General Client Onboarding

Purpose

This SOP defines the intake, kickoff, discovery, and onboarding process for new clients. It aligns with the Product Context — three phases (Blueprint, Build, Run + Optimize), tier-based scope, and the "one partner, one system" approach. It ensures consistent onboarding, secure handling of client data, and a clear path to early results in 4–8 weeks.

Scope

Context	Applies to
All main-plan engagements	Growth Foundation, Growth Accelerator, Global Scale Engine
Includes	CRM, funnels, SEO, ads, automation, analytics
Excludes	Social-only engagements (see Social Media SOP)

Approach: How We Onboard

Philosophy

We onboard like system owners, not vendors. Before we touch tactics, we:

Map the full path — Spend → click → lead → qualified → closed. One source of truth.
Fix clarity before tactics — No quick fixes until offer, message, and path are clear.
Align on one owner — We become the system owner; client has one point of contact for the whole journey.

Alignment with Product Context

Product context	Onboarding implication
Blueprint (Week 1–2)	Audit, audience analysis, growth roadmap, tool recommendations — onboarding is the start of Blueprint
Build (Week 3–6)	Website, funnels, CRM, content engine, ad campaigns — requires complete intake before Build
Kickoff within 48 hours	We schedule kickoff within 48 hours of signed contract
Early results in 4–8 weeks	Onboarding must not delay; access and discovery run in parallel

Information to Collect from Client

1. Pre-kickoff (Intake)

Category	Information	Why
Contact	Primary contact: name, email, phone, company	Comm channel setup
Contract	Signed SOW/contract; tier; start date	Legal, scope lock
Billing	Invoice contact; payment method; currency (USD)	Billing setup
Timezone	Client primary timezone	Meeting scheduling

2. At Kickoff (Kickoff Meeting)

Category	Information	Why
Team	Who is our day-to-day contact? Decision maker?	RACI, escalation
Goals	Top 3 outcomes for next 90 days	Priority alignment
Current state	What’s working? What’s broken?	Discovery baseline
Tools	Current CRM, ads, analytics, email, website platform	Audit, integration
Access	Who will grant access? When?	Access checklist
Communication	Preferred channel (Slack, email, WhatsApp); cadence	Communication Protocol

3. During Blueprint (Week 1–2)

Category	Information	Why
Audience	ICP; buyer personas; pain points	Audience analysis
Financials	Ad budget; LTV; target CAC; revenue goals	Growth roadmap
Acquisition	Channels; attribution; tracking gaps	Leak identification
Website	URL; CMS; hosting; current conversion	Technical audit
Follow-up	Lead follow-up process; response time	Handover gap analysis
Constraints	Budget cap; timeline; blockers	Scoping
Decision authority	Who approves scope changes?	Change request process

4. Reference: Quiz Data (If client came via /get-started)

Use quiz responses as a head start:

Steps 2–11: Business model, financials, outcomes, acquisition, website, follow-up, tracking, constraints, blockers, decision authority
Step 12: Growth commitment (mindset + allocation)
Tier recommended: Foundation / Accelerator / Global Scale

Where to Store What

Data type	Storage location	Access	Share with
Contracts, SOWs	Encrypted shared drive (client folder)	Project Lead, Client Lead	Team on need-to-know
Credentials, API keys	Password manager (e.g. 1Password, Bitwarden)	Project Lead only; shared vault per client	Revoke on offboard
Access log	Shared drive (client folder) — no passwords	Project Lead, assigned team	Client Lead for audit
Discovery summary	Shared drive (client folder)	Full team on engagement	Client (shared link)
Reports, deliverables	Shared drive (client folder)	Full team	Client via link
Day-to-day comms	Client Slack/WhatsApp channel	Assigned team	—
Sensitive PII	Minimal; only if required for compliance	Need-to-know	Encrypt at rest

Folder Structure (Per Client)

/clients/[client-slug]/
├── 01-contract/
│   └── SOW-signed.pdf
├── 02-intake/
│   ├── kickoff-notes.md
│   ├── access-checklist.md
│   └── contact-list.md
├── 03-discovery/
│   ├── discovery-summary.md
│   ├── growth-roadmap.md
│   └── audit-findings.md
├── 04-deliverables/
│   ├── monthly-reports/
│   └── assets/
└── 05-archive/

Security Rules

Rule	Action
No credentials in Slack/email	Use password manager; share links only
No PII in shared docs	Redact or use placeholders where possible
Revoke access on offboard	Remove from drive, tools, channels within 7 days
Encrypt at rest	Use provider encryption (Google Drive, Dropbox Business)
Audit quarterly	Client Lead reviews access log; remove stale access

