Remember your first day of school? You were scared, you didn’t know anybody, and you didn’t know what was going to happen or what was expected of you.

You may have wanted to go home.

To some extent, your new clients feel the same way. They’re nervous about their case, they don’t know you, and they don’t know what’s going to happen.

Part of your job is to alleviate their fears and doubts and make them feel good about their decision to hire you.

You want them to understand what’s about to happen, what to expect from you, and what you expect from them. You want to equip them to work with you, to help you achieve a good outcome for them.

And you want to set the stage for repeat business and referrals.

You need an on-boarding checklist that spells out what you will do, and when, with links to forms, emails, and lists of things you need to do or tell the new client.

Things like:

• Introduce yourself, your staff, and your partners
• Learn about their family, their employees, their other advisers
• Inquire about other possible legal issues
• Provide information about their case–the law, the procedure, the timetable, and the process you follow
• Answer their FAQs
• Orient them to the tools and processes you use to communicate with your clients (and ask them which apps or methods they prefer)
• Give them a “tour” of your office and/or a virtual tour of your website and the resources available to them
• Educate them about “what else” you do, ie., other services, practice areas
• Provide reports, referral cards, etc., they can hand out
• Provide exemplars of positive reviews you’ve received and links to sites where they can leave one if they’re happy with your work
• Give them homework, to get them involved in the process
• Send a thank you note, a welcome gift, and add their birthday to your card list

Your checklist should encompass what you will say and do at their first appointment and thereafter.

Your clients are your most valuable asset. A checklist can ensure you continue to invest in them.

How to create “referral devices” that bring in new business