Unpacking Design Days: Inside my VIP Day Process
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After taking you through my two-week website design process in my previous post, I bet you're curious about Design Days (or VIP Days).
It's still a hot & sexy topic. It's all about giving your clients a fast and focused marathon of work, done at a premium because:
It’s sort of a rush job, in a way.
Experts who work fast & efficiently get paid well for the hours worked, without having to track our time.
Clients can get their wishlist done quickly & efficiently.
What is it? Basically, clients book a service provider for a single day, or even just part of a day, to power through a list of website tasks; they get the work done efficiently & quickly, and you get paid for a rush job to spend the day focused on them!
But how do you manage this?
What type of work works best for these Design Days?
How do you know what you can/can’t finish in a day,
and what happens if you CAN’T finish? 😳
Yeah, okay. Let’s not spiral out of control here. 😂
I'm Katelyn, the web designer, Squarespace guru & face of Launch the Damn Thing!®, and I'm here to break it down for you!
Let's jump into my VIP day process.
How to manage client VIP Days from start to finish
❶ It starts with a good inquiry form and a face-to-face call
First things first, you need a way to qualify your potential clients or inquiries. How do you do that? Ya need a good inquiry form on your website! I like to keep it simple. I've got one form that asks potential clients which service they're interested in and shows the price right there on the form so they can self-qualify before they actually submit or reach out to me.
This way, they know exactly what they're getting into, budget-wise. They can decide if it's a match, and if it is, they can fill out the form. While they wait for my response (and I always respond personally!), they have the option to book a discovery call (free consult), if they’re too excited to wait. Surprisingly, about half of the people who fill out my inquiry form go ahead and book that call before I even reply, usually within an hour of submitting the form! That just shows they're eager, and I love their excitement!
STREAMLINING WITH DUBSADO*
If you’re new around here, Dubsado is like my trusty sidekick because it handles the workflows (or automations) for my inquiry processes.
It sends email confirmations and whisking them off to a secret page on my website after they fill out the form, which is kinda like a backstage pass to all the juicy details they might want to know before they schedule that free consult with me to talk details.
No back-and-forth emails, just a smooth process that gets us both where we want to be: making their dream website a reality for my dream clients!
If you’re not sure what to ask in your inquiry form, read this post to find out what I put in my contact form & why!
DISCOVERY CALLS
I hop on the call, usually with hot coffee or chai tea in hand, excited to meet someone new that’s excited about working with me, but potentially a little nervous to chat with me about it. –Totally normal!
These calls are all about THEM, and I'm all ears, listening for their pain points to decide whether their struggles are something I have expertise in and believe I can help with.
The goal is to figure out IF we're a match made in web design heaven, both from a personality standpoint and a technical standpoint. On average, these calls take just 20-30 minutes.
If they’re hoping for a Design Day & just need a few tweaks here and there, I’m your girl. If I’m not sure whether I can get it all done in a day, but could probably do most of it, then I’ll tell them exactly that.
However, if their to-do list is more fitting for a whole project or it can’t be done in a 8-10 hour window, I’m honest about it. There’s no reason to ‘sell’ something you’ll inevitably fail at, right? That just makes everyone unhappy!
So, I’ve found that this honesty pays off big time. Please –for the love of all things holy– don’t ‘fake it til ya make it’ here, because you only have one workday to do the work & it’ll be painfully obvious to both you AND your client if you aren’t capable of doing what you said you could.
They appreciate knowing what they’re in for, it helps build trust from the get-go, and with trust being at the center of any successful client project, that trust starts us off on great footing to work together well.
If you’re not sure what to do on Discovery calls, read this post to get some insight on how to lead these introductory client calls.
❷ Booking and payment schedule
When the client is good to go & ready to sign the dotted line (YAY!), now we get into the nitty-gritty of the booking process & taking their payment(s) to lock in their spot on our calendar.
I give them two duration options for their time with me: the full eight-hour experience at full price, or a half-day for half the fee. They can take the reins here, based on their budget & what feels most comfortable.
