How to run a kickoff meeting with a new client

The contract is signed and everyone is keen to start. The kickoff is the first time the people doing the work and the people approving it are in the same conversation. What’s agreed here shapes the weeks that follow.

A kickoff meeting is the first working session with a new client after they’ve said yes. It isn’t another sales call. Its job is to turn what was sold into a shared plan.

What is a kickoff meeting for

By the end, everyone should be able to answer four questions: what are we trying to achieve, what is and isn’t included, who decides, and what happens next. If the meeting does that, it has done its job.

It’s also where the client meets the people they’ll deal with day to day. Leave time for introductions, especially if the person who sold the work isn’t the one delivering it.

What should you prepare

• Read the proposal and the notes from earlier conversations, so the client doesn’t have to repeat themselves.
• List the open questions and assumptions you need settled.
• Confirm who is attending on both sides, including the person who approves work.
• Send the agenda a couple of days ahead, with anything you’d like them to bring.

If someone else sold the work, talk to them first. For what to cover, read How to hand over an agency client without losing context.

What should the agenda cover

Adjust the times to suit. A small job may need half an hour. A large one may need a separate session for the detail.

How do you run the meeting

1. 01Start with the goalAsk the client to describe what they want the work to achieve. Listen for anything that differs from the proposal and raise it now, not in week four.
2. 02Confirm the scope out loudWalk through what’s included and what isn’t. Stating the exclusions can feel uncomfortable, but it is far easier now than when an extra request arrives.
3. 03Agree who decidesName one person on the client’s side who gives final approval and gathers feedback from others. Agree how long reviews usually take.
4. 04Settle the open questionsWork through your list. If something can’t be answered in the meeting, give it an owner and a date instead of leaving it open.
5. 05Finish with next stepsRead back the actions: what, who and when. Confirm the date of the first milestone and when the client will next hear from you.

What should you send afterwards

Send a recap the same day, while it’s fresh. Keep it to the decisions made, the actions with owners and dates, and anything still open.

Subject: [Project] kickoff: decisions and next steps

Hi [name],

Thanks for today. Here’s what we agreed.

Goal: [one sentence].
Approvals: [name] will give final approval, with feedback within [timeframe].

Next steps:
[Action], [owner], by [date].
[Action], [owner], by [date].

Still to confirm: [open item], [owner], by [date].

Our first milestone is [milestone] on [date]. Let me know if I’ve missed anything.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Save the recap with the client’s record so anyone joining later can read what was agreed.

What are the common mistakes

• Treating it as a presentation. If you talk for most of the meeting, you won’t find out what the client expects.
• Leaving out the approver. Decisions made without them tend to be reopened.
• Skipping the exclusions. Unspoken assumptions about scope come back later as disagreements.
• Ending without dates. “We’ll be in touch” isn’t a next step.

Do you always need a kickoff meeting

Not always. For a small, familiar job with a returning client, a clear email covering the same four questions can be enough. Hold a meeting when the work is new, several people are involved or there are decisions to make together.

The kickoff is one part of onboarding. For the rest, read An agency client onboarding checklist you can reuse. For the product overview, see Stack’s client management.

Before your next kickoff, write the agenda and the open questions first. If you can’t list what needs deciding, you’re not ready to meet.