MOST IMPORTANT!!! Make sure the call is being recorded and transcribed so that we can have the system populate the client's answers from the recording notes.Here is a set of prompts designed to guide the onboarding conversation smoothly. They are written to probe gently but deeply, ensuring you skip the generic "fact-finding" and move right into the technical details.
Each question features a "Specialist Cue" to provide strategic context, followed by the Direct Question and a SWFL-focused Example Answer.
📑 Specialist Cue: We need to know what keeps their lights on right now. What are the specific services or products that make up their core business operations today?
The Question: "To start, can you break down your core offerings? What are the exact products or services your team delivers on a day-to-day basis?"
Example Answer: "We are an residential plumbing company. Our core offerings are water heater installations, whole-home repipes, leak detection services, and emergency 24/7 service calls."
💰 Specialist Cue: This isn't just about revenue; it’s about margin and volume. We want to know which specific offering is their easiest, most repeatable, and most profitable sale.
The Question: "Out of all your services, what is your true 'Bread & Butter'? If you could duplicate one specific type of job all day long because it has the best margins and the lowest friction, what would it be?"
Example Answer: "Without a doubt, it’s whole-home water filtration systems. They take our technicians less than 4 hours to install, the margins are nearly 50%, and homeowners in SWFL are desperate for better water quality right now."
📍 Specialist Cue: We need explicit boundaries for our SEO and media teams so we aren't wasting budget on areas they won't drive to.
The Question: "What is your exact geographic target area? Are we focusing on a tight radius around your shop, specific local zip codes, or expanding across counties like Lee and Collier?"
Example Answer: "Our primary service zone is Cape Coral and Fort Myers. However, our target expansion geo for high-margin jobs is down south in Estero, Bonita Springs, and North Naples. We don't want leads north of Punta Gorda."
🥊 Specialist Cue: We want to know who they lose jobs to, and what those competitors are doing right that we need to beat.
The Question: "Who are 2–3 local or regional competitors that you respect or run into most often when bidding on jobs? What do you think they are doing particularly well in the market?"
Example Answer: "We compete most with Advanced Plumbing Pros and Gulf Coast Rooter. Advanced has a killer Google Map Pack presence with over 800 reviews. Gulf Coast does a great job with clean, branded wrapped trucks that everyone sees on the Midpoint Bridge."
🎨 Specialist Cue: This ensures our design team knows the baseline rules of their visual presence before writing a single line of code.
The Question: "How would you describe your current Brand Identity? Do you have strict brand guidelines, specific colors, and a finalized logo, or are we working with a blank slate?"
Example Answer: "We have a set logo that we use on our uniforms and trucks—it's safety blue and dark gray. We don't have a formal style guide or specific hex codes, but we want to look modern, clean, and highly professional, not like a 'cheap' handyman operation."
🗣️ Specialist Cue: This gives our copywriters the "soul" of the company. Why did they start? What makes them different from the 400 other businesses doing the exact same thing?
The Question: "What is your Brand Narrative? When a customer asks why they should choose you over anyone else, what is that founding story or core philosophy you share?"
Example Answer: "I started this company after working 10 years for a massive corporate franchise where clients were just a number and technicians were forced to upsell unnecessary parts. Our narrative is 'Honest, local trade work.' We are family-owned, we live in the community we serve, and we never pressure-sell."
🎯 Specialist Cue: This defines the targeting personas for both social media and Google search intent. Who actually signs the checks?
The Question: "Describe your absolute Ideal Customer. If we could clone your perfect client, who are they, what do they care about, and what is their demographic?"
Example Answer: "Our ICP is a homeowner aged 45–70 living in a single-family home valued over $500k in Cape Coral or Naples. They aren't looking for the absolute cheapest quote—they value fast communication, punctuality, background-checked technicians, and a rock-solid warranty."
🗄️ Specialist Cue: This prevents duplication of work and lets fulfillment know what building blocks they have access to right away.
The Question: "What marketing materials and digital assets do you have in place already that our team can use? (e.g., high-res job photos, team headshots, a list of past customer emails, or raw video content?)"
Example Answer: "We have a CSV export of about 1,400 past clients with emails and phone numbers from our old invoicing system. We also have a Dropbox folder with about 40 'Before and After' photos of clean installs, but we have zero video assets and need new team photos."
💻 Specialist Cue: Crucial for the Automation and GHL teams to map out API integrations, data migrations, or tools we can replace to save them money.
The Question: "What software, CRMs, and operational business tools are you currently utilizing to manage your day-to-day business? (e.g., Housecall Pro, Quickbooks, Mailchimp, Calendly?)"
Example Answer: "We use ServiceTitan for dispatching and invoicing, QuickBooks Online for our accounting, and we pay for a separate Constant Contact account for email marketing. We also use a shared Google Calendar for estimator appointments."
🚀 Specialist Cue: This helps the account manager keep them focused on long-term value. What does emotional and operational success look like for the owner?
The Question: "Paint a picture of your 'Future State.' Once we clear these marketing bottlenecks and dial in your systems, how does life change for you personally and for your team over the next 12 to 18 months?"
Example Answer: "Success means my phone stops ringing at 9 PM on a Saturday. Operationally, I want our 3 trucks fully booked two weeks out instead of living week-to-week. Personally, it means I can step out of the truck entirely, focus on managing the business, and actually take my family out on the boat every Sunday without checking my emails."