I was talking to a creative entrepreneur friend the other day about systems and outsourcing and how, as entrepreneurs, we tend to have a lot of half-way systems in place that don’t work well, but get the job done. You know, the five calendars, or maybe the notetaking across five different platforms (I’m looking at you Google Doc, Asana, and Notes app).
We have every intention of stopping this madness. Marie Kondoing our entire business and simply winking farewell to the things that don’t serve us well anymore. But we just seem to be so caught up in the hustle we revert back to our old ways.
If it’s not that broke, why fix it?
Each time I was on-boarding a new client I would think to myself “Dang, I really need to make this more efficient”
But still, each time I would revert back to my old ways, complicating things for myself, or dropping everything to create an updated Welcome Packet and email sequence to look more professional.
Have you ever been there?
I got tired of squeezing by, and realized my clients deserve an excellent experience, without me scrambling on the backend to make it happen each time.
Enter Dubsado.
Y’all, I had Dubsado for a couple of months before I even took the time to make it work for me. It was just one of those things where I couldn’t find the time up front to set it up, even though it is now saving me so much time every day.
Without further ado, let’s dive into some Dubsado tips. Shall we?
In today’s blog post I’ll be sharing how Dubsado* lets me sign contracts, get paid, schedule appointments, and send emails, all while I’m off doing other things!
What even is Dubsado?
Before we dive into my favorite Dubsado features, let’s just chat for a minute about what exactly Dubsado is.
Dubsado is a customer relationship management software (or CRM) that allows you to easily keep track of your leads, clients, schedule appointments, sign contracts and send invoices, all from one platform.
Dubsado is perfect for any creative entrepreneur from web designers (like myself) to photographers, calligraphers, wedding venues, and more!
Ready to hear about some of my favorite Dubsado features? Let’s do it!
Contracts
While contracts and the legal side of business aren’t always fun they are still so important. Not just if something were to go wrong, but also because it helps set clear expectations for working relationships.
Dubsado lets you input your own contracts with variable fields (like names, addresses, emails, etc.) so that you can easily set up your contract once and let Dubsado do the rest when it comes to inputting the information where it needs to go.
Once the contract is ready, you can send it to your client through Dubsado for a signature, and then Dubsado will let you know when it’s your turn to countersign the agreement! It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Speaking of contracts!
I personally get my contracts from The Creative Law Shop* and I love how easy it was to edit the contract and then put it into Dubsado to use with my clients! If you’re searching for a new contract to use for your business, check out The Creative Law Shop and use the code IDA10 for 10% off (yes, that’s an affiliate code!).
Invoices
Next up, let’s talk about invoices, because who doesn’t love getting paid?!
With Dubsado, you’re able to set up your various services and offerings as packages, so preparing an invoice can be done in no time. In addition to setting up your packages, you’re also able to add payment schedules, which is so helpful if you’re not all about doing math on the go!
50% deposit and the rest due at completion? No problem. Just set that up in Dubsado and apply before sending over your invoice!
I have found that clients love the convenience of receiving their contract and invoice in one email and just completing them both at the same time. This feature makes for an excellent user experience for our clients, which is essential to creating a great overall client experience.
Scheduler
Next up – the scheduler! This is a newer feature within Dubsado, and is absolutely amazing.
The scheduler, as you might have guessed, is a great way to send a link to a client to set up a meeting, because no one likes those back and forth emails trying to set up an appointment. It is also possible to sync your scheduler with your Google Calendar (or whatever calendar you use) so that you don’t double book yourself.
For photographers, the scheduler is a great way to set up mini sessions, as you can require payment at the time of booking to even confirm an appointment! How convenient?!
Canned emails
Do you ever find yourself writing basically the same emails over and over again?
Your process and expectations likely doesn’t change much from project to project, so wouldn’t it be so convenient if you could just create these emails once and have a library of canned emails ready when you need them?
Well you can!
It’s the perfect solution for onboarding clients, language for sending contracts, and even those friendly reminders our clients might need from time to time!
They can all be set up ahead of time in Dubsado, so whenever you need them, you just pull it right up. And yes, you can always tweak or customize it a little to fit your particular client!
Workflows
Need a certain canned email to go out 10 days before the project starts? Or maybe you need your clients to schedule a call with you once they submit their info?
No problem!
The Dubsado workflows are really the icing on the cake, or maybe like the ribbon if you will.
They tie your canned emails, schedulers, contracts, and invoices all together into an automated system that can run on its own.
This allows you to never miss the chance to serve your client, but ensures that you’re not always responsible for keeping track of your various leads and projects to check in.
Well, y’all. Those are my favorite Dubsado features that allow me to run a business with a little more hygge and a little less hustle. Without missing an opportunity to serve my clients well.
Are you ready to test out Dubsado for your own business? Head on over here and use the code ida for 20% off your first month or year!
Looking for some help designing your brand or website? Look no further! I’m a web designer with a passion for intentional branding, and would love to learn more about your dreams and goals for your business! Learn more about my services on the web design page!
* this is an affiliate link, which means I may get some benefit at no extra cost to you!
