Signs it’s time to start a waitlist (and how to do it without crying).

You have done a lot of hard work building your business & developing a loyal customer base, so the day might come when you find that you are struggling to keep up with demand. Your first instinct may be to power through & just keep pushing, but there is a point when it’s really important to take a beat and start waitlisting clients.

It may be time to consider a waitlist if:

It’s the busy time of the year for your industry (lookin’ at you, tax season) & you need space to get your current clients set up for success.

You need time to hire & train more employees.
Your processes, equipment, software or skills need refining or upgrading.

You are getting burned out & find yourself struggling to meet deadlines.

You just need some time to recharge & take care of yourself.

If you decide that starting a new client waitlist would give you the boost you need to serve your clients better, keep these things in mind to make the process as seamless as you can:

Communicate.

As it is in so many areas of life, communication will make or break your success. Be clear about why there is a waitlist & how long you expect to be holding off on taking new clients. Be realistic with timelines & stay in touch during the process so your prospects don’t feel like they’ve been put on a shelf. Create calendar alerts to remind you to reach out periodically.

Organize.

A simple form on your website will automatically create a list of prospects for you. If you don’t have a website, or if you gather prospects in another way, you can just create your own spreadsheet. Don’t forget to ask for their email address so you can keep them in the loop with timeline updates & interim resources. You may also include a column to prioritize the order based on the size / type of services they are looking for.

Waitlisting clients is a little bit of an unnerving thought, but it really is vital if you want to maintain consistent service to your existing clients & encourage healthy growth. It feels risky, but that risk is far better than taking on clients that you can’t serve to the best of your ability.

#entrepreneur #smallbusiness #advice #waitlist #client #success