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Web Wizards

Client Kickoff

Confirm the things that matter, agree what happens first, and get on with the work. A call is usually worth it — but for a small or simple account, the same things can be confirmed by email.
Led by
Account Manager
Format
Call or email
Timing
Before delivery starts
Version
0.1 · Sept 2026

Before the Kickoff

Turn up knowing the account. The call is for the things only the client can tell us.

  • The Internal Service Brief has been read by everyone attending
  • Obvious account, competitor and performance research is done
  • The questions that genuinely need client input are written down
  • Access and asset requests are already out

Who Should Attend

The ideal shape of the meeting, not an attendance rule. Scale it to the engagement.

02.1

Web Wizards

Account Manager
Leads the meeting and owns the client relationship.
Assigned specialist
Attends because they will be doing the work, and should hear the client's priorities, concerns and expectations directly.
Digital Marketing Manager or service lead
Ideally attends, particularly for a new client, a larger account, or where strategic or technical decisions may come up. Not mandatory for every small or straightforward engagement.
Salesperson
Joins only where there is a specific reason: relationship continuity, unusual commitments, or unresolved scope questions.

02.2

Client

Primary working contact
Should attend.
Key stakeholder or approver
Include where their involvement will materially help confirm priorities, approvals or decisions. Do not require every senior stakeholder on every kickoff.

How to Run the Kickoff

The kickoff should feel like a normal client conversation, not a presentation. Use these prompts to make sure the important things get covered, in whatever order the conversation takes them.

  1. Goals and priorities

    What matters most right now, and what they want to see happen first.

  2. Scope

    Clear up anything they have understood differently from what was sold. Do not read the proposal back to them.

  3. People and approvals

    Primary working contact, other stakeholders, who approves work, and who only needs visibility.

  4. Communication

    Preferred channel, what a normal response time looks like, and any recurring meeting actually worth holding.

  5. Access and blockers

    Anything still missing that could hold up delivery, and who is chasing it. Detail lives in Access & Assets.

  6. Immediate next steps

    What we do next, what the client owes us, who owns each open item, and the first thing they will see. A short list, not a plan document.

After the Kickoff

No minutes. The Account Manager writes down what changed and keeps things moving.

  • Material changes or decisions recorded against the project
  • Outstanding items given an owner
  • Immediate priorities updated if the conversation moved them
  • Service-specific onboarding continues

Kickoff Is Complete When

  • Goals and priorities are confirmed
  • Scope misunderstandings are resolved
  • Contacts and the approval path are understood
  • Outstanding access and assets have owners
  • Immediate next steps are clear

Then What?