CM Club - What is your process when signing up new clients?

[surfandturf]

Sorry guys! I'm back with more questions again!

I am handing in my notice this week (arghh!) so will be ready to start CMing at the beginning of July.

I've met with a few families already and have given them copies of my paperwork (welcome pack, policies and procedures, child information forms etc) to have a look through and complete if and when they are ready to sign up.

2 of them did say they need care to start from beginning of July but I've not heard back from them as yet. A bit worried as it would be nice to give notice knowing that I had some definates in place!

Am I going about this the right way or do you tend to ask for a deposit first to secure the place and then go through all the paperwork and sign the contract at the same time?

Just wondering which way you have found works best for you?

Thanks for your help!

sounds like you have all in hand.. if i were you i would phone the parents who want care and get a definate yes or no from them.. say you have other parents wanting spaces and so need to know their intentions..

get them round and go through the contract.. line by line.. if poss without the children there as they are a distraction...

make sure you have worked out your holiday and sick pay requirements and how they will pay you and when...(if you read the threads on here you might consider a late payment fee) most parents are great but you will DEFINATLY come across late or flakey payers, all part of the job..

then get a months non returnable deposit in case they let you down... (all in ncma contract and get it all signed and sealed..

best of luck

I tend to have parents visit once and then wait for them to contact me again for a second visit when we would go through the contract together. I try to get a retainer if the place is not needed for more than 3 weeks as another parent may want that place sooner- and therefore could miss out. Unless a parent actually signs I do not consider the place filled (a bird in the hand and all that). I?ve learnt over the years that it can be expensive to give every ?interested? parent a copy of my paperwork, they can look through my policies and the contract at the first visit and I give a prospectus to take away. Once they are ready to negotiate a contract we also go through the policies together and they then get a copy.
Always negotiate payment in advance, and give detailed invoices.

First visit the family normally comes out and has a look around, i explain what i do, food, activites etc I give them a welcome leaflet and a business card at that point but not my policies and procedures.

They normally contact me again if they want to go ahead with using my service. The would come back for a second visit, where we would sign contracts, fill in all papework (info about minded child, emergency contacts etc fromt eh SCMA white folder) and then give them my policies and procedures to take away. I dont give these at first visit as they are around 12 a4 pages which would cost me alot of money to print if i wanted to just give them to everyone that ever came to visit.

Thank all - that helps a lot!

I get them to look at my website before they come. They meet me and DH (who works with me) and we all decide if we like each other. If they want to book a place (and we liked them), then we email them our policies and they come back and fill in paperwork and ask any additional questions. I used to send paperwork home after the first visit, but even people who said they definitely wanted the space would vanish into thin air and the money spent on paperwork was wasted. It is always better to fill in contracts face to face anyway.