How to Give Clients the Ultimate First Impression
“Gaining clients” can be a foreign, uncomfortable phrase to most new service-based businesses.
It’s new territory– hell, a new world– trying to navigate how to gain clients. You almost feel like you’re missing out on something that everyone else knows except you.
The thing is, this isn’t like the krabby patty secret formula.
It doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re finding that you aren’t getting any leads, what you could do is reevaluate what kind of first impression you’re giving, and it all starts with one thing:
Your client introduction packet.
Or portfolio, or welcome packet. or services and pricing guide. It goes by many names.
This is the first thing you’ll send to potential clients before you even have a website, and it can be the most important. It’s what clients will use to determine whether they think you’re a good fit for them and if they want to take the next steps to work with you.
We know, there’s a ton of pressure behind making sure you’re creating the perfect one that truly showcases Y-O-U. So, what’s a girl to do?
*cue Boss Project logo beaming into the night sky like the Bat-signal*
Sticks & Stones May Break My Bones, but… Words Actually Can Hurt Me?!
And by words, of course we mean the copy. How you word the introduction to your business is everything, regardless of what your prices are. This is the chance to woo your potential clients over.
There are certain questions you should seek to answer in your packet.
“What problem is my ideal client facing?”
“How do my services solve that problem?”
“What will their life be like after working with me?”
“What will they gain from working with me?”
Let’s face it, people love the attention being focused on them, and they love knowing what you can do for them.
That’s not to say that this is a dealbreaker, but answering these questions in your wording may just be the final piece to swaying them to book that first call. You want to make sure they know that what you offer is something they need, that working with you will improve the state of their business, and that you know what you’re talking about. They may not even realize what kind of problems you could solve for them, and this is your chance to let them know.
WHAT WILL THEY GAIN?
Sure, 7+ years of experience in so-and-so industry is great and something you should be totally proud of and include in your packet, but in this day and age, results are that much more important. This is why it’s a good idea to add some info about what your ideal client will gain from working with you. It lets them know why they should give you their money versus someone else with a similar skill set or who may offer the same services.
Show Them the Real You
Try not to get so caught up in winning over your ideal client that you forget to add yourself in there. Adding a personal touch to your packet will give some insight into your personality.
Do you have a passion for knitting on the side? Add that in there!
Do you often volunteer at your local animal shelter? Tell ‘em about it!
Do you have a small addiction to Starbucks that you may or may not be in denial of but your bank account keeps telling you it might be time for a break? Me, too! *Ahem* Sorry, got a bit carried away there.
The point is, letting them get a peek into the person behind the business is always a good idea. Try adding a couple of small details about things like what you like to do in your free time, where you’re from, whether you’re a dog or a cat person (or any other animal), etc. You get the idea.
FORMAL OR CASUAL?
The decision on how exactly to write your copy depends on 1. Your “voice”, and 2. Who your ideal client is.
If you work with company Executives or your business revolves around maintaining a certain level of professionalism, by all means, keep your packet in a professional tone. Likewise, if you work with mom bloggers who might be more laid back or lax, for example, writing in a more casual tone may not be a bad idea. It all depends on which you think truly fits you and your business. Let your personality reflect through your words.
What About Your Services and Pricing?
Pricing your services is easily the most difficult step for new service-based businesses to work through. Funnily enough, though, it doesn’t have to be.
First thing’s first: Packages will be your best friend. They’re a way for you to showcase your services in tiers while adding a bit of psychology to it.
Whip out your handy dandy calculator and figure out the total amount you need to be making every month. This will be different for everyone as some may need to cover all expenses, whereas some may just need to cover the groceries, pay the mortgage, take care of daycare for the kids, or whatever your needs are.
Once you have that number, you can work backward from there.
Say you need to make $400 per month just to cover the cost of groceries. When you’re putting your packages together, be sure that your lowest package is at least $400. It’s still enough to get the job done for your clients, but they may just need a little more, which is where your middle package comes in. This one should be the best of both worlds. It’s the one that will make the most sense to potential clients looking to work with you; the one that no-doubt meets their needs. Your highest package will just add a little extra value.
So, You Know What to Put in It. Now What?
Last but not least, we arrive at.. Delivery. It’s great that you now know what to put in your packet, but what about the actual packet itself?
Keep it simple. Remember that less is more and a simplistic design will get you far. You want to keep it easy on the eyes; readability is crucial.
Your first page should be a cover with a nice photo of you, your brand name (if it’s different than your name), and the title of the packet. Next will be your Welcome page with your introduction copy about yourself and your business. Remember the tone you want to go for, and try to answer those questions we talked about earlier.
Then, you want briefly to lay out your services. Make this more of an overview with a brief description. Your next pages will go more in depth with each service, providing details like what it includes, how it works, and the price.
After that, you’ll want to show the process of working with you. This is depending on your process, but it could go something like Discovery Call > Contract > Invoice > Delivery, or however you like to go about onboarding and working. Give a brief overview of each step and what it entails.
Your next page will let others do the talking for you. Provide 2-3 testimonials from either past paying clients or, if you’re just beginning, from small free projects you’ve done just for experience and testimonials.
Finally, your last page will be about how to book you. This is pretty self-explanatory, but you’ll walk them through how to contact you about working, booking their first call, or whatever your first step is. You can also provide some more details about what happens after the call. Then, add your logo and contact info/links to social media at the bottom of this page
BUT WHAT IF I’M NOT A GRAPHIC DESIGNER?
Don’t worry, babe. We don’t expect you to be. If you’re having trouble designing your pages or figuring out the perfect layout, we have something for you.
As you may know, we’ve now launched The Creative Template Shop or, as we like to call it, The Shop. Part of our template collection includes Services & Pricing Guides, and it’s just what you’re looking for.
It includes the exact layout that we just walked you through, only it ensures that you’ll have a neat and clean look. Not to mention the time and headache you’ll save from just plugging in your info and pictures. Really, it’s priceless.
It comes in three color palettes for you to choose from– soft (as shown above), neutral, and bright– but you can easily pop in your own branding colors. All templates, including this one, are copied into your Canva account. You don’t have to worry about having a paid account either because all fonts used are free, but, like the colors, they can also be changed to your own brand’s fonts.
The one-off price for this template is only $34, and if it’s your first time shopping with us, you can even snag a 15% discount (use code WELCOME15)!
If you get to scrolling through The Shop and realize that you actually need all of our templates, we invite you to join with one of our membership options. We have a monthly plan for only $47 per month, or an annual plan where you get two months for free. Both membership plans include unlimited downloads of ALL templates in The Shop, plus the 4 new collections we add every month, and a 10% discount on all Merch (and we’ve got some cuuuute stuff!)
Feel free to check it out at www.creativetemplateshop.com. If you purchase a template, show us your customized creation over on Instagram or in our weekly Shop Show-off thread in our huge Facebook community. We absolutely love seeing how everyone is using our products to help their biz!
Now that you have all you need to put together a kickass welcome packet, go out there and get those clients while resting comfortably knowing you have a sleek and beautiful design. We’re rooting for you!