Systems Reset Series: Your Client Onboarding Shouldn’t Be a Guessing Game

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Last week, we kicked off the Systems Reset series and
today, in episode two, we'regonna talk about client
onboarding and how to turn itfrom a time suck into a
strategic advantage that wowsyour clients.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.
I'm Shannon Baker, yourcoffee-loving host and business

(00:20):
operations strategist.
If you're a service providerwho's great at what you do, but
stuck with misfit clients, messyonboarding or draining workdays
, this show is for you.
Each week, I share boldstrategies and practical
insights rooted in my Power InMotion framework to help you
streamline your backend, protectyour time and lead your client
experience with confidence,because skills got you clients,

(00:41):
but systems will take youfurther.
So grab a cup of coffee or yourfavorite drink and let's dive
in.
Have you ever signed a newclient and quickly found
yourself chasing details,answering texts at random hours
or repeating the sameinstructions over and over again
?
If you're saying yes or noddingyour head in agreement, it's

(01:04):
probably because you don't havea system in place to do the
heavy lifting on the front endfor you.
Now, last week, in episode oneof this systems reset series, we
talked about why being great atwhat you do isn't enough if
your business is running on ducttaped systems.

(01:24):
Now, if you haven't tuned inalready, I highly suggest you go
back and do so.
The quick win challenge in thatepisode was for you to make a
list of where chaos is quietlystealing your time.
Now, if you did that, I wantyou to grab your list now
because in this week's challengewe're going to take that list

(01:45):
to the next step.
But before we get to that,we're going to zero in on one of
the biggest pressure points inyour business, that's client
onboarding.
And that list that you made isgoing to help you spot exactly
where the cracks are showing upin your business back end so
that you can fix them.
Because when there's no systemin place, even when you land a

(02:09):
dream, client onboarding candrain your energy.
So today I'm going to sharethree lessons that I've learned
through experience or from myclients and members of the Mind
your Time Society that will helpyou reset your onboarding
process, protect your time andstart to lead your client

(02:31):
experience with confidence.
Now I'll be the first to admit Iused to treat onboarding like
something I just had to getthrough.
I would send the contract rightaway because I was excited.
I would create and send theinvoice, but it required a
number of emails back and forthand, honestly, it was

(02:54):
inconsistent.
And I'll never forget when thisfinally exposed the cracks in
my process, or I really shouldsay lack of process.
It was a Saturday morning and aclient called me out of the
blue.
She was panicking aboutsomething that we had already
talked about in a number ofemails honestly, way too many

(03:16):
emails but instead of me, onereminding her of my boundaries,
about my business hours andunscheduled phone calls, I
dropped whatever I was doing andI just scrambled to get the
problem solved.
The problem with that, itwasn't that she was a bad client

(03:38):
, but the problem was actuallythat I didn't have a clear
process in place that setexpectations or protected my
time at the beginning of thisnew relationship, and actually,
as I sat on and thought about it, I noticed that this was a
recurring issue, but just indifferent forms with each new

(04:00):
client.
That was the day I realized,when you don't have an
onboarding system, you're notleading your clients, they're
leading you, and now I'm a firmbeliever in training people to
treat you the way you want to betreated.
That teaches them to respectyour time, teaches them to

(04:21):
respect your time.
So let's get into those threelessons.
Lesson number one let's talkabout why new clients feel so
messy.
Let's be honest those first fewweeks they can feel like a fire

(04:44):
drill.
You're probably chasing downfiles, waiting for them to send
you the right documents, thephotos you need, or just simply
give you access to theiraccounts.
So you're sending reminderemails, but they're unanswered.
And then they dump everythingon you at once and you start to
scramble and you're off on therace.
Now I know it's exciting to geta new client, but when this is

(05:05):
happening, this process is alsoexhausting.
So you end up spending hours onthings that you can't bill for,
and most of that is you justtrying to get what you need to
do your job.
The worst part is that itleaves you feeling scattered and
reactive and you haven't evenstarted the real work yet.

(05:26):
So if your client onboardingfeels this way, I want you to
understand it's not becauseyou're not capable of doing what
you do, it's not because yourclients don't value you, but
it's because there wasn't orisn't a clear system controlling
this process.
So what happens?

(05:47):
Well, when expectations aren'tlaid out clearly in advance,
clients make up their own, andwhen your boundaries aren't
clearly communicated.
They default to what'sconvenient for them, and this is
a big one for them.
And this is a big one when yourprocess is non-existent or it's

(06:07):
inconsistent.
You spend more energy puttingout fires than you do delivering
what they actually paid you todo.
That's why things feel so messywith every new client and why
they drain so much of your timeand energy.
Without structure thatrelationship.
It started on shaky ground andonce that tone is set, it is

(06:30):
incredibly hard to change it Now.
In some cases things go so faroff track that the client ends
the contract early and theydon't realize that the real
issue was just a lack ofstructure in your business.
But it leads to a badexperience for them and, from

(06:51):
their point of view, they blamethe quality of your work.
So here's the lesson I want youto take from this If you don't
set the tone from day one or Ishould say the right tone from
day one your client is going toset it for you.
I've seen this play out notjust in my business, but with

(07:13):
members inside the Mind yourTime Society as well.
One member was completelyoverwhelmed by every new client
onboarding experience by everynew client onboarding experience
.
She would spend weeks chasingthem down for photos and videos
that she needed to do her job.
She needed them to approve thecontent she created for them.

(07:34):
Approvals dragged on or werenever received because
everything was scattered acrossspreadsheets and different
Google Drive folders and,honestly, she said, she felt
like she was nagging them allthe time and her clients were
frustrated as well.
So her confidence took a hitand she really started to dread

(07:57):
every new client experiencebecause she knew it was going to
be stressful.
But once she put a realonboarding system in place,
everything shifted for thebetter.
She started using messagetemplates that set the
expectations from day one.
She created a projectmanagement template in Airtable

(08:17):
that she could duplicate forevery new client.
She showed them how to use thison the kickoff call.
She showed them how to use thison the kickoff call.
Everything was centralized, soher clients knew exactly where
to upload the files.
They knew how to review thecontent drafts and the approval
process became simple and theylove it.

(08:38):
The difference is night and day.
She went from dreading everynew client to feeling confident
and in control.
She also got her time back.
Her clients were happier andnow that relationship feels more
professional and controlledinstead of chaotic and
frustrating.
How does she do this?

(08:59):
Well, one of the tools that sheused is the Welcome Kit
workbook inside the Mind yourTime Society.
It gave her back hours everyweek, and that's what happens
when you lead with systems, andguess what?
It's possible for you too.
So let's talk about lessonnumber two, which is about

(09:20):
boundaries.
You cannot hand them off.
Now you might be thinking, ok,well, I'll just hire someone and
they can take care of this forme.
Well, my friend, you cannotoutsource your boundaries.
Yes, delegation is a smart move, but only when it's done
strategically.
If your back end is scatteredright now, bringing in help is

(09:43):
not going to solve the problem.
It's going to expand it quickly.
Because, no matter how talenteda VA is, they can't enforce
boundaries that you haven't set.
If you haven't decided howyou're going to communicate with
your clients, what turnaroundtimes look like, what deadlines
should look like clients, whatturnaround times look like, what

(10:04):
deadlines should look like,where information should be
stored?
The list goes on and on.
Your VA is going to be stuckmaking it up as they go, and
that doesn't set them up forsuccess.
It sets them up to fail.
If your process isn't clear.
Your VA is going to be chasingthe same files, managing the
same back and forth emails andjuggling the same client issues

(10:28):
and putting out fires which aredraining you right now.
They can't hold boundaries youhaven't set and when that
happens they end up frustrated,you end up disappointed, and
then that relationship fails.
And who gets the blame?
Nine times out of 10, it's theVA.
That's why preparation matters,and this includes preparing

(10:51):
yourself and your business.
Leadership starts with you, andleadership in business doesn't
mean just doing the work well.
It means creating systems thatprotect your time, your energy
and your relationships with yourclient, your VA and anyone else
that you hire.
And your boundaries can't comefrom your VA, your clients or

(11:14):
anyone else.
That's non-negotiable.
They have to come from you.
When you set clear boundaries,you make it easier for both
yourself and other people thatyou work with to follow your
lead.
And the good news you don't haveto figure this out alone.
That's exactly why, inside theMind, your Time Society members

(11:35):
use the Welcome KittenOnboarding Workbook.
It has plug and play templates,scripts and checklists that you
can use to turn your boundariesinto a professional process.
So clients know upfront how towork with you and if you hire a
VA, they can step into thatsystem and, instead of trying to

(11:56):
make it up as they go along,they just blend right in and
when you're ready to put allthose pieces into words inside
the Mind, your Time.
Society is also the MYT WelcomeKit Coach.
It's a custom GPT that has beentrained using the exact

(12:18):
approach that I teach.
It's like having me in yourback pocket while you built your
welcome kit.
It's calm, clear and alignedwith the way you actually want
to run your business.
So here's some ways you can useit to draft your client welcome
email, to create your callreminders, to clarify your

(12:45):
office hours so many otherthings as well and when you
combine this with that workbook,it gives you the structure that
you need to communicate yourboundaries clearly, set clear
expectations for your clientsand they'll never be left
guessing how to work with you.

(13:06):
You can just enforce yourboundaries.
Remember boundaries, protectyour business.
If you don't set them, someoneelse will, but you probably
won't like them.
Someone else will, but youprobably won't like them.
Now here's lesson number three.
Smooth onboarding is actuallyleadership, and this is the

(13:29):
final piece of the puzzle today.
Smooth onboarding isn't justabout saving you time it's about
influence.
When your onboarding is clearand consistent, clients see you
as a leader from day one and,instead of trying to manage you
or bend your process in theirdirection, they naturally fall

(13:52):
into the system that you'vecreated.
Now this is what that lookslike A kickoff process so you
can set expectations right away,templates that you use to keep
communication simple andconsistent, and boundaries that
are built into your workflow soclients follow your lead instead

(14:12):
of pulling you into theirs.
Now I will be real with you.
Some clients are not going tolove your structure at first.
They may be used to working ina looser way and at the
beginning it can feel like it'sjust one more thing that they
have to adapt to.
But the truth is, structure isservice.

(14:33):
The very same clients whohesitate in the beginning or
kind of push back, they oftenbecome your biggest fans later
because your process, when youstick to it, makes their life so
much easier.
They don't have to dig throughtheir inbox for instructions,
they don't have to wonder what'scoming next and they won't have

(14:56):
to second guess how you work.
Instead, they are confident inyou and your ability to keep
your word and get them whatthey're paying you, for they
feel cared for and, mostimportantly, they are relieved
because they know you are on it.
And here's the ripple effectwhen clients see you as a leader

(15:16):
from day one, it changes howthey engage with you.
The entire time they work withyou, they respect your
boundaries, they trust yourexpertise and they stop treating
you like an employee or justanother service provider and
they start seeing you as atrusted strategic partner.
Take my word for it.
I have been working with one ofmy clients for over 10 years

(15:41):
because of having a onboardingprocess.
But this is also why the 90 dayroadmap inside the Mind, your
Time Society is so powerful,because you don't have to fix
everything overnight.
As a matter of fact, trying todo it all at once is what keeps
so many service providers stuck,but that roadmap helps you

(16:04):
jumpstart the process bybreaking this into clear, doable
steps.
First, you focus on the systemthat will make the biggest
difference for you right now inyour business, and oftentimes
that's onboarding or clientcommunication.
Then each week, you take asmall, manageable step that

(16:24):
builds on the last one.
So by the end of 90 days, notonly have you plugged the
biggest gaps in your back officeand your client experience, but
you've also created momentumthat you can continue to build
on.
So, instead of spinning yourwheels or wasting energy trying
to fix everything at once, youalways know what to do next and

(16:47):
you can actually see progress,but you're not overwhelmed.
That's how the roadmap helpsyou make the transition from
being reactive and scattered tobeing calm, confident and
proactive, so you can create onesystem at a time.
So the lesson for you smoothonboarding is not just about

(17:09):
being organized.
It actually allows you to be aleader, and leadership is what
elevates you and takes you frombeing on demand for tasks to
being in demand for yourexpertise.
So now let's talk about thisweek's quick win challenge.
Remember, last week, I askedyou to write down the top three

(17:31):
things you repeat with everyclient.
That can be questions,instructions or reminders that
you see coming up over and overagain.
That list is the starting pointof your system.
So now, this week, I want youto choose just one of those
things that you wrote down so wecan get it out of your head and
into a repeatable format.

(17:52):
You can save it as a messagetemplate, drop it into a Google
Doc or simply create a form.
A new client can complete.
The format doesn't reallymatter right now.
What matters is that you'vetaken the first step toward
leading your clientrelationships forward instead of
reacting to them, and here'swhy this step matters.

