Onboarding a new client
Set a new client relationship up with the right sphere, cadence, and paper trail from day one.
The first 90 days set the pattern for the whole relationship. Here's how to give a new client a real structure from the start, instead of relying on memory once the details actually matter.
Why it matters
If nothing captures who's on the client's team, what came out of the kickoff call, or when you're supposed to check back in, you're stuck reconstructing all of it later, usually right when it counts: a renewal conversation, an escalation, a referral ask. A little structure on day one saves you from that scramble.
How it works
Two structures, used together depending on the client. A sphere with a cadence keeps every client on a realistic rhythm without you tracking it by hand. If onboarding follows real stages, contract signed, kickoff, first deliverable, steady state, a Pipeline gives you a board instead of a flat list. Both can run at once: the sphere handles the ongoing cadence, Pipelines handles the process that gets them there.
How to do it
- Put the client in a Clients sphere with a cadence that matches how often you should realistically be in touch — Create your spheres and Set a cadence.
- If onboarding has real stages, build a Pipeline for it and move their card as they progress — Pipelines.
- Log notes from the kickoff call directly on their profile: names, priorities, what they said mattered most — Contact profile.
- Add the other people on their team as related contacts, so you're tracking the relationship, not just one name.
- Set reminders for the first-90-days moments that matter: the first real check-in, the first deliverable, the first renewal conversation — Reminders.
What good looks like
The client and their team are in your sphere. The cadence matches reality, not wishful thinking. Kickoff notes exist somewhere other than your memory. The first few reminders are already set, so nothing depends on you remembering.
If you fell off
You signed the client three weeks ago and haven't set any of this up. That's normal. Almost nobody does it on day one, everyone's busy actually running the kickoff. Don't try to reconstruct the whole 90-day plan retroactively. Add the client, add their team, set one reminder for your next real touchpoint. Build the rest from there as you go.