Their budget becomes their guiding star, in this case. For example, if they opt for a half-day, we'll focus on what's most crucial to them & drop what can wait or be DIY’d later. Flexibility is key, and I trust them to choose what works best for them.
INVOICE, PAYMENT & CONTRACT
After our Discovery Call, depending on their decision (whether or not to work with me), I’ll send out a follow-up email with ‘booking paperwork.’
If they're not interested in working with me, Calendly’s (that’s my online scheduler) automations will be sending a final ‘thanks for chatting with me; it was so nice to meet you!’ message either way, and that can be the last contact we have until they change their mind at some point in the future.
If they want to book a spot in my calendar, Calendly still sends out the same short ‘thank you’ message, then I follow up within 24 hours with a document pack, similar to what's in my full project packages. This docu-pack includes a proposal, invoice, and contract, –though you could easily skip the proposal if you want.
In the invoice, I will put the requested task list as line-items so the invoice details will map (copy to) the contract’s scope of work, and the proposal details, too; this is a specific feature of CRMs like Dubsado.
example: what’s in my proposal in Dubsado
The Proposal is basically a copy of the invoice, with a few additional details. The details that show up in both places are mapped automatically via Dubsado’s “smart fields.” Specifically, the details in the proposal are typically:
Who’s this packet for? (client name & email)
Proposed Project Date, Duration (example: 8 hours avg or 12 hours max)
Planned tasks (mapped automatically from invoice line-items, via smart fields)
Total package fee
Payment Schedule (100% or 50/50 split)
fields to collect their billing information:
First & Last Name
Legal Company Name
Address (street, city, state/province, zip/postal code)
is that your Home or Work address?
What timezone are you in?
How excited are you to get started? (just for fun!)
In Dubsado, each page or tab of the 3-page document is viewable in the same window & via one link sent in an email. When the client completes the first document, it will automatically switch them to the 2nd page/tab for the contract and when they sign that, it will automatically switch them to the 3rd page/tab for the invoice where they can make their payment. Easy!
All three documents need to be completed, signed, and at least half of the fee paid to lock in their spot, at least seven days ahead of the time they booked.
If they miss any of those 3 steps, I’ll follow up & help them complete the remaining steps, reminding them that the spot they want is NOT locked down until they do. I will ––& absolutely have–– held that line, even moving the project date to make sure it got done before the work started. I’m a hardass about it (albeit, a kind hardass), and you should be too!
I want them to have ample time to go through everything, ask me questions if they have any, submit any files or content I’ll need for the day, etc.
They can choose to pay in full or opt for a 50-50 split payment. I ask this on the Discovery Call so I can easily reflect that choice in their paperwork.
With the split payment, half is due after they sign the contract, and the remaining half is due BEFORE the project kicks off, otherwise I reschedule the day & will NOT do the work, –as I said.
VIP Days are fast-paced, and often we’re not creating anything from scratch because we’re editing something that already exists; because of that, we have NO leverage if we start the work & don’t get payment in full before we started. If we don’t get the payment at the very least, paid in full the hour before we start working, the client could leave us high & dry with the work done & having paid only half the fee.
If the client wants more time to pay the fee in more payments, then book a date further out & give them more payment options, but you definitely need to have the entire payment before you begin the work, because we can’t revoke access to the work we’ve done if we can’t control our/their access to it. (And for something like this, I’d argue that we shouldn’t have that control anyway!)
I'm very transparent about all of this during the Discovery Call, and the following paperwork, it’s in their service contract, etc.
Tips for handling late payments
If that second installment is late, ––I hold off on the work. It's not about being difficult, it's just good business sense to protect us from doing the work & never getting that second payment.
I’ll send them a friendly email reminder (or Dubsado’s automations will), letting them know I can't proceed until I have that final payment in hand.
Think of it like picking up your car from the shop –you have to settle the bill before you can drive off in your newly-fixed car. It's the same principle here.
On VIP days, we're usually tweaking something that already exists. They've granted you contributor permissions for those edits, and that permission is not something we control while we work (so it can be revoked at any time) in this case. VIP Days move too fast to have any other milestone to base payments on, so your best bet is ALWAYS to get the full amount upfront, –no ifs ands or buts.
