Setting Onboarding Expectations Before the Client Even Signs

In previous episodes, Erik has talked a lot about our onboarding process here at Array Digital. We are proud of this process because we understand how critical it is to being successful for our clients, and know how much communication and configurations are needed during this 2 to 3-week period. In episode 194 of Journey to $100 Million, Erik talks about setting expectations for this onboarding process we have created. The onboarding process allows us to complete the work needed before we can actually produce the deliverables we were hired for. For a long time, we were not sure how we should handle this onboarding process and couldn’t decide whether or not we should get paid during this timeframe. We came to the realization that we were spending a good portion of time and energy during this period that was clearly billable work. Although you may not see evidence of the work, our onboarding process is real work, producing real deliverables. After we realized that onboarding was billable work, we wanted to make it clear to the client that they should not expect to see any overt evidence of the work we are doing since they are still paying us. In our contract, we explain to clients that the first 2-3 week onboarding process is full of internal work that must be done in order to ensure success. The key is to explain this beforehand in a clear manner; you cannot just tell a client one time what they should expect and think that’ll sink in. When you sign a new client, you are best served by setting expectations for your onboarding period in order to prevent confusion and chaos in the future. — Erik J. Olson is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. The Founder & CEO of Array Digital, he is also the host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups. — Kevin Daisey is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. He started his first company when he was just 23, and is the Founder & CMO of Array Digital. Kevin is the also the co-host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the co-organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups.