For designers, writers, freelancers, & creative professionals
The Client Onboarding Toolkit
A simple 4-step digital course for converting a prospect into a paying client with clarity, sanity, and confidence
Going after new business can be exciting.
“Woohoo—my marketing’s paying off! A prospect is interested in me. I just know I’m the right person for them!”
And winning business can make your week.
“Yay, they chose me for their project! I can’t wait to get started and show them my creativity!”
But, OMG, it can also be extremely stressful!
“Ugh. Here comes the paperwork part and everything I need to communicate. I’ve got to make a great first impression and stay organized this time. Where to begin… Where to begin…”
Let my new Client Onboarding Toolkit keep you on task, communicate with ease and professionalism—while kicking your stress to the curb!
Hi, I’m Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design. I make custom WordPress websites for creative professionals. I’ve been working with designers and other creative business owners for almost 20 years. You are my people!
I know, from talking with so many of you, that it’s easy to get overwhelmed with everything it takes to bring on a new client.
- You have to vet them.
- Have the money talk.
- Write the proposal.
- Craft the contract.
- Schedule a kick-off call.
- Gather project requirements.
- And eventually invoice them. (Though that’s the fun part!)
Managing the business side of your creative business takes time and energy.
I know from experience.
In the early years of my business, my client intake process was messy, confusing and time-consuming. Definitely nothing to be proud of.
It took me a few years (and tears) to figure out how to structure and refine my client onboarding efforts into the efficient gazelle-of-a-process it is today!
And now I’m excited to share this process with you!
The secret sauce to onboarding clients like a pro
Want to know how I did it?
My end goal has always been to build a business that allows me to enjoy life outside of it.
But onboarding clients was dragging me down, so I built a best-practices framework and became obsessed with creating a repeatable process that worked for me and my business.
So I tested my system.
Refined it.
Perfected it.
My process works!
Soon, I realized I’d cracked the code. My ability to onboard clients like a pro is a key reason I’ve been able to grow my business from the very first website I created—to now having completed hundreds!And, it’s also helped me win and retain long-term clients.
I love to set up client relationships for success, right from day one. The client is happy. I’m happy. We’re all good!
My proven system brings in raves from clients, too.
“You’re so organized, Jill!”
“I can see I’ll be in good hands with you.”
“I can’t wait for you to build my website.”
Some of my clients even asked to use my system in their business. Now that’s the ultimate compliment! And these kudos got me thinking…
I should build a Client Onboarding Toolkit for creative professionals!
While I could have kept this process to myself, that’s not how I roll. I knew creative pros could get the same benefits I’ve experienced all these years. And it made me feel happy to know I could help them.
Say hello to my labor of love
From Prospect to Paying Client
The Client Onboarding Toolkit
This simple, 4-step digital course is designed for you, the people I work with every day—busy creative professionals who need to onboard clients more efficiently. You’re tired of wasted efforts, endless back-and-forth communications and feeling like you don’t always make a great first impression.
If the business side of working with clients often sends you into a panic, my Toolkit is for you! It brings clarity to the process, keeps you sane and boosts your onboarding confidence—and your client’s confidence in you.
My Toolkit is also for you if:
- You’re tired of reinventing the wheel each time you bring on a new client.
- You want a simple, straightforward process for converting prospects into paying clients.
- You dread writing estimates and contracts and sometimes (ok, always) avoid the money discussion.
- You want to exude confidence when you talk with prospects about how to work with you.
- You want to be assured your contract covers you and your services.
- You want to qualify each prospect you speak with to make sure there are no flags.
- You worry you’ll miss something in all the back-and-forth emails.
- You want to onboard clients with the same professionalism you display in your work.
“Save yourself some time and heartache when it comes to onboarding new clients. Jill has taken everything I taught her, added her own experience and smarts, then distilled it into a simple process so that her fellow creatives can learn from her experience. The Client Onboarding Toolkit is genius!”
—Ilise Benun, Marketing-Mentor.com
What’s Inside the Client Onboarding Toolkit
My Toolkit has everything you need to onboard clients like a pro, with 4 essential steps in a digital course format that walk you through my time-tested process.
