Do you send out new client welcome packs?

Well honestly, I didn’t. Not until a few months back – and I’ve been doing this for 5 years already! But I really didn’t see the point.

I mean, if you’ve got loads of branded items – pens, notepad, calendars, etc. – then perhaps. But if you don’t, and you already send out a client contract, what’s the point?

But then, after speaking with a fellow business support consultant (aka VA), I was enlightened.

I’ll explain using an example …

Have you ever won a new client, got excited, looked forward to getting stuck in, but never received any work – or it took an age to come through, and even then it was one measly little task?

Well, this is rarely because they got cold feet, found someone else, or forgot. It’s often because they didn’t know how to start.

And this is where a welcome pack comes in to play.

A welcome pack greets them warmly. Displays professionalism. Shows how much you value your clients.

It also outlines your working processes, clarifies the contract agreement – including invoicing and payment policies, includes a client questionnaire and confidentiality agreement, and gives an overview of your services – in case you can upsell any other specialisms.

So I became sold on the idea and decided to create my own new client welcome pack.

Not only has this proven a huge time saver when trying to get specific details out of clients. But, it’s accelerated the speed of receiving that first brief, and has helped widen the scope of tasks the client has given me – simply by being made aware of the other services I offer.

And because this was a relatively new concept for me, I realised there may be other VA’s not using this simple marketing method. So with that in mind, here’s an overview of what to include in your new client welcome pack.

1. Friendly introduction

Create a personalised opening that instils confidence, enthusiasm and commitment.

2. Information about your company

Here you should outline your company history, vision and ethos.

It’s also a good place to clarify your business hours, contact information and preferred communication methods.

3. Outline a scope of tasks agreed

This section is to ensure you’ve understood their work requirements, and for them to double check the work being set.

Summarise the type of tasks they’ve asked you to support them with and what you will need from them to be able to complete them.

4. Working processes

This section allows you to make it clear how you work.

  • The briefing process
  • Timings
  • Delivery method & expectations

5. Contract & confidentiality agreement

If possible, it’s wise to gain legal advice for this section as it’s the part that will cover you if things turn sour. But at the very least, having a contract that your client has to sign, is often enough to discourage disputes and late payments.

A thorough agreement would include:

  • Clarification of both party names – the client and your VA business
  • Rates
  • Invoicing and expected payment timings
  • Confidentiality agreement
  • Proprietary information
  • Terms the agreement is effective from
  • Signatures and date from both parties

6. Client questionnaire

I’ve seen client questionnaires that are pages long.

Whilst that may work for some, let’s face it, most business owners are relatively short on time – which is why they’ve come to you – so my advice is to keep it short and sweet.

The bare bones of a client questionnaire would be:

  • Company name
  • Mission statement or vision
  • Services / products offered
  • Describe target audience / market
  • Website URL
  • Social media marketing channel URLs
  • Brand guidelines (if applicable)
  • Preferred communication methods
  • Login details for any areas the VA will be working on
  • Any other relevant information

7.  Marketing information

Possibly a nice-to-have, but from your own business perspective this can be financially beneficial.

Remember, clients may have come to you with just one or two tasks in mind. And of course if that’s the case, you’re unlikely to have discussed anything outside of those.

So this is where the final section of your welcome pack can enlighten new clients.

Provide a succinct synopsis of your services, concentrating on those that you specialise in. For example, you could be an ace bookkeeper, copywriter, spreadsheet queen. Sell yourself and you never know, you could find that one- or two- task client turns into a 20-hour week major player!

So for those who haven’t yet tried a new client welcome pack, give it a go – you may find it helps bring in more business.