Template

Client kickoff meeting template

The first meeting with a new client after they sign: what success looks like to them, who does what, and how you will keep in touch.

60 minutesFor Agencies, consultants and account managersAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Who is here, and what each of us does6 min
    • Who decides on your side, and who do we talk to day to day?
  2. What you are hoping for12 min
    • In your own words, what does a good result look like?
    • What would make you sorry you hired us?
  3. What is included, and what is not10 min
    • Is there anything you are expecting that is not on this list?
  4. Dates, and what we need from you12 min
    • What do we need from you, and by when, to keep these dates?
  5. How we will work together10 min
    • How often do we meet, and where do questions go between meetings?
  6. What could go wrong6 min
    • What has gone wrong on projects like this before?
  7. What happens this week4 min
    • Who does what before we next speak?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Success, in their words. “Our sales team stops building their own slides.”

Not included. Translating the templates; printed copies.

Needed from the client. Brand files by the 12th; one person to approve drafts — Noah.

How we work. A call every second Tuesday; questions in the shared channel, answered within a day.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Small job, thirty minutesWhat you are hoping for, what is included, dates, and this week.
A client who has been let down beforeSpend longer on what went wrong last time, and agree how either side raises a worry early.

When to skip it. Never, for paid work. Even a one-day job gets ten minutes of this on the phone.

Questions

What is a client kickoff meeting?

The first working meeting after a client signs, where both sides agree what success looks like, what is included, the dates and how they will work together.

What should be on a client kickoff agenda?

Introductions, the client's hopes, what is and is not included, dates and what you need from them, how you will keep in touch, risks, and next steps.

Who should attend a kickoff meeting with a client?

Whoever decides and whoever does the daily work, on both sides. Leave out anybody who will not be involved again.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Renewal callA few weeks before a contract ends: what the customer got from it, what they want next, and whether they stay.Sales discovery callLearn how they work today, what they have tried, and what a good outcome is — before pitching anything.Client check-inWhat changed, how it is going against the goals you agreed, and what is next.Quarterly business review (QBR)Once a quarter with a customer: what they got for their money, what did not work, and what the next quarter is for.Customer onboarding callThe first call after somebody buys: what they want to get done, who needs setting up, and the first result to aim for.Sales demo callShow the three things they said they care about, on their own example, and agree what happens next.Vendor evaluation callYou are the buyer: the same questions for every supplier, so the answers can be compared afterwards.Sales pipeline reviewDeal by deal: what changed this week, what is stuck, and what the next step is.

All 60 templates →

Try Meetful

Meetings that take their own notes

Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.

Try Meetful freeSee what it does