A Checklist for New Clients

As a Virtual Assistant, it’s important to be as professional as possible with new clients. In this episode of The RocketGirl Show, I'll share a simple checklist to stay consistent, efficient, and ensure that each new client relationship gets off on the right foot.

TRANSCRIPT 

My name is Belinda was also known as RocketGirl and today we're going to talk about a checklist for new clients. 

When you're starting with a new client, it is critical that you be as professional as possible and the way that I make sure that that happens in my virtual assistant business is I have a very specific checklist that I go through every single time a client comes on board. I want to make sure that I'm consistent with this and that I give them all the information that they need for us to be successful and then I set my systems up so I can be successful. 

Today, we're going to talk about each one of the things that I do when I'm on board a new client. 

Okay, The first thing is I send a welcome email. My welcome email talks about when I'm at my desk, what kind of responses they can expect from me. It tells them things that they want to know like I'm keeping an eye on my email all the time. I'm looking for emergencies or quick request, but that they will always hear from me within 24 hours. 

I tell them about my pricing even though they already know because they just bought some time you know from me so that we could work together. I want to remind them of that. Also is a link so that they can schedule their first session with me so we can get started. The thing that's important about that is it sets the tone. I write the email once and then I just have been using it literally for probably 4 years. I had it professionally edited because I wanted to make sure that it was polished and I use the same one year after year after year. It's a really great thing to do and I highly recommend it. 

Then I add them to my CRM. when they buy time for me so that we can work together included in that is their address. I ask them for the phone number they prefer and of course their email address. So all of that information is at my fingertips so I can get in touch with them at anytime. Also, sometimes I'd like to send cards or notes or referral gifts, and that's how  I'm sure to have their physical address right where I need it. 

I add them to my time tracking software, I use toggle. Right away so that when a request comes in for work, I'm not fumbling to set it up in that moment. I'm really able to go through all these steps at once and get squared away. 

I connect with them on LinkedIn. The reason I do that is because I post frequently on LinkedIn and I want them to hear about the different things that I do and the different services that I offer in my email newsletters that I post on LinkedIn. So that they can be  getting ideas on how we might be working together in different ways. 

I add them to my email newsletter list. I go to a lot of trouble to publish an email newsletter and I want to make sure that they are receiving it. You would be surprised how many clients I have who haven't email newsletter list and they're sending out a newsletter, but they haven't checked to make sure that all their new clients are getting it. You really wanna do that. You don't wanna miss that opportunity. 

And then I create a project for them in teamwork. Teamwork is the project management software that I really like, but there's plenty of others out there like Trello and Base camp and Asana. But I wanna have the project set up ahead of time so that I'm ready to go and I'm not again sort of in the moment you know trying to get the pieces together. 

And for that same reason, I create a folder for them in Dropbox I have a high-level folder, three high-level folders. One is personal. The other is Rocket Girl Solutions where I keep the information I need for my VA business and the third is clients. 

Inside the client folder, it's a folder for each client with their first and last name and every single thing that I keep for them goes in that folder either in another sub folder or right in that folder itself, very important. 

I set a note up for them in Evernote. Evernote is where I take notes for my clients. So each client, I have a notebook called clients Rocket Girl clients and then each client has a notebook where I can put valuable information that I need to keep at my fingertips. 

I send them a gift I have a little rocket pen that I send. It sits on a stand somewhere in their office and I send a handwritten note as well. Clients have taken pictures of it like where is Waldo, where is the rocket pen? So I think it's fun to do something like that on the note. It's very brief, I say I'm looking forward to helping you achieve lift off this year. All the best Belinda so you know it could just be simply. you know. Thank you for deciding to work with me and I can't wait to get started. 

I also send a referral gift. I really wanna thank those people who are sending clients my way. So for a referral gift, I again because I don't wanna waste time. I chose a gift and I send the same gift. Over and over I send olive oil. I used to send candy and I thought you know I've spent a lot of time avoiding candy. So why should I send it to my clients who may or may not be having that same relationship with candy? But everybody I think enjoys a nice olive oil so I send them olive oil and some herbs and a little it's like a little a dish where they can deep bread and enjoy you know, enjoy the olive oil. 

So before we go, I just wanna let you know about my free online classroom, The Virtual Assistant Connection. It's an online Community on Facebook and you can find us by putting the Virtual Assistant Connection in the search bar at the top. 

We have nearly 9000 members and it's a wonderful community filled with friendship and relationship and help and it doesn't matter whether you're just starting out or you've been in for a while. There's lots of valuable information. I'm streaming today live on Facebook but also periscope, YouTube. So if you're a YouTube watcher, please subscribe to our channel and later this will be posted to LinkedIn. 

If you have any comments or questions, please just post them and I'll be happy to answer them and I hope you enjoyed this episode of the RocketGirl Show about creating list for clients. It's a wonderful way to really deliver for your clients what they need to get started and to help you be a big success in your business until  next time. 

I'm Belinda Wasser RocketGirl signing off Buh bye.