185. The Four Things You Must Do When a Project Wraps Up

There's one client process mistake that the majority of service providers make, and I have been very guilty of it myself as well. So we are going to talk about it in this last episode of our client process series. As service providers, we often put all our time and energy into delivering great work. And then when the project is over, we just stop.

The project wraps up. You send over final files, maybe an 'it was so great working with you' email or text, and then the relationship just kind of quietly fades into the distance. And then maybe you wonder why you aren't getting reviews, or referrals aren't coming in consistently, or your clients aren't coming back to work with you again. Like I said, it's a mistake that I have made personally, and the problem for you, like it was for me, probably has nothing to do with the quality of your work.

It's probably that you didn't give that client relationship anywhere to go next. So today we're talking about how to fix that with a simple off-boarding process that naturally leads to reviews, referrals and repeat business. Let's get into it. I've noticed something about small businesses.

Most established business owners have figured out what they're selling. What they haven't figured out is what to focus on to actually grow. That's what we're here for. Welcome to Small Business Savvy.

I'm Kristin Doyle, and around here, we talk about business systems, website strategy, simplified marketing, and the strategic decisions that grow your business. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start building smarter, let's go. So we have talked about onboarding, we've talked about boundaries, we've talked about creating a good client experience, and all of that makes this last piece much easier. Because when the expectations are clear from the start and the process has run smoothly because you had good onboarding, then the ending feels really clean for everyone, too.

I think one of the reasons that we skip off-boarding is that it can sometimes feel a little unnecessary to do this extra step after the work is done. In your mind, you're probably mentally moving on to the next project, to the next client already. But at the end of the project is actually the best time for you to get things like reviews and referrals and get your clients started thinking about working with you again. The reason for that is your client has just gotten the thing that they paid for.

They're feeling good about it. It is probably the most excited they are ever going to be about the work that you just did. And that means they are more likely to do something nice for you or to share about you with other people right now, than they will be six months from now when that memory is faded, and that project that you did together is kind of old news. So if you don't capture that moment intentionally, it will just slip away.

Now, quick note for anyone listening who sells digital products. For you, your version of this is going to be that post-purchase follow up email sequence, checking in after delivery, asking for reviews, pointing them to the next relevant product. The principle here is the same for you, even if the mechanics look a little different. Now, there are four major things that you want to do in a strong off-boarding process.

The first one is your delivery and your summary. The last thing you want to do is just hand over files and let that be that. Don't send an email that says, hey, here's your stuff in this Google Drive folder, and then walk away. When you hand over the files, make sure you're doing it in a way that reminds them of what you built, why you made the decisions that you made, what it's designed to do for their business.

This isn't just about handing off the things that they paid you for, or even trying to add some extra stuff into the end, it really is about helping them understand and remember the value that they got. There are a couple reasons that this matters. First of all, it keeps them happy with what they paid you to do. When you remind them of why you made the decisions that you made and why things are the way that they are, it helps to cut down on requests for changes after the fact, and it helps to keep them happy with what you've created, because they understand the strategy behind it.

Second, it also helps them to articulate the value of your service to other people, because you've spelled out for them in your communication with them, how they can do that. You've given them language that they can use. Because if they can't explain what you did for them and why it was worth it, then they can't refer you very well. So this delivery packet, email, whatever you decide to create, is a tool that you can use to give them the language to refer other people to you in the The second thing that you need is clear guidance on their next future.

steps. What should they do now that the project is done? Are there some last few little checklist items they need to do? What should they be watching for to see if the work you did is performing well for them?

What do they need to maintain or add to over time? Whatever it is, you want to make sure you're giving them those next steps so that they can continue to take the work you did and have it perform well for their business over time. You also want to make sure that they have any login information, anything like that, that they're going to need to be able to access and use what you've created for them. Giving them that guidance on next steps does two things.

It positions you as the person who thinks beyond the current transaction and really genuinely cares about their results. It also just very naturally opens the door for future work, without you ever being pushy or salesy or really even needing to mention future work. Now, the third thing that you need is that request for feedback. You have to ask for feedback or reviews while the experience is fresh, not three months down the road when they've kind of forgotten about it.

In fact, I have learned I need to ask for feedback, especially for things like Google reviews, immediately when the project has been delivered. For my clients, that is the best time to ask them for a review. You want to create a simple, low friction way for them to share what went well and what could have been better, and then that also gives you language that you can use for testimonials. One thing I've noticed is a lot of clients will say something when I'm just asking questions, getting feedback, that is actually a perfect comment for a review or a testimonial.

So if they do, don't hesitate to ask if you can share that publicly. One thing that's worked really well for me is when a client texts me feedback, because that's how I'm gathering feedback on projects right now, is via text. When a client texts me that feedback, if I see a good comment, I will immediately reply and say, Hey, that is a perfect comment. Would you mind popping exactly that into a quick Google review?

You can just copy paste exactly what you just sent me, and here's the link. I would appreciate it so so much. When you do that, when you say, you don't have to come up with something new, just copy paste what you just texted me, it takes all the pressure off for them to figure out what to say, because you're literally telling them what to say. Copy paste your text, pop it in a Google review, here's the link.