Need	How
Single source of truth	Client folder in shared drive — one place for status, decisions, assets
Quick sync	Client Slack channel; daily standup for active builds
Formal handoffs	Document in shared folder; link in Slack
Escalation	Per Frameworks & Principles

Deliverables & Timeline

Onboarding Timeline Overview

gantt
    title Client Onboarding Timeline (Weeks 1–2 = Blueprint Start)
    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
    section Intake
    Contract received          :done, i1, 2025-02-01, 1d
    Kickoff scheduled (48h)   :active, i2, after i1, 2d
    Welcome email + prep      :i3, after i2, 1d
    section Kickoff
    Kickoff meeting           :milestone, k1, after i3, 0d
    section Blueprint (Week 1-2)
    Access setup              :b1, after k1, 5d
    Discovery calls           :b2, after k1, 7d
    Audit + roadmap           :b3, after b2, 5d
    Discovery summary         :b4, after b3, 2d
    Blueprint sign-off        :milestone, b5, after b4, 0d
    section Build (Week 3-6)
    Build phase starts        :milestone, build1, after b5, 0d

Phase-by-Phase Deliverables

Phase	Timeline	Deliverables	Owner
Intake	Day 0–2	Signed contract; kickoff scheduled; welcome email; shared folder created	Project Lead
Kickoff	Day 2–3	Kickoff agenda; access checklist; communication protocol agreed	Project Lead
Blueprint	Week 1–2	Audit; audience analysis; growth roadmap; discovery summary; Phase 1 plan	Project Lead
Build	Week 3–6	Per SOW: website, funnels, CRM, content, ads	Assigned team
Run + Optimize	Ongoing	Weekly/bi-weekly calls; monthly reports; A/B tests	Project Lead

Detailed Onboarding Diagram

flowchart TB
    subgraph Intake["Intake (Day 0–2)"]
        A[Contract received] --> B[Confirm start date]
        B --> C[Schedule kickoff within 48h]
        C --> D[Send welcome email + prep]
        D --> E[Create client folder + add to comms]
    end

    subgraph Kickoff["Kickoff (Day 2–3)"]
        E --> F[Kickoff meeting]
        F --> G[Introduce team; confirm roles]
        G --> H[Walk SOW; confirm scope]
        H --> I[Agree communication protocol]
        I --> J[Confirm access needed]
        J --> K[Set first milestone]
        K --> L[Document decisions]
    end

    subgraph Blueprint["Blueprint (Week 1–2)"]
        L --> M[Request access]
        L --> N[Discovery calls]
        M --> O[Access checklist]
        N --> P[Map spend → lead → closed]
        P --> Q[Identify leaks]
        Q --> R[Audience analysis]
        R --> S[Growth roadmap]
        S --> T[Discovery summary]
        T --> U[Present findings]
        U --> V[Agree Phase 1 plan]
        V --> W[Blueprint sign-off]
    end

    subgraph Build["Build (Week 3–6)"]
        W --> X[Website, funnels, CRM]
        X --> Y[Content engine]
        Y --> Z[Ad campaigns]
        Z --> AA[Early results]
    end

    style A fill:#e8f4f8
    style F fill:#e8f4f8
    style W fill:#d4edda
    style AA fill:#d4edda

Cadence by Tier

Tier	Kickoff timing	Blueprint	First check-in	Strategy call
Growth Foundation	48h of signing	2 weeks	Week 2	Monthly
Growth Accelerator	48h of signing	2 weeks	Week 2	Bi-weekly
Global Scale Engine	48h of signing	2 weeks	Week 1	Weekly

Definitions

Term	Definition
SOW	Statement of Work; scope, deliverables, timeline, pricing
Kickoff	First formal meeting to align scope, roles, process
Blueprint	Week 1–2: Audit, audience analysis, growth roadmap, tool recommendations
Discovery	Initial phase to understand current state, leaks, objectives
Access log	Document listing required access, granted access, and owner — no passwords

RACI

Deliverable	Project Lead	Client Lead	Client
Schedule kickoff	R	A	C
Run kickoff	R	A	R
Access setup	R	I	R
Discovery	R	A	R
Discovery summary	R	A	A
Secure storage	R	A	I
Blueprint sign-off	R	A	A

Tools & Templates

Item	Purpose
Kickoff agenda	Standard agenda template
Access checklist	Track required and granted access
Discovery summary template	Document current state and leaks
Dummy Onboarding Report	Reference structure for reports

Product Context — Tiers, services, process
Social Media Onboarding — Social-specific intake
Project Delivery — Engagement lifecycle
Communication Protocol — Channel and SLAs

Version & Approval

Field	Value
Last updated	February 2025
Approver	—