Step No. 1
Define the Terms of Your Contract
In this module you’ll learn:
- Why my contract-first approach (even how it’s organized here in this Toolkit—it’s first!) is one you’ll want to copy
- What to include in the contract, everything from terms and conditions to deliverables to grant of rights
- Why you might want to “lawyer up” (hire one) and whether a small project is worthy of a contract
- How to talk about and implement your contract—and what to do if you get client pushback
- My resources round-up for creating and sharing contracts, guaranteed to get you in a “contracts are a must” state of mind
Step No. 2
Qualify and Vet the Prospect
In this module you’ll learn:
- How your site’s contact form can qualify prospects right from the get-go
- How automating call scheduling saves time for you and your clients
- Which online schedulers to consider (including my fave) and how to train clients to use one
- What to say—and what not to say—on a consultation call
- How to identify red flags in a consultation call and how to turn things around (but only for well-qualified prospects)
Step No. 3
Show Me the Money
In this module you’ll learn:
- Why I say no project is real until you receive a deposit
- How to package your services and make your pricing less complicated
- What specifics to look for when selecting accounting software (and the one I rely on)
- How to craft a project-winning message for each estimate you deliver
- An easy-to-follow formula that gets clients signing on the dotted line right away
Step No. 4
Prepare for a Strong Kickoff
In this module you’ll learn:
- Why a project questionnaire (or creative brief) is a must for each client project you take on
- What to say in your kick-off email so that clients know what they are responsible for
- How to communicate a content-first approach to make sure the project starts off strong and how to get the client to comply
- How to help clients gather content in the right formats and easily deliver it to you
Wait, there’s more…
Resources Galore!
In addition to my Toolkit’s step-by-step advice and veteran pro tips, you’ll get helpful resources, templates and tools to use in your business. Here’s what you’ll find in the Resources section of the Toolkit—the go-to tools, apps and templates I use each day:
Cool contract-building toolsMy contract template in InDesign
A nifty resource for signing documents online
My site’s contact form (start qualifying prospects from day one!)
Great options for online scheduling and my personal favorite
The best accounting software options, IMHO
A project questionnaire that gets clients “on record” about what they really want
And a few more resources I know you’ll love!
“The Client Onboarding Toolkit is an amazing reference for veteran and newbie creatives. It is written in a clear and concise manner that leads you through best practices on onboarding your clients. I was able to start and stop when needed, so I could implement, do other work, and come back to the next steps in my own time. As a designer who has been running my business for 35 years, it taught me many things that I need to edit in my business to make client onboarding run smoother. A must tool for all creatives!”
—Nancy Ruzow, Founder and Principal Designer, Ruzow Graphics Inc
The Client Onboarding Toolkit might NOT be for you if…
Although I believe my digital course will work for most any creative business owner I know, there may be exceptions. You should skip this Toolkit if you:
- Need help finding and then marketing to your best prospects.
- Want a CRM to store prospect and client information.
- Already have a system that’s working well for you (lucky you!)
“I’m pulling back the curtain on my client-winning process, breaking everything down into actionable steps you can put in place for onboarding your clients. My proven system will save you time, trouble and tears so you can get back to the part you love—the creative work!”
– Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design & the creator of the Client Onboarding Toolkit
About me
Call me a geek, but my favorite thing to do is to take a design that my creative professional clients create together and make it come alive on the web!
It all started one day in 2002 when a friend was launching a festival and needed a logo. Having never designed a logo before, of course, I said, “I’ll do it!” And that’s when I fell in love with design.
In the summer of 2005, I packed my bags and headed to New York to design books for Barnes & Noble Publishing. It was an awesome learning experience, but my heart was homesick for my friends and family in Atlanta. So I moved back and started my full-time freelance career in January 2007.
Gradually, I shifted gears from print to web design (because code is fun!). And, now I spend the day making creative businesses look fabulous online. I love my job—and love that I’m known as the designer’s web designer!
When I’m not designing and coding away on my Mac, I love hanging out with my husband, son and daughter and my cat, Peanut, the chief paperweight.
What Creatives are Saying about the Client Onboarding Toolkit
“Jill’s Client Onboarding Toolkit is great! I like its simplicity, the bite-sized instructions and the action steps in each section. It’s a perfect roadmap for me!”
—Yamilca Montanez, Managing Partner at Saint James Studios
“The Client Onboarding Toolkit is amazing, really well done, and easy to follow. I appreciate the easy links for each of the action steps and tips on what to say. (I’ve never sent a contract before, so it's nice having that verbiage handy.)”
—Amy Weiher, Founder and Creative Directrix, Weiher Creative Inc.
