👋 Saying Goodbye With Intention
You spent weeks perfecting your onboarding. The welcome email, the intake form, the "here's how I work" doc. The first impression was immaculate.
And then the project ended, and you just... stopped texting.
No wrap-up. No "hey, can I get a testimonial?" Just a slow fade into the void, like leaving a first date without saying goodnight and hoping they got the hint.
You think you’re done, but you just missed a huge opportunity. This is your chance for referrals or pitching future work past their current needs.
Without an intentional offboarding system or process, projects end and the client or customer slowly fades into the distance. Will they come back one day? Maybe! But leaving that up to chance isn’t doing yourself any favors. It’s actively shooting your sustainability in the foot.
✅ Your Simple Offboarding Checklist
Whether you have a small stable of clients or a wider customer base, the following checklist items can help you pinpoint what you might be missing. Here’s what to include in a repeatable offboarding process:
☑️ Send the Final Invoice
If this isn’t already automated, use their last bill as the starting point for your offboarding. Can you attach other items to this part?
☑️ Deliver a Project Wrap-Up
Whether this is the end of a project or the entire engagement, providing a summary of what was delivered is an opportunity to remind them of not just the material items but the value provided.
This can be a short email or a simple Notion doc. The format matters less than the fact that it exists.
☑️ Ask for a Testimonial NOW
This is the step everyone skips because it feels awkward. But here's the truth: if you don't ask, you don't get it. And if you wait too long, the window closes.
Send a simple, low-friction request:
"It was great working with you! I'd love to include a testimonial on my site if you're open to it. Even just a sentence or two about working together and the outcome for you. No pressure, but I wanted to ask while the project was still fresh!"
Bonus points: Make it even easier by including 2–3 prompt questions ("What was the challenge before we started? What changed? What would you tell someone considering working with me?"). Create a form they can complete or point them to your business’s preferred platform like Trustpilot or Yelp.
This is one of your most powerful marketing tools! Don’t skip it!
☑️ Plant the Seed for What's Next
Whether they have an immediate need to not, your offboarding is the perfect moment to remind a happy client that you have other ways to work together without being pushy.
Something like:
"Now that [project] is wrapped, I wanted to mention that I also offer [X]. If that's ever on your radar, I’d love to work together again."
Or simply: "I'm opening up a few spots for [season/quarter] if you want to continue working together."
What are some other ways you can leave the door open? Subscribe to your newsletter? Offer to check back in in a few months? An additional product or service that could help them next?
☑️ Add Them to Your Alumni Ecosystem
If clients are currently dropping from your radar after a project ends, start a regular cadence for updates or check-ins. Create a “Past Client” segment in your CRM and get in the habit of regular outreach.
This could mean:
A quarterly check-in email
Sharing relevant resources or your newsletter
A personal note when something relevant comes up
Past clients are your warmest leads. Don't treat the relationship like it only exists when there's an active invoice.
⚡ Try It This Week:
This week, evaluate your current offboarding steps against the list above. How do you want to change your process at the end of your next project? What have you been skipping?
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