The Welcome Guide Template That Helps me Set Better Boundaries
In order to utterly smash it successfully with brand new clients and actually enjoy our businesses, there's one thing we don't do enough of when we eagerly land those discovery calls and on-board those clients is set expectations and boundaries, but why?
Are we worried that if we dare advocate for a fair and decent working relationship with our clients, they won't sign with us?
Lemme state the obvious - if you don't hold any boundaries and set guidelines, you're going to face burnout and bending over backwards for clients.
🎁 By the end of this post you'll find a little gift from me for a Canva templated Welcome Guide, you can use and edit immediately to help you on-board clients more efficiently and if you keep reading I'll tell you why this one guide has changed my on-boarding process for the better, and led to better client understanding and relationships.
Everything for me starts the moment I get that client on a discovery call, because when it comes to my clients hiring a VA for the first time one of their biggest questions is:
“How does this work?”
What they mean is - if they've never hired anyone to handle the admin or tasks they've been doing for ages themselves, and they've never given the keys to their inner business to anyone else, this sh*t is scary.
How will it work means - how do we work together? It's a very practical question.
They're thinking, this all sounds great and all but how the heck will a VA (aka an outsider) get to know them and their business, so that VA can do the things the business owner does on repeat practically with their eyes closed?
The actual question they want answered?
“How do I impart everything I know on the VA so they can take it off my hands?”(Side thought they probably also think but don't say…"This feels overwhelming to teach them so much…")
The answer they're looking for?
For you to tell them what this partnership between you actually looks like from day one. From what happens after the discovery call, to the on-boarding process, to how you get started and how often you speak to each other, how the service pro will make it easy to share info and start doing things quickly.
They're looking for reassurance.
My favourite question from 6 & 7 figure business owners?
“What if something happens where I need quick help? How available is VA?”
Ooof this for sure is a perfect example of you being able to verbally express your boundaries and what you are and are not available for as a service provider.
For instance in my VA agency when a client asks this question - and it's a fair question - I simply let them know…
Depending on the package of hours they choose (10, 20, 40+ etc), the response times are the same, we say it's a minimum response time of 24 hours, but 99% of the time it's same day within an hour or two.
Did the 24 hours response time make you baulk my little service provider? HAHA! If so you need this boundary and the below reminder in your life.
We are not saving lives and, we are not a full time employee, so we won't behave like one (the thing I don't say but know to be true - they aren't paying you enough hours for you to be at their beck and call, we all have other clients).
VA's are actually so damn time efficient, my biggest global CEO clients only need around 30 hours a month, which ends up blowing their mind. Especially if they ever had a 37.5 hour a week full time PA.
Like… what was that PA doing for 7 hours a day for one person? Wild to me when I think back to my EA days serving one person.
Anyhoo, I digress, but I follow up the 24 hour/ less line with “But honestly your VA will do a minimum twice daily check in with your tasks or you at the very least and they tend to be super responsive. But if you send them a chunky task at 4.45pm, the chances are they'll reply and let you know it's received and if it's your priority it will be actioned first thing the next day.”
Okay so what you really want to know is why the Welcome Guide template I've created for you (the same one I use in my business) helps so much.
Well, to put it simply…clients sign your contract but do they often really read em? NOPE.
The welcome guide pulls out the key parts of your contract that you really need your clients to see and understand.
Things like:
your working days and hours
your task turnaround times
your methods of communicating
what happens if an invoice is late
refund, referrals
how you keep their stuff confidential
When do you slide this bad boy guide in front of them? After they've signed your contract, paid your first invoice - send it in your welcome on board email.
Voila!
So enjoy the fully editable template, say hello to smoother on-boarding that makes life easier for you and your clients, better boundaries and lots more sanity saved! (aka no we won't respond to a Saturday night 9pm whats app message, we Slack 9-5 instead - sanity protected!).
Enjoy and let me know - how this has helped and if there are any other resources you'd like me to create or share from my own VA business that would help?
