Everything for a professional client start: onboarding questionnaire, kickoff agenda and the expectations email that prevents scope pain later.
Create my client onboarding kit. My service: {WHAT I DO}. Typical project: {SCOPE + DURATION +
PRICE RANGE}. Past pain (be honest): {WHAT HAS GONE WRONG BEFORE — scope creep, slow feedback,
ghosting, endless revisions}.
Deliver:
1. ONBOARDING QUESTIONNAIRE: 10–12 questions that actually shape the work — goals with numbers, decision-maker mapping ("who else approves this?"), taste calibration ("show me 2 examples you love and 1 you hate"), constraints, and the trap-detector question for my specific past pain.
2. KICKOFF CALL AGENDA (45 min): introductions kept short → goals confirmed back to them → process walkthrough with THEIR responsibilities explicit (feedback windows, asset delivery) →
communication rules (channel, response times, meeting cadence) → next 2 weeks concrete → the "how we handle changes" conversation NOW, while everyone's happy.
3. THE EXPECTATIONS EMAIL (sent after kickoff): summarizes decisions, deadlines both ways,
revision policy, and the scope boundary — friendly tone, contractual precision. Under 250 words.
4. RED-FLAG PROTOCOL: the 3 early warning signs from my past pain, and the pre-written
gentle-but-firm message for each.