How to start and manage a client waitlist
Feeling a little frazzled with the number of enquiries you have coming in? Are you booked out for the next 3+ months? It might be time to start a waitlist.
As freelancers and solopreneurs we can only do so much in a day, but saying no to work feels counterintuitive. Who turns down work right? The good news is there is a way to do it without the fear of losing precious work and money.
Enter the client waitlist.
4 reasons I love a client waitlist
A well-managed waitlist can help you…
Predict income in advance and give you the confidence to scale (e.g. hire a junior staff member or a virtual assistant).
Avoid feeling overwhelmed, drained and exhausted.
Stay in control of your schedule and start to carve out time for you to pursue more of the things you love.
Foster happier client relationships and results, because you are managing your time effectively.
When is the right time to start a waitlist?
A waitlist can work for you if you are side-hustling, part-time or full time freelancing. If you are thinking any of the below thoughts, it’s time:
You are working 12+ hour days
You have more enquires in your inbox than you can manage
You’re juggling lots of work and know you could be working smarter
You’re slipping on client deliverables and deadlines
Now while not all of the above challenges can be resolved with a waitlist, it may be the answer you seek.
How to create and manage a waitlist from scratch?
I’m going to share my experience of managing a small but consistent waitlist in my brand strategy and copywriting business.
Get to know your typical time investment for projects
To know how much project time you have in your calendar, you’re going to need to have a reasonable understanding of how long things take you to deliver.
I have created packages in my business and have tracked the hours these take me over a number of clients, it gives me a good awareness of how much space I need on my calendar and how many projects I can take on, without the overwhelm.
If you’ve never done this, start now. It can be as simple as a Google Sheet listing out each task you do for a project. For me in the case of website copywriting, a basic project might look a little something like this:
Set up (contract, invoice, calendar invites) 30min
Kick-off call 1hr
Keyword research 30min
Copywriting 4hr
Rounds of feedback 1hr
Proofreading 30min
Offboarding 30min
Total time 8 hours
Map out blank spots in your calendar for project openings
Whip out your calendar and map out your client openings. I use an old school wall planner and simply leave a blank spot on the calendar so I know I can take on a new client to kick off. You can use your fav digital project management tool too.
This visually tells you how many clients you can realistically book in without burning out.
Let’s imagine you work 4 days a week, 8 hours a day, you have 32 hours a week to open up for new work. If you have ongoing projects or retainer work, you will also want to remove those hours from your allocation for new projects.
I like to map out open spots quarterly. When all of your open spots are gone, the waitlist begins!
How to say ‘no’ and start waitlisting new client enquiries
As a new enquiry comes in, instead of automatically saying yes, and suffer the consequences later, start adding them to your waitlist.
You can say ‘no’ in a nice way. Below is an email template I use to point them in the right direction (you can use this on new client enquiry calls too). You might also keep a waitlist form on your website to collect leads even if you haven’t had a direct email or call from.
Hi {name],
Thank you for getting in touch about my [copywriting package].
I’m currently booked up until end of [month] but would love to add you to my waitlist. This means you’ll be first in line when I open up spots for the next period [month to month].
Hit reply and I’ll add you to the list.
Thanks again for reaching out, I’d love to work with you in the future.
Cheers,
[name]
Add clients to your waitlist and keep in contact
I keep a simple Google Sheet called “Client Waitlist” listing everyone who is on the waitlist. Depending on your processes you might manually add them or tag people in your client management system. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
I open my waitlists quarterly and send a simple email to them 4-6 weeks out from the next period to start accepting bookings. Then I repeat by simply filling in the gaps for start dates.
If someone joined your waitlist really early, you may want to send an email or two to keep them interested while they wait. You could share some valuable tips, showcase some recently completed client work or just check in with them and let them know you haven’t forgotten them and let them know your booking period will open again soon (add the date if you know).
How to communicate with your waitlist when you’re ready to take bookings again?
Woo, now you have a healthy waitlist (even if it’s just a handful that’s better than nothing). And you are getting closer to the next booking period, get in touch to them know bookings are open.
Hi [name],
Thanks for joining my waitlist for my [copywriting package].
I’m happy to let you know first, that my calendar is now open for new client requests.
I have X spots available for the [month to month] period and bookings are locked in on a first-come, first-served basis. Below are the possible start dates:
Start date
Start date
Start date
I’ve attached my current package pricing for you too.
Please hit reply if you are ready to go ahead and we can lock in your preferred date to get the party started.
Chat soon,
[name]
Now all you need to do is fill the spots
It’s easier for you to lock them in right away because you’re clear on when they can get started.
Then it’s simply a matter of sending a contract and getting a deposit to secure the spot. You can start doing this now even without a waitlist by using the calendar mapping technique.
That’s it!
Keeping a waitlist is actually pretty simple. The hardest part is often figuring out your calendar and how much time you actually need to allocate.
When you get the waitlist flowing, it will free up precious mental space so you can focus on current client work. A client waitlist is a great way to keep clients engaged rather than just saying ‘no’ or stressing out about how to fit the work in as soon as the enquiry lands.
Remember you are the boss, you are in control.
Of course, some people won’t want to wait and there’s not too much you can do about it. Don’t sweat it. If they really want to work with you because of your rad reputation, they’ll wait.
For this to work well, I definitely recommend packaging your work, at least your signature offering but it is still possible to do if you are custom quoting each job. You just need to quote the hours on the work, block out your calendar and see what time you have left!
Over to you…
Have you started a client waitlist? How did you do it? We’d love to hear your experiences and tips!