First weeks plan
What happens in the first thirty days, who does what, and when they see something real.
- Stage
- After the yes
- When to send it
- Send with the proposal, and again the day the contract is signed.
Why this one earns its keep
The other five assets all work on getting to a yes. This one exists because a surprising number of deals die after it: a buyer says yes, nothing visible happens for three weeks, and the person who championed you starts having to defend the decision. Sending it with the proposal also does quiet work before the yes, because a buyer who can already picture week one has less left to be nervous about.
What a good one has
- Dated, not phased. "Week one" is a plan; "discovery phase" is a word.
- Names what you need from them and when, so nothing waits on a request nobody made.
- Puts something visible in the first week, however small. Momentum is the whole point.
- Says what would push the dates, honestly, before it happens rather than after.
How to produce it
- Take your last three projects and write down what actually happened in the first month.
- Find the point where each one first went quiet, and what caused it.
- Write the plan as dates from signature, with an owner against every line.
- Mark the earliest thing the client will be able to see or use, and pull it earlier.
- List what you need from them, with the date you need it by.
- Produce it, and attach it to the next proposal you send rather than waiting for the yes.
Start free to turn these steps into a plan with dates on it.
How you know it worked
Kick-off calls start with the work instead of with scheduling, and fewer clients ask what is happening in week three.