(18:16):
This is exactly how members ofthe Mind your Time Society start
building their onboardingsystems.
Everyone starts small.
They document one thing, theyplug it into the Welcome Kit and
onboarding workbook so itbecomes a professional process
that works for every client.
See, when you do this, you'renot just creating a shortcut for

(18:40):
yourself.
You're practicing the exacthabit that makes onboarding
smooth, repeatable andprofessional.
And when you plug that templatefrom that workbook into the
coach man, you come out with aprofessional system that you can

(19:01):
use with every client.
Okay, so let's recap the threebig lessons I want you to take
away today.
Number one things feel messywith new clients because there
isn't a clear system guiding theprocess, and without that
structure, you're feelingscattered, you're reactive

(19:24):
instead of proactive and you'respending hours doing things you
cannot bill for.
Lesson two boundaries startwith you.
It's non-negotiable.
You can't delegate them orexpect clients to magically know
how you work.
And delegation is a strategy,not a shortcut.
When you prepare your businessby getting your systems and

(19:46):
boundaries in place first, youset both yourself and anyone
else that works with you up forsuccess.
Lesson three smooth onboardingis not just about getting
everything organized, it'sleadership.
So even if some of your clientsresist the structure at first,

(20:06):
they will come to appreciate itbecause it makes their life
easier.
And when you lead the processand stick to it, clients see you
as a trusted partner, not justanother service provider.
So, in a nutshell, every clientrelationship succeeds or fails
based on your system or yourlack of having one.

(20:29):
And when you lead with clarityfrom day one, clients will
follow your lead with trust andrespect.
So that's it for this week.
Now, if this episode hit homeand you're ready to simplify
your onboarding process, here'syour next step Go to
theshannonbakercom forward slashchecklist and download the free

(20:50):
back office power checklist.
It's going to show you exactlywhere the cracks are in your
back end, starting with yourclient communication and new
client onboarding, and whenyou're ready to fix those cracks
and stop scrambling and startleading.
I would love to see you insidethe Mind your Time Society and

(21:10):
as soon as you join, you getaccess to the starter stack,
which includes the Welcome Kitand onboarding workbook, the 90
day roadmap and the Welcome Kitcoach.
It helps you put it all intowords, put them all together.
It creates a repeatable process, a smooth professional

(21:32):
onboarding process your clientsare going to love and you will,
too, imagine going into the nextquarter with clients who follow
your lead instead of itdraining your time.
That's exactly what the Mind,your Time Society helps you
build, and the sooner you start,the sooner you're going to feel
the difference.
Every week you delay is anotherweek.

(21:54):
You're stuck chasing clientsfor files, repeating yourself
and burning hours you can't billfor.
But one small reset today cancompletely change how your next
client relationship feels,because clients are always going
to be clients.
But with the right system inplace, you stop scrambling and

(22:15):
you start leading.
Now, don't forget, this is justepisode two in the systems reset
series.
Next week, in episode three,we're going to shift gears and
talk about your calendar.
I'm going to talk about whypoor scheduling doesn't just
cost you time, but it also costsyou the right clients.
More importantly, I'm going totalk about why poor scheduling
doesn't just cost you time, butit also costs you the right
clients.
More importantly, I'm going towalk you through a few simple

(22:37):
resets that are going to helpyou filter out the wrong fit
clients and projects and giveyou back time and energy.
So make sure you hit, followand I will meet you right back
here next week for episode three.
Thanks for tuning in today.
If this episode hit home, it'sbecause you already know you're

(22:57):
ready to stop patching up theproblems and start running your
business like the pro you are.
But listening won't fix thecracks.
Action will your next step?
Grab the back office powerchecklist at theshannonbakercom
forward slash checklist.
It'll show you exactly what'sworking, what's missing and
where your back end is silentlyslowing you down.

(23:18):
And if you're ready to godeeper, founder circle inside
the Mind.
Your Time Society is where wecan fix it, together with the
systems insanity suite andyou'll get the clarity that
you've been craving.
Not quite there yet.
Come say hi to me on Instagramat the underscore Shannon Baker.
I would love to hear whatresonated with you the most.

(23:38):
And if you're loving thepodcast, please leave a quick
review because it goes a longway in helping more service
providers like you find thepodcast.
You can do that right now atratethispodcastcom forward slash
.
Mind your time Skills got yourclients, systems and your
expertise are what's going tohelp you keep them.

(23:59):
So until next time, keep calmand streamline.

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