How do you approach handing over the system and process to business owners who aren't technically confident? Does it become a one-time sell with a 'call me if it stops working' arrangement, or if they ask you to host it, do you just say yes?
I don't host it myself — I sell it as their intellectual property. Right after payment, we jump on a kickoff call where I have them sign up for the necessary platforms themselves rather than building on my own accounts and renting access to them — I want them to actually own the infrastructure, since it's their ideas, systems, and pipelines, and that way anyone can run/manage/improve it down the line even if things don't work out with me. Clients tend to respond well to that pitch. We sign up for the platforms together on the call (usually 10-15 minutes), I grab the credentials/API keys/2FA right then, and typically keep access for a few days to finish setup — that avoids me effectively holding their business hostage, which I don't want to be in a position to do. On maintainability: I offer a maintenance period, usually 1-2 weeks depending on system size, and lifetime maintenance if they're on a retainer — framed around 'peace of mind': a 99% uptime SLA, 24-hour fixes if something breaks, plus extras like builds, meetings, daily Slack availability, and monthly team training. That tends to be a strong sell.
I recommend doing a kickoff call right after receiving payment or closing the deal. On that call, your sole goal is to gain access to every account you’ll need for the service. It’s straightforward: just say, ‘Hey Pete, let’s get everything running for you.’ In my experience, the main hurdle with automation integration is two‑factor authentication and access requests. If you’ve worked with someone like this before, you know people constantly ask you to unlock accounts or set them up—which I dislike. Instead, I handle everything ahead of time on a brief 30‑minute call: we walk through signing up on each platform together, I get the necessary access, and after that we don’t need to talk again except for my daily updates you receive each morning. By the end of the call I’ll have all required platforms—say, platform one, two, and three. If occasional two‑factor authentication is needed later, it’s easy because I already have most access. From there, you’ll have full access to their accounts and never need to build anything on your device and transfer it over; I’ve already done everything directly in their accounts, so there’sno handoff. That’s my recommendation.
I start with a kickoff call where I deliver quick wins to minimize buyer's remorse, and I always take payment upfront before any work begins - never considering a client 'onboard' until the money is in my account. After receiving payment, I create a detailed proposal that serves as both a sales document and a roadmap. Roughly 60% of the proposal outlines the client's problems, demonstrating my understanding from any prior small project; about 20% covers the proposed solution; the remaining 20% discusses logistics, principally compensation. I typically pitch a large monthly fee - recently moving from $6,900 to around $12,000-$12,300 - and often add a revenue-share component to align incentives, inspired by the idea that sharing upside makes both parties more comfortable and can lead to more money. I discuss performance-based versus flat pricing, noting that beginners should lean performance-based, intermediates may go flat, and experts often return to performance-based because they have confidence in delivering results. Once the client agrees and pays, I invite them to a kickoff call to set communication expectations: I'm highly reachable via Slack (within 15 minutes) and hold daily office hours from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. PT, plus a weekly strategy session. I ask clients to commit to the same recurring time each week for at least 50 out of 52 weeks, emphasizing consistency so they take the calls seriously and see ongoing value. During each meeting I review wins from the past week, outline what I'll do next, and address any questions or fires, ensuring I always show up with something tangible to justify the retainer. I then follow the roadmap, checking off the 45-plus tasks in order, and optionally sync with the client's project-management system (though I've moved away from using my own ClickUp board as the single source of truth). I also note that other agencies like DesignJoy use shared boards, but I prefer bringing a quick note of wins and next steps to each meeting.
You should hand over the system completely so that it becomes 100% the client's intellectual property and hosted on their own infrastructure. Holding hosting over a client's head as leverage—where they only stay because they fear losing the system—is a lazy sales tactic used by weak business owners.
The right way to retain clients long-term is by consistently delivering ROI and finding new ways to add value so that they choose to stay, even though they could walk away. Pitching clients upfront that they will own all the IP, SOPs, and code makes closing deals much easier. In the long run, taking the high road of maximum value delivery will far outperform trying to hold client systems hostage.
It's a good question. My AI automation agency sells AI automations—primarily a monthly strategy service where I outline the shortest line path a person needs to take to improve their business growth. I actually do the building, so I’ll build out the automations and so on. My coaching arm offers a zero‑to‑one roadmap on how to get up and running with an AI automation agency, showing people what they need to do to build an agency similar to mine, plus some higher‑level coaching and one‑on‑one sessions for specific problems. So I’m selling quite a bit. As for onboarding, if you’re talking about my AI automation agency, it’s pretty simple. I get them on a kickoff call; on that call I have them sign up to all the platforms they need—usually about 10 to 15 minutes. I have a step‑by‑step list for each platform, pretty straightforward. Then I guide them through it via screen share; Zoom’s annotation feature lets me draw on the screen as they sign up. I’ll literally underline the button they need to press, tell them to go over here, click that setting, etc. At the end I’ll do two‑factor authentication, log into all the services on my end to verify I have access, and then I also cover timelines and expectations, get them laughing, and get them excited and stoked about me solving a problem they’ve had for a while. That’s how my onboarding works in a nutshell.