Even if you are good at setting boundaries with friends and family, you may still struggle when setting boundaries with clients. Others struggle with boundaries in all parts of their life. Melissa Morris joins Maelisa and Amber on this episode of My Biz Bestie to set us straight on setting boundaries. Melissa is a business operations consultant that specializes in client processes. She helps service providers streamline and automate these processes. She also helps her clients with their client onboarding and client management. She has noticed in her extensive experience that so many of her clients need coaching on creating boundaries and expectations with their clients. You’ll definitely want to take some notes so that you can remember these helpful tips for setting boundaries with clients.
Lack of client management can lead to confusion
Many service providers have amazing offerings but they don’t know how to manage their clients. Oftentimes people come into entrepreneurship after leaving the corporate world. In their previous role, they may have had a buffer between themselves and the client. Now that the buffer is no longer there they have no idea how to manage their clients’ expectations. They may even think that they are providing better service to their customers by letting them lead the way. But the truth is this technique (or lack thereof) will lead you to burnout and the client can end up dissatisfied.
TWEET THIS: DISCOVER 4 ITEMS YOU NEED TO INCLUDE IN YOUR ONBOARDING COMMUNICATION ON THIS EPISODE OF #MYBIZBESTIE
Setting boundaries with clients from the getgo will save you time
When you let the client take the lead they are left with questions and sometimes they fill in those questions with their own expectations which may be very different than the service that you perform. When you let your clients know what to expect from you early on then they end up with all of those questions answered right off the bat. When you clearly communicate with your clients early on in the onboarding process you end up saving yourself time later on answering questions and putting out fires.
4 items you need to include in your onboarding communication
Your onboarding email is a perfect place to set the stage for your new client. Some people call it their welcome email or ‘how I work.’ Whatever you call it, make sure to outline your expectations by including these 4 items:
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Your preferred method of communication. This ensures the client isn’t bombarding you with messages on multiple platforms.
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Your deliverables. This lets the client know how long it takes you to respond or get things done.
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Meeting details
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What you expect from the client. Let the client know when you need their information.
What are some common boundaries that clients push?
The biggest problem that people face with their clients is communication. When you let your client know from the beginning how you want to communicate and during which times of day you will lessen the constant back and forth as well as save yourself the headaches involved in miscommunication. When they have all the information they need in 1 place you have an excellent resource to refer them back to. Scope creep is another common problem. Sometimes entrepreneurs are asked to do tasks that are outside the parameters they have set. It may be just a bit outside those boundaries. That is why it is important to get specific about what is included in your offering.
In this episode…
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[4:12] Many service providers don’t know how to manage clients
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[8:30] What are common areas where boundaries get pushed?
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[13:40] People will bring their own expectations
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[15:35] Do you reply to emails during your off time?
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[20:06] Scope creep is another common problem
Resources & People Mentioned
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EPISODE 64 – Is Complacency Affecting Your Business Growth?
Connect with Melissa Morris
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Check Melissa out on Facebook
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Get your FREE onboarding checklist at MelissaVMorris.com
Connect With Maelisa and Amber
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And the MBB Facebook Page
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