Michael Joel

Email 1: Subject line: Just one more step... Hi Peter, Thanks for signing up for a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Client Onboarding! After you go through it, you’ll be able to give your clients the kind of experience that will turn them into raving repeat customers. That means you’ll finally be able to stop worrying about where you’re going to find the next one. If you weren’t already excited, I hope you are now. :) Here is a link to access it. If you have any questions as you go through it, I want to hear them! Just reply to this email and I’ll be happy to help. You’ll also get some more of my go-to resources for delighting your clients over the next few days, so keep an eye out! Excited to have you on board. - Michael Email 2: Subject line: My bad Hi Peter, I probably owe you an apology. Yesterday’s email that gave you The Ultimate Guide to Client Onboarding might have been a little bit rude... I was in such a rush to deliver it that I totally forgot to introduce myself and find out more about you. Are you up for a do-over? If so, there’s something special for you at the end of this email. Here are 3 quick things you probably don’t know about me: Thing #1: I’ve travelled to all 50 states (and the Top 3 are unquestionably California, Washington, and Maine). Thing #2: I live in Nashville, TN, but no—I do not own a pair of cowboy boots. I also do not regularly have brunch with Taylor Swift. Thing #3: I'm on a mission to help freelancers work exclusively with their dream clients instead of settling for whatever work comes their way. Every week, you’ll get a new blog post designed to help you improve your freelance business. (If you want to see the best of what I’ve already written, you can check out my blog right here.) The bottom line? I’m here to help you meet your goals. :) With that in mind, reply to this email and let me know: What’s the hardest part for you about dealing with clients? Send me your reply and I will personally respond with tips or resources that can help you with it! Hopefully that can get our relationship started on the right foot. Oh, and keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow! Whether you reply or not, I’m going to send you my best strategy for solving the most popular answer to that question. Thanks again for signing up, - Michael Email 3: Subject line: This sound familiar? Hi Peter, Most freelancers I know can't stand client phone calls. Heck, I can’t stand them either. For a long time, I thought I just had to deal with it. Some problems aren’t fixable, right? Turns out, that’s not the case at all. And in this email, I'm going to show you two steps you can take immediately to avoid this problem once and for all. Step1: Initiate client check-ins with informative emails The #1 key to minimizing client calls is pre-empting any questions they might have. The easiest way to do that? Regularly email them all the information they could possibly need about your work. You want to come across like you’re on top of everything so they don’t need to worry. To do that, you just need to include these 3 points in your email:    Here’s the progress I’ve made Here’s what’s happening next Here’s what I need from you Step 2: Create in the open Don’t keep your projects hidden away until it's time to reveal them to your client. Instead, try to work on them and give clients access in real-time. For example, if you're a copywriter, write in a Google Doc and give clients access. If you're a designer, create a prototype in InVision and sync it with your Dropbox account. This can feel a little uncomfortable at first, but sometimes clients just want reassurance that you're working on your project (especially those pesky micromanagers). Being able to see real-time updates can help squash that urge to check in constantly. If they have something that they can continuously refer back to, it'll let them know that the project is ticking along and in safe hands. Those two steps seem pretty small, right? That’s what makes them so great. With just a small-time investment, you can eliminate half of the pesky client phone calls that clog up your calendar. Tomorrow, I’m going to send you one of my other favorite quick wins—so keep an eye out! - Michael Email 4: Subject line: Surprise! Here’s a little something extra for you... Hi Peter, Remember a couple emails back when I asked you about the hardest part of dealing with clients? By far, the most popular response I get from subscribers is this: Figuring out a repeatable client onboarding process you can use for all of your new projects. Trust me, I’ve been there. That’s why today I’m sending you a free resource that I’d probably be lost without: The step-by-step checklist I use every time a client books me. It’s going to help you do 3 things:  Cut out 1-2 hours of the usual new project busy work for every new client  Avoid those embarrassing emails that happen when an important detail slips your mind  Give every client you have the kind of smooth experience that’ll have them booking their next project before the current one ends Click here to get this resource now ← I hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. - Michael Email 5: Subject line: Your "someday maybe" list Hi Peter, We all have one. That list of things you know you need to do but have been putting off way too long. I call it the “Someday Maybe” list, and I can probably guess what’s at the top of yours. If you’re like 99% of other subscribers on this email list, it’s this: Putting a referral system in place so your best clients start sending you new customers automatically. I know because it used to be the top item on my own “Someday Maybe” list. For the longest time, I had no idea how to go about asking clients for referrals. I didn’t want to come off pushy and jeopardize the relationship. So...what finally helped me break through? I created a system that took fear out of the equation. I mapped out every step, every email I would send, and every question I might need to answer so that asking for referrals became as simple as following the same steps every time. That’s all it took for the referrals to start rolling in. All because I spent a small amount of time moving something from my “Someday Maybe” list to my “It’s All Done” list. I want to help you do the same thing. That’s why I created the Referral System Implementation Call. It’s a chance for you and me to hop on a video call for 60 minutes so I can personally help you create and implement your own unique referral system. By the end you’ll have a simple, personalized process that will give you the confidence you need to start getting referrals to high-quality clients after every finished project. You can get all the details right here. Let’s make your “someday maybe” happen now. - Michael