“Winning a new client is exciting, but onboarding them is a little meh. I put lots of energy into my proposals but then get bogged down at the contract stage, often skipping it quickly to move on to the marketing work I love to do. Thanks to Jill's Client Onboarding Toolkit and its tips and templates, I'm turning my bad onboarding habits into new best practices, one smart step at a time.”
—Melanie the Marketer, Melanie Deardorff, LLC
“The Client Onboarding Toolkit is so much more than what I was expecting (i.e., a PDF downloadable with basic info on client onboarding). It’s more like an uber-intense checklist for finally getting your s#%! together when it comes to your creative business. It’s basically a step-by-step process of what you should already have set up in your creative business. I’m a designer and this has been an invaluable tool for me to start thinking more about my process and finally work towards getting these items checked off my “one day I’ll get to this” list. Jill, you are the guardian angel of organizationally-challenged designers everywhere!”
—Jennifer Leonardson, Principal & Designer, Oxyjen Design, Inc.
“I like how the Client Onboarding Toolkit’s information is organized into individual steps I can take. And as a designer, the look of the toolkit and its clean typography really speaks to me!”
—Jillfrances Gray, Owner of JFG Visual Communications
“I bought and completed your Toolkit and I loved it! The info you presented was just the structure that my business needs...and presented so beautifully! Although I am a photographer, I found it easy to adapt to my service. Thank you for this insightful information Jill!”
—Aaron Dougherty, Home Funishings Photographer
Here comes the best part!
Get my Toolkit—and my advice, too!
Because I know how invaluable it can be to have someone who’s been there before in your corner, I’m adding the opportunity for you to talk through your client onboarding process 1×1 with me.
If you’re a DIY-er and would prefer to get the Toolkit and skip a call with me, that’s perfectly fine—there’s an option for that. But if you’d like me to be a sounding board, choose my Client Onboarding Tookit PLUS offering—and let’s get a call scheduled!
Get Started Now
Choose the Package That’s Right for You
best
value
Client Onboarding Toolkit PLUS
- Digital access to the Toolkit
- Downloadable PDF of the Toolkit
- Future updates and enhancements to the Toolkit
- Two hours with me (via phone or Zoom)
- My answers to your specific questions about how to integrate the Toolkit into your process
$249
$199
budget
friendly
Client Onboarding Toolkit
- Digital access to the Toolkit
- Downloadable PDF of the Toolkit
- Future updates and enhancements to the Toolkit
- Two hours with me (via phone or Zoom)
- My answers to your specific questions about how to integrate the Toolkit into your process
$49
$22
SECURE CHECKOUT
Questions about the Client Onboarding Toolkit? Ask away!
You get my four essential, time-tested steps for onboarding clients like a pro, along with contract-building tools, templates and the key resources I rely on—and highly recommend—that help you with contracts, call-scheduling and much more.
The Toolkit a digital course and also has a downloadable PDF so you use it both online and offline.
Throughout the Toolkit, I offer advice and best practices on how to get the most value from the information. If you’re interested in personal help from me, you’ll want to get the PLUS option, which includes two hours of consultation time—all at once or in two sessions. That's when I will answer all of your specific questions about how to integrate the Toolkit into your process (or whether to totally replace your process with mine).
Yes! I designed the Toolkit as a DIY resource, so you can use it right away. But if you need help, you'll have the option to upgrade to the PLUS option at any time.
The PLUS options includes two hours of consultation time—all at once or in two sessions. That's when I will answer all of your specific questions about how to integrate the Toolkit into your process (or whether to totally replace your process with mine).
I’m counting on you to get real value from the Toolkit. But if you decide it’s not right for you, take advantage of my 30-day “do the work” guarantee to request a full refund within that time frame.
You have lifetime access to the Toolkit, including any future updates and enhancements I make to it.
Absofreakinlutely! Head over to my affiliate page to learn more.
My 30-day “do the work” guarantee
The Client Onboarding Tookit comes with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. My sincere hope is that this Toolkit brings clarity to your client onboarding process, keeps you sane and boosts your confidence. I also expect you to give it your very best effort.
When you fully commit to the entire process, you will streamline your onboarding process and confidently execute it every single time you talk with a potential client.
If you still don’t feel I’ve delivered on my promise, simply explain what didn’t work within the first 30 days of purchase, and I’ll fully refund your money, guaranteed.