Again, it's not about being hard-nosed, bitchy or self-centered, it's about safeguarding the value of your time & work. If you have a good contract, it’s likely also in the contract anyway so you’re just holding to your policies & boundaries; you always have the flexibility to reschedule the day if you need it. ––Yes, even if the proposal is complete, the contract is signed, and you’re only missing the final payment.
Remember, you're not just a web designer, you're also a business owner, and that means valuing your time as much as your expertise!
Green lights and Red flags
What are the signs to watch out for? What makes a great vs a bad VIP Day?
First of all, listen to your instincts! You know (deep down) what you ARE and AREN’T good at, so you will have a knee-jerk reaction to their to-do list requests –pay attention to that gut check!
Basically, green lights are typically clients who are prompt with payments, responsive in communication & they're as committed as you are. On the flip side, red flags pop up when payments lag, communication goes silent, and they lack focus or commitment in helping you do your job effectively; these are all signs to pause and reassess.
That said, here are some specific things to think about when you decide what makes a good/bad VIP or Design Day project:
❌ RED FLAGS
NOTE:
those of us who have been working in this industry longer and work faster may be able to handle some of these no problem, but if you’re newer & work slower, then avoid these until you become faster & a bit more confident.
in their eyes, their website lacks the “value” that justifies the cost of hiring you to help them with it
ie: Do they want a VIP just bc it’s cheaper than a full custom project but they also have very high expectations of what can be done in a rush? Or do they literally just not need a full redesign? The difference matters! If they don’t see the value in what you do, they may not value your time, effort, or opinions either & may be harder to work with.
you’re not sure if 1 day (or half a day) is long enough to complete their wish list
a full brand design package or total re-design AND to apply that to their website
editing more than 4-5 pages (& you’re newer to web design & work a little slower)
creating more than 3-5 pages (& you’re newer to web design & work a little slower)
working on more than 1-2 long pages (like services or sales pages)
websites that need a total overhaul & have lots of pages, including tasks like redesigning pages, new/edited copy, swapping out branding & colors, reorganizing & culling content, SEO edits, and more
the client won’t be available that day but you know you might need to ask questions while you work
✅ GREEN LIGHTS
NOTE: Use your best judgement on these too!
you feel confident you can complete all (or most) of their wish list
client seems easy to work with & unlikely to nit-pick (request tons of revisions)
client seems agreeable & respectful of your boundaries & you’ve set them clearly
requests are very clear, specific, actionable, and NOT subjective
this project is just part 1 of a multi-stage process & the clients expectations align with a multi-part process (work done in stages, across multiple VIP Days)
client seems willing to wait on tasks you’re not sure you can complete & you’ve labeled them clearly between what you KNOW you can finish & what you’re NOT SURE you can get to
❸ Our pre-work and their homework
Now that we've got the booking process sorted and you've identified the ideal clients for a VIP day, let's get into the pre-work leading up to the actual day. No need to brace yourself, ––there's not a ton of it.
As soon as they've filled out the necessary paperwork and I've sent them that enthusiastic "You're officially booked!" message, Dubsado steps in with an email confirmation.
example: what’s on my VIP Day portal template
MY PRE-WORK
Behind the scenes, I head into my systems and set up their personalized portal. It's not a bells-and-whistles kind of portal like the one I use for my custom website projects. It's a straightforward ‘secret’ page on my website. I have a template that I duplicate, then tweak it with their name, update a few links, and embed the public view of the task list in ClickUp, where I'll be managing the project’s to-dos.
This way, they can simply go to my website with their unique URL, to see a private space where they can reach out to me directly through a live chat widget on the page, access links for their specific project, and watch me check off tasks as I work without having to learn how to use ClickUp as a guest with me.
THEIR HOMEWORK
If there's any pre-project homework, I’ll typically send them a form to collect that information using Dubsado. You could instead use something like Tally’s forms to do the same thing if you don’t have a CRM like Dubsado yet.
