keep working together, collect reviews and encourage referrals.

In The Passion Driven Process Workshop, I’ll show you exactly how to get in front of your leads effortlessly and have systems in place to welcome them into projects with ease. We’re ditching the overwhelm that comes with new inquiries and creating an intentional client management process that makes you excited to work with aligned clients.

Client management doesn’t have to take up all your time and energy to be supportive. You deserve to bask in the success of your biz, ready to passionately show up for your clients. If you’re ready to use your systems to set yourself up for success and time and time again, get The Passion Driven Process here and start building systems that make you and your clients feel supported now.