The 5 W's in New Client Education

This week has been an awkward and fun week, and its only Tuesday afternoon. We have brought 3 new clients on board and they are from complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Also some fun projects and proposals.

Industries include:
Legal
Tourism and Attractions
Pop-rock bands
Real Estate
Travel
Gen-Y SEO

So here comes the fun part. I have ideas for all these clients. But I know nothing about how they conduct their business. Or anything about their industries, minus what I know, right.

You don't know what you don't know, ya know.

Going back to school
Well, not in formal classes, that is. The key to being an outsider working on a plan for an inside company is to learn and take in everything that you can without knowing too much. Having a creative edge comes from being creative and working on your creativity daily. Not getting caught up in numbers, routines, nonessential reporting and things that are honestly out of your control will allow you to focus on your key points to improving the business.

The 5 W's for New Clients

1. Who - Who is your competition, who are the leaders in your industry, who are you listening to, who should you be listening to
2. What - What are you willing to sacrifice, what kind of time commitment is there from you and your team, what are your goals, what are you really promoting
3. When - When is the timeline, when are YOU going to be ready, when are reports due, when are the big meetings with the bosses when you will need some proof that I am worth this kind of money
4. Where - Where are you now, where do you want to be tomorrow and where do you want to be when all of this cool social media stuff grabs a hold of your business
5. Why - Why do you need me, why are you looking to social media, why is this going to be good for your business

And you can always add the how:
How am I going to have access to your site, how do you want reporting, how are you going to allow me to make changes, how many people need to approve things before we can move forward

What else should be included in the 5 W's and the H? Let's add it together and make a resource for people grabbing new clients.

-Greg Rollett
(photo by Bright_Star)