And it just makes it so much quicker and easier for them. I will say I am getting a much better response rate when I do that in a text than I am when I email clients a feedback form or a testimonial form after the fact. It's just more personal, and it's right there in the moment when they're thinking about what we just did together. All right, and the last piece that you need in your off-boarding process is a pathway for either referrals or return business.

Now this does not have to be any kind of super formal referral program or anything. It can be as simple as, hey, if you know someone who would benefit from this, here's the best way to send them to me. If you do want to do a referral program, you can always create one. They do not have to be complicated.

You don't need a special software to do it, or anything like that. The simplest way to create a referral program where you do provide an incentive to people who refer you is to just tell them, mention your name whenever someone reaches out to me. Put a field on your contact form that says, if someone referred you, let me know who they are, so I can send them a little thank you. And let your clients know, if you refer someone, tell them to put your name on the form.

And then you can send them a little referral bonus or, you know, whatever you would like to do. I've done referral bonuses in the form of cash. I have done a percentage off of your next project as the referral bonus. I've also had other people send me a little gift, an actual physical gift in the mail when I referred someone.

And that's really nice, too. So lots of different ways to thank people for a referral. If you are tight on cash, and you just want to do something to thank them without it costing you money, that percentage off of their next project is a great way to go. It is real money to them, but it doesn't cost you dollars.

It just costs you a little bit in your time. So that's a great way to thank them for the referral, but also continue working with the client and not cost you out of pocket dollars. Another thing to think about is repeat client discounts. I like to do that because I think it really helps people come back and continue working with me.

I've had clients work with me 7, 8, 9 times as a web designer. And to be honest, that's, that's really almost unheard of. It's just not typical for people to come back that many times for additional projects. But I have people come back to me over and over, and I think part of it is that I do offer a repeat client discount.

It's only 10%, but that is enough to make them feel valued and have them coming back. All right, so that is the four things you need in your off-boarding process. Let's talk about how to actually set this up and hand it off in a way that reinforces the value of the service that you just provided. See the way that you close out the project really does shape how clients remember the whole thing, because it's the last touch point that they have with you.

So think about how you can give a thoughtful, organized handoff, whether it's a short video walkthrough, some sort of summary document, a simple here's what we accomplished together email. Whatever you do, you want to leave them feeling like they got more than they paid for, because that feeling really is what drives those referrals and that word of mouth a lot more than any referral bonuses or commissions that you might pay them. I want to share what I am doing right now in my custom web design projects, because it is working really well.

I have a quick off boarding video that I share with clients, and then I also send each client a personalized website guide that helps walk them through the specifics of their website. It's in PDF format, so it's easy for them to save and refer back to anytime. It shares things like plugins that we used, decisions that we made, branding information, logins, all of those things are in a website guide that I send out to the client. It also includes information about their repeat client discount, referral bonuses and ways that they can refer me, all of those kinds of things, right in this handy PDF guide that I send to them, along with that personalized offboarding video.

I would also suggest adding one post project touchpoint. This is just one intentional follow up 30 or 60 days after your project wraps up. Not to sell them anything. It doesn't even need to be long.

In fact, mine is a text you just want to send a quick check in. Hey, how is your whatever going? How's your website performing? Are you getting the results you hope for?

How are those emails I wrote for you? Whatever it is, a quick text or even just a one sentence email lets the client know that you're still thinking about them. It is very low effort for you, and it genuinely surprises clients, because almost no one bothers to do that. And this is a step that can help to keep you top of mind right around the time that they might be thinking about you and working with you again, or they might be thinking about talking about you to someone else.

All right, so here is what I want you to do. The next time you wrap up a project, create a simple delivery summary. If you don't have a ton of time right now, just make it an email template or short video script. Include what you built, why you made certain key decisions, and what it's designed to do, and then send them their next steps and any login information that they might need.

Think about your feedback process. Send a question or two immediately when you deliver the project. Use text if that's how you communicate, because that honestly is how I am getting the best feedback and reviews at this point. Or if you are communicating just via email, you can send this in an email, asking them to reply back, or send them to a simple form.

When you get good feedback, reach back out and ask them to copy paste it into a review on whatever public platforms you're collecting reviews. When it comes to your client referral system or repeat client system, think about things like adding that who referred you field on your contact form, deciding on a simple referral thank you, whatever that might look like, a bonus or a discount, and decide if you're going to offer a repeat client discount. Like I said, even 10% works. One of the biggest things, though, is start putting a reminder in your calendar for 30 to 60 days post-project, to schedule that follow up and send a quick check in message with your clients.

When you do that, remember, don't pitch anything, just check in. All right, I think that should cover a good client off-boarding process. The thing is, you have already done the hard work part. You've delivered really great work for your client.

This is just about capturing that moment when your client is happiest with you and most excited about what you just did together, and giving them somewhere to go next. If you found this helpful, share it with another service provider who could use a better off boarding process. And I'll talk to you soon.