Client onboarding doesn’t have to wait until Fall—set it up once and let it run with an effective client onboarding strategy.
Why Client Onboarding Matters More Than You Think
Client onboarding isn’t just a checklist.
It’s your client’s first real experience inside your business — and it’s your best opportunity to show them that choosing you was absolutely the right decision.
A great onboarding process builds trust, answers questions before they’re asked, and sets the tone for your entire working relationship.
And for you? It saves hours of back-and-forth by collecting key info upfront and giving new clients the confidence that you’ve got this. Let me tell you about my first business coach.
I learned this the hard way when I invested in my first business coach…
I still remember the first time I hired a business coach. It was a big investment—several thousand dollars—and I was excited, but also incredibly nervous. After I signed the contract and submitted my payment, I waited… and waited… and heard nothing. No confirmation email. No welcome message. Not even a quick “Got it!” reply. For hours, I wondered if I’d just been scammed. Thankfully, I hadn’t. When I finally reached out, the coach responded right away and reassured me that my onboarding packet was on the way. The rest of the experience was amazing, and I got incredible results, but that rocky start stuck with me. It would have been so much better with a simple, automated welcome email.
The 3 Pillars of a Strong Client Onboarding Process
Let’s keep this simple and powerful.
1. Educate
Your client needs to know how things will go:
→ What happens next?
→ How should they communicate with you?
→ What’s expected of them?
A great onboarding email answers these questions proactively.
(Hint: If you find yourself answering the same questions over and over, build those answers into your process. You can even build it into a series of emails if your clients need to know lots of things. I usually recommend that verses the HUGE giant blog post email. Piecemeal the info out in digestible chunks over time.
2. Collect
This is the time to gather any info you need to get started — brand materials, questionnaires, photos, timelines, whatever supports this part of the journey. If it’s something you don’t really need until MUCH later, you can always send a second questionnaire later. For instance, Wedding professionals usually need to collect a lot of details about the wedding day. Most of the time these aren’t known at the time of booking. (Unless your service is one that’s typically booked closer to the wedding date.) It’s a good idea to send that questionnaire a lot closer to the wedding date.
While we’re at it, consider sending emails to follow-up on the form if it’s not completed right away. Figure out what the reminder timeline needs to look like for you. Maybe it’s “hey just checking in to see how things are going with your Wedding Timeline Questionnaire.” Then, later on, “friendly reminder, I need that questionnaire in 2 weeks.” Followed by, “I need that questionnaire today to make sure that I have everything I need to prepare for your wedding photography.”
The good news is. You put the thought into these things. Set it up once, and you’ll avoid those “just following up again…” emails for good.
3. Automate Your Client Onboarding Strategy
You don’t have to do this manually every time. (Please don’t copy and paste these things every time, it takes SO MUCH time you could be doing other things.) With a CRM like Dubsado or HoneyBook, you can automate every part of your client onboarding strategy, so every client gets a seamless, WOW-worthy experience with zero extra effort from you. (If you need help figuring it all out, book a Systems Strategy Session with me. We’ll figure it out together.
The Right Tools Make Automating Your Client Onboarding Strategy Easy
This is where Dubsado and HoneyBook shine. Both platforms make it simple to:
✔️ Send onboarding emails instantly
✔️ Deliver questionnaires and collect responses
✔️ Schedule kickoff calls automatically
✔️ Keep everything in one easy-to-access place
Think of it like training a robot assistant to follow your onboarding checklist.
Whether it’s a Dubsado or HoneyBook robot doesn’t matter — the point is, it runs on repeat without you.
As your process grows and evolves, you can tweak it anytime. But the core work? Only needs to happen once.
Common Onboarding Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
The most common mistake?
Not thinking about onboarding at all.
So many creatives focus on booking the client and forget to plan for what happens next.
Here’s what skipping onboarding can cost you:
– Time lost chasing down info
– Repetitive emails that drain your energy
– Confused clients who feel unsure of what’s happening and are questioning if they made the right call in working with you in the first place.
The good news? You can fix it fast, and you don’t need a huge workflow to do it. A single onboarding email that’s sent right after someone books with you can make all the difference. Here’s what you should put in that email.
A Simple Onboarding Email Template You Can Use Today
Here’s what your onboarding email template should have:
- Thank you
Thank them for booking. Let them know you’re excited and they’re in the right place. - What to Expect
Include a short, clear list of what happens next, and after that. Keep it simple. - A Questionnaire (If Needed)
If you need info to get started, send a well-written form now. That way you’re not chasing it down later.
That email template could read something like this…
Hey [client first name],
Thank you for choosing me as your wedding photographer! I’m so excited to help you capture every moment of your wedding day! To help me get to know you and your fiancé better, please take a few minutes to fill out my onboarding questionnaire. (Just click the button below to open it up and get started.) I promise it won’t take that long, it’s just a few questions.
Once I have that back, I’ll send my scheduler to book your wedding photography planning call. I’ll also be sending you a few emails with wedding planning tips to help you plan, stay stress-free, and get the most incredible photos of your wedding day.
[Insert Form Link]
If you have any questions as you work on the form, feel free to hit reply to this email and ask away. I’m here to help make this as easy as possible.
Warmly,
[Your Name]
How to Automate Your Client Onboarding
Automate this email so it’s sent immediately after your new client books with you. This way, you’ll have a fully functional onboarding system that takes pressure off both you and your client. Could it be more than this? Absolutely, but this is something you can implement right now with just a little time during your busy season to set yourself up for success. You can always add more when you’re ready. Like…
- Form follow-up emails
- An educational sequence
- Sending a new client gift (there’s a super simple way to send yourself a reminder to do this, or automate the whole thing in Dubsado or HoneyBook.)
Let me tell you how this has evolved in my business.
From “So Many Questions” to “Everything’s Clear”
When I first started offering Done-For-You Dubsado setups, I sent an onboarding questionnaire… and that was about it.
Clients would book, fill it out, and then email me:
“Where do I upload this?”
“What happens next?”
“When’s our call?”
I found myself answering the same questions over and over. Not because my clients were high-maintenance, but because I hadn’t thought through what they needed to know right then and what they needed to feel supported.
So I updated my process. I added short, thoughtful onboarding emails that walked clients through what to expect. I added more instructions in my onboarding form. And suddenly?
Fewer emails.
More confident clients.
More time for me to actually do the work I was booked for.
Ready to Create Your Own Client Onboarding Strategy?
You don’t need to wait until Fall to clean this up. You can create your own client onboarding strategy and set it up today — in under an hour — and start giving your clients the smooth, stress-free experience they deserve.
👉 Need help mapping it all out?
Book a 90-minute Systems Strategy Session and we’ll build your onboarding flow together. You’ll leave with a written plan to put it all into action in your business today.
You’ve got this — and your future self (and clients) will thank you for it. 💛
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