Getting Started

My Process With Prospective Clients

Fit matters.

An important aspect of working with a client for me – maybe the most critical piece of the puzzle – is this: do we fit? Do we have a connection that allows our work together to be easy, productive, and enjoyable? It’s something that you might not explore if you’re only looking for someone to occasionally complete a few simple tasks for you, but it’s critical if you want to work closely with someone who gets you – someone who’ll take the time to learn your business inside and out and develop the same vision for its future that you have.

Discovering if there’s that fit takes some time and effort. It’s the opposite of speed dating: how can you know if someone is perfect for you and your business if you’ve only spent 10 minutes chatting with them? I have a four-step process for exploring that connection with you, one that I have used with all my clients, which I’ve outlined below. Click the + signs on the tabs for more details about how each step works.

Step 1: Virtual Coffee
The first step is to start with a quick phone call to get to know one another a little bit – sort of like meeting for a cup of coffee with a blind date. The only rule here is that we don’t talk about business.

I’ve found that 10-15 minutes is usually long enough to know whether we feel comfortable moving ahead together.

Step 2: Let's Assess
So, we’ve decided to talk again and get more familiar with one another. I have a simple assessment on my website – I’ll send you the password. You’ll spend no more than 10 minutes answering a few questions about yourself and how you show up in the world. These are designed to get to the heart of specific aspects of your working style and whether I may be the right person to help you.
Step 3: Where Y'At?
Next we can schedule a second, longer call to talk about your business, and discuss more about where you are now, what you need, how you work, and whether my skills and talents complement and support where you’re headed. We’ll typically spend somewhere between 60 – 90 minutes together for this.

(If you’re wondering what “Where Y’at” means, it’s a way folks in New Orleans sometimes greet one another to ask how things are going. If you haven’t yet seen my Random Facts page, you’ll understand more once you’ve been there.)

Step 4: Dig Deep

If this connection feels good to us both, we’ll meet once more to dig deeper into topics like communication, collaboration, privacy, and trust, using the conversation to uncover anything that might get in the way of a sensational partnership.

This call generally takes an hour or so, though often we’re really enjoying the conversation and we go longer here.

And Then... We're Off & Running
Once we’ve come this far together, we’ve begun creating a solid foundation on which to build our partnership. There’s just one more task for you to complete and get us started. I will share my New Client Orientation package with you, which you submit to me, along with payment of your first month’s retainer. Then we’ll schedule our first strategy session to map out where we’re headed, roll up our sleeves, and get to work.

Want To Chat?

If you’d like to arrange a call for that first “virtual coffee” date, please click the button below. You’ll be taken to my online scheduling system and you can choose a 15-minute block of time that works perfectly for you. Doesn’t cost a thing and it may be exactly what you need to get (or keep) your business on track!

Not ready to talk yet?

If you know you need help but aren’t sure where to start, here are a couple of ideas to get you clearer:

 

  • Start by taking a look at this terrific article by Anastacia Brice for help in learning what you can delegate
  • Think about the systems and processes that you already have in place in your business. Are they working? If not, why not? And if you don’t have any, where do you need them? What’s slipping through the cracks?
  • What are your goals for your business over the next year? What might get in the way of you accomplishing them? Make a list of where there are gaps in your knowledge, processes, resources, or just plain ol’ motivation.

I get fan mail! See what some of my terrific clients, past and present, have said about working with me…

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