Typically, this is a straightforward checklist where they can check off tasks as they complete them, such as upload specific files, share information, etc.
VIP days are designed to be fast, effective & efficient, but for that to happen, we need everyone on the same page.
SETTING EXPECTATIONS
Remember, when a client's reaching out for a VIP day, they're looking for a quick turnaround so they can't afford to dick around and procrastinate or forget about their homework, because that's literally the fuel for the project. Without that fuel –there’s no fire. Womp, womp.
So, when you give them homework, make sure the deadline is crystal clear and also emphasize the consequence of missing it. It's not just about WHEN it's due, but WHY that due date is critical (again, because without it, you can’t do the work they asked you to do).
You're the guide in this process. The client probably doesn’t know the ins and outs of this process, the intricacies of our systems, or how we allocate our time to manage the 20,000 things we have on our plates. Every "yes" to a project is a "no" to something else, and it’s easy to forget that as the client. That's why communication & holding our boundaries firmly in place is so key. When you lead them through the process with clarity and confidence, you’ll have a much happier experience ––for both you and your client!
No one wants a guessing game, so let’s provide a stellar experience from start to finish. 😉
❹ Starting the VIP Day
As you gear up for the VIP day, there's one crucial step you can't afford to forget.
Make sure to co-sign the service agreement with your client ON THE DAY the client has booked AND before you do the work. Once the service provider co-signs, that's when the contract terms go into effect.
NOTE:
While I’m not an attorney myself, I learned this from Paige Hulse of the Creative Law Shop.
You can read more about how (& when) to sign contracts properly in her post here.
Pro-Tip: Set up a calendar reminder with a ‘push notification’ that will show up on all your devices, or if you have a CRM like Dubsado you can set up an automation that sends you an email reminder at the start of the day, to remind you to "Sign the damn client contract!" 😂 Trust me, it's a lifesaver. You’ve got a lot on your mind at the start of any project, and you DO NOT want to forget to sign it!
COMMUNICATION
Next up, before you dive in shoot them a quick email letting them know you're about to get started. It's a simple but thoughtful touch that keeps them in the loop and reassured about your progress (& your work ethic).
Or, if the project could use it, consider having a kickoff call before you jump into the work. This can be especially helpful when you're both tackling different aspects of the project simultaneously, or in tandem. It's a chance to sync up and ensure you're both on the same page, knowing who will be doing what & when.
NOTE: in web builders like Squarespace, you’ll never want to be working on the same page at the same time, or your edits can cancel each other out & you’ll lose changes. If they’ll be working on the website with you, but in a different area, make sure you communicate with them about what NOT to mess with, so you don’t backtrack & lose all your hard work. 😉
TOOLS USED
When you're to jump in & get started, have all your software open AND CLOSE what you don’t need that might distract you. The last thing you want is to lose time because you’re seeing/hearing notification dings on Facebook or your inbox, etc. Put your computer on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode if you have to!
I typically have open:
ClickUp, so I can check off my to-do list as I work & keep the client updated,
the specific software I'm using to complete their tasks, —be it Squarespace, Illustrator, ConverKit, Dubsado, etc.
If you’re sharing your to-do list with the client, whether they can edit it with you or not, don't forget to open your to-do list in whatever software you use for project management. This is your live progress tracker for the CLIENT and for you. It keeps them in the loop without sending a bunch of emails back & forth.
SETTING BOUNDARIES
When the time they’ve booked is coming to an end, start wrapping up your work & find a stopping point.
It's tempting to push on if you're not done yet, but stick to the agreed-upon hours (or close to it). If you’re a solopreneur especially, you wear about 30 different ‘hats’ in your business & to be quite frank, you do NOT have the time available to spend 20 hours doing work that you thought you could’ve finished in 10, except in extreme circumstances. So protect yourself & value your time; do not give the client way more time than was allotted for this project!
What are ‘extreme circumstances’? Great question! The exceptions are situations like a platform outage or an unforeseeable tech hiccup. Shit sometimes happens, but thankfully those are rare, and hopefully your contract mentions events outside of our control. But if it's due to the sheer volume of tasks, it's time to draw the line.
It may be helpful to remember here, that as long as you’ve communicated clearly from the start that there might be a chance that you everything can’t be completed, they're prepared for that scenario IF it happens.
Remember, this is YOUR business and you can design your work day to fit YOU. It's perfectly fine not to stretch a VIP day into an exhausting marathon at the expense of your health, your family (or pets), etc. The client has paid for a focused burst of productivity, ––not an endurance test. 😂
WRAPPING UP THE VIP DAY
As the day wraps up, I record a video overview. It allows them to see the progress made, even the nitty-gritty stuff that might not be immediately noticeable. You can record it at the end of the day or, if you'd rather recharge first, wrap things up for the day and do it the next morning.
Finally, send them an email with the video link; I use Loom for these because it’s easy & their AI will even transcribe & chapterize the video, making playback even more easier.
At the end of your recording, you can remind them of how to communicate with you about questions, how you plan to support them & what they should do if they need help with anything outside of their booked time in your calendar.
For me, recording & sending this overview video officially marks the end of the VIP day, whether you do it on the day itself or the following morning.
❺ Post-VIP Day Support & Deliverables
Once the VIP day project is wrapped up, there’s one remaining part that I believe is crucial for a high-touch experience: support and deliverables.
SUPPORT
While it's not mandatory, I proudly offer a week (five business days) of support following the VIP day. I personally don’t love the idea of messing with a bunch of their website shit, and then leaving them hanging to figure out how to edit or maintain what I did. The included support ensures they're confident in the progress made, and handling or managing further maintenance & basic edits themselves.
This support period is basically just a shorter version of the system I have in place for my custom projects. Dubsado kicks it off with an email, outlining any next steps that I suggest, & where to submit tickets if they need further help, giving them a clear channel to ask for help if they need it.
One optional step is to book an ‘offboarding’ call with me so we can meet after the VIP Day is done and go over things together, so they have the chance to ask me any wrap-up questions & get more context on anything that’s unclear.
I’ve literally had several clients book this call JUST to tell me that they have no questions & love what I did, which I will never complain about. 😂
It means so much more to hear their voice & see their face when they give you positive feedback like that, than a review/feedback form –so if you find this is happening to you frequently, start recording those calls & ask for their permission to use clips from it in your reviews &/or marketing materials!
DELIVERABLES
The second part of this support period is the delivery of any edited files or graphics I created specifically for their to-do list, and any overview materials & resources. This could include the overview video from Loom, a replay of the offboarding call if they've booked one, any edited or created files (like graphics and edited or resized images), and any relevant resource links that you think would help them (like tutorials, blog posts, softwares that could solve a specific problem the client wants to fix, etc).
These assets are neatly organized in a Playbook folder (or Dropbox, or Google Drive, etc), with the public link shared for easy access.
Resource: a Playbook for creatives
What’s Playbook? It's honestly become one of my favorite tools for client files! While it takes a bit of getting used to, it's incredibly efficient for organizing and sharing deliverables for client projects because it’s VISUAL.
It works a bit like Pinterest meets Dropbox/Google Drive, and it's designed with creators in mind with features like drag & drop file reordering, expiring assets and user licenses, various formats for ‘uploads’ for things like links with custom thumbnail images, and even color palettes!
Though it's web-based and doesn't have an app yet, that's not a deal-breaker for me. It's been a game-changer in how I handoff client files and I think clients enjoy it more because they can see what’s there without opening the files, even play video or audio files without downloading them, & download the files item-by-item or in groups.
If you’re interested in learning more about how I use Playbook, leave a comment below!
next steps
I hope this walkthrough has been helpful for you! Not sure what to learn next? Check these out:
a sneak peek into my two-week web design process for custom Squarespace websites – trust me, it's a game-changer for designers that aren’t a huge fan of long, drawn-out projects with overlapping deadlines & timelines. 🫣
pricing your services with a spreadsheet that does the math FOR you!
