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Reading Time: 4 minutesSealing the deal is just the beginning. You need an efficient onboarding process to forge solid relationships with new clients. An onboarding process helps set expectations and maintain a new client. It's the first step to a formal relationship with a new customer, so first impressions are everything. If you make simple onboarding mistakes, it will be hard to position your business as one of the best and most trusted.
Of course, some onboarding mistakes are hard to avoid if you're unconsciously making them, and the effects on your overall business can be detrimental.
In this guide, let's talk about the importance of having an organised onboarding process in place and what pitfalls to avoid at all cost:
Onboarding is a process that walks new clients through your business processes. The process consists of steps that provide the knowledge and skills clients need to become effective users. This process is vital because it allows plenty of opportunities to build rapport, answer questions, and establish best practices as new clients “settle” into your business process.
How to avoid onboarding mistakes? Start with a dependable CRM like Dubasado. This business management solution is designed to manage virtually all aspects of your online business, including client onboarding. If you're already using Dubsado, here are some things to consider to avoid making mistakes in the onboarding process:
Signing up for your email list has its benefits but be realistic with your promises, or you might end up putting off many people. Avoid words that exaggerate the value of your product on your marketing copy, such as “revolutionary,” “unprecedented,” “unmatched,” “trailblazing,” “groundbreaking,” or “never before seen,” because these words are not only overused; they set very high almost-impossible-to-reach expectations. And the last thing you want is to disappoint your new clients.
Clients who do not see the near-impossible results you promised will never stay with you for long. Your copy should be engaging but honest. The descriptions should match your understanding of your product.
People sign up for services if they know these companies can help them overcome their challenges. Most clients do not look for shiny new products with all the bells and whistles – they look for solutions to their problems.
The problem is some businesses forget to focus on this. It's exciting to show new clients what you can do for them but focus on why they came to you in the first place. Conducting market research will reveal the pain points of your core audience. Your job is to provide solutions to these pain points. If these solutions are helpful to them, they will seek more from your business.
Instead of introducing new features, ask your customers what services they want to see from your business. What features do they need, and what solution works for them? You can do this via email or social media. Consider your clients' insights to improve your business.
It's vital to look at your business processes from your client's perspective. Are you giving enough assurance of your availability, results, and practices?
It's normal for clients to feel apprehensive over an agreement within the next few weeks of the project. It's important to reassure your clients that you are not going anywhere and you're already working on giving them the results they expect!
Remember, it's always better to over-communicate, especially during the first few weeks of a client relationship. Don't leave clients hanging long enough to question the deal! Provide status updates, product reports, and other essential communication several times per week via email, chat, phone calls, etc. Keep your customers in the loop to show them they are your priority.
It's normal for some clients to request something that's out of scope at the initial stages of the relationship. You might be eager to please and agree to the request, but if that happens, you might end up agreeing to requests that are way beyond what you should give.
It's hard to say no to a client, especially if it's a big project, but if you don't establish clear boundaries at the beginning of the onboarding process, projects could go out of scope quickly. Set boundaries at the very start of the client onboarding process. Be clear but friendly, warm but firm about the terms of the agreement to set expectations. If you must, agree only to reasonable and profitable concessions.
A clear goal is vital to building a relationship with clients. If you lack vision, clients would feel wary about the agreement. This goes especially for projects with multiple sponsors and stakeholders. The lack of a goal or vision could lead to disagreements and disarray.
During the onboarding process, clarifying your goals for your business and your clients is essential. Don't assume that your client knows your goals or that you're on the same page. Make a habit of building a consensus on your goals and present metrics to provide measurable results. At the start of the onboarding process, ask your client what their top three priorities are and take it from there.
A positive client onboarding experience can turn a new client into a lifelong customer. It's the first step to providing necessary information to clients. Through smooth client onboarding, every customer gains realistic expectations of what your brand can do for them. Providing a fuss-free onboarding experience using Dubsado leaves a good impression on clients. As your reward, you can get the most out of every business relationship. It's a win-win situation if